Chapter 280: Beginning of Soul Transformation

The Nascent Soul slowly floated up, and after completely escaping from the top of Wang Lin's head, it immediately stretched out its arms, mimicking the exact movements of Wang Lin's Physical Body, even down to the Hand Seal in its hands, which was identical.

Suddenly, the spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth seemed to have found an outlet; it gathered madly, forming a massive Vortex over the entire back mountain of the Xuandao Sect.

This Vortex had already become visible to the naked eye, resembling a funnel that grew larger and larger from bottom to top.

At this moment, an anomaly also appeared in the sky. In the cloudless high altitude, a huge black hole slowly took shape, and within the black hole, starlight flickered.

Wang Lin seemed to sense something; his Nascent Soul looked up, and two beams of light suddenly lit up in its eyes, penetrating the stone wall and looking directly into the black hole.

His heart immediately trembled. The world inside that black hole was none other than the starry sky from the memory of the Ancient God Tu Si, which was outside the Vermilion Bird Star!

When a Cultivator undergoes Soul Transformation, the Nascent Soul undergoes a series of evolutions. This process requires immense spiritual energy, so in this environment, by relying on one's Concept, one can open an extraterrestrial channel to absorb that boundless spiritual energy, allowing the Soul Transformation to succeed.

This is an opportunity that every Cultivator receives when undergoing Soul Transformation.

The appearance of this black hole immediately confirmed to all Nascent Soul Cultivators in the State of Zhao who had read the ancient records that, at this very moment, someone was indeed undergoing Soul Transformation in the State of Zhao!

The spiritual energy from within the black hole flowed out like a raging flood, all absorbed by the huge funnel-shaped Vortex at Wang Lin's location, and then, after a series of transformations, it merged into the Nascent Soul above Wang Lin's head.

Slowly, a seven-colored light began to flicker within the Nascent Soul. This light grew brighter and brighter, eventually enveloping the entire back mountain. Not long after, the entire Xuandao Sect was shrouded in this seven-colored radiance.

At this moment, the surrounding Cultivators were filled with excitement and piety, their eyes all revealing a fanatical look in unison.

For them, being able to witness a Cultivator's Soul Transformation in this lifetime was the most precious Treasure Trove and memory, and it even held great benefits for their own cultivation.

Although this was not the reason Wang Lin chose to undergo Soul Transformation in the State of Zhao, unintentionally, it had bestowed a mark of hope for Soul Transformation upon the Cultivation World of the State of Zhao.

This benefit was most profound for those Nascent Soul Cultivators. At this moment, the Nascent Soul within their bodies seemed to be undergoing some kind of sublimation as well; they actually escaped from their bodies one by one, sat cross-legged above their heads, and began to absorb energy.

As Wang Lin's Nascent Soul absorbed the spiritual energy, the seven-colored light on its body grew brighter, and the Nascent Soul gradually rose, slowly ascending from three inches above Wang Lin's head.

The appearance of the black hole in the sky made all the Mortals in the State of Zhao even more pious. At this moment, it felt as if a heavenly might had descended, leaving them without any distracting thoughts; all they felt was awe for this heavenly might.

The closer a Mortal city was to the black hole, the deeper the people within felt it. Especially in the villages near the black hole, all the children were staring blankly at the sky. If a Cultivator were there, they would immediately discover that above the heads of these children, there was a faint band of light, and the direction this band of light pointed to was precisely the black hole in the sky.

In fact, in a fourth-rank Cultivation Country, whenever a Cultivator undergoes Soul Transformation, they choose their hometown, because at the moment of Soul Transformation, when the extraterrestrial channel opens, it causes a slight mutation in the Mortals closest to it.

Those without a Spiritual Root can even develop an Acquired Spiritual Root!

This is also one of the reasons why a fourth-rank Cultivation Country can completely surpass a third-rank Cultivation Country, because every time a Cultivator undergoes Soul Transformation, it results in many more Mortals within the country possessing the Aptitude for cultivation.

Wang Lin was unaware of all this. At this time, he had already completely merged into his Life and Death Concept, experiencing the meaning of the Heavenly Dao.

As more and more spiritual energy merged in, Wang Lin's Nascent Soul rose higher and higher. It passed through the stone wall of the ceiling without any obstruction, and gradually, the Nascent Soul floated out of the back mountain.

At this moment, a scene appeared that all the surrounding Cultivators would never be able to forget in their lifetimes: a tiny figure flashing with dazzling seven-colored light sat cross-legged and slowly rose into the sky.

As soon as this Nascent Soul appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy rushed over madly, enveloping the Nascent Soul like a baptism of enlightenment. Immediately after, the Nascent Soul's hands slowly began to move, forming strange Hand Seals that changed rapidly.

This process lasted for a long time…

Under the infusion of this spiritual energy, Wang Lin's Nascent Soul's Hand Seals became faster and faster, almost forming afterimages. Gradually, the seven-colored light outside the Nascent Soul slowly receded, and in the end, not a single trace remained; it was completely internalized by the Nascent Soul.

Immediately after, the entire body of Wang Lin's Nascent Soul suddenly became translucent, as if it could dissipate at any moment.

At this moment, the black hole in the sky spewed out its final burst of spiritual energy, gradually closed up, and finally disappeared.

That final burst of spiritual energy turned into a long Dragon, roaring as it descended from the sky, and instantly merged with the Nascent Soul.

