My Celestial Ascension

Inside the Secret Realm, Rose managed to reunite with Leah, and both of them were currently cultivating in a small cave they had found while searching for the others. The cave appeared abandoned, with no signs of any creatures living in it. Seizing this opportunity, they began to cultivate and regain their strength before continuing their search.

Rose was currently at the seventh level of the Spirit Warrior, while Leah had reached the fifth level. Leah was quite confused after discovering that her cultivation had been downgraded to the first-level Spirit Apprentice, causing her to panic.

She took some time to calm down and restart her cultivation from scratch. If she had immediately begun cultivating upon entering the Secret Realm, her current level would have likely surpassed Rose's.

A moment later, both Rose and Leah made a breakthrough, advancing their cultivation by one level. Their bodies overflowed with newfound strength as they stabilized their progress.

Moments later, they made two more breakthroughs, pushing their cultivation even further. Rose reached the first level of Spirit Master, while Leah advanced to the ninth level of Spirit Warrior.

Their cultivation was progressing at an incredible pace due to the influence of the Secret Realm, where the spiritual energy was far denser than in the outside world.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Secret Realm, Julie, Sylvia, and Ava had reunited to form a group and were cultivating in the shade of a massive tree. Their cultivation was also advancing rapidly.

After an entire day of cultivation, both Julie and Ava entered the Spirit Master realm.

They were astonished by the speed of their breakthroughs and excitedly decided to continue cultivating together until they reached the second level of Spirit Master.

Uncertain about the dangers that lay ahead in the Secret Realm, they knew it would be wise to strengthen themselves to a level where they could confidently face any foes they might encounter.

Shortly after, a cool sensation surged through Julie and Ava's bodies as they reached the second level of Spirit Master. Energy overflowed from them, and they felt an incredible surge in strength.

"Finally, I've reached the second level of Spirit Master… I can feel my strength has increased several times. This feels incredible!" Julie exclaimed. She slowly opened her eyes, grabbed a small rock, and tightened her grip, turning it into dust with a gentle squeeze. She was shocked by her newfound power.

"I've also reached the second level of Spirit Master… This is simply incredible!" Ava exclaimed excitedly as she opened her eyes.

She glanced over at Sylvia, who was still cultivating. Turning to Julie, she asked, "Should we go and look for the others now that we've reached the second level of Spirit Master?"

"Let's wait for a moment and let Sister Sylvia break through to the first level of Spirit Master. That way, we won't have to worry about her getting injured in a fight," Julie replied, smiling at Sylvia.

Inside the Secret Realm, Sylvia was in her original appearance. Her long dark elf ears, adorned with piercings, looked beautiful, and despite her dark skin tone, her complexion was smooth and radiant.

Despite their racial differences, Julie and Ava regarded Sylvia as their own sister, as they all shared the same husband, who loved them equally regardless of age or race.

Moments later, Sylvia also made a breakthrough, stepping into the first level of Spirit Master. A cool sensation spread throughout her body, and she quickly opened her eyes with a smile on her face.

"Congratulations, Sister Sylvia, on making a huge breakthrough and becoming a first-level Spirit Master!" Julie and Ava cheered in unison, feeling genuinely happy for their sister.

"Thank you, both of you," Sylvia replied, her heart warmed by their support.

Julie then suggested, "Now that you've reached the first level of Spirit Master, let's go look for the others. I wonder how they're doing right now…"

"Yes, let's go," Sylvia agreed with a nod.

'I hope Lady Mireya is doing fine without me there to protect her,' she wondered to herself.

They quickly stood up and began searching for Yuan and his other wives. The Secret Realm was vast, and it would likely take them a long time to find the others since they had no idea where they might be.

—

Meanwhile, Mireya was walking alone through the forest, gripping a sword whose tip was stained with fresh blood.

"I wonder how long it will take me to find the others. It's so quiet here, except for the occasional sounds the monsters make. It's really creepy!" she muttered to herself as she continued forward.

A few moments earlier, she had been cultivating peacefully when she sensed some unusual movements a few meters away. Thinking it might be one of her sisters, she stopped cultivating and approached the source of the sound.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be a monster at the second level of Spirit Warrior making those noises, and it immediately attacked her upon noticing her presence.

Thankfully, Mireya had been cautious and was fully aware of her surroundings. She narrowly avoided the attack and swiftly stabbed the monster in the neck.

