Cultivation Online

”Hey, are you okay?” Yuan hurried out of the pond and rushed to Mu Xuelian’s side, finding her drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

After catching her breath, Mu Xuelian lifted her head to glare at him. ”Who... who are you...?” she muttered.

”I’m Yuan,” he instantly replied.

”You know that’s not what I meant... You know what? Forget it...” Though Shiva had possessed her, Mu Xuelian had remained conscious the entire time, seeing and hearing everything that transpired throughout their conversation.

Mu Xuelian quietly climbed back onto the ice bed and began cultivating.

Seeing that she was fine, Yuan returned to the pond and continued his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, another year had passed.

The instant Yuan’s physique evolved, he could feel his bottleneck instantly being broken, and his cultivation surged all the way to the peak of True Immortal.

[Eternal Essence]

[Rank: ???]

[Mastery Level: ???]

[Description: An otherworldly power wielded only by ???]

Yuan opened his eyes after reaching True Immortal and learning Eternal Essence. Within his gaze flickered a profound radiance, vast and unfathomable, like the reflection of a secret that belonged solely to the universe.

Mu Xuelian, who had been cultivating on the ice bed for the entire time, also opened her eyes upon noticing Yuan’s movements. Yuan stood from the pond and tilted his head to gaze at the ice. He retrieved Number One Under Heaven and prepared for his third attempt. This time, instead of using Absolute Dragon Awakening or other martial techniques, Yuan focused solely on his Eternal Essence.

Silence lingered for only a moment before a golden brilliance surged from Yuan’s form, flooding the cavern with light. With a swift motion, he raised his sword and swung it at the ice in a strike so powerful it shook the cavern to its core.

Mu Hanyan and Chief Mu, who had been waiting for them outside, sensed the tremble and were immediately startled by it. ”Heavens! What was that?!” Chief Mu exclaimed.

Mu Hanyan looked at the ground and muttered, ”It came from below...”

”What the hell are they doing down there?” Chief Mu swallowed nervously.

As curious and worried as she was, there was nothing either of them could do but wait.

Meanwhile, underground, Yuan stared at the ice with a frustrated expression. Despite reaching True Immortal and regaining his ability to use Eternal Essence, he was only able to put a faint scratch on the ice.

”Don’t tell me I waited an entire year just for this pitiful progress,” Mu Xuelian’s voice suddenly echoed in the

cavern.

Yuan turned to look at Mu Xuelian, who was staring at him. However, when he saw that her eyes appeared normal, he asked, ”Did Shiva ask you to say that?”

Mu Xuelian quietly nodded.

Yuan sighed. ”At least I can damage the ice now. If I keep at it, it should eventually break.”

”Hah! At this rate, it’ll take you thousands of years to break the seal-she said,” Mu Xuelian relayed.

”Then do you have any suggestions? Maybe you can teach me how to improve my Eternal Essence.”

”Eternal Essence isn’t something that can be taught. However, I do have a way to improve its strength, and that is to ” Mu Xuelian suddenly halted her sentence, her eyes wide with disbelief.

”What did Shiva say?” Yuan asked.

”...” After a moment of awkward silence, Mu Xuelian finally spoke, ”If you want to strengthen your Eternal Essence, cultivate with this girl and refine her essence... is what Lord Shiva said.”

”What kind of nonsense are you spewing?” Yuan asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.

”I-It’s not nonsense. Your Heaven Refining Physique isn’t limited to treasures and energies. You can also refine other things. For example, this girl’s essence.”

Yuan narrowed his eyes at Shiva’s words. ”Isn’t that just dual cultivation?” Yuan asked with a raised eyebrow.

”It’s not the same thing. You’ll be doing more than just absorbing her energy and improving your cultivation. You’ll be refining her essence into Eternal Essence.”

”What even is this ’essence’ that you’re talking about? It’s not her soul, right?”

”Everything in this universe is made of essence-from humans to treasures-and for us Eternals, it’s Eternal Essence. So when you wield that power, you’re essentially turning your own existence into your power. Don’t mistake it for spiritual energy because it’s not the same thing. The stronger one’s influence in the universe is, the denser their essence.”

”Turning my own existence into my power? That’s confusing as hell,” Yuan remarked. ”Does that mean if I use too much Eternal Essence, I could erase my existence?”

”Yes, it’s possible.”

”Fuck! You should’ve told me something that important earlier!” Yuan exclaimed.

”What are you worried about? You have the Heaven Refining Physique, so you can always replenish your essence.”

”That’s not the issue here...” Yuan sighed.

He continued after realizing something, ”Hold on. If you’re asking me to refine Mu Xuelian’s essence, aren’t you basically asking me to refine her existence? I’m not going to do that.”

”While you can definitely erase her existence if you refine too much of her essence, she’ll be fine as long as you don’t do that. You are also underestimating how much essence a human being carries.”

”What about injuring her? Would it affect her talent or health?”

”It will affect her talents, and depending on how much you refine, it could also affect her health.”

”And why does it require us to dual cultivate? Isn’t this something meant for Eternals?”

”As Eternals, we can refine essence with nothing but will alone,” Shiva explained. ”But you are human, and for humans, it is easier—and far safer—to refine another human’s essence through dual cultivation, since your bodies are directly connected.”

”You can’t be serious...” Yuan sighed as he rubbed his eyes in a stressful manner. ”What’s with this weird development?” (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)