Yuan’s Ascension

Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self emerged from the temple, leaving with Astral Monarch Gu Lai. Before long, the strand of his consciousness left in the Eternal Sun Immortal Voidrealm received a message: one million divine crystals had been transferred to his account.

Wu Yuan's eyes lit up. The money had arrived.

Including his previous balance, Wu Yuan's wealth had suddenly skyrocketed to approximately 1.1 million divine crystals.

This fortune came partially from Immortal Sovereign Bei You's two consecutive bestowals. A small portion was also from the spoils Wu Yuan's qi refiner self had amassed on the entry-level Eldritch-Immortal battlefield, especially when he slayed that batch of prodigies from the Immortal Hall.

Over the centuries, he had sold off some of the more valuable but unnecessary items through Astral Monarch Gu Lai's channels. The prices had been quite fair.

As expected, wealth is power. It breeds assurance. Wu Yuan mused to himself.

Previously, with only about 100,000 divine crystals left, many cultivation plans were simply impossible. But now, he had sufficient wealth.

Though time was short, Wu Yuan had already thought things through thoroughly.

According to the intelligence he had just obtained from Immortal Sovereign Bei You, the journey to the Spacetime Dao Realm would be long and fraught with danger. This trip would not be a peaceful cultivation retreat. He would likely face many life-threatening perils, so he had to strengthen himself to the utmost degree.

"Junior Nephew, has something good happened?" Astral Monarch Gu Lai asked with a smile, having noticed Wu Yuan's momentary change in demeanor.

"Senior Uncle is formidable indeed, with such keen perception," Wu Yuan flattered him.

He then continued with a smile, "I do indeed have a favor to ask of you, Senior Uncle. Before we went to see Grandmaster, didn't you mention my lifebound flying swords? As it happens, I'd like to request your help collecting a batch of rare metals and materials. I've already sent the detailed list to you through the Eternal Sun Immortal Voidrealm."

"A small matter," Astral Monarch Gu Lai replied with a smile.

His soul was incredibly powerful and his knowledge vast. He was familiar with all manner of rare treasures.

In an instant, he had thoroughly examined the list and calculated the total price of all the materials and treasures based on the unit prices and quantities Wu Yuan had provided.

"So much?" Astral Monarch Gu Lai's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. "The total value of these materials is estimated at 430,000 divine crystals. Junior Nephew, are you planning to upgrade all your lifebound flying swords to high-grade spirion artifacts?"

"Yes," Wu Yuan nodded, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

430,000 divine crystals? It was considerably less than he had anticipated, likely due to Astral Monarch Gu Lai's special channels for acquiring treasures at the lowest prices.

"Tsk tsk, it seems your meeting with the Immortal Sovereign was quite fruitful," Astral Monarch Gu Lai said with a chuckle.

"Senior Uncle jests," Wu Yuan shook his head. "This amount of divine crystal is hardly worth mentioning to someone like you, Senior Uncle."

It wasn’t an exaggeration. An Earth Immortal's total net worth generally didn't exceed ten divine crystals. For ordinary High Immortals and High Eldritches, their total net worth ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand divine crystals.

Some powerful High Immortals and High Eldritches usually had wealth exceeding 10,000 divine crystals. Of course, this didn't include the peerless geniuses from top-tier factions. The wealth of peerless geniuses among High Immortals and High Eldritches often rivaled or even surpassed that of Archimmortals.

Ordinary Archimmortals generally possessed a total net worth valued between several hundred thousand to several million divine crystals.

As for Astral Lords and Astral Monarchs, their lifespans were as eternal as the heavens, and their net worth was even more staggering. Several hundred thousand divine crystals? It truly wasn't worth mentioning to them.

"By the way," Wu Yuan added, "Senior Uncle, I also wish to purchase some ordinary artifacts. I hope you can help me acquire those as well."

The specific list and requirements were instantly transmitted to Astral Monarch Gu Lai through the Eternal Sun Immortal Voidrealm.

"Haha, you little rascal, are you preparing to leave the Immortal Belvedere for some risky adventure?" Astral Monarch Gu Lai was slightly surprised upon receiving the list.

With his keen insight, he understood Wu Yuan’s intentions with just a brief analysis. Upgrading lifebound flying swords was understandable, it was a matter of course. But these artifacts and life-saving items? Why purchase them unless one was preparing for a perilous journey?

Wu Yuan smiled without replying.

Astral Monarch Gu Lai laughed, "Very well, the Immortal Sovereign surely has plans for you. I won't pry."

"Rest assured, Junior Nephew. Within three days, all the materials and artifacts you've requested will be delivered to your courtyard," Astral Monarch Gu Lai said.

"Thank you for the assistance, Senior Uncle," Wu Yuan replied. "I'll transfer the divine crystals to you right away."

"Haha, no need," Astral Monarch Gu Lai said with a smile. "That can wait until you receive the treasures."

"It's not what you think, Senior Uncle," Wu Yuan shook his head. "I'd like to transfer all my divine crystals to you, and after deducting the cost of the treasures, I hope you can exchange the remainder for physical divine crystals."

