Paragon of Sin

Each World Sea contained eighty-one Mystic Rune Seeds, for a total of 324. While all eighty-one sets of four were exactly identical, this was definitely far beyond the norm to be contained within a single body.

Typically, when a Star Core Phase cultivator, those who've reached the absolute peak of the Astral Core Realm, the ninth-stage, refine sufficient mystic essence, manifesting these eighty-one Mystic Rune Seeds, then they attain the undeniable qualifications to take the incredible challenge to ascend beyond Mortal Limits.

Whether they succeeded or not, completing all the necessary requirements, that was an entirely different story.

Wei Wuyin closed his eyes, inspecting the changes of each Astral Core within his body. They were all thrumming as the eighty-one Mystic Rune Seeds seemed to be undergoing a strange change. There wasn't any discomfort within his body. This caused him to grow curious.

He had read numerous recounts of Mystic Star and Soul of Mysticism Phase cultivators regarding their experiences reaching the eighty-one necessary Mystic Rune Seeds to ascend. They all, without fail, explained it as an extremely difficult process preceded by indescribable levels of pain. They detailed how they felt their Star Core was at the brink of collapse, that their meridians felt as if lava was flowing through them, and how their Sea of Consciousness shook uncontrollably, inducing dizziness and bouts of confusion.

This was all attributed as the first official 'step' to bypassing the Mortal Limits, reaching far beyond the natural limits of one's birth, and priming the body, mind, and spirit for ascension.

So when Wei Wuyin felt no discomfort whatsoever, he began to carefully observe his Astral Cores, his Sea of Consciousness, and his meridians.

His Astral Cores were all at eighty-one centimeters, the absolute limit for the Sixth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, the Gravity Emission Phase, and they contained extremely refined astral force. His Sea of Consciousness had Eden's roots embedded within, the mental energies were abundant, pure, and extremely powerful. Lastly, his meridians were interconnected to his physical body, empowered by his True Dragon Bloodline and refined through obscenely high-level physical and bloodline energies.

In a way, Wei Wuyin had reached the limits in all three categories for his cultivation level. While the Mystic Rune Seeds thrumming matched the recollections of those experts' experiences, the lack of discomfort was simply because Wei Wuyin's foundation was just too good—some might say perfect.

All of that hard work was revealing itself at this moment.

"Are the sensations detailed by those experts signs of insufficient foundation?" Wei Wuyin considered this possibility, but some had reached the Soul of Mysticism Phase, the so-called genuine Mystic Ascendant initial stage, yet they described a similar process. He couldn't help but have some doubts. Even if his foundation was perfect for his stage, he wasn't at the Ninth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, had a Star Core, or possessed starforce.

"..." He felt as if there was something missing. Regardless, he didn't have time to dwell as the 324 Mystic Rune Seeds began to glow with that indistinct light of indescribable color that belonged to the Mystic Dao. All Wei Wuyin could tell was that the Astral Cores had gotten brighter.

"I feel it! I feel it!" Ori's excited voice exploded within Wei Wuyin's mind, echoing throughout his entire body dozens of times. He felt the ambient essences and energies in the room begin to change, infused with Elemental Heart Intent, converting to Elemental Origin Energy. The room was soon flooded by elemental origin energies!

Wei Wuyin was deeply shaken.

Why?

Because he hadn't used his Elemental Heart Intent to do this! It wasn't him…it was someone else!

It was Ori!

"Hehehe!" Ori's voice became louder and louder, causing waves to surge through the elemental origin energies of the room. Wei Wuyin's eyes snapped open, observing all these changes with amazement.

"You're using actively Intent? You're using World Heart Intent?!" Wei Wuyin wasn't just amazed, he felt a surge of intense disbelief. Since he learned of his Spirits' sentience, he had tested them in all sorts of ways. Firstly, if they could independently execute arts, spells, or establish formations. Then, if they could use Intent or their energies.

Regardless of which, it was impossible. They needed him! While their bodies were filled with Intent, energies, and had an active intelligence, they were unable to link with either of them. He believed it was due to his main soul being the controller of these aspects, preventing them from accessing it.

After all, he was a cultivator.

Suddenly, he felt an impulsive urge. His silver eyes instantly became pure white, effusing a spiritual light infused with Elemental Heart Intent. He interacted with the ambient elemental origin energies that Ori was seemingly converting and controlling, and he exerted his will, converting this elemental origin energy into fire energies.

Without skipping a beat, the entire room became flooded with flames. Bai Lin released a cry of enjoyment, while Wei Wuyin's eyes brightened.

"Ah! No fun!" Ori poutedly exclaimed.

"Try to convert it back," Wei Wuyin said.

"Oh! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Its excitement was over-the-moon, seeing that its fun wasn't being cut off by Wei Wuyin. Within his Astral Core, there was a bright light growing in intensity, and then the fire energies began to roil chaotically about in the room, struggling fiercely.

Wei Wuyin hadn't ceased his Elemental Heart Intent, exerting his will over the fire energies to remain fire energies. A foreign yet familiar will was invading, attempting to supersede his Intent. Unfortunately, it wasn't as strong or stable and failed.

"Awww! Why isn't it working?" Ori complained.

"I see." Wei Wuyin's eyes dimmed, his elemental origin spiritual light began to weaken and so did his control over the fire energies. The fire energies slowly started to become elemental origin energies.

SHIIIING!

A sharp, forceful saber howl resounded. Suddenly, the fire energies rapidly changed into saber light, flickering about with wisps of annihilative power. They flowed smoothly, avoiding Bai Lin, Wei Wuyin, the cauldron, and walls. They were like streaks of fireflies, circulating around them and leaving faint scars in space.

