398 Astral Soul Choices (1/2)
AGM 398 - Astral Soul Choices
Cultivation was always something extremely boring. It required endurance, as well as a resolute will. If there was a lack in either of these attributes, it was difficult for one to become a truly powerful expert.
Within the palace of the ancient kingdom, these young cultivators were geniuses not merely on the basis of their talent. They had a resolute heart for their martial path, fueled by their thirst and conviction to grow stronger and stronger.
Among them, Chu Mang became the first to step into Heavenly Dipper.
Today, an incredible sharpness shot up to the Heavens at the location where Chu Mang was cultivating in, and the beam of sharpness was so powerful it was as though it could break straight through the formation world. This commotion naturally didn’t go unnoticed and soon after, several silhouettes flashed, appearing in Chu Mang’s location.
They saw Chu Mang sitting cross-legged as an intense light radiated from him. A starlight manifestation of a Heaven-Cleaving Axe shimmered in and out of existence.
That gigantic axe eventually flew into Chu Mang’s Yuanfu, fusing with his Astral Soul. The light radiating from him grew increasingly brighter, his entire aura was changing, until at last it appeared as though Chu Mang himself was that gigantic axe, exuding a sharpness so keen that nothing could block it.
Astral Nova—it was a clear indication of someone at the Heavenly Dipper Realm.
The Astral Novas that Stellar Martial Cultivators condensed were the combined embodiment of their cultivation levels, the state of their hearts, and lastly of their Martial Mandates. If one of these factors were lacking, it would be impossible to succeed, but once an Astral Nova was successfully condensed, this meant that the cultivator had stepped into the Heavenly Dipper Realm.
Standing up, Chu Mang slowly opened his eyes. A blinding axe light cleaved outwards in eight directions before shooting upwards, forming into a dome of light that enveloped him entirely. The sharpness he radiated made the onlookers feel as though even they would be split apart just from matching his gaze.
A powerful aura emanated forth from him, the aura of Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns. Chu Mang had succeeded in breaking through to the Heavenly Dipper Realm.
“The rate of consuming these resources is truly terrifying. Luckily, I only planned to condense two Astral Novas,” Chu Mang murmured before turning to the crowd and smiling at them. His aura and presence had totally changed, but that smile of his still gave off the same vibe as before, one that conveyed a simple honesty, albeit tempered with sharpness now.
There were too many experts that had fallen in the Purgatory Vermilion Bird Formation and quite a large number of these experts were all Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns. It was all because of them that Qin Wentian and his companions had enough cultivation resources to break through to Heavenly Dipper.
After Chu Mang, it was Ouyang Kuangsheng who would be next to succeed. His Astral Nova took the form of a burning titan, invoking terror at the sight of it.
And then it was finally Qin Wentian’s turn.
“Bzzz!” A terrifying aura permeated the air, causing Bailu Yi and Luo Huan to feel a sense of pressure so stifling that they couldn’t breathe, even though they stood far away. A manifestation of a gigantic Heavenly Hammer shimmered in and out of existence, as the intense light it exuded enveloped Qin Wentian, fusing together with his Heavenly Hammer Astral Soul.
“RUMBLE!~” The fusion between this manifestation of starlight and his astral soul reached completion, taking on a corporeal form. Countless intricate runic outlines could be seen engraved upon the surface of the Heavenly Hammer, and the pressure it exuded felt as heavy as a mountain. Luo Huan and Bailu Yi exchanged a glance, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.
When Chu Mang and Ouyang Kuangsheng condensed their Astral Novas, they hadn’t felt this great a pressure. It seemed that Qin Wentian’s Astral Nova was somewhat different to the other two. It felt much more powerful, exuding a light that seemed brighter in comparison.
Qin Wentian’s astral energy was then channelled into it, causing the light exuded from the Astral Nova to glow brighter in intensity as it floated in the air. Qin Wentian’s eyes abruptly opened as he directly grabbed hold of his Astral Nova. A smile painted his face when he felt the dreadful, explosive waves of energy within it.
“Huh, he hasn’t broken through yet?”
Bailu Yi froze, a look of bewilderment on her face. Qin Wentian glanced at her, and with a thought on his part, the gigantic Astral Nova shrunk into a miniature form, before entering into his Heavenly Hammer-aligned Yuanfu. Currently, all his Yuanfu Receptacles had expanded significantly and even the quality of the astral energy droplets stored in his Yuanfu had undergone a qualitative change, making him much more powerful compared to the past.
From Yuanfu to Heavenly Dipper, there was a barrier. This was because one needed to comprehend second level Mandates, one needed to expand their Yuanfu, their astral energy to evolve qualitatively, and finally, to condense an Astral Nova. To the majority of Yuanfu Cultivators, this was an incredibly difficult feat to accomplish. Even if they spent their entire lives attempting it, they might not be able to succeed. However, to Qin Wentian and his various companions, the requirements weren’t at all difficult to accomplish.
At this moment, although the energy fluctuations coming from Qin Wentian were greatly formidable, it was still an aura at the Yuanfu Realm. This was why Bailu Yi felt bewildered—she didn’t understand what was going on.