Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 717: Greater Dao Body (1)

“Struggle to become a Sovereign?" Wu Yuan's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wasn't advancing to the Sovereign phase always meant to be a near insurmountable challenge?"

The Greenridge Macrocosm was immensely vast, its expanse stretching beyond mortal comprehension. Yet how many Sovereigns had it birthed across the endless ages?

In Wu Yuan's original plans, if his qi refiner self could fully comprehend a single Greater Law while still a High Immortal, becoming a Supreme Genius, it would already be an extraordinary feat. After all, most macrocosms struggled to produce even one true Supreme Genius over countless eons.

"It's different," Sovereign Lan Yan intoned. "Though you're part of Immortal Sovereign Bei You's lineage, your perspective remains somewhat limited. You don't yet grasp the full scope of the distinction.

Becoming a Sovereign is indeed tremendously difficult. But given the talent you demonstrated, you should be able to reach the seventh-level True Intent stage within a thousand years if you were to focus solely on the Law of Space.

In as little as ten thousand years, or at most thirty thousand, you should be able to grasp Space Dao Field."

"Ten thousand years?" Wu Yuan nodded slightly, absorbing the information.

The timeframe Sovereign Lan Yan predicted was slightly longer than Wu Yuan's own estimates, but still remarkably swift.

He thought of the Seven Star Luminaries Tower of the Taiyuan Divine Court.

The four-star tower could be challenged between one thousand and ten thousand years of age. Those at the seventh-level True Intent stage of Space could typically conquer level one hundred.

The five-star tower was for those between ten thousand and ninety thousand years old. Reaching the first-level Dao Field stage of a Greater Law or fully comprehending an Intermediate Law allowed one to conquer level one hundred.

Cultivators like Nie Zhen, Mi Yun, and even Senior Brother Jiang Huan fell into this category. [1] They had all cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years. Such talent was considered top-tier within a macrocosm, worthy of becoming direct disciples under Sovereigns.

The six-star tower could be challenged between ninety thousand and three hundred thousand years of age. Reaching the fourth-level Dao Field stage in a Greater Law allowed one to conquer level one hundred. Those who could achieve this were often hailed as the cream of the crop among High Immortals and High Deities across the entire river of space and time.

The seven-star tower was reserved for those over three hundred thousand years old. To conquer level one hundred, one had to fully comprehend a Greater Law.

"In my previous estimates, you had the potential to fully comprehend the Law of Space within a few hundred thousand years," Sovereign Lan Yan declared solemnly.

Wu Yuan listened intently.

Level one hundred of the seven-star tower posed the most formidable challenge.

Within the vast territories under the Taiyuan Divine Court's rule, individuals who could conquer level one hundred of the three-star or five-star towers might emerge every few hundred thousand or million years.

But level one hundred of the seven-star tower? The entire divine court headquarters might not see such a feat in over a hundred million years.

"Supreme Geniuses who advance directly to the Sovereign phase often stand at the very pinnacle of Sovereigns." Sovereign Lan Yan's gaze pierced Wu Yuan, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and wistfulness.

“Supreme beings who transcend Sovereigns are exceedingly rare. Throughout the entire river of space and time, there are but a handful. But even among Sovereigns, there are varying degrees of strength. The mightiest among Sovereigns each possess terrifying levels of power."

Sovereign Lan Yan continued, "My Spacetime Dao Realm has produced two Supreme Geniuses."

"Two?" Wu Yuan was astonished.

It was considered a monumental achievement for a normal macrocosm to produce even one. Two? The Spacetime Dao Realm was truly a realm established by the Dao Master himself.

"You already know of one – Sovereign Black Devil," Sovereign Lan Yan revealed. "His power is extraordinary. He once battled the Sovereigns of all nine major factions in the Dao Realm simultaneously, without a shred of fear."

"So formidable?" Wu Yuan's eyes widened in amazement.

Only now did he learn that Sovereign Black Devil had also walked the path of a Supreme Genius.

"And the other?" Wu Yuan asked curiously.

"That was in an ancient era, shortly after the Dao Realm's creation. They were one of the earliest lifeforms to emerge in the realm. I've only heard tales," Sovereign Lan Yan said softly. "That individual was the Dao Master's only publicly acknowledged disciple. It's said they perished not long after becoming a Sovereign."

"Perished?" Wu Yuan's shock was palpable.

A Supreme Genius of unparalleled talent, ascending to the Sovereign phase only to meet their end?

"Now do you understand the implications of your talent? Even if you didn’t break through within a million years, merely reaching the peak of the Astral Monarch phase, becoming a Sovereign shouldn't be difficult for you given enough time." Sovereign Lan Yan stated.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

"However, my previous assessment of you was inaccurate. Your greatest talent lies not in the Law of Space, but in the Law of Time." Sovereign Lan Yan shook her head, a hint of wonder in her voice. "I never imagined you would crystallize Time True Intent so swiftly."

