Chapter 63: Realization – Imperial Grade Supreme Perfection
Gradually, the surroundings calmed down. Rod felt that his body had reached a state of saturation, and the elements around him began to disperse! Everything outside once again became peaceful, with the remaining changes accumulating within his body. His body slowly descended from mid-air, like a leaf, back to the ground.
From the outside, the fierce winds and whirlwinds ceased, turning back into gentle breezes that passed by without leaving any trace, as if nothing had happened. With the fire element completely dissipating, everything returned to a state of calm, back to chaos. If not for the faintly glowing red light still emanating from his body as he sat quietly, everything would have seemed like an illusion. Yet what existed now proved that this was not an illusion but a real existence.
At this moment, Rod, sitting on the ground, felt all movements within his body slowly coming to a halt. He knew this process was nearly complete. His combat energy had risen significantly in that instant, and its intensity had been further refined under the intense impact of the elements—all of which he could clearly sense. Once all movement ceased, his advancement would be fully accomplished. For the first time, he realized that reaching this level could be so simple and effortless—without any danger or trouble, even enjoyable. This made Rod feel it was both precious and rare.
Throughout his journey of cultivation, every step upward had not been smooth or perfect. Instead, it was often accompanied by numerous dangers. So, although Rod enjoyed advancement, he also felt a hint of fear. Yet this time, everything overturned his previous views, making him enjoy and appreciate this feeling.
The last trace of elemental energy in his body merged into his combat energy, flowing into the sea in his dantian before eventually becoming pure combat energy that circulated throughout his body. A gentle, familiar sensation spread through him, bringing clarity and comfort to his mind. Everything was over—he had broken through to the upper stage of the Imperial Grade. Indeed, it was an advancement to the peak of the upper Imperial Grade, practically putting one foot in the realm of the quasi-saints! At this moment, he inscribed his name with a bold stroke in the realm of the Saint Grade.
A hint of excitement flashed across his face as he suddenly opened his eyes. A beam of light, as tangible as reality, flashed through the darkness. His sharp gaze was like a cutting sword, seemingly capable of slicing through any material. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he rose abruptly, grasped Dark Dragon, and let out a long howl! The howl pierced the air, seemingly aiming straight for Yuanxiao! The piercing howl echoed and reverberated throughout Shandong for a long time. Of course, simply reaching the later stage of the Imperial rank wouldn’t have excited Rod to this extent. After all, he was already at the peak of the middle stage of the Imperial rank, with sufficient mental strength and physical resilience to support the power of the later stage. So entering that stage was merely a matter of time! Reaching it now was just a bit earlier—there was joy, but certainly not extreme excitement. Rod didn’t place such great importance on such an improvement. Even reaching the highest level of the later stage of the Imperial rank wouldn’t have excited him this much. What truly moved Rod and made his heart race was the concept of “realm.” Just moments ago, he had grasped something called a realm, which was similar to mental strength but far more powerful and complex. If mental strength could be compared to a three-year-old child, then a realm could be likened to a young man—the difference between the two was enormous. Although he still didn’t fully understand the specific uses of this realm, Rod could sense that he had, unbeknownst to him, opened another door to cultivation—a door filled with mystery! He knew that the ease and simplicity of this improvement, along with the absence of any dangers or troubles, were all thanks to this realm. It seemed that reaching this level required no effort from him; only combat energy was sufficient! Moreover, Rod felt that his previous methods of improvement might have been wrong. The cultivation path on this continent seemed rather forceful, but he seemed to have found a shortcut and the right path! He could sense that as long as his realm continued to improve, his strength would rise effortlessly—the two complemented each other and merged into one! All of this made Rod realize that he had now entered a new level and world. This was what excited him the most. Of course, much of this was just Rod’s speculation; at least for now, he couldn’t be certain. Even if he was 90% sure of his thoughts.
Another thing that excited Rod was the fact that this breakthrough allowed him to skip a whole level—going straight from the advanced Imperial rank to the state of Perfect Mastery, essentially putting one foot in the realm of Quasi-Saints! Although there is still a significant gap between the Quasi-Saint rank and the Saint rank, it is extremely small. The difference between the peak of the Imperial rank and the Quasi-God rank lies in mental strength and comprehension. Yet, if they were to fight, the difference in strength would be enormous, with the Quasi-Saint almost certainly winning—unless they encountered someone as abnormal as Rod. After all, such anomalies are rare in this world, if not entirely unique.
