Chapter 92: Nine-Star Golden Core Realm

Thunder Sea. This place was no longer located on the Green Vine Continent, but rather in the ocean three million miles east of it. Here, lightning constantly rained down from the skies. One could find extremely precious thunder-attributed materials here, encounter rarely seen thunder-type demonic beasts and spirit beasts, and witness marvelous thunder-related natural phenomena to comprehend the Dao of Heaven and Earth. But with these benefits came great dangers. Even a Divine Transformation expert had to proceed with caution here, as losing one's life could happen in an instant. Elder Lei Yan, a Divine Transformation elder from the Thunder Peak of the Seven Stars Sect, had been in secluded cultivation here for years. Even when news of the new Patriarch's emergence spread, he showed no intention of leaving. The extreme distance was one reason, but more importantly, his current location was deep within the Thunder Sea's dangerous territory. Attempting to leave now would risk his life, making it better to stay put. As usual, Elder Lei Yan cultivated on a lightning-charged island, occasionally gazing at the falling bolts from the sky, seeking to comprehend deeper truths of the universe. Above Intent lay the domain of Laws. The Void Refinement stage required grasping even a sliver of Law to breakthrough. With Law comprehension, one could command the power of heaven and earth with mere thoughts and fundamentally alter a cultivator's essence—this was the power of immortals and deities. Even a shred of such understanding could make one invincible. Unfortunately, Elder Lei Yan was still far from comprehending Laws. Even his Thunder Intent had only reached minor achievement, with perfection nowhere in sight. Recalling the recent lightning strike, he absentmindedly channeled thunderous spiritual energy, tracing Dao patterns in the air. Suddenly, a pattern broke, dispersing energy outward. On the other side of the lightning island, a thunder-type demonic beast abruptly opened its eyes, roaring before charging toward Lei Yan at terrifying speed. Startled from his meditation, Lei Yan immediately summoned his flying sword and fled the island. He hadn't expected his momentary lapse to reveal his presence. This had been an excellent cultivation spot—what a pity. Not daring to stop, he raced across unfamiliar waters. Glancing back, he saw a twin-winged thunder tiger in pursuit, radiating the aura of a peak fifth-grade demonic beast, leaving him no choice but to flee desperately. The chase lasted five days and nights until Lei Yan, in his panic, stumbled into unknown territory. Only when the thunder tiger stopped pursuing did he realize he'd entered an unfamiliar region of the Thunder Sea. His eyes lit up when he spotted layered golden thunderclouds covering less than a hundred square miles over the distant sea, with golden lightning striking down. "Virtual Gold Thunderclouds!" He couldn't believe his luck—encountering newly formed Virtual Gold Thunderclouds in their nascent stage, when their power was weakest and most suitable for comprehending thunder principles. Noticing a small reef island nearby, he immediately landed, set up a concealment array, and prepared to begin his enlightenment. "A shame it's gold lightning rather than fire lightning." Looking skyward, he suddenly remembered something and retrieved a special conch shell—a Mother-Child Shell that allowed communication across vast distances, though fragile with limited uses. This precious treasure connected him to his sect. He recalled the sect leader's message: the new Patriarch sought thunder-related natural phenomena. Upon discovery, simply chant the Patriarch's name! Lei Yan immediately began chanting inwardly—"Patriarch Su, the Seven Stars Patriarch." In Cave Abode Six, Su Yuan, still adjusting to his recent changes, suddenly turned toward a certain direction. An intense mental ripple reached him through Mind Echo—a powerful cultivator was calling his name. Activating [Mind Echo], his consciousness traversed continents and oceans, quickly arriving above Lei Yan. Su Yuan's eyes brightened upon seeing the Virtual Gold Thunderclouds—exactly what he needed! Elder Lei Yan had found it! His true body immediately activated the Big Dipper, sending a beam of starlight skyward. Above the Thunder Sea, the Big Dipper constellation shone brightly, descending seven starlight