Within the crucible of the soul, where arcane power and the very essence of existence intertwined, a sacred alchemy unfolded. This was a conflagration, a burning fuelled by celestial energies, forging the ephemeral concept of understanding into a solidified Fragment of Ascension!

In the instant such a Fragment coalesced, a fleeting moment of transcendental clarity might grace the nascent immortal. A feeling of dissolving into the void, of one’s spirit wandering unbound through the cosmos, was granted.

This fleeting enlightenment, precious beyond measure, was known as the Ascent’s Wisdom.

Generally, upon achieving the Ascendant state on the mortal realms, a cultivator’s first act was to draw upon this very wisdom to retrieve their scattered soul fragments, a perilous endeavor with only a meager chance of success, yet one that could not be ignored.

Lin, having already gathered his scattered soul, had no need for this initial step. He stood now, surrounded by every last celestial jade from his storage pouch, each stone rapidly collapsing, its essence squeezed to the final drop, leaving naught but crumbled dust.

No breeze stirred, so this dust remained, blanketing the ground like pale mortar.

Vast quantities of celestial essence poured forth, entering Lin through every pore, rushing through his veins, and converging upon the Wheel of Life and Death that dwelled within his nascent soul.

An act of self-immolation was underway within Lin’s mortal vessel.

As though igniting a firestorm within, a cataclysmic transformation took hold. His nascent soul was a mighty chrysalis, his understanding the spirit within, and the celestial energy a raging inferno licking at the shell.

The fiercer the blaze, the more potent the chrysalis became, the deeper the understanding bonded with the very essence of his being.

This fusion of arcane power and understanding had but one ultimate goal: the complete integration of the nascent soul and the profound comprehension.

From this point forward, the distinction between the two would cease to exist. The soul would *be* the understanding, the understanding *be* the soul.

The external flames roared, growing ever more intense. Whenever their fury waned, fresh celestial energy was drawn inward, stoking the blaze anew, like tinder to a flame.

This celestial fire consumed Lin from within. Though invisible to mortal eyes, a glance with spiritual sight revealed a breathtaking spectacle: flames emanating from every inch of his body.

“To hear the Dao at dawn, and die that evening,” a maxim known to every Ascendant, held profound relevance here. Failure to navigate this trial would see the ephemeral flames become corporeal, consuming soul and body alike in a flash of incandescent obliteration.

Within the fiery crucible, the chrysalis of Lin’s nascent soul grew ever more vibrant. The scroll depicting the ceaseless cycle of life and death began to dissolve, as if to merge with the very fabric of the nascent soul.

Time slipped away, yet the celestial fire that forged the soul-chrysalis showed no signs of dimming. Fueled by the unending influx of arcane energy, it only intensified.

The understanding within the chrysalis had fully melted, forming a swirling, chaotic energy. In ages long past, this essence was known as Primordial Qi!

In those primeval times, the term “cultivator” did not yet exist. Those who walked the path of power called themselves Qi Masters.

The once mighty Kunlun Qi Masters were paragons of these ancient practitioners.

The very title they claimed, Qi Masters, spoke of this Primordial Qi. It was this essence they sought to master, this force they sought to wield.

This Primordial Qi, coaxed forth from understanding, gestated within the chrysalis of Lin’s soul, growing stronger with each passing moment.

In the ancient era, this essence would not have remained within the soul, but rather extracted and used to replace the celestial power coursing through the body.

But since the emergence of the Celestial Realm from the void, mortals, in their desperate pursuit of immortality, came to view this Primordial Qi as their core lifeforce, shrouding it with an external layer of celestial energy. Thus, the ancient adage: “So long as a single breath of true Qi remains, a celestial being cannot truly die!”

That breath of true Qi… that was this very Primordial essence.

Within Lin’s body, the unseen flames raged on, and the Primordial Qi within his soul’s chrysalis gradually coalesced, condensing into a droplet-like form, crystalline in its clarity, shifting between myriad shapes.

Yet, this droplet refused to solidify. Without crystallization, there could be no Fragment of Ascension!

Lin’s awareness remained razor-sharp. After countless unsuccessful attempts, he drew a deep breath. In that instant, the remaining celestial jade surrounding him shattered with explosive force, reduced to wisps of vapor, streaming towards Lin’s nostrils and into his very being.

This final influx of arcane energy instantly intensified the unseen celestial flames tenfold! For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if the inferno would burst forth from Lin’s every orifice.

Sweat poured from his body, instantly vaporizing into a rapidly thickening cloud above.

Within, the celestial fire roared with unprecedented fury, scorching and forging the nascent soul’s chrysalis. Finally, under this relentless assault, the droplet of Primordial Qi began to crystallize!

But at the precipice of solidification, the nascent crystal shuddered. The tremor was soundless, subtle, yet it immediately resonated within the chrysalis, causing it to tremble.

This tremor in turn sent the surrounding celestial flames spiraling out of control, no longer focusing their power, but rather dispersing outwards.

The unseen fire began to manifest as a tangible force, a clear sign that Lin’s ascension was doomed to failure!

