Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 139 | The Art of Transformation | Novela.app

As soon as Li Yuhong stepped down from the arena, Li Xue and the others crowded around him. "Master, you were truly incredible!" Li Xue complimented him immediately. Li Yuhong smiled and nodded, clearly in high spirits. He knew his transformation techniques were unique. "Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, I shall pass these transformation techniques on to you," he promised. "I knew Master was the best!" Li Xue said happily. "You little rascal," Li Yuhong chuckled. "Brother Ruihua should be up next. You all should watch closely; observing such battles will be of great benefit to your own comprehension." The group acknowledged his instructions and returned to the edge of the arena. The subsequent matches were also spectacular, yet none could quite match the brilliance of the duel between Daoist Yuhong and Fairy Hong Wei. Perhaps it was because starting with a clash between two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators was simply too shocking; the battles between early and mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators seemed somewhat lackluster by comparison. However, for Core Formation cultivators like Li Xue, there was still much to learn, and she gained considerable inspiration from watching them. A month later, the first round of the preliminary selections concluded. Naturally, both Li Yuhong and Bai Ruihua were among those who advanced. Li Xue felt that her master had a good chance of obtaining the Deity Transformation Pill, which would save them the trouble of gathering the rare materials themselves. Li Xue, Li Lin, Yu Ming, Ji Rufeng, and the others were currently engaged in a heated discussion about the marvelous techniques they had witnessed. "Must one be at the Nascent Soul stage to use these transformation techniques?" Dongfang Jing asked. "Of course," Ji Rufeng replied. "With our current Core Formation cultivation, we simply don't have enough spiritual energy to maintain a manifested form." Meanwhile, Li Xue and Bai Xingyu were discussing the defensive heart-armor of the Nascent Soul stage. They were both quite envious of the red heart-armor Fairy Hong Wei had worn during her duel. "Is it true that only those at the Nascent Soul stage have defensive heart-armor to wear?" Li Xue asked curiously. "Naturally not," a voice interjected. It was God-Monarch Fengchi. No one had noticed when he had entered, and looking behind him, they saw that Bugui the Wanderer, Li Yuhong, and Bai Ruihua had also arrived. Seeing the confused looks on the faces of Li Xue and the others, God-Monarch Fengchi gave a slight smile. "Defensive treasures come in many varieties. The kind worn by Nascent Soul cultivators is called heart-armor. Heart-armor can also evolve; the next level up is known as spirit-armor. Aside from heart-armor, one can also wear Dharma robes." "I see. Are Dharma robes very difficult to refine?" Li Xue asked. "Refining them isn't hard, but finding ones that are both beautiful and practical is rare," Fengchi answered. "I've heard that a beautiful mid-grade Dharma robe can be more expensive than a high-grade magic treasure," Bai Ruihua remarked with a sigh. "Indeed," Li Yuhong added. "I truly don't understand what use 'beauty' has in such matters." Li Xue gave her master a pointed look. "What woman doesn't love beautiful things?" Li Yuhong burst into laughter. "True, true. And then there is my precious daughter—she actually claimed the magic treasures I've spent years collecting aren't 'pretty' enough. She’d rather choose a low-level magic tool than a treasure. It nearly drove this old man to madness!" The room erupted in lighthearted laughter. "Dammit, even the Nascent Soul youngsters are having all the fun. I'm getting jealous just watching," Bugui the Wanderer grumbled. "I'm not going to be that cursed chief judge anymore!" "Old friend, how about the two of us stretch our limbs a bit?" A sharp glint flashed in God-Monarch Fengchi's eyes. Bugui the Wanderer paused, then waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. We’d have to head out into the starry void to play properly. I doubt Yuanshi City could handle us." A sudden thought occurred to Li Xue, and she suggested, "Senior, why not let several Daoists accompany you in a spar? Since it's just about testing transformation techniques, wouldn't playing around be enough to satisfy the itch?" Bugui's eyes lit up. "Not bad, not bad at all! You're a clever girl. Let's have some