The days leading up to the opening of the Violet Heaven Secret Realm passed in a repetitive yet highly productive way for Arthur. Every morning after briefly checking the Spirit Tool Pavilion and ensuring everything was functioning properly, he would disappear into the forest to isolate himself inside the laboratory aboard the stealth shuttle to continue his research on the dual-core cultivation system.
And once night fell, he would return to his room and immerse himself completely in consuming absurd quantities of spirit stones while refining and perfecting the countless calculations running through his mind. At some point during those days, Arthur completely abandoned sleep. Not because he was forcing himself to stay awake, but because he genuinely no longer needed it in the conventional sense.
His body was at a level where he could survive without sleeping, and his mind, strengthened by his Lord Soul and various abilities, never truly experienced fatigue the way ordinary beings did. The hours mortals wasted sleeping each night gradually became, in his eyes, nothing more than unused time that could instead be invested into strengthening himself.
And currently, time was the most valuable thing he possessed due to the unknown threat hanging on his head.
Inside the laboratory, dozens of holographic models floated around Arthur as he stood before a suspended artificial body connected to multiple energy analyzers. Thin streams of mana and spiritual energy circulated through the body simultaneously, following pathways Arthur had personally designed through countless hours of experimentation.
Every few minutes he would stop the process, adjust a pathway slightly, refine the separation mechanism between the two energies, and begin again from the start. And the efficiency of the dual-core cultivation method steadily increased with each passing day.
At first, nearly forty percent of the energy systems contaminated one another, creating instability that would eventually destroy the cultivator attempting to use the technique. But now, after endless experimentation, Arthur had pushed the synchronization rate beyond ninety percent.
Even so, the closer he approached perfection, the slower progress became. Every remaining flaw was microscopic, deeply buried within the circulation structure itself. Removing even a fraction of impurity required hours of recalculation, testing, and restructuring of the energy pathways and the cultivation technique.
Arthur sat cross-legged before a projection late one evening, his gaze focused on the rotating image of the dual-core system while thousands of lines of calculations scrolled beside it. The room itself was silent aside from the occasional crackle of energy from nearby spirit stones being processed by the equipment.
He observed the latest results quietly before finally exhaling. "Ninety-three point six eight percent…" he muttered under his breath. A week ago, even stabilizing both energy systems simultaneously had seemed impossible. Now he was refining the final imperfections that remained within the structure. Despite the slow progress, each improvement motivated him further. Because the reason he continued pushing himself this hard wasn't solely for his own benefit.
If he could create a perfect cultivation manual it would help Selene and his friends tremendously and they would have a hope towards becoming immortal.
This single breakthrough would open a path toward lifespans measured not in centuries, but in hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. Cultivators loved referring to themselves as immortals, but Arthur now knew the truth after learning about Soul Tiers and higher realms of cultivation. They weren't truly immortal at all, they merely possessed incredibly long lifespans compared to ordinary mortals.
Even Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors would eventually die someday but if one sees them from the eyes of a mortal they would really be immortals. Still… millions of years was an unimaginably vast amount of time.
Arthur, while resting one arm against the table, went through the holographic cultivation pathways floating before him for the umpteenth time. Though he would never force that choice on anyone, endless existence could easily become a curse depending on the person.
His thoughts eventually drifted toward another possibility entirely.
The mystery behind his own body still remained unsolved despite all the knowledge and technology he possessed. Even after learning about souls, higher dimensions, and existential authority, Arthur still couldn't fully understand what made his existence fundamentally different from everyone else.
The answer was somewhere hidden inside his body. Yet the current him simply lacked the capability to properly analyze it. Arthur stared at his own hand silently for a moment before slowly clenching it into a fist. "…But who knows what can happen in a few million years," he muttered before returning his attention toward the floating calculations again.
The remaining days passed quickly after that. Arthur maintained the exact same routine without interruption. During the day he continued refining the cultivation method and researching herbs, formations, and soul-related concepts whenever possible.
At night he cultivated continuously, filling his room with mountains of spirit stones while converting their energy into Aether at terrifying speed. The amount of energy he consumed each night had already reached a level that would horrify ordinary cultivators if they witnessed it.
Entire piles of spirit stones dissolved into cosmic dust within minutes under his absorption speed. Yet Arthur still felt dissatisfied, the stronger he became the more energy his body required to progress further. It was like attempting to fill an endless abyss.
Eventually, the day of the Violet Heaven Secret Realm's opening finally arrived.
Arthur had just finished reorganizing another series of calculations inside his room when he sensed a familiar presence approaching the shop. A few moments later, there was a respectful knock on the door.
"Master Liu," Fu Chengde's voice sounded from outside. Arthur opened the door and saw the man standing there.
Arthur asked, "What happened?"
"A few other members of the Artifact Refiners Union are also entering the Violet Heaven Secret Realm," Fu Chengde explained. "So, Lord Chen asked if you would like to travel together with them."
Arthur remained silent for a brief moment while considering the invitation. Truthfully, he could simply teleport directly to the secret realm's location himself. Traveling with a group would only slow him down slightly. However, after a short moment of thought, he dismissed the idea of refusing.
Chen Yuze had helped him multiple times already, and rejecting the invitation outright after accepting favors from the man would only create unnecessary distance between them. More importantly, traveling alongside the union members might allow him to gather additional information regarding the various organizations participating in the secret realm.
"Alright," Arthur replied calmly. "I'll go with them."
