Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Nestled in the valley, verdant peaks embrace the area like a screen, shrouded in a light mist. Several streams of cool spring water seep from the crevices of the rocks, flowing gently and converging into a cold pool.

A stone door covered in moss slowly opened, and Chen Yuan stepped out of the cave. Looking at the quiet valley, a hint of bewilderment flashed in his eyes.

Cultivation knows no time; more than two hundred years have passed since he became a disciple of Xuan Chenzi.

Since arriving here, Xuan Chenzi has instructed Chen Yuan to cultivate in seclusion in the cave and not to leave the valley without permission.

The pills and spiritual materials he needed for cultivation were all supplied by Xuan Chenzi, and there was never a shortage.

When Chen Yuan inquired about the reason, Xuan Chenzi only said that it was related to Chen Yuan's background and told him to focus on his cultivation.

Chen Yuan then asked about the origin of this body, but Xuan Chenzi refused to tell him directly, saying that he would tell him when his cultivation improved.

Chen Yuan had no choice but to give up, go into seclusion to cultivate diligently, and no longer inquire about the matter.

His cultivation experience was incredibly rich, his body possessed exceptional aptitude, and with the ample elixirs provided by Xuan Chenzi, his progress was rapid.

During this time, Xuan Chenzi left the valley several times, but Chen Yuan did not leave on his own.

Firstly, the golden light barrier was almost broken, and he could not bear the consequences of dying again.

He could improve his cultivation and strength by staying in the valley to cultivate, and Xuan Chenzi was obviously closely related to this body, and was likely the key to him breaking through the illusion.

However, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, Xuan Chenzi also knew that one should not work in isolation. He had taken Chen Yuan on several trips to seek out demonic beasts to fight and hone his supernatural abilities.

He would often capture demonic cultivators of similar cultivation level to Chen Yuan and make Chen Yuan fight them to accumulate combat experience.

Two hundred years passed peacefully in this cultivation, so long that Chen Yuan sometimes forgot he was in an illusion and mistakenly thought he was Li Xuan.

His two lifetimes combined amounted to only a little over four hundred years, and the time he spent in the illusion was equivalent to half of his lifespan.

This body's cultivation level has also advanced by leaps and bounds through arduous training, breaking through barriers one after another, and has reached the peak of Core Formation, only one step away from Nascent Soul Formation.

A hybrid of human and demon blood possesses both human and demon bloodlines, and can choose either path of cultivation from either race.

Chen Yuan cultivated the "Mysterious Armor Melting Gold Body," a human cultivation technique. After becoming a disciple of Xuan Chenzi, he changed his cultivation technique.

Yu Yan, a low-level demon general, could not possibly possess human cultivation techniques at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Chen Yuan, being meticulous, would certainly not leave such a flaw.

The "Swordless Scripture" he is currently cultivating is also a top-tier technique, aiming directly at the late Nascent Soul stage, and even surpasses the "Mysterious Armor Melting Gold Body".

Chen Yuan was quite surprised when he received this technique. It was truly astonishing that Xuan Chenzi, a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stage and a rogue cultivator, possessed such a technique.

He later subtly inquired several times and learned that Xuan Chenzi had obtained a portion of the inheritance of an ancient sect before forming his core, which enabled him to produce such a technique.

This "Wufeng Jing" is one of the three most outstanding inheritances, comparable to the Xuanmen techniques that Xuan Chenzi himself cultivates.

It was also by chance that this body happened to have the Metal Element Heavenly Spiritual Root, which was extremely compatible with the "Swordless Scripture".

The only regrettable thing is that the "Wufeng Sutra" does not involve dual cultivation of body and mind. At this time, Chen Yuan's cultivation level has only reached the peak of Core Formation, and his physical body is even inferior to that of a level 5 demon beast.

For more than two hundred years, he only used the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nourish his physical body. It was only because the golden dragon bloodline of this body was extremely pure that he had such an improvement.

For the past ten years, Chen Yuan had been refining his true essence until he reached a point where he could no longer advance and was finally able to form his Nascent Soul before emerging from seclusion.

