Yun Jin sat poised upon the throne. On either side, the ground opened, and round tables rose to match the number of guests. Each table was laid with spirit fruits and spiritual tea.
"Thank you all for attending the ceremony," Yun Jin said softly. "Please, help yourselves."
Everyone took their seats in turn.
Spirit fruits and spiritual tea were nothing rare for the Four Holy Lands.
But...
The ones produced by the Wushuang Sect were on another level entirely.
This dimensional space had remained sealed for a thousand years. The spiritual plants here, even left to grow naturally, were at least a millennium in age. And considering that the Saint of Ten Thousand Paths had likely employed other cultivation methods, the spiritual potency of these fruits and wines far exceeded anything of mere thousand-year origin.
"These have been specially processed. You can consume them freely without worrying about excessive spiritual power. All of you have passed the final trial, and are now friends of the Wushuang Sect. Consider these a gift," Yun Jin said.
As soon as she said that, Jin Yu reached for a fruit and took a bite.
Instantly, a surge of violent spiritual energy roared through his body.
He frantically activated his cultivation technique to refine it, but the energy was far beyond his current ability to control.
Fortunately...
Just as Yun Jin had said, the spiritual energy quickly settled. It gathered together, forming a tiny golden pellet of spiritual essence that lodged itself in Jin Yu's dantian.
The energy was safely stored, ready to be drawn upon when he needed it next.
And this... was just one fruit.
Jin Yu's expression shifted slightly, and he quickly lowered his head to eat more.
The others, seeing his reaction, couldn't help but glance his way.
Jin Yu snorted. "What? You're not eating? Might as well give them all to me, then."
That snapped everyone out of their hesitation, and they all began consuming the fruits.
In front of Yun Jin sat a tray of even higher-grade fruits.
She leisurely picked one up and took a bite.
Spiritual energy surged at once.
But unlike Jin Yu and the others, Yun Jin absorbed it in an instant.
Her soul strength was terrifyingly powerful. For her, there had never been such a thing as a bottleneck when it came to absorbing spiritual energy.
Just one fruit...
And Yun Jin's cultivation instantly advanced to mid-stage Nascent Soul.
Tian Po Sword and An Tong both sensed the shift in Yun Jin's aura and froze.
The spiritual power contained in that fruit was astonishing, yet the Young Master had absorbed it in the blink of an eye?
Was that even possible?
Jin Yu and the others, all at the Divine Transformation stage, could only store such energy for future refinement. But Yun Jin?
"Not bad at all," Yun Jin smacked her lips with satisfaction, savoring the aftertaste before picking up another fruit.
"Young Master, slow down, please slow down!" the Tian Po Sword said nervously.
Truth be told, the Wushuang Sect's cultivation system was unlike that of any other sect.
They didn't care much about spiritual power itself. As long as you had enough heavenly treasures, you could raise that anytime.
What truly mattered were two things—the strength of one's soul, which decided how much power they could hold, and comprehension of the Dao, which determined combat strength.
That's why disciples of the Wushuang Sect rarely sat in meditation just to increase their spiritual power. Most of their time was spent comprehending the Dao and tempering their souls.
As for energy resources, the Wushuang Sect had an endless supply.
Especially now.
Wan Dao Saint had already brought out many spiritual plants from the sect. After a millennium of natural evolution, and under An Tong's meticulous care over the centuries, the Wushuang Sect's herbal stores were overflowing with all kinds of rare ingredients. With so few disciples at present, everyone could use them freely.
However...
While energy absorption was important, it was the soul that determined how much one could truly contain.
The Young Master was still so young. Reaching the Nascent Soul stage in such a short time was already the stuff of legends.
Could she really go even further?
Was she not even tempering her soul?
As Tian Po Sword watched in anxious disbelief, Yun Jin picked up another fruit.
Once swallowed, the fruit immediately transformed into pure energy.
Her aura shifted again.
In an instant, she had advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage.
And not just barely. Judging by the strength of her aura, she had already reached its peak.
The first time her cultivation level changed, the guests below didn't notice.
But this time, the change was far too dramatic. One by one, everyone turned to look at her.
Their expressions changed drastically.
What was going on? Just moments ago, wasn't Yun Jin only at early Nascent Soul?
She had just been at the Golden Core stage a few days ago! How had she suddenly reached the peak of Nascent Soul? Had their spiritual senses malfunctioned?
One by one, they extended their spiritual sense to probe her. Under normal circumstances, such behavior was considered rude. But they were far too shocked to worry about etiquette now.
Yun Jin didn't hide her cultivation. She allowed them to investigate as they pleased.
"Young Master, are you alright?" Tian Po Sword couldn't help but ask.
Yun Jin chuckled. "I feel fantastic. If I'd known these were this good, you should've brought them out earlier."
Others were limited by the strength of their souls. They could only store energy and wait for their soul cultivation to catch up before absorbing more.
But Yun Jin was different.
Even though her soul had been sealed, after several rounds of stimulation and release, it had already reached the peak of the Divine Transformation stage.
A little more provocation, and she would be able to unlock even more of her soul power.
For Yun Jin right now, everything before the Unity stage might as well be a straight path. She poured herself a cup of spiritual wine, picked up another fruit, and started enjoying both at once.
Everyone else forgot about their own share. They simply stared at Yun Jin in stunned silence.
They didn't believe it.
Could she really reach Divine Transformation right in front of them?
A few days ago, she had only been at Golden Core.
And now she was about to step into Divine Transformation?
Was this a joke?
Even Tian Po Sword began to panic, worried that the overwhelming spiritual energy would spiral out of control.
But Yun Jin calmly took a sip of wine, then another. Her aura surged without pause, but her expression remained unchanged.
Then suddenly...
Her aura transformed completely.
Everyone tensed.
Yun Jin... was about to break through to Divine Transformation? Right here, in front of all these people?
It had to be said—
When they reached Divine Transformation, each of them had taken every precaution. They had secluded themselves in secret chambers and prepared extensively.
But Yun Jin? She was just going to break through like this, in the open?
Truthfully...
She was simply too excited.
She had lived in poverty for so long. When had she ever been this rich in resources?
Back at the Tianxing Sect, she had access to pills, yes, but their medicinal potency couldn't compare to the spiritual fruits An Tong had nurtured for centuries.
Now, she didn't even need to choke down pills. A few sips of wine and a couple of fruits were enough to level up with ease.
For Yun Jin—
There were no bottlenecks on the road to Divine Transformation. If this had been any other time, she'd only have needed to stock up on extra pills, just in case she ran out of energy.
But now?
That was no longer a concern.
She had more spiritual power than she could use.
And if she needed more, all she had to do was drink another cup of wine!
So what was there to wait for?
Just break through already!