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

"This is an incomplete Grotto Heaven. Given your current cultivation level, Master, possessing such a place should be impossible. Even though the Five Elements have been finalized here, you must still 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 using its unique methods, providing Li Shiming with its professional assessment.

Li Shiming was genuinely shocked by this revelation. He was merely a practitioner at the Middle Stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Setting aside the fact that he was currently unable to return to his Sect, even the Ten Thousand Beast Sect would be unable to grant him access to the cultivation insights of a Great Power.

Regarding his avatar, Li Yuanba, the situation was similar. Based on Li Yuanba’s status, he would need to reach the rank of a Great Cultivator at the very least before he was permitted to study Mahayana knowledge at the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

However, this Artifact Spirit already possessed Mahayana knowledge and was even capable of mentoring him.

This discovery was arguably more vital than obtaining the final Gold Rules required to finish his Half-Life Cave Heaven; he had finally discovered his true path forward.

While the 'Heavenly Human Technique' did include instructions for the Mahayana Realm, it lacked any preserved cultivation insights from predecessors. Consequently, much of the content required him to first intuit the meaning before he could attempt the actual cultivation.

With the Golden Rainbow Sword’s Artifact Spirit acting as a guide, he might avoid many pitfalls on his journey toward the Mahayana Realm.

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

The Wisdom displayed by the Golden Rainbow Sword’s Artifact Spirit was the highest among all the spirits he possessed.

This made sense; the time spent forging his other spiritual treasures was relatively short. Even if the resulting Artifact Spirits were exceptional, they still required time to mature.

The development of any Artifact Spirit is measured in centuries. After a hundred years, an Artifact Spirit is barely functional; it typically takes several centuries, or even a millennium, for one to achieve significant Wisdom.

Naturally, growth isn't just a matter of time; it also depends on the owner’s cultivation and being fed a steady stream of knowledge.

The Golden Rainbow Sword’s Artifact Spirit had served the Langcai Great Power for countless ages, absorbing many cultivation insights through long-term observation.

According to the Artifact Spirit’s logic, as long as Li Shiming treated its former master with proper respect, this knowledge could be shared with the new master without restriction, as the previous owner had set no prohibitions on the matter.

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

By using this Grotto Heaven as his base, he could potentially leap directly from being a Great Cultivator to the Mahayana Realm in a single move.

"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 heard an explanation regarding this from Wu Qi through Li Yuanba, but because Wu Qi was only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, the reliability of that information was highly suspect.

He sought a definitive answer from Jin Hong so he could prepare himself adequately.

"Master, your aura is not a match for my previous master. I can detect the full Five Elements as well as thunder and lightning within you. This specific Grotto Heaven is far more compatible with your nature; trying to merge with my former master’s Grotto Heaven would be unwise!" Jin Hong replied.

The Wisdom of the Artifact Spirit Jin Hong was indeed profound, though it made an incorrect assumption. Because it had 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 still assumed Li Shiming intended to utilize the late Great Power's Grotto Heaven as his cultivation foundation.

"It isn't about your former master's Grotto Heaven; that place has already been destroyed," Li Shiming clarified, seeing no reason to hide the truth.

"I can only hope that when my original master wakes, he does not blame me for failing to protect the Grotto Heaven!" Jin Hong expressed a deep sense of grief upon hearing the news.

The Artifact Spirit displayed genuine sentiment rather than a mere programmed response, further confirming Jin Hong’s advanced level of Wisdom.

"If an ownerless Grotto Heaven exists that perfectly matches your cultivation technique, then yes, it can be used to ascend to the Mahayana Realm!" Jin Hong’s sadness passed quickly as it returned to answering Li Shiming’s earlier query.

"I have one more concern. I possess five Nascent Souls; does this mean I must prepare to establish five separate Grotto Heavens?" Li Shiming asked. This was the issue he was most worried about, and he had finally found a knowledgeable source he could trust.

This question caused Jin Hong to pause for the time it takes to consume a cup of tea; the query had momentarily exhausted its vast knowledge base.

Despite serving the Langcai Great Power for thousands of years and seeing much of the world, it had never encountered a Nascent Soul Cultivator with five Nascent Souls.

To prove his claim, Li Shiming performed a Nascent Soul Emergence, manifesting one soul after another above his head.

Five Nascent Souls floated in the air, each radiating intense waves of Chaos Energy.

"I cannot give you 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 manifest Grotto Heavens and cultivate them to their absolute limit!" Jin Hong answered after its brief silence.

Li Shiming felt fortunate to have consulted Jin Hong. Had he asked any other Great Power, they would likely have viewed him as a madman.

He had inadvertently set an incredibly difficult task for himself. Even for a normal cultivator, becoming a Great Power was a monumental challenge, and the chances of ascending further were even slimmer.

Now, he had multiplied that difficulty by five. While other Great Powers only had to maintain a single Grotto Heaven, he would need to manage five.

The sheer volume of resources required would be quintupled, to say nothing of the immense time and effort involved.

Nevertheless, having five Nascent Souls brought more than just complications; it brought overwhelming power.

His Qi reserves were five times greater than any cultivator at his level. By using Nascent Soul Emergence to summon his Nascent Soul Dharma Forms, he could fight as five perfectly coordinated entities against a single foe.

Upon reaching the Mahayana Realm, every Grotto Heaven he opened would be like gaining the strength of an additional Mahayana practitioner. Once all five were open, his peak combat strength would equal five Great Powers combined.

"Master, the energy inside your Nascent Souls differs from your external aura. It is Chaos Energy—a power said to be exclusive to Ascendant Cultivators!" the Artifact Spirit suddenly remarked.

Li Shiming was once again taken aback. Ascendant Cultivators were those at the Late Mahayana Stage preparing for their final tribulation to ascend to a higher plane.

The Artifact Spirit was claiming that the energy produced by his 'Heavenly Human Technique' was a power reserved only for those on the verge of ascension.

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

Forget Ascendants; with his current level of Chaos Energy and his high-tier artifacts, he was only just able to hold his own against a Great Cultivator.

He was still leagues away from the weakest Great Power, let alone someone preparing for ascension.

"You claim this Chaos Energy is the domain of Ascendant Cultivators, but why does it not feel that powerful to me?" Li Shiming asked immediately.

"Master, that is a question I cannot answer. 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 been saving, particularly the confusing points he had encountered while practicing the 'Heavenly Human Technique.'

Jin Hong acted as a living library, providing solutions to nearly every problem he raised.

Even when a direct answer wasn't available, the spirit offered related context and theories.

Through this intense dialogue, Li Shiming's future became vivid. He was no longer stumbling through the dark; a clear path of cultivation now stretched out before him.