A month had passed.

  One by one, the Core Formation and Golden Core divisions had concluded their competitions. Unlike the Foundation Building battles—brutal, and in some cases, even fatal—the higher-tier cultivators exercised far greater restraint. Their clashes were still intense, but their control over their power ensured that unnecessary casualties were avoided.

  For Devor, however, the biggest shift wasn’t in the competitions themselves—it was in how these elite cultivators now viewed him.

  At first, the Core Formation and Golden Core disciples had dismissed him as just another Qi Refining novice. But after witnessing his performance in the tournament, their indifference turned to curiosity.

  Their skepticism gave way to respect.

  One after another, disciples from prestigious sects approached him, offering Communication Tokens, eager to forge connections despite the gap in their cultivation levels.

  In the world of cultivation, strength commanded respect—but potential was even more valuable.

  It wasn’t long before Devor received a summons from the Azure Sky Sect Master.

  Without hesitation, he followed the Sect Master through a hidden entrance deep within Vinix City, descending into an underground passage that stretched beneath the city itself.

  What lay beneath Vinix City was not just a hidden chamber—but something far more profound.

  The moment they stepped through the towering stone doors, Devor found himself standing in a vast underground expanse. The chamber stretched beyond sight, its walls etched with intricate formations that pulsed with soft golden light, stabilizing the space with an almost rhythmic energy.

  It was massive.

  Countless sects had likely conducted secret experiments and studies here, but that wasn’t why they had come.

  No—this place held something far more precious.

  At the heart of the chamber lay a Spiritual Pool.

  Devor’s breath caught as he took in the sight.

  The water glowed with an ethereal blue light, its surface rippling with waves of pure energy. The sheer density of spiritual essence radiating from it was staggering—so potent that even from a distance, his body instinctively absorbed it, his cultivation responding on its own.

  It was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

  The pool itself wasn’t large—only about fifty square meters in diameter, a perfect, seamless circle. Yet its presence was undeniable, exuding an ancient power that hinted at secrets far beyond what the eye could see.

  The Sect Master halted at the edge, turning to Devor. With a measured gesture, he motioned toward the pool.

  “Step in and immerse yourself. I’ll be monitoring your condition from here.”

  Devor nodded, offering a slight bow before stepping forward.

  With practiced ease, he shed his outer garments, leaving only a pair of shorts.

  His physique was lean yet well-defined, the result of years of disciplined training. While he lacked the raw power of combat-oriented disciples, his body had been honed through precision and control—built for endurance, not brute force.

  Compared to others, he was still weaker in sheer strength.

  But he had no intention of staying that way.

  As he stepped into the Spiritual Pool, a sharp chill surged across his skin—cold, yet invigorating.

  The moment he sank deeper, his entire being resonated with the energy within the water.

  The spiritual energy didn’t need to be drawn in—it poured into him effortlessly.

  He had never experienced absorption this pure, this natural.

  Devor settled into a cross-legged position near the pool’s edge, allowing the water to surround him. His body relaxed, but his mind remained focused.

  He wasn’t here just to soak in spiritual energy.

  He was here for a breakthrough.

  Taking a deep breath, he snapped his fingers.

  A radiant Golden Pill materialized between them, summoned from his Spatial Ring.

  But this wasn’t just any Golden Pill—it was the result of countless refinements, meticulously crafted to align with Devor’s unique constitution.

  And now, after more than a month of preparation, it was finally complete.

  Without hesitation, he placed the pill on his tongue and swallowed.

  The moment it dissolved, his body reacted instantly.

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  A surge of searing energy flooded his meridians, burning hot and cold at once, like liquid fire and ice coursing through his veins.

  His ability to absorb spiritual energy skyrocketed.

  Before, he had to consciously guide his cultivation technique, drawing in energy at a steady pace.

  But now?

  The Golden Pill worked autonomously, acting as a conduit that refined and converted the incoming energy into five perfectly balanced elemental forces, seamlessly harmonizing with his Five-Color Spiritual Root.

  It was flawless efficiency.

  Wasting no time, Devor entered deep meditation, fully immersing himself in his cultivation technique.

  His consciousness drifted inward—into the mysterious inner world hidden within his soul.

  Before him stretched an endless grassland, untouched and ethereal, bathed in a quiet, otherworldly glow.

  At its center lay a Spiritual Pool, a reflection of his strength in the Qi Refining Realm.

  Above, a gentle spiritual rain began to fall, each droplet a pure manifestation of the energy he absorbed.

  He focused, guiding the energy with precision, directing it into his inner pool, deepening its foundation.

  Right now, Devor’s pool had reached a depth of ninety-two meters.

  To fully break through to Qi Refining, he needed to reach one hundred meters.

  But this process wasn’t instantaneous. Even with the Spiritual Pool and Golden Pill enhancing his cultivation, the expansion of his inner pool remained a slow, deliberate transformation.

  Every meter gained required time, control, and unwavering focus.

  Even now, it would take him nearly an hour to deepen the pool by just one meter.

  But Devor wasn’t in a hurry.

  Cultivation wasn’t about speed—it was about stability and mastery.

  The stronger his Qi Refining stage, the more unshakable his foundation would be for every realm beyond it.

  From the sidelines, the Sect Master watched in silence.

