Chapter 804: Spirit Transformation!
The path of the Immortal Dao was fraught with thorns, endless difficulties, and inexhaustible opponents.
Troubles like poverty, lack of funds, and cash flow problems were commonplace for the vast majority of cultivators.
Zhang Yu had long since gained extensive experience in handling such matters.
What could dispel his worries? Only loans.
Zhang Yu had already borrowed 180,000 Immortal Coins from a legitimate platform at the lowest interest rate available.
Now, with his promotion to the 4th Rank, the credit limits on some of the lower-interest loans had skyrocketed.
Perhaps more cautious cultivators, or those who feared they couldn’t repay their debts, would choose to pay off their loans first after a promotion.
But Zhang Yu had already made up his mind. He would do the exact opposite.
He would borrow even more Immortal Coins! He would advance his cultivation realm faster, gain stronger earning power, and then repaying the loans would be even easier.
“If I don’t even have confidence in myself, how can I ever hope to reach the Apex of the Immortal Dao?”
“Besides… this increased credit limit is an advantage I gained by becoming a Rank 4 Sect Staff. Wouldn’t it be a waste of my promotion not to use it?”
“Loan platforms, let me see your limits.”
Before Zhang Yu, Spirit Realm Interfaces materialized one after another as he opened loan platform after loan platform.
“The shortfall is 200,000. I’ll probably need to borrow around 250,000 in total. Otherwise, if I spend everything on the Spirit Transformation Pool, I won’t even have enough for living expenses and monthly loan repayments…”
Of course, Zhang Yu didn’t plan to borrow the money immediately. He intended to wait until he had nearly spent the 400,000 Immortal Coins he currently had.
So, in the following days, Zhang Yu, now resolute, holed himself up in his dormitory, either refining his Primordial Spirit or extracting Immortal Dao Technology.
He first extracted all the Immortal Sect Techniques he had mastered, followed by military-grade and expert-grade cultivation techniques. He then converted them all into draw counts through the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan, receiving a large number of “Self-Selected Cultivation Art Level +1” rewards and several “Self-Selected Cultivation Art Mutation” rewards.
However, Zhang Yu didn’t use these rewards for now. He simply stored them away, planning to use them after he broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm.
While Zhang Yu was engrossed in his secluded cultivation, he delegated all his work responsibilities to Yan Qianji.
As the Deputy Minister of the Ethereal Communications Department, Zhang Yu was primarily responsible for Soul Cultivator maintenance. He oversaw four Maintenance Groups that handled all Soul Cultivator maintenance work for the entire department.
The work of these Maintenance Groups wasn’t complicated to begin with, just menial tasks and odd jobs. It didn’t matter much whether Zhang Yu managed them or not. Yan Qianji was only responsible for simple administrative duties like handling documents, compiling data, and coordinating communication. Not only was it not busy, but he actually felt he had far too much time on his hands.
“The Ethereal Communications Department is already a marginal department, but this maintenance work is the margin of the margin. The higher-ups are probably trying to suppress True Monarch Zhang, and I’ve been caught in the crossfire. Sigh…”
Yan Qianji desperately wanted to tell everyone about the Immortal Shuttle, to let them know just how much Zhang Yu’s backer doted on him.
But he understood that since Zhang Yu had told him to keep it a secret, he couldn’t do so.
“But if this slow-boiling frog situation continues, I’ll become useless…”
So, Yan Qianji decided to find more things to do. Even if his current job was a marginal, idle position, he resolved to learn as much as he could within the Sect Layer.
The first problem Yan Qianji wanted to tackle was the issue of physical body storage.
“Operating with a physical body in the Former Days Graveyard is still too inconvenient. But I doubt True Monarch Zhang and I will ever get to use the Ethereal Communications Department’s Body Repository Devices.”
