After the banquet ended, Xu Guang's life became peaceful once more.

In his leisure time, he visited Gong Sunbai.

The other's Spirit Palace was miraculously remolded, shimmering with bright lights, with a faint glow appearing.

It seems there has been some opportunity recently.

But Xu Guang did not ask much; this was Gong Sunbai's opportunity. Even if the other party was nominally his Warrior, he disdained seizing it.

"Brother Xu, is there any problem with my Spirit Palace?"

Gong Sunbai asked with a somewhat nervous tone.

Xu Guang shook his head slightly, "It's not apparent for the moment. My cultivation in Qi Refining has only just begun."

Upon hearing this, Gong Sunbai couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

During their parting, Xu Guang suddenly thought of Yuan Shuang. He recalled what Jin Buhuan once mentioned about the issues in Yuan Shuang's Ten Thousand Laws Spiritual Body.

The other might be interested in Gong Sunbai's Spirit Palace.

"Xiao Bai, I can find someone to take a look for you. She is the senior sister of Xianzhen Academy. If you are willing, I can tell her about your situation. She is knowledgeable and should be able to provide you with a satisfactory answer."

Gong Sunbai, after some thought, shook his head in refusal.

"Thank you for your kind gesture, Brother Xu, but as for myself..."

Xu Guang nodded, not insisting that Yuan Shuang was a good person.

In truth, he didn't know Yuan Shuang well, only having a good impression of her from a few encounters.

But he wouldn't force his impressions onto Gong Sunbai.

Since Gong Sunbai was unwilling, he wouldn't force it.

"Focus on your cultivation. Even if you missed the century election, if you can reach the Second Realm of Qi Refining, I will find a way to recommend you into the academy."

After parting with Gong Sunbai, Xu Guang's life remained unruffled.

Yet his power was increasing at a visibly rapid pace.

He finally understood why General Wei was so excited. After swallowing the Ancient God's finger, General Teng could provide great cultivation augmentation for him and General Wei in the Void Realm.

To put it into perspective, while others had to find their own Source Qi and Spirit Charm, they, with General Teng's help, had the Spirit Charm and Source Qi within a certain range converge toward them.

All they needed to do was change locations periodically.

A spectacularly fast cultivation speed.

In just over a month, Xu Guang felt his Qi Force saturate, with the breakthrough to First Grade almost within reach.

Half a month later.

At the residence of the North Emperor Tower.

Xu Guang put away the Pill Furnace, from which six Elixirs emerged, spinning on their own.

These were Second Grade Elixirs – Spirit Storage Pills, which could restore the consumption of Divine Thought. They weren't particularly rare, nor were they highly priced.

However, Xu Guang didn't care about these aspects. His main reason for Alchemy now was to gain experience.

After refining this batch of pills, he had accumulated enough Experience Points to deduce the Five Emperors True Form Transformation into a First Grade Cultivation Technique.

Xu Guang wore a satisfied smile on his face.

A month later.

In a training room within the Emperor Tower.

Suddenly, a blaze soared to the sky, followed by a drift of blood rain; time spun like a wheel, bringing an earth-shattering change.

Xu Guang walked out from the blood and fire, as if emerging from another era, accompanied by the martial intents of the Annihilation Martial Dao and the Forgotten Martial Dao. Suddenly, the blood rain transformed into auspicious clouds, and golden clouds covered the sky, faintly revealing Heavenly Soldiers and Generals hidden behind the clouds, changing endlessly.

Vision after vision manifested, as Xu Guang restrained the Source Qi and the Withered Cicada Profound Egg within his body. The two martial intents appeared separately in ink and slightly red-tinted transparency.

The two interwove in the air, finally dissipating.

The martial intent entered the body, and the Five Emperors True Form Transformation deduced afterward rapidly operated within Xu Guang's body. His Divine Soul was stained with some peculiar aura, incredibly smooth, with a feeling that at any moment it could transcend the body.

The two colors of martial intent swirled around the Divine Soul.

He could clearly feel that the Divine Soul, infused with martial intent, inexplicably felt incompatible with the body.

This wasn't due to a cultivation problem; it was because the two martial intents Xu Guang comprehended were of extremely high origin. Despite not having comprehended them for long, it was enough for him to complete the first Nirvana Transformation.

This led to his Divine Soul meeting most of the Nirvana Transformation requirements, but his body did not, which caused the separation between the Divine Soul and the body.

Xu Guang quietly perceived his state. After the Divine Soul finished its transformation, he stripped away the martial intent.

Visions arose again, with Xu Guang sitting cross-legged amidst the blood and fire, his entire being flickering in and out of view.

Days passed.

The transformation finally concluded.

Xu Guang slowly rose, clenched his fist, and the training room, capable of withstanding First Grade combat, seemed to bear an intolerable strain.

He exhaled deeply, white mist stretching long.

It took days thereafter for Xu Guang to slowly adapt to his new state.

The Divine Techniques thoroughly merged with his body, and something unhuman began to appear, specific structures born from the influence of Divine Techniques.

For instance, the Divine Techniques of Residual Rain and Red Lotus Karmic Fire formed a peculiar talisman at his brow, with a water-like middle and a lotus-like surrounding.

The Silence Divine Power turned the long hair at his temples white, with faint divine light surging.

The Training Soldiers Divine Power changed his skin to golden, akin to a Buddha's Golden Body.

The Concealment Divine Power silently altered his heart, as if it transformed into a terrifying power system, with each heartbeat seemingly able to crush life and death.

Other than these, the Qi Force and his body's vitality continued to transform, merging, evolving into what should be known as Imprint Blood, with the Qi Force now infused with a unique personal power.

"Is this the transformation of reaching First Grade?"

Xu Guang murmured to himself, as his full body vitality and Qi Force transformed into Imprint Blood, enhancing his power by more than tenfold compared to when he was Second Grade.