Shang Xia himself could no longer say exactly how long he had been away from the Essence Luxuriant World. All he knew was that ever since they ascended to a Spirit World from the original Azure Ascension World, it felt as though he had spent far more time outside the heavenly screen than within. After the Void Mirage had been temporarily taken care of and that section of the void had been sealed and reinforced by several Sages, making it unlikely for new changes to occur in the short term, those experts had dispersed, each returning to their Heavenly Field. It was only when Shang Xia returned to the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field with Kou Chongxue that he realized it was already the 16th year of the Essence Luxuriant Calendar. Whether it had been during the time in the great spatial vortex, or later while diving into the chaotic currents to rescue the Spirit Ruling World and Spirit Frost World, those involved had long since lost their sense of time. Newest update provided by novel·fıre·net When both Sages finally returned to the Essence Luxuriant World, they arrived just as the Spirit Ruling World and Spirit Frost World found suitable locations in the Heavenly Field and had integrated into it. Although the Heavenly Field’s Will had already begun giving its blessing when both Spirit Worlds initially merged with the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, true growth had only been achieved once both worlds had solidified their place. Now possessing four affiliated Spirit Worlds, namely the Spirit Qing World, Spirit Cheng World, Spirit Ruling World, and Spirit Frost World, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field had already risen to the top ranks among the Heavenly Fields of the Heaven Observation Star Region. Across the Chaotic Sea of Stars, its foundation and strength could be considered well above average. And traveling alongside Kou Chongxue, Shang Xia could feel the change even more clearly. After releasing his karmic bonds to the Essence Luxuriant World and withdrawing his soul from the World Origin Source in the You Continent, Shang Xia had relinquished his portion of influence. Kou Chongxue was the only Sage qualified to partially command the World’s Will and could wield a power far beyond the limits of his personal cultivation. At that moment, Shang Xia clearly sensed an overwhelming pressure emanating from Kou Chongxue, which was rapidly intensifying. This was because after the complete integration of the Spirit Ruling World and Spirit Frost World, the expansion of the Heavenly Field had caused the upper threshold of power available to Kou Chongxue to surge. He had not yet adapted fast enough to control his strength. Although Kou Chongxue was doing his best to adjust and had already managed to suppress part of it, completely mastering the sudden increase seemed impossible in the short term. "Has the Heavenly Field's growth already exceeded the upper limit of my cultivation? Looks like I’ll need to become a mid-level Sage soon!" Kou Chongxue murmured while regulating his inner qi. Shang Xia, who stood nearby, laughed. "Patriarch Kou, your evaluation is spot on. However, the imbalance between our world and our Heavenly Field is also obvious now. Our Essence Luxuriant World’s growth has slowed, and that’s part of the issue. As the core of a Heavenly Field with four affiliated Spirit Worlds, even with 27 provinces, it’s starting to lag behind." Kou Chongxue chuckled. "So that’s why you chose to act early against the Essence Chong Heavenly Field?" Shang Xia smiled. "It wasn’t really a choice. The Star Origin Lord had his eye on the Essence Chong World too. If I hadn’t struck first, his Four Essence Heavenly Field might have already become the Five Essence Heavenly Field.” After arriving outside the Essence Luxuriant World’s heavenly screen, Shang Xia didn’t enter with Kou Chongxue. Instead, he entered seclusion on a floating continent nearby to continue stabilizing his cultivation at the sixth star of the Seven Star Realm. Currently, the number of floating continents and suspended landmasses outside the heavenly screen was considerable. Some served as floating ports for Star Docks and maintenance. Others were commercial hubs for internal and external trade. Others were core components of the Heavenly Field’s defensive infrastructure. Although, after withdrawing his soul from the World Origin Source of the You Continent, it had become slightly difficult for the Essence Luxuriant World to host someone of Shang Xia’s cultivation, it wasn’t entirely impossible. After all, as a key driver behind the world’s growth, the World’s Will was quite familiar with him. Even so, Shang Xia preferred not to place unnecessary strain on the world. Also, the Essence Luxuriant World was still in the process of integrating the continents from the Essence Chong World. According to Shang Xia’s estimate, if the fragments yielded three continents of 10,000 miles each, that would already be ideal. If a larger area were to be preserved, perhaps only two complete continents could be established. Yet it seemed he had underestimated the current reserves in his world, especially the solidified origin qi he had brought back from the center of the spatial vortex. Both in terms of quantity and quality, the origin qi was more than enough to allow the Essence Luxuriant World to fully absorb the world fragments from the Essence Chong World and transform them into four complete continents. Furthermore, the fragments themselves retained part of the Essence Chong World Origin Source, helping conserve even more energy. The period of seclusion had gone exceptionally well for Shang Xia. In just half a year, he not only fully consolidated his cultivation and refined the Big Dipper Star Origin within his dantian, but also significantly increased his combat strength. It was so much so that even he found it surprising. "It’s our Essence Luxuriant World’s Will favoring me, or more precisely, the Heavenly Field’s Will. Whether it’s the Heavenly Field expanding or internal growth within the world, the blessing I receive is no longer deliberately catered to me, but it has never rejected me either. That’s why I can still actively absorb the energy during my cultivation." As Shang Xia carefully analyzed the changes in his strength over the past six months, he thought to himself, "Of course, that’s only one part of it. Another key reason is that when the Essence Chong Heavenly Field collapsed, I witnessed its disintegration. That experience benefited me immensely." "And naturally, there’s also the support from the Crimson Soul Tablet. It is rapidly restoring itself and its contribution is far more than the blessing of the Heavenly Field or any lucky encounters... After all, the tablet has always been within me. True cultivation comes from slow accumulation and daily progress." After ending his seclusion, the first thing Shang Xia did was turn his gaze toward the nearby heavenly screen. Even though he stood outside, he could immediately sense the clear difference from six months prior. The world had grown even stronger in the time he remained in seclusion! That growth had extended to all four affiliated Spirit Worlds as well, making the entire Heavenly Field more stable and complete than ever.