Advancing to Spirit Lord
Evan Xiao was getting anxious. He drew the Pure Jun Sword and attacked the gourd with all his might.
But the Demon Refining Gourd had absorbed the Yuan Force of countless people and beasts over thousands of years. The energy flowing on its surface was simply too powerful. Combined with its own celestial power, even Evan couldn't break it.
"Evan, are you okay?" Grace asked, her voice strained.
"The gourd doesn't affect immortals or gods," Evan said. "It only drains Yuan Force from spirit practitioners and spirit beasts."
"That's a relief!" Grace staggered, barely able to stand. "I feel like I'm going to die here..."
Evan frowned as he looked at her.
"Evan... go into my space and get the Herbal Codex of the Ten Desolations. If I die, deliver it to my master, Jun Lionhead." Grace felt the need to give her last instructions.
But Evan didn't move.
"Hurry! If I die, I don't even know what will happen to my space," Grace said. "Once the Haotian Water is restored, find my master. He'll make the antidote for the Seven Absolute Begonia! You have to save my mother and break her seal. Then, help her rescue my father..."
"You're not dying just yet," Evan replied. "No need for last words right now."
Grace pointed at the wall, which was glowing brighter and brighter. "He's speeding up the refining process. I can't hold on much longer..."
Evan glanced at the wall. He really didn't have much time to figure something out.
There was only one way...
Evan took a deep breath and entered her space after all.
But what he brought out wasn't the Herbal Codex—it was a soft cushion.
He laid the cushion on the ground, gently placed Grace on it, and reached to unfasten her clothes.
"What are you doing?" Grace asked.
"You're already at the peak of Spirit Master," Evan said. "I'm going to help you advance to Spirit Lord right now. Once your Yuan Force transforms into immortal energy, the gourd won't be able to refine you!"
Grace stared at him in shock.
Advance to Spirit Lord... Does that mean he's going to...
Just as Grace had guessed.
In a few swift motions, Evan stripped Grace down to her undergarments, and then...
...
Afraid Grace couldn't last much longer, he finished quickly.
A rush of heat surged into her dantian, and it felt like Grace's whole body was about to ignite.
"Listen to me," Evan said, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Channel your Yuan Force, focus your energy, let your core transform into immortal essence, and be reborn..."
Grace guided that burning power inside her just as Evan instructed.
Two quarters of an hour passed.
Her body slowly began to float, a faint green glow radiating from her.
The light enveloped her completely, dazzling and vibrant, circulating inside and out, endlessly...
She ignited her Natal Light!
It was as if a seed had been activated—her Yuan Core underwent a fundamental change, transforming into an Immortal Core.
This meant she had officially entered the Spirit Lord Realm.
But... it was actually green...
Normally, they're golden, which is why the Immortal Core is also called the 'Golden Core.'
But hers was green.
It really was the fruit of the First Spirit Tree... Evan smiled faintly.
The Spirit Lord Realm is divided into early, middle, and late stages.
In the early stage, the Immortal Core grows.
In the middle stage, the Immortal Core takes the form of an infant.
The late stage, also known as the Nascent Soul stage, is when the nascent soul matures.
...
This whole process consumes an enormous amount of spiritual energy.
Each stage can take hundreds, even several hundred years.
A half-immortal's lifespan is much longer than an ordinary spirit practitioner—they can live for over five hundred years.
But more than eighty percent of half-immortals never manage to become true immortals before they die...
Grace had successfully transformed into an immortal, but she remained absorbed in her cultivation.