647: Chapter 647 The Unyielding Little Girl

Luo Xiaojiu gritted her teeth, forcefully suppressing the wave of sorrow welling up in her heart.

It wasn't that she didn't want to cry, but that she couldn't.

This giant, who had lived for countless eons, had hidden his tears in her eyes, engraved his regrets upon her Soul, and handed his unfinished path over to her.

This weight was too heavy—so heavy that she didn't even have time to shed tears.

She had to keep walking.

Bearing his will, his expectations, and his entrustment, she would walk step by step to finish the path he had left incomplete.

Within her, the golden light grew brighter and brighter, like a sun burning inside her body, or a sea of stars surging through her Meridians.

This power was so vast and majestic that it nearly tore her body apart.

Her Meridians were expanding. Every expansion brought a tearing, agonizing pain, but they were immediately repaired, reinforced, and reshaped by the golden light.

Her bones were strengthening, each one sounding like it was undergoing a thousand refinements, emitting a dull rumble—transforming from mortal bones to Jade Bones, from Jade Bones to Golden Bones, and from Golden Bones to... Sacred Bones.

Her blood was boiling, every drop burning, glowing, and singing—singing an ancient battle song belonging to the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body.

Her cultivation level climbed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Peak of the Early Stage of Soul Transformation.

This threshold, which she had once struggled so hard and spent countless resources just to barely touch, was now easily breached by the golden torrent like flimsy paper.

Mid-stage Spirit Transformation.

She felt her Divine Sense expanding. Her perception, which could originally cover only a hundred miles, was now spreading outward at an exponential rate.

She could hear the wind a hundred miles away, see the clouds a thousand miles away, and feel the movement of the stars ten thousand miles away.

Peak of Mid-stage Spirit Transformation.

Her body was undergoing a qualitative change, with every pore absorbing and exhaling Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and every breath stirring the fluctuations of the surrounding Laws.

Her Physical Body became crystal clear, as if carved from the purest jade, yet it contained a terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and cracking rocks.

Late Soul Transformation Stage.

Her cultivation rocketed, breaking through from the Early Stage of Soul Transformation to the Late Soul Transformation Stage in just a few breaths.

Furthermore, her momentum did not slow down in the slightest, continuing to surge wildly toward even higher Realms—Peak of the Late Soul Transformation Stage, Great Perfection of Soul Transformation, half-step Void Refining...

Every step crossed was an achievement that ordinary people could not reach even in a hundred or a thousand years.

Every step crossed was accompanied by the manifestation of heavenly anomalies—thunderclouds gathering in the sky, golden lotuses blooming on the earth, and the sound of the Dao rumbling in the Void Realm, as if playing a hymn for the rise of an unparalleled Genius.

Luo Xiaojiu could feel that the threshold of the Void Refining Realm was right before her eyes.

It was an invisible barrier lying between Soul Transformation and Void Refining, blocking the path of countless Prodigies.

Yet in Luo Xiaojiu's perception at this moment, it was so fragile, so easily shattered.

As long as she wished, with just a gentle step forward, she could cross it and become a powerhouse of the Void Refining Realm.

The Void Refining Realm—

This was the Realm that countless Soul Transformation Cultivators dreamed of. Once entering Void Refining, it meant breaking free from the mortal scope and touching the edge of the true Dao.

Lifespan extended to ten thousand years, Divine Sense covering the entire continent, every gesture capable of stirring the Laws of Heaven and Earth, moving mountains and filling seas with a single thought, and shattering stars with a single palm strike.

For any Cultivator of the Deity Transformation Realm, this was an immense fortune.

A fortune sufficient to change destiny and rewrite one's life.

A Bottleneck that many spent their entire lives unable to break through, she was about to cross in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

As long as she wished.

With just a gentle step.

The gates of the Void Refining Realm would swing open for her.

But Luo Xiaojiu did not take that step.

She gritted her teeth tightly, forcefully suppressing the urge to make a Breakthrough.