The divine crystals bestowed by Immortal Sovereign Bei You in the previous two instances were not physical objects, but rather recorded as a string of numbers in the Eternal Sun Immortal Voidrealm.

Within the macrocosm, it was more reliable and convenient to leave wealth in one’s immortal voidrealm account rather than carry it around physically.

But once Wu Yuan entered the Spacetime Dao Realm, the situation would be completely different. Transactions through the Eternal Sun Immortal Voidrealm wouldn't be possible in the Dao Realm.

"Oh? You want to exchange all of it for physical divine crystals?" A hint of surprise flashed in Astral Monarch Gu Lai's eyes.

Normally, even if one required some physical divine crystals, they wouldn't exchange all their wealth. After all, under normal circumstances, transactions could be made throughout the entire macrocosm, unless, of course, one was planning to leave the macrocosm.

"Alright," Astral Monarch Gu Lai's expression quickly returned to normal as he smiled, "Don't worry, I'll have it done within three days as well."

…

Astral Monarch Gu Lai truly lived up to his reputation as one of the most trusted figures in Bei You's lineage, with unparalleled connections and seniority.

Though he said three days, it took only one day for Astral Monarch Gu Lai to deliver all the various treasures, materials, and artifacts that Wu Yuan had requested, along with several hundred thousand physical divine crystals.

In his qi refiner self's Eternal Sun Immortal Voidrealm account, Wu Yuan had left only 100,000 divine crystals for emergencies.

Inside the meditation chamber.

These materials. A strand of Wu Yuan's Soul Will entered the three storage artifacts before him, swiftly imprinting his aura upon them.

He was met with mountains of piled materials, each heap more precious than the last. There were large quantities of primary materials for upgrading his lifebound flying swords, as well as many rare materials in smaller amounts.

He inspected each one, confirming their authenticity.

Wu Yuan then took a deep breath, muttering to himself. A hundred years should be enough to upgrade all these lifebound flying swords to high-grade spirion artifacts.

As lifebound flying swords were upgraded, their essence grew stronger, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a stable structure. The process would take longer and longer as it was further upgraded.

Upgrading a single lifebound flying sword from a high-grade spirion artifact to a low-grade celestial artifact would take over a hundred years. From what Wu Yuan knew, even super powerhouses spent tens of thousands of years crafting powerful celestial equipment.

But no matter how much time it takes, it's worth it. Wu Yuan's eyes gleamed with anticipation. Once they're all upgraded to high-grade spirion artifacts, their power will far surpass many low-grade celestial artifacts.

It wasn’t just ordinary sword cultivators; even many peerless geniuses struggled to nurture their lifebound flying swords to such power and perfection. Of course, the price was eye-watering, costing Wu Yuan 430,000 divine crystals.

With systematic cultivation, all these lifebound flying swords can reach the high-grade spirion artifact level, but upgrading them to low-grade celestial artifacts will have to be done one at a time. Wu Yuan mused to himself.

Ninth-stage Earth Immortals could upgrade their lifebound flying swords to low-grade celestial equipment, but few could afford to do so. Even peerless geniuses were in the same boat. It was rare for anyone at the Earth Immortal stage to possess celestial lifebound artifacts.

The reason was simple – it was simply too expensive.

A normal low-grade celestial flying sword was worth about a thousand divine crystals, something even ordinary High Immortals might not possess.

But upgrading a single lifebound flying sword to low-grade celestial equipment following the optimal evolution pathway would cost tens of millions of divine crystals.

And Wu Yuan had nine of them.

Forget Archimmortals, even powerful Astral Lords couldn't afford such extravagance. The further one progressed, the more astronomical one’s wealth requirements. Moreover, some precious materials were not easily available.

Grandmaster likely didn't directly bestow me with so much wealth right away because he wanted to encourage me to work hard, to face various trials and tribulations. Wu Yuan thought to himself.

He was eager to prove himself.

If one kept relying on seniors without experiencing life-and-death situations, one’s growth would indeed be limited. True super powerhouses were all forged through repeated life-and-death ordeals.

It was far more fulfilling to seize wealth and treasures by oneself.

Using the amethyst cradle, I’ll refine these metals and materials one by one. Just allocate a fraction of mental energy and take it slow... Wu Yuan then examined the large quantity of standardized artifacts he had purchased.

A vast array of standardized flying swords, shields, battle armor, and more were piled before him, mostly high-grade spirion artifacts. There were over ten thousand pieces in total, costing Wu Yuan tens of thousands of divine crystals. Ordinarily, a single high-grade spirion artifact was worth only one or two divine crystals.

Wu Yuan had prepared these artifacts for his future mana body.

When venturing on expeditions in the future, I will face many life-threatening situations. If my mana body fights too recklessly, it may perish. Once it perishes, all the treasures it carries will be lost. Wu Yuan mused inwardly. So, I must prepare several sets of equipment.

The main purpose of the mana body was to take risks!

Besides these artifacts, Wu Yuan had also specifically purchased Divided Soul Immortal Life Pills. These medicinal pills were quite expensive, with each pill costing over ten thousand divine crystals.

They had only one function – if an Earth Immortal's mana body perished, consuming this pill reduced the time required for the amethyst cradle to cultivate a new mana body.