píng shí ， zhè wèi dà néng yě shì zì shì shèn gāo de 。
平时，这位大能也是自视甚高的。
Generally, this powerful being considered himself quite highly.
yuán běn shì xiǎng yào děng jìng jiè wěn gù ， jiù yǐn lái tiān jié ， rán hòu jǔ xiá fēi shēng le ， nǎ zhī dào rén suàn bù rú tiān suàn ， xiān líng tōng dào què yǐ bì guān 。
原本是想要等境界稳固，就引来天劫，然后举霞飞升了，哪知道人算不如天算，仙灵通道却已闭关。
Initially, he had planned to wait until his realm stabilized and then summon the heavenly tribulation before ascending. However, human calculations were no match for divine ones; the path to immortals was already sealed off.
rú cǐ yī lái ， zhè wèi xuán tiān lǎo zǔ kě shì cháng xū duǎn tàn ， zài xiū liàn méi yǒu duō dà yòng chǔ ， kě nǐ ràng tā xián xià lái xiǎng xiǎng qīng fú ， tā yòu jué de hún shēn bù shū fú 。
如此一来，这位玄天老祖可是长吁短叹，再修炼没有多大用处，可你让他闲下来享享清福，他又觉得浑身不舒服。
Thus, the venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch lamented long and short. While further cultivation might not be particularly useful, idling around would make him uncomfortable.
yī jù huà ， tiān shēng máng lù guàn le 。
一句话，天生忙碌惯了。
In a nutshell, he was naturally accustomed to being busy.
zhè yī xià zhǎo bù zhe mù biāo dàng zhēn shì nán guò 。
这一下找不着目标当真是难过。
Finding himself without a target now truly troubled him.
gāi zěn me bàn ne ？
该怎么办呢？
What should he do?
rú cǐ jiāng suì yuè cuō tuó ， wàn nián de guāng yīn dōu yào jiāng xuán tiān lǎo zǔ biē fēng le ， ér jiù zài zhè shí ， nà shén mì de gōng fǎ héng kōng chū shì 。
如此将岁月蹉跎，万年的光阴都要将玄天老祖憋疯了，而就在这时，那神秘的功法横空出世。
With time slipping by, ten thousand years of his life seemed to have driven the venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch mad. At this moment, a mysterious cultivation technique suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
méi yǒu rén zhī dào tā lái zì yú nǎ lǐ ， chū hé rén de shǒu bǐ 。
没有人知道它来自于哪里，出何人的手笔。
No one knew its origin or who created it.
dàn shí lì dào le xuán tiān lǎo zǔ zhè yàng de děng jí ， yī yǎn jiù kě yǐ fēn biàn chū gōng fǎ de zhēn jiǎ lái dì 。
但实力到了玄天老祖这样的等级，一眼就可以分辨出功法的真假来地。
But at his level, he could easily discern whether a cultivation technique was genuine or not.
rú jiǎ bāo huàn ！
如假包换！
It was genuine!
xuán tiān lǎo zǔ huān xǐ dé shì zhuā ěr náo sāi ， zhè xià zǒng suàn shì yǒu shì zuò ， cǐ gōng fǎ jiù suàn jiān nán kùn kǔ yòu rú hé ， zǒng hǎo guò zì jǐ zài zhè lǐ wú suǒ shì shì de ， ér qiě yí dàn xiū liàn chéng le ， zì jǐ de shí lì ， yě fēi tū fēi měng jìn bù kě 。
玄天老祖欢喜得是抓耳挠腮，这下总算是有事做，此功法就算艰难困苦又如何，总好过自己在这里无所事事的，而且一旦修炼成了，自己的实力，也非突飞猛进不可。
The venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch was overjoyed to the point of scratching his head and ears. Now that he had something to do, even if the path ahead was arduous, it was better than idling here aimlessly. Moreover, once he mastered this technique, his strength would undoubtedly surge.