Through his recent work, Yan Qianji could sense that while the Sect Staff in the Ethereal Communications Department weren’t openly hostile, they had formed an invisible barrier, isolating him and Zhang Yu. They used every legitimate and compliant means to continuously diminish their Immortal Dao Potential.
Yan Qianji sighed and clicked on an advertisement that appeared before him.
“Still storing your physical body? Wondering what to do with your idle body? Why not list it on JieJie? Rent out your physical body, get daily exercise, earn some pocket money, and enhance your Immortal Dao Potential.”
Yan Qianji thought to himself, “Rent out my physical body? That might actually work.”
Just then, lines of messages flashed before Yan Qianji’s eyes. The Maintenance Groups under him were reporting critically low Yin Qi reserves and requesting that he report the issue to Zhang Yu.
Minister Qin Chuan asked, “Still no sign of the Immortal Shuttle?”
Logistics Group Leader Ding Ze replied, “No. It hasn’t appeared since it vanished that one time. The noble inside has probably already left the Former Days Graveyard.”
Qin Chuan nodded slightly. He thought to himself that a place like the Former Days Graveyard shouldn’t have attracted a noble of that caliber in the first place, let alone have them stay for long.
The idea that the noble had come here for some business, stayed a few days, and then left aligned perfectly with Qin Chuan’s own deductions.
“Good that they’re gone. Otherwise, I’d be worried about accidentally getting hit by that thing every time I went out these past few days.”
Qin Chuan then asked again, “What about Zhang Yu? Still holed up in his dormitory?”
Ding Ze nodded. “Yes, he hasn’t come out at all.”
For the past month, Zhang Yu had remained in his dormitory, barely taking a single step outside.
After a month of waiting, Qin Chuan noticed that no one had come to bail Zhang Yu out, nor had anyone approached him on Zhang Yu’s behalf. This further solidified his initial suspicions.
“That kid has probably been truly abandoned.”
“Makes sense… The Immortal Clan, right? They indulge in a whim, then toss the person aside once they’re done. Nothing could be more normal. In a few months, that Dao Monarch Bu probably won’t even remember who Zhang Yu is.”
Still, Qin Chuan didn’t act rashly. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry. He planned to have someone test the waters again, which led to the current situation of the Maintenance Groups’ critically low Yin Qi reserves.
When Yan Qianji arrived at the Maintenance Groups’ location, he could feel the air temperature slowly rising.
Wisps of Yin Qi were being devoured by a massive vortex, converging toward the sky.
Due to the massive drain of Yin Qi, the Soul Cultivators’ work efficiency had plummeted.
Yan Qianji knew that under the normal Yin Aura of the Former Days Graveyard, the Soul Cultivators were constantly nourished by Yin Qi, like fish in water. This not only greatly extended their operational lifespan but also significantly boosted their work efficiency.
However, the massive drain of Yin Qi in the current environment was like throwing a fish into the desert. Not only would it cause the Soul Cultivators’ work efficiency to drop, but it would even shorten their operational lifespan.
At this thought, Yan Qianji, clad in his Yang-Warding Robe, couldn’t help but shoot into the sky. He passed through layer after layer of dense Yin Qi, shivering as he approached the source of the drain.
The closer he got, the more Yan Qianji could feel the concentration of Yin Qi in the air increasing. It even began to seep through his Yang-Warding Robe, penetrating his body and gradually freezing his vital energy, bypassing the robe’s protection.
Knowing he couldn’t linger here for long, Yan Qianji quickly shouted toward the blurry figure ahead, “Senior, I am the assistant to the Deputy Minister of the Ethereal Communications Department! Please, show some mercy! If you continue to draw Yin Qi here, the Soul Cultivators below won’t be able to work. Could we perhaps discuss—”
But the figure didn’t give Yan Qianji a chance to finish. It let out a cold snort. “An outsourced contractor? Or a Golden Core from the Lower Realm? A piece of dog shit like you dares to speak to me?”
“Scram.”
Yan Qianji felt a powerful force suddenly press down on him, sending him crashing to the ground with a thud, forcing him to his knees.
