His sharp, ruthless methods and unwavering decisiveness led to rumors among many low-level cultivators in the Bianzhou Region that in his previous life, Elian was an unparalleled Sword Immortal. They speculated that his excessive bloodshed caused his banishment to the mortal realm for tribulation.
Elian, however, paid no attention to such talk.
His will was as unyielding as iron, his conviction a relentless obsession, guided by his own principles. To him, eliminating all enemies was the best way to protect those he loved.
Although he had slain countless enemies along the way, Elian never regretted it. Yet, the long-standing mental strain and tension weighed on him as a persistent pressure.
It had been a very long time since he had truly appreciated the beauty of Linghu Isle.
Now, with his breakthrough to the Purple Mansion stage and the Chen family possessing a degree of self-defense, he finally found the leisure to enjoy the blooming peach blossoms stretching for ten miles.
Breathing in the floral fragrance, Elian stepped out of the pavilion, letting the rain soak his white robe.
Closing his eyes, he stood still, quietly attuning himself to the heavens and earth. The spring rain poured down, washing over him as though cleansing both his body and soul.
Not far away, Chen Xianyan silently observed him.
To her, he seemed like an immortal stepping out of a painting. His snow-white robes accentuated his tall and graceful figure, standing amidst the wind and rain. Simply standing there, he seemed to dim the colors of the ten-mile peach blossom forest.
The sound of rain fell gently.
Standing in the rain, Elian lowered his gaze, silently sensing the essence of the world around him.
Suddenly, he felt as if his soul were ascending, and time itself seemed to freeze.
He saw the rain droplets suspended mid-air, their crystalline clarity refracting seven-colored light.
He saw a gust of wind lift a peach blossom petal, its veins vividly visible, seemingly frozen on its journey to the sky.
He saw green spiritual fish grazing on water plants, thousands of them following their leader, living freely in the water.
Time seemed to blur, and Elian's divine sense grew rapidly. From the first level of the Purple Mansion stage, it soared to the second, then the third, and finally the fourth, before halting.
He felt his mind expand with countless profound insights and flashes of inspiration.
"A moment of enlightenment," he murmured, realizing what was happening. He seized the moment to begin deducing the Solar Flame Sutra. (I always wondered how to write a moment of enlightenment, what do you think? )
Over the years, he had advanced this cultivation technique to the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment. He had thought it would take another decade to push it to the Purple Mansion level, but today, inspiration struck.
With his mind in overdrive, the deductions came effortlessly. In moments, he advanced the sutra to the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment and then to the Purple Mansion level.
When he reached the sixth level of the Purple Mansion stage, he encountered a bottleneck and could progress no further.
He understood that this was due to the limited number of Purple Mansion techniques in his collection. Much of the sixth-level method had been created from his own imagination, making further advancement difficult.
Stopping his work on the sutra, he turned his attention to deducing the method for refining a natal artifact.
Using the refinement technique for the Fiery Void Sword as a reference, he deduced a method for crafting a completely opposite type of immortal sword.
Next, he used Yuan Magnet Bracelet as the main material, with Yang Metal Crystals and Yin Metal Crystals as auxiliaries, to deduce a method for refining a Yuan Magnet Bracelet.
When both artifact methods were complete, Elian emerged from his state of enlightenment.
"This enlightenment truly was a stroke of fortune," he thought, a ripple of emotion passing through his calm demeanor.
The enlightenment had brought him tremendous gains. First, his divine sense had advanced to the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion level. While divine sense didn't directly equate to cultivation, stronger divine sense significantly increased the likelihood of successfully advancing to the Golden Core stage.
Second, the Solar Flame Sutra had been advanced to the sixth level of the Purple Mansion stage. Though the technique was still in its early stages, it already held profound potential.
Elian was confident that, with continued refinement, the sutra would eventually reach remarkable heights.
Additionally, while deducing the sutra, he had developed a new divine ability. This ability condensed the power of blazing solar fire into a protective aura.
The aura, formed from pure solar true fire, was incredibly potent. Even if attacked by divine swords or magical abilities, it would be difficult to break through, and attackers might find their own power diminished by the consuming solar flames.
According to Elian's calculations, once activated, this divine ability would make him appear like a golden sun standing in the heavens, radiating golden light across the world.
The defensive power of this ability was extraordinary. With his Purple Mansion fourth-level strength, he estimated that it could withstand three full-powered attacks from a mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator.
As long as the aura wasn't overwhelmed by continuous attacks in a short period, he could replenish it with his magical power, maintaining it indefinitely unless his power was completely exhausted.
Moreover, the solar true fire's destructive nature made it a natural bane to demons and monsters. Even a beast relying on its strong physical body would likely suffer greatly in close combat.
"A pure yang divine ability of the fire attribute truly is unmatched in its dominance."
"This ability, condensed from solar true fire, shall be named 'Solar True Aura.'"
After naming the ability, Elian frowned slightly.
"But to cultivate Solar True Aura, I'll need a Solar Treasure Crystal as the key ingredient."
As a top-tier defensive ability, Solar True Aura required more than just blazing fire energy. It also needed solar energy, which was much harder to obtain.
Blazing fire energy could be purchased, but solar energy was rare. While a Purple Mansion cultivator could gather a small amount of solar energy under a blazing sun, the process was painfully slow. Relying on self-collection, it might take ten full cycles of sixty years to gather enough.
There were exceptions, though. Solar Treasure Crystals, for instance, contained concentrated solar energy. Legend held that these crystals were extraterrestrial treasures, formed over endless years by absorbing solar energy.
Some said that Solar Treasure Crystals were fragments of ancient solar stars, occasionally cast into the mortal realm during the stars' movements.
Regardless of their origin, Solar Treasure Crystals were exceedingly rare. Even the lowest-grade third-rank crystals were worth over 100,000 spirit stones.
"Without a Solar Treasure Crystal, cultivating Solar True Aura will have to wait."
"I'll need to wait for the next Purple Mansion Exchange Conference to see if I can purchase one from my fellow cultivators."
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D