dào shí hòu wǔ bǎi wàn nián yī huǎng ér guò ， xiān líng tōng dào chóng xīn kāi qǐ ， zì jǐ dào fǎ dà chéng ， jǔ xiá fēi shēng ， yī dào xiān jiè jiù xiào ào qún xióng ， chéng wéi zhēn xiān zhōng de wáng zhě ， qǐ bù shì rén shēng yī dà kuài lè ？
到时候五百万年一晃而过，仙灵通道重新开启，自己道法大成，举霞飞升，一到仙界就笑傲群雄，成为真仙中的王者，岂不是人生一大快乐？
In five million years, with the divine immortal path reopening, he could ascend and become a true dominant force in the heavens, ruling over all other immortals—what more joy could there be?
tā fǔ xū wēi xiào ， yuè xiǎng yuè jué de kào pǔ ér 。
他抚须微笑，越想越觉得靠谱儿。
He stroked his beard and smiled, finding it increasingly plausible.
suí hòu biàn xīn jí huǒ liǎo de xiū liàn qǐ lái le 。
随后便心急火燎的修炼起来了。
Then he rushed to cultivate with great urgency.
yùn qì hái suàn bú cuò ， yuán yīng yī fēn wèi jiǔ shì hěn shùn lì de ， jìng jiè suī rán diē luò dào le lí hé ， dàn líng gēn zī zhì bìng méi yǒu shòu sǔn shén me 。
运气还算不错，元婴一分为九是很顺利的，境界虽然跌落到了离合，但灵根资质并没有受损什么。
His luck was still decent; dividing his essence into nine parts went smoothly. Although his realm had dropped to the separation stage, his spirit root remained intact.
yī qiè zhǐ yào hǎo hǎo xiū liàn jiù xíng le 。
一切只要好好修炼就行了。
All that mattered now was diligent cultivation.
zhì yú nán dù ， tā cái bú huì jiè yì ne ！
至于难度，他才不会介意呢！
As for the difficulty, he wouldn't mind at all!
rán ér xuán tiān lǎo zǔ shí zài tài tiān zhēn le …… ń ， yě bù néng zhè me shuō ， bì jìng shì huó le shàng bǎi wàn nián de lǎo guài wù 。
然而玄天老祖实在太天真了……嗯，也不能这么说，毕竟是活了上百万年的老怪物。
However, the venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch was too naive… well, not entirely, as he had lived for over a million years.
zhèng què de jiǎng shì tā yī shí hú tú ， tài guò gāo xìng liǎo shì qíng jiù méi yǒu kǎo lǜ tòu chè 。
正确的讲是他一时糊涂，太过高兴了事情就没有考虑透彻。
In truth, he was momentarily careless and overly elated, failing to consider things thoroughly enough.
chéng rán 。 tā yǒu xìn xīn chóng xīn xiū liàn 。
诚然。他有信心重新修炼。
Indeed, he did have confidence in his ability to re-cultivate.
kě rén zài jiāng hú piāo ， nǎ ér néng bù āi dāo ， xiū xiān jiè de qíng kuàng gèng fù zá xǔ duō ， wēi xiǎn biàn bù ， yǐ qián tā shì yī jiè qiáng zhě ， jiù suàn jié xià chóu jiā wú shù ， yě méi yǒu rén gǎn lái luō hǔ xū de 。
可人在江湖飘，哪儿能不挨刀，修仙界的情况更复杂许多，危险遍布，以前他是一界强者，就算结下仇家无数，也没有人敢来捋虎须的。
But in this world, one could never be too careful; the cultivation realm was far more complex with dangers lurking everywhere. Previously, even if he had countless enemies, no one dared provoke him.
kě jīn fēi xī bǐ ， tā zhè yī zì fèi xiū wèi de xiāo xī yī chuán chū qù ， mào chū lái de chóu jiā kě jiù rú guò jiāng zhī jì 。
可今非昔比，他这一自废修为的消息一传出去，冒出来的仇家可就如过江之鲫。
Now, however, news of his self-inflicted weakening spread like wildfire, drawing out numerous vengeful foes.
