Chapter 102: The Path Beyond Fate (4)

Back in the chamber where the Ascension Door stood, Gu Yuan turned an Origin Stone over in his hand, examining the small white crystal from different angles.

Ji Yan had told him to keep it, and seeing no particular reason to refuse, he had accepted. Now that he had a moment to himself, however, curiosity got the better of him. What exactly could such a treasure do?

He decided to appraise it.

[Origin Stone]

[Grade: Divine Grade]

[Description: A treasure naturally formed from the condensation of Origin Power. It can trace the Origin of an object, physique, bloodline, or other innate quality, causing it to evolve toward a higher state. The deeper the Origin and the greater the target’s potential, the more profound the resulting transformation.]

Gu Yuan stared at the description for a moment.

That’s... kind of amazing.

No, calling it amazing was an understatement. Its effects were almost ridiculous. A treasure capable of tracing the Origin of something and pushing it toward a higher state? Depending on the target, its value could be difficult to measure.

But if that was the case, why had neither of the twins shown much interest in it?

He turned toward Ji Yan, who was nearby, and called out, "Yan, you know what this Origin Stone can do, right?"

"Of course." Ji Yan gave him a strange look, as though wondering why he was asking such an obvious question.

"You know it can help improve your physique, and you still gave it to me?"

"My physique is already the strongest there is. The Origin Stone can’t make it any stronger." Ji Yan shook her head as if that settled the matter.

"But even if it can’t improve your physique, it could still be immensely useful to you." Gu Yuan held the crystal out to her. "Take it back. You can find a use for it later."

"No. It’s yours."

"Why are you being so stubborn? You know how valuable this thing is."

"And I said it’s yours."

Gu Yuan tried reasoning with her, but Ji Yan was just as stubborn as he was. No, she was even more stubborn!

Their back-and-forth dragged on for quite some time. In the end, Ji Yan got her way, and Gu Yuan reluctantly put the Origin Stone into his Orb of Creation.

Fine. I’ll keep it for now and find an opportunity to return it later.

Having settled that matter, Gu Yuan finally turned his attention to the stele left behind by the ancient emperor known as Tianwu.

He took two mats out of his storage ring and placed them before the stele, one for Ji Yan and the other for himself. Once they were seated, he raised his head and began studying its surface.

At first, he could barely make sense of what remained within the ancient stele. He could tell that it contained something profound, but no matter how long he stared at it, its meaning remained beyond his grasp.

Still, Gu Yuan didn’t give up. He continued to focus on the stele, and finally something changed.

The chamber around him seemed to recede. Sound dulled. The cool air against his skin faded. Slowly, almost without his noticing, he was drawn inward, into a space built entirely of thought and accumulated understanding.

What is Ascension? The stele seemed to ask.

Gu Yuan’s first thought was simple: ascending to the Immortal Realm and becoming an immortal. That was what ascension meant, wasn’t it?

The stele offered a simpler one.

Ascension was the act of rising from one state to a higher one.

A mortal becoming a cultivator was ascension.

A Qi Refinement cultivator breaking through to Foundation Establishment was ascension.

Even a mortal prince ascending to the throne could be considered ascension.

But the concept didn’t end there. It wasn’t limited to cultivation realms, positions, or status. Even one’s understanding could ascend when it deepened and reached a higher level.

To move forward, to reach a new state that possessed something the previous state didn’t, was ascension.

It had no fixed form. The ignorant could become enlightened, the crude could become refined, and the incomplete could move toward completeness.

Absorbed in the teachings left behind by Emperor Tianwu, where each realization led to another, gradually broadening his understanding of a concept he had once taken for granted. Gu Yua no longer paid attention to the chamber around him, nor did he notice the passage of time.

When he finally opened his eyes again, ten years had passed.

Gu Yuan could feel that he had gained something immensely valuable. At the same time, he couldn’t help feeling that it was of little use to him in his current state.

What Emperor Tianwu had left behind was an understanding of Ascension. It wasn’t some grand secret of the universe or an ultimate truth that could shake the foundations of existence. It was an understanding of a fundamental principle.

What could he do with it?

Probably a great many things, but that was assuming he had the cultivation and insight to put it into practice. For an immortal cultivator who had reached the higher realms, this understanding might be immensely useful. For someone like him, who was still in the Spiritual Core Realm, it was a different story.

It was like obtaining a level-99 sword while still being level 4 himself. The sword might be incredibly powerful, but what good was it if he couldn’t wield it properly?

With that thought, Gu Yuan decided he had gained all he could from the stele for now.

He rose from his mat, brushing the dust from his clothes. Before he could take another step, Ji Yan opened her eyes.

"Going back already?"

"I was trying not to make any noise and interrupt you." Gu Yuan rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little awkward.

Ji Yan glanced at him, then rose to her feet as well. She stretched languidly, extending her arms above her head as her cultivation robe shifted with the movement. The fabric traced the curves of her figure, and the stretch accentuated her ample breasts in a way that made it difficult for Gu Yuan to look elsewhere.

"Well, I wanted to take a break, too. Let’s go back together."

Gu Yuan’s gaze lingered a little longer before he nodded.

Ji Yan noticed, of course. A playful chuckle escaped her as she stepped closer and pressed her breasts against his arm, making no attempt to hide her amusement at how easily she had captured his attention.

The two left the chamber together and made their way out of the secret realm.

As they walked, Gu Yuan unconsciously raised a hand to his neck, touching the ring that hung there, half red and half purple. His thoughts briefly drifted to Ji Yue. Sensing that she was nearby, he changed direction and left his palace.

Does this Black Desolation Sect ever change when I stop looking at it?

Gu Yuan stood outside and took in the scene before him.

An enormous formation stretched across a vast expanse of land, its intricate patterns and interlocking arrays far more complex than anything he had seen before. Nine mountains made entirely of Spirit Stones surrounded the formation, their immense reserves of spiritual energy feeding into the array.

At its center sat Ji Yue.

Silver strands of her hair caught the falling rays of starlight, which gathered around her like a celestial veil. With her composed posture and ethereal appearance, she looked almost like a painting brought to life.

Gu Yuan didn’t disturb her. He simply stood there, watching.

His own attainments in array formation were nowhere near Ji Yue’s, but even he could tell that she was using the formation to extract something from the streams of starlight descending upon her.

"How convenient..." he muttered.

Were formations really this versatile, or was this simply what became possible when someone reached Ji Yue’s level of mastery? He couldn’t say. Either way, array formations were proving to be far more useful than he had initially imagined.

Then there was another question.

Where had all these Spirit Stones come from?

There had been a time when Gu Yuan considered himself quite wealthy. Looking at the nine mountains before him, he couldn’t help reconsidering that assessment.

He shook his head and turned toward Ji Yan, who stood beside him with a gleam of fighting spirit in her eyes.

"Let’s go back."

They had barely crossed the threshold of their palace when Ji Yan pounced on him. Before Gu Yuan could say a word, she began pulling at his clothes with unmistakable intent.

"It’s time to fulfill my promise to Yue," she said, meeting his gaze.

"That wasn’t a joke?"

"I was serious." Ji Yan’s smile carried a hint of challenge. "I’ll make sure that, from now on, you can only think about me."

Gu Yuan smiled right back.

"Is that so? Good. There are all sorts of new positions I’ve wanted to try with Yue. I suppose I’ll have to try them with you instead."

Sex with Ji Yan was like a fight, with each of them trying to gain the upper hand. With Ji Yue, things were different; he led, and she followed.

Now, he found himself genuinely curious how how Ji Yan would react when he tried the same things with her.