949 Traveling to the Nine Heavens

"Now that you know about the connection between Earth and the Nine Heavens and the truth about Cultivation Online, let's talk about the Dragon Spiral Mountain." The Lord said.

"Have you ever thought about visiting the Nine Heavens?"

"Of course." Yuan immediately nodded his head.

"Well, the Dragon Spiral Mountain is actually a gateway to the Nine Heavens, meaning you can travel to the Nine Heavens."

"Really?!" Yuan shouted in excitement.

It has been a very long time since he was this excited about something.

"Yes, but it cannot be done now. The gateway to the Nine Heavens is a two-way portal, meaning that both gates must be activated in order for it to work. While I can activate the gate in this world, we will need someone to open the gate in the Nine Heavens. If you can do that, you will be able to travel to the Nine Heavens with your real body."

"Where can I find the gate in the Nine Heavens?!" Yuan eagerly asked.

"I'm not exactly sure myself, but it should be somewhere between the Fourth Heaven and the Seventh Heaven."

"That's three realms of possibilities! Are you telling me to search every nook and cranny of these realms?!" Yuan exclaimed.

"You won't spend that much effort on looking because the name of the gate in the Nine Heavens is the same as the one in this world— Dragon Spiral Mountain. Ask the right people and you will find it right away."

"I see…"

"By the way, what will happen if I travel to the Nine Heavens with my real body? What will happen to my character?"

"Nothing. Your character will remain active even if you go there with your real body. In fact, that essentially means you will have two bodies in that world— one made of flesh and one made of your soul."

"Oh, I should've mentioned this before when we were on the subject, but when you log off Cultivation Online, your soul doesn't return to you. Your character just loses its physical form and returns to being a 'soul', which is invisible to one's eyes."

"Huh? Does that mean my soul isn't in one piece even now?" Yuan quickly asked.

"Indeed. Your current body contains only about 10 percent of your soul, and the other 90 percent is currently in the Nine Heavens where you last logged off."

"No fucking way… Is that why I find it much harder to learn techniques in this world? Because I only have 10 percent of my soul?"

"That is correct."

"My impressions of this Celestial Emperor is decreasing with every passing moment…" Yuan sighed.

"Hmm? Wait. Is this also why despite cultivating in Cultivation Online, it doesn't affect our real body? What will happen if I regain all of my soul? Will I gain all of the cultivation it has gathered?" He then asked.

"Indeed. If you reabsorb your soul, you will gain everything it has learned and acquired, and this includes its cultivation and skills." The Lord confirmed.

"Then how come some of the treasures affect our real body?"

"Treasures affect one's soul differently. Even if the soul is separated, as long as you nourish one part of the soul, the other part will also receive the benefits. Don't ask me how it works. It just does."

"Then I want to ask about the gate. How do I activate it?" Yuan asked a moment later.

"The gate is actually a formation— a Level 7 formation. If you want to activate it, you'll need to become a Level 7 Array Master." The Lord said.

"Level 7…"

"Once you're capable of activating Level 7 Arrays and Formations, I will teach you how to activate the gate."

"Sounds good." Yuan nodded.

"Any more questions?"

"Of course. I still have tons. However, the one I want answers to the most right now would be this one— You mentioned that our souls will not be harmed unless our character dies or it suffers a technique meant for the soul. I want you to elaborate on that."

The Lord nodded and spoke, "There are techniques out there that directly inflicts damage on one's soul. Such techniques are incredibly rare and valuable— perhaps the rarest kind of technique out there. However, they exist, and if you're struck by such an attack, it could shatter your soul, and 90 percent of your soul will disappear."

Yuan swallowed nervously.

"Is there any way to combat these techniques?"

The Lord shook his head and sighed, "Unfortunately, the only way to defend against techniques that damage one's soul is to have a soul that's strong enough to endure the attack, and in order to strengthen your soul, you must practice soul tempering techniques, but such techniques are as rare as soul attacking techniques."

"That would be the stat 'Soul Strength' in Cultivation Online, correct?" Yuan asked, as he remembers hearing about them from Xiao Hua.

"Indeed. There are only two ways to improve your Soul Strength— by cultivating soul tempering techniques or by consuming treasures."

Yuan turned silent for a moment before speaking, "Then how come my Soul Strength increases alongside my cultivation? I have never cultivated any soul tempering techniques, nor do I recall consuming any treasures with such effect."

"What?! Is that true?! That your Soul Strength increases when you increase your cultivation?!" The Lord appeared to be greatly shocked after hearing his words.

"Yes, it's true."

The Lord's eyes flickered with countless emotions.

"D-Do you happen to know your bloodline?" He suddenly asked.

Yuan nodded, "It's called the Immortal Monarch Bloodline. Do you know of it?"

"Immortal Monarch Bloodline!" The Lord's legs nearly gave out on him after hearing this familiar name.

Even the Manager appeared to be quite shocked by it.

"So you do know something about it. This is great. I know nothing about my bloodline, so tell me everything you know!" Yuan said with a smile on his face, his excitement growing once again.

'The Immortal Monarch… To think I'd meet his descendant here… If this isn't fate…' The Lord sighed inwardly.