Chapter 82: Let Me Break Through First
"Let's go, we'll take a look inside."
Li Changsheng smiled slightly and stepped into the Beast Forest.
Swoosh!
As soon as they entered the mist, a gray streak shot toward them from a nearby tree.
Boom!
Li Changsheng flicked his finger, and a sword beam instantly severed the gray streak into two. It fell to the ground, revealing itself to be a thin gray snake, now cut in two and lifeless.
"It's a Grayline Snake," Su Qingyu explained softly.
"This is a common beast in the Beast Forest. Although its cultivation level is only at the Foundation Establishment stage, it's extremely stealthy. Even a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator could die if caught off guard."
Clearly, Su Qingyu had done her homework before entering, as she seemed quite familiar with the Beast Forest.
"This place is indeed strange. My spiritual sense can only detect things within a range a hundred times smaller than usual. It must be due to this mist."
Li Changsheng spoke softly.
In the Beast Forest, there were likely few beasts that could harm him. With his current physical strength, only beasts at the Mahayana stage or above could break his defenses.
"Let's move on."
The two continued forward, killing hundreds of beasts along the way. The strongest among them was only at the Golden Core stage.
However, as they ventured deeper, they managed to gather some ancient spirit herbs.
But these herbs were insignificant to Li Changsheng, who already had access to the Vajra Sect's spirit herb cultivation secret realm.
Boom!
Li Changsheng flicked his finger again, and a peak Foundation Establishment gray bear's head was shattered, its body collapsing to the ground.
Su Qingyu swiftly collected the bear's corpse.
"We've traveled several hundred miles, but there's still no sign of anything special."
Li Changsheng stopped and frowned.
"Every time the Beast Forest opens, the major factions enter, but none of us have made significant gains. Sometimes, we even wonder if the rumors about opportunities here are just exaggerated," Su Qingyu said with a bitter smile.
"If it weren't for the fear of missing out, none of the major factions would want to enter."
Before Li Changsheng could respond, a voice filled with centuries of wisdom echoed through the void:
"The opportunity does exist. It's just that over the past hundred thousand years, none of the people who entered here caught my eye. Finally, today, someone worthy has arrived."
"Come inside and let's talk."
The ancient voice faded, and a spatial door appeared in front of them.
"This…"
Su Qingyu was startled. The voice seemed to have traversed the river of time, and the spatial door appeared so suddenly, without any fluctuations, that she hadn't sensed its arrival at all.
She instinctively looked at Li Changsheng.
"Let's go!"
Taking Su Qingyu's hand, Li Changsheng stepped into the spatial door without hesitation.
Boom!
They arrived in a misty world, where a long staircase stretched before them. At the end of the staircase stood an ancient palace.
"Come here!"
The ancient voice called out from the palace.
"Let's go!"
Li Changsheng walked ahead. Having simulated this scenario multiple times, he knew no harm would come to him in this mysterious place.
Moreover, he could sense that the owner of this voice far surpassed his current strength. If the old man wanted to harm him, a single finger could crush him.
The two arrived at the palace entrance, and the doors swung open.
Li Changsheng strode in confidently, with Su Qingyu following closely behind.
Inside the palace, an elderly man in gray robes sat cross-legged on a cushion at the center.
As Li Changsheng and Su Qingyu entered, two more cushions appeared nearby.
"Sit!"
The gray-robed old man smiled at them.
"It's been over a hundred thousand years since I've seen outsiders," he said.
Li Changsheng walked over and sat down on the cushion.
A mysterious aura rose from the cushion, and the true essence in his body began to circulate on its own.
Boom!
Li Changsheng felt as if a bottleneck in his cultivation had shattered, and his true essence surged. He had reached the peak of the Deity Transformation stage!
Boom!
A similar sound came from beside him. Li Changsheng turned to see Su Qingyu, sitting on another cushion, breaking through to the peak of the Golden Core stage.
Su Qingyu looked astonished. She had only broken through to the late Golden Core stage less than a year ago, and now she had advanced again, simply by sitting on the cushion.
"Thank you, Senior," Li Changsheng and Su Qingyu said almost simultaneously.
"Both of you have solid foundations, which is why you were able to break through," the old man said with a smile. "These cushions were once sat upon by True Immortals and Mystic Immortals who came here to listen to teachings and cultivate. Over time, the cushions have absorbed some of their insights into the Dao. If you could cultivate here long-term, your progress would be rapid. Unfortunately, you cannot stay in this void for more than a year, or the pressure between worlds will harm your bodies."
"The void?"
Both Li Changsheng and Su Qingyu were slightly stunned.
Moreover, the old man had just mentioned that True Immortals and Mystic Immortals once sat on these cushions to listen to teachings. Who, then, was the one who taught them?
What was the origin of this palace?
As if reading their thoughts, the old man said calmly, "You can think of the void as the space between worlds. Only True Immortals and above can remain in the void for long periods."
"You don't need to know too much, as excessive knowledge will bind you to karma," the old man said with a slight shake of his head. He then looked at Li Changsheng. "Although you barely meet the requirements, your cultivation level is still too low. If you could reach the peak of the Return to Void stage before turning thirty, I could grant you a great opportunity!"
"Reaching the Deity Transformation stage at twenty-nine in the mortal world is impressive, but my original self set the requirement at peak Return to Void before thirty to receive the legacy."
"However, even though you can't receive the legacy, the rules allow you to take a bottle of True Essence Liquid from the palace, which can enhance your cultivation speed."
Li Changsheng's eyes lit up at the old man's words. True Immortals and Mystic Immortals once listened to teachings here—how powerful must the legacy left by this palace's master be?
"Senior, please wait while I make a breakthrough!" Li Changsheng bowed slightly to the old man.
"Oh?" The old man looked intrigued. Did this young man believe he could break through an entire major realm within a year?
"Fortune favors the bold!"
From previous simulations, Li Changsheng knew the old man meant him no harm.
Though he usually acted cautiously, the temptation of this legacy was too great!
"Begin simulation!"
Li Changsheng thought to himself:
"Begin simulation!"
[Simulation begins.]
[At twenty-nine, you consumed a bottle of True Essence Liquid in the palace, enhancing your aptitude. Half a month later, you used a teleportation array in the palace to arrive in the Southern Li Dynasty.]
[You secluded yourself in the Cloud-White Sect, devoting yourself to cultivation.]
[...]
[At four hundred and thirty, you successfully reached the Return to Void stage.]
[At five hundred and thirty, demons invaded, and you died!]
"Choose option one!"
Boom!
A powerful aura erupted from Li Changsheng.
The Return to Void stage had been achieved!