Chapter 099: My Self-Created Tenfold Transformation (Seeking First Subscription)

Amid the clamor, Zhong Hong, a disciple of the Sword Sect, summoned up his courage and presented that spray of white lotus blossoms to Yu Qin with an eager look on his face. She, in turn, lowered her gaze in shy unease and secretly glanced at the young man beside her.

Among the disciples of both factions, many eyes involuntarily drifted toward Xu Xuan, as though they were settling in to watch a good show.

Yang Xiaoqian and the others stared fixedly at Xu Xuan, seemingly hoping to catch the slightest ripple of emotion on his face.

Xu Xuan looked utterly astonished, but showed no particular reaction.

Only when Yu Qin cast him a pleading, helpless glance did Xu Xuan silently sigh to himself. This little junior sister was still far too reserved; he had to help her.

He smiled faintly, rose, and walked toward Zhong Hong, speaking up to smooth things over. “Junior Sister, this is Senior Brother Zhong’s heartfelt gesture. If you like it, then let your senior brother accept it on your behalf.”

With that, Xu Xuan reached out to take the white lotus flowers from Zhong Hong’s hands. The latter froze, his face full of surprise, before breaking into ecstatic delight.

“I... I don’t want it.”

Yu Qin lowered her fair head, her eyes reddening, a trace of pain faintly visible within them.

Don’t want it?

The outcome was beyond Xu Xuan and the others’ expectations.

Zhong Hong stiffened, his expression ugly, his mind utterly baffled. By all reason, with Yu Qin’s temperament, even if she did not like it, she should probably not have refused.

“If Junior Sister doesn’t want it, then I can’t take it for her either.” Xu Xuan shook his head and withdrew his hand.

Zhong Hong’s expression shifted between dark and light before quickly returning to normal. He cupped his hands and said, “Since Junior Sister doesn’t like it, this senior brother will certainly not force the matter. But I, Zhong, will not give up so easily.”

The instant he turned away, Xu Xuan could feel the hostility and coldness in his gaze sweeping past him.

Xu Xuan could not help but wonder how he had inexplicably offended such a powerful sword cultivator. Was it because he could not win the girl’s favor, so he pinned all the blame on Xu Xuan?

This little episode passed quickly, and no one took it to heart.

The disciples of both factions found places near the entrance to the mystic realm to recuperate or cultivate.

Yu Qin’s injuries healed quickly, but her mood remained somewhat low. In those clear, crystal-like eyes of hers, there was always a faint trace of disappointment and sorrow.

Xu Xuan was not a wholly obtuse person. After a moment’s thought, he seemed to understand.

“Junior Sister Yu, I’ll go to sleep first tonight.”

Xu Xuan suddenly suggested.

Qin gave a soft response and watched as he lay down beside her.

Since everyone was gathered near the entrance to the mystic realm, there was no need to worry about any unexpected danger.

As expected, Xu Xuan, within a moment, once again entered the Sea of Memory.

The bright region within that sea of memories had already expanded to a radius of sixty to seventy li, and another star had even appeared.

Xu Xuan went in to take a look. Within that star was recorded an important emotional experience from his previous life: the long and winding love affair he had shared with a senior sister named Li, serene and otherworldly like a celestial maiden.

“My love life in my previous life was quite rich, but if the woman I loved then is still alive now...”

At that thought, Xu Xuan suddenly shivered.

By now, the memories of his previous life up to the age of sixteen were nearly at their end. Xu Xuan was like a youth who had lived two lives at once, and in doing so had gained much understanding. His disposition now far surpassed that of those his own age.

Soon, his gaze shifted to the spoils from this journey into the mystic realm.

A Purple Soul Jade, a small cauldron, a storage pouch, and a bottle of pills.

These three items had all been obtained from the secret hall at the center of the lake.

If one were to speak of value alone, the storage pouch was probably the greatest treasure. After all, it had been left behind by a Core Formation expert.

At the level of Core Formation, one would most likely have magical treasures in hand, and the storage pouch would surely contain the greater part of that person’s formidable wealth. It was not something that could be compared to one or two ordinary treasures.