Then, in that direst of moments, another Fragment of Ascension, gifted to Lin by Zhou Yi, surfaced from within his mortal flesh and floated into the heart of the tempestuous flames.

The flames found no purchase upon this foreign object. Indeed, as the Fragment approached, the fire seemed to dim slightly, as if the newcomer held the power to extinguish the blaze.

Zhou Yi’s Fragment of Ascension drifted towards Lin’s nascent soul, encountering no resistance as it nestled beside the nascent Fragment of Lin’s making.

Two Fragments now existed, one born of the cycle of life and death, the other of a desperate, consuming love. Zhou Yi’s Fragment circled Lin’s creation once, then shattered!

In the instant of its destruction, the Primordial Qi held within was drawn into Lin’s Fragment of Ascension.
The nascent Essence Crystal of Wang Lin, an artifact of apotheosis, swelled with unnerving speed, growing from the size of a fingernail to that of a little finger in the blink of an eye!

The ethereal form of his nascent soul, his nascent spirit, stilled its trembling, and the immortal flames that wreathed it ceased their transformation into tangible form. This all seemed a gentle shift, yet veiled the truth: a sliver’s breadth separated existence from oblivion in that perilous moment!

The Essence Crystal, forged from the very breath of Zhou Ru, contracted, and encased it wholly within its protective layers. Within this soul-cocoon, a new aura of power, a wellspring of potent energy, began to stir and swell.

This metamorphosis lingered for a long age…a very long age indeed…

Wang Lin remained seated in his humble grotto, unmoving as if he had been an eternal fixture in the land.

The celestial spheres turned, the sun and moon danced their timeless waltz. Within the Demon Spirit Land, the Heavenly Demon City had arisen from its ashes a decade past, reborn to match its former glory, brick for brick, stone for stone!

The Emperor’s Citadel still pierced the heavens, and the vast plaza, carved from the very mountain upon which the Heavenly Demon Sect stood, remained. Upon that expanse, the colossal Demon Drum stood sentinel!

Ten years had slipped away like grains of sand. The inhabitants of the Heavenly Demon City had narrowly escaped annihilation, a harrowing ordeal seared into their memories for all time!

And tales of a cultivator named Wang Lin persisted in the whispers of the city, echoing through the generations.

The Painted Barge had vanished, and with it, the souls who once graced its decks, perhaps their melodies silenced forever.

The youth who had once shared a night of wine and revelry with Wang Lin now stood upon a pavilion in the Emperor’s Citadel, his gaze lost in the distant horizon. Beside him stood a maiden of captivating beauty, her eyes shimmering with mischief.

Had the rogue Xu Li Guo been present, he surely would have rushed forward with slobbering enthusiasm, greeting her “Little Beauty! Your Xu-brother is here!”

The youth sighed, muttering, “Strange…ten years have passed, and that little fellow has vanished utterly. Even the combined might of the Five Ancestors, with their divine senses, can find no trace of him. It is as though he has left the Demon Spirit Land altogether!”

In a newly erected citadel within Tenyou County!

At the heart of the eastern district, a stately manor stood, its entrance adorned with a plaque bearing the bold characters: “Residence of the Deputy Commander!”

Within its walls, a multitude of servants tended manicured gardens, their tranquil beauty a balm to the soul. A hulking warrior, clad in the armor of a general, stood in the rear courtyard, his gaze fixed on the distant heavens, his countenance shadowed with contemplation.

Three figures, clad in demonic armor, stood silently behind him, their bearing respectful.

“Brother Wang…where have you gone?” The general sighed, a sound heavy with longing.

Within the grotto, Wang Lin remained unmoving, a statue carved from flesh and bone.

Within him, the slow nurture within the nascent soul-cocoon reached its culmination. A breath of power, of reality shattering potential, seeped from within the cocoon, slowly and surely.

Time’s passage grew vague, until, without warning, a thin crack appeared upon the soul-cocoon. The crack widened, joined by another, then a deluge of them, etching their way across the surface. The cocoon shattered!

In that instant, slivers of grey light flashed outward, and from the wreckage of the cocoon emerged a newborn soul, fully realized.

No longer ethereal, but tangible, as substantial as its corporeal host. Within, the Essence Crystal pulsed, radiating a wave of energy throughout the nascent spirit.

A Nascent Soul cultivator is not a spirit, but a tangible representation of intent!

This was the truest embodiment of intent made physical.

The Nascent Soul coalesced, and the remnants of the broken cocoon dissolved into a nourishing balm that would further empower it. As the last vestiges of this sustenance were absorbed, the Nascent Soul settled into a seated posture. At that very instant, Wang Lin’s physical body shuddered, and for the first time in a decade, his eyes flew open.

“Apotheosis,” Wang Lin murmured, his eyes shining with fierce light. Seven centuries of cultivation had finally brought him to this point. Apotheosis, a level of power that would make him one of the highest level cultivators, even on a seventh level cultivation planet!

However, as Wang Lin sat contemplating his apotheosis, the meditation yielded unexpected secrets and further amplified powers.