Within days of Elder Ming's humiliating defeat, Lu Chenge received his first official mission as First Rank Grand Elder. The threat was existential: the Azure Cloud Spiritual Nexus, the colossal underground artery feeding all spiritual energy to the sect's peaks, was suffering a catastrophic internal decay.
📜 The Mission Briefing
Sect Master Qiu, looking deeply worried, met Lu Chenge privately. "Elder Lu, the Nexus is failing. It's not a mere blockage; it's an internal corruption that defies our standard formations. If it collapses, the sect falls. Only your unique perception and your disciples'... unique talents offer a chance."
Lu Chenge used his Divine Soul Observation Art. He could see the Nexus deep below—a raging storm of unstable Qi, moments from a spiritual explosion that would shatter the mountain.
"The corruption is an unstable mix of elemental Qi and temporal misalignment," Lu Chenge stated calmly, already planning the contribution. "The required intervention must be precise, simultaneous, and absolute."
🤝 The Coordinated Contribution
Lu Chenge gathered his three disciples at the mouth of the Nexus cavern.
"This is not practice; this is destiny," he told them. "Wei An, you must perceive the exact nanosecond the Nexus shifts toward collapse. Mu Yun, your Fire Essence must purge the volatile decay without igniting the whole structure. Jia Li, you must maintain a stable Void Barrier around the rupture point to contain the inevitable overflow."
"To succeed in this, you must act as a single, synchronized mind," he continued. He presented three small, perfect jade talismans, each radiating a faint, unifying glow.
"These are Talismans of Synchronous Resonance. They will link your minds, allowing your respective Essences—Time, Fire, and Void—to flow seamlessly. Absorb them now."
The three disciples, understanding the gravity, took the talismans and pressed them to their brows.
[Host Contribution Detected: 3 x Talismans of Synchronous Resonance (High-Level Utility Artifacts).] [Contribution Essence: Synchronization, Precision Control, Spiritual Unity.] [Commencing 10,000-Fold Return (Triple Synchronous Trigger)…] [Return Acquired: 30,000 x Celestial Soul Synchronization Manuals (Highest Grade).]
The flood of high-tier utility knowledge was overwhelming, but Lu Chenge braced himself for the true reward.
[Host has received 10,000X return of Synchronization and Spiritual Unity Essence. Host's Dual Law Golden Core is deemed Complete, but Lacks the Final Seed for Ascendance.] [Host's Spiritual Sea will now be refined and condensed.] [Cultivation Advance: Host has successfully manifested the Primordial Nascent Soul Seed. Host's consciousness has evolved to the Grand Ascension level, granting foresight and accelerated comprehension of all Heavenly Laws.]
A silent, golden seed, pulsing with infinite potential, condensed within Lu Chenge's Spiritual Sea. He felt his mind soar, his comprehension leaping far past the limits of a Golden Core cultivator. He was no longer preparing for the Nascent Soul realm; the foundation was irrevocably set.
⚖️ The Perfect Balance
With his new Grand Ascension consciousness, Lu Chenge directed the mission.
"Now! Wei An!"
Wei An's eyes glazed over. She was now perceiving the decay in slow motion, watching the collapse accelerate. "Master! The nexus will breach in... 3.2 seconds!"
"Mu Yun, now! Purge the core!"
Mu Yun released a perfect, controlled wave of his Volcanic Fire Essence. The golden flame flowed into the rupture, instantly incinerating the chaotic energy without touching the stable Qi lines.
"Jia Li, Seal it! Absolute Void!"
Jia Li slammed the Unmoving Void Barrier Fragment onto the cavern wall. The moment the Void Law manifested, the area around the purge point warped, creating a sealed, spatially stable sphere that contained all remaining turbulence.
The Nexus groaned, stabilized, and then began to flow cleanly once more.
Sect Master Qiu, watching from a distance, visibly sagged with relief. "It worked! They saved the sect!"
Lu Chenge watched his three disciples, whose powers flowed together in perfect, deadly harmony, their success rooted entirely in his timely generosity.
He was the Master of the 10,000-Fold Return, and with the Nascent Soul Seed planted, his ultimate ascension was merely a matter of finding the next worthy recipient.