Chapter 256
“Entering the Refinement Realm,” Li Su said as he examined the system panel. At first glance, the transition from Nascent Soul to the Refinement Realm didn’t seem drastically different. The essence of the primordial spirit remained unchanged. However, reaching the Refinement Realm introduced a crucial ability – the capacity for out-of-body combat, enabling the primordial spirit to leave the physical body temporarily. Consequently, the stage preceding the Refinement Realm was often called the “Out-of-Body Stage.”
The most significant advancement in the Refinement Realm wasn’t solely the ability for the primordial spirit to exit the body but also the mastery and control of the laws, energy, and authority of the natural world. Every strike in the Refinement Realm could tap into the power of the heavens and earth, amplifying its force. By utilizing certain artifacts, one could harness the authority of the natural world on a grand scale.
For instance, consider Elder Jing’s virtual Void Sun Mirror, capable of gathering sunlight from a wide area and concentrating it into a potent beam. Therefore, the stage beyond Nascent Soul was not named the “Out-of-Body Stage” but the “Refinement Realm.” In this context, the term “virtual” can be understood as the ethereal or broader concept of the natural world. In this realm, one refined and employed the power of the heavens and earth.
Similarly, the strength or weakness of individuals above the Refinement Realm was closely linked to their primordial spirit. Beyond the Refinement Realm was the Fusion Realm, where the sect leader could have offspring with Li Su. In the Fusion Realm, the primordial spirit primarily merged with the physical body, resulting in a significant power boost. This represented the culmination of various teachings and practices in cultivation.
Why was the Nascent Soul stage considered the starting point for achieving immortality? Everything preceding the Nascent Soul stage served as the foundation when viewed from a higher perspective. Foundation building, Golden Core cultivation, forming the Nascent Soul (Original Infant), and eventually reaching the Nascent Soul stage—each step contributes to building a solid foundation. Achieving a high-quality Golden Core became challenging without a sturdy foundation in the foundation-building stage. Without an excellent Golden Core, it was difficult to cultivate a top-tier Nascent Soul, let alone attain a Purple-Gold Nascent Soul.
The Nascent Soul stage is built upon and inherited from the preceding stages. The quality and strength of one’s Nascent Soul directly dictated the ease or difficulty of progress in later stages of cultivation. While it was possible to make adjustments and improvements to these foundations as one became more potent, doing so demanded substantial effort at that point.
Indeed, retroactively modifying and improving these foundations had limitations, especially concerning fundamental qualities or levels. While strength could be enhanced to some extent, rectifying the essential nature or level of one’s cultivation was challenging. For instance, once someone possessed a Purple-Gold Nascent Soul like Li Su or a Refinement Void stage like a sect leader, attempting to create a higher-level Refinement Void stage was unrealistic after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
“1000 points of Void-breaking Energy,” Li Su whispered. According to the system panel, breaking through the Nascent Soul stage required a minimum of 1,000 points of Void-breaking Energy, with an upper limit of 2,589 points. Void-breaking energy covered the energy needed to break through the bottleneck, constituting a significant portion of the energy requirement. While the quantity might not seem substantial, the exchange rate for Void-breaking Energy could vary.