"However, the Four-nine Small Heavenly Tribulation and the Sixty-nine Heavenly Tribulation, compared to the final Tribulation Crossing Stage's 'Ninety-nine Tribulations,' are simply incomparable. The terror of the Ninety-nine Tribulations is beyond the imagination of a mere Golden Core Stage Cultivator like myself. Every Cultivator at the Tribulation Crossing Stage, who doesn't possess the power to destroy heavens and earth? Yet under the Ninety-nine Tribulations, not even one in ten can survive, their souls dispersed and unable to reincarnate," Feng Yuzi's eyes were filled with fear.
In the embellishment of his sect's elders, the Ninety-nine Tribulations were an absolute disaster.
"Not even one in ten? Souls dispersed and unable to reincarnate?"
Qin Yu was completely shocked. At this moment, he truly understood what Cultivators were. They were a group of people defying the heavens, striving for the ultimate limits of humanity, battling against the skies and the earth. They feared nothing.
Heaven sends down the Heavenly Tribulations, and Cultivators can only fight desperately. If they succeed, they continue on their pursuit of the Dao; if they fail, their souls are scattered.
Qin Yu now fully understood and couldn't help but sigh, "Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Cave Void Stage, Kongming Stage, Tribulation Crossing Stage, Great Success Stage. Each realm seems nearly impossible to break through. To step into the Golden Core Stage, one must withstand the Small Heavenly Tribulation, and to enter the Cave Void Stage, one must endure the Great Heavenly Tribulation. Once reaching the Tribulation Crossing Stage, there are the Ninety-nine Tribulations to bear. Three great tribulations stand at three critical junctures. Within the path of Cultivation, those who can ultimately attain the Dao and become Immortals are probably very few indeed."
Upon hearing what Qin Yu had said, Feng Yuzi seemed to be stoked with anger and sneered, "Few indeed. To pass the Ninety-nine Tribulations and become an Immortal, one must not only have extraordinary talent but also possess Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts for protection and have Spirit Pills and so on. But how can an ordinary person obtain Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts and a great number of Spirit Pills? When I reached the Golden Core Stage, my sect bestowed upon me a Flying Sword, which was but a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact. Without an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact, I can only dream of later passing the Great Heavenly Tribulation. But with no background, how could someone unimportant like me obtain an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact within my sect?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu completely understood, thinking to himself, "It seems Uncle Feng was also not valued during his time cultivating on Immortal Island."
"Uncle Feng, what exactly are these Spiritual Artifacts and Spirit Pills?" Qin Yu asked further.
Feng Yuzi took a deep breath, calmed his emotions and said, "Little Yu, a Cultivator's own cultivation is like a Martial Artist's own Inner Strength cultivation, while Spiritual Artifacts are equivalent to weapons. With good Spiritual Artifacts, of course, one's strength greatly increases."
Qin Yu fully understood this comparison.
Just like when he was thirteen, he had battled the Horse bandit leader Wu Tuan. Though markedly weaker than Wu Tuan, he had managed to pierce through Wu Tuan's protective True Qi with the Fish Intestine Sword and directly killed him—such was the advantage of a weapon.
"There are many kinds of Spiritual Artifacts for Cultivators, mostly Flying Swords, but there are also other exotic weapons. All of these are collectively called Spiritual Artifacts. Spiritual Artifacts are divided into: Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Upper Grade, and Top-Grade. As for Spirit Pills, they are pills with various effects; during Tribulation, one's consumption of True Essence Power is most severe, and it's best to take pills to replenish. Spirit Pills are likewise divided into four grades: Lower, Middle, Upper, and Top-Grade," Feng Yuzi explained carefully.
Qin Yu absorbed all of this and continuously sorted it out in his mind. Cultivator's strength is divided into their own cultivation and the effects of Spiritual Artifacts and Spirit Pills. The three great tribulations across six great realms from Golden Core Stage to Great Success Stage, he remembered clearly.
"True Essence Power? Is that the name for a Cultivator's own power?" Qin Yu inquired.
"Yes, when the Golden Core is formed, the energy within changes from Innate True Qi to True Essence Power," Feng Yuzi replied with a smile. Then, sighing, he added, "Little Yu, the world of Cultivators is not as wonderful as you think. In the Cultivation World, they may fight each other over treasures of heaven and earth. For a fine mineral like Stone Burning Iron, it might even spark great battles among Cultivators. When Cultivators of high power, especially those at the Cave Void and Kongming levels and beyond, battle, they can turn rivers upside down and destroy the world. Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures, Spirit Pills, Spiritual Artifacts, Flying Swords, and so on... they can all cause Cultivators to go mad," Feng Yuzi said with a slight smile.
Qin Yu's heart was in turmoil.
He could fully imagine the scene of that great Cultivators' battle. A Golden Core Stage Cultivator is already so formidable, standing invincible on the Hidden Dragon Continent, then what about those at the Nascent Soul Stage, Cave Void Stage, or even the Kongming Stage and the Transcendance Tribulation Stage—how terrifying the battles must be when they erupt.
When a Cultivator's fury rises to the heavens and their slaughter begins, it's like mountains collapsing and seas overturning, with countless mortals dying or being injured.
If a Cultivator simply uses Sword Control Flight, they soar through the nine heavens and vanish to the ends of the earth, beyond the reach of any mortal.
In short.
Cultivators and mortals are already on two completely different levels; whether it's killing or whatever else, mortals have no power to resist.
"Perhaps in the eyes of Cultivators, they look upon the people of the entire continent just as people look at ants—it's entirely two different worlds. The world of the Cultivators is one where they pursue the endless Dao, seeking to cross the Tribulation and become Immortal. Yet mortals pursue power, killing one another," Qin Yu mused to himself.
He fully understood what it meant to be a Cultivator, and at the same time, Qin Yu's perspectives broadened even further.
The Upper Immortals of the Hidden Dragon Continent? They were nothing more than a few of the most ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivators from the Overseas Immortal Islands. In the world of Cultivators, the Golden Core Stage is just the lowest level. Yet these few Golden Core Stage Cultivators are revered as Upper Immortals on the Hidden Dragon Continent, holding absolute and supreme status.
Suddenly, a thought struck Qin Yu.
"Uncle Feng, it seems to me that Cultivators are pursuing the extremes of what humans can achieve, battling with heaven and earth. However, to pursue the extreme, is it only as you said—entering the Golden Core Stage and then refining the Nascent Soul? Is there no other path?" Qin Yu asked, puzzled.
In Qin Yu's own opinion, since it was about pursuing the limits of the human body, there should naturally be different methods.
Uncle Feng thought for a moment and then shook his head with a smile, "Little Yu, don't let your thoughts run wild. I don't even know who the first person to cultivate was—whether it was a few million or even a billion years ago, there must have already been Cultivators. As for the different paths you mentioned, yes, humans may cultivate immortality or cultivate demons. Most birds and beasts cultivate demon paths. Although the pathways of cultivating immortality or demons are different for humans, they all involve forming a Golden Core and creating a Nascent Soul. For birds and beasts, they form an inner core. As for Cultivating Demon paths, I'm not too clear on that."
"One must form a Golden Core and cultivate a Nascent Soul?" Qin Yu muttered to himself.
Could this be the so-called many paths leading to the same goal in the Great Dao?
"Ah, that's right," Feng Yuzi suddenly said. "Little Yu, a very, very long time ago—of course, that was before I was born—something big happened on the Hidden Dragon Continent: the 'Group Immortal Battle.' It's very likely that the mysterious person from the Group Immortal Battle did not cultivate by forming a Golden Core and refining a Nascent Soul."