The Transition to Earth Rank

  Huang Di was fully aware that time was short for his advancement. Even though he stood on the brink of breaking through to Earth Rank, each transition between ranks came with profound changes. Since the beginning of his cultivation journey three years ago, he had witnessed these transformations. According to Elder Emerald, his progress had been extraordinary compared to other youths of his generation. While most young prodigies began cultivating around the age of six, Huang Di had only started at fifteen, which was considered late. Yet, in a short time, he had caught up with and even surpassed the talents of his age group.

  Under normal conditions, advancing from the first level of Profound Rank to the first level of Earth Rank would take two to three years. However, in less than two months, Huang Di had progressed from the first to the seventh, and final, level of the Profound Rank. Only one step remained before entering Earth Rank.

  He recalled the moment when Elder Emerald had begun teaching him the fundamentals of cultivation. At that time, it had taken him three full years to go from the first level of Foundation Rank to the first level of Profound Rank. The Foundation Rank focused on the preparation of the body, laying the foundation upon which a cultivator would build. Gains in energy, or Qi, were minimal at that stage, but the body was steadily strengthened in anticipation of the explosive growth that came with the Profound Rank. Each level of Foundation Rank refined a specific system or part of the body, enhancing strength and resilience progressively from level one to nine.

  Huang Di reflected on how drastically his life had changed in such a short time. He who once lived modestly, unsure of where his next meal would come from, now found himself meditating in a cave within a world inside another world, which, ironically, was not even his own. He summoned Umbra and handed him a large roasted cut of beast meat they had hunted days earlier. They spent the night in that cave and fell into a deep sleep.

  The next morning, Huang Di, who had set up a concealment formation upon establishing the cave, took out 500 medium spirit stones and won from the wager against Ye Jue’s servant, along with 20 large spirit stones gifted by Mio. One large stone was worth a thousand medium stones or one hundred thousand small ones. He proceeded to draw a formation, one he had learned from Madame Scarlet, designed to aid in the steady flow of energy needed to support a cultivator during rank breakthroughs.

  By the time the formation was completed, another day had passed. He instructed Umbra to guard the area and ward off any approaching beasts, as he needed to enter a deep meditative state, one that could last for weeks, in order to break through.

  Huang Di began meditating, preparing to open the Mind Gate. The Profound Rank involved unlocking hidden portals throughout the body to ascend through the ranks. The journey began with the Lower Dantian, located in the abdomen, which allowed the cultivator to rise from the first to the second level. Then came the Prostate Gate, followed by Heels, Knees, Elbows, Middle Dantian (located at the heart), and finally, the Upper Dantian, also known as the Mind Gate.

  Unbeknownst to Huang Di, most ordinary cultivators opened only one to three gates, typically the Lower, Middle, and Upper Dantians, with many never advancing beyond the first. However, he had already opened nine power concentration channels. Now, only the Mind Gate remained, also referred to in some cultures as the Third Eye.

  These three primary gates were associated with the energies of Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit). Jing was stored in the Middle Dantian, representing the energy of life. Qi resided in the Lower Dantian, while Shen was housed in the Upper Dantian. While these energies already existed within every cultivator, Huang Di had successfully opened additional channels that allowed him to access and circulate them with far greater efficiency, also granting him unique advantages.

  All that remained was the Mind Gate, which, once opened, would grant him the ability to communicate with flying swords, wield spiritual treasures, and activate relics and equipment that required spiritual energy. That was why unlocking the Mind Gate, and thus reaching Earth Rank, was a prerequisite for using spiritual techniques and abilities. However, due to the extreme concentration of raw energy within him, and the many channels he had already opened, Huang Di had managed to accumulate a small amount of spiritual energy, which he could use in conjunction with his Grimoire.

  Once the Mind Gate was open, he would gain access to a vast reservoir of spiritual energy, allowing him to fully utilize his spiritual skills. The seven additional body-strengthening channels he had unlocked were enhanced by the technique King’s Supra, a method designed to push his physical prowess to extraordinary heights, or so he believed, as he readied himself for the breakthrough.

