Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1452 - 1451 - Indications of the Divine

Lind was bursting with pride in the VIP suite with his wives. All of his children were monsters in the weaving field but the tournament had pushed them to the absolute limit of their cultivation realm.

Unlike other practitioners, he could dissect his childrens' skills with far greater precision than any weaving or formation setup to give analysis. It did not reveal their secrets but the breakdown of their results compared to the goal.

He went much deeper and due to that, he grasped what Gran had just done more than anyone else alive.

His emerald eyes narrowed as he considered many aspects of cultivation and indicators to look for as he comprehended his own path.

The 6 elemental path became easier in some aspects after the Star Tier but it still had complications. Now, after thousands of years of progress, Lind found something telling in his current son at the Sun Tier.

"Gran can become a Divine Realm if he keeps on this path." He spoke softly but all his wives were Sovereign Tiers like him. Their hearing was very acute.

"You can already tell that at such an early stage?" Qing spoke up and he slowly nodded.

"You all already understand the high hurdle for a Sovereign Tier to become a Divine Realm?" All nodded but he noticed a few seemed uncertain.

Lysanna and Shoti nodded but their focus had always been more on their own path than pure cultivation. There was nothing wrong with that as they had become Sovereign Tiers in their own right, but he saw several of them reaching their limits even with external help.

He had time before his next bout in the arena, months in fact as the elimination rounds were still going but only a few at a time due to the limits of allowing Sovereign Tiers to run wild.

"There is no single path to becoming a Divine Realm but there are several requirements only Sovereign Tiers can truly grasp." He saw them all nod again but he thought about how to best explain why he thought Gran would have a good chance.

He conjured his harmonic flames but they were slightly different from usual. Rather than the feeling of Dao, they all felt like Lind had multiplied in front of them.

"Weavers are not alone in refining the soul. Immortals are essentially their soul tied to their crystal. Some techniques improve both body and soul together but that is all they do, improve it." Confusion finally crossed many of their faces but Ethry and Kora both grasped things like that.

Beasts had an advantage there as their instincts could guide them to the path that benefitted them most in many instances. Still, they could hardly cross the final step from Immortal to Divine without a refined bloodline.

A simple tiger, no matter how much they may wish, would be lucky to become an Immortal in their lifetime. It was far more likely for them to awaken and strengthen traces of a more powerful ancestor as they progressed, but that refinement had limits.

Pills and elixirs to enhance such an effect were highly sought after. Lind's only variety of elixirs had been selling like hotcakes as he had a deeper grasp of beast bloodlines than most elixir masters.

Still, that was only one facet. The soul, same as the other races, was the key.

"A soul needs the strength to endure the Divine Tribulation. Our current bodies are transformed on a fundamental level. Despite being able to survive without a body, our souls are comparatively weak without it." That hit home with them all but he then pointed out Ethry and Annabelle.

"Ethry has it in her race name, Divine Ryuu. Her bloodline is not only very pure but our trial so long ago improved her soul as well. She was able to transform long before most beasts ever could." Qing and Shoti smiled but Ethry became deep red as if she wished to banish the spoiled child she had been back then.

"Annabelle, on the other hand, comprehended the Dao of her innate ability. Her soul had to be strong enough to take that in or endure the addition to herself." Clarity appeared on all their faces but then frowned.

"What about Fey? She was radically transformed by the Inheritances." Shoti pointed out but Lind smiled at them.

"It is similar to filling in the pieces of a puzzle. Fey was already on the path but her compatibility with the Divine Inheritances allowed her to grasp those Dao more easily than before. Of us all, she is the closest to becoming a Divine Realm." Shock flooded the group.

They had not known that!

Lind felt chagrined to know the little girl he helped survive so long ago would likely surpass him soon. Her rise felt inevitable.

Unlike him, who had a very high bar to pass, hers had been lowered massively. The work was almost done, she just had to reach the peak of the Sovereign Tier and likely prepare for her tribulation.

"But why does Gran fall into that same category?" Lysanna spoke up as they did not grasp what Gran had done.

"Gran has pursued the strength of his soul and has broadened even my own understanding of what is possible. He leapt past the limits of the Heaven Realm and truly fused Law to his harmony. In other words, he refined his soul before becoming an Immortal." It took a moment but all of them suddenly understood!

Cultivation, in a very basic sense, was focused on refining the dantian and following the techniques that worked best with elements and physiques. As one became an Immortal, the body often became a focus as the soul was too weak to stay safe plus no one could progress without one.

As they absorbed his revelation, they also understood why 6 elementals were such monstrous cultivators. They began refining their soul long before anyone even thought to do so!

Still, they had seen 6 elementals bottom out in the World Ream and others. Not all could make progress but there were as many harmonies as Daos if Lind was right about them.

Straying from the path of a harmony would not produce good results, clearly.

"So Gran has already stumbled on the most difficult aspect. So long as he continues down that path, he has a very high chance of reaching the Divine Realm." Qing wrapped it up neatly as he nodded.

"Lind, would that not mean that the more profound, or advanced, a harmony became, the harder it would be to become a Divine Realm?" Cyntilla suddenly surprised them as she spoke from the doorway.

He looked over at her and nodded. His grim smile told them all the truth.

All the fantastical progress made him incredibly powerful but it now had made a mountain standing between him and the next major realm!

Minor realms could almost be leapfrogged due to that same result but the major realms were defined by that progress.

Lind had pursued his harmony and elements to a plateau that left him neatly trapped! He had power and would become a peak Sovereign Tier without equal, but to trigger his Divine Tribulation would take a monumental effort.

"What will happen if you do trigger it?" Qing asked a question no one had considered. Immortal Tribulations were terrifying due to all the aspects one pursued on their path to that point.

While they had been researching Divine Tribulations for their own needs, they now realized Lind had long known of his issue.

"Based on a few previous examples, it is quite possible I will need to be in the barrens between territories or I would destroy any place I am in. The Throne might withstand it but I cannot say the same for any residents." He had been studying himself closely and knew his results were becoming bleak.

It meant his current path could not help him. He would need to aim for something else.

He had no leads yet but there were others he could ask. His fellow True Lords knew far more than him in that regard so perhaps he still had some hope.

"It is my problem and answers will not be easy but that is normal for me, is it not?" His smile made them remember. It used to be true that 6 elementals would be lucky to reach the World Realm but now they were powerhouses.

The once relegated rejects had become the top of the food chain for cultivation.

"Tell me how your time in the tournament is going. I have not been able to keep up." His clear change of subject meant he was done talking about it. He listened as they had all passed the elimination round or simply helped support the Harmonic Dragons with the tournament.

Lysanna and Qing never had any desire to join in the tournament but running the lucrative event or checking on the injured respectively did appeal to them.

They told him how Fey had essentially dismantled her opponent with ease.

She should be up soon and he might be able to catch it. He hoped so. He suspected the revelations he had just given to his wives would come to pass after the tournament. The crucible of combat was where she thrived.

The tournament would continue and then he would head out as he had to advance to find his own answers.