Reaching the Quasi-Saint rank meant an absolute elevation in mental strength and comprehension, which is precisely what is needed to advance to the Saint rank. The gap between the Saint and Imperial ranks would be greatly narrowed by these improvements.
At this moment, Rod knew he had met all the requirements for the Quasi-Saint rank. All he needed was time—within a month, he would successfully enter this realm, as his mental state was already sufficient. Even reaching the Saint rank seemed within reach. With time as a catalyst, his natural improvement was enough; there were no barriers left. This realization allowed him to break through the bottleneck between the Quasi-Saint and Saint ranks outright. This was Rod’s second major achievement and another reason for his excitement.
It should be noted that the gap between the Imperial and Quasi-Saint ranks has trapped more than half of the cultivators at this level, while the bottleneck between the Quasi-Saint and Saint ranks has trapped even more warriors. Two such barriers must have held back countless people. To break through them so easily by chance was likely a blessing. Rod no longer had any further desires.
With his eyes closed, feeling the fluctuations of his internal combat energy and letting the cold wind stir his clothes, Rod remained steadfast as a rock, a faint smile on his lips, exuding an air of transcendence.
After the improvement, he could clearly feel that the purity of his combat energy had increased significantly. Moreover, its intensity was at least three times that of his mid-Imperial level. His speed and physical strength had all undergone tremendous changes thanks to the refinement of his combat energy. This level was far beyond what mid-Imperial level could compare to. Although it was just a small step forward, his strength had advanced by a great deal. Only then did he understand why it was so difficult to improve at this stage—why such a small difference in level could create such a huge gap!
The advanced peak of the Imperial level was utterly beyond comparison to mid-Imperial level, and it could at least match five or more mid-Imperial level warriors.
Realizing all this, Rod inwardly marveled at how lucky he had been. He had successfully challenged warriors and magical beasts at the advanced Imperial level, quasi-saint level, and even the early saint level, with some of these challenges being extremely easy.
That was because he struck suddenly, before his opponents could react or even counterattack. Additionally, his combat experience and techniques like “Invisible Wind” and “Autumn Breeze” were incredibly unpredictable, making it hard for enemies to figure him out. His speed and strength also far surpassed those of most warriors, exceeding them by an entire level. With favorable timing, location, and teamwork, along with his unpredictable tactics and ability to strike first, Rod had won many battles and remained undefeated to this day. The role of luck in this was evident.
Fearing for himself, Rod knew he needed to be even more careful when facing such opponents in the future. Yet at the same time, he was filled with confidence. Although he was only at the peak of the Imperial level and had just stepped into the realm of quasi-saints, he was different from ordinary people. His speed, strength, the resilience of his sacred body, and the intensity of his combat energy were all rare, allowing him to rival, or even slightly surpass, quasi-saint level warriors. His realm was one level ahead, so while other warriors might be worlds apart and have no chance of winning, he had the ability and probability to succeed, albeit with difficulty.
Thinking of this, for some reason, in an instant, Rod felt as if he were heaven, earth, and the supreme being—invincible and omnipotent! With his hair fluttering in the wind and a wild smile on his face, Rod stood tall in the dark cave, wielding his sword and looking down upon the world. For a moment, there seemed to be a faint tremor in the air!
A fierce gust of cold wind blew by, causing Rod’s body to shudder suddenly. A look of shock flashed in his eyes, and his vision became clear! A large amount of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his back was already soaked. In just an instant, his complexion turned pale.
“Damn it! Is it an inner demon?” Rod cursed immediately. Just moments ago, he had felt an overwhelming sense of confidence, stronger than ever before. While this was good, such arrogance would surely affect his future cultivation and hinder his progress. That was an inner demon—this word popped into Rod’s mind for no reason. Fortunately, he regained his senses quickly, thanks to the wind; otherwise, he might have become trapped in that state. If that happened… the consequences would be unimaginable. An inner demon would form, delaying his cultivation and even risking him going mad! He felt lucky, truly grateful for that gust of wind.
Exhaling a puff of foul air, his emotions gradually calmed down. Looking around, Rod felt uneasy—this place was truly eerie. He knew he had to be extremely careful. Otherwise, he might not even know how he would die.