quán dōu shàng mén bào fù ， bié shuō qīng jìng xiū liàn le 。 jiù suàn xiǎng yào táo tuō xìng mìng ， ér bù kě dé 。
全都上门报复，别说清静修炼了。就算想要逃脱性命，而不可得。
All came to seek revenge, making it impossible to find peace or safety. In the end, the venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch, pursued by many, fled like a cornered dog, hiding in fear until he was finally killed by a first-stage spirit cultivator.
zuì hòu ， táng táng xuán tiān lǎo zǔ ， zài zhòng rén de zhuī shā xià rú sàng jiā zhī quǎn ， huáng huáng rán dōng duǒ xī cáng ， zuì zhōng hái shì méi néng táo tuō ， zài yī fēn shén qī xiū shì de shǒu zhōng yǔn luò 。
最后，堂堂玄天老祖，在众人的追杀下如丧家之犬，惶惶然东躲西藏，最终还是没能逃脱，在一分神期修士的手中陨落。
He couldn't even recall the name of his killer; with such immense power, how could he remember a mere first-stage spirit? But now, he had fallen to someone so insignificant.
shā tā de rén de míng zì ， xuán tiān lǎo zǔ dōu jiào bù chū ， bì jìng yǐ tā de shí lì 。 qǐ huì jiāng yī fēn shén qī xiū shì jì de ， rán ér jīn fēi xī bǐ ， rú jīn tā què shì yǔn luò zài zhè me yī bù qǐ yǎn xiǎo zú zi de shǒu lǐ 。
杀他的人的名字，玄天老祖都叫不出，毕竟以他的实力。岂会将一分神期修士记得，然而今非昔比，如今他却是陨落在这么一不起眼小卒子的手里。
And this wasn't unique. Some were betrayed by friends and punished by their own disciples after self-inflicted weakening.
ér tā zhè yàng de zāo yù ， jué fēi shì wéi yī 。 hái yǒu gèng cǎn de ， zì fèi xiū wèi hòu bèi péng yǒu xiàn hài ， bèi tú dì fǎn shì 。
而他这样的遭遇，绝非是唯一。还有更惨的，自废修为后被朋友陷害，被徒弟反噬。
After all, people are unpredictable—while there may be genuine friends, there are also hypocrites. Even without enemies, the wealth accumulated at such a high level made one a target for envy.
bì jìng rén xīn gé dù pí ， suī rán yǒu zhēn xìng qíng de hǎo hàn zi 。 dàn yě yǒu xīng xīng zuò tài de wěi jūn zǐ ， mǒu xiē dà néng jiù suàn méi yǒu chóu jiā ， dàn shí lì dào le zhè yī bù 。 tā men de shēn jiā zì shì fēng fù 。
毕竟人心隔肚皮，虽然有真性情的好汉子。但也有惺惺作态的伪君子，某些大能就算没有仇家，但实力到了这一步。他们的身家自是丰富。
Otherwise, imagine giving a three-year-old child the key to a vast fortune and sending them out into the world.
yǐ qián méi yǒu rén gǎn jì yú ， rú jīn zé shì pǐ fū wú zuì huái bì qí zuì de dào lǐ 。
以前没有人敢觊觎，如今则是匹夫无罪怀璧其罪的道理。
Many powerful beings met tragic ends due to this.
fǒu zé nǐ ràng yī sān suì xiǎo hái ér shǒu ná wàn guàn jiā cái de yào shi ， dào jiē shàng qù shì shì 。
否则你让一三岁小孩儿手拿万贯家财的钥匙，到街上去试试。
But could this process be avoided?
hěn duō dà néng dōu yīn cǐ bēi jù 。
很多大能都因此悲剧。
The answer was no.
dàn zhè ge guò chéng ， nán dào jiù méi yǒu bàn fǎ bì miǎn me ？
但这个过程，难道就没有办法避免么？
While the cultivation realm is full of deceitful schemers, there are also true friends and soulmates who can be trusted completely.
dá àn yě shì fǒu dìng de 。
答案也是否定的。
Even if you had none, being a senior elder in a sect wasn't difficult. With a powerful major sect as support, it might even serve as a sanctuary for mutual benefit.
