Paragon of Sin

"Wouldn't the Heaven Relic have simply been more useful and refined directly than wasted creating a ninth-grade product that may or may not replicate its effects..."

"..." The reaction of the vast majority of the crowd was expected; the cultivators present didn't have a sense of understanding toward the Origin State aside from rumors and even then, the information was largely superficial, which was extremely apparent by the question posed by that Alchemic Sovereign.

It was purely due to a lack of essential information, expectations, and general understanding that generated this reaction, especially regarding this newly introduced 'Exceed-tier'. However, some reactions were greatly different from others.

"T-this...this isn't possible, right?" San Yongli was floored, her hands trembling, her gaze affixed to the strange rune-filled paste, and her heart pounded with the intensity of ten thousand horses. Others might not know, but the chances for a mortal to obtain the Origin State were absurdly difficult. They needed not only top-tier talent but a Zenith Mortal State and the requisite Cultivation Method. More importantly, they needed a material that can only be chanced upon by the sheer grace of the heavens, requiring an absurdly insane level of luck, or the treasure of a Heavenly Saint!

In the last few decades, she had discovered all sorts of secret methods that delved into the topic from the hands of those fortunate, and not all of these methods were guaranteed to succeed, or they required a great degree of effort, luck, and opportunity to succeed. She clenched her fist when she thought about the near-decade she spent in dedicated cultivation just to reach the ist Origin State!Not to mention risking her life for the Heaven Relic!

"This product is quite strange, but I can sense a trace of Heavenly Mana within." The woman within San Yongli's mind softly commented as her voice rippled with contemplation. She continued after a short pause: "The Heavenly Mana within is intermixed with a variety of materials that seemed to lower its state of existence. Maybe? I can't say for certain, but mortals might be able to easily refine this paste through the pores of their bodies without any difficulty."

"Yo-you think it can do what the Empress said it can?" San Yongli asked hesitatingly. She fully understood the implications of such a product. It, without a doubt, deserved to be the fourth product in this line of astonishing products of the Neo-Dawn Alchemical Lineage.But the woman didn't answer her, saying piteously instead: "Look at all these cultivators here, entirely ignorant of the sheer magnitude of this product's existence. But what can one expect from such a poor society?" Her disdain and contempt were so heavy that San Yongli's heart calmed down slightly due to it.

She took this time to observe those around her, and the woman was right; the audience was all curious or a little disappointed. It was a strange event when the Neo-Dawn Expo's products of greater significance were being introduced in proper order yet the response for each subsequent product was producing more tamed reactions with each.

If this was the World Beyond, the chances of this happening were impossible. The outcry of disbelief and raging excitement would only be rising with each introduced product. For now, San Yongli decided to wait for the Empress to further expand on the product's effects and limitations.

Meanwhile, in other corners of the World of Eden, much greater emotions were being experienced.

"Impossible!" Tang Xingyun exclaimed in shock and fear. She didn't know why at the moment, but she felt a pressure envelop her heart ruthlessly and squeeze. Subconsciously, she glanced at her mother with a trembling gaze.

Lin Ming, however, was stunned on the spot. He seemed frozen in time as he stared at the Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin Paste with an absentminded gaze leaking disbelief and unwillingness. Just like San Yongli, the amount of effort and sacrifice that he had to perform to obtain an Origin State, including its astonishing powers, was his greatest reliance on establishing himself in the future, becoming a peak expert.

In the beginning, it was his Elemental Heart Intent.

Then, it was his False Worldly Domain.

Now, it was his Origin State!

Little by little, Wei Wuyin was creating ways to destroy every advantage that he had struggled to obtain by finding ways to achieve it or essentially bettering it himself. The fear from the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill remained as he recalled the life of that young maid that had given her life for him, including the trouble that followed from Bai Yuxi and Tang Xingyun's soul sacrifice.

It had all been worth it before, but now...

If he had waited...

"What's happening?" The voice within his Aegis of the Elements wasn't like the discarnate soul, unable to hide in his Sea of Consciousness and had refused to enter the World of Eden to prevent himself from being exposed, so he had to be updated by Lin Ming at each turn."..." Lin Ming was still reeling from the reveal that he couldn't shake off the shock. The image of that unearthly handsome visage flashed across his mind and tormented him like a shadow tugging at his soul.

A few Blessed with discarnate souls and legacies that may or may not enable them to acquire Origin State in the future stirred as well. Eventually, Tian Xiaocheng begin to speak to answer the alchemist's question:

"You misunderstand, Surging Tides Alchemic Sovereign. The Heaven Relic's refinement requirements were extremely extensive, and even some Earthly Saints might not have the means to directly refine it without hundreds, if not thousands, of years of continuous effort. The greater the level of one's Spirit, such as a Natal Soul, Astral Soul, and Mystic Soul, the harder it becomes to achieve the Origin State, but the lower the quality of the Spirit, the greater the need for talent, the proper cultivation method, and heavenly materials.

