Paragon of Sin

Wei Wuyin sat cross-legged, leaning against Bai Lin's comfortable body, as he held a notebook and an ink-based utensil. He carefully jotted down a series of characters with various diagrams, artistic depictions of hand-seals, and meridian flow directions. The notebook was already halfway filled, a total of fifty pages of standard length. 

This lasted until the notebook was entirely filled with relevant content, with added notes regarding certain topics, tips on energy circulation, and redirects to what he believed were answers to commonly asked questions likely overlooked in this dense notebook of information. 

Wei Wuyin gave the notebook one last lookover, revealing a deeply satisfied and relieved smile that could still the hearts of any that saw it. Bai Lin's eyes slowly opened, peeking over as she asked: "Is it done?" 

Wei Wuyin softly closed the notebook, "Yes." 

At the cover of the notebook, written in ink intermixed with Seven Source Soul Light and Alchemical Energies was the title. It read: "Concoction Method: Neo-Dawn Soul-Sea Elixir." 

There was another sound of satisfaction as Wei Wuyin regarded his personal creation that bore his title and name. The title that he hadn't chosen himself, but those who revered and respected him, those who were born in the same stellar region and starfield as him, had given him with their honest emotions.

He could still remember that day where he defeated Qingye Ying in that All-Alchemic Clash, the shouts of his name that shook the entire planet, and the surging will of the people. 

Since he was very young, he had liked the title Saber Ascendant. Not because he loved the saber, or he sought to ascend beyond with it, but because it was the joking title that his older brother would refer to him as whenever he would boast of an accomplishment with the saber. It carried its own significance. 

But he loved the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn and what it represented. A dominating, unstoppable force that pushes the era towards a new beginning. It was as if they knew that his existence would bring about the dawn of a new era, one that he ruled high above. How glorious!

That being said, in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, it was more laughable than anything. If it wasn't for the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill, there would be countless individuals laughing at the lowly mortal alchemist trying to claim such a grand title. Now, he was a Saintmaker, and no one would dare belittle that title given to him by his people.

"Your second product," Bai Lin said emotionally. She could feel how strongly Wei Wuyin felt at the moment. While it might not be solely about the book, the very fact it exists definitely prodded something within him.

Nodding slightly, "My first elixir." Wei Wuyin had an ideal plan to invent four ninth-grade products, each occupying a spot on the four states of alchemy: Pill, Pellet, Paste, and Elixir. He had completed two out of four. They were both peak-tier, and they were both exceptionally useful for most, if not all, cultivators. 

The paste, however, was going to be a little difficult. It was the most underrated product type, and its concoction process was one of the most basic, causing it to have very straightforward and limiting means. Still, he wanted to do so before moving onto his next pill. A pill that, in his mind, wasn't just heaven-defying, convention-shattering, era-establishing, but outright going to rewrite the course of cultivation itself. 

It was a mere idea at first. A slight inkling borne from long, long ago when he was first introduced to Boundless Essence Mists. He already had all the external pieces. At least, he believed so. 

There was Boundless Essence Mist from the Four Extreme Continent, True Element Crystal from the True Element Sect, the Yang Source Quintessence from the Shadow Egg Prisoner, Stellar Rain, and the Astralis Ultimate Star he had taken from that mysterious, masked figure. 

While there were a few other materials, supplementary ones, these were all extremely significant core materials. Wei Wuyin initially had been pondering on how to do so, lacking the materials, and while some of these materials had sparked curiosity, increasing the grandness of his original intentions, and only been added out of impulsive ingenuity, he felt an entire product coming together. 

"It should be possible," Wei Wuyin softly said. However, the external issues were no longer the problem. The issue he faced was now internal—himself. Or to be more accurate, his cultivation base. 

He needed Starforce. He needed 'his' Starforce. Its unique properties were the final material for this product. So he was left with this dilemma of forcefully delaying his greatest creation. In the meantime, he intended to forge two additional Neo-Dawn products—a paste and a pellet.

But even before that, he decided to finally complete an objective of his. He looked above his head, seeing five objects. In a diamond-shaped, four-angled formation were his four Astral Souls. They were spewing out Soul Light into a tiny flag. Surrounding them like floating stars in orbit were dozens of empty and full vials, in which contained Neo-Dawn Soul-Sea Elixir.

