Chapter 82: Allow Me to Grant You a Stroke of Fortune!

“It's time to advance. There’s no time now to ask Nangong. Since I’ve fully mastered this divine art, I must quickly use the Devourer of Spirits to condense my mind—transforming spiritual power into divine consciousness.”

Qiu Han brushed aside all distractions, focusing his entire mind on deploying the divine art to resolve his current crisis. He muttered the incantation once more, and as his spiritual energy slowly circulated, that strange sensation of ants crawling within returned. Yet, unlike previous times, this feeling now was unmistakably strong and vivid.

If before it felt like one or a few ants crawling about, now it was as if thousands upon thousands were swarming through his meridians. With his divine consciousness observing his dantian, he saw countless crystalline points of spiritual energy rising from the vortex, slowly fading away. At the same time, he sensed his cultivation and spiritual power decreasing bit by bit, while his divine consciousness gradually grew.

“A miracle! This is truly a miracle. He’s actually grasped the essence of my divine art. But now, it seems danger is upon him. Very well—since he has lived up to my expectations, even if I must consume more of my remaining soul power, I shall guard his safety.”

Nangong Li had ceased paying attention to Qiu Han, but upon noticing the unusual changes, his eyes lit up. Observing Qiu Han’s peril, he made up his mind.

Upon the great stone, Qiu Han remained utterly motionless, his eyes half-closed, yet his divine consciousness spread out in a ten-zhang radius. He had already noticed the changes in the world around him, but it was too late to prepare any defenses. The gathering spiritual energy would attract beasts from the surrounding area—perhaps even some of the second-tier monsters.

His mind was entirely devoted to transforming spiritual power into divine consciousness, preventing his cultivation from advancing. An incense stick’s worth of time later, his spiritual power had dwindled to the level of a typical peak Qi Refining stage, while his divine consciousness strength reached the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment initial stage. At this moment, the ambient spiritual energy began to enter his body through his nose and mouth.

“This is bad. At this rate of assimilation, I can’t consume all the spiritual energy flooding into my body due to the advance to Foundation Establishment. And now, even if I choose to advance, it’s already too late. What should I do? Nangong Li named this divine art ‘Devourer of Spirits’—it must be more than simple assimilation. This ‘devour’ surely means to swallow, but how? It can’t be just assimilation!”

His clothing was soaked through, and then, a beast’s roar echoed from afar. Qiu Han’s brows furrowed; he snapped his eyes open, then immediately closed them again.

“Spiritual power is intangible, yet it can be perceived through divine consciousness. Like divine consciousness, it is not truly unreal. Neither wholly unreal nor wholly real—it cannot be grasped. Between reality and illusion, if I can fully comprehend it, then the meaning of ‘devour’ may be truly mastered. At that moment, divine consciousness may transform into spiritual power, and I might achieve perfect harmony!”

Half an hour later, dozens of miles away, amidst the vast forest, traces of monsters appeared. In Qiu Han’s left front, several fox-like beasts gathered, their eyes locked on Qiu Han’s location. Soon, they bounded toward him.

Another incense stick burned away, and tremendous changes occurred within Qiu Han. His divine consciousness had completely invaded the spiritual vortex in his dantian. The surrounding spiritual energy flooded into his body, yet his divine consciousness blocked it from entering the vortex. Before long, the energy dissipated entirely, while his divine consciousness grew stronger yet.

The vortex of spiritual power in his dantian was now entirely wrapped by his divine consciousness, flickering in and out, sometimes merging, sometimes reforming. The monsters had come within ten miles of his location. Nangong Li grew anxious, but as he closely observed Qiu Han’s body, his eyes suddenly narrowed and he cried out.

“Spiritual power becomes illusion! Impossible—utterly impossible! For a mere Qi Refining cultivator to attain the state of illusory spiritual power, which can only be comprehended after the Divine Transformation stage! This child is no ordinary soul; with fortune, his future is beyond measure!”

Suddenly, Nangong Li burst into laughter. “Good! Good! Good! After tens of thousands of years, it seems this time, I truly may leave the Celestial Compass, recover my cultivation, and return to the starry skies I once roamed. Qiu Han, you have not disappointed me. Even if I must sleep again, I will exhaust my remaining soul power to guard you!”

Nangong Li’s voice reached Qiu Han’s mind. “Qiu Han, advance to Foundation Establishment with all your might. Hold nothing back. As for the monsters outside, I will protect you. Listen well—I will impart to you my experience in advancing to Foundation Establishment. If you withstand this trial, I shall grant you a great blessing!”

If he survives, his destiny will be transformed.

Nangong Li’s words echoed within Qiu Han’s mind, along with instructions on what to watch for in advancing. Qiu Han nodded, then ignored the approaching monsters and ceased resisting the surge of spiritual energy, focusing entirely on advancing to Foundation Establishment.

The surrounding spiritual energy rapidly gathered and poured into Qiu Han. In his dantian, the spiritual vortex began to spin furiously, gradually condensing—not as a vortex, but forming a small spiritual orb. Initially no larger than a fingernail, it slowly grew as time passed.

After an incense stick’s time, the orb was now the size of an egg. Qiu Han was halfway to successfully advancing, but at that moment, the monsters drawn by the spiritual energy had entered within a thousand paces.

“Not good!”

Nangong Li, ever watchful, noticed immediately. A cold gleam flashed through his eyes; behind his spectral form, long hair lifted in an unfelt wind. Solemn, he stared at the exit of the spatial domain.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again after a moment, lips moving as he sent a message to Qiu Han outside. “Qiu Han, since you’ve grasped the essence of my divine art, you should have guessed there’s also the transformation of divine consciousness into spiritual power. Yes, I didn’t tell you before—I never believed you could master my divine art. Now, I’ll teach you the remaining incantation for the transformation. As for those monsters, I will hold them back!”

With those words, Nangong Li’s ethereal form was enveloped in a shroud of black mist, which slowly drifted toward the exit of the Celestial Compass realm.