què rán ， xiū xiān jiè duō ěr yú wǒ zhà zhī tú ， dàn yě yǒu kě yǐ jiāo xīn de zhēn péng yǒu ， hái yǒu shuāng xiū dào lǚ ， nà yě shì kě yǐ jué duì xìn rèn dì 。
确然，修仙界多尔虞我诈之徒，但也有可以交心的真朋友，还有双修道侣，那也是可以绝对信任地。
Indeed, some powerful beings did this, achieving good results initially.
jiù suàn zhè xiē nǐ dōu méi yǒu ， shì gū jiā guǎ rén yí gè ， hǎo ba ， zuò gè zōng mén de tài shàng zhǎng lǎo zǒng méi yǒu shén me nán dù ， ruò shì yǐ yī chāo jí dà zōng zuò wéi yī tuō ， wèi bì bù kě yǐ jiāng qí zuò wèi bì hù ， cóng ér dá dào shuāng yíng de xiào guǒ 。
就算这些你都没有，是孤家寡人一个，好吧，做个宗门的太上长老总没有什么难度，若是以一超级大宗作为依托，未必不可以将其做为庇护，从而达到双赢的效果。
But even such attempts ended poorly.
bié shuō ， hái zhēn yǒu dà néng zhè me zuò ， qǐ chū xiào guǒ yě shì hěn hǎo de 。
别说，还真有大能这么做，起初效果也是很好的。
Why?
kě jí biàn shì zhè yàng de cháng shì zhě ， zuì zhōng yě méi yǒu dé dào hǎo jié guǒ 。
可即便是这样的尝试者，最终也没有得到好结果。
Was the cultivation technique fake?
jiū jìng shì wèi shén me ？
究竟是为什么？
No, the technique was undoubtedly genuine; no sharp-eyed old hands could be deceived on that. However, they overlooked one crucial difficulty: re-cultivating after dividing his essence into nine parts wasn't as simple as overcoming countless obstacles.
gōng fǎ shì jiǎ de ？
功法是假的？
Despite their initial expectations, they vastly underestimated the actual difficulty.
bù ， gōng fǎ dāng rán shì zhēn de méi cuò ， zhè yì diǎn ， jué piàn bù guò nà me duō lǎo là de shuāng mù ， kě tā men ， què hū shì le qí zhōng yì diǎn de nán dù 。
不，功法当然是真的没错，这一点，绝骗不过那么多老辣的双目，可他们，却忽视了其中一点的难度。
They had no psychological preparation at all, let alone any sense of what to do next.
jiù shì yuán yīng yī fēn wèi jiǔ ， xiǎng yào chóng xīn xiū liàn ， suǒ miàn lín de kùn nán ， kě bú shì qiān zhé bǎi huí zhè me jiǎn dān 。
就是元婴一分为九，想要重新修炼，所面临的困难，可不是千折百回这么简单。
For example, a Green Stone Venerable was originally one of the top figures in his realm. After practicing the Nine Transformations into Essence Technique, he dropped to the essence stage.
jǐn guǎn tā men xīn zhōng yǐ yǒu yù jì ， kě duì yú shí jì de nán dù ， hái shì dà dà dī gū 。
尽管他们心中已有预计，可对于实际的难度，还是大大低估。
This drop was extreme but not entirely unacceptable.
bù shuō yì diǎn xīn lǐ zhǔn bèi yě wú ， dàn dàng zhēn shì máng rán wú cuò 。
不说一点心理准备也无，但当真是茫然无措。
As the head of a sect with many disciples for protection, he had no worries about enemies and could focus on cultivation.
bǐ rú shuō yī wèi lǜ shí zūn zhě ， yuán běn yě shì yī jiè dǐng jí rén wù ， xiū liàn jiǔ zhuǎn huà yīng jué hòu ， xiū wèi zhí jiē diē luò dào yuán yīng qù le 。
比如说一位绿石尊者，原本也是一界顶级人物，修炼九转化婴诀后，修为直接跌落到元婴去了。
He thought that from the essence stage to the separation stage, re-cultivating would increase the difficulty. However, his experience as an old hand and abundant resources within the sect should allow rapid advancement.
