Chapter Twenty-Three: Ten-Star Foundation Shakes the Nine Provinces!
When the level of Dao techniques becomes exceedingly high, the blue aura undergoes a transformation, and from its extreme purity, a trace of purple is born.
Anyone who witnesses purple aura during their enlightenment is unsurpassed among their peers, a genius without exception. The minimum requirement for the appearance of purple aura is at least an eight-star Dao technique.
Take Zhao Xiaobai, for example. He once produced a sliver of purple within the blue aura. Though it was but a hint, it was enough for him to ascend in a single leap, becoming the second eight-star Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Only Me Sect.
But at this very moment, as Wang Ran is undergoing enlightenment, an immense expanse of purple aura spreads above his head, blanketing the heavens and earth!
Compared to Zhao Xiaobai’s display, Wang Ran’s aura is far more overwhelming—so much so that it rivals the spectacle witnessed when Ye Cang achieved enlightenment.
The purple aura rolls across the skies, surging between the clouds, and in an instant it washes away all traces of blue, leaving only purple behind. Here, in this place, there is only purple—a singular purple reigning between heaven and earth.
Everyone is utterly dumbfounded, struck with awe.
“How can this be?!”
“Wang Ran has broken through again, flooding the skies with purple aura—this presence is no weaker than Senior Brother Ye’s Foundation Establishment!”
“No, this is even stronger than Senior Brother Ye!”
“How did he do it? Could he be the strongest genius in the Outer Sect now?”
“With such terrifying purple aura, just how powerful must his Spirit Gate be?”
“I’m merely a two-star Foundation Establishment, and my Spirit Gate already exceeds five meters. His must be at least nine-star—I can’t even begin to imagine what sort of Spirit Gate he possesses!”
All the disciples murmured in disbelief, and Ye Cang himself was equally shaken.
Back when he achieved nine-star Foundation Establishment, his aura was so strong it shocked all four directions, but Wang Ran’s purple aura was even more terrifying than his.
“Impossible, this is impossible!” For the first time, a twisted expression appeared on Ye Cang’s face, his gentle demeanor lost, replaced by an unprecedented jealousy. “I am the foremost genius of the Only Me Sect. How could a mere Qi Condensation novice have such fortune? I refuse to believe it!”
He was the son of heaven, a millennium sacred body, unmatched in destiny, a born ruler. He could not accept that a weakling now surpassed him, shining brighter than he ever had.
Always, others envied him. Now, for the first time, he envied someone else.
As rage crept across Ye Cang’s face, Zhao Xiaobai merely smiled.
“Brother Wang, you have not disappointed me.”
Besides Zhao Xiaobai, Yao Jianjia was also shaken, her expression unchanged but her slightly widened pupils betraying her inner turmoil.
Feng Yazi was the first to leap into action, waving his hand to cast an invisible shield of spiritual power over Wang Ran’s platform—he would personally protect Wang Ran’s path!
By now, the purple aura in the sky had reached its zenith. It surged upward, transforming into a vast ocean that enveloped the skies above the Only Me Sect.
No one noticed that within this endless sea of purple, a beam of golden light flashed. In the next instant, it transformed into a rainbow, piercing through the clouds and soaring to the heavens, seemingly forging a link between the purple sea and the sky.
There was a secret—unknown even to the elders of the Only Me Sect—that after blue aura becomes purple, it is not the ultimate limit. The purple aura can undergo a second transformation.
Golden aura!
This golden light represents supreme intent!
It only appears with a ten-star Dao technique, something unseen in the entire Nine Provinces for a thousand years.
Now, the golden aura rose from the purple sea, swiftly ascending, piercing the firmament in the blink of an eye. No one knew just how high it reached.
Those under the purple aura within the Only Me Sect could not see the golden light, but within one hundred thousand, one million, even ten million miles—extending beyond Yun Province, throughout all Nine Provinces—it was clearly visible.
In this world, all cultivators at this moment raised their heads in shock. They could sense that from the direction of the Only Me Sect, a supreme presence was rising!
The next moment, the Nine Provinces trembled!
The region where the Only Me Sect resided was known as Yun Province, vast in territory, containing seventy-two cultivation sects of varying sizes, including the Only Me Sect itself.
Beyond Yun Province, there were eight other major provinces, each filled with powerful sects, forming the most magnificent scenery of the cultivation world.
For example, the closest province to Yun is Ling Province, which boasts one hundred thirty sects, its overall strength surpassing Yun Province.
Among them, the Thousand Spirits Gate is particularly renowned, the strongest sect in Ling Province, honored as the foremost in the region.
At this time, within the Thousand Spirits Gate.
In the sect’s secret realm, a void fissure gathered vast spiritual energy, its concentration thousands of times greater than the Only Me Sect’s Spirit Sea.
Near the fissure, at the center of this spiritual energy, a young girl in plain clothes sat cross-legged in meditation.
Her hair was disheveled, obscuring her cheeks, and the visible part of her face was pale and expressionless. Her eyes, though exceptionally beautiful, were devoid of emotion, filled with deathly stillness as if they had been so for countless millennia.
Suddenly, sensing something, she looked up toward the Only Me Sect in Yun Province, her gaze seeming to penetrate the void of the secret realm. For the first time, her eyes showed vitality.
“The aura… familiar… is it… you?”
Perhaps it had been too long since she last spoke, or too long since she saw outsiders, her words were labored and fragmented.
Yet in her calm tone lingered an irrepressible expectation and joy. She stared in the direction of the Only Me Sect, unmoving…
Meanwhile.
Ling Province bordered another province—Sword Province.
Known as the most murderous of the Nine Provinces, its inhabitants were predominantly sword cultivators.
In a certain cave, darkness prevailed. Suddenly, a pair of scarlet eyes lit up as a white-haired man stepped out. His entire body was snow-white, his eyes red, gazing toward the sky above Yun Province.
“Golden light within purple, supreme Dao aura… I never thought someone would achieve ten-star Foundation Establishment. Who is it?!”
He spoke with fervent battle intent, murmuring, “No matter who you are, if you do not perish prematurely, surely you are a peerless genius. A thousand years hence, I will come for you, sever your soul of genius, devour your blood of genius, to prove my Dao!”
He smiled grimly, turned back into the cave, but after three steps, halted abruptly. With a sudden motion, he closed his eyes, and his divine soul shot skyward, heading straight for Yun Province!
“No—I can’t wait. I must see now who you are!”
…
Beyond Sword Province, there was Pill Province.
Dedicated to the Dao of alchemy, it was the wealthiest of the Nine Provinces, its Pill Sect famed throughout the world.
At this moment, a withered figure soared through the sky of Pill Province, spanning ten thousand miles in a single stride.
Suddenly, he paused, looking toward Yun Province. Upon seeing the towering golden pillar, his eyes sparkled.
“Supreme Dao aura—this is ten-star Foundation Establishment… It seems Yun Province has produced an extraordinary youngster. Very well, I shall go take a look.”
With that, stroking his beard, the elder sent his divine soul soaring toward the heavens.
…
Soul Province.
The most mysterious among the Nine Provinces, its cultivators specialized in the Dao of the dead, refining corpses and gathering essence amid ceaseless gloom.
Soul Province was home to a vast sea, unique in that feathers could not float and birds could not cross, devoid of all living creatures.
At this moment, a vortex appeared at the sea’s center. A gigantic eye surfaced, its size indescribable, exuding intense ferocity as it gazed toward Yun Province.
“Who has awakened me? Hmm… Supreme Dao aura? Supreme Dao aura has appeared—wonderful, wonderful. If I devour this one, I will surely unravel the mysteries of heaven and thus complete… my plan to swallow the sky!”
The voice thundered, though it did not echo outward, indicating it was concealed with great effort. Yet at that moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck from the sky, causing the sea to churn and a hint of terror and hatred to flicker in the giant eye before it gradually vanished beneath the surface.
…
Beyond these provinces, nearly the entire Nine Provinces witnessed reclusive ancient monsters disturbed by the supreme Dao aura, sending their divine souls flying toward Yun Province!
Qing Province, Medicine Province, Buddhist Province… The powerful beings of the Nine Provinces, many of them ancient monsters, all responded to the call.
…
Yun Province.
High above the boundless heavens, invisible ripples spread.
Here was the unique space for opening the Spirit Gate during enlightenment—a realm unreachable by the physical body, accessible only to the divine soul.
Within, besides the enlightenment seeker’s own divine soul, countless powerful cultivators’ souls had entered as well, though these could only observe from afar, unable to interfere.
For this was the world of the enlightenment seeker—they alone were the master here.
At this moment, before the colossal, boundless Spirit Gate, Wang Ran stood at its base, facing the wind, appearing as insignificant as an ant by comparison.
“So this is my Spirit Gate…” Wang Ran murmured softly.
Then, his gaze sharpened as he scanned the surroundings.
“It seems I am being watched.”
In the depths of his soul, Wang Ran sensed something amiss.
Yet the sky nearby appeared unchanged—the powerful beings of the Nine Provinces had already concealed themselves.
Still, Wang Ran’s acute perception astonished them.
“No wonder he’s a ten-star Foundation Establishment. This youth is extraordinary!”
“Such a powerful Spirit Gate—unprecedented! His natal Dao technique must be terrifying.”
“An interesting child, but can he open this Spirit Gate? That remains to be seen.”
“The stronger the Dao technique, the stronger the Spirit Gate, and the harder it is to open. A ten-star Foundation Establishment Spirit Gate is no small matter.”
“This is the world of the enlightenment seeker. The greater the heart, the greater the power. To open this gate, he must possess ambition equal to his Dao technique.”
These powerful beings, some acquainted with each other, communicated via divine sense.
They continued to observe the youth standing quietly before the Spirit Gate.
He lowered his head, gently caressing the enormous gate. After a long pause, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
“I’ve heard that here, the strength of the heart determines the strength of the power. I suppose the old monsters of the Nine Provinces are all watching now. Since that’s so… let me show you the measure of my heart.”
In the next instant, Wang Ran leaped from the sea of clouds, his eyes sharp as an eagle, his form swift as lightning, and with a single punch… he struck!
“One punch forward, one punch back—I only need one punch! Watch closely, all of you, and remember my name… Wang Ran!”
His words echoed in all directions. In the next moment, the immense, boundless, strongest Spirit Gate in history shattered into pieces with a thunderous crash!
He did not push it open—he simply smashed it to smithereens!
His actions, combined with his words and the faint aloofness on his face, created an image of immense impact.
In an instant, all the powerful beings of this world felt their souls roar!
Never before had anyone been as fierce as Wang Ran.
Never before had anyone opened the Spirit Gate with such ease!
For his heart, long ago, had transcended this realm. His goal was… the myriad worlds, to become supreme among men and immortals!
At the moment the Spirit Gate shattered, a surge of supreme Dao aura merged into his body. In the next instant, golden light blazed around him, his cultivation already stepping into… ten-star Foundation Establishment!
“Ye Cang achieved nine-star Foundation Establishment, attesting to the Dao of Heaven. Zhao Xiaobai, reincarnated as the Killing Star, attested to the Dao of the Killing God. As for me, Wang Ran… I have grasped the Dao of Eternal Life!”
At the summit of the sea of clouds, beneath the rain of Spirit Gate fragments, while countless powerful beings from the Nine Provinces stood dumbstruck, Wang Ran’s robes billowed as he strode with head held high. In that instant, heaven and earth thundered, and his figure, even after ten thousand years, remained etched in legend.