Abyssal Sovereign: The Demon's Dominion

Kai looked up at the dark clouds, and he wasn't alone. The kids just entering the forest all looked up as well. Above them, a dark cloud covered the sky, and a being slowly floated there… gradually, weapons with auras strong enough to shake space began to appear.

"He…" Tamika said in shock. These weren't ordinary weapons; they were ascension realm weapons.

This world's classification of cultivation realms was as follows:

1. Body Building

2. Qi Refinement

3. Foundation Building

4. Golden Core

5. Soul Formation Stage

6. Nascent Stage

7. Tribulation Realm

8. Ascension Realm

Each realm was much stronger than the one before it. Body Building primarily involved refining the body—this was where Kai was currently. The body had to be strengthened enough to absorb qi, which wasn't calm energy but volatile and dangerous. After the body had been tempered sufficiently, one could begin absorbing qi and advance to the Qi Refinement stage. Practitioners in this stage had a lifespan of 200 years.

At the Qi Refinement stage, qi was absorbed, and the meridians were opened. Once all twelve meridians were opened, one would have successfully reached this stage, and the dantian would open. For humans, it was located in the lower stomach area.

During Qi Refinement, one continuously expanded their dantian and meridians until they reached their largest form, then broke and rebuilt the dantian. This allowed it to grow larger than the body's exterior—perhaps starting at 100 meters and expanding further, depending on one's cultivation. At 1 km, it reached its peak. Practitioners in this stage enjoyed hundreds of years of lifespan.

The process was mysterious, as the human body was less than 3 meters in size, but the dantian could grow this large. This was due to qi and the cultivation methods involved.

At the Golden Core stage, the 1 km-sized dantian was refined into a core. Each of the twelve meridians transformed into a core, signifying the difference in strength at this level. The cores would keep growing until they reached hundreds of kilometers in size, showing the vast gap between realms. Practitioners at the peak of the Golden Core stage had lifespans spanning thousands of years.

Next came the Soul Formation stage, where the soul was developed, and the cores continued to expand. At this stage, mental power was honed, perception was refined, and charm developed. Practitioners could control beings with their mind and resist manipulation, with tens of thousands of years of lifespan.

Then there was the Nascent Soul Realm. At this stage, the cores could no longer hold qi, so it entered the cells. Beings at this stage had lifespans of hundreds of thousands of years. Their souls could now leave their bodies, making rebirth possible.

At the Tribulation Realm, practitioners could communicate with the Heavenly Dao, which was the world's origin. Their strength was immense, with lifespans of millions of years. Upon advancing a realm within the Tribulation Realm, they would overcome a thunder tribulation, tempering their bodies further. The cells expanded, and they could even use part of the laws of the Heavenly Dao.

Finally, the Ascension Realm. Here, after the body was tempered by thunder tribulations, practitioners were virtually beyond the mortal world. They could destroy planets independently. With each ascension level, the body split internally, doubling strength with each new level. For instance, Ascension 2 was twice as strong as Ascension 1, Ascension 3 was four times Ascension 2, and so on.

These were all the realms available currently.
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Now, their sect master, a peak Ascension 9 realm being, was breaking through to the Immortal Realm.

Cracks echoed as the sky shattered, clouds expanded into space, and lightning struck his body, which he defended with his weapons.

After several strikes, the clouds dissipated, revealing a door. It had an ancient, otherworldly aura as the sect master walked through. Below, Ascension Realm and Tribulation Realm experts watched in awe. This was the shedding of the mortal body. Once through, his lifespan would become nearly infinite. The sect master disappeared beyond the door.

"I hope you succeed," Tamaki whispered.

The sky cleared, and the sun shone brightly as the remaining Ascension and Tribulation Realm experts landed. They were welcomed at the sect by Tamaki and the elders with snacks and other refreshments.

They talked of old rivals and allies, sharing laughs. Ascension experts rarely left seclusion, but they had come out for the dean's (sect master's) breakthrough. Witnessing it had given them insights into their own paths forward.

Back in the forest, the kids were still stunned. The entire experience left them speechless, and the terrifying aura they'd felt was overwhelming.

"This world…" Kai smiled.

"Oh, have you spotted a girl you like?" Muchen teased with a grin.

"Muchen, be serious for once," Kai finally said. He had to admit, Muchen was the closest person he had as a friend.

"Well, I'm at the fifth stage, and you're at the fourth. You should work harder!" Muchen laughed loudly.

"Fool," Kai muttered, turning away. He hated to admit it, but Muchen was right—he needed to work harder.

"I am reborn, yet I'm barely ahead of you. You're a talented kid," Muchen thought with a smile.

"Hey, wait!" Muchen shouted, grinning as he chased after Kai.

Under a tree, they both sat down.

"So, what are the main objectives of this trial?" Kai asked Muchen. Muchen seemed to know everything.

"Well, let's just say they want to see if we can survive, to know our rank among hundreds of thousands of kids. We'll definitely have to kill some beasts," Muchen said with a smug look.

"Oh? And where are they? I haven't seen any," Kai replied.

"Relax, boy. They're deeper in. We're at the outermost part. We need to reach the peripheral of the true forest, where body-building beasts are. Then, in the outer area, we'll encounter high-level body-building beasts along with some at the Qi Refinement stage," Muchen explained with a smile.

"Oh… Let's head to the peripheral part first. Once we get stronger, we'll move to the outer part," Kai suggested.

"Hahaha… And how exactly do you plan to move there? Why would we even go to the outer part? We're only at the middle part of the Body Building stage. Do you think we'll grow stronger quickly just by fighting beasts?" Muchen challenged.

"Yes… Isn't that the whole point of the trial?" Kai asked.

"Well, that's part of it, along with earning student points. With those points, we can purchase cultivation manuals and resources at school. Fighting beasts should definitely help us break through," Muchen added.

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