The cold winds of dawn howled across the shattered cliffs of Blackflame Abyss. Li Tianming sat cross-legged at the summit, his robes billowing gently, eyes closed… but his soul wide awake.
His body bore the scars of the Trial of Heaven's Echo, but deeper still, it was his spirit that trembled. The gate to Heavenly Immortal Realm had shown itself… yet refused to open.
> "So close… yet still a universe away."
The Forsaken Blade lay beside him, glowing faintly. It pulsed, as if sensing his thoughts.
And as the silence wrapped around him like an ancient cloak, his mind wandered—into memory, into the long road behind.
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Qi Condensation (气凝境)
The first flicker of power.
He remembered the desolate cave in Ashwind Valley, where he first breathed in the essence of the world. His body, once weak and forgotten, trembled as qi flowed through his meridians.
> "I was nothing… but I inhaled the world, and it began."
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Foundation Establishment (筑基境)
The pain of remaking.
He rebuilt his body—bone by bone, nerve by nerve. Nights of agony where he screamed without sound, forging his inner foundation like a blacksmith tempers steel.
> "My flesh cracked, but my will did not."
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Core Formation (结丹境)
Where essence solidifies.
A golden core spun within his dantian, the result of unyielding effort. The first time he felt power that could level mountains—yet his enemies still dwarfed him.
> "Power is hollow… without purpose."
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Nascent Soul (元婴境)
His soul left his body.
He touched the void, gazed upon stars, and saw his own insignificance. But he forged a nascent soul with the heat of his hatred… and the light of his hope.
> "I became more than flesh. I became spirit."
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Spirit Severing (化神境)
He cut ties with all.
Friends turned enemies. Love turned test. He severed attachments, learning that growth meant loss, and strength meant sacrifice.
> "Only in letting go… did I rise."
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Void Step (虚空境)
Space became a playground.
He blinked through shadows, split apart gravity, and fought atop clouds. His steps no longer touched ground—they shaped it.
> "My enemies looked up. But I no longer stood on the same plane."
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Immortal Path (仙途境)
A path unseen, yet walked.
He walked the golden bridge in the dreamscape, battled ancient phantoms, and caught the scent of eternity.
> "The heavens test harshly… before they acknowledge."
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Heaven Ascension (飞升境)
The world shattered—then remade.
He broke through the mortal coil, his energy no longer of this realm. Mortals saw him as myth. The skies opened, and he flew beyond.
> "Ascension is not an escape. It's a challenge."
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True Immortal (真仙境)
Where legends begin.
His blood turned to starlight. He could crush realms beneath his palm, yet the heavens remained silent.
> "Immortality is a lie—if the heavens still deny you."
And now… he stood before the unreachable.
> Heavenly Immortal (天仙境)
A realm not of might—but of understanding. One had to resonate with the Heavenly Dao. Not bend it—but hear it, feel it, become one with its rhythm.
> "That's what I must grasp… not power, but resonance."
Tianming opened his eyes.
Across the cliff, a single leaf drifted in the wind. It twisted, turned… then vanished without a sound.
Yet somehow, he heard it.
The first note of a symphony that few ever live to under
stand.
And as that leaf vanished, Tianming smiled.
> "Then let this be my path. I'll walk it… even if I bleed across a thousand skies."