That power rampaged within her body like a prehistoric beast trapped in a cage, roaring, howling, and struggling to burst out.

Her body trembled, every inch of flesh craving the release of that power, and every cell screaming—Breakthrough! Breakthrough! Breakthrough!

Yet she still suppressed it with all her might.

Her teeth chattered and ground together, blood seeping from her gums and trickling down the corner of her mouth.

The veins on her forehead bulged like tiny snakes writhing beneath her skin.

Her sweat poured down like rain, but as soon as it emerged, it was evaporated by the intense heat within her body, turning into a white mist that enveloped her.

Her hands were clenched tightly into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. Blood seeped through her fingers, dripping onto the golden ground beneath her feet, sizzling and instantly evaporating into nothingness.

"Hmm?"

Within the Golden Giant's voice, there was a hint of surprise.

This was an extremely rare emotional fluctuation to appear on this giant who had weathered countless storms and looked down upon all worldly affairs.

His voice contained doubt, incomprehension, and even a faint trace of—curiosity.

"Little girl, what are you doing? The Void Refining Realm is right in front of you. Why not make a Breakthrough?"

His voice echoed in Luo Xiaojiu's mind, carrying the concern of a Senior for a Junior, as well as the incomprehension of the strong toward the weak.

In his eyes, this was a golden Opportunity, an Opportunity that would drive anyone mad—why refuse it? Why suppress it?

The veins on Luo Xiaojiu's forehead bulged, her sweat pouring down like rain.

Her body trembled violently, like a small tree in a gale, liable to snap at any moment.

Her face was as pale as paper, her lips bitten open from exerting too much force, blood mixing with sweat and dripping down her chin.

But her eyes were astonishingly bright.

Like two burning flames, they shone brilliantly in the darkness.

"I cannot make a Breakthrough."

Her voice was hoarse yet firm, every word squeezed from the depths of her throat, carrying an unquestionable determination.

"In the path of cultivation, pulling up seedlings to help them grow and rushing for success will ultimately make it difficult to achieve the Great Dao."

Her voice was very soft, yet it was like a heavy hammer, striking this silent space and hitting the giant's heart.

"The Opportunity that Senior has bestowed upon this Junior, this Junior will engrave in her heart. But this Junior cannot sacrifice her Foundation for the sake of cultivation."

She took a deep breath. That golden power surged within her like a raging sea, while she was like a reef standing firm in the ocean—letting the wind blow and the waves crash, remaining completely unmoved.

"Going from Soul Transformation to Void Refining is not a simple accumulation of spiritual power, but an understanding of the Dao and comprehension of the Laws. Although this Junior currently has enough power, her comprehension is not deep enough, and her state of mind is not stable enough."

Her gaze became deep, as if looking into the distant future, and also as if examining her own heart.

She knew that at this moment, she was like a child holding a mountain of gold—seemingly possessing everything, but in reality, not knowing how to use it at all.

If she rashly made a Breakthrough, she might gain powerful strength, but this strength would be like a tall building without a Foundation—seemingly majestic, but actually easily toppled with a single push.

"Rashly making a Breakthrough will only ruin my future path."

She raised her head, her golden eyes filled with determination.

This determination was not the ignorance of youthful arrogance, nor the recklessness of a newborn calf that does not fear tigers, but a choice made after careful consideration, a courage to move forward without looking back despite knowing the difficulties ahead.

Her gaze was clear and bright, like a mirror reflecting her inner determination and belief.

"Therefore, this hurdle is one that this Junior must cross on her own."

She wanted to walk up step by step, with a solid and steady footing.

Not relying on the gifts of others, nor on Opportunities falling from the sky, but relying on her own efforts, her own comprehension, and her own perseverance—walking up in an upright and honorable manner.

The Golden Giant looked at her and remained silent for a long time.

This silence was like frozen time, like a frozen river, like a stationary starry sky.

The Golden Giant's eyes, as brilliant as stars, quietly gazed at Luo Xiaojiu, as if getting to know this small, stubborn, unyielding human girl all over again.