zhè diào dé yǒu xiē lí pǔ ， dàn yě bú shì bù kě jiē shòu de 。
这掉得有些离谱，但也不是不可接受的。
But things turned out differently.
tā yuán běn jiù shì yī pài zōng zhǔ ， yǒu dà liàng mén rén dì zǐ de shǒu hù ， suǒ yǐ gēn běn bù yòng dān xīn ， yǒu shuí huì duì zì jǐ bù lì ， zhǐ xū yào qián xīn xiū liàn jiù kě yǐ 。
他原本就是一派宗主，有大量门人弟子的守护，所以根本不用担心，有谁会对自己不利，只需要潜心修炼就可以。
Experience meant nothing; this difficulty was so extreme it made one's hair stand on end. He needed all nine essences to advance simultaneously with no room for delay or misstep. Any deviation would lead to a perilous situation.
yuán běn xiǎng lái ， cóng yuán yīng dào lí hé ， jiù suàn chóng xīn xiū liàn ， dǎo zhì nán dù bèi zēng ， dàn zì jǐ jìng jiè suī rán diào luò ， dàn jīng yàn hái shì dà néng lǎo zǔ ， yòu yǒu mén nèi zī yuán yuán yuán bù duàn de gòng fèng ， xiū liàn jìn jí shì hěn kuài de 。
原本想来，从元婴到离合，就算重新修炼，导致难度倍增，但自己境界虽然掉落，但经验还是大能老祖，又有门内资源源源不断的供奉，修炼晋级是很快的。
This was simply too daunting.
nǎ zhī dào ， què shì wán quán xiǎng cuò 。
哪知道，却是完全想错。
He spent a thousand years, using countless resources from his disciples, finally completing the process.
yǒu jīng yàn yòu rú hé ， zhè nán dù jiǎn zhí dào le lìng rén fà zhǐ de dì bù ， bì xū jiǔ gè yuán yīng tóng shí jìn jí ， bù néng yǒu xiān hòu shùn xù ， bù diào shāo yǒu bù yī ， jiù huì yǒu zǒu huǒ rù mó zhī huò 。
有经验又如何，这难度简直到了令人发指的地步，必须九个元婴同时晋级，不能有先后顺序，步调稍有不一，就会有走火入魔之祸。
But he found himself utterly lost regarding his future path.
zhè jiǎn zhí tài nán wéi rén le 。
这简直太难为人了。
From the essence stage to the separation stage had already consumed much of his time; what lay ahead was even more treacherous. What should he do?
tā huā fèi le qiān nián de guāng yīn ， hào fèi le dì zǐ mén rén tí gōng de zī yuán wú shù ， zǒng suàn shì wán chéng le 。
他花费了千年的光阴，耗费了弟子门人提供的资源无数，总算是完成了。
Yet, once one started, there was no turning back. Even if he regretted it deeply, it was too late. He had to push forward with all his might.
rán ér duì yú wèi lái de qián tú ， què dào le yī piàn máng rán de dì bù 。
然而对于未来的前途，却到了一片茫然的地步。
Years later, he still perished in the essence tribulation, reaching only mid-separation at the time of his death.
cóng yuán yīng dào lí hé ， jiù huā fèi le zì jǐ suì yuè wú shù ， jiē xià lái de lù gèng jiā kǎn kě ， gāi zěn me bàn ne ？
从元婴到离合，就花费了自己岁月无数，接下来的路更加坎坷，该怎么办呢？
This was truly tragic; originally, the Green Stone Venerable had broken free from the shackles of lifespan. If not for his misguided path, would he have met such a fate?
