The Star Core Phase, the final stage of the Mortal Realms, represents the pinnacle of the Mortal Dao’s acquired powers and blessings, the totality of its potential in all four essential energies, and the gateway to a path of power beyond the limits of one’s mortal birth—Mystic Ascension.
For every cultivator born beneath the heavens, the Mortal Realms were their starting point, and they would all unquestionably face the final tribulation of the Mortal Dao if they wished to seek greater powers, life, and horizons far beyond their limited vision. And for every cultivator, it all began at the Foundation Establishment Realm, the first of the three Mortal Realms.
When a cultivator challenges this final step, the Mortal Dao reminds them of where it all began, and…that here, should they fail, will be where it all will end as everything they’ve cultivated till now will return to its rightful owner.
Wei Wuyin found himself in a hazy mist of foggy senses and distorted sounds. His body felt weightless as if floating upon the surface of a body of water. The scent in the air was sweet, almost fragrant as flowers, and the sensation on his skin was warm. There was an unusual degree of comfort across his body.
He had experienced this sound before, something other mortals might never remember—his birth.
Cultivators are born, not made.
Wei Wuyin felt it; the feeling of the Mortal Dao’s oversight, observations, and caring for him as he was formed from the ground up, sculpted with its guidance, and given a degree of compatibility with its existence. He was blessed by it and given the right to cultivate. It wasn’t a direct blessing, but it was more of a harmonization, and it didn’t reject him. Wei Wuyin could feel it now.
He could feel the acceptance.
Then, he could also feel a familiar aura as well. This presence was overseeing the overseer, and it was hard to describe, yet Wei Wuyin was unable to forget it in his lifetime. He had not only been taken over by this presence before but saved several times after entering into conflict with the Heavenly Daos by trying to pry into its secrets and tainting the River of Time with his karma, a manifestation of time itself.
Fuxi!
The presence soon faded as he was fully born into the world. Slowly, Wei Wuyin began to recall his life. His entire life. But the only things that entered its focus were the critical points of his cultivation path, his successes, and failures in the Mortal Realms.
When he was four years old, he began cultivating in Red Dove City’s Wei Clan under the guidance of his father. During this time, Wei Wuyin still remembered his mighty and hearty father and the peacefully distant mother. He witnessed from a very early age what love meant, as he bore witness to two figures continuously falling in love over and over and over…
The sufferings and tragedy of chronic memory loss revealed the greatest blessing that humanity could offer—evidence of true love between two souls.
“The first step of cultivation is to establish a foundation strong enough to withstand the existence of your Heart of Qi! You must train your mind and body to their limits, especially your body. Without a strong body, you’ll crumble at the seams. Do you understand, Little Wu?”
“…” Wei Wuyin’s memory of his father’s first lesson was ingrained in his mind, body, and soul, and he would never forget. At the time, he hadn’t understood the principles clearly, so he asked. He could remember how he asked thirty-eight different questions, none of them repeating, and the huge, vibrant grin on his father’s face. The lack of exhaustion and patience allowed Wei Wuyin to sense the pride in his heart.
“The Foundation Establishment is divided into Three Stages, Nine Phases! This is a principle of cultivation that you must remember. Even when you reach the Qi Condensation Realm in the future, you must remember this principle. It’ll help you understand the correct path of each stage because, no matter what, the first to third, fourth to sixth, and seventh to ninth phases will always have meaningful links! If you ever find yourself in a rut, remember this and return to the proper path, the essentials! Understand?”
“…” Wei Wuyin immersed himself in that voice. It was warm, meaningful, and filled with loving patience and a desire to see him succeed. It was the love of a father.
“Remember this! The three stages are Physique Tempering, Meridian Awakening, and Dantian Establishment! Each is divided into three phases for a total of nine phases.
“They are, from the first phase to the ninth phase: Viscera Strengthening, Blood River, Bone Tempering, Body Cleansing, Cellular Stimulation, Body-Mind Awakening, Mortal Connection, Dantian Opening, and Spiritual Establishment. We simplify these nine phases into three phases as a whole, mostly because we cultivators can complete three of them at once, unlike the Qi Condensation Realm where each step must be taken with a cautious attitude. Do you understand?”