The creature let out a gurgling noise as it vomited a large amount of fresh blood and collapsed to the ground with a loud thud, raising a cloud of dust.

'Thank goodness I started cultivating as soon as I arrived here… Otherwise, I might be a corpse by now,' Mireya thought, looking at the monster's lifeless body with a relieved expression.

Her cultivation had reached the eighth level of Spirit Warrior, having been focused on cultivation since entering the Secret Realm. Initially, she had been startled to find her cultivation had vanished, but understanding the dangers of the realm, she immediately began cultivating again.

After walking through the forest for hours, Mireya heard some familiar voices in the distance and instantly became alert.

'Those voices... It sounds like someone is talking… I should check it out, but I must be very careful,' she thought, gripping her sword tightly, ready to strike if needed.

"Is that you, Mireya?" a familiar voice called out from the distance.

Mireya instantly recognized it—it was the voice of her mother-in-law, Anna.

"Mother-in-law Anna, is that you?" Mireya shouted back, wanting to confirm the identity of the speaker while staying alert to her surroundings.

"That's right, dear. It's me, and Grace is with me. You can lower your guard now," Anna responded from the other side.

"I see… I'm coming out." Mireya cautiously emerged from the forest and saw Anna and Grace sitting beside a tree in a lotus position.

"Thank goodness you found us! There are many powerful spiritual beasts roaming the forest. It's very dangerous to wander alone," Anna smiled at Mireya and gestured for her to sit beside her.

"Indeed. I was attacked by a monster not too long ago, but I managed to kill it," Mireya agreed as she sat down.

"Oh my, I feel so relieved that you're alright. And you've become quite strong, defeating a spiritual beast all by yourself! It's a big step toward becoming a powerful cultivator," Anna exclaimed, feeling both surprised and relieved to hear that Mireya had successfully killed the monster.

Grace then focused her gaze on Mireya's body and used her divine sense to check for any injuries. To her relief, Mireya was perfectly fine, without a single scratch. Moreover, Grace discovered that Mireya had already reached the eighth level of Spirit Warrior. She was clearly capable of handling multiple low-level monsters on her own.

"You're already at the eighth level of Spirit Warrior? Impressive! As expected of my daughter-in-law, you're very talented!" Grace said to Mireya, her expression a mix of surprise and admiration. However, considering her own rapid cultivation speed, it all made sense.

"Thank you, Mother-in-law Grace…" Mireya replied with a smile and a nod. She then asked, "Do you two have any idea where Yuan and the others might be at this moment?"

Grace pondered for a moment before replying, "Well, this Secret Realm is quite vast, and we don't know much about what might be within it. Finding them would be quite difficult, even with our divine sense."

"Divine sense? Can I learn it too?" Mireya asked, intrigued. She had heard from Yuan that divine sense allowed him to perceive the world in a unique way, far beyond what mortals could see.

"Of course, you can learn it, but your cultivation must be at the Spirit Master level. Only then will you have the mental strength needed to use it," Grace responded with a kind smile, happy to teach her daughter-in-law.

"I see…" Mireya murmured, feeling slightly disappointed.

Noticing this, Anna suggested, "How about you cultivate for a while and try to reach the Spirit Master realm? Once you do, we can teach you how to use divine sense and then look for Yuan together."

"That would be wonderful!" Mireya exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement.

Without further hesitation, she quickly sat down in a lotus position, closed her eyes, and began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy into her body, channeling it into her dantian.

—

«+157,858 Qi»

«+198,765 Qi»

«+765,492 Qi»

«You have absorbed enough Qi for a breakthrough.»

«You have reached the sixth level Spirit Master.»

«All Stats +4000»

After reaching the sixth level of Spirit Master, Yuan continued to cultivate for several hours, but he found it increasingly difficult to make any further breakthroughs.

Moments later, realizing that his cultivation wasn't progressing at all, Yuan slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the monster cores before him, and picked one up with his right hand.

"It seems I can no longer make a breakthrough the normal way. I've been cultivating for hours now, and there's been very little progress. I'll have to use these monster cores," Yuan muttered to himself.

He looked at the ninth-level Spirit Warrior monster core in his hand, took a deep breath, and put it into his mouth, using it as one might use a pill to boost their cultivation.

«Heaven Devouring Physique activated.»