  The Rise to Earth Rank

  Huang Di began the process of circulating and absorbing an immense quantity of Qi into his body, guiding it through every energy channel and storing it within his reservoirs, the Dantians, the hidden points in his joints, and the prostate, responsible for regulating sexual and hormonal activity. As his cultivation level rose, he experienced a noticeable increase in testosterone, which intensified his body hair growth and emphasized his masculinity in a striking way. His muscles and physique became even more defined, reflecting his ever-growing power.

  After a full week spent saturating every energy reserve, Huang Di entered the critical stage of rank transition. He now had to channel all that energy to open the Mind Gate, a process that, if performed incorrectly, could result in severe injury and obstruct future progress. Many practitioners failed at this very point, becoming trapped in the Profound Rank due to misdirected energy flow, leading to severe mental blockages.

  However, Huang Di maintained a stable state, surrounded by a suitable environment and with a continuous, nourishing stream of energy. He sent waves of force through his system, shattering the barriers that stood in his way. After another week of constant effort, he finally broke the seal that prevented access to this new power.

  At that moment, he gained entry to his Spiritual Palace, a space within his mind where his treasures, summons, secrets, formations, hidden knowledge, hereditary powers, and other rare spiritual artifacts resided. Huang Di could now see what had once been hidden from him: the treasures that had entered his body when he was a child were there, dormant, along with many answers to the questions that had long haunted him. He could now access sealed memories and mental abilities that required vast amounts of spiritual energy, energy that now flowed freely within him.

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  Crossing through the Mind Gate, he stepped into his Spiritual Palace. Now, he needed to fill this space until it overflowed, thus completing his advancement to Earth Rank. The hardest part was behind him; all that remained was to stabilize and finalize the transition.

  Refocusing on his goal, Huang Di concentrated entirely on reaching Earth Rank as swiftly as possible. Time was not on his side, and he needed to manifest his new abilities while he still could.

  After four hours, Umbra heard a massive explosion and became alert, rushing to the cave to investigate. Upon arrival, he found Huang Di, who had once again undergone a drastic transformation: his body was now far more muscular and taller, with long hair cascading down to his waist. Huang Di was radiating with exuberant energy, as if releasing an aura, though this was technically impossible, since only cultivators in the Royal Ranks could emit a true aura. What emanated from him were, in fact, impurities being expelled from his body, the byproduct of his newly awakened brute strength.

  Once more, Huang Di had broken through to a new level of power and energy. Having long pursued the Great Achievement Stage of his technique King’s Supra, Huang Di finally activated it upon reaching the first level of Earth Rank, and his strength surged to new heights. Not only had his body become more powerful, but his Qi was also immensely reinforced. With a single full-power physical punch, Huang Di now possessed the might of 140 tons. And with the 50% boost from King’s Supra, that number soared to 210 tons, a power that commanded respect.

  If Lu Feng, current master of the Golden Crane Sect, were to learn of this, he would surely fall into a catatonic shock. That was because, in terms of raw physical strength, Huang Di now rivals Sky Rank specialists, a rank far above his own. Of course, combat strength wasn’t judged by brute force alone, but also by a complex mix of factors: skills, influence, factional backing, resources, treasures, equipment, and techniques. Even so, the most decisive factor in battle remained the cultivator’s individual power.

  What delighted Huang Di most was the second effect of King’s Supra. Upon reaching the Great Achievement Stage, not only had the technique’s boost to physical strength increased from 25% to 50%, but he had also gained the ability to absorb and reflect 50% physical damage. Before, he could only absorb it, now he could also repel a portion of it back to his opponent, a devastating advantage in close combat.

