Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

As Alex began improving, Memory did as well.

Alex absorbing the energy from the Heavenly Principle while connected to Memory was enough of a trigger for the cauldron to begin evolving its nascent spirit into a proper one.

Alex continued cultivating within the energy for a couple more minutes, during which he got closer and closer to his next breakthrough. Then, once all eight of his Origins reached the threshold for breakthrough, Alex began his breakthrough to Immortal Origin 3rd realm.

The breakthrough within the cyclone of the Heavenly Principle was so very quick that Alex surprised himself with it. One moment, he was in the 2nd realm, and the next, he was in the 3rd.

And before another minute passed, he had consolidated his cultivation base as well.

The Heavenly Principle didn’t last much longer than that.

Alex’s Axiom had been established, so as soon as that happened, it left. As the Heavenly Principle began drawing back into the heavens, Alex felt the weight of regular Qi press against his body.

It was as though all energy within his body had left along with the Heavenly Principle. Alex stopped cultivating and took a moment to gather himself. He wanted to check how large his Origins had grown, but before he could, he felt another pulse coming from before him.

The pulse was constant, if not increasing in intensity.

Alex looked before him and nearly let out a gasp when he realized what was happening. Memory was evolving.

A low-sounding hum released from the cauldron constantly with slight shaking. Alex tried to ask the cauldron how it was doing through their bond, but the pulse was all he could feel coming from it.

Alex simply stepped back and let the cauldron do all that needed to be done.

“How do you feel?” Godslayer’s words came to his mind at that moment.

“Pretty amazing, actually,” Alex answered. “Although, I don’t understand what exactly happened. Did I learn a new type of Dao or what?”

“You learned an Axiom,” Godslayer said. “You can imagine it as a Dao that only you can use. What was it regarding, by the way?”

“Something about what pills really are,” Alex answered. “If it’s not really a Dao, then what changes? Can I use it at all?”

“You should be able to somewhat use it,” Godslayer said. “The majority of it won’t be available to you until you enter the Celestial realm, however.”

“The Celestial realm?” Alex asked, looking surprised. “Why?”

“The first major realm of the Celestial realm is called the Celestial Axiom realm. It is at that realm that you can truly make use of your Axiom,” Godslayer answered.

Alex had never heard of the realms within the Celestial realm, so hearing it here for the first time in connection to something he had just learned was rather incredible.

“How do I use my Axiom?” Alex asked. “Do I just use it like Dao?”

“You shouldn’t have to make any use of it in the Celestial realm, as it is always in use. But before that, I do believe you will have to activate it on your own,” Godslayer said. He tried to remember the memory that wasn’t his and see how he used it, but he didn’t have those memories.

Alex took a moment to take note of his own Axiom, as Godslayer called it, and was a little confused. “How do I make use of this Axiom? It’s just my own understanding of what pills should be.”

“When you use your Axiom, your Axiom becomes the highest level of truth, surpassing even Dao. If you had a water-related Axiom that says water cannot turn to ice, no one would be able to create ice using water. That is, of course, an example since no one would be stupid enough to think that, given they should already know ice is just solid water.”

“Hmm,” Alex thought for a moment. “Then does that mean no one can make pills that I consider improper if I use my Axiom?”

“Most likely,” Godslayer said. “I don’t understand what your Axiom is exactly, but if an alchemist were to make a pill without keeping your Axiom in mind, they would never be able to make a pill in your presence.”

Alex was stunned. Had he just gained such an amazing addition to his arsenal of already amazing techniques? This was different from a Dao, clearly, and very much a subjective truth rather than an objective one.

Still, Alex couldn’t help but think that he was being objective with his belief. If a mortal couldn’t make use of a pill, then it was a failure of a pill.

His Axiom made great sense to him.

Alex’s attention was drawn back from Godslayer as the fluctuation he felt from Memory began to grow stronger and stronger. The frequency of the pulses increased, and the low hum was now loud enough that anyone with a good ear would be able to hear it.

The sky suddenly roared with clouds as they began appearing in the sky.

Alex looked up, confused. What exactly was happening? Was that pill clouds? It looked different. And it wasn’t Immortal tribulation either. It was something else.

“Dear god,” Godslayer’s voice came to him again. “What an incredible achievement.”

Alex looked at the sky with a worried look. “Godslayer, what is going on? I thought this was just a simple evolution. Why is there tribulation lightning in the sky?”

“Because your cauldron is about to go through a tribulation of its own,” Godslayer said, his voice not worried at all, but rather amused.

“Is this… good?” Alex asked, worried.

“Good? I already told you this is an incredible achievement,” Godslayer said. “I have seen the birth of thousands of artifact spirits, but only one of them managed to trigger tribulation lightning. Me.”

Alex’s eyes widened at the sound of that. He quickly brought out Midnight, ready to fight the lightning, but Godslayer’s voice returned just as quickly.

“Do not interfere. Your cauldron will have to go through this all on its own.”