Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 1158, The Grand Divine Ability: Thirty-Six Arts of Heavenly Rectifier

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

Yu Zi Yu was not particularly surprised by the sudden emergence of Nine Tails’ Humanoid Form.

After all, Tier-6 was a pivotal threshold.

If Tier-1 through Tier-3 was about cultivation of Spiritual Energy, Tier-4 forged the body, and Tier-5 honed the Soul, then Tier-6 was the final evolution of a lifeform.

At this stage, the very form of life itself was no longer confined by race or species.

According to legends, each and every High Dragon, like the Three-Headed Demonic Dragon or the Six-Winged Radiant Dragon, were Dragon Clan prodigies who had reached Tier-6 and then cultivated their forms.

Only then did their new forms become passed down through bloodlines, giving birth to those fearsome titles that shook the stars.

Thus, it was often said, ‘Tier-6 is the apex of a being’s personal evolution.’

At this level, altering one’s form was not uncommon. Each evolution was a refinement—an adaptation toward perfection. Over and over again, they evolved, until finally, at the peak of Tier-6, their form became permanent and immutable.

And once a form solidified, those beings could extend their existence toward Hegemony, even Eternity itself.

Take, for instance, a regular Dragon who, through cultivation, gave rise to a form never before seen. For example, a Nine-Headed, Six-Winged Dragon. From that moment onward, his descendants would carry that very bloodline.

The more fearsome the Ancestor, the more terrifying the inherited Bloodline. The stronger the Bloodline, the greater its blessings upon the next generation and the more likely it was to birth another genius.

That was why the High Dragons came in such strange and varied forms.

For other races, like Humans. it gave rise to the likes of Divine Physique, Sacred Physiques, and other unparalleled lineages that resonated across the stars.

Hence, the only ones who could truly rival the High Dragons were the Peerless Prodigies of the Human Race, the ones possessing Divine Physique. Simply because their beginning was the same.

And this was the strange part about Tier-6.

For once a being stepped into this realm, they could choose a new form. Not arbitrarily, but one that best suited them.

A Human prodigy, for example, might forcibly seize a Dragon’s Bloodline after reaching Tier-6, evolving into a Giant Dragon.

However, such evolution was not without demerits. It would halt their progress.

Simply because, only their body had evolved, their Soul would still remain as Human.

The body and Soul would be in a complete disharmony.

And the result? Their cultivation would stagnate.

That’s why Tier-6 was so treacherous.

Every evolution was not merely physical. Even the Soul had to undergo a metamorphosis accordingly.

If Nine Tails manifested an additional tail, her Soul would likewise sprout one.

And that was where the Celestial Fox Clan became truly fearsome, for their Art of Transformation didn’t just alter the flesh, it reshaped the Soul as well.

A concept far removed from common sense.

But therein lay the terror of the Celestial Fox lineage.

Their Souls were like clouds, ever-changing and ever-fluid.

Whereas most beings’ Souls would gradually solidify as they grew stronger, and thus, their forms would also change.

For instance, Yu Zi Yu’s own Soul had nine stars circling it. His roots coiled like Divine Dragons. Branches danced like divine chains. His Tree Form even bore a Crimson Heavenly Eye embedded in the trunk.

So no, he was not shocked by Nine Tails’ Humanoid Form.

In Tier-6, transformation was just the beginning. However, one should never hastily finalize a form.

For no one could say for certain if the form they’d chosen was truly suited to them.

If it was not, the path forward would be bleak indeed.

And it was because of this uncertainty that countless Transformation Techniques were born.

Among them, two legendary arts stood above all: the Thirty-Six Arts of Heavenly Rectifier, and Seventy-Two Transformations of Earthly Fiend. Both were famed throughout the myriad realms.

But the Thirty-Six Arts of Heavenly Rectifier was a Grand Divine Ability, the pinnacle of all Transformation Arts.

It didn’t just allow one to shift their form endlessly, it offered the chance to attain the forms of thirty-six divine or demonic avatars.

Each avatar carried with it a power that could shake Heaven.

This kind of transformation was no longer a mere shift in appearance nor even a reconfiguration of one’s lifeform.

It was akin to directly gazing into the enigma of race itself, allowing one to draw upon the supreme powers that transcend all beings through the fusion of thirty-six powerful Bloodlines.

Regrettably, from ancient times until now, there were but a scarce few who had truly mastered the Thirty-Six Arts of Heavenly Rectifier.

And for good reason.

Each transformation within this divine art required a form born from an entity whose power could topple mountains and overturn seas.

To obtain even one of these divine forms was already a trial few could overcome, let alone thirty-six.

Take now, for instance—if one truly sought to cultivate this Grand Divine Ability to perfection, the beings that could match its divine and demonic avatars were exceedingly rare.

Yu Zi Yu’s True Body might count as one.

The Dream Dragon might count as another.

And perhaps the Seven-Colored Divine Phoenix could be one as well…

Every single of them was a peerless prodigy, destined to shake the cosmos.

To acquire their Blood Essence… was no trivial matter.

And worse, it wasn’t just their blood that was needed. A sliver of their Quintessence was also required.

Which was to say… to walk this path was to stand against the mightiest prodigies of all races.

Thus, it made sense why this Diving Ability had all but vanished from the world.

The threshold was far too high, so high that even the most daring of geniuses wouldn’t dare covet it.

…

At that moment, witnessing Nine Tails’ transformation, Yu Zi Yu couldn’t help but voice a few words of praise.

“Not bad.”

Even with the Heavenly Eye wide open, he could not pierce through her essence.

Just that alone proved the worth of her Art of Transformation.

However, Yu Zi Yu could not help but wonder—Could Nine Tails’ art truly deceive the Observer’s gaze?

The Observer was a Void Creature that bore the mark of Knowledge, a being capable of parsing all things.

Under its violet brilliance, nothing could remain hidden. All veils would fall, all illusions would shatter.

This very principle was what the Demon Court was attempting to replicate now—through the forging of a Tier-7 Artifact: The Demon-Revealing Mirror.

If they succeeded in crafting such a mirror, and if Nine Tails’ transformation could withstand its scrutiny, then Yu Zi Yu’s evaluation of her technique would rise yet another level.

After all, in his understanding, the analytical abilities of the Observer had already touched the core of reality—tracing every phenomenon back to its origin.

Were it not for the fact that it had yet to reach full maturity, it might have very well become Yu Zi Yu’s greatest foe.

“If I get the chance, I should properly cultivate the Observer. If cultivated well, it might just become another great trump card.”