Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1402 - 747: Golden Rainbow_2

"This is an incomplete Grotto Heaven. Given your current cultivation, Master, you shouldn't even be in possession of such a place. While the Five Elements are present here, you must gain a fundamental grasp of all Five Elements Rules to truly claim this Grotto Heaven as your own. Only then can it serve as your foundation for the Mahayana Realm!" As the Artifact Spirit radiated the Gold Rules, it simultaneously scanned the Grotto Heaven's interior using its unique methods, providing Li Shiming with its professional assessment.

Li Shiming was genuinely shocked by this revelation. He was merely a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitioner. Even if he could return to the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, he doubted they could offer him the specific cultivation insights of a Great Power.

Regarding his clone, Li Yuanba, the status of a Great Cultivator was a prerequisite at the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion before one could even glimpse knowledge pertaining to the Mahayana Realm.

Surprisingly, this Artifact Spirit possessed Mahayana knowledge and was capable of mentoring him.

Finding this clear path forward was arguably more significant than obtaining the final Gold Rules required to complete his Half-Life Cave Heaven.

The 'Heavenly Human Technique' did include instructions for the Mahayana Realm; however, because no previous cultivation records existed for this technique, he was forced to rely on his own interpretations and experimental practice.

Under the tutelage of the Golden Rainbow Sword’s Artifact Spirit, he might bypass several pitfalls on his journey toward the Mahayana Realm.

Once the sword acknowledged him as its master, Li Shiming discovered that the golden weapon was named the 'Golden Rainbow Sword.'

Among all his spiritual treasures, the Artifact Spirit of the Golden Rainbow Sword possessed the most advanced Wisdom.

This made sense, as his other spiritual treasures were relatively new. Even if their Artifact Spirits were born with exceptional potential, they still required time to mature.

Typically, the development of an Artifact Spirit is measured in centuries. A century of growth results in an Artifact Spirit that is barely functional; it takes several hundred or even a thousand years to reach a high level of Wisdom.

Furthermore, an Artifact Spirit's evolution isn't just a product of time; it must be nurtured by the owner’s cultivation and fed a massive amount of information.

Having served the Langcai Great Power for countless ages, the Golden Rainbow Sword’s spirit had absorbed a wealth of cultivation insights through long-term observation.

From the spirit's perspective, as long as Li Shiming dealt with the previous owner's remains respectfully, this knowledge could be shared freely with the new master, as no restrictions had been placed on its dissemination.

For the first time, Li Shiming understood that this Half-Life Cave Heaven could be fully transformed into his personal Grotto Heaven.

By utilizing this Grotto Heaven as his base, he could potentially leap directly from a Great Cultivator to the Mahayana Realm.

"Since you are the spirit of the Golden Rainbow Sword, I shall call you Jin Hong from now on. Tell me, if I were to acquire a finished Grotto Heaven belonging to a Great Power, could it serve as my foundation for reaching the Mahayana Realm?" Li Shiming inquired after a moment of reflection.

He had previously discussed this with Wu Qi through Li Yuanba, but since Wu Qi was only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, the reliability of his information was suspect.

He sought a definitive answer from Jin Hong to ensure his preparations were sound.

"Master, your presence does not align with that of my former master. I sense the complete Five Elements along with thunder and lightning within you. This specific Grotto Heaven is far more compatible with your nature; trying to integrate my previous master’s Grotto Heaven would be unwise," Jin Hong explained.

Jin Hong’s Wisdom was indeed profound, though it made an incorrect assumption. Having been suppressed by the Forbidden Spirit Talisman before the collapse of Langcai Great Power’s Grotto Heaven, it was unaware of the destruction that had occurred outside.

It assumed Li Shiming was considering using the old master's Grotto Heaven as his foundation.

"It isn't about your former master's Grotto Heaven; that place has already been destroyed," Li Shiming clarified honestly.

"I only hope that if my original master ever returns, he won't hold it against me that I couldn't protect the Grotto Heaven," Jin Hong replied, showing a hint of sorrow.

The Artifact Spirit displayed genuine sentiment rather than a programmed response, further highlighting Jin Hong's high level of Wisdom.

"If an unclaimed Grotto Heaven exists that perfectly matches your cultivation technique, it could indeed be used for your Mahayana ascension," Jin Hong added, its emotions shifting quickly as it returned to Li Shiming's inquiry.

"One more thing. I possess five Nascent Souls; must I prepare five separate Grotto Heavens?" Li Shiming asked. This was the concern that weighed most heavily on him, and he finally had a knowledgeable source to consult.

Jin Hong hesitated for the time it takes to consume a cup of tea. This question seemed to challenge even its extensive memory banks.

Despite serving a Great Power for millennia, it had never encountered a Nascent Soul Cultivator with five separate Nascent Souls.

To verify his claim, Li Shiming manifested each of his Nascent Souls one by one above his head.

Five Nascent Souls floated in the air, each emitting powerful ripples of Chaos Energy.

"I cannot give a definitive answer, but I am certain of one thing: while you can reach the Mahayana Realm, to progress further, you will need all five Nascent Souls to establish their own Grotto Heavens and cultivate them to their limit," Jin Hong concluded after a pause.

Li Shiming felt fortunate to have asked Jin Hong. Had he posed this to any other Great Power, they likely would have thought he was joking.

The path he had chosen was incredibly daunting. Reaching the status of a Great Power was already a monumental task, and the chances of further ascension were slim.

He had effectively quintupled the difficulty of his path. While other Great Powers managed a single Grotto Heaven, he would have to manage five.

The sheer volume of resources required would be five times greater, to say nothing of the mental and temporal toll.

However, five Nascent Souls provided more than just difficulty; they offered immense strength.

His Qi reserves were five times those of his peers. By using Nascent Soul Emergence to summon his Nascent Soul Dharma Forms, he could fight with the combined, perfectly synchronized strength of five entities against a single opponent.

Upon reaching the Mahayana Realm, every Grotto Heaven he opened would be like adding another Mahayana-level combatant. With five Grotto Heavens, his peak strength would rival five Great Powers combined.

"Master, the energy in your Nascent Souls differs from your external aura. It is Chaos Energy—a power supposedly only accessible to Ascendant Cultivators!" the Artifact Spirit suddenly remarked.

Li Shiming was stunned once more. Ascendant Cultivators were those at the Late Mahayana Stage preparing for their final tribulation to ascend.

The spirit claimed the energy produced by the 'Heavenly Human Technique' was the same as that used by those nearing ascension.

While he knew the Chaos Energy from his technique was remarkably versatile and strong, he hadn't imagined it was on that level.

Forget Ascendant Cultivators; currently, even with his Chaos Energy and high-tier artifacts, he could only just hold his own against a Great Cultivator.

He was still leagues away from the weakest Great Power, let alone an Ascendant Cultivator.

"You claim this Chaos Energy is exclusive to Ascendant Cultivators. If that's true, why don't I feel its overwhelming power?" Li Shiming asked quickly.

"I cannot answer that, Master. Even my previous master did not fully comprehend the nature of Ascendant Cultivators," Jin Hong admitted.

Li Shiming proceeded to ask every question he had stored up, particularly the ones regarding the mysteries of the 'Heavenly Human Technique.'

Jin Hong acted as a living library, providing solutions to the majority of his problems.

Even for the questions it couldn't fully resolve, it provided helpful context and related theories.

Through this intensive dialogue, Li Shiming's future grew clearer. He was no longer wandering blindly in the dark; a bright, defined path of cultivation now lay before him.