Yuan’s Ascension

The sword! Wu Yuan examined the first item, a seemingly ordinary longsword. However, the closer he examined and contemplated it, the more he sensed its overwhelming and fearsome nature.

The space where the sword hovered appeared tranquil, yet it was as if a massive dark vortex formed around it, subtly devouring everything. All Dao and Laws seemed to be consumed by the sword, which emitted only a faint, unfathomable sword intent.

It was from this single thread of sword intent that Wu Yuan glimpsed endless destruction, as if it would annihilate all of heaven and earth.

Yet within it he also saw boundless vitality, as if new life would spring forth after destruction, a vitality so intense it nearly brought Wu Yuan to tears.

Destruction! Vitality!

The two intertwined, manifesting as an incredibly complex facet of the sword, yet Wu Yuan was certain the sword bore no fluctuations of Laws, not even a trace of Dao patterns.

This aura, this power, clearly transcends heaven and earth to exist eternally. Yet the sword lacks the aura of the Daos and Laws, as if it stands above the Dao itself. Wu Yuan shook his head, vaguely finding it familiar, as if he had experienced it before.

But for some reason, no matter how hard Wu Yuan tried to recall, he could not remember.

This bizarre state made Wu Yuan quite wary and perplexed. With his memory, if he had truly experienced something like that before, it would be impossible for him to forget.

It was too strange. Extremely familiar, yet he couldn’t recall it at all.

Time passed.

Wu Yuan pondered for a long while, but still could not recognize or comprehend anything.

I'll try touching it. Wu Yuan decided.

Whoosh! His mana body flew directly towards the flying sword, intending to make contact with the sword.

Silently, before Wu Yuan could even react, his mana body was instantly annihilated. Wu Yuan lost all connection to his mana body.

What? Instant annihilation? Wu Yuan was stunned, having felt no attack land on him whatsoever.

Whoosh~ At that moment, visible to the naked eye, countless motes of light converged, reforming Wu Yuan's mana body.

An invisible force then sent his mana body back to his qi refiner self's side.

What... what just happened? Wu Yuan was utterly baffled.

After a brief examination, he found his mana body no different from before, at least as far as he could tell.

For a moment, Wu Yuan didn't know if what he had just experienced was an illusion or reality.

I'll try again! Wu Yuan gritted his teeth.

Whoosh! The mana body toward the sword once more. Just like before, it was annihilated then swiftly revived.

Wu Yuan still could not discern anything.

One more try. Wu Yuan attempted again.

Again and again, perhaps three thousand times, perhaps six thousand times... Through the mana body's countless cycles of annihilation and revival, Wu Yuan finally grasped a hint of the sword's faint fluctuations.

Destruction and vitality... Everything is a cycle, all originating from the beginning. Wu Yuan pondered. Does this sword represent the primal chaos? Life and death, destruction and creation... Are they fundamentally the same?

Wu Yuan vaguely sensed the fundamental profundities of the sword's fluctuations. Of course, what Wu Yuan could understand was merely the shallowest layer. Perhaps the true profundities the sword sought to express were not so simple.

Though he had some insights, Wu Yuan still received no sign that he had gained the sword's acceptance.

My mana body cannot even approach. It is only repeatedly destroyed and revived. Wu Yuan mused.

Try with his true self? Wu Yuan dared not for now.

He wasn't worried about perishing, as Zi Kong had already promised that wouldn't happen. But if his true self were annihilated, would it be judged an immediate failure?

The paper. Wu Yuan temporarily gave up, turning to contemplate the second item. In the end, observation yielded no results.

Mana body, make contact. Wu Yuan again chose to send his mana body forth.

When Wu Yuan's mana body was mere tens of meters from the paper, seemingly within reach, a change occurred.

Hum~ To Wu Yuan's true self, the mana body began to shrink rapidly - a hundredfold, ten thousandfold, millionfold, billionfold...

One could no longer discern his mana body's location with the naked eye.

But, to Wu Yuan's mana body, everything seemed unchanged. The paper still hovered there, still tens of li away, only now appearing in its vision like an endless expanse of outer space. It was vast and immeasurable, as if it were an entire magnificent universe. Yet the distance seemed so close.

Keep approaching. Wu Yuan's mana body advanced, but still could not draw closer. He only felt the paper in his perceptual field continue to expand enormously. It had grown so immense that he could no longer comprehend or fathom it.

At this moment, Wu Yuan's mana body was like an ant trying to observe the entirety of a universe - utterly surreal.

Moreover, Wu Yuan also realized that though it seemed only tens of meters remained, no matter how far his mana body flew, infinite spacetime separated them in truth.

Is this sheet really just paper? Wu Yuan couldn't help but wonder. It seemed to contain all of spacetime within it, endless and infinite, with no final boundary.

Unable to comprehend or touch it, Wu Yuan could only temporarily give up.

Just as his mana body turned back, he felt its perceptual field rapidly shift, and it swiftly returned to Wu Yuan's true self's side.

The black rectangular block. Wu Yuan turned to examine the third item, probing it the same way as the previous two objects.

This time, Wu Yuan's mana body made contact, but nothing happened. The black cuboid seemed embedded in the void. No matter how Wu Yuan's mana body exerted itself, it could not budge it in the slightest.

