Starting My Cultivation With Time Management-Chapter 953 - 93: The Path of Ascension

"This is beyond the Heavenly Sphere." The elder appeared beside Qiu Changtian and said solemnly, "It is also within the Chaotic Heavenly River."

"The so-called Chaotic Heavenly River appears to be seawater, but in truth, it is disordered chaos and the coldest place in existence. Ordinary cultivators who enter the Heavenly River must constantly consume True Yuan to resist the chaotic extreme cold. Once True Yuan is exhausted, they will immediately lose all heat and die."

"Senior," Qiu Changtian inquired, "Earlier, when I was in the Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden Secret Realm, I also entered the waters of the Heavenly River. Although it was extremely cold there, the consumption of True Yuan to resist it seemed not so great?"

"Do you know how far it is from this realm to the Immortal Realm?" the elder asked him in return.

"Uh... how far?" Qiu Changtian admitted his ignorance.

"When the two realms are at their closest," the elder said slowly, "it is approximately twenty trillion miles."

Qiu Changtian: ......

"Why must one become a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal?" The elder chuckled coldly. "Because chaos is eternal, and True Yuan becomes infinite. Thus, time and distance become irrelevant, and one will inevitably ascend to the Immortal Realm sooner or later."

"Below the stage of Great Luo Golden Immortal, although mana approaches infinity, ’approach’ ultimately is not true infinity. At a distance of twenty trillion miles, even the slightest defect in the essence can become a fatal flaw."

Qiu Changtian pondered for a moment, then said thoughtfully:

"Twenty trillion miles is exceedingly far, so much so that carrying elixirs to restore True Yuan becomes impossible. But if one cultivates a secret breathing technique with similar effects, what then?"

"This brings me to my second point." The elder flicked his sleeve, and as the world spun, the two found themselves in another location.

Here, the Heavenly Sphere of the Cultivation Realm was no longer visible, and before the two appeared a strange Heavenly Sphere, pitch-black as ink.

"The Sixth Heaven Beyond the Sky, Great Unrestrained Heaven." The elder coldly explained, "A micro Heavenly Sphere far smaller than the Cultivation Realm."

"Its ruler is the Great Unrestrained Heavenly Demon, the supreme leader of all chaotic demons within a range of seventy billion miles."

"Once you ascend to immortality and leave the barrier of the Heavenly Sphere, you will constantly be harassed and attacked by various Demon Heads from beyond the sky. Take the Great Unrestrained Heavenly Demon as an example. If hundreds or thousands of them surround you, do you think you could stop to deal with them?"

"The Great Unrestrained Heavenly Demon possesses an immortal, indestructible body, so direct confrontation is undoubtedly out of the question," Qiu Changtian said wryly. "I could only flee."

"If fleeing, where is the time for breathing techniques to refine Qi and restore True Yuan?" The elder asked unceremoniously. "Even if you leave the seventy billion-mile domain of the Great Unrestrained Heavenly Demon, you’ll enter the territory of the Aghani Nicha Heavenly Demon."

"Passing through the domain of the Aghani Nicha Heavenly Demon, you’ll enter the realm of the Unthinkable Non-Thought Heavenly Demon... In this chaotic universe, the myriad Demon Races are as countless as grains of sand in the Ganges, numbering far beyond a trillion. From here to the Immortal Realm, spanning twenty trillion miles, they occupy every inch. You won’t even have a place to rest and catch your breath!"

"Only Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortals, with their infinite True Yuan, can fight when desired and flee when necessary, unrestrained by any limitations. For other flawed immortals, once their True Yuan is depleted and no Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal is there to protect them, they will only face the fate of being devoured and divided among countless Demon Heads."

"So that’s how it is." Qiu Changtian suddenly understood.

It turns out that ascending from the Cultivation Realm to the Immortal Realm is fraught with such immense hardships and dangers.

No wonder immortals like Chi Song and Long Eyebrow choose to remain in the Cultivation Realm instead of ascending—even though they publicly claim it is out of concern for their sects, the real reason might lie in the realization that without the protection of a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal, it is utterly impossible to traverse the twenty trillion-mile ascension journey.

"By the way, I have another question to ask, senior." Qiu Changtian bowed again. "After normal Feather Transformation to immortality, if it is true that only Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortals can ascend to the Immortal Realm, is there a shortcut?"

"I once heard a senior in the sect speculate that if one could reach the Great Bright Hall Secret Realm, there might be a way to ascend to the Immortal Realm. Is that correct?"

"Where did you hear that?" The elder looked at him with a strange expression, remaining silent for a long moment before saying, "Yes, and no."

"On the path of cultivation, each step must be firm. If your Daoist Foundation is unstable at the beginning, your path will become increasingly hollow as you progress. For example, if your Core Formation is deficient, achieving perfection during Nascent Infant Formation becomes impossible—it’s all interconnected."

"However, while a broken Heavenly Dome can still be repaired, why can’t deficiencies in one’s essence also be fixed? Within the secret realms of the White Jade Capital, Golden Que, Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden, and Great Bright Hall, there exist methods specifically to repair inherent flaws."

"Methods to repair one’s essence..." Qiu Changtian pondered and then asked, "If that’s the case, does that mean one could ascend to the Immortal Realm without becoming a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal?"

"Foolish!" The elder rebutted mercilessly. "Postnatal fixes can never match the perfection of innate formation! When Nuwa patched the Heavens, do you think the repaired areas lasted as long? They’re incomparable to the flawless Heavenly Dome formed during the natural creation of a Heavenly Sphere!"

"Although repairing deficiencies in essence is possible, it can never achieve a state of flawless perfection. It’s only because we, as pioneers who have left the Cultivation Realm, fear that when the world’s final limit arrives, you mediocre descendants of the Human Race would face certain death. Thus, we’ve left you a glimmer of hope."

At this point, the elder paused for a moment before continuing:

"Though Heavenly Spheres are separated by tens of trillions of miles, they still attract one another. The powerful gravitational pull from the Immortal Realm can impose tremendous strain on the Heavenly Sphere of the Cultivation Realm, resulting in chaotic spiritual energy and a rapid depletion of the Heavenly Dome’s lifespan."

"When the Heavenly Dome shatters again, that moment will also mark the time when the Immortal Realm comes closest to the Cultivation Realm. If, at that time, you have not become a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal, you may venture to the Great Bright Hall Secret Realm to attempt one last desperate bid for ascension."

"There, we have left behind certain mechanisms that may increase your chances of ascension." The elder shook his head again and sighed. "But the chance of success is still extremely slim, far less secure than becoming a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal."

"Thank you, senior." Qiu Changtian remained silent for a long time before sincerely bowing with utmost respect.

This elder, evidently from a distant and ancient era, had already ascended to the Immortal Realm long ago, and by all rights, no longer had any tangible connection to the Cultivation Realm. They had no obligation to make any preparations.

Yet, they had still built the four secret realms spanning from the White Jade Capital to the Great Bright Hall, leaving behind ways for the descendants of the Human Race to ascend when there was little benefit for them in doing so... That selfless spirit alone was enough to earn Qiu Changtian’s heartfelt bow.

"No need for such courtesy." The elder waved his hand. "If you truly appreciate my kindness, work diligently to achieve the status of a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal. Do not let all the knowledge I’ve imparted to you go to waste!"