Well past midnight.

The brazier in the ancestral hall had already gone out. Grandpa Yang Xun was still digesting the gains from his breakthrough, as motionless as a statue.

The Cat Master had returned to the altar, its round belly rising and falling as it slept soundly.

Jiang Yi opened his eyes and let out a long breath. His entire body felt as if a massive weight had been lifted, becoming instantly light and relaxed.

’In the end, one can only rely on oneself for Cultivation and Crossing the Tribulation.’

’The Celestial Book serves me, so it can be considered a crystallization of my own Dao Wisdom and effort.’

Having finished the ritual of "I beg the Celestial Book," all doubt vanished from Jiang Yi’s eyes, leaving only a resolve as firm and still as a deep pool.

’Tonight is the night! I will break through to the Seventh Layer and overcome my tribulation!’

With his mind set, he opened his Primordial Gate!

As he began his Cultivation with the Mixed Refining Origin technique, all kinds of Spiritual Energy swarmed in at once.

The Ding Fire Qi was as gentle as water, as if simmering his Primordial Gate in boiling soup. The Bing Fire Qi was as fierce as lightning, crashing down with a RUMBLE.

Jiang Yi felt his temples throb wildly, and every bone in his body felt like it was being tortured.

Because he refined numerous types of Spiritual Energy, each elemental Qi transformed into its own trial: the imperial light of the Mingtang scorched his body, the Zhao Rong fire incinerated him, his organs were seared, and the ferocious He Flame withered his flesh and blood...

In an instant, an endless torrent of pain rushed over him!

Jiang Yi felt as if he were in a vast, deep ocean, his body teetering on the verge of collapse, his situation perilous!

’Since the Celestial Book says the tribulation cannot obstruct my path, then it must be right!’

Relying on this firm belief, Jiang Yi guarded his Primordial Brain God, remaining unmoved no matter how violently the Spiritual Energy raged.

Gradually, the world outside seemed to blur as an endless, profound darkness permeated his physical body.

He was like someone submerged in a deep well, the bone-chilling water rising inch by inch to cover his shell and swallow his mind.

Before long, Jiang Yi could no longer perceive his own existence. It was as if he were suspended alone in the vast, dark void, assailed by wisps of immense terror.

But he did not waver in the slightest. His breathing was even, his Breathing technique steady, and the circulation of his Cultivation Technique was flawless.

This was a hurdle that all cultivators in the world had to face when breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.

One had to sever wild fantasies and sit in oblivion to comprehend oneself!

One must cast off all worldly attachments and hold fast to the original aspiration of their Dao Skill. Only then could they break through the myriad obstacles and use their Perfection Merit to shatter the Realm’s barrier!

With a BOOM, it happened as naturally as water carving a channel!

Vast True Qi, like ten thousand rivers returning to the sea, converged entirely into his Inner Mansion, transforming into a gurgling flow of Spiritual Liquid.

The Spiritual Liquid instantly vaporized. Amidst the swirling mist, it condensed into thousands of great dragons that soared to the heavens, crossing his five viscera and six bowels as they charged straight for the Primordial Gate in his head.

This step was supposed to be an extremely difficult process, requiring one to consume their own Primordial Essence to slowly refine the thick barrier between the Sixth and Seventh Layers.

But Jiang Yi’s one-hundred-and-twenty-percent Great Perfection Merit was too profound. When he broke through the barrier, it was like a roaring storm, utterly devastating and without the slightest resistance!

Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer!

Nourished by his Primordial Essence, his Divine Thought rapidly expanded and continuously split, filling his entire mind like a vast bank of clouds.

DONG DONG DONG DONG—

It was as if muffled thunder was rolling inside his skull. All seven of Jiang Yi’s orifices trembled, and faint trickles of blood seeped out!

’This is "Yin Spirit Emergence."’

He understood clearly.

’Thought, when in the Primordial Gate, is originally an ephemeral thing. Although it can seize Spiritual Energy and drive True Qi, its essence is scattered and formless.’

’At the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, thought condenses as one, like Essence transforming into spirit, only then can it become Divine Sense in the shape of a mud pill...’

The various cultivation secrets recorded on the Celestial Book Golden Paper flowed through his mind. Jiang Yi patiently nourished his Divine Thought with his Primordial Essence, allowing it to slowly transform, condense, and break free from the shackles of his seven orifices.

’As the saying goes: "Block the openings, shut the doors, soften the glare, become one with the dust, blunt the sharpness, untie the tangles..." When all seven orifices are clear, the Great Dao is achieved!’

’And Cultivation itself is a process of shedding one’s form to refine one’s substance, a quest for Life Essence.’

’Therefore, one must discard mortal senses and use Divine Sense to comprehend the true workings of the myriad phenomena!’

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the expanding mass of Divine Thought solidified!

But unlike the mud-pill-sized Divine Sense of his Grandpa Yang Xun, Jiang Yi’s point of Divine Sense shone brilliantly, as dazzling and pure as a lustrous pearl.

’It seems to be able to illuminate about one zhang.’