Comprehension? Apart from the black cuboid's absolute proportions, Wu Yuan could detect nothing unusual. Again, there were no fluctuations of Daos or Laws.

All failed? What should I do? Wu Yuan found himself in a predicament, sinking into deep thought.

…

He actually completed all initial probing attempts? Zi Kong was somewhat surprised.

Wu Yuan's seemingly effortless probing appeared quite remarkable in its eyes.

Over the long ages past, even across multiple samsara cycles of heaven and earth, it had seen many imprint bearers attempt this trial.

It could be said that those who reached this stage were peerless talents of their era. But few had made it look as easy as Wu Yuan.

The paper and black cuboid are one thing - it's just an initial attempt. With Wu Yuan's spirit and Dao comprehension, he won't be affected by their power. Zi Kong mused to itself. Previous imprint bearers could generally complete this much, even if it took slightly longer.

But how did he manage to revive instantly before the Samsara Sword? Zi Kong pondered, perplexed.

Throughout history, all imprint bearers who had sent their mana bodies to make contact with it had been annihilated, and never revived.

Wu Yuan was the sole exception.

Could it be that Wu Yuan has gained the Samsara Sword's approval? Zi Kong mused silently.

He was well aware of the Samsara Sword's special nature. Being placed first, it signified that it was the most special and important object, and held the most profound significance.

The final trial ground held many treasures. Unless a successor reached the supreme level, once heaven and earth reached the end of its samsara cycle and the successor perished, these treasures that had been claimed would return to the final trial ground.

Even if an outsider killed a Dao Master's successor, they couldn't claim these treasures. The roots of these treasures lay in the final trial ground.

Throughout the long ages, this Samsara Sword had always been placed first. Over the past samsara cycles of heaven and earth, no one had ever claimed the Samsara Sword. Therefore, in Zi Kong's initial speculation, Wu Yuan had most likely gained the approval of the paper or the black body.

Of course, among the numerous treasures, there was no absolute superiority. The most suitable one was the best.

…

Time flowed on, year after year, perhaps ten years, or even a hundred.

Wu Yuan tried again and again, either contemplating them or dispatching his mana body to investigate.

All attempts ended in failure.

Only the first sword gives me a slight sense of familiarity. Beyond that, nothing. Wu Yuan's eyes flashed with resolve. Continuing like this, even if I try for hundreds or thousands of years, there might be no end in sight.

Wu Yuan was certain now.

These three treasures were beyond his understanding and comprehension, far surpassing what he could fathom with his current Dao comprehension. Repeating his attempts the same way would surely lead to failure.

All that’s left is my true self. Without further hesitation, Wu Yuan's true self instantly flew towards the sword.

Since the fluctuations within the sword felt familiar, it was natural that he would start with it.

Boom! Wu Yuan's true self quickly reached the annihilation and revival zone.

Whoosh~ Wu Yuan's qi refiner self was instantly annihilated.

He had perished!

…

Has my qi refiner self perished? Far away in the Greenridge Macrocosm, Wu Yuan's body refiner self instantly sensed something amiss.

No, that's not right! How could my qi refiner self perish just a moment after completing the first trial? Wu Yuan's body refiner self was astonished.

The two true selves shared a single consciousness. Yet, while his qi refiner self seemed to have experienced many years in the final trial ground of the Dao Master's inheritance mission, his body refiner self hadn't known a thing.

Such methods were even more terrifying and heaven-defying than the isolation effect of the Immutable Land years ago.

Hmm? Wu Yuan's body refiner self's pupils contracted slightly, a flash of surprise crossing them before understanding dawned. So that's how it is.

He now understood everything his qi refiner self had experienced.

The Great Dao of Creation! The Great Dao of Spacetime! Wu Yuan's body refiner self regained his calm, gently closing his eyes.

…

In the Spacetime Dao Realm, at the final trial ground of the inheritance mission.

Life and death! Destruction and creation. The wheel of life never ceases, the two are inherently connected. [1] This is what I've experienced before. Wu Yuan's qi refiner self stood a hair's breadth away from the sword.

At this moment, countless mysterious and unfathomable cryptic patterns were coalescing around him.

In that fleeting moment his body refiner self sensed something amiss, his qi refiner self had undergone over a million cycles of annihilation and revival.

Each annihilation felt like death. Each revival, like rebirth.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but the experience felt so real, intensely visceral in a way he had never felt in over ten thousand years of life.

The annihilation of his true self felt entirely different from that of his mana body. Through countless cycles of life and death, Wu Yuan grew increasingly familiar with this power, unconsciously recalling when he had experienced it.

It was when I fused with that strand of the Ancestral Pagoda's essence. In that mysterious realm, I once merged two Great Daos, forming this power. But some invisible force made me forget it.

As Wu Yuan fully recalled what he had once comprehended, the connection between him and his body refiner self was silently restored.

Even the final trial ground set up by the Spacetime Dao Master could no longer isolate the consciousness shared between his two true selves.

Simultaneously, the intangible fluctuations emitted by the sword could not interfere with the countless mysterious cryptic patterns that had appeared around Wu Yuan's qi refiner self. These cryptic patterns transcended Daos and Laws.

Resisting the invisible force emanating from the sword, Wu Yuan walked forward one step at a time.

Finally, he reached out and grasped the sword's hilt.

Hum~ The entire final trial ground began to tremble subtly.

1. Wheel of life = samsara ☜

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