Paragon of Sin

The 9th Runic Ascendant State!

Wei Wuyin was absolutely speechless, unable to fathom the process, but he could only hazard a guess that Ma Zheng had decided to only attempt to reach the Awakened Mystic Intent after comprehending to the fullest! 

Wasn't this a little insane?! 

Wu Yu couldn't help but feel that Ma Zheng was far greater than he imagined. In truth, he reached the 8th Runic Ascendant State after a combination of natural talent, support from the King of Everlore, and hard work. He never slacked off in his pursuit of power. 

However, he wasn't too sullen at the disparity. Ma Zheng was born and raised in the Grand Cyclic Stellar RegionThe environment was thousands, if not tens of thousands better than the Desolate Dragnet Region. The thickness of Mystic Essence, the various Mystic Radiance Belts, and the amount of time he exerted into his cultivation was far more than Wu Yu. 

It would be foolish to feel inferior. Still, the praise in his heart was genuine. Wu Yu understood that to become an Earthly Saint, a cultivator must comprehend the Way of Mysticism to completion, reaching the Awakened Mystic Intent and starting their Earthly Ascension to test their qualifications to ascend a step further.

He had inadvertently reached the Awakened Mystic Intent in a spur of serendipitous enlightenment. He faced ten obstacles called Earthly Gates of Mysticism during his Earthly Ascension, completing all but one of those obstacles. It was the missing Mystic Rune of his, a Way of Mysticism that he hadn't fully grasped.

However, the last Earthly Gate, the final test to enter the Earthly Saint Phase, was the easiest to overcome for him. It needed one to comprehend Awakened Mystic Intent, activating all the completed Mystic Runes gathered over the course of this Earthly Ascension, and pushing into an entirely new state. Since he had reached that level beforehand, failure wasn't an option. But it was the most difficult for all Mystic Ascendants.

The fact that cultivators aren't certain that, when you face that last obstacle, if you can succeed or not was dreadful.

Of course, if he tried to explain the process, it would come off as nonsense to Wei Wuyin, so neither he or Ma Zheng tried. After all, it certainly wasn't that simple. And it wasn't needed, Wei Wuyin knew enough.

"Congratulations, Old Zheng." Wei Wuyin couldn't help but say, feeling that Ma Zheng was the definition of hard work and success.

Ma Zheng dissipated the nine mystic runes, heaving a satisfied sigh. "Thank you, Wei Wuyin. If it wasn't for your help, I definitely would not have reached this level."

However, Wei Wuyin shook his head. "I only gave you a push. If you couldn't do so before me, you certainly wouldn't have been able to do so after."

Ma Zheng's smile grew oddly warm. In simple terms, Wei Wuyin was saying that if he didn't have the talent, put in the effort, and strove for such limits, even with all the help in the world, he would still be useless. 

Ma Sujiang's eyes were filled with a sense of pride. She was fully aware of the limitations and standards of Earthly Saints amongst those at the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. In a single leap, her father had just taken a huge advance in status and power. 

She couldn't help but look to Wei Wuyin, amazed that he had not only saved her father but allowed him to attain such heights. Not only was he so handsome, he was also reliable. A strange emotion built in her chest.

Suddenly, her mind sparked a memory and she urgently said: "Wei Wuyin, there's been a devel-"

Her words were cut off by Ma Zheng's hand. Ma Sujiang was startled, looking to her father who bore a bright smile, and back to Wei Wuyin who had a lifted eyebrow. 

"A development?" Wei Wuyin easily realized that Ma Sujiang wanted to report something. He gave Ma Zheng a look, but replied with a smile and said: "No need to worry. It's a Golden Life Pavilion matter, you don't need to concern yourself. I'll handle it."

"..." Wei Wuyin was slightly suspicious, but he didn't find Ma Zheng untrustworthy. He had performed various actions on his behalf perfectly, from giving demons a home to allowing the beasts to have some freedom, including Xue Yifei's exceptional growth in reputation. There wasn't much that he could find fault with, so he decided to let Ma Zheng handle it.

If a 9th Runic Ascendant State Earthly Saint couldn't handle this matter, and one with immense resources like Ma Zheng, then there was no need for him to involve himself. He might not do much better.

For a few hours, they talked about various topics, getting an update on the Golden Auction and the subsequent events that followed. Unlike with Wu Yu, Ma Zheng's report was far more detailed. He learned that the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill had entered the hands of every major faction thus far, despite being restricted in purchasing rights to the Ninestar Sainthall. 

For whatever reason, likely involving extremely advantageous deals, the Ninestar Sainthall had dealings with the Imperial Clan and Everlore Association. The Everlore Association then released the Ever-Domain Pill. Despite its low quality and paling by comparison effects, the Ever-Domain Pill and the Everlore Association was easier to generate in vast quantities.

For every one Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill made, roughly six Ever-Domain Pills were made and sold by the Everlore Association at a cheaper price. Not only did the Everlore Association have more alchemists, they weren't beneath hiring external alchemists to increase their production speed.

This actually helped trigger the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit even more than the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill had. The standards of Chosen were already outdated, but this false Worldly Domain was outright making it obsolete. With these false Worldly Domains, those Chosen at the Sixth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, the Gravity Emission Phase, could easily trounce those ordinary Realmlords. 

There were too many with the qualification to become Chosen. They needed to thin the herd before the Chosen King Trial made by the King of Everlore began. After all, there were very limited slots available. 

After a long conversation, Wei Wuyin had grown closer to Ma Zheng. The man wasn't just smart, he was easy to talk to, and had a work ethic that rivaled his own. 

They soon left the Elementus Domain, departing after exchanging means to communicate. When they left, Wu Yu couldn't help but say: "Young Lord, Xue Yifei could be in trouble."

While Ma Zheng hadn't given anything away, Ma Sujiang was awkward whenever Xue Yifei was mentioned. While she quickly concealed her involuntary facial tells, she had already given away this. 

"Old Zheng said it's a Golden Life Pavilion matter, so I'll leave it to him to handle."

Wu Yu's eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at the sky. Xue Yifei was a bloodline descendant of his trusted subordinate, the Bloodforge Emperor, so he felt a sense of protectiveness. If something happened to her….

Wei Wuyin could tell Wu Yu's emotions, so he helplessly sighed. "Open the barrier, go with them and ensure things work out." 

Wu Yu was startled. "You sure?"

Wei Wuyin nodded, "I'll be fine. No one knows I'll be here. I don't imagine the Imperial Clan will come back so soon, and they are very unlikely to tell. As for everything else, I'll just let those two release a report saying I've already left. I have some things I need to do anyway."

Wu Yu gave Wei Wuyin a thankful look. 

"Also, check on the sect's state. While the Sky Zenith Alchemic Saint had made some deals, there's no guarantee the Everlore Association will stay true to it."

Wu Yu nodded. Then, he flew upwards and vanished. The Domain-sealing barrier soon came down.

Wei Wuyin stretched slightly, feeling his bones grow a little restless. Since he lost his sight, he had many ideas for alchemical products, arts, and spells, so it was about time he cultivated a little.