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n?*Crack!*

nAfter saturating the Core with energy, it cracked under pressure from within, its smooth surface of a perfect sphere covered in a spiderweb of thin, sharply twisting lines glowing with blinding light.

nIt then was broken along those cracks, and then as if suspended in time, the energy that was ready to explode from within froze.

nIt started very slowly flowing in between the shards next, as streams of energy and small crystals flowed into it from the torrent of Spiritual Qi around the Core.

nThis was already the third reformation, and now the entirety of the Spiritual Qi and residual crystals were completely absorbed into the Core.

nThe Dao Runes orbiting around the Core slightly expanded their orbit when it was shattered, but did not abandon it completely.

nA drop of sweat appeared on Wu Long’s forehead as he sat in lotus position, a cloud of Spiritual Qi released from a black sphere floating above his head, the remaining reserves he had from the Secret Realm, rotated around him, streaming back into his body.

nThe Core successfully became whole again, and now only the vortex of crimson Slaughter Qi span around it within his Dantian aside from the Dao Runes orbiting closely to it.

nHe made a series of hand seals, and took another three pills from the rows of them lined up before him, as they floated into the air on their own and flew into his mouth.

nThis time the Core’s saturation point was far higher, and he poured the Yin Qi and Spiritual Qi he refined into it in a circling motion, as the speed of the Core’s rotation rose.

nIt span faster and faster until…

n*Crack!!!*

nThicker lines of cracks appeared all over the perfect sphere.

nAnd then the sphere started to mend as it span, slightly condensing into almost imperceptibly smaller shape.

nThis process repeated two more times, until…

n*Crack!!!*

nCracks brimming with light covered the entire surface of the Core, and then it shattered into small pieces that still span in a residual spherical shape.

nSimilar glowing cracks appeared all over Wu Long himself, as he continued to consume another set of pills, the lines on his body slowly disappearing as a smaller Core was formed from the shards, spinning at an incredible speed.

n“Fuu~… this one was tricky…”

nWu Long sighed, taking a breath before continuing as this last reformation almost detonated, even with all precautions he made.

n‘Still… it is far more condensed than I anticipated… and a lot faster…’, he then examined his Core of a 7th level of Core Reformation Realm.

nThere was also something within the crystal clear, perfectly spherical shape that caused him to feel a bit of apprehension, as the power it hid was far above what he initially set to produce.

nNot to mention that the orbiting of the Dao Runes around it was faster, as if the gravitational pull the Core exerted on them intensified almost twofold.

nHe pondered on this anomaly, and then remembered Yu Huan also saying something similar during her last Core Reformation, as the Core she produced was one of the most condensed he ever saw, until he saw his own that is.

n“Is it…?!” frew𝐞bn𝗼v𝐥.𝚌𝗼𝚖

nHis eyes slightly widened and he examined the blessing of the Grandmist Keepsake, which very slightly decreased in size within his Yang Root, the cluster of mysterious mass seeping into the Core along with the Yin Qi that he refined within his Harmonic Root.

nHe quickly isolated that mass, for now stopping it from further melting into his Core.

n‘The Grandmist is the source, the beginning of everything, and all order rose from its chaos, step by step from complex and chaotic forming simple, and then combining simple to form complex again…’

nHe then thought as he pondered the effects of the blessing, which brought him to ponder on the nature of the entity which granted it, until a realization dawned on him.

n“…unpredictable and spontaneous change… evolution”, the words fell from his lips with astonishment as he realized the true power of the blessing of the Grandmist Keepsake.

nUnder the influence of the Grandmist blessing, his Core was undergoing a spontaneous but fundamental change, one that would take it beyond the norms of cultivation as it existed in the Seven Boundless Worlds, and the norms of what even he knew.

nWu Long froze in slight hesitation, as he could still limit the change to here.

nHe could continue isolating the mysterious cluster that was the blessing of Grandmist, and limit its ability to affect his further cultivation, thus continuing on the path he knew without too much deviation.

nAfter all, if taken to its extreme, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was currently at a crossroads, with a possibility to tread on a completely new path of cultivation, one that has not existed before.

nIt might be only a small deviation at this point, but even small changes this early in cultivation would bring tremendous changes in the future path. And with the unpredictable nature of the change, the deviation might not be so small at all.

n‘Which way…’, he thought, stumbled by choice to this extent for the first time since his reincarnation.

nOn one hand, it could be a way to obtain that what he strived for.

nA new horizon expanded by his own two hands, something that likely required the sacrifice of the path he knew, but that belonged to him.

nSomething fought for and grasped with his own effort and dedication, as the blessing would only give the initial change, everything further would have to be explored by him alone.

nIt was thus also possible to forge it into something much more powerful than he ever imagined, since it was not limited by the constraints of the path already known.

nOn the other hand it carried quite a lot of risk, as it did not have a laid out path, no forerunners, no verified truths.

nHe could likely still use his experience from before, but its effects would not be as fault-proof and certain.

nAnd because the change was unpredictable, there was also the risk of it backfiring.

nIt could lead to not even obtaining the power he had in his prime, which he was certain to get and even surpass if he continued to tread on the path he already passed on once.

nBoth were ways offered by chance, one by an encounter with a mysterious person, and another by an encounter with a woman carrying a secret even she did not know of.

nOne was clear, he knew its every nook and cranny, another unknown, full of dangers and dead-ends.

n‘It would be stupid to let go of the advantage given by such complete knowledge of the path ahead…’, he mused, ‘…but a known path can only get you as far as it is laid to, and only give known results at every step of the way…’

nThe image of the woman who stood amid the crumbling world appeared in his mind.

nHe now knew there were horizons far beyond what he considered the end.

nAnd as someone who did not intend to stop halfway, he knew that treading on the path unknown was something he would eventually have to do.

nHe just never expected an opportunity to do so would come so soon.

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