The peak ninth-grade elixir was extremely effective in replenishing Soul Light, far beyond his imagination. It was especially so for the high-quality versions. He didn't think his Primary Light Source could be expanded, increasing the capability of storing Primary Light Energies within the Astral Soul, but it could! Each Primary Light Source, according to records, were all equal. 

There was no difference. It was also the hardest form of energy to replenish amongst the various energy types—physical, mental, essence, spiritual, spatial, temporal, and gravitational—that Astral Core Realm cultivators possessed. All those energies intermixed and further refined the cultivator's astral force, bestowing them godly levels of power. At least, to the common mortal.

At the moment of entering the Light Reflection Phase, the Fifth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, every cultivator had the same-sized Primary Light Source, without any exception. This Primary Light Source was formed during the tribulation, so it made sense. Even Wei Wuyin's Astral Souls were no different. Of course, he had higher quality and four Primary Light Sources, so it was technically greater if one measured in plainly. 

When Wei Wuyin discovered that the Neo-Dawn Soul-Sea Elixir at the high-quality could achieve this, he knew that the standards of cultivation might shift once again. Besides spatial energies, Light Energies was used to enhance one's bodily speed and speed of astral force flow. It meant speeding up one's ward formation, spell casting, art usage, recovery, spreading spiritual sense, etc. 

It was endlessly useful, but also extremely exhausting towards light energies. This forced fights to be ended quickly before your offensive and defensive capabilities came to a proverbial crawl due to lacking these energies. 

With this, cultivators could use their light energies less sparingly, amplifying their usage of these light energies and maximizing them. Effectively, they could do all those things but at 100% for longer, even exhausting them more to generate a greater speed of execution.

Being too slow to form your defense or react to an attack was lethal. 

It didn't take long for Wei Wuyin to devise the peak-quality version, concocting it successfully. Unfortunately, it had no tertiary effect, but greatly increased the effect of expanding the Primary Light Source. At the moment, each of his Astral Souls had Primary Light Sources that were three times larger than ordinary.

When he made the peak-quality, he felt that he could push it to transcendence with ease, but he held off from doing so. He didn't know how this would change, and he could do so after he advanced in his cultivation to prepare for any strange effects. 

"When you're all done, we'll begin." Wei Wuyin was ready to have the four Astral Souls refine the transcendent-quality Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pills, and then finally challenge the Seventh Astral Tribulation. 

The four Astral Souls glowed brightly as they poured the Soul Light inside the Nexus War Flag energetically. They, too, were excited! 

-----

Since Wei Wuyin entered secluded cultivation, four months in total had gone by and the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit was swiftly approaching, with only roughly two months left before this era-defining event. The Earthly Saints of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region were all preparing their topics of discussions, knowing that this summit was not going to be simple. 

There wasn't a single force that wasn't tensed, and this was especially so for the Chosen! The new standards for Chosen threatened all of their titles and positions, some even fearing that they'd become outdated or outright stripped of their title, losing status, resources, and face as a result.

Yet the uproar hadn't ceased. The Everlore Association had decided to extend their invitations to all forces, allowing them to bring their Chosen and a designated Dharma Protector  even if they don't have an Earthly Saint! The Everlore Association revealed that the event will include various opportunities for the young Chosen, so they shouldn't miss out! This wasn't all. All those on the Immortal Saintess Ranking and Immortal Hero Ranking that were of Chosen age, whether they were titled Chosen or not, were allowed entry as well! 

This caused cataclysmic waves to flood the entire stellar region, with many Chosen wishing to see both the Immortal Heroes and Immortal Saintesses within the rankings! The tease of opportunities from the Everlore Association was only icing on the cake at that point. 

-----

Within the secluded room, Wei Wuyin had his eyes closed as he held a single hand-seal. There was no Nexus War Flag, All-Elemental Eclipse Cauldron,  or his Astral Souls to be seen anywhere. The entire environment was still, absent of any strangeness besides the wide-eyed Bai Lin and Wei Wuyin.

Suddenly!

Wei Wuyin's eyes snapped open!