Chapter 962: Theory of World Ascension

Li Fan was deeply immersed in the study of the Record of Mending Heaven, completely absorbed and unable to pull himself away.

He did not know how long had passed when a faint tremor shook the entire Spiritwood Realm, startling him awake.

“This is…”

Li Fan turned his gaze toward the center of the Spiritwood Realm.

The colossal tree that had always stood tall and verdant, piercing straight into the heavens, was now manifesting a breathtaking phenomenon.

Its branches and leaves trembled slightly though there was no wind, wrapped in a faint, misty white radiance.

At the very top of the ancient tree, a column of light burst upward, piercing through the sky itself.

This was not an exaggeration of language. At that moment, a literal hole had appeared in the heavens of the Spiritwood Realm.

The void within that hole seemed to possess an immense suction force, drawing in the surrounding clouds in a great swirling motion.

Beneath the giant tree, all the treefolk halted their work and dropped to their knees in reverence.

Their faces showed no fear, only pure and heartfelt joy.

“World ascension?”

The Spiritwood Realm was now half a spiritual treasure under Li Fan’s control. With just a moment of sensing, he immediately understood what was happening.

The nourishment provided by Lin Ling’s feedback, the reconstruction performed by Shang Tianci using the Heavenly Scene Treasure Gourd and most importantly, the countless Heaven and Earth Furnaces ceaselessly releasing spiritual energy day and night…

The convergence of these forces had finally triggered the realm’s metamorphosis.

It was a rare event that might only occur once in several millennia, scarcely recorded even in cultivation classics.

Li Fan and everyone within the Spiritwood Realm held their breath, silently watching and comprehending the process.

Beyond the world, within the void, something seemed to be drawn in and poured into the Spiritwood Realm through the rift in the heavens.

A faint rumbling sound resonated throughout the land. On the surface, the Spiritwood Realm’s scenery seemed largely unchanged.

Yet as its master, Li Fan could sharply sense that the realm’s overall strength was rising at an astonishing speed.

The most visible transformation was within the great tree that sustained the entire world.

Originally, Li Fan could have destroyed it effortlessly with a single strike.

But now, from its roots to its branches and leaves, every part of the tree was growing more resilient.

By the end, it had become sturdy enough to withstand even Li Fan’s direct blow without being annihilated.

The vortex above gradually shrank and finally vanished.

The ascension of the Spiritwood Realm had reached its conclusion.

Although the realm’s visible size appeared unchanged, everyone who had witnessed the process felt an inexplicable expansion within their hearts.

The heavens seemed broader, the earth felt more vast.

Even the air itself had become fresher and more invigorating.

Vitality was invisible, yet its presence was now undeniable.

Among all who benefited from this ascension, none gained more than the Treefolk Matriarch.

She finally broke through her barrier, her strength now comparable to a Dao Integration cultivator of the Xuanhuang Realm.

Her treefolk features had almost completely faded, leaving her appearance nearly indistinguishable from that of a human cultivator.

Only the natural patterns upon her face revealed her true origin.

Clad in a flowing green gown, the Treefolk Matriarch gave her command, ordering all treefolk to continue their reverent prostration and to sing praises to Li Fan, the Lord of the Spiritwood Realm, for his boundless grace.

Not long after, Li Fan’s calm voice descended from the heavens.

“Spiritwood has ascended. You are reborn. From this moment forth, your fate shall no longer be confined to this single realm.”

“I shall grant you a name.”

“Lin Xin.”

Lin Xin’s face was filled with excitement as she led the Treefolk tribe to once again kneel and bow.

Shang Tianci, Tianyang, and the others all showed deep emotion on their faces.

After instructing everyone to continue forging the Heaven and Earth Furnace, Li Fan’s attention shifted to the Spiritwood World itself.

“In truth, if it had not already been captured by the Xuanhuang World, judging from the current scale and specifications of the Spiritwood World, it should already meet the minimum standards of a cultivation realm.”

Combining what was recorded in the Mending Heaven Record, Li Fan pondered quietly to himself.

“Before the Immortal Path was severed, a world’s ascension would leave a mark within the Ascension Channel. Cultivators within such a world, upon reaching a sufficient realm, could ascend to the heavens in broad daylight and become immortals. What a pity.”

“Now that the Immortal Path is cut off, and the Spiritwood World has become a vassal of the Xuanhuang World, its so-called ascension is merely that of a subordinate realm under Xuanhuang.”

Li Fan shook his head slightly. “The Xuanhuang World truly harms more than it helps.”

“However, if the Spiritwood Realm can still undergo ascension, then what about the Xuanhuang Realm itself?”

Li Fan furrowed his brow and pondered for a long time before reaching a conclusion. “In theory, the Xuanhuang Realm still holds the possibility of ascension.”

“That is to say… it could transform into an Immortal Realm.” His eyes gleamed with divine light.

“Yet, the gap between a cultivation realm and the true Immortal Realm is simply too vast. Even though the Xuanhuang Realm has devoured countless cultivation realms by now, it has merely expanded its territory a little more. It is still far from qualifying for ascension.”

“Perhaps…”

“If it were a hundred times larger than it is now, there might be a faint chance of reaching the Immortal Realm.”

“Still, even then, it might not deserve to be called an ‘Immortal Realm’. ‘Immortal Domain’ would be a more fitting term.”

Li Fan could not help but drift into contemplation.

It must be stated that all of this was merely Li Fan’s speculation, derived from fragments within the Mending Heaven Record describing the so-called Immortal Realm.

As for what the truth really was, even the author of the Mending Heaven Record, Heavenly Doctor, had never personally witnessed the Immortal Realm.

There was simply no way to verify it.

However, from what Li Fan knew of the Heavenly Doctor, he was exceedingly rigorous in his scholarship. If it were mere conjecture without solid evidence, he would never have written it into his book so easily.

“The Heavenly Law Realm’s Venerable, who enforces the laws on behalf of the heavens, might perhaps know some secrets left from before the severing of the Immortal Path.”

This observation of a world’s ascension once again sparked inspiration within Li Fan.

He began contemplating the fundamental nature of world operation, and what kind of ultimate cultivation art would best suit himself.

Li Fan was never one to act without benefit.

Though he had encountered countless techniques through many cycles of reincarnation, he still believed that the Sitting Immortal Art, derived from the Sitting Mountain Art, was the one most suited to him.

Yet, with his cultivation now at such a high level, his opponents were beings like the Heavenly Doctor, Ruomu, and the Senior Stone Tablet—ancient monsters of unimaginable depth.

Ordinary techniques could no longer offer him meaningful improvement.

How could he contend with them when his foundational method of cultivation lagged behind by more than a step?

The Heavenly Doctor’s words resurfaced in his mind.

“Remember, techniques are secondary. What truly matters is understanding the operation of Heaven’s Dao and the essence of the world itself.”

“No matter how powerful a technique may be, it ultimately belongs to another. Only the one that truly fits you is the most perfect cultivation art.”

Li Fan’s gaze flickered, his eyes distant and unfocused.

The Mending Heaven Record, the Sitting Immortal Art, the ascension of worlds—

A fierce storm seemed to rise within his mind. All his past experiences and insights were drawn into it.

After being tempered as though within a furnace, it suddenly exploded in a brilliant burst of enlightenment.

Within Li Fan’s consciousness, three radiant words took form—

Sitting Heaven Art.