Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 203: Chapter 200: Refinement and News

Shen Changchuan fell silent, contemplating the change in the Secret Technique section of his status panel.

He didn’t know much about the status panel to begin with, only that he could use it to display his Cultivation progress.

He was completely ignorant of its true nature or where it came from.

As such, he could hardly find a definitive explanation for what had happened to the Nine Elements Divine Extraction Technique.

Shen Changchuan could only put the matter aside for now.

However, he was certain of one thing:

the change to the Nine Elements Divine Extraction Technique’s panel was undoubtedly related to the transformative breakthrough he had experienced under the pressure of facing the Blood-Patterned Black-Robed Man!

And this,

was likely the greatest reward he had reaped from the crisis that had nearly cost him his life!

’Divine Sense...’

Shen Changchuan murmured to himself.

He raised his hand,

and a small, thumb-sized stone quietly floated above his palm.

But unlike before,

not the slightest trace of Magical Power emanated from his palm.

The small stone was not being held up by Magical Power,

but by a formless, invisible power!

A glint flashed in Shen Changchuan’s eyes.

With a mere thought,

the stone floating above his palm slowly flew out. It wobbled as it danced in mid-air—up, down, left, and right,

as if an invisible hand had gripped it and was moving it through the sky.

A slight smile touched the corners of Shen Changchuan’s lips.

’Divine Soul Separation... the manifestation of Divine Sense Power, possessing tangible force... Does this mean I’ve gained the Soul Emergence ability of the Soul Emergence Realm ahead of schedule?’

A thrill of excitement shot through him.

For a moment,

the stone in front of him moved with even more vigor, tracing sharp and right-angled paths as he continuously experimented with this sensation of Divine Soul Separation.

’Maybe now... I can try to pass myself off as a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator?’

After a long moment, he calmed down slightly,

and this thought couldn’t help but cross his mind.

Soul Emergence was the hallmark of an expert in the Soul Emergence Realm!

Compared to experts of that level,

when a Qi Introduction Realm Cultivator attacked with a Magical Artifact or Magic, it was like throwing a stone. The moment it left their hand, it was no longer under their control.

Some Magic or Magical Artifacts might allow for minor directional adjustments through a connection to one’s Magical Power, but it was nothing like the effortless control one had over their own limbs.

This was because the Divine Sense of a Qi Introduction Realm Cultivator couldn’t separate from the body, preventing them from controlling their deployed techniques.

The Soul Emergence Realm, however, was different.

A separated Divine Sense was like giving a Cultivator invisible arms!

It allowed them to freely control the trajectory of their Magic and Magical Artifacts after they were launched.

Take now, for instance.

The small stone dancing up and down before Shen Changchuan,

was the result of him controlling it with his separated Divine Sense!

And this single point,

was enough to imagine the immense advantage a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator held over one in the Qi Introduction Realm!

For example,

if you were in the Qi Introduction Realm and threw a Long Sword Magical Artifact to attack, your opponent could simply dodge. The attack would miss. You might be able to recall the Magic Sword using an imprinted mark, but your offensive would end there.

But an expert from the Soul Emergence Realm could throw a Magic Sword, and even if you dodged, they could continue to control it after it missed, turning it around to strike at you again...

Of course,

in a real fight, a Soul Emergence Realm expert wouldn’t need to be so elaborate against a Qi Introduction Realm Cultivator.

Their overwhelmingly superior Magical Power alone would be enough to crush and annihilate a Cultivator from the Qi Introduction Realm.

Still, this ability was extremely significant,

especially for Shen Changchuan.

’I seem to remember that achieving Divine Soul Separation is one of the major hurdles when advancing to the Soul Emergence Realm.’

’So, for me, maybe that hurdle isn’t a problem anymore?’

Shen Changchuan recalled the contents of the Cultivation Inheritance that Shen Tingchu had given him.

It described the three most difficult trials one faced when advancing to the Soul Emergence Realm.

And one of them was precisely Soul Emergence!

And now,

he had already passed it.

At this thought,

Shen Changchuan’s mood brightened considerably.

Composing himself slightly,

he resumed his tests.

Next, he wanted to see what the maximum range of his separated Divine Sense was.

He sent the small stone wobbling forward under the control of his separated Divine Sense.

After it had flown sixty or seventy meters,

it fell to the ground.

’Looks like sixty or seventy meters is the limit...’

’I wonder how far a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator can reach. I bet it’s well over a hundred meters!’

’But that’s to be expected. Even though my Divine Sense can now leave my body, it can only barely touch upon the power of that level... I’m still a long way from a true Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator...’

Shen Changchuan fell into contemplation.

The distance was acceptable to him.

But when he recalled the Divine Soul pressure from facing the Blood-Patterned Black-Robed Man—a pressure akin to a colossal mountain crashing down on him—

he couldn’t help but shake his head.

A Divine Sense of this level would, at best, only allow him to withstand the Divine Soul pressure of a true Soul Emergence Realm expert. It would let him move freely, preventing him from being suppressed to the point of immobility, just waiting to die.

After all, he was not a true Soul Emergence Realm expert.

Once he familiarized himself with it, this enhancement to his Divine Sense would surely bring a significant boost to his power.

But as for facing a Soul Emergence Realm expert head-on,

that was still a distant prospect.

...

「In the following days,」

after the initial excitement had passed, Shen Changchuan spent his time reviewing and analyzing the battle at the Wu Family Collection.

He focused particularly on the moment of his breakthrough, that instant between life and death when he faced the Soul Emergence Realm Demon Cultivator.

Shen Changchuan expended a great deal of effort constantly recalling the sensations he felt before and after that moment,

hoping to glean some new insights.

He wanted to learn from the experience to aid his future Cultivation, or perhaps even achieve another breakthrough in some other aspect.

But clearly,

it wasn’t that easy.

Although he had managed to break through,

it was mainly because a series of fortuitous encounters had caused his Divine Soul’s strength to far exceed that of other Cultivators at his Realm, pushing it to its absolute limit.

Only then was he able to achieve a transformation under the immense pressure of impending death.

Even if he were to face the same situation now,

Shen Changchuan couldn’t guarantee he would succeed in breaking through again.

Despite his efforts,

he gained nothing.

Meanwhile, during these few days,

a steady stream of news arrived from the direction of the Wu Family Collection.

A massive curtain of light had risen over the crater that had swallowed the entire Wu Family Collection. It seemed the Soul Emergence Realm experts had joined forces to lay down a sealing Array.

At the same time, however, it seemed they were fighting amongst themselves, unable to agree on how to divide the spoils.

Additionally,

the many white lights that had scattered in all directions when the pillar of light shattered—each containing all sorts of precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures—had plunged the region into chaos, with people fighting and killing everywhere to claim them.

Furthermore, rumors were circulating in the shadows,

claiming that the treasures came from an ancient ruin located beneath the Wu Family Collection...