The night was serene, moonlight spilling over the spiritual lake, illuminating the purple bamboo grove like a radiant amethyst, glowing with ethereal beauty.
The crystalline bamboo shimmered with violet light, the lake wreathed in misty vapors, blending into a dreamlike scene, as if plucked from an immortal realm, poetic and picturesque.
Through the haze, by the lake's edge, a small figure was faintly visible—a boy of six or seven, seated cross-legged on a stone platform.
Leaning against the shore, his eyes open, he sat motionless, as if comprehending the dao or lost in deep thought.
This was Lin Fan, the technique thief, who had spent eight or nine months in the Heaven Mending Sect, never leaving this blessed small world.
The only person he saw was his mentor, Qing Yao, and no one else.
She wasn't confining him; rather, she feared for his safety, forbidding him from venturing out until he reached the Spirit Transformation Realm.
And this former saintess of the Heaven Mending Sect treated him with excessive kindness, granting his every request.
Whether it was cultivation guidance or resources, she provided without fail, treating him as a holy son.
For instance, the sect's precious Golden Body Elixir—Lin Fan soaked in it regularly. The sect's defining Heaven Mending Technique was taught without hesitation.
Even Yue Chan, the current saintess and Qing Yao's nominal disciple, didn't receive such favor.
Yet, the more Qing Yao indulged him, the less at ease Lin Fan felt.
Why is pretty sister so good to me, a technique thief? Lin Fan muttered, brimming with confusion.
Can't figure it out, just can't…
Sometimes, she'd stare at him for hours, making even thick-skinned Lin Fan blush with unease.
"Forget it. Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it. First, break through to the Heavenly Passage Realm and boost my strength, then think."
Lin Fan shook his head, sitting cross-legged, eyes closed. His vital energy erupted, blazing like a sun, golden light radiant, sending ripples across the tranquil lake.
Having surpassed the Blood Transformation Realm's extreme limit, months of tempering in the Golden Body Elixir had pushed him to a terrifying one-arm strength of 120,000 jin—unprecedented, beyond ancient records.
His physical might was unmatched in the Blood Transformation Realm, outstripping even pure-blooded ferocious beast cubs.
Even Shi Hao, with his relentless breakthroughs, might not surpass him at this stage, especially at six or seven years old.
This stemmed from his Imperishable Golden Body physique, with naturally vast vital energy. A little cultivation let him soar to heights unattainable by most in the Blood Transformation Realm.
Thus, he lingered in this realm, carefully sensing its depths, only choosing to break through when no further progress was possible.
Beyond the Blood Transformation Realm lay the Heavenly Passage Realm.
In this stage, one became a true cultivator, capable of brief fasting, surviving by absorbing the world's essence.
Rune mastery also surged, birthing true runic insights, grasping the world's rules and transformations, as if reenacting a small world.
This was the Heavenly Passage Realm—opening a passage within or outside the body, a bridge linking self to heavens, elevating life to a new plane.
If the Blood Transformation Realm was cultivation's start, the Heavenly Passage Realm was the dawn of the divine path, a transformation from mortal to the path of immortality.
Lin Fan sat still, undisturbed by the world.
Having studied countless bone texts, breaking through to the Heavenly Passage Realm was simple. His focus was on erupting in this realm, carving a path to ideal heights.
The purple bamboo grove remained quiet, serene, undisturbed as he broke through.
_
In her bamboo hut, Qing Yao sensed his breakthrough, her gaze instantly locking onto him, guarding his process.
He's breaking through?
At the moment of ascension, Lin Fan felt himself sublimating, his body crystalline, his mind pure, free of impurities, wrapped in runes.
His flesh glowed, divine light flowing, runes flickering within, like divine metal tempered by cosmic forces, preparing for the breakthrough.
Boom!
A sound like a tidal wave roared, shaking the grove. The lake trembled, spiritual fish leaping in panic, waves glinting.
Runes surged from Lin Fan, radiating endless divine light, golden and dazzling, accompanied by lightning and thunder, as if splitting the heavens, birthing a world.
The area drowned in divine light, radiant as a rainbow, the tidal roar like a stampeding army, awe-inspiring.
A surge of vital energy shot skyward, like a true dragon piercing the heavens, its roar shaking eternity, scattering the clouds above.
Slowly, above Lin Fan's head, a volcanic maw formed, blazing like a sun, as if erupting, turning night to day.
Though palm-sized, it was vivid, as if molten lava flowed within, fiery and vibrant, exuding an archaic, primal aura.
This fiery volcanic passage hovered an inch above his crown, brimming with boundless life essence, glowing brilliantly, a veritable small world.
"The Heavenly Passage Realm," Lin Fan murmured, stunned. Breaking through felt like a life's sublimation, a profound transformation.
Beyond the leap in strength, his body and mind felt lighter, as if a shackle had snapped, the world clearer, resonating with the heavens.
Boom!
With a thought, his passage's essence surged, linking to the world's order, seizing cosmic forces, endlessly absorbing external essence to replenish himself.
This realm was profound, worlds apart from the Blood Transformation Realm, like shedding a mortal shell, truly embarking on cultivation's path.
Using his past life's Taoist framework, he was now at the stage of refining essence into qi.
He could now sense the heavens, extracting divine essence from the void. When wielding runes, his inner divine power surged, far surpassing before, his strength vastly greater.
From now on, he no longer needed food for sustenance. His passage could draw essence directly, endlessly efficient.
Unless in grueling battles, he could maintain vibrant vitality, his power inexhaustible, always at its peak.
"So comfortable!" Lin Fan sighed, eyes closed, immersed in the realm's wonder, utterly blissful.
As the world's essence poured into him, bathing him, filling him, he felt as if ascending, his body at ease.
His arms swung with explosive force. He felt he could take on ten of his former selves, his body light, as if ready to soar.
Yet, the Heavenly Passage Realm's mysteries went beyond strength. It could nurture artifacts, refine runes, and, in the Spirit Transformation Realm, foster a spiritual body.
"I can open more passages, keep breaking through!"
Lin Fan focused, channeling his divine radiance, intent on forging another heavenly passage.
____
If you want to support me and read advanced 30+ chapters and other stories join: patreon.com/Caluem