Chapter 132: Consolidation and Reflection, Reaching the Next Level

Time passed quickly as Cao Chengyu immersed himself in study and reflection; in the blink of an eye, six months had gone by.

During this period, he had not only thoroughly comprehended the secret collection of the Five Elements Sect but had also made significant progress with the array manuals of the Yin-Yang Master. At the very least, setting up first and second-tier magic arrays was no longer a problem. He could now rightfully call himself a proper array master, though he still needed to delve deeper into third-tier arrays capable of dealing with the Purple Mansion realm.

Lin Yunjiao’s cultivation had advanced rapidly. With his help—utilizing his “iron rod,” various medicinal pills, the Dragon-Tiger Union Pill, and acupuncture stimulation—she had successfully reached the mid-stage of the Dao Body realm and was not far from the late stage. Her Dao Body, awakened twenty years ago, was quite unique; it was a beast-taming constitution known as the "Ten Thousand Spirits Dao Body," which granted her strong affinity with all sentient creatures. Forming taming contracts was much easier for her than for ordinary cultivators. Cao Chengyu had even helped her capture a few fierce beasts from the mountains: a Scarlet Flame Spirit Colt, a Azure Blade Bird, and a Purple Lightning Marten, all at the early stage of the Dao Body realm. Of course, once tamed by a cultivator, such fierce beasts became spirit beasts—their pasts were forgotten, and only their futures mattered. This was a tacit rule among beast-taming cultivators in the immortal world. It was much like the Buddhist concept of "laying down the butcher's knife to become a Buddha on the spot." It was somewhat shameless, but Cao Chengyu was never a saint, so he didn't care.

Regarding his personal growth:

[Cao Chengyu]
Age: 17.7
Cultivation: Mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm (51%), Four Poles Realm (23% "Body Tempering Stage")
Cultivation Techniques: Yellow Court Sutra, Azure Dragon Yin-Yang Dao Treasury, Immortal Soul Chapter, Fire-Devouring Glazed Body.
Skills: Profound Yin Pill Scroll (Grade 4, Early 5%), Vast Sun Tool Scroll (Grade 4, Early 5%), Spirit Plant Growth Canon (Grade 3, Mid 50%), Life Puppetry (Grade 3, Early 30%), Universe Array Canon (Grade 4, High/Incomplete)
Spells: Twin Dragon Coil (Super Grade 20%), Five Elements Dragon Control (Super Grade 53%), Life-Generating Heavenly Water Shield (Super Grade 10%), Cloud-Treading and Mist-Riding (Super Grade 61%), Proud Nine Songs (Super Grade 21%)
Secret Arts: Life-Severing Poison Pupils (Super Grade 16%), Qimen Dunjia (Super Grade 69%), Heaven-Locking Technique (Super Grade 70%), Yin Seal Sword Condensation (Super Grade 41%)
Divine Abilities: Dharma Derivation (?), Yin-Yang Five Elements God-Wheel (Enhanced by exotic fire, usable at a rudimentary level.), True Form Transformation (Mastery)
Magic Treasures: Profound Ice Sword (Grade 3, High), Jade Pure White Lotus Platform (Grade 3, High), Jade Pearl Zither (Grade 3, Early), Yin-Yang Dragon Needles (Grade 4, Early), Six-Eyed Flying Snake Belt (Grade 5, Mid), Demon-Binding Chain (Grade 3, High)
Exotic Fire: Yin-Polar Yang Fire (Yin-Yang).
[Evaluation]: When born as an ant, one should have the ambition of a sea king; when life is as thin as paper, one should have the heart of a lecher.

Due to his cultivation limits, the areas he hadn't focused on had only increased by 5%, while the escape techniques, Qimen Dunjia, and the Heaven-Locking Technique he had been diligently refining had all seen increases of over 30%. Given another six months, Cao Chengyu was confident he could push them all to a higher level. Moreover, after mastering True Form Transformation, he finally understood the grading of divine abilities: Minor Divine Ability – Divine Ability – Great Divine Ability – Supreme Great Divine Ability.

He only knew of these four for now. Previously, he had assumed that once spells or secret arts were refined beyond "Super Grade," they would evolve into divine abilities. However, after reading the Five Elements Sect’s scriptures, he realized this wasn't the case. Regardless of whether they were spells or secret arts, they were created by human cultivators, whereas divine abilities had always existed. Most human divine abilities were derived from beasts, ghost immortals, or other unknown races, merely refined by human predecessors to suit human use. Only those divine abilities born from natural phenomena were truly the inherent power of the human race—the "Innate Divine Ability." Essentially, all divine abilities linked to a rule of heaven and earth, and the Innate Divine Ability was the key for cultivators to transcend the Deity Transformation realm. It was too early to discuss this, but it was something Cao Chengyu, a man eyeing immortality, needed to know. The Five Elements Sect was truly his treasury and the place where he had started his rise.

One day, when the moon hung high in the sky, Cao Chengyu held Lin Yunjiao in his arms, leaning against the railing of the deck. After half a year of pampering, the scent of a mature woman on her had grown increasingly intoxicating. It was strange; in this world, there was no rule that the higher a cultivator's realm, the harder it was to conceive, yet they lost something else: inheritance. Whether an heir could inherit a parent’s aptitude was always uncertain. No matter what methods were used, aptitude was entirely up to fate. Some heirs lacked even the lowest affinity for spiritual energy, destined to be mere mortals. This was why great immortal clans treated their many descendants differently, prioritizing those who could inherit their legacy.

Cao Chengyu’s only point of confusion was that he hadn't "hit the mark." He was certain he hadn't used any protection, yet nothing happened.

"What is it? Still thinking about that?" Lin Yunjiao leaned against his chest, gently stroking his jaw.
"Nothing, nothing. This is fine too; I never planned on having children anyway."
"Is that so, Chengyu..."
"Hmm?" Cao Chengyu looked at his bashful aunt in surprise. Among his three women, only Lin Yunjiao didn't know the truth, and she was the one he had spent the most time with. It felt a bit unfair.
"Chengyu, it's so good to have you."
"The honor is mine, hehe."
"Don't..."
Cao Chengyu gave a wicked grin and pulled her toward the control room on the deck.
"Big brother and sister-in-law are below, don't be naughty."
"Don't panic, the immortal has his own clever plans. Besides, Aunt... don't you think this is more exciting?"

...

The next morning, after tidying up her damp clothes, Cao Chengyu patted her on the bottom. "Aunt, I'm going away for a while. I've set up a six-layer third-tier Reversal Array here, and I've finished crafting two Purple Mansion-stage body-tempering puppets; they are all left in your care."
"Where are you going?"
"To finish some things. It will be very helpful for my path."
"Alright, when will you be back?"
"That... depends on the situation. A month at the earliest, half a year at the latest. Don't worry, I will return."
"Okay, take care of yourself."
"Rest assured."

He kissed her warm red lips deeply. After a long moment, they parted—a thin thread of saliva stretched between them. Lin Yunjiao shot him an embarrassed glare, and Cao Chengyu quickly headed out.

He steered a white cloud toward the direction of Blood Crystal City. Before the three Purple Mansion cultivators of the Way-Robbing Alliance were refined into Heavenly Demon Pills, he had interrogated them several times, and the cause and effect were clear. Beyond settling scores, it was time to reap the harvest.

"Black Lotus Holy Mother, Mo Qingyu, after half a year, how much has your opinion of your husband changed?"

With that thought, Cao Chengyu transformed—the melancholy, weathered, and handsome Hua Wuque stepped onto the stage.