"It's hard to explain this too deeply, as the Origin State is an exceptional quality that typically only those who've exceeded the Earthly Saint level begin to strive towards, to begin with. To clarify, this was all told to me by the creator of this paste, our gracious Main Host, the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Sovereign."

Before anyone could truly digest those words and proceed to ask questions, Tian Xiaocheng pounced and said: "I've just been given instructions to not reveal too many details or answer any questions regarding the Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin. I will only detail the low-quality version of this product. I'll say this, however: As time passes, with the world pushing towards greater limits of cultivationpotential, the value of the Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin will only increase.

"As for the effects of the product, the Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin Paste has two effects: Primarily, by plastering the paste upon one's flesh, whether it be through submerging or direct application in the area of one's Dantian, the paste will slowly assist in the evolution of a Zenith Mortal State Spirit of Cultivation to an Origin State.

"The Origin State, like the Mortal State, can be divided into ten different states, from ist to Zenith; additionally, the paste can allow a cultivator to reach at least the 3rd Origin State with continuous applications and no other methods needed. But I will note this-the greater the cultivation level, the more paste will be required to achieve the same effect.

"The limit of its graded state can be elevated by the subsequent high-quality and peak-quality. All we know for certain, due to the lack of proper experimentation of its higher qualities, is that the level of potential Origin State is increased.

"As for its secondary effect, the Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin paste has dormant fragments of the Way of Mysticism's Mana-type Mystic Rune. When absorbed, it can assist in enlightening cultivators regarding the profundities of Mana at the mystic-level.

"For Starlords, this will increase the chances of elevating their Rune Ascension by one during their Ascension; for Ascended beneath the Earthly Saint Phase, their Rune Ascension State can be forcefully elevated by one, as long as Mana isn't something they've already grasped; for Earthly Saint, they can ponder on the mysterious principles of the runes to have a chance of grasping the Way of Mysticism's Mana-type Rune.

"To those who are Ascended, especially those beneath the Earthly Saint level, you should deeply understand the exceptional potential of this secondary effect. Not to mention the other astonishing benefits of the Origin State, increasing one's affinity with the Mystic Dao." Tian Xiaocheng went on an uninterrupted rampage of explanations as she delved into the effects of the Neo-Dawn Heavenly Origin Paste.

Her words generated great chaos in some of the younger generation, especially San Yongli whose ruby-like eyes were nearly bulging from her socket with disbelief and shock. "This...is insane..." The voice in her head only said those three words, but her disdain and contempt had greatly dissipated. Was this the effect of a ninth-grade product? How can it affect the Mystic Dao?!

Her thoughts were questions that were on the minds of every authority of the Creationist field, such as Architects, Forgers, and Alchemists! They even asked questions, but their questions never went through to the crowd. Only then did they realize that Tian Xiaocheng had first mentioned that she wouldn't be answering any questions! The itch in their heart grew rampant, not because of the potential of the product, but how a mortal-rank, ninth-grade product could affect an Ascended's cultivation path!

This went against the laws of cultivation!

"Is this why it's called an Exceed-tier?" The only products known among Mortal-rank products that could affect the Mystic Ascendant Realm's cultivation path were transcendent products, and that's because it has more or less been blessed by the Mystic Dao. How could this be the case?

San Yongli took an unimaginably deep inhale and exhaled all her pent-up feelings, seeking calm by asking: "Is this product heaven-defying to a greater cultivation society?"

The soul of the woman was taken aback by the question, still a little engrossed in the paste's effects. After a long while, the woman answered: "Not really. There are quite a few alchemical products that can emulate these effects. But what is difficult to understand is how it can be in the ninth-grade. All the products I've known that can do things like assist one in forming their Origin State or elevating their Rune Ascension State forcefully are all Mystic-Earth or Mystic-World graded products."

"..." San Yongli tried digesting this information, but her head just began to pound at all the implications.

"The Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin Paste is a limited product due to a lack of the Heaven Relic, one of its main materials, so we'll be unable to demonstrate its prowess or potential. Of course, since the Everlore Association's possession of two Heaven Relics, as long as they're willing, we can compare the effects of refinement and do a live demonstration." Despite not allowing questions, Tian Xiaocheng offered a potential avenue to answer the suspicions on everyone's mind.

In truth, despite her listening to the effects, countless just thought that the touted Heaven Relic that has been circulating in recent years was simply more effective than the paste. It still felt like a waste to them. After all, this was a ninth-grade, mortal-rank product and the Heaven Relic was an ancient object formed by an unfathomable existence. The hype surrounding it had simply ballooned the beliefs others had about its effects. Why else would Earthly Saints compete for it?

Suddenly, the gazes of countless cultivators moved to the Evergod.

"..." Evergod's gaze remained indifferent as he stared at Tian Xiaocheng.