Chapter 9: Cultivation Stage
Then, she started connecting the dots with Lianhua.
'She suddenly had the gall to attack me like that. Does she have some agreement with my family?
If something happened to me, normally the blame should fall on her.
The sect wouldn't pursue it since a dead prodigy has no value, but my family should go all out for revenge.' Mingyue frowned at the thought of it.
She also thought of seeking help from her Elder and master, but now that she was out and thought about it calmly, the most she would get was taking some of her cultivation resources.
But that held no value for her now, as she could raise her cultivation by absorbing life force. There was no way they would kill Lianhua for her.
[Why not ask the King for his opinion, Queen?]
'The King? You mean Alex?' The man's face resurfaced in her mind.
She then remembered how he remained calm through all the situations.
'Even if he is calm and collected, he is not from my world, Vesa. I doubt he can analyze my situation.'
[Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you about the King's ability.]
Information started pouring into Mingyue's mind, making her eyes widen.
"So such an ability exists... But that doesn't explain how Alex could stay calm in that situation."
[That's just his personality, Queen, thanks to his upbringing. So, do you want to ask the King?]
Mingyue shook her head. "No need. For now, I will go to the secret realm first. Let's see how that bitch faces me.
With my current cultivation, she should not be my opponent. Now, which direction should I go?"
Suddenly, a display appeared in front of her eyes, showing her location and the direction to the secret realm.
[You can use this, Queen. The map should be quite accurate. I made it based on your knowledge so far.
Also, I need to remind you that although you can raise your cultivation with the help of the life force, I will only do it when you have enough understanding of the stage.
Otherwise, your foundation will be unstable.]
"I know, don't worry about it, Vesa. By the way, why did you need to consume my spiritual root and bloodline?
Is this because I became a Vampire?"
Mingyue asked, partly worried it might affect her cultivation in some way.
[I could keep them, but it would be a waste of resources, Queen.
As you progress to become a Progenitor, you will become stronger quickly and interact with stronger bloodlines and spirit roots.
So, it's better to prioritize my strength to unlock more features of the system.]
Reading Vesa's message, Mingyue became excited. "Wait, you mean I will be able to absorb their bloodline and spirit root in the future?"
[Yes, Queen. It's possible to do that. But remember, there is a price we need to pay for it.
I will tell you the details when you reach at least 25% progress in becoming a Progenitor.]
Time passed, and Mingyue found herself standing in front of the secret realm entrance.
She felt conflicted, wondering whether she should enter or just wait and ambush her outside.
After some deliberation, she decided to enter.
Passing through the void, she found herself standing on a small floating island, the area littered with monster corpses.
Looking toward the end, she could see a stairway leading to another island.
"It seems this realm is an inheritance ground." She mumbled.
Mingyue felt relieved she had decided to enter; otherwise, it was possible for Lianhua to come out with a major breakthrough.
[Queen, it seems this is an inheritance ground left behind by a Golden Core cultivator, but I sense evil intentions coming from the soul at the peak island.]
"You can sense that much, Vesa?"
[Yes.]
A new map then appeared in front of Mingyue's eyes, showing the full layout of the secret realm.
[Since this realm was created by a cultivator's qi using a formation array, I could easily crack it open and read all the flow of information in the array.
That's why I know every trap, treasure, and the purpose of this realm.
In total, there are ten levels. After finishing every level, you will receive rewards, including thousand-year herbs, top artifacts, and cultivation techniques.
Your enemy, Lianhua, has reached the seventh level now. Based on her qi level, I'm sure she's taking a break now.]
"Can you take over control of the secret realm then?" Mingyue asked.
[It's possible, as long as we take care of the soul first, Queen. I can move the array to teleport you directly to the soul's location, but this will alert the soul.]
"Isn't that dangerous? That means it can attack me and try to possess my body."
[That is the opportunity we are targeting, Queen.
With me inside you, nothing will be able to possess your body in this world.
I will then extract useful information from its soul and use part of it to recover some of the system's strength.
So, do you want to do it, Queen?]
After experiencing many benefits of the system, Mingyue started believing in Vesa's capabilities.
She didn't hesitate to agree.
Information from a Golden Core cultivator was worth the risk. Even in her family, the strongest was still at the Late Nascent Soul stage.
Since she obtained the information herself, she felt no burden to share it with Alex.
She then remembered the existence of weapons in Alex's world.
"Vesa, how strong are the weapons in Alex's world compared to a cultivator like me?"
[That really depends on the type of weapon, Queen.
Based on the information I have, the strongest should be able to kill someone at the Heavenly Ascension stage easily.
But the King's knowledge of his world is also limited; I don't know their real strength. It's best for you not to underestimate them.]
In Mingyue's world, cultivation is spread across ten levels.
It starts with the Foundation Stage, followed by Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Golden Core, Spiritual Transformation, Mystic Integration, Profound Enlightenment, Heavenly Ascension, Transcendent, and finally, Immortal.
Those at the Immortal stage live eternally, with their bodies in peak condition.
Each level is then split into three minor stages: early, mid, and late stages.