At this moment, a trace of an unusual aura emanated from within the Nascent Soul.

The entire Nascent Soul transformed from translucent back to solid. Its body slowly grew larger, and finally, it reached the height of a person. If one looked closely, one could see that it was now indistinguishable from Wang Lin's Physical Body.

At this time, the Nascent Soul slowly opened its eyes. Within its eyes, there was none of the emotional color that any person should have; all that remained were bursts of cold light. At this moment, everyone who saw this Nascent Soul had an illusion that this Nascent Soul, through a series of sublimations, had become an existence that transcended Cultivators, a mysterious existence.

Its gaze seemed to be overlooking the Earth. Whether it saw Mortals or Cultivators, it did so with an indifferent expression, as if there was nothing in this world that could interest it.

The key to a Cultivator's Soul Transformation lies in the sublimation of the Nascent Soul to form a Primordial Spirit. If the Primordial Spirit is not destroyed, the Physical Body will exist forever; this is the Heavenly Dao.

At this moment, Wang Lin's Nascent Soul finally underwent a transformation through the modification of spiritual energy, shedding its infant form and achieving a Primordial Spirit.

If one were to compare the Nascent Soul to a young child, then now, this Nascent Soul had not only grown up but also acquired the power of the Heavenly Dao, thereby forming a Primordial Spirit. This is the terrifying aspect of a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator.

The reason why a Soul Transformation Cultivator's Spells and Divine Abilities contain Concepts is precisely because of the existence of this Primordial Spirit. This Primordial Spirit is formed from the Concept, based on the Nascent Soul, and nourished by the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, which is how it is condensed.

It is precisely because of the existence of the Primordial Spirit that the power of a Soul Transformation Cultivator far exceeds that of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, just as a Nascent Soul Cultivator is to a Core Formation Cultivator.

The difference in Realm is an uncrossable chasm.

Mortals absorb and expel the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, which causes their constitution to change, making them more suitable for absorbing spiritual energy. Slowly, as the spiritual energy within the body increases and the physical modification reaches a certain level, a qualitative change occurs.

This change is called Foundation Establishment.

According to the Heavenly Dao, Foundation Establishment cannot rely on external forces but requires relying on one's own cultivation to constantly break through; only then does it conform to the Heaven-Defying path of cultivation.

However, the difficulty of Foundation Establishment is too great, so there came into existence Heaven-Defying items like the Foundation Establishment Pill. Slowly, after countless cycles, in the current Cultivation World, very few people can condense their Foundation Establishment on their own without using a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Although it does not conform to the standards of the Heavenly Dao, the Cultivation Alliance's stance is that the Heavenly Dao is dead, and one ought to defy the Heavens. Thus, as time passed, no one bothered to investigate the root cause anymore.

After Foundation Establishment, the body obtains a platform more suitable for breathing/absorbing, and the spiritual energy absorbed is naturally greater, but when it reaches a certain level, it will encounter a Bottleneck again.

Thus, there is Core Formation. The purpose of Core Formation is to compress, compress, and compress the spiritual energy within the body, thereby causing the spiritual energy to change from intangible to tangible, from tangible to liquid, and then from liquid, to solidify into a Golden Core.

This process is very difficult for a Cultivator, but it is not absolute. If one has sufficient Aptitude, it can naturally save a lot of trouble.

Once the Golden Core emerges, it relieves the pressure on the body, so it can once again absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Moreover, as these spiritual energies are absorbed, they all condense towards the Golden Core. Gradually, the Golden Core becomes harder and harder, and the spiritual energy contained within it exceeds imagination.

This is also the fundamental reason why a Core Formation Cultivator is like a Heaven-Defying existence to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, one that is completely impossible to resist; after all, their spiritual energy is already unimaginably vast.

After a Cultivator forms their Core, through years of breathing/absorbing, the body will encounter a Bottleneck again, which is the Late Stage of Core Formation.

At this time, simply absorbing spiritual energy can no longer solve the problem, so there is the second qualitative change for a Cultivator!

This is a qualitative change that is not entirely complete, but for a Cultivator, it is an earth-shattering change, the first step towards truly Heaven-Defying cultivation.

The Golden Core shatters, and the Nascent Soul is born.

The reason the Nascent Soul carries the character 'Yuan' is precisely because 'Yuan' is the first character of the Dao, also known as 'Xuan', the beginning of all Dao.

This character 'Xuan' is the root of the Golden Core shattering and the Nascent Soul's birth, a mysterious change, a sublimation. This process is taken from the Mortal act of pregnancy and childbirth; this is the constant order of the Heavenly Dao.

The Golden Core is like the womb of a ten-month pregnancy; after gestation, life begins to emerge, and this life is called an infant.

Thus, the term Nascent Soul appeared.

Daoist cultivation also adopts this meaning; the Golden Core shatters, giving birth to a Dao Infant, seeking the meaning of endless life and Rebirth.

When the Nascent Soul appears, the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth it absorbs is beyond words compared to Core Formation; it is completely not in the same Realm.

Possessing a Nascent Soul body means that from then on, one has the possibility of escaping Reincarnation, the capital to fight against the Heavens, and the qualifications to perform Heaven-Defying deeds.

When the Nascent Soul reaches a certain level, it is Soul Transformation. The difficulty of this Soul Transformation does not require as high an Aptitude as before; it focuses on enlightenment, enlightenment of the Heavenly Dao.