The Romantic Cultivator

There was a blinding white light as Yuan Ji transmigrated out of the Dream Trial.

Before he knew it, he was cast out of the golden door and back to a familiar white grand hall. As he tried to shake off his disorientation, he was immediately surrounded by an excited Xue Qianxue and Ling Feiyue as they greeted him delightfully.

"You're back…"

"How is the trial?"

"Did you manage to complete your soul tempering?"

"It's alright. Don't take it to heart…"

"It is only a trial…"

"Just go for the experience…"

"Hope you didn't get more heart demons…"

"How are you feeling?"

Yuan Ji grinned as he looked at the two maidens, "I really miss the two of you." As he had said that, he was holding them into his tight embrace as he muttered softly. "Thank you."

When he had said thank you, his eyes were also looking at Xiaobai who was looking at him with a woeful look...

Diviner Mo Ming was smiling awkwardly, "Actually I should have warned you against taking the Cunning and Ruthless option. This setting may be a little too hard for you. It is as good as not taking the trial and your inner demons may even multiple…"

All of a sudden Diviner Mo Ming was gasping as he checked Yuan Ji's soul sea with his divine sense. "This…this is impossible?! Your soul sea is so pure now?"

Yuan Ji chuckled, "My soul sea has always been pure. Haha."

There is no way for Yuan Ji to actually know if his soul sea is pure or impure. That is because only a few cultivators like Diviner Mo Ming has the special divine sense to discern it and it will take thousands of years of cultivation to refine such ability. This is like a specialty profound art by itself.

Diviner Mo Ming had a solemn countenance as he said, "In fact, I have never seen anyone soul sea as pure as yours other than Qianxue. It seems that you have successful tempered your soul force successfully."

Yuan Ji was perplexed as he laughed, "Did I? Haha. I've thought that I have screwed everything up."

The Abyssal Null Goddess was startled when she had heard Diviner Mo Ming and she quickly checked Yuan Ji's soul sea. To her astonishment, it was exactly like what he had just mentioned to everyone, Yuan Ji's soul sea was actually extremely pure!

His soul tempering was actually a super success!

"Take a look at your soul sea. Do you feel differently?" Diviner Mo Ming said curiously.

Yuan Ji did as he was told before he gasped, "Um? I am now at the peaked middle-tier sacred saint level…"

He was at the mortal-step and now he had jumped three steps to reach the peak of the middle-tier sacred saint level. Not only did his spiritual sea not deplete due to his expanded spiritual boundaries but his soul sea is also brimming with misty spiritual force as though he is about to breakthrough to the upper sacred saint level.

It was not only his profound strength that had increased but his soul strength had also increased too!

In all the seven cultivation realms, there is an associated state of divinity that creates the disparity between the cultivators. For example, the fifth realm cultivation realm is known as the Energy Level, the sixth realm cultivation realm is known as the Spirit Level and the seventh realm cultivation realm is known as the Soul Level.

Every realm has an initial, middle and upper grade to affect the disparity in profound strength in the soul sea. Every grade has a half-step, mortal-step, earth-step, heaven-step and peak to affect the profound strength as well.

However, that is when the differences end. Because every step actually has a subtle 10 level disparity to affect the profound strength.

For example:

Each time a fifth realm golden celestial advances in the small tiers, a gain of 10% of profound strength is expected.

Each time a sixth realm golden supremacy advances in the small tiers, a gain of 20% of profound strength is expected.

Each time a seventh realm golden saint advances in the small tiers, a gain of 30% of profound strength is expected.

Taking the example of a fifth realm cultivator, a small tier consists of Grade and Step which can affect the profound strength of the cultivator which gives roughly 10% more profound strength than the average fourth realm cultivators.

Starting from the half-step, roughly 2% profound strength can be gained per step, gaining roughly 10% for each tier (which consists of initial, middle and upper). So it is not wrong to say that a peak upper golden celestial is 30% stronger than a fourth realm peak cultivator.

On paper this theory is technically correct. However, this does not take into play the aptitude of the cultivator which has a level 1 to 10 for each step. For the fifth realm level, each level will affect profound strength by 1%.

An average cultivator usually has a rating level of 3 in the steps. A genius cultivator will usually have a rating of 5. A rating level of 6 to 10 can only be achievable with the profound arts.

Because an average cultivator usually have a rating level of 3, most small tier increase is actually 13% per tier or 39% disparity between an average peak fifth realm cultivator and an average peak fourth realm cultivator.

In terms of disparity, a peak fifth realm cultivator will be able to force a peak fourth realm cultivator to take a small step with every exchange (assuming that 1% profound strength is also equaled to 1% profound power).

Although 39% is not considered to be too overpowering and peak fourth realm cultivators can still hope to defeat a peak fifth realm cultivator, they have to be very good. It is because this 39% also affects the drain in their profound strength after each exchange due to the disparity of profound power

Put it this way. If a stroke needs 10 points of full profound strength to use. After exchanging a blow with a peak fifth realm cultivator, the profound strength will actually increase to 13.9 points due to profound power disparity.

Not only that, the peak fifth realm cultivator also have the defenses of profound aura which they gain at the fifth realm level and a golden body which shores up their defenses.

Even though the disparity is only 39% but in reality, it is actually quite difficult for a single peak fourth realm cultivator to take down a single peak fifth realm cultivator because in terms of soul sea, profound strength, profound power, profound defenses, profound energy recovery and of course, golden celestials can even regenerate their minor wounds in battle.