That was also why, at the final moment, Xu Xuan had chosen this storage pouch as his second target.

As for what would be most useful to him, it was probably the Purple Soul Jade. After all, this object could open any corner of the memories in the boundless Sea of Stars, no longer limited to the low-level memories available to him now.

As for the small cauldron, he could not yet guess its purpose, though it was almost certainly no ordinary object.

Finally, the bottle of pills bore a label reading Spirit-Concentrating Pills.

Spirit-Concentrating Pills?

If Xu Xuan remembered correctly, they should be spirit pills used by Qi Refinement cultivators to break through into the Spirit Refinement stage.

With the aid of such pills, the odds of breaking through to Spirit Refinement could be increased by at least twenty to thirty percent. Their value was incalculable. Moreover, even Spirit Refinement masters could take them to greatly enhance their cultivation.

“These items are all worth a fortune. It would be best to keep them in the Sea of Stars first. Otherwise, once I return to the sect, those elders may well take them away.”

Xu Xuan fell silent for a moment.

He then recalled the purple crystal bead he had obtained in the bat cavern. Its value was astonishing, so he had the remnant soul of his previous life store that item in the Sea of Memory as well.

In this way, all the important and precious treasures were kept within the Sea of Stars. Even after returning to the sect, Xu Xuan would have no concerns.

At last, his gaze still settled on the Purple Soul Jade, and he asked in confusion, “Can this item be used now?”

“Don’t rush.” The remnant soul of his previous life shook its head. “When you break through to the tenth level of Body Refinement, you will officially step into the ranks of body cultivators. By then, you will certainly be lacking cultivation methods related to body cultivation. With this Purple Soul Jade, I can help you open the treasure vault of body-cultivation memories left behind in your previous life.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan suddenly understood. Up to this point, there had been no cultivation method for ancient body cultivation in the Sea of Memory.

“The true methods of ancient body cultivation were only obtained after my previous life reached the pinnacle. That related memory is located several thousand years before the final fall of my previous life, sealed deep within the Sea of Stars. Under normal circumstances, you would need to cultivate for several thousand or even tens of thousands of years before you might open these memories. Do you now understand the purpose of this Purple Soul Jade?”

“So that’s how it is. The Purple Soul Jade is far too important to me. No other treasure can compare.”

Xu Xuan nodded repeatedly.

His restoration of the memories of his previous life was basically proceeding in chronological order, from body refinement to qi refinement and then to spirit refinement. Thus, the memories from before the age of sixteen were nearly at their end. The content available to him now was all relatively low level.

If the memories before sixteen were like this, then one could imagine how much more exalted the experiences and insights from a thousand years later in his previous life must be.

In that case, the true value of the Purple Soul Jade was brought into full relief. With it, Xu Xuan could open the ancient body-cultivation methods left behind at the peak of his previous life, and even search for other higher-level memories.

Within the Sea of Memory, Xu Xuan absorbed some insights from those memories before drifting into a drowsy sleep.

When he woke the next day, Yu Qin beside him was already sitting cross-legged in cultivation.

The outburst of spiritual energy from the spring eye had caused the mystic realm’s spiritual qi to rise once more within a short time, and everyone was seizing the opportunity to cultivate.

Xu Xuan thought to himself: Why not use this chance to cultivate hard and break through that tenth level of Body Refinement?

Thus he found a quiet, secluded spot alone and began to practice the forms of the Nine Transformations of Dragon and Serpent again and again.

Cultivating the Nine Transformations of Dragon and Serpent within the mystic realm produced excellent results. Xu Xuan could also deeply feel the power of the spring liquid gradually taking effect within his body, steadily enhancing every aspect of his physical ability.

Before he knew it, Xu Xuan had already fully grasped the essence of the Nine Transformations and reached the point of complete mastery.

As for that day in the secret hall at the center of the lake, when he had accidentally stepped halfway into the tenth level, Xu Xuan still did not fully understand it.