“I am refining Yin Qi and cultivating Soul Cultivators here,” the voice boomed. “If you dare disturb me again, I’ll kill you on the spot and turn you into a Soul Cultivator right here and now. That’ll save you the trouble of searching for a place to store your physical body.”
“Scram.”
“If you have anything to report, have your superior come speak to me.”
Yan Qianji struggled to his feet, looking up at the figure high in the sky, now completely swallowed by the dense Yin Qi.
His brief approach hadn’t been entirely fruitless. At the very least, Yan Qianji had managed to see the other party’s identity through the Spirit Realm Interface.
“The other Deputy Minister of the Ethereal Communications Department, Jiang Xuyi?”
Yan Qianji gave a bitter smile. “A Rank 4 Sect Staff, a Spirit Transformation Realm Cultivator…”
He understood that a matter involving a Spirit Transformation Cultivator was far beyond his ability to handle.
Yan Qianji immediately reported the situation to Zhang Yu.
At the same time, he thought to himself, “Although True Monarch Zhang is also a Rank 4 Sect Staff, he hasn’t broken through to the Spirit Transformation Realm yet. Unless he reveals the Immortal Shuttle, he probably won’t be able to do much against Jiang Xuyi.”
High in the sky, Jiang Xuyi coldly watched Yan Qianji’s retreating figure as he continued to draw in Yin Qi.
As a long-serving Deputy Minister of the Ethereal Communications Department and a Spirit Transformation Divine Monarch, Jiang Xuyi had once dreamed of promotion, of escaping the Former Days Graveyard.
But as the years passed, he had to admit that this possibility was becoming increasingly remote.
“Relying solely on my official duties, I’ll never escape this backwater shithole that doesn’t even have a Dharma Realm.”
“The only way is to take a gamble.”
When the Heavenly Fortune Immortal Venerable descended with his Dao Lineage, he granted all cultivators a sliver of hope. When faced with desperation, when the path of the Immortal Dao reached its end, when one’s potential was exhausted… everyone had a chance to gamble again.
And so, in pursuit of the Immortal Dao, Jiang Xuyi gradually became addicted to gambling.
Especially as the gambling platforms within the Myriad Laws Sect grew, allowing all sorts of things to be wagered, Jiang Xuyi’s bets grew larger and larger. His Immortal Dao Potential was steadily depleted, and before he knew it, he was drowning in debt.
This time, to repay his debts, he decided to follow Minister Qin Chuan’s instructions and test Zhang Yu.
So, Jiang Xuyi refined the Yin Qi legally and compliantly, just with enough commotion to disrupt the Maintenance Group’s Soul Cultivators.
If his opponent were also a veteran Spirit Transformation cultivator, they could have competed with him for Yin Qi based on their cultivation alone.
“But a mere Nascent Soul cultivator can’t possibly match my power.”
Jiang Xuyi understood this was a matter of overwhelming strength. With the vast gap in power between him and Zhang Yu, he could throw the other man into disarray simply by refining Yin Qi normally and following standard procedures.
“The only thing he can do… is call for backup.”
“Hmph… Let’s see what kind of help a little beast from the Lower Realm can summon.”
In any case, Jiang Xuyi believed his actions were legal and compliant, leaving his opponent with no leverage. At worst, he could just kowtow and apologize later.
As for compensation? He was already drowning in debt; paying compensation was out of the question.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu listened to Yan Qianji’s report and said calmly, “Then arrange for the Soul Cultivators to work elsewhere.”
Yan Qianji asked, “But it seems the other party has hostile intentions. I’m afraid if we move, they’ll just follow us.”
Zhang Yu replied casually, “Then have them rest. Postpone the work for now.”
“In short, avoid conflict. We’ll deal with everything after I break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm.”
Yan Qianji tentatively asked, “True Monarch, should we inform Dao Monarch Bu about this?”
