"You didn't take much time at all..." The elder of the Exchange Hall hesitated for a moment, his expression growing distant as he trailed off.

In just a few short months, Lu Changsheng had already developed several Domains. No matter how gifted a true inheritor disciple could be, no one had ever comprehended Domains with such speed.

At this rate, even without relying on rare natural treasures, Lu Changsheng could theoretically expand his Mind Space to a hundred li through Domain contemplation alone. Doing so would require him to master hundreds of Domains, a feat that bordered on the unimaginable.

However, seeing how quickly he moved from one breakthrough to the next, the elder found it difficult to dismiss the possibility entirely.

"Elder, the Mind Stabilization Stone I requested..."

The elder blinked and returned to his senses. "Right, right! Your Mind Space has already reached ten li, so you qualify to apply for the Mind Stabilization Stone."

He turned at once and searched through the room. After a short while, he retrieved a stone and held it out.

"Remember to be careful with it," the elder warned. "This stone is extremely precious. If you lose or damage it, the sect will not provide another free of charge. You would need to exchange contribution points for a replacement, or wait until your Mind Space reaches twenty li to apply for a second one."

Lu Changsheng took the Mind Stabilization Stone from the elder and nodded. "I understand, Elder."

He knew just how valuable this stone was. Mind Stabilization Stones were monopolized by the major Martial Dao sects of the Ancient Region, a strategic resource so tightly controlled that ordinary martial artists could only dream of obtaining one.

Lu Changsheng stored the stone away, thanked the Elder, and returned to his cave residence.

***

Back at his cave residence, Lu Changsheng took out the Mind Stabilization Stone that he had just obtained. It was said that for a martial artist at the Divine Treasury realm, refining a Mind Stabilization Stone made all the difference between a foundation that held and one that crumbled. Its importance could not be overstated.

Let's see what it does to my Mind Space. Lu Changsheng held the stone in his palm and took a deep breath as a thread of anticipation ran beneath his composure. With a single thought on his end, his Mind Space descended.

A low rumble echoed as the Mind Space enveloped the Mind Stabilization Stone. Under ordinary circumstances, the Mind Space was illusory and intangible—untouchable by physical objects, let alone merge with any, but the Mind Stabilization Stone was different. No one knew what it was made of, and it could integrate seamlessly into the Mind Space, stabilizing it.

Lu Changsheng's Mind Space trembled violently as it refined the Mind Stabilization Stone. It drew the stone inward and began assimilating it.

Rumble! Rumble! Poof!

Suddenly, the stone, which had been sitting on his palm moments ago, simply vanished before his eyes. He reached out instinctively, but his hand passed through empty air.

It's gone? Is this... dematerialization? A realization popped into his mind. He had seen the opposite countless times. The Heart Sword and the Domains nurtured within the Mind Space were all cases of the intangible taking form. However, this was the first time he had witnessed a physical object disappear and become part of the immaterial.

Lu Changsheng shook his head. He was certain the stone had been a physical object from the real world. He had been holding it just moments ago, but after refining it, it had vanished as a physical object.

Despite its disappearance, its presence remained. He could feel that his Mind Space now felt more stable, as though something that had always been trembling subtly had finally gone still.

"Hmm?" Lu Changsheng sharpened his focus.

Whizz!

A jade-colored Heart Sword shot out instantly. He studied it for a moment, then nodded slowly with a satisfied smile. He could now unleash more Heart Swords, and his Mind Space could sustain the materialization of his Domains and Heart Swords for longer without risking collapse. At the same time, the nurturing power within his Mind Space had grown noticeably stronger.

He had been nurturing the Water Element Domain. Before this, bringing a Domain to Perfection required a full month of nurturing. Now, after a brief assessment, he could tell that the same process would take only twenty-five days.

The reduction seemed small at first glance, but Lu Changsheng understood its significance. He had only refined one Mind Stabilization Stone; if he refined more, the time required would shrink further, until nurturing a Domain to Perfection became almost effortless.

The thought of that made Lu Changsheng excited, but he tried not to get ahead of himself. Refining the first Mind Stabilization Stone was already a significant milestone in his cultivation. It marked the most solid step he had taken toward establishing his Dao Foundation, but in terms of combat power, the increase was limited—not that that concerned him at the moment.

Now that the Mind Stabilization Stone had been refined, his path was clear. He would devote himself entirely to contemplating the five Element Domains, nurture each one to Perfection, and unify them into one. Only then would he be ready to deal with Xu Haotian.

Lu Changsheng was determined to deal with Xu Haotian. After all, Xu Haotian had already sent people against him twice. Even a worm would turn, so what would happen when they pushed someone like Lu Changsheng?

That being said, Lu Changsheng was also well aware that Xu Haotian was no Long Yun. Xu Haotian was one of the Yellow Heavenly Sect's supreme geniuses, a Divine Treasury expert with a real chance of forging a Dao Foundation. His strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Divine Treasury martial artist.

Within a short span of time, there was no way Lu Changsheng could nurture dozens, let alone hundreds, of Domains to Perfection. His only path was to focus on refining and fusing what he already had. If he could fuse all five Element Domains into one, his power would be terrifying.

However, bringing all five Element Domains to Perfection would take at least four months at his current pace.

Time to go into seclusion. I'll seclude myself for four months, and I won't come out until every last one of the five Element Domains has reached Perfection. I have enough Dao Comprehension Pills to last four months, but I should get more just in case.

Since he was entering seclusion anyway, it made sense to be completely prepared for it. Even if he had some left over, Dao Comprehension Pills were a reliable form of currency, so they were always useful for trades or negotiations.

Lu Changsheng headed to the Mission Hall and handed over thirty Element spirit beasts to the hall elder.

The spirit beasts were arranged into groups of five, each group containing one of the five elements to form a complete set. Every complete set was worth 100,000 contribution points, and with six sets, he earned a total of 600,000 contribution points.

Lu Changsheng then spent 100,000 contribution points to exchange for a hundred twenty Dao Comprehension Pills, bringing his total to a hundred twenty-five pills.

Based on his experience, the effects of the pill would diminish after taking more than a hundred, and once the total exceeded two hundred, the benefits would almost vanish entirely. He had already taken several dozen before, so this new supply would carry him right up to their effective limit.

Satisfied with the preparations, Lu Changsheng returned to his cave residence. Everything is ready. If all goes well, I'll be able to come out after four months.

He sealed his cave residence for seclusion. From that moment on, no one could disturb him. As long as he remained in seclusion, even if the outside world turned upside down, it would not reach him.

Lu Changsheng rarely secluded himself for extended periods. Four months was, by any measure, an unusually long stretch, but he had already made his decision, and there was nothing left to do but begin.

When Lu Changsheng entered seclusion, news about the events at Boundary Mountain finally reached the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect.

"What? Lu Changsheng actually killed Long Yun of the Yellow Heavenly Sect?"

"Incredible! Long Yun was a true inheritor disciple and a seasoned Divine Treasury expert! He might not have stood out, but he was far from weak. And Senior Brother Lu has only just become a true inheritor. How did he manage to do that?"

"I heard Xu Haotian pushed Long Yun into going after Senior Brother Lu."

"Xu Haotian's younger brother, Xu Haoran, was killed by Senior Brother Lu, and now, he keeps sending people after Senior Brother Lu."

"It doesn't matter how many people Xu Haotian sends. Anyone who went up against Senior Brother Lu has ended up dead. First, it was Wu Qingyi, and now, it's Long Yun... "

"It looks like Senior Brother Lu will carry his legend into the Divine Treasury Realm as well."