Chapter 418 Yun Yue Yao: Show Me the Difference in the Refinement Stage
“Still not enough.”
Chu Chu stared at the fallen puppet—this was the most powerful Nascent Soul puppet in the Simulation Secret Realm, but defeating it didn’t make her feel victorious.
It was already a few days ago when she could beat this puppet, and she’d challenged it multiple times since then. The more she fought, the more she realized that puppets, no matter how tough, were no match for true geniuses. That was partly why she was even here, competing.
But honestly, her fellow disciples’ strength was only a tiny bit better than the puppet’s, which was hardly enough to compare with Bai Yu Mo, the genius among geniuses.
“Am I just a step behind them?”
Chu Chu clenched her sword handle. Though she had improved a lot since she stopped practicing before, she still felt a strange twinge of disappointment. She didn’t want to be left in the dust by Bai Yu Mo and others.
Especially now, Bai Feng and the others were retreating for breakthroughs—they aimed to reach the Refinement Stage—while she hadn’t even managed to break into Transformation God. That made her anxious.
She took a deep breath, calming her restless mind.
If she couldn’t push forward here, then she’d have to go out and train in the wild. She knew the Siku Family hadn’t given up yet, but she really didn’t want to stay hiding here behind Bai Yu Mo and Bai Feng anymore. The worst part was, she’d noticed her cultivation speed slowing down. Battling these puppets again and again… she had no idea when she’d finally succeed in reaching the Transformation God stage.
No, if she wanted to keep up with them, she had to take some risks.
‘Once they’re out of retreat,’ she thought, ‘I’ll talk to them.’
Chu Chu decided not to sneak away without a word—that way, she wouldn’t trouble Bai Feng or Bai Yu Mo. She would wait until they finished their breakthroughs and tell them everything then.
……
“Finally over.”
Bai Feng exhaled slowly. The scene around him had transformed from a lush forest into a landscape of wreckage.
Broken bamboo sticks jutted at odd angles from the uneven earth, their blades still shimmering like swords, intertwined with vines and plants. The bamboo bodies were covered in array symbols, which stretched out and spread onto the ground, even reaching Bai Feng’s feet.
Judging from the remnants of bamboo and array symbols, it was clear he had emerged victorious from the epic struggle for spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
Assistant: Congratulations on passing the Refinement Trial! Please be aware, once you leave the trial, you will immediately start your breakthrough, so prepare yourself accordingly.
“Yeah, I got it. I’ll just leave now.”
Bai Feng nodded without hesitation and walked out of the Refinement Trial.
Though the challenge had been tough, his understanding and control of spiritual energy had already surpassed that of ordinary Refinement Stage cultivators through his sparring and guidance from the Divine Spirit Phantom. The only thing holding him back now was his own Spirit Power.
Once he exited, a rush of spiritual energy immediately flooded into his body, causing him to advance smoothly into the Refinement Stage.
As he gradually opened his eyes, the spiritual Qi around him began to stir excitedly.
“Brother?” / “Dear?”
Next to him, Bai Yu Mo and Yun Yue Yao also woke up from their cultivation. They looked at Bai Feng, whose body was now devouring and absorbing the spiritual energy, and their faces instantly lit up with wonder and delight.
It was obvious: Bai Feng had just taken the most difficult step—he was about to breakthrough into the Refinement Stage.
Bai Feng closed his eyes again, controlling the influx of spiritual energy into his body.
With each wave of spiritual energy, his aura kept rising.
The process was smooth and uneventful. Soon, he radiated a mysterious aura—more like a seamless integration with the universe itself, or even that the environment around him seemed to be shifting in response.
He slowly opened his eyes, feeling the power contained within him, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
As he had expected, he successfully broke through into the Refinement Stage. Now, he had some means of self-defense.
If paired with array formations, and as long as the Great Vehicle Old Monster didn’t intervene, a normal Merging Stage opponent wouldn’t be able to harm him for a while. Plus, he wouldn’t have to worry about being secretly assassinated by the Divine Monarch’s people.
“Brother, you did it?”
Bai Yu Mo hurried over, unable to hide her excitement.
“Yeah, I’ve reached the Refinement Stage,” Bai Feng said with a smile. “No wonder people say the Refinement Stage is a hurdle—once you get there, everything really does change.”
“Dear, let me see what’s different!”
At this moment, Yun Yue Yao suddenly leaned in, pinched his arm, and then reached inside his clothes.
“What are you doing?”
Yun Yue Yao raised her head, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly. “I want to see what’s different about the Refinement Stage.”
“…First, how’s your body recovery?”
“Much better now. I’ve made some progress with the Body Forging Method,” Yun Yue Yao said, placing her hand on her own clothes. “Want to try?”
Bai Feng didn’t answer; instead, he glanced at Bai Yu Mo. She also leaned in, her face blushing slightly as she turned her head away, but her hand reached out toward his arm.
“……”
I knew this retreat wasn’t going to be normal.