Zhang Yu rejected the idea. “Running to Dao Monarch Bu for every little thing will only make her think we’re incompetent. Just hold on for another month. Once I break through to Spirit Transformation, I’ll have a way to resolve this.”
Hearing Zhang Yu’s response, Yan Qianji sighed inwardly and departed, feeling both unwilling and helpless.
Not long after dealing with Yan Qianji, Zhang Yu received a message from Bu Yingshu.
Bu Yingshu: “Zhang Yu? Have you used the Immortal Shuttle I gave you? Why was last month’s bill so low?”
Zhang Yu replied: “Dao Monarch, I’ve been busy preparing for my Spirit Transformation breakthrough and haven’t had time to use the Immortal Shuttle.”
Bu Yingshu: “Fine. Remember to use it after your breakthrough.”
Seeing Bu Yingshu’s reply, Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
He understood that he needed to solve his problems at the Ethereal Communications Department on his own. Relying on Bu Yingshu’s connections would attract too much attention, especially if he used the Immortal Shuttle. If he did, it wouldn’t just be the Ethereal Communications Department; countless factions throughout the Former Days Graveyard would turn their eyes on him.
“That would be… far too detrimental to my future exploration of the Former Days Graveyard, my efforts to liberate the remains of our ancestors, and my progress in enhancing the Immortal Descendant Dao Seed.”
So, for the following days, Zhang Yu remained holed up in his dormitory, wholeheartedly focused on refining his Primordial Spirit.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Inside the Spirit Transformation Pool, the Nascent Soul flickered, seeming to shift between reality and illusion before abruptly shattering.
“It’s happening!”
Watching this, Zhang Yu’s gaze sharpened. He knew this was the critical moment in refining his Primordial Spirit, the complete dissolution of the Nascent Soul to be reorganized into a Primordial Spirit.
As Zhang Yu manipulated the Spirit Transformation Pool, strands of brilliant light converged within it, gradually forming a human figure over several hours.
Under Zhang Yu’s continuous refinement, the light-formed figure grew increasingly agile and responsive to his control.
Finally, with a single thought, Zhang Yu felt his consciousness merge with the light figure. He had completely mastered this Primordial Spirit, which seemed to be made of both light and shadow.
Next, Zhang Yu silently circulated his profound art. Within hours, the Primordial Spirit transformed into a mass of earth and stone. A few hours later, it became a sheet of metal, then a current of water, and finally, a violent gale.
The tornado-like wind raged within the Spirit Transformation Pool before reverting to its original light-figure form.
With this step complete, Zhang Yu understood that he had not only successfully refined his Nascent Soul into a Primordial Spirit but had also transferred the empowerment from his original cultivation art, Kunlun in the Palm, to his new one, the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation.
All the enhancements the Nascent Soul had previously provided to Kunlun in the Palm were now applied to the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation.
Zhang Yu could feel that if he now channeled this Sect-Guarding Technique through his Primordial Spirit, a single thought could unleash a torrent like the Yangtze River, sweeping across heaven and earth. A mere circulation of his art could transform him into a gentle breeze enveloping an entire city.
At this moment, the range of Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation had been enhanced to its absolute limit. When Zhang Yu channeled it, he felt less like he was performing a technique and more like he was becoming a natural phenomenon, a disaster.
“The switch was successful…”
A cultivation art empowered by a Nascent Soul or Primordial Spirit could be called a cultivator’s Fundamental Cultivation Art.
Ever since mastering the Sect-Guarding-Tier Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation, Zhang Yu had wanted to switch his Fundamental Cultivation Art from Kunlun in the Palm to this new technique.
This was one of the reasons he had chosen to refine his Primordial Spirit himself — after all, his mastery of Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation was still something he couldn’t afford to expose.
Next, Zhang Yu willed his Primordial Spirit to flicker, and it instantly zipped around his dormitory at incredible speed.