When Yuan Ji was at the fifth realm level, he was really good in the Energy Level. It is because he is a sword energy practitioner. Therefore his aptitude is actually a 5. Because he has the practice of his Major Heavens Sword which is an advanced sword energy practice, his rating level becomes a 6.

Yuan Ji is above average in this aspect and even twice as strong as most of his peers when he was a fifth realm cultivator. When he had become a sixth realm cultivator, his fifth realm rating level was improved to a 7 due to the Major Heavens Sword. When he was a middle tier saint, his rating level improved to 7.5 and when he had recently mastered the 8th level of the Major Heavens Sword, his rating level is now an 8.

But since most cultivators did not care how strong Yuan Ji was at the fifth realm level because there is a huge disparity of 100% between a sixth realm level and a fifth realm level cultivator so let skip to the seventh realm level at which Yuan Ji is currently at.

Yuan Ji soul rating level is currently at a perfect 10.

This means that Yuan Ji profound strength is on average 70% stronger than most saints of the same realm level because most of them only have an average rating level of 3. And each rating is a 3% disparity. On average Yuan Ji is 21% stronger in the same saint tier and it will become 42% if they have two tiers disparity!

He is even now stronger than some great saints too!

Diviner Mo Ming was staring blankly at Yuan Ji, "What did you do exactly inside the Dream Trial to have such a heaven-defying outcome?"

Because Yuan Ji had too many inner demons in his heart, Diviner Mo Ming could tell that his soul level was only 1.5. It is worse than the average 3 and incomparable to Xue Qianxue who had a 9.

A rating level of 8 for the Soul Level is already considered to be perfect and Xue Qianxue is more than perfect because no one ever got a 9.

But Yuan Ji now got a perfect 10 which make his soul purer than pure. From 1.5 to 10 is too exaggerating!

The Abyssal Null Goddess was also stunned. It was because she had been with Yuan Ji in the Dream Trial and his actions were all about greening the MC and preventing the MC from greening him.

How is it possible for Yuan Ji to temper his soul sea to be so perfect?

Diviner Mo Ming was stammering, "Only if someone chooses the Cunning and Ruthless setting which is the most difficult setting can the soul sea be so perfect. Usually most people that choose this setting may die in the trial or go insane. But you have actually successfully overcome your soul tempering to this degree…"

Yuan Ji had suddenly interrupted him, "Wait a minute! What did senior say just now? I may die if I choose this setting? Why didn't you tell me?"

Diviner Mo Ming smiled weakly, "You seem to be in a hurry and keeps rushing me. So I didn't have the time to warn you. If your soul is too weak and you die inside the trial, naturally your soul may dissipate as a result. That is suppose to be common knowledge, am I right?"

Yuan Ji: …

No wonder I was going insane inside the Dream Trial…crap…common knowledge? I didn't know!

Diviner Mo Ming laughed weakly, " But I did tell you that this setting is for the MC, am I right?"

"You didn't tell me that I am not the MC." Yuan Ji said with great sarcasm.

Diviner Mo Ming smiled weakly, "There is a chance that you can be the MC. It all depends if your soul sea is pure or impure. So you are the villain?"

Yuan Ji gave a sheepish look before he answered, "I am indeed the villain Zuo Bufan."

He had suddenly discovered that he was being surrounded by the other elders who were all asking him eagerly, "How did you overcome this trial? Please share with us…"

"Well, I'm afraid that this is something that I cannot share with you. It is a soul tempering trial after all. I hope you can understand. If I tell you how I do it then your soul cannot be tempered properly." Yuan Ji replied sheepishly.

It was only a half-truth but Yuan Ji was not wrong. Only if someone was brought to hell would his soul be tempered properly. During the Dream Trial, he was brought to hell and was at the lowest point in his life. If he had told the others what he had experienced then they would not be experiencing the hell that he had been through.

Ling Feiyue and Xue Qianxue were pleading with their eyes, "My lord, please tell us when you are free alright? It is not like we are taking the Dream Trial…"

But Yuan Ji replied firmly, "Nope. I'm not saying a word or it will be detrimental to my soul sea."

Xue Qianxue asked him curiously, "Will it affect your soul sea if you only tell us?"

"Yea. Because I may be boastful, that's why. I need to be humbled."

Ling Feiyue smiled to him, "I see! This makes sense. Do you know that Qianxue and I are so worried about you…"

"Oh. Haha…"

The Abyssal Null Goddess was sighing silently. He didn't want to tell anyone that his successful soul tempering was due to his desperate measures to green the MC instead. And he also changed the names of everyone including the MC.

But she was soon smiling in secret. "You…are now worthy of this goddess…"

All of a sudden she was startled as she examined her soul sea to gauge her spiritual sea in a bid to gauge her profound strength recovery. It was because she had suddenly discovered that she had lost her desolate force in her soul sea and it was replaced by pure spiritual force.

"What is going on here? My soul sea has mutated and I've become a righteous immortal goddess? This is not just his soul tempering trial but mine as well?"

Suddenly she had remembered Yuan Ji's haunting words to her. "Even if this is a Dream Trial, don't live a life full of regrets."

He didn't live a life full of regrets and that is why he had overcome the Dream Trial against all impossible odds. Then what about me? Did I regret our couple life in the Dream Trial? In the Dream Trial, I am Bai Qianfeng, his consort and he is my lord...