Chapter Forty-Six: Second Rank of Spiritual Void

As soon as the words fell, two fragrant, jade-green pills appeared instantly before Tianming.

“Take them,” Qingpo nodded to Tianming.

“What do you mean? What do you mean by ‘officially passing the first trial’?” Tianming asked in a low voice as he accepted the two pills.

He fixed Qingpo with a puzzled look. Although Tianming had already guessed some of the truth, he still wanted to hear how Qingpo would explain it. Hadn’t he already passed? Why would Qingpo say such a thing? Could it be that everything before was just an illusion?

“That’s right. What just happened was a test I set for you. If you could resist temptation, you would not only receive a reward but also truly pass the first trial. This stage tests not only your intelligence but also your self-control. Failing in either means you don’t pass,” Qingpo said seriously, his eyes gleaming.

Yet when his gaze settled on Tianming, it softened into admiration.

“So, if I’d listened to you and entered the second trial, would that have meant I failed?” Tianming asked hesitantly, mouth agape.

Just as he suspected, Tianming couldn’t help but feel relieved that he hadn’t followed Qingpo’s instructions and entered the next stage. Otherwise, he’d have made a fool of himself.

“Exactly,” Qingpo replied with a gentle smile and a nod.

“Damn, aren’t you a bit too cunning?” Tianming rolled his eyes, looking at Qingpo with contempt.

He realized cultivators here were fond of such schemes, and they played their roles so well it was almost convincing enough to fool even him.

“Cunning, am I?” Qingpo puffed his cheeks in mock outrage, eyes wide in exaggerated disbelief.

“My young friend, I already bent the rules for you just now. Did you really think I hadn’t seen through your little ploys? Others wouldn’t be treated so leniently!” Qingpo spread his withered, illusory palm, his expression helpless.

After all, he had lived for a thousand years—even if only as a spirit of an artifact, he had witnessed the vicissitudes of the world. How could he be so easily deceived by Tianming? Take, for example, that goading tactic—if he hadn’t been given a way out, he would never have appeared.

“Then should I be thanking you?” Tianming said awkwardly, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

He hadn’t expected Qingpo to have seen through him from the beginning. No wonder something had felt off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it until now!

“All right, since you’ve passed, let us proceed to the second trial,” Qingpo said, his expression turning solemn, not wishing to dwell on the previous topic.

“Wait—what about the reward for the first trial? You haven’t given it to me yet!” Tianming interrupted before Qingpo could act.

Suddenly recalling what Chu Qingchen had said, Tianming remembered that each stage supposedly came with a reward. Had Qingpo forgotten?

“What reward? Didn’t I just give it to you?” Qingpo replied sharply, his face set in a stern line.

At this, Qingpo’s patience began to wear thin.

“You’re not talking about those two Heaven-grade pills, are you?” Tianming asked curiously, momentarily stunned.

He stared at Qingpo in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.

“Exactly, those are the ones!” Qingpo nodded, a meaningful smile on his lips. “What’s wrong?”

“But… aren’t those an extra reward?” Tianming scratched his head, somewhat at a loss for words.

He hadn’t expected Qingpo to deny it so quickly, but there was nothing he could do—after all, this was Qingpo’s domain.

“My young friend, do you know how precious Heaven-grade pills are? Among Mortal, Human, Earth, and Heaven grades, Heaven is the highest. Go ask others what reward they received for passing the first trial—do you think Heaven-grade pills are so common they’re just lying around everywhere?” Qingpo’s mouth twitched as he glared at Tianming, his tone reproachful.

Such a vivid performance left Tianming speechless.

“…Can you refine pills?” Tianming asked quietly after a moment’s silence.

“Don’t even think about it. These pills were left behind by my master before his death, and there aren’t many left,” Qingpo said earnestly, shaking his head.

Sensing Tianming’s intention, Qingpo quickly quashed any budding ideas.

“All right, then. Can you at least let me refine these two pills before we move on to the second trial?” Tianming sighed, looking at Qingpo pleadingly.

The later trials would surely be even more difficult—he could tell that much from the first one.

“What? Wait until you’ve refined them? Do you think this is your own home?” Qingpo’s stern face turned to one of utter disbelief, staring at Tianming in shock.

His astonished gaze lingered, as if time itself had frozen.

“It won’t take long—just one minute,” Tianming said, the corners of his lips lifting into a smile at Qingpo’s reaction.

This was his secret; no matter how great the energy, as long as he had his all-purpose Doraemon, it was no trouble at all.

“My young friend, are you joking with me? One minute?” Qingpo’s disbelief deepened. Even he couldn’t refine a Heaven-grade pill in just one minute. He studied Tianming carefully but found nothing unusual—he was still only at the fourth rank of Foundation Establishment.

“Let me give you some advice, young man: don’t overreach yourself. There are many things waiting for you in the future…” Qingpo shook his head, his tone heavy with meaning.

“Doraemon, convert these two Heaven-grade pills into experience points—quickly!”

Knowing Qingpo wouldn’t believe him, Tianming didn’t bother to explain further and instead decided to let his actions speak for themselves. He slipped into his mind.

“Yes, Master!”

A familiar voice echoed within him, but Tianming’s heart was filled with anxiety. He wondered if these two pills would be enough to help him step into the Spirit Void Realm.

Clang, clang, clang!

“The pills are of Heaven-grade, single mark. Congratulations, Master, you have gained two hundred thousand experience points. You are now eight thousand and sixty-four points away from reaching the fifth rank of Foundation Establishment!”

“Advance to Spirit Void Rank One!”

“Advance to Spirit Void Rank Two! You are now eleven thousand nine hundred and four points away from advancing to Spirit Void Rank Three, at which point you will be eligible for a lottery draw.”

The Spirit Void Realm was not only a stage where the body surpassed the Foundation Establishment phase, but cultivators at this level could also fully absorb the primordial energy of heaven and earth. Compared to the ordinary energy in Foundation Establishment, this energy was even purer and more potent—it was energy recognized by the heavens themselves!

As the information flooded in, Tianming could feel the difference. If his previous energy was like water from a squirt gun, now it was a real firearm. He sensed his body becoming tougher, able to contain several times more of the world’s energy, which was now incomparably pure, vast, and untainted.

While Tianming felt as light as a feather, Qingpo outside was left speechless, struck by an unspeakable sense of frustration.

A sharp intake of breath escaped him.

At that moment, a golden beam of light descended from the sky, accompanied by a faint sound of astonishment.

A series of complex, indecipherable runes spun above his head, golden halos interlocking over Tianming’s crown.

In an instant, resplendent gold and silver light radiated from Tianming, his entire body glowing with a silvery luster like lightning. Energy surged from him in waves, forming a whirlwind that rippled outward from the center.

“Spirit Void Realm? How is this possible!” Qingpo gasped, his aged face frozen in shock.

He had thought this boy was just putting on a show, never expecting him to leap straight from Foundation Establishment to the second rank of Spirit Void. That wasn’t just a difference of four or five ranks—it was a gulf of seven or eight, a chasm not so easily crossed.

Moreover, the phenomenon accompanying this breakthrough was unlike anything he’d ever seen. Qingpo could only watch in silence, burying his shock deep within, knowing that to disturb a breakthrough now would be a grave mistake.

Had Tianming not been right before his eyes, one might have thought this was a reincarnated immortal starting anew…