Upon careful recollection of what had happened, he remembered that his entire spirit had been ignited by a surge of fury. That emotion had driven his mental strength beyond the ninth transformation, causing his whole body’s essence, energy, and blood to blaze together and draw forth an unbelievable force.

That power he had grasped then was truly overwhelming. Even under the same level of cultivation, the true force of ordinary martial practitioners, and even the magical power of immortal cultivators, could hardly compare with it.

“Why did such fury trigger my half-step into the tenth level?”

Xu Xuan pondered this carefully.

At that moment, the outline of the Tenth Transformation grew increasingly clear in his mind, and many details emerged so naturally as if they had always been there.

As for the reason, Xu Xuan specifically sought advice from the remnant soul of his previous life.

By now, the remnant soul had recovered quite a bit of strength. So long as Xu Xuan called to it in his heart, by relying on that thread of resonance, the other side would answer unless it was asleep.

“You must not have forgotten what I told you before,” said the remnant soul with a smile. “Your constitution leans toward fire. Since everyone’s body differs, the understanding of the Tenth Transformation varies from person to person.”

Fire attribute?

Xu Xuan immediately recalled how, at that time, his entire being had erupted with furious spiritual will, driving the force of his essence, energy, and blood to merge like rivers flowing into the sea. It had even caused those powers, which originally belonged to the flesh, to burn and sublimate, ultimately giving rise to the formidable power of a body cultivator.

“No wonder it felt as though my whole body was burning then,” Xu Xuan murmured to himself.

He soon began to analyze the train of events.

First, Yu Qin had been injured because of him, and in guilt and anger she had developed murderous intent toward the broken ancient sword. That blazing fury had triggered spiritual rage, yet it had also suited his constitution and aligned with certain essentials of the Tenth Transformation. In addition, at that time, the remnant soul of his previous life had also poured all of its profound and boundless soul power into Xu Xuan in a desperate gamble.

Thus, in the end, Xu Xuan stepped into half-step tenth level in a very short time.

“So that’s how it was...” Many realizations surfaced in Xu Xuan’s mind. Once he had understood the causes and effects, his thinking about the Tenth Transformation became all the clearer and brighter.

In the days that followed, aside from occasional cultivation, he spent most of his time deducing the Tenth Transformation.

As time passed, the Tenth Transformation finally took shape in Xu Xuan’s mind.

Combining the memories of two lives, his extraordinary recollections, and that fortuitous half-step breakthrough, everything came together naturally.

At the moment he understood all those linked mechanisms, an illusory figure appeared in Xu Xuan’s mind. In an instant, it transformed into a dragon shadow burning with red light, then let out a heaven-shaking dragon roar. Finally, it soared into the void and spat out a mass of fiery aura. The ground trembled, and the shadows below, which had taken Xu Dahu and Wan Fushan as imaginary enemies, were instantly reduced to a heap of blackened ash.

“Hahaha, this Tenth Transformation is indeed formidable. Its power is astonishing. I had originally thought that the strength of body cultivators was limited merely to the flesh, but I never expected it could possess such divine ability.”

Xu Xuan applauded and laughed within his own consciousness.

“Hmph, this is only something you have theoretically deduced and created. Whether it can truly succeed is still uncertain,” the remnant soul of his previous life said bluntly, dousing his enthusiasm.

“So what? I already have once experienced half-step into the tenth level. These essentials are now thoroughly connected, and I am confident I can break through within a month. What is more, I still have the Red Snake Fruit to help me.”

Xu Xuan said with complete confidence.

The remnant soul was left speechless, but it had to admit it admired Xu Xuan’s comprehension and luck.

“By the way, since this Tenth Transformation was created by you, then if it succeeds, it would already stand at the level of a grandmaster, perhaps even a master’s. Shouldn’t you give it a name?” The remnant soul suddenly thought of something and said with some excitement.

“The name of the Tenth Transformation?”

Xu Xuan fell into thought.

This unique Tenth Transformation had been born from his own hands. Indeed, it needed a name.