'Nascent Soul Realm.'
Shi Tian is already familiar with it. He fought dozens of Early Nascent Soul level Demon beasts. His [Innate Sword Soul] triggered the golden orb's mechanism, matching him with Nascent Soul Demon Beasts.
Needless to say, he finished the battle instantly, or else he would have zero chances of winning.
Swoosh-!
For the first time, Shi Tian's Golden Core flew out of his body. He examined the perfect Golden Core closely. Every inch of its body contained Dao Laws.
'Perfection…'
He removed his mind out of it as he decided for his mind and body to break through first. The Golden Core returned inside his body.
Just like the Golden Core Realm breakthrough, he urged his physical body with spiritual qi. Originally, he needed to repeat the process during the Golden Core Breakthrough—to destroy his body and rebuild it. The Golden Core Realm completion signifies that the body can progress further. It is a different scenario from destroying one's physical body for nothing.
However, things are different with his [Nine Dragons Primordial Universe Body]. All he needs to do is to activate its latent potential, thus raising his physical body into the next major realm.
And so he did.
The translucent phantom of the [Primordial Purple Qi Sky-Grazing Nine Dragons] appeared atop his body. This 'armor' swallowed the surrounding spiritual qi like a black hole. In turn, it fed back to Shi Tian's physical body.
Dark purple veins emerged from his skin. It throbbed as it received more power from the phantom. It continued until a week later.
{Body: Peak Golden Core > Early Nascent Soul}
Hum-!
Shi Tian's entire body changed. The jade bones and golden blood he previously bore remained unchanged, though its real nature has drastic changes.
With his physical body alone…
Crack-!
Space crumpled on his fist. He looked at the familiar dark cube resting on his palm.
'Nascent Soul Realm body. Affecting concepts through physical touch…'
Without using any techniques, Shi Tian traversed space at the speed of light.
'No wonder I had to be decisive…'
Thinking of the early Nascent Soul Demon beasts he fought, he could not help but be grateful of his instantaneous attack. Not once did he hesitate to launch his full blow. Only then did he prevent the outcome of being killed instantly.
'If it's already this exaggerated, what about the mind?'
He sat cross-legged mid-air.
This time, his mental realm underwent the typical procedure. His physical body's breakthrough triggered his mind's breakthrough.
At one time, it was thorough stillness.
At the other, it was the vividness of the world.
The world contained nothingness, yet it also contained everything else. Eleven dimensions containing infinite information presented themselves in his eyes, though unfortunately, he cannot affect the more complex dimensions.
The presence of the Tree and the Sea overseeing this world appeared, though the sight dissipated right as it appeared.
{Mind: Peak Golden Core > Early Nascent Soul}
Shi Tian felt his mind permeate every corner of this Bubble World. From the space and its composition down to every single life on Earth, he can 'see' them all.
His spiritual consciousness converged onto him.
'The Golden Core's final breakthrough… it's nigh.'
He no longer held it back. He 'spat' out his Golden Core once again. Under the scrutiny of his spiritual consciousness, he comprehended its entirety in full.
'The concept of perfection… The Golden Core Realm is truly mystical.'
There are two steps for its breakthrough.
The first one is to shatter the Golden Core.
Hum-!
The usually gentle spiritual qi began to revolve around Shi Tian's Golden Core wildly. The perfected Golden Core shone with bright lights. Due to the sheer number of his supernatural powers, however, it remained resilient.
'Golden Core… it is truly on another level.'
Supernatural Seeds, now Supernatural Powers, are crucial for higher realms. It does not pose many issues at the Purple Mansion Realm merely because it is 'weaker'. Supernatural Powers are different. It strengthens the cultivator's control over Dao Laws. It is engraved deep within the Golden Core, providing nourishment to the soul. The more Supernatural Powers there are, the harder it is to shatter the Golden Core.
After that are Dharma Avatars, Divine Realms, and finally, the Dao.
'Body, mind, soul, and the Dao. Three aspects, one goal.'
Shi Tian's mental state reached its peak. He did not mind his repeated failures to shatter his Golden Core. He tried over and over again.
His aura showed signs of going weaker. It is forcibly suppressed by his Nascent Soul-level body and mind, however. His aura remained within the acceptable range.
The fifteen Supernatural Powers made his Golden Core very sturdy. It could not be easily worn down by spiritual qi. Without entering the next breakthrough phase, all it results to are self-inflicted injuries.
Fortunately, his rich repertoire of cultivation techniques never failed him. He used one auxiliary technique after another to speed up the process. The wildly swirling spiritual qi never lost momentum, gaining them instead. The stronger its momentum became, the faster Shi Tian's aura grew weaker.
Finally…
Crack-!
As the first crack appeared, the second and third one did as well. More cracks appeared on his perfected Golden Core.
Shatter-!
The Golden Core broke down. Its entire crack-mottled body shattered into fine golden particles. They painted the entire scene akin to stars in the milky way.
In the center of it lies a soul. It is made of pure white light, with no notable features.
The second breakthrough phase has begun: the formation of Nascent Soul.
The broken Golden Core did not dissipate. It remained at the soul's side. It is not a set of confines, but vital pieces of nourishment.
The soul has been nurtured by the Golden Core until its perfection. Using the Golden Core for the soul's ascension is the key to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Fifteen different lights revolved around the soul. Akin to the absorption of the Demon Cores to rewrite one's bloodline conceptually, the Nascent Soul breakthrough rewrites the conceptual boundaries of the soul. It is to no longer remain within the metaphysical realm; it is to lay on the physical realm.
Shi Tian's changes could not be contained by the vast void. It spread throughout the entire Bubble World. The conceptual ascension of one's soul touched upon the higher dimensions itself!
Spiritual qi rumbled as he remained oblivious to the changes. The fluctuations grew stronger as his soul absorbed the essence of his Golden Core.
Two long months passed unknowingly.
Shi Tian's soul was no longer a blank white light. His features are carved on it. Numerous lights danced around its fingertips.
Soon, the last bit of his Golden Core was absorbed by it.
Hum-!
BAM-!
A bright golden light exploded akin to a supernova. It painted the surrounding ink-black space vibrantly.
His soul had completely transformed into a Nascent Soul. It bore all of Shi Tian's features, but was child-like.
{Qi: Peak Golden Core > Early Nascent Soul}
The moment it went inside his physical body, Shi Tian's shut eyes opened. His golden pupils and orange irises contained different Dharma Laws. His supernatural powers turned into a Dharma Avatar upon his breakthrough. It embodied seventeen different Dharma Laws.
Even in an inert state, they are clearly reflected in his eyes.
"The Honkai…"