  His expression remained calm, but his gaze carried a quiet weight.

  Slowly but surely, Devor cultivation pushed forward, gaining momentum.

  For most, advancing too quickly was a reckless risk—an unstable foundation could cripple their future potential.

  But Devor was different.

  His foundation had been forged through relentless effort—through toil, hardship, and battles that pushed him to his limits.

  His cultivation wasn’t built on shortcuts.

  It was built on unyielding experience, carved from struggle and perseverance.

  After nearly a year of competition, stability was no longer a concern for Devor.

  He had been tempered like steel in a raging furnace—and now, it was time to seize even greater power.

  The effects of the Golden Pill would only last an hour.

  Without hesitation, he swallowed a second one.

  This was the privilege of the strong.

  With the right resources, even a pig could become a dragon.

  A fresh surge of spiritual energy coursed through his meridians, sharper and more intense than before. And with it came something he had never experienced—absolute clarity.

  This wasn’t a slow, incremental shift.

  It was a breakthrough—undeniable and absolute.

  With each breath, he could feel his cultivation transforming, evolving.

  From a distance, the Sect Master watched in silence, his hands clasped behind his back.

  By all appearances, everything was progressing smoothly.

  But his gaze held a flicker of concern.

  Devor had refined his own cultivation technique—the Five-Dragon Cultivation Method—and so far, it had worked flawlessly.

  But was it truly flawless?

  The sect could have offered him a stronger, time-tested cultivation method, yet Devor had refused, choosing instead to forge his own path.

  The Sect Master respected that decision.

  But if there were flaws hidden within Devor’s technique—flaws that could hinder his breakthrough—he was prepared to intervene without hesitation.

  For now, though… he waited.

  Six hours passed.

  And then, Devor felt it—the critical threshold.

  Inside his inner world, his soul-bound spiritual pool had finally reached a depth of one hundred meters.

  Then—

  Something extraordinary happened.

  The Five-Dragon Cultivation Technique suddenly erupted, its energy surging through him like a tidal wave.

  His spiritual pool began to tremble.

  And then, as if drawn by an unseen force, it started to rise.

  Devor watched in stunned silence as the land beneath it shifted, reshaping itself into something uncannily familiar.

  A mountain.

  Not just any mountain—

  His mountain.

  The terrain shifted and expanded, the once-small pool atop it transforming into a cascading waterfall. Its waters flowed down the slopes, merging into a river below.

  The mountain continued to rise, its foundation growing stronger, more unshakable, its presence more profound.

  And then—

  It stopped.

  Now standing eighty meters tall, his once-tiny spiritual pool had become a towering peak.

  A symbol of his breakthrough.

  A mountain forged from his will.

  Devor had officially stepped into the Foundation Building Realm!

  Before he could fully process the transformation, a sudden flash of golden light filled his vision.

  Then—

  [ Host has reached the Foundation Building Realm. ]

  Devor’s breath caught.

  This was… different.

  The system, which had always been a passive presence, had suddenly activated on its own.

  [ System has determined an upgrade based on the Host’s chosen cultivation path. ]

  Devor’s pulse quickened.

  The system is… upgrading?

  It had always been a tool, something he could rely on—but it had never changed before.

  If it could evolve, then…

  Did that mean his own cultivation choices were shaping its future functions?

  Then, the next prompt appeared.

  [ Upgrade confirmed. ]

  [ Attribute Analyzer → Spiritual Analyzer ]

  [ New Function: The Host can now analyze the attributes of Spiritual Plants. ]

  Devor’s eyes widened.

  Spiritual Analyzer?

  He could analyze plants now?

  But the changes weren’t over.

  [ Ultimate Synthesis has gained an additional simulation function. ]

  His mind raced.

  “Simulation function?”

  The next message explained everything.

  [ In addition to simulating cultivation techniques, the Host can now simulate Spiritual Plants within Ultimate Synthesis. The Host may test up to three plants in his Sea of Consciousness. ]

  Devor's eyes widened.

  "I can simulate Spiritual Plants… in my mind?"

  His breath came faster as the realization sank in.

  If this was real… then everything about Spiritual Farming had just changed.

  For most cultivators, synthesizing Spiritual Plants was a painstaking trial-and-error process.

  Even the most skilled Spiritual Farmers and Alchemists needed physical plants to experiment with—leading to wasted resources, failures, and unpredictable results.

  But now?

  He could run experiments entirely within his consciousness.

  No risk. No wasted materials.

  And best of all—instant results.

  He wouldn’t have to wait for real-world growth cycles. His Sea of Consciousness would allow him to test theories in mere moments.

  Devor clenched his fists, his mind racing with possibilities.

  The system hadn’t just evolved—it had given him an edge no one else possessed.

  How many centuries of research could he bypass?

  How many breakthroughs could he achieve before others even grasped the basics?

  With this ability, he could push Spiritual Plant Synthesis to unprecedented heights.

  But more than that…

  If he could simulate Spiritual Plants…

  What else could he apply this to?

  What other uncharted aspects of cultivation could be mastered through the power of simulation?

  Devor exhaled slowly, his mind buzzing with possibilities.

  This wasn’t just a breakthrough—it was the beginning of something far greater.

  His path forward had never been clearer.

  And the world of cultivation…

  was about to change forever.