Fu Chengde visibly relaxed slightly before nodding. "Please follow me then."
The streets outside were significantly busier than usual as the two headed toward the Artifact Refiners Union. Cultivators moved throughout the city in organized groups, many carrying weapons openly while discussions about the Violet Heaven Secret Realm filled the air everywhere.
Excitement, nervousness, greed, ambition… Arthur could sense all of it clearly from the expressions of the people around him. Some people were heading toward the secret realm hoping to change their fate overnight, others were unknowingly marching toward their deaths. Neither possibility surprised Arthur.
By the time they arrived at the Artifact Refiners Union, a sizable gathering had already formed in front of the massive building. Several cultivators stood together in groups while others conversed quietly among themselves. And standing near the front was Chen Yuze himself.
The moment he noticed Arthur approaching alongside Fu Chengde, a smile appeared on his face. "Master Liu," Chen Yuze greeted warmly. "I'm glad you accepted the invitation."
Arthur nodded slightly. "It would've been rude to refuse after all the help your union has provided me."
Chen Yuze laughed softly. "You say that, but the union has benefited greatly from your presence as well."
After exchanging a few more words, Chen Yuze turned toward the gathered group and spoke in a louder voice. "Since everyone has arrived… let us depart."
The next moment, he waved his hand and a massive object appeared before the group. It resembled an enormous sailing ship, though its construction was clearly far beyond anything a normal sea vessel could achieve. Its body was crafted from dark spirit wood reinforced with metallic structures covered in intricate formation patterns. Multiple arrays glowed faintly across the hull, radiating powerful fluctuations of spiritual energy. The ship itself was enormous and could easily accommodate nearly a hundred people comfortably.
Many of the younger cultivators revealed excited expressions as they boarded it, clearly impressed by the scale and craftsmanship of the artifact. Arthur stepped aboard calmly alongside the others and immediately noticed the spiritual energy was denser here than outside.
The entire vessel functioned as both an artifact and a large-scale formation construct. He guessed this ship was probably made with the collaboration of an artifact refiner and formation master. The integration was somewhat crude compared to the possibilities he envisioned after studying formations himself, but by this world's standards it was impressive craftsmanship.
Rather than standing with the larger groups, Arthur chose a quiet corner near the edge of the hall inside the ship and sat down cross-legged. A few moments later, the ship rose into the sky smoothly before accelerating forward at incredible speed.
Violent winds immediately battered against the vessel, but a transparent energy barrier surrounding the ship absorbed the force completely, protecting everyone onboard from the wind. Arthur glanced briefly toward the shield before shifting his focus inward.
Without drawing attention, he activated his Energy Absorption ability. Spiritual energy from the surroundings immediately began flowing toward him in invisible streams. He deliberately limited the absorption rate to avoid alarming everyone aboard, but even then the efficiency was absurdly high.
Level 8 Energy Absorption was already terrifying. Even while holding back, the amount of ambient energy he absorbed far surpassed what most high-grade cultivation techniques could naturally achieve, at least the ones he came across till now.
…
Not far away, several younger cultivators glanced toward Arthur while quietly discussing among themselves. "What's so special about that guy?" one of them whispered. "Why did Lord Chen make everyone wait for him?"
Another cultivator lowered his voice slightly before replying, "You seriously don't know? That's Liu Yang, the owner of the Spirit Tool Pavilion."
The first man widened his eyes in surprise. "The Pavilion selling those strange artifacts?"
"Yeah, I heard he personally refines every single item there himself."
A young man wearing a refiner's robe frowned slightly after hearing that. "There are already plenty of master refiners in the union," he muttered with faint resentment hidden in his tone. "Why give him special treatment?"
Another person shrugged. "I heard even Chief Chen treats him seriously, maybe he's some hidden expert."
The young refiner clicked his tongue quietly. "Or maybe he's just good at making flashy toys." He was also a refiner and the next year he was prepared to take the test to advance to become a master refiner himself so he felt jealous.
Arthur heard every single word clearly. But he simply ignored them and continued absorbing spiritual energy calmly. People doubting him was nothing new. In fact, he preferred it this way, the less attention he attracted, the easier things would remain later.
The ship continued traveling through the skies for nearly an hour before finally beginning its descent. Fu Chengde entered the hall inside the vessel shortly afterward and announced, "We've arrived at the location. Everyone, please follow me."
Arthur stood up alongside the others and stepped outside the ship. The moment he descended onto the ground, his eyes immediately swept across the surroundings.
The scene before him was massive. An enormous clearing had been carved out in the middle of the forest, clearly created artificially to accommodate the overwhelming number of cultivators gathered there. Hundreds upon hundreds of flying ships filled the area, each belonging to different sects, clans, or organizations.
Powerful auras appeared everywhere, mixing together and creating an oppressive atmosphere throughout the clearing. Groups stood separated according to affiliation while countless cultivators observed one another cautiously. Some radiated confidence while others hid nervousness behind their composed expressions.
Arthur's gaze calmly swept across the clearing before eventually stopping near Chen Yuze. The union chief was currently speaking with several individuals dressed in black and crimson robes.
And the moment Arthur saw one of them, he immediately recognized him. It was Lu, the same cultivator he had encountered earlier while fighting the Lightning Sovereign Eagle.
Arthur's expression remained calm, but he noticed the exact moment Lu's eyes landed on him. The man's expression instantly changed.
***
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