The tiny Divine Soul sat atop Liu Bai's Head, completely detached from the protection of his physical body and exposed to the vastness of the world.
At this moment, the miniature Divine Soul bore an intoxicated expression on its face, as if mesmerized. It could sense the world around it and seemed to quietly merge into it.
This was a realm entirely different from the Divine Soul Realm.
Liu Bai felt as if his heart and mind had suddenly broadened, like a prisoner who had finally escaped from years of confinement and regained precious freedom.
Now, every movement of his seemed to resonate with the world itself, as if he could guide and manipulate the immense spiritual energy within the heavens and earth.
"So this is the true essence of the Heaven Fusion Realm… to cast off the prison of the flesh and become one with the world." Liu Bai recalled the information he had once studied regarding the cultivation stages of the Great Thousand World, and a deeper understanding of spiritual energy cultivation dawned in his heart.
At this moment, Liu Bai's Divine Soul also began to radiate a jade-like luster. It no longer appeared vague and ethereal like before, but rather had begun to exhibit a tangible, almost corporeal quality.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, a wisp of white breath slowly escaped from his lips. He shifted his hand seal, and the Divine Soul atop his head slowly descended, returning into his body and merging back into the Spiritual Sea.
After all, this was just his first breakthrough into the Heaven Fusion Realm. Liu Bai's Divine Soul still couldn't venture far from the flesh. It was said that only some truly terrifying experts could leave their physical bodies completely motionless, while their Divine Soul could travel thousands of miles in an instant—unimaginably powerful.
"Heaven Fusion Realm… I bet Grandfather is still struggling with switching his cultivation method," Liu Bai chuckled, thinking of Liu Jingshan, who had entered seclusion when he left.
After that, Liu Bai also upgraded the Golden Crow Exploding Flame Art to the sixth tier, equivalent to the peak of the Divine Soul Realm in terms of fire-element spiritual energy. It was a pity he didn't have enough experience points. Otherwise, if both his techniques reached the Heaven Fusion Realm, the spiritual energy within him would rival even someone at the later-phase of the Heaven Fusion Realm.
"With my current state, deploying the Hundred Spirit Sword Array is now effortless," Liu Bai smiled. "Also, I can now condense the fourth and fifth marks of the Death Seals with ease."
As this thought crossed his mind, Liu Bai raised his right hand. In the next instant, black spiritual energy quickly enveloped his palm, and soon after, several black Death Marks floated out from his palm.
One… two… three… four… until the fifth mark emerged, only then did Liu Bai feel that powerful counterforce again.
Liu Bai frowned slightly. The backlash from four Death Seal's was already equivalent to the initial-phase of the Heaven Fusion Realm, and the fifth mark could not be easily resisted even by someone at the mid-phase of that realm.
Though the rank of this spiritual art was not high, its strength scaled rapidly with the number of Death Seals. The more marks there were, the greater the increase in power.
With a single thought, fire-element and earth-element spiritual energy surged simultaneously from his Heart and Spleen Apertures. Borrowing the ferocity of the Golden Crow's flames and the solid weight of stone-attribute spiritual power, Liu Bai was finally able to neutralize the backlash of the fifth Death Seals.
Feeling the slight numbness in his palm and arm, Liu Bai's mood improved further.
Noticing Liu Bai's successful breakthrough, Li Qing and Guo Xiong quickly arrived at his residence.
The moment he saw Liu Bai, Guo Xiong couldn't hold back and asked, "Boss Liu Bai, you broke through to the Heaven Fusion Realm?"
Liu Bai smiled and nodded. He wasn't even sure when Guo Xiong had started calling him "Boss Liu Bai," but the nickname now rolled off his tongue naturally.
Li Qing let out a sigh as she witnessed Liu Bai's confirmation and said helplessly, "I'm beginning to wonder which of us is the true prodigy who made it through the Spiritual Road. With your talent, you'd probably be among the top even among those crowned on the King Ranking of the Spiritual Road."
Liu Bai laughed again. "Those who enter the Spiritual Road are naturally outstanding, but those who didn't aren't necessarily inferior. After all, the Great Thousand World is vast and boundless. Everyone has their own fated opportunity."
"Boss, you've taken the first spot on the Spirit Ranking, and while that's worth celebrating, the person you displaced—Huo Yun—is no pushover. He's reportedly at the peak of the mid-phase Heaven Fusion Realm now, and may even be eligible to challenge the Heaven Ranking. We should be careful. He might come looking for trouble."