rán ér kāi gōng méi yǒu huí tóu jiàn ， jiù suàn tā huǐ dé cháng zi dōu qīng le ， nà yě shì wú kě nài hé ， tā zhǐ yào yìng zhe tóu pí ， jì xù zǒu xià qù 。
然而开弓没有回头箭，就算他悔得肠子都青了，那也是无可奈何，他只要硬着头皮，继续走下去。
And this wasn't an isolated incident…
shù nián hòu ， tā hái shì yǔn luò zài le yuán qì zhī jié lǐ ， ér zuò huà qián de xiū wèi ， bù guò lí hé zhōng qī 。
数年后，他还是陨落在了元气之劫里，而坐化前的修为，不过离合中期。
Thus, after the Nine Transformations into Essence Technique's brief popularity, all powerful beings lost interest in it. It was unclear who created such a technique; theoretically sound, but practically harmful.
zhè jiǎn zhí shì kě bēi yǐ jí ， yuán běn lǜ shí lǎo zǔ ， yǐ jīng zhèng tuō shòu yuán shù fù ， ruò bú shì tā guǐ mí xīn qiào zǒu zhè tiáo lù ， qǐ huì yǒu jīn tiān de xià chǎng ne ？
这简直是可悲以极，原本绿石老祖，已经挣脱寿元束缚，若不是他鬼迷心窍走这条路，岂会有今天的下场呢？
Even Li Yutong and Frosty Spirit had once obtained it. After careful consideration, these two prodigies shook their heads in disappointment, deeming the technique too treacherous to complete.
ér qiě zhè yàng dǎo méi bēi cuī de dà néng hái bù zhǐ yí gè ……
而且这样倒霉悲催的大能还不止一个……
So they abandoned it, choosing instead to forge their own paths through countless years of effort.
jiù zhè yàng ， jiǔ zhuǎn huà yīng jué zài fēng mǐ yī shí zhī hòu ， suǒ yǒu de dà néng ， dōu shī qù xìng qù le ， yě bù zhī dào shì nǎ ge fēng zi ， chuàng chū le zhè tào gōng fǎ ， lǐ lùn shàng shì bù cuò ， dàn shí jì de xiào guǒ ， jiǎn zhí jiù shì hài rén de 。
就这样，九转化婴诀在风靡一时之后，所有的大能，都失去兴趣了，也不知道是哪个疯子，创出了这套功法，理论上是不错，但实际的效果，简直就是害人的。
Initially, they had suppressed their realms; now, they had achieved a leap forward. They were ready to make a grand debut, but Nai Long's performance was even more outrageous.
bié shuō qí yú de dà néng le 。
别说其余的大能了。
Postscript: In the next month, "A Thousand Refinements" will conclude. This double vote month is likely the last for this book. Indeed, saying so isn't for seeking votes; it’s just that after six years with this book and meeting many fellow daoists, I feel a bit sentimental as we say goodbye to our gathering. Next month, this story will reach its end. (To be continued...)
Generally, this powerful being considered himself quite highly.
Initially, he had planned to wait until his realm stabilized and then summon the heavenly tribulation before ascending. However, human calculations were no match for divine ones; the path to immortals was already sealed off.
Thus, the venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch lamented long and short. While further cultivation might not be particularly useful, idling around would make him uncomfortable.
In a nutshell, he was naturally accustomed to being busy.
Finding himself without a target now truly troubled him.
What should he do?
With time slipping by, ten thousand years of his life seemed to have driven the venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch mad. At this moment, a mysterious cultivation technique suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
No one knew its origin or who created it.
But at his level, he could easily discern whether a cultivation technique was genuine or not.
It was genuine!
The venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch was overjoyed to the point of scratching his head and ears. Now that he had something to do, even if the path ahead was arduous, it was better than idling here aimlessly. Moreover, once he mastered this technique, his strength would undoubtedly surge.
In five million years, with the divine immortal path reopening, he could ascend and become a true dominant force in the heavens, ruling over all other immortals—what more joy could there be?
He stroked his beard and smiled, finding it increasingly plausible.
Then he rushed to cultivate with great urgency.
His luck was still decent; dividing his essence into nine parts went smoothly. Although his realm had dropped to the separation stage, his spirit root remained intact.
All that mattered now was diligent cultivation.
As for the difficulty, he wouldn't mind at all!
However, the venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch was too naive… well, not entirely, as he had lived for over a million years.