Today he went to pay his respects to Xuan Chenzi, to inquire about the origin and background of this body, and to ask Xuan Chenzi for help in forming his Nascent Soul.

To form a Nascent Soul, one needs the spiritual energy of at least a medium-sized spiritual vein, but there is only a small spiritual vein in the valley. Although Chen Yuan was confident that he could survive the three tribulations of the Nascent Soul stage, he was helpless. He slowly walked to the front of Xuan Chenzi's cave, clasped his hands in a bow, and said respectfully, "Disciple Li Xuan requests an audience with Master."

After a while, the two heavy stone doors slowly opened, revealing a dimly lit passage. Xuan Chenzi's aged voice drifted out: "Come in."

Chen Yuan stepped inside and entered a stone hall. The furnishings were simple and clean, with only a stone table, two stone benches, and a few luminous pearls.

Xuan Chenzi sat on the stool, still wearing his Taoist robe.

Two hundred years have passed, and his hair and beard have become even whiter, with kind eyes and a dignified, otherworldly appearance.

Chen Yuan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Disciple greets Master."

Xuan Chenzi stroked his beard and said gently, "What business do you have with your master?"

Chen Yuan said solemnly, "My cultivation has reached perfection. I have been cultivating diligently for several months without any progress. I wish to form a Nascent Soul, so I have come to ask Master for permission."

Xuan Chenzi's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said, "Good disciple, your master has prepared a Spirit Source Pearl for you. Take it and integrate it into your spiritual veins. After a year, you can go into seclusion to form your Nascent Soul."

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and a wooden box with a sealing talisman appeared out of thin air on the table.

Chen Yuan bowed again, his face showing gratitude: "Thank you, Master, for bestowing this treasure upon me."

He reached out and put away the wooden box. One hundred and thirty-seven years ago, when he formed his core, Xuan Yuanzi had bestowed upon him a mustard seed ring, which replaced the storage bag that the middle-aged scholar had given to Chen Yuan.

Xuan Chenzi laughed and said, "No need for formalities. I will pass away in fifty years at most, and leaving behind treasures would be useless. I might as well lend you a hand."

Chen Yuan frowned and said, "Master will definitely be able to break through the bottleneck and prolong his life..."

Xuan Chenzi chuckled: "You don't need to comfort your master. In my early years, I did not obtain the correct method and went astray in my cultivation. My foundation was not solid, and it was already a stroke of luck that I reached the Nascent Soul stage. I have no hope of advancing any further in this life."

Chen Yuan sighed inwardly. How could he not see that Xuan Chenzi truly regarded him as his successor?

Over the past two hundred years, Xuan Chenzi has meticulously taught him the way of cultivation, bestowed upon him spiritual materials, and invited weapon refiners to forge his natal magic weapon, showing him great care and concern.

However, Xuan Chenzi's cultivation level remained stagnant, stuck at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and he was ultimately unable to overcome this bottleneck.

This master-disciple relationship is coming to an end.

Chen Yuan changed the subject: "I am about to form my Nascent Soul. I wonder if Master could tell me about my origins?"

Xuan Chenzi pondered for a moment and said, "It is precisely because you are about to form your Nascent Soul and are about to overcome the tribulation of inner demons that I cannot tell you now."

"After you form your Nascent Soul, I will tell you the truth."

Helpless, Chen Yuan had no choice but to agree and turned to leave Xuan Chenzi's cave.

He went deep underground, integrated the Spirit Source Pearl into the spiritual vein, and then sat in meditation, waiting for the concentration of spiritual energy to rise before attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Chen Yuan was meditating when a deafening roar suddenly came, shaking the cave and causing the ground to tremble.

Chen Yuan's expression changed slightly. He opened his eyes, got up, and ran out of the cave.

At the same time, a sinister voice rang out: "Xuan Chenzi, do you think you can hide in this desolate and dangerous place and I won't find you? Come out and face your death!" (End of Chapter)