beams. Lei Yan watched as the starlight coalesced before him, forming a human figure composed of stellar energy—ethereal yet lifelike. "Elder Lei Yan!" Startled, Lei Yan responded, "Seven Stars Patriarch?" "Well, I'm Su Yuan." "Then it is indeed you, Seven Stars Patriarch!" Lei Yan replied. Su Yuan smiled, unconcerned about the title. "Thank you for calling me. I happen to need to comprehend heavenly principles—your help is greatly appreciated!" "Hahaha! To assist the Seven Stars Patriarch brings me great joy!" Lei Yan laughed. "Please call my name periodically to maintain this avatar," Su Yuan added. Lei Yan paused, then summoned a thunder-attribute spirit turtle from his beast pouch. "Master!" the turtle called. "Would the turtle's calls suffice?" Lei Yan asked. "That works!" Su Yuan nodded. "Perfect!" Lei Yan agreed. The confused turtle lifted its head and began chanting "Seven Stars Patriarch." "I'll begin my enlightenment now. We'll talk later!" With that, Su Yuan's avatar vanished. Lei Yan searched but couldn't detect the avatar's location, marveling at the Patriarch's prowess. Meanwhile, Su Yuan activated [Work-Rest Balance]! Five years had accumulated 2000 days of rest time! Four instant activations left him with only 2.4 hours of enlightenment time remaining. His comprehension ability skyrocketed nearly ten-thousandfold! Combined with his transformed physical talents, The radiant [Daoist Techniques Naturally], His Void Refinement-level [Great Talent], And the shining Big Dipper above— Countless insights flooded him the moment he gazed at the Virtual Gold Thunderclouds! Simultaneously, his true body appeared before the Silver Spirit Waterfall, cross-legged to comprehend its heavenly principles! He would comprehend two natural wonders at once! All the texts studied and waterfall observations from the past five years became stepping stones, paving his path to the heavens! Within breaths, Thunder Intent broke through, soaring to the Intent realm in ten breaths! Moments later, Water and Earth Intents followed suit! Now he had comprehended eight Intents: Metal, Wood, Fire, Water, Earth, Stars, Thunder, and Sword—all in under a minute, matching previous multi-session achievements! With time remaining, Su Yuan deepened his understanding rather than pursuing new Intents. Progress proved slower than expected. Only after fifteen minutes did Metal Intent first reach minor achievement, followed by Thunder, Fire, and Wood. Surprisingly, Star Intent reached minor achievement last. After another forty-five minutes, Metal Intent led again, reaching major achievement, with others following fifteen minutes later. Expression serene, Su Yuan calmly comprehended various Daos. Another hour passed—Metal Intent reached perfection! Only six quarter-hours remained. After brief consideration, Su Yuan continued with other Intents. Forty-five minutes later, Star Intent finally reached perfection! Perfect Intent meant fully understanding a heavenly principle's manifestations, qualifying him to explore what lay beyond—often called "Divine Intent," but truly representing Law comprehension! The true essence behind heavenly principles, the deeper mysteries beneath Intent's surface! After contemplation, Su Yuan turned to the Big Dipper. Abandoning the waterfall and thunderclouds, he focused solely on the stars. His foundation lay with the Big Dipper—he wouldn't abandon it for temporary wonders! Activating [Work-Rest Balance] five times, his remaining forty-five minutes compressed to four minutes of comprehension time. His target: Star Law! The [Seven Stars Shine Bright] entry flickered. His understanding of the Big Dipper distilled and elevated. Within his dantian, nine golden cores rotated, their Dao patterns now displaying Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Alchemy, Arrays, Talismans, and Artifacts. Arranged in the Big Dipper formation (including two dark stars), they now bore Dao patterns of Sword, Thunder, and Star Intents. As four minutes raced by, Su Yuan gazed at the stars, seeking that sliver of Star Law. Finally, with eighty percent time elapsed, enlightenment dawned—a special Dao pattern embodying heavenly principles materialized within his dantian's Big Dipper formation. Star Law comprehension successful! All Intents merged into Star Law, unifying his nine golden cores as one! In this moment, Su Yuan broke through to the Golden Core Realm!