In truth, he was momentarily careless and overly elated, failing to consider things thoroughly enough.
Indeed, he did have confidence in his ability to re-cultivate.
But in this world, one could never be too careful; the cultivation realm was far more complex with dangers lurking everywhere. Previously, even if he had countless enemies, no one dared provoke him.
Now, however, news of his self-inflicted weakening spread like wildfire, drawing out numerous vengeful foes.
All came to seek revenge, making it impossible to find peace or safety. In the end, the venerable Profound Heaven Patriarch, pursued by many, fled like a cornered dog, hiding in fear until he was finally killed by a first-stage spirit cultivator.
He couldn't even recall the name of his killer; with such immense power, how could he remember a mere first-stage spirit? But now, he had fallen to someone so insignificant.
And this wasn't unique. Some were betrayed by friends and punished by their own disciples after self-inflicted weakening.
After all, people are unpredictable—while there may be genuine friends, there are also hypocrites. Even without enemies, the wealth accumulated at such a high level made one a target for envy.
Otherwise, imagine giving a three-year-old child the key to a vast fortune and sending them out into the world.
Many powerful beings met tragic ends due to this.
But could this process be avoided?
The answer was no.
While the cultivation realm is full of deceitful schemers, there are also true friends and soulmates who can be trusted completely.
Even if you had none, being a senior elder in a sect wasn't difficult. With a powerful major sect as support, it might even serve as a sanctuary for mutual benefit.
Indeed, some powerful beings did this, achieving good results initially.
But even such attempts ended poorly.
Why?
Was the cultivation technique fake?
No, the technique was undoubtedly genuine; no sharp-eyed old hands could be deceived on that. However, they overlooked one crucial difficulty: re-cultivating after dividing his essence into nine parts wasn't as simple as overcoming countless obstacles.
Despite their initial expectations, they vastly underestimated the actual difficulty.
They had no psychological preparation at all, let alone any sense of what to do next.
For example, a Green Stone Venerable was originally one of the top figures in his realm. After practicing the Nine Transformations into Essence Technique, he dropped to the essence stage.
This drop was extreme but not entirely unacceptable.
As the head of a sect with many disciples for protection, he had no worries about enemies and could focus on cultivation.
He thought that from the essence stage to the separation stage, re-cultivating would increase the difficulty. However, his experience as an old hand and abundant resources within the sect should allow rapid advancement.
But things turned out differently.
Experience meant nothing; this difficulty was so extreme it made one's hair stand on end. He needed all nine essences to advance simultaneously with no room for delay or misstep. Any deviation would lead to a perilous situation.
This was simply too daunting.
He spent a thousand years, using countless resources from his disciples, finally completing the process.
But he found himself utterly lost regarding his future path.
From the essence stage to the separation stage had already consumed much of his time; what lay ahead was even more treacherous. What should he do?
Yet, once one started, there was no turning back. Even if he regretted it deeply, it was too late. He had to push forward with all his might.
Years later, he still perished in the essence tribulation, reaching only mid-separation at the time of his death.
This was truly tragic; originally, the Green Stone Venerable had broken free from the shackles of lifespan. If not for his misguided path, would he have met such a fate?
And this wasn't an isolated incident…
Thus, after the Nine Transformations into Essence Technique's brief popularity, all powerful beings lost interest in it. It was unclear who created such a technique; theoretically sound, but practically harmful.
Even Li Yutong and Frosty Spirit had once obtained it. After careful consideration, these two prodigies shook their heads in disappointment, deeming the technique too treacherous to complete.
So they abandoned it, choosing instead to forge their own paths through countless years of effort.
Initially, they had suppressed their realms; now, they had achieved a leap forward. They were ready to make a grand debut, but Nai Long's performance was even more outrageous.
Postscript: In the next month, "A Thousand Refinements" will conclude. This double vote month is likely the last for this book. Indeed, saying so isn't for seeking votes; it’s just that after six years with this book and meeting many fellow daoists, I feel a bit sentimental as we say goodbye to our gathering. Next month, this story will reach its end. (To be continued...)