Guo Xiong said seriously.
"Relax. I'm already at the Early-phase of the Heaven Fusion Realm now. Dealing with him won't be a problem," Liu Bai nodded in response.
He had to admit, Guo Xiong was impressively well-informed. They had only entered the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy for a single day, and he was already gathering intelligence on Huo Yun. It was a sign of his capability.
Having someone like this around would definitely save a lot of effort in the future.
"Li Qing, Guo Xiong, I saw a spiritual pill called 'Spirit Core Pill' in the Spiritual Value Hall. It's very suitable for both of you. If you can redeem it, it'll significantly reduce the time needed to break through to the Heaven Fusion Realm. You should find a way to exchange for one soon."
Now that he was present, Liu Bai naturally wouldn't allow those around him to end up like in the original story, where even after three years into the main plot, not one of them had reached the Heaven Transformation Realm. That pace was far below his expectations.
Li Qing rolled her eyes at him and said, "You think I don't want to redeem it? But one Spirit Core Pill costs twenty thousand Spiritual Values. With our current status, who knows how long we'll have to wait to gather enough?"
In response, Liu Bai smiled and said, "Don't worry. Our Spiritual values will be delivered soon."
"Which one of you is Liu Bai? Get out here now!"
Before Liu Bai could finish speaking, a cold shout, wrapped in turbulent spiritual energy, exploded like thunder across the entire new student area.
"See? I told you. And here he is," Liu Bai chuckled, seemingly unfazed by the darkened expressions of those around him. With a playful look, he said, "Come on, he's already knocking at the door. Let's go meet him."
With that, Liu Bai stepped out of the room.
They arrived at a broad plaza, clearly intended for new students to use for their daily cultivation.
The entire plaza was now packed with people. Countless new students had come out, staring with mixed expressions at the figure standing in mid-air at the center.
Soon, Liu Bai and his group reached the center. Judging from the spiritual aura alone, the person in the sky was merely at the peak of the early Heaven Fusion Realm—clearly not Huo Yun himself.
"I'm Liu Bai. State your business," Liu Bai said calmly.
The fact that this wasn't Huo Yun personally left him slightly disappointed, so he wasn't in the mood to humiliate anyone.
"Heh, worthy of being the 'Number One on the Spirit Ranking.' You've got guts," the youth sneered coldly. "But it seems you're lacking in manners. Looks like someone needs to teach you new students a lesson, show you what it means to respect your seniors."
Boom!
As soon as his words fell, vast spiritual power surged from his body. His figure shot forward, charging straight at Liu Bai.
Liu Bai's expression remained calm, though a trace of cold light flickered in his eyes. He clenched his fingers into a fist, and with a punch, four Death Seals gathered on his fist before he hurled them forth.
Boom!
The four Death seals shot out with long trailing light streaks, causing the air to explode wherever they passed and stirring deep rumbles.
The youth's eyes narrowed upon sensing the power of the strike, though it was quickly replaced by anger.
"A mere new student dares to act so arrogantly in front of me?"
Although Liu Bai's breakthrough to the Heaven Fusion Realm surprised him, it also lowered his guard.
After all, Liu Bai's sudden rise meant he had likely exploited the rules, infusing all his spiritual energy into the Spiritual Value Token right before breaking through—similar to what other seniors had done.
That meant he was just another opportunist—not someone to be feared.
With that thought, the youth shed all caution, exploded with spiritual energy, and threw out a punch to clash.
Bang!
A visible spiritual energy shockwave burst outward with a deafening boom. The youth's face turned pale with shock as his body shuddered and was forcibly blown backward. A sweet taste surged in his throat, and blood seeped from the corner of his lips.
"How is this possible?!"
The youth clutched at his chest, pain like tearing flames coursing through him, his face filled with disbelief.
His opponent was merely a newcomer who had just broken through to the Heaven Fusion Realm, and yet he couldn't even withstand a single move?
Not only him, but the surrounding crowd of new students were also all stunned, and shortly after, a clamor broke out.
"Heh, interesting..." A demon with enchanting green hair watched the scene unfold in the center of the plaza from afar. His narrow eyes squinted slightly, and a faint, unreadable smile appeared on his face.