"King!" Wei Wuyin was once again shaken.

"Tch!" King was using Saber Heart Intent, infusing its will in the ambient, uncontrolled energies, converting it into its power!

Not just Ori, but King too?!

What was happening?

He tried to inspect their Astral Cores, but the light they emitted was too blinding to his senses, and he couldn't gather any information.

"King! Let me!" Ori tried to contest for the ambient energies, the room soon became a mixture of elemental origin energies and saber energies in the form of saber light. These lights danced around each other, producing a beautiful scene that unfolded before Wei Wuyin.

He was awed.

ROAR!

A draconic roar resounded, surging through the entire room. The saber and elemental origin energies ceased moving. They were frozen as if forcefully halted in time and space. Then, from these energies, faint shadowy shapes formed that caused Wei Wuyin's eyes to widen!

"True Dragons?!" Just as he said this, his eyes began to experience a searing pain. The appearance of a True Dragon was not something mortals could see. He hurriedly closed his eyes, "Kratos? You…"

He felt a strange will infused into the world, filled with the profundities of the Void Dao and of a True Dragon. This was something he hadn't been able to do!

Soon, Wei Wuyin exerted his own Elemental Heart Intent, causing all their wills to shatter, regaining total control, and then dissipating his own. The energies returned to normalcy. While they seemed to have their own World Heart Intent, capable of infusing it into uncontrolled energies, they were clearly weaker than his. It was extremely weak in comparison.

He opened his eyes with a stupefied look on his face. What exactly was happening?

"Someone, explain!" Wei Wuyin's tone grew extremely serious. This development didn't make sense. Why would eighty-one Mystic Runes allow this change?

"I'll do it," Eden calmly said, continuing with: "A strange rune formed in our World Seas. I believe we are accessing a fragment of its power, and its similar to your World of the Heart, Heart of the Intent power you possess."

"A strange rune?" Wei Wuyin was baffled. What type of rune would grant a spirit World Heart Intent? "Did it just form?"

"Yes," Eden replied concisely. It explained, "You didn't feel it or sense it, but I did. The eighty-one Mystic Rune Seeds left our Astral Cores, entered your Mind's Eye, and then left, returning to our World Seas. But they didn't return alone, and they seemed to have changed."

Entered his Mind's Eye? That was the link between mind and soul, the source of where the soul is fragmented to form the Spirit of Cultivation. He had been trapped there once before when he lost himself, and had accessed it four times to form four Spirits of Cultivation, so he was quite familiar with it.

"I didn't feel it?" He hadn't felt a single thing. There was no discomfort or pain, not even a tingle. As for not sensing the Mystic Rune Seeds, that wasn't too far-fetched, they were outside his sensory range to begin with. The reason he could see them in their World Seas was solely because they were like glass fishes in a sea of muddy water, their outlines were abundantly clear. If he could see them, he might be able to glimpse into the Mystic Dao.

"What happened to the eighty-one rune seeds?" The bright light emitted from his Astral Core prevented him from seeing anything.

"There are still eighty-one, but they now have a nucleus in the form of that strange rune that they all obediently orbit. Additionally, they are all surrounded by a spherical layer of unknown substance within my World Sea. It's likely the same for the others as well. It reminds me of a Sky Layer. All of it feels like-"

"A world?" Wei Wuyin completed Eden's sentence.

"Yes, a world. More accurately, a starfield." Eden agreed.

"..." Wei Wuyin had expected there to be a change in the eighty-one Mystic Rune Seeds after reaching completion, but he didn't expect that this would happen. Did the eighty-one Mystic Rune Seeds take a portion of his soul, mimicking his unique Intents, bestowing it to his Astral Souls? Or perhaps, that was an inadvertent effect of its creation and their sentience?

Right after Eden confirmed his suspicions, he recalled something. There was a Cultivation Method in the Battlefield's list that told of this, and he believed it was named the Warring Soul, Triumphant World Method.

[Item]: (Peak-Earth) Warring Soul, Triumphant World Method.

[Exchange Rate]: 8,000 War Souls.

[Availability]: Soldier.

[Description]: A cultivation method that involves merging a Seed of War into one's Spirit of Cultivation, transforming its essential nature into a War Soul. EXACT DETAILS UNKNOWN.

Sub-Method: A War Soul's Star Core can refine a (Peak-Level) World War Physique.

If successful in refinement, guaranteed success of 9th Rune Seed Ascension. Increased Chances in World Rune Seed Ascension.

WARNING: Refinement of Seed of War may cause extreme Cultivation Deviation, leading to loss of life and destruction of soul. Do not cultivate if you've Ascended the Mortal Dao. Cultivate with caution.

A World Rune Seed!

"My World Sea has changed; the Astral Force within is being tainted by the light emitted from the rune, and I can't stop it." Eden said with a wisp of concern.

Wei Wuyin could feel its worries about the unexpected change beyond its understanding. He lifted his palm, summoning astral force from Eden's World Sea. Instantly, his palm became covered in astral force that emitted that indescribable light.

His eyes brightened considerably! This was clearly Mystic Light!

"If your astral force is covered in this light, then…" Wei Wuyin's imagination began to run wild. An uncontrollable urge overtook him instantly. He brought out the materials for a ninth-grade Everlore Ascension Pill. Without hesitation, he began to concoct the product.

Bai Lin lifted her head, confused as to why Wei Wuyin was performing concoctions without her. She stared intently at the cauldron.

After a while, her eyes began to widen gradually.

A few minutes later, a pill shot out of the cauldron. It was a black-colored, miniature Solar Star with a Transcendence Radiance Belt! It was none other than a transcendent-quality Everlore Ascension Pill!!!

Wei Wuyin's heart began to pound furiously.