fun then!" He turned his gaze toward Li Yuhong and Bai Ruihua. Excitement flashed in the eyes of both Li Yuhong and Bai Ruihua. This was a rare opportunity. God-Monarch Fengchi looked at the two of them and said, "Just the two of you aren't enough. Right, that Hong Wei girl is quite decent. Have her come along to play as well." The group looked at God-Monarch Fengchi with complicated expressions. Could this flirtatious God-Monarch have taken an interest in Fairy Hong Wei already? He certainly moved fast! Ignoring their stares, God-Monarch Fengchi cast a lingering, melancholy glance at Li Xue. Li Xue pretended not to see it. If God-Monarch Fengchi could shift his affections elsewhere, it would be for the best. The group traveled to an open expanse outside Yuanshi City. By now, Bai Fenghua and Yu Nanqing had also joined them. Including Fairy Hong Wei, there were five Nascent Soul Daoists in total. Li Xue, Li Lin, and the others were buzzing with excitement. This was a rare chance to witness a multi-person confrontation. Bugui the Wanderer flew to the center of the field and summoned his Returning Wind Blade. It was merely an ordinary high-grade magic treasure; when sparring with juniors, an ordinary weapon sufficed. Bai Fenghua’s flying sword was a water-attribute blade, pitch-black throughout, named the Deep Abyss Sword. It was one of the ten most famous magic treasures in the Primordial Star Domain, refined with a segment of a Black Flood Dragon’s bone, making it a peak-grade flying sword. Knowing Bugui the Wanderer’s immense strength, Bai Fenghua dared not be careless and used his most powerful treasure from the start. As Bai Fenghua activated the Deep Abyss Sword, a dragon’s roar echoed through the clouds. The sky suddenly churned with mist and darkened instantly. Bugui the Wanderer’s eyes flashed with excitement as he nodded and shouted, "A fine sword!" He raised his Returning Wind Blade, and a flash of white light spread across the sky. The recently darkened heavens suddenly brightened, as if the clouds had been swept away and the mist dispersed. Watching from the side, Li Xue felt her heart race. So this was the true power of a great magic treasure! Several streaks of light flashed in the distance; other cultivators within the city had heard the dragon’s roar and were rushing over, watching the sky with excitement. The black flood dragon transformed from Bai Fenghua’s Deep Abyss Sword circled and danced in the air. With another roar, it lunged toward the Returning Wind Blade. With a wave of his hand, Bugui the Wanderer cast a white sword-net toward the dragon. Just as the black dragon seemed trapped and struggling within the net, Bai Fenghua felt the pressure intensify. He immediately shifted his hand seals. The dragon dissolved within the net, turning into countless tiny black tadpoles that slipped through the mesh. They reconvened a short distance away, reforming into the black dragon and tumbling through the air, drawing cheers from the onlookers. Bugui the Wanderer was also enjoying himself. He pointed a finger, and the sword-net suddenly transformed into five small golden dragons that swarmed toward the black dragon. Bai Fenghua hurriedly changed his seals as the black dragon twisted and turned, battling the five golden dragons. The sky was filled with a magnificent display of dancing dragons. Yu Nanqing watched with mounting excitement until his own hands began to itch for action. He released his Ice Profound Sword and called out, "Master, I’m joining in!" "Good, good!" Bugui the Wanderer replied enthusiastically. For an attack of this level, the more people involved, the more fun it was. --- **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 拟化手法 | Transformation techniques | Techniques used to make weapons/energy take the form of creatures. 心甲 | Heart-armor | A defensive treasure refined within the body, typical for Nascent Soul cultivators. 灵甲 | Spirit-armor | A higher grade of internal defensive treasure than heart-armor. 法衣 | Dharma robe | Magical clothing/robes with defensive or utility properties. 不归散人 | Bugui the Wanderer | Also "The Vagrant of No Return." A powerful, eccentric high-level cultivator. 归风刀 | Returning Wind Blade | Bugui the Wanderer's magic treasure. 潜渊剑 | Deep Abyss Sword | Bai Fenghua's peak-grade water-attribute sword. 冰玄剑 | Ice Profound Sword | Yu Nanqing's flying sword. 鸿蒙星域 | Primordial Star Domain | The name of the local stellar region/setting. 黑蛟 | Black Flood Dragon | A powerful draconic creature used in refining the Deep Abyss Sword.