“…” Wei Wuyin remembered what happened next and wasn’t certain of it, but he felt as if he had the biggest smile on his face. That day, he learned that one’s cultivation couldn’t deviate in the Foundation Establishment Realm, which was why cultivators grouped the phases into three whole phases, and many rushed through them at once.
His curious and cautious mind was formed because of his father, and his thirst for knowledge and desire to cultivate had originated from his older brother’s later teachings due to the absence of his father.
Wei Wuyin decided to simply enjoy these fleeting yet vivid memories, not forgetting himself nor why he was here. Since he had the memories of another him of a different timeline, he had experienced this once before. It was the prelude to the final Mortal Realm Tribulation—the Star Eradication Astral Tribulation.
He began to go through sequences of memories that revolved around learning the basics of cultivation, from training how to use his innate energies to absorbing the energies of heaven and earth to cultivate, refining these external energies with his body, and growing stronger with each session. His path from Red Dove City to the Scarlet Solaris Sect was fully explored.
He entered the Qi Condensation Realm after finding a Qi Essence Stone after escaping from the eradication of his clan. To think that his fortune was by the machinations of the Heavenly Daos. Looking back, he realized that the Heavenly Daos had helped him grow with opportunities he otherwise wouldn’t have had.
Qi Creation, External Flow, Elemental Birth, Yin Form, Yang Growth, False Reality, Infused Spirituality, Sublime Qi, Qi Essence—the nine phases of the Qi Condensation Realm. He once again explored every detail of each breakthrough he had, experiencing the difficulties and struggles he had to do so. He was even shown his dual cultivation session with Na Xinyi, and looking back on it from the perspective of an outsider looking in, he finally recalled how into it she was. Despite being a virgin, her below-average looks, or her circumstances of being given a shifty choice, she was fully enjoying their union.
Her lively expressions and repeated climaxes, how she desperately clenched her legs around his waist, or how her hips moved with a wild freshness, he had pushed most of this memory deep into consciousness and filed them as forgettable.
Only after seeing this, seeing how she looked at him while they were together as an outsider, the sparks of passion, hope, and desire, did he realize that from her point of view, he might have been the only person that showed her interest, that told her she was special, and that she was useful. At a point in her life where she was fleeing from tragedy and death unfolding all around her, she had an out.
A handsome, talented, powerful, and commanding young man that wanted her.
After all, they hadn’t simply met and immediately proceeded with dual cultivation. They had stayed in close proximity for nearly two months as Wei Wuyin hunted down her former sectmates while trying to awaken her physique.
During that time, Wei Wuyin had not treated her poorly. He was gentle, and kind, and even spared those who would’ve otherwise died because of their relations. He showed that he cared about her, was mindful of her thoughts, and explained patiently why he was duty-bound to capture and slaughter her sect. While he wasn’t apologetic towards it, he acknowledged that the situation born from the list of the Sect Master’s Son was unfair and unreasonable.
To her, this was a growing budding relationship that fully manifested after they began dual cultivating. But to Wei Wuyin, it was an attempt to keep her alive and satisfied to prevent suicide or harming her mental state, preventing an optimized dual cultivation session.
Then, he had stayed true to his word, giving her her freedom. He now understood why Na Xinyi held a grudge against him during their early years, and how she, from her perspective, saw him as throwing her away after taking what he needed.
He did.
He had also broken many rules by doing so, but Wei Wuyin kept his word when it mattered. He was taught by his older brother various principles that he followed through with even if it meant the possible dangers coming from the sect.
However, looking back, he was also slightly distraught. Due to that event, there was a hole in his emotions that he quickly filled with another woman. This woman had seduced him and he had fallen for her, not noticing her obvious intentions to bring about his demise while buying time. He had to behead her and her would-be rescuer, while ruthlessly killing a key member of his group due to their betrayal.
“Is this what this is for? To look back on my path as a mortal?” Wei Wuyin sighed in his heart, mind, and soul. While he had technically experienced this through memories of his other self, it wasn’t the same as viewing it with his soul, experiencing the hyperrealism of the situation, and having the proper time to contemplate each event.