Jiang Yi safely passed the "Yin Spirit Emergence" tribulation. The brilliantly glowing point of Divine Sense shot out of his fontanelle, circling a few times with nimble agility.

’I broke through with one-hundred-and-twenty-percent of Great Perfection Merit, so even the tribulation couldn’t hinder me.’ 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

An ordinary Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer cultivator would be utterly exhausted by this point, drained in both body and mind.

But Jiang Yi was full of spirit and energy, showing no signs of fatigue. He was actually going to press on and overcome the "Heart Demon Barrier" in one go!

’Grandpa feels guilty, which has gradually become a knot in his heart, obstructing his Cultivation.’

’What, then, will my Heart Demon be?’

Intrigued, Jiang Yi released his Divine Sense from his body to connect with the various kinds of Spiritual Energy in the world.

Under their mutual Sympathy, clusters of illusions suddenly manifested.

At times, he was embraced by soft, fragrant beauties exuding seductive charm. At others, he was trapped on an Asura battlefield, at the end of his rope. Then his body would be covered in rot, his flesh crawling with maggots, the stench overwhelming...

One terrifying scene after another, each striking deep into the heart, surged forth, yet they failed to shake Jiang Yi in the slightest.

On the contrary, the ball of Divine Sense grew even clearer, like a bright jade plate. The area it could illuminate quietly expanded to one and a half zhang.

Suddenly, a deafening ROAR exploded!

His seated body shook violently. Like a thunderbolt in the form of a dragon-serpent descending, a dazzling, majestic figure that could not be looked at directly manifested a blurry silhouette in the void.

"Shao Yang remnant! You dare shine so brightly here?!"

The furious shout was like a billion bolts of lightning exploding in Jiang Yi’s mind at once, causing even his ball of Divine Sense to stiffen!

’Just as the Celestial Book predicted. My greatest Heart Demon is the Immortal Dao Emperor, the manifest Tai Yang.’

Jiang Yi smiled faintly. He had long since used the Celestial Book to deduce his own Heart Demon Tribulation. Being prepared, he could face this vivid, lifelike illusion with composure.

He carefully examined the majestic, brilliant figure and chuckled lightly.

"There will come a time when I face you directly."

A clear, resonant chant slowly began to sound. The still Divine Sense seemed to be repeatedly polished and wiped clean, once again bursting forth with a brilliant radiance that illuminated over two zhang away!

"When mind and heart are forged like jade, one naturally and clearly illuminates their true nature.

With the Seventh Layer achieved, I ascend to the heavens; to live for ten thousand springs as a Celestial Immortal!"

The newly formed ball of Divine Sense throbbed, DONG DONG, vibrating in the air like a beaten war drum.

Immediately after, Jiang Yi felt a summoning force extending from the vast, dark void, as if calling out to him.

...

...

「Within the gates of Fengdu.」

In the eighteenth layer of this land, a high, pitch-black platform rose up.

Divine Senses of all sizes drifted about, coalescing into blurry human figures. Like immortals on a nocturnal stroll, they flocked here from all directions!

"A Third-class Earth and Wood Life. The external manifestation of its Life Qi is quite substantial. I wonder which High Cultivator has graced us with their presence?"

"There’s a Fourth-class Gold Stone Life here, too. I remember the evaluation given on the stone wall: ’Resistant to wear and corrosion; grows stronger against the strong, but shatters against the fierce.’ It must be from a Branch Sect Dharma Lineage!"

"I’m afraid all the talented prodigies from the Three Peaks and Four Waters have gathered here. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this a ’Little North and South Dipper Sword’ assembly!"

"Where is Ying Xingzi of the Primordial Corpse Sect? As of now, he’s the only one to have received the evaluation of a Sixth-class Life, right?"

"But I heard today that someone has already reached a First-class Life. I wonder which Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineage they’re from..."

The Divine Senses fluctuated, their thoughts intermingling like a noisy hubbub of whispers, making the high platform extremely lively.

’Elder Kang was right. One only needs to release their Divine Sense and achieve Sympathy with Fengdu’s Qi Mechanism to be automatically drawn inside!’

Huang Zishang observed his surroundings and found that most of the external manifestations of Divine Sense were of the second or third class, like clay tiles or earth and wood.

The fourth and fifth-class ones, like Gold Stone or furnace flames, usually only appeared briefly before heading directly toward the deeper parts of the platform.

’Could that "lady" be choosing a husband based on the condition of "Precious Life Energy"?’

Just as Huang Zishang was pondering this, he suddenly felt the entire platform fall silent. The chaotic din of thoughts seemed to be suppressed, and his surroundings plunged into dead silence.

The next moment, it was as if a thunderclap had struck, detonating the entire scene! A tidal wave of thoughts surged forth:

"Look, look!"

"What a bright external manifestation of Life Qi!"

"Whose Divine Sense is being drawn over? What a grand entrance!"

"Like the sun shedding its brilliance, as bright as the moon!"

"The First-class Emperor’s Life is here!"