Yuan’s Ascension

"There are so many worldlets?" Wu Yuan was somewhat surprised. He had initially presumed that there wouldn't be such a considerable number of similar worldlets.

"Indeed." High Immortal Nan Yin nodded. "The Redmoon Immortal Continent contains a complete world essence, and under the rules of the operation of worlds, countless worldlets come into being and perish. This is normal."

"Typically, first-rate sects generally control a few thousand worldlets. Many second-rate and third-rate sects control far fewer worldlets; a few dozen to a hundred is already considered pretty good." High Immortal Nan Yin laughed.

Wu Yuan nodded.

"However, within the Immortal Continent, the ones who truly control a large number of worldlets are the three major factions: Redmoon Immortal Hall, Bloodforge Devil Hall, and Myriad Axes Hall."

High Immortal Nan Yin sighed, "Especially Redmoon Immortal Hall and Bloodforge Devil Hall, I estimate each of them controls millions of worldlets."

"Millions of worldlets?" Wu Yuan was stunned.

During his time in the sect, he had learned that the size of these worldlets varied, ranging from hundreds of thousands of li to tens of millions of li.

Each of them could sustain a large number of inhabitants. Although each worldlet was not large compared to the overall territory controlled by the top-tier sects, their sheer numbers gave rise to sizable populations. Talented individuals could emerge from them, and they also served other special purposes.

"The Summerpeak World… Although I haven't heard of it, it seems it was swept up in the war a hundred thousand years ago?" The High Immortal Nan Yin mused.

"That battle engulfed more than half of the Greenridge Macrocosm. However, our Taiyuan Divine Court took a neutral stance and only took minor damage."

"So, it shouldn't be hard to find."

Wu Yuan listened quietly. It seemed that his master knew a lot about the great war back then.

"Your body refiner self is extremely talented. Staying in a worldlet is somewhat wasteful." The High Immortal Nan Yin said, "If I manage to secure a safe passage, your body refiner self can join the sect as well, gaining a better cultivation environment."

"Understood." Wu Yuan nodded faintly.

To say that he didn't have any reservations would be a lie. However, facing the pressure from High Immortal Nan Yin, Wu Yuan had no choice.

The High Immortal's methods were unfathomable.

Lie? A single lie required many more to cover up, and sooner or later, it would be exposed. What would High Immortal Nan Yin think then?

Wu Yuan repeatedly weighed his options, finally choosing to hide only his deepest secrets, putting his trust in High Immortal Nan Yin.

In the end, Wu Yuan didn't think he had anything worth being spied on for.

The inheritance of the Hou Feng Tribe? What a joke! When it came to strength, even the Hou Feng Tribe at its peak was nothing compared to the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, let alone a Fourth Eldritch Realm on the brink of collapse.

"The two true selves share a single consciousness, thus, their comprehension of the Dao is shared," High Immortal Nan Yin said.

"As for ether arts, soul chamber construction, dharma body cultivation, and other aspects unique to body refiners, I am unable to teach them to you. You must figure these out on your own. The sect has relevant teachings and the cultivation experiences of predecessors, and you can redeem them with dragon crystals."

"Understood." Wu Yuan nodded.

Qi refiner, body refiner. These were two completely separate paths. The further one progressed, the greater the difference, hence, his master couldn't provide him specific guidance in body refining.

"What I can teach you is the Dao! The path of qi refining." High Immortal Nan Yin said.

Wu Yuan nodded.

"Although you are my only disciple, do not expect me to give you a load of treasures for free," High Immortal Nan Yin said.

"I have plenty of treasures. Whether or not you can receive them depends entirely on your abilities. I've always disliked those who merely stretch their hands out, waiting for gifts to fall into them." High Immortal Nan Yin continued.

"If you have the ability to acquire something, fight for it. This will be the case in the future."

"While you are in the earlier phases of your cultivation journey, I will establish a cultivation plan for you. But once you reach the later phases, you must rely on yourself. Even if I perish during my Tribulation in the future, most of my treasures will be sent to the sect's treasury," High Immortal Nan Yin said.

"Understood, I will work hard," Wu Yuan said.

He knew this was how many powerful immortals trained their disciples, using various methods to encourage their disciples.

Rewarding a disciple without them needing to lift a finger? Such coddling would only serve to foster laziness within the disciple. Only with motivation would one strive for greater strength.

It was similar to the unspoken rules of the Redmoon Immortal Continent. If a disciple died in a high-risk trial, their seniors and master wouldn’t even bat an eyelid.

Such was the cruel reality of the competition along the immortal path.

"Since we have completed the master-disciple ceremony, I shall grant you a treasure." High Immortal Nan Yin flipped his palm, revealing a large, crystalline gem in his hand.

It was a purple, somewhat transparent cuboid, and appeared practically untainted. In terms of beauty, it was without a doubt the most exquisite treasure Wu Yuan had ever seen.

"What is this?" Wu Yuan held his breath.

"It is known as divine crystal." High Immortal Nan Yin smiled, "I believe that little miss Zhuo Haiyue has already explained its value to you."

"Divine crystal?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.

Of course, he remembered. It was a treasure even immortals deeply coveted.

"One cubic meter of divine crystal is worth a hundred billion catties of ethercrystal." High Immortal Nan Yin casually stated, "This small piece here is worth about one billion catties of ethercrystal."

Wu Yuan's heart pounded.

One billion catties of ethercrystal?

From what his master had said, this was his welcome gift?

"Ordinary divine crystals contain such pure and concentrated spiritual qi that an Amethyst Cradle cultivator would only harm themself trying to absorb the spiritual qi within."

"But for this small piece of divine crystal, I've set up a miniature array. It will allow you to absorb the spiritual qi safely." High Immortal Nan Yin instructed, "From now on, cultivate your essentia with this. It should last up until the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase."

"Remember, do not sell it. It should only be used to cultivate essentia," High Immortal Nan Yin emphasized.

"It will speed up your cultivation several times faster compared to ethercrystal. With that, you'll have more time to comprehend the sword and the Dao."

"Master, are you truly willing to spend one billion catties of ethercrystal just for me to reach the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase several times faster? Isn't that a bit extravagant?" Wu Yuan couldn't help but protest.

One had to understand that ordinary Amethyst Cradle cultivators typically possessed about a million catties of ethercrystal in overall wealth.

"This is the first lesson I will impart to you. Do not make the mistake of thinking you have all the time in the world due to your lifespan. On the immortal path, every moment counts. The sooner you advance to the Amethyst Cradle, then the Void Refiner phase, the better," High Immortal Nan Yin cautioned, shaking his head. "In time, you will understand."

"Furthermore, broaden your horizons. You are my only direct disciple. Even compared to some Archimmortