Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 570: Preparations Before Setting Off (1)

The clash erupted with explosive intensity, Chu Deng’s Hydroflame Staff sweeping through the air like a furious torrent. Flames and water coiled around him, amplifying his strikes with a primal ferocity.

Wu Yuan, however, stood unyielding. His saber and shield moved with precision, each motion measured, deflecting the force of Chu Deng’s savage attacks as if they were nothing more than gusts of wind against a mountain.

For a moment, neither seemed able to gain the upper hand, locked in a fierce and evenly matched exchange.

The sight left the tens of thousands of spectating Origin Eldritch Field members in stunned disbelief. Most had anticipated a one-sided battle, with Chu Deng holding an overwhelming advantage. But instead, the two appeared evenly matched?

It was widely acknowledged that Chu Deng was one of the strongest members of the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field, a top contender for the heaven-tier title.

This Wu Yuan? Even the muscular Astral Lord observing the fights from above revealed a hint of surprise in his eyes.

As the overseer of the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field, he kept a close eye on its top geniuses, and Wu Yuan had been a point of interest.

Still, in his estimations, Wu Yuan wasn’t supposed to be ready to vie for heaven-tier status until the next Heaven and Earth Tournament.

Within the battle space, Chu Deng’s expression hardened. “If you can withstand this, then try the third step: Merciless Hydroflame!” he roared, releasing his full power.

His nine arms shifted, and the sabers and shields he wielded vanished, replaced entirely by long staves.

Compared to spears, staves sacrificed sharpness for crushing force - ideal for smashing! One strike could shatter heaven and earth. How formidable were nine staves striking as one? For a moment, he seemed to completely overwhelm Wu Yuan.

“Haha! Bring it on!” Wu Yuan laughed, his saber technique transforming in response. His earlier violent strikes became fluid and restrained – the seventh move of the Starsunder Saber Codex: Vast Land!

His shields moved like clockwork, synchronizing with the strikes of his blade rays to create an imposing earthen barrier.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Their lightning-fast collisions shook the air, yet the stalemate continued, neither able to gain a clear advantage.

Chu Deng held a slight edge. But Wu Yuan, though on the defensive, showed no signs of faltering. His defense was watertight, giving his opponent no openings to exploit.

Their battle raged with savage intensity.

As time passed and other fights concluded, nearly all eyes turned to focus on this clash.

Chu Deng continued his relentless assault while Wu Yuan maintained his impenetrable defense.

Before they knew it, thousands of exchanges had gone by. The other hundred-plus battles had all ended, leaving only this final confrontation.

By now, all participants and spectators watched in stunned silence, utterly captivated.

In terms of offense, Chu Deng had attacked without holding anything back, yet still could not overcome Wu Yuan. Instead, his own vital ether was rapidly depleting with each successive strike.

Wu Yuan, in contrast, stood like an unshakable mountain peak. The synergy between his sabers and shields seemed flawless.

An entire hour passed.

Suddenly, an invisible force enveloped the battle space, freezing both combatants mid-strike.

“Chu Deng, vital ether depleted beyond 80%. Defeated. The victor of this battle is Wu Yuan.” A cold, mechanical voice echoed through the air.

Chu Deng's eyes flickered red, seemingly dazed and unable to accept his loss. There was only one heaven-tier member. In this brutal tournament, losing even one battle made the possibility of claiming the heaven-tier title nearly impossible. For him, a comeback would require nothing short of a miracle.

“Chu Deng, good match,” Wu Yuan said with a faint smile before transforming into a streak of light and entering a nearby meditation chamber. He had to quickly replenish his ether before the next round began.

Chu Deng stood motionless for a full breath, his gaze distant.

“I lost,” he muttered softly. “I really lost.” His figure blurred as he, too, transformed into light, disappearing into another meditation chamber.

The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, the match both unfair and fair. Unfair in that he had maintained the upper hand throughout. Fair in that he had indeed failed to defeat Wu Yuan, and one's vital ether levels were itself a measure of strength.

Outside, the crowd of over 100,000 Origin Eldritch Field members erupted in a cacophony of excitement.

“What an upset! Chu Deng lost on the very first day.”

“Definitely didn’t see that coming. Damn, I wasted a divine crystal betting he'd win the heaven-tier title."

“Serves you right for gambling.”

“How did Wu Yuan beat him? He was on the defensive the whole time, yet wore Chu Deng down?"

"You fools clearly never saw how Wu Yuan won in the Fifth Origin Eldritch Field years ago. Back then, he relied on his insane defense to frustrate a group of earth-tier members until they wore themselves out."

"The Celestial Body Dao’s forte lies in defense. In terms of defense, Wu Yuan is likely the strongest. The others are in trouble."

“Even Chu Deng couldn’t defeat him. Who can stop Wu Yuan now?”

"He's cultivated for less than a century? This is his first time participating in the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field's Heaven and Earth Tournament, yet he's already aiming for heaven-tier?" Countless spectators marveled.

Eldritch cultivators respected strength above all. At this moment, in the hearts of these Origin Eldritch Field members, Wu Yuan was undoubtedly one of the strongest of their generation.

"Truly heaven-defying."

"Before reaching a hundred years old, I had only grasped the first-level True Intent stage. This Wu Yuan has likely reached the third-level True Intent stage."

"What kind of cultivation speed is this?"

“Being born in the same era as such a genius is truly demoralizing.” Among the crowd, the dozen or so geniuses still aspiring to the heaven-tier title now felt their scalps tingle.

They had all witnessed the battle just now. None were confident they could defeat Wu Yuan.

...

From above, the muscular Astral Lord narrowed his eyes. Less than a century of cultivation, and he’s reached the third-level True Intent stage of Celestial Body? His progress is even faster than before.

He might not yet rival prodigies like Chang Hong and Jiang Huan, but if he keeps this up, he’s sure to earn a spot in the top ten of the First Origin Eldritch Field. He sighed, musing to himself. I’ll need to report this.

Heaven-tier? His chances are high. The muscular man shook his head.

To claim the heaven-tier title of the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field in less than a century of cultivation? Such a genius emerged fewer than once every 100,000 years.

...

A pity I can only use the Celestial Body Dao. Wu Yuan thought as he sat cross-legged atop a jade platform. A strange power flowed into his body, steadily replenishing his vital ether.

Over the past fifteen years of secluded cultivation, half his body refiner self’s efforts went into researching the fusion of True Domain, Ten Thousand Longevity, and Celestial Body Daos.

Unknowingly, his comprehension of the Celestial Body Dao had advanced to the third-level True Intent stage.

This was the terrifying potential of the Celestial Body Dao combined with a powerful soul. His rate of progress had surged once more.

While his body-refiner self couldn't match his qi refiner self in sheer combat power, he could easily dominate the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field's geniuses if he went all out. In fact, it would be simpler than when he had annihilated that group of Immortal Hall geniuses years ago.

But the profundities of the Celestial Body Dao alone are enough for now. I need to stay under the radar. Wu Yuan mused to himself. I can reveal my full strength after becoming a High Eldritch.

Once he reached that level, even if the Voltari Temple noticed something suspicious and targeted him, it would be exceedingly difficult for them to kill him through karma across spacetime.

Still, choosing to cultivate the grand ether art - Great Eldritch Divine Body wasn't a mistake. Wu Yuan reflected.

For the past thirty years, he had pondered over the ether arts to cultivate.

At the Shambhala phase, one could cultivate a single grand ether art. After careful consideration, Wu Yuan had chosen the Great Eldritch Divine Body, an advanced form of the True Celestial Body that could strengthen and empower the physical form, turning it akin to an artifact.

Grand ether arts were each considered 'great divine abilities'. Even Archeldritches and Archdeities chose them with utmost care.

Those with second or third-degree immortal roots could cultivate at most two, the limit their soul chamber could withstand. Even those with first-degree immortal roots were limited to three.

Each grand ether art was profound and abstruse. If one failed to cultivate it to great heights or it was not compatible with oneself, its power might not even match an advanced ether art.

To fully master the Great Eldritch Divine Body grand ether art, one had to fully comprehend the Life Dao, which aligned perfectly with Wu Yuan's path.

Combining and extrapolating from the Celestial Body and Longevity Daos, Wu Yuan easily reached the third step of mastery in just a few decades.

His body was now nearly as tough as second-grade spirit equipment. How could someone like Chu Deng hope to injure him?

Unless their Dao comprehension reaches the fourth-level True Intent stage of an Intermediate Law or fourth-level Dao Field stage of a Lesser Law, no one will be able to stop me.

...

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

Wu Yuan went through more than two hundred rounds of combat. Though several battles seemed to be hard-fought struggles, they required little effort on his part in reality.

Finally, Wu Yuan claimed the title of heaven-tier member of the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field with an undefeated record of 272 victories, ranking first.

For the highest echelons of the Eldritch World, such as Astral Monarch Xue Ying and Astral Monarch Hou Qu, who were privy to Wu Yuan’s true identity as the Eldritch Sovereign's disciple, this outcome was expected.

Yet, for those unaware of his background, it caused quite a stir. Many Astral Monarchs took note of his name.

"Quite impressive."

"His rate of progress is terrifying. Within 300 years, he should have a chance to break through to the fourth-level True Intent stage of Celestial Body."

"He might not compare to Jiang Huan or that monstrous prodigy Ming Jian from the Eternal Sun Immortal World, and he's slightly behind Chang Hong, but his potential is remarkable."

"In the future, he might reach our level." Many Astral Monarchs of the Eldritch World shared their opinions.

...

“Oh, Little Junior Brother has claimed the heaven-tier title of the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field?" Jiang Huan also received this news, revealing a faint smile.

Over the years, Jiang Huan had continued to guide Wu Yuan annually and he was pleased with his junior brother’s rapid progress.

...

"Not yet ninety years old, and he's already reached the third-level True Intent stage of Celestial Body?" Wu Yuan's other Senior Brother, Chang Hong, was equally shocked upon receiving this news.

Clearly, Wu Yuan's cultivation speed had exceeded his imagination.

...

The vast Cang Feng Eldritch World stretched endlessly. In the dark expanse of outer space far from any eldritch continents was a realm hidden from the Material Spatial Layer.

"This Wu Yuan—keep a close eye on him!”

"His rate of progress is showing an accelerating trend. As the Astral Monarchs predicted earlier, there must be some secret behind his transfer from the Eternal Sun Immortal World to the Eldritch World years ago."

"Raise his rank on the assassination list to number eighteen. Begin preparations."

"He's cultivated for less than a century, so he shouldn't have advanced to the Elysian Field phase yet. Now that he’s claimed the heaven-tier title, he’ll likely begin venturing out on expeditions."

"Once his whereabouts are discovered, initiate the assassination strategy." TThe Voltari Temple, being the faction most concerned with the Eldritch World's movements, naturally wouldn't overlook this news. They began to monitor Wu Yuan even more closely.

For a Shambhala cultivator to be ranked eighteenth on the assassination list was a sign that the Voltari Temple regarded him with utmost seriousness.