  Now, Huang Di had a much larger energy pool, totaling 65,536 Qi, allowing him to fight for prolonged periods. Energy costs were lower due to his rank advancement and increased proficiency in his techniques. If he were to eventually reach the final stage of the technique, he would even gain the ability to completely nullify physical damage from King Rank cultivators or lower. Of course, such power would come at a steep energy cost. At his current rank, he could already absorb and reflect blows from Sky Rank fighters, but doing so would require a much greater expenditure; against Earth Rank cultivators, the energy consumption was negligible.

  Huang Di was ecstatic. Umbra, watching the transformation in silence, stared at him curiously, still unsure what exactly had made his master so overjoyed.

  Reflections and Future Plans

  After the wave of euphoria had passed, Huang Di sat down, gazing at Umbra with a meaningful look. He wanted to test his newfound strength, but hesitated, not wishing to injure his companion. During their hunts and mapping of the northern forest zone, he had gained a better understanding of Umbra’s power, and it had surprised him. The beast was far stronger than typical Rank 5 creatures, resembling a lower stage Rank 6 beast. But what truly shocked Huang Di was the number of abilities Umbra possessed.

  According to his knowledge, Rank 5 beasts generally had three abilities. Umbra had demonstrated four, yet Grimoire revealed that he possessed seven abilities, placing him on par with a Rank 7 beast. Five of those were typical of Rank 6 creatures. This indicated that Umbra held the potential of an Epic-grade beast.

  In Scarlet’s world, summoned beasts were categorized based on their rarity: Common, Normal, Magical, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Unique. When compared to the cultivators' world, these rarity classifications aligned with the following ranks: Origin, Profound, Earth, Sky, King, Emperor, and Absolute, respectively. This newly discovered Absolute Rank, which Huang Di had learned about through Scarlet’s information, was incredibly rare and not essential for advancement, but those who reached it were said to be capable of dominating entire worlds. Their power was different, and exceptional, compared to other ranks. A Rank 9 beast would be equivalent in strength to this level.

  One of the main criteria for determining a beast’s potential was the number of abilities it possessed, alongside its raw strength. In other words, its entire potential was assessed. Umbra, possessing as many abilities as a Rank 7 creature, left Huang Di somewhat puzzled, but he was gradually adapting to these new discoveries.

  Another important element for beast tamers or summoners, something the Art of Spiritual Summoning had brought into Huang Di’s life, was the fact that beasts could temporarily share their abilities with their partners, so long as they were housed within the Grimoire. This possibility thrilled Huang Di.

  Now, he decided to do something he had always wanted to: observe what occurred inside the Grimoires and explore his Spiritual Palace, to discover what truly lay hidden within. Before doing so, however, he addressed Umbra:

  “Partner, I’ve just broken through to a new rank, and part of my energy was transferred to you. So far, you're the only one I've made an Equal Pact with, which means some of my unused energy has flowed into you, allowing you to absorb it and maybe even advance to a higher rank.”

  Umbra, however, gestured that he didn’t wish to advance just yet and replied telepathically to Huang Di, explaining that aside from energy, he also required another key factor: it had to be nighttime, and the environment needed to contain Yin Qi, in other words, a place suited to his specific breakthrough conditions. This made Huang Di pause in thought, as it was an unusual requirement for a beast to ascend ranks. He knew that every beast had unique advancement needs, but this one was beyond anything Scarlet’s teachings had mentioned.

  He concluded that, being an Epic-grade beast, Umbra would naturally need epic conditions to reach the next level of power. He then recalled the cave where they had encountered the spider beasts, a place dense with Yin Qi, making it an ideal location for Umbra’s advancement. If Umbra reached Rank 6, he would be able to fly, becoming a suitable mount, at least until Huang Di himself reached the Sky Rank.

  After all, even if he used treasures like flying swords, the energy cost would be far too high, putting him at a disadvantage in case of an ambush after expending too much of his Qi on flight. With that, Huang Di outlined his next steps.

  Looking outside, he noticed it was noon and realized he hadn’t eaten in a long time. He decided to go hunting alongside Umbra. After the hunt, they prepared a grand meal to celebrate the breakthrough. By the time they had finished eating, it was already three o’clock in the afternoon.