He understood that the first major enhancement after successfully refining his Nascent Soul into a Primordial Spirit was an extreme transformation in speed and range.
Compared to the Nascent Soul, the Primordial Spirit was not only over ten times faster, but its operational range had also vastly increased. A thousand li was merely the starting point; as the Primordial Spirit’s power grew, crossing ten thousand li in the future would be trivial.
The cultivation of the Primordial Spirit was the central task throughout the entire Spirit Transformation Stage.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “According to the Immortal Dao system organized by the Ten Great Sects, their understanding of the Primordial Spirit is far more thorough than that of ancient times.”
“First is the state of the Primordial Spirit, known as the Divine Light State, a form that exists somewhere between qi and light.”
“A newly formed Primordial Spirit is called the Divine Light First Transformation. In the future, it will undergo the Second Transformation, Third Transformation… all the way to the final Divine Light Tenth Transformation, which represents the limit of a Primordial Spirit in the Spirit Transformation Stage.”
Zhang Yu knew this was the most complete, rational, and Immortal Dao-aligned method for cultivating the Primordial Spirit. It could only have been created after countless sects had explored the nature of the Primordial Spirit, consolidating and meticulously organizing various ancient cultivation methods.
“At the Divine Light Fifth Transformation, the Primordial Spirit can enter the Spirit Realm and use it to teleport. By the Divine Light Tenth Transformation, its speed becomes as swift as lightning, as fast as light — so fast it even surpasses thought. At that point, one needs the aid of magical artifacts and Bionics to maintain full control…”
After assessing his Primordial Spirit’s state, Zhang Yu turned his attention to the changes in his magic power. The magic power he had been accumulating for so long underwent a qualitative transformation the moment he broke through.
As his magic power quality increased from 400% to 401%, the once ethereal magic power instantly solidified into a tangible substance.
This was another power only achievable in the Spirit Transformation Realm. As his magic power solidified, its influence on the material world intensified. Not only did it amplify the might of his cultivation arts, but the boundary between his magic power and physical body also blurred.
During the phase where magic power quality increased from 401% to 500%, its solidification would become progressively more pronounced, driving a cultivator’s physical strength and the power of their cultivation arts to new heights.
Beyond the changes to his Primordial Spirit and magic power, Zhang Yu also felt the layers of shackles binding his physical body, dao heart, and cultivation arts shatter one by one, filling his mind with a sense of exhilarating freedom.
“Cultivation arts! Break through!”
With a mental roar, the cultivation arts within Zhang Yu’s body began to advance.
The draws he had obtained from the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan were released one by one.
First, a “Self-Selected Immortal Sect Strategic-Tier Technique Level +1” reward was consumed.
As the draw rewards were used, the Myriad Transformations Self-Sovereign Art surged upward, instantly reaching Level 50.
Bang!
Zhang Yu felt a violent tremor from the clones within his body, as if countless heads were trying to burst out from inside him.
The Level 50 Myriad Transformations Self-Sovereign Art caused Zhang Yu’s True Clones to surge from 16 to 32.
Feeling the clones stirring violently within him, Zhang Yu immediately used “Self-Selected Military-Grade Technique Level +1” draws, applying it to the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body.
As the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body broke through the Level 50 barrier, Zhang Yu’s multi-threaded thinking expanded from 16 to a full 32 threads.
In that instant, a deafening roar erupted within Zhang Yu’s Sea of Consciousness. The 16 white oxen raised their heads and let out a long bellow before their heads violently split apart, transforming into 32 ox heads.
The 32 ox heads roared in unison, yet Zhang Yu only felt his mind become crystal clear. His thoughts seemed to be instantly magnified and accelerated, allowing him to regain control over the clones within his body.
However, as the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body’s level surged and his multi-threaded thinking converged, the balance between his second and first mental cultivation techniques was shattered.
Thus, Zhang Yu consumed more draws to push his first mental cultivation technique, the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art, all the way to Level 50 in one go.