Wu Yuan was left speechless.

Indeed! After his soul's metamorphosis into twelve Yuan Souls, his progress in the Law of Time had been nothing short of terrifying, allowing him to grasp Spacetime True Intent in one go. Normally, it would take ten thousand years to reach the first-level Dao Field stage, yet he had achieved it at a mere seven hundred years of age.

"With Spacetime True Intent crystallized, your future becomes far less certain," Sovereign Lan Yan's gaze bore into Wu Yuan. "This isn't to say this path is weaker. On the contrary, an Essence Great Dao is an eternal Dao, undoubtedly far stronger than Greater Laws. It's simply more challenging to master.

In the future, perhaps in tens or hundreds of thousands of years, you might reach the Dao Field stage of a Great Dao, with Dao comprehension rivaling Sovereigns, or even ranking among the mightiest of Sovereigns. But breakthroughs will become increasingly difficult.

Becoming an Astral Monarch requires fully comprehending an Intermediate Law, which shouldn't pose much challenge for you. However, to become a Sovereign, one must fully comprehend a Greater Law.

Under the influence of an Essence Great Dao, the deeper your comprehension of the Great Dao, the more difficult it becomes to successfully comprehend a Greater Law. The hope of success becomes vanishingly small." Sovereign Lan Yan's tone was grave.

"Ultimately, you may well become what's known as a 'Supreme Astral Monarch'."

"Supreme Astral Monarch?" Wu Yuan chewed over the words.

"That is, an Astral Monarch whose combat power rivals that of Sovereigns," Sovereign Lan Yan explained, shaking her head slightly. "Such Astral Monarchs are exceedingly rare. To my knowledge, there aren't many even across the endless river of space and time.

Without exception, they all arise from situations similar to yours – individuals of unparalleled talent, with astonishing aptitude in multiple Greater Laws, who crystallize a Great Dao’s True Intent early on, yet ultimately fail to ascend to Sovereign."

Wu Yuan now fully grasped the situation.

Crystallizing a Great Dao’s True Intent had little impact on comprehending Lesser or Intermediate Laws. It only affected the ultimate comprehension of Greater Laws. It was a trade-off of gains and losses.

By walking the path of an Essence Great Dao, what's gained is greater power, potentially surpassing so-called Supreme Geniuses even at the High Immortal stage. Wu Yuan mused silently. But there are also losses. The difficulty of becoming a Sovereign in the future will be far greater than through normal cultivation.

Presumably, this was the reason behind Master Kua Chi's earlier warning. Becoming a Sovereign was already challenging; trying to do so under the influence of an Essence Great Dao? Even more so.

"Sovereign, what about Zhuo Haiyue?" Wu Yuan couldn’t resist asking. "Is her situation similar to mine?"

Wu Yuan's previous astonishment stemmed from her outrageous growth rate, which defied normal understanding.

"Zhuo Haiyue? No! You needn't compare yourself to her. Regarding her situation... I'd rather not comment on it." Sovereign Lan Yan shook her head slightly. "Her path differs from that of normal cultivators. Neither so-called cultivation talent nor cultivation opportunities significantly affect her.

I estimate that in as little as ten thousand years, or at most a hundred thousand, she will ascend to the Sovereign phase," Sovereign Lan Yan's gaze bore into Wu Yuan.

"Throughout the river of space and time, there have been multiple examples of similar situations. Even in this era, there are others like her. But they aren't categorized within the normal spectrum of genius growth. You needn't compare yourself to her."

"Becoming a Sovereign in ten thousand years?" Wu Yuan's pupils constricted.

What kind of cultivation speed was that?

"You are different from her. Her growth rate doesn't depend on her own efforts," Sovereign Lan Yan hesitated before continuing, "In fact... I'd advise you to keep your distance from her to avoid entangling yourself in too deep a karmic tie."

Wu Yuan's mind was a tempest of thoughts.

He was no fool. How could he not understand the significance of Sovereign Lan Yan's words? As a Sovereign of Space, serving directly under the Spacetime Dao Master, her status likely surpassed even that of Master Kua Chi and the others.

For her to be so reticent about Zhuo Haiyue, the implications surrounding Zhuo Haiyue ran far deeper than Wu Yuan had imagined, likely involving supreme beings.

Simultaneously, Wu Yuan recalled his earlier conversation with Zhuo Haiyue, how she had shown little joy at her own progress.

He had found it strange at the time, but now he began to understand it slightly.

1. should be referring to their past accomplishments ☜