Over at the Xuan Gang's side, a black-clothed youth beside Li Xuantong couldn't help but exclaim, "Who is this Liu Bai? How is he this strong? I don't recall ever hearing his name during the Spiritual Road trials."
This youth was not just anyone. He was Ye Tian, also one of the titled kings of the Spiritual Road. However, he had submitted to Li Xuantong and had always followed him loyally, acting as his right-hand man in managing the Xuan Gang. His strength had already reached the half-step Heaven Fusion Realm and he was preparing to make his breakthrough.
Yet no one expected that the first to break through after entering the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy would be someone like Liu Bai, an unknown figure.
Li Xuantong chuckled calmly and said, "Not all geniuses emerge from the Spiritual Road. Clearly, this Liu Bai is one of those exceptions. Moreover, I've heard he personally defeated Zhou Fan after the latter advanced to the Heaven Fusion Realm, and he is suspected to be a Rank Three Spiritual Array Master…"
"Seems the rumors still underestimated him. Beyond his identity as a Spiritual Array Master, his own cultivation talent is also exceptional."
"Such a person will definitely be a strong contender when we compete for supremacy within the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy."
"You really think so highly of him?" Ye Tian asked in surprise again.
If he remembered correctly, among this batch of new students, not even the quiet Shen Cangsheng had received such praise from Li Xuantong.
"We still have time. You'll come to understand soon enough." With that, Li Xuantong turned and left.
There was no longer any need to watch today's events. Unless Huo Yun personally stepped in, the other senior students were clearly not Liu Bai's match. Staying any longer would serve no purpose.
"So, what do you think of my strength?" Liu Bai smiled casually at the youth. "But it seems that with your level, you're still a bit lacking if you want to make a comeback. You can inform Huo Yun. If he's not satisfied and wants to cause trouble, he's welcome to come in person."
"You...!!" The youth's face flushed red with a mix of shame and anger upon hearing this.
"Don't get too cocky!"
"If it weren't for Brother Huo Yun being at a critical point in his secluded cultivation, would you really be allowed to act so arrogantly as a newcomer?"
"But don't get too full of yourself. Brother Huo Yun is a core member of our Iron Cavalry Society. Even if he doesn't have time to teach you a lesson, we won't let this go easily! Just you wait!"
The youth spat out a harsh threat before fleeing the new student plaza in embarrassment.
"Iron Cavalry Society? So there's such a faction in the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy?" Liu Bai raised his brow. This was the first time he had heard of that name.
Soon, Zhang Heng and Shao Rui, two of Guo Xiong's subordinates in charge of gathering information, were dispatched. About an hour later, they rushed back to Liu Bai's residence.
"Boss, we've found out everything." Zhang Heng panted, his face troubled.
"The Iron Cavalry Society is one of the top-ranked factions in the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy. Their president is Bai Ran, a powerful cultivator ranked within the top fifty on the Heavenly Ranking. He's at the quasi-Heaven Transformation Realm and ranks thirty-second on the Heavenly Ranking. His strength is tremendous."
"Moreover, the Iron Cavalry Society has thousands of members. Only geniuses are invited to join. Aside from the president, there are also two vice-presidents who are both late-phase Heaven Fusion Realm experts. Huo Yun also holds a significant position in the society…"
Liu Bai nodded. With a wave of his hand, a stream of spiritual energy flew from his Spiritual Value Token and split into two, merging into Zhang Heng and Shao Rui's own tokens.
"Good work. This one thousand spiritual value is your reward. Go and cultivate well."
"Thank you, Boss!" Zhang Heng and Shao Rui, each having received five hundred spiritual value, left gleefully.
However, those who remained — Li Qing, Guo Xiong, and the others — all wore deeply serious expressions.
"I didn't expect the Iron Cavalry Society to possess such influence. Boss, compared to them, we're obviously outmatched in numbers and strength..." Guo Xiong furrowed his brow. Combined with his rugged features, he looked even more like the leader than Liu Bai, whose handsome appearance gave off a lazy vibe.
Li Qing pondered for a moment and said, "Should we talk to Su Xuan about this? We can also reach out to Li Xuantong and the others. After all, the Spirit Ranking should be the battleground for us newcomers. It's all being occupied by those opportunists — I think they'll have opinions about that too."
Although Li Xuantong had already stepped into the Heaven Fusion Realm, he had many people under his command. Whether it was for gaining fame or acquiring spiritual value, the Spirit Ranking was still an excellent avenue.
...
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