Wei Wuyin’s experience continued as he soon went from the Myriad Yore Continent to the Myriad Monarch Sect.
The first tribulation of the final Mortal Realm, the Astral Core Realm! The Mortal Star Formation Tribulation!
From Mortal Star Formation to Mortal Star Eradication, the Astral Core Realm was coming to a complete cycle. Once again, Wei Wuyin experienced each hell-rising experience as his Astral Souls began to interfere with the tribulations.
The Mortal Star Formation Tribulation; Wei Wuyin had grasped the blueprints of Saber Heart Intent, and Elemental Origin Intent, and experienced the feeling of traversing the river of time. He experienced every single ‘first’ of his life. From his birth to his first kiss, to his first lesson with his older brother, and every other first one can imagine.
The Sky-World Lightning Tribulation; the tribulation had granted each of his Astral Souls the Origin State, and they were pushed to the absolute limits, reaching the Zenith Origin State and granting him Mana Dominance.
The Soul-Pulse Manifestation Tribulation; this tribulation tested the limits of his spirit’s strength and resilience as he was sent hurtling across the Dark Void under the protection of rings of Manifested Spirit Energy. The experience was thrilling, and it expanded his horizons as he, for the first time, realized how expansive the world truly was.
The Nonuplet Spatial Resonant Tribulation; this tribulation was his first tribulation where it was extremely easy to complete. As he possessed the Bloodline of a True Void Dragon at the peak of the Mortal tier, there was no way a Spatial-type Tribulation would give him any difficulty. While his four Astral Souls pushed the tribulation to the limits, and Wei Wuyin had felt them do so, the experience was extremely easy, barely an inconvenience to his path of cultivation.
The Light Conjuring Tribulation; this was the easiest tribulation he faced in his lifetime, as he had already grasped the principles of Soul Light through the transcendent World-Light Refraction Elixir, he skirted past this tribulation.
The Gravity Source Tribulation; this was a harsh reminder of the deadly potential of his Astral Souls’ attempts to push these tribulations to their limits. He had to face being at the center of a Black Hole, resisting its crushing power with his physical body, and was nearly pulverized out of existence. Fortunately, he survived and grasped a single Gravitational Central Mass—a Cosmic Dual-Singularity. The ability to exert the pressure of a Black Hole to temper his innate energies to their limits and then spew them out without any loss with a White Hole redefined Wei Wuyin’s entire understanding of the strength and profundities of the Mortal Dao.
United Worldly Force Tribulation; the first tribulation where Wei Wuyin faced death and barely won. It still sent shivers down Wei Wuyin’s spine at times, especially given how he faced the literal embodiment of ‘The World’ and survived! This embodiment was the same existence that Wei Wuyin peers into to grasp the World’s Trend!
The last tribulation Wei Wuyin faced was the greatest of them all, and it yielded the most startling revelation that fully allowed him to understand that cultivation was endless and that he was a mere frog in a well. Due to the Time Vortex, his Astral Souls’ fearlessness to challenge the greatest tribulation to gather the highest benefits, and a lot of other hidden factors, Wei Wuyin experienced a tribulation meant for those beyond the Mystic Ascendant Realm!
He had faced a tribulation that other versions of himself at the Mystic Ascendant Realm had conjured! As a mere mortal, and became the final winner despite the plot of his other selves.
The River of Time Tribulation!
Wei Wuyin had finally experienced every step of his cultivation, even the events of his River of Time Tribulation. The Mortal Dao’s authority over time seemingly allowed it, perhaps even required it, so he was allowed to see through and recall the life of his debonair self once again, how he had diverged from his path and lost everything.
Something he swore that he would never experience.
“You’re awake?”
Suddenly, a flash of brilliant light enveloped Wei Wuyin and he was brought into the endless Dark Void. This Dark Void was different than any other, as the stars that brightened the sky, gave the Dark Void its beautiful backdrop, had all vanished as only pure, uncomfortable dark emptiness remained.
However, there was no Chill of the Dark Void here. There was no heat, no cold, no air, or anything of the sort. It was absent of all qualities of his original world.
Following the voice, a seven-colored light sphere burst into existence in front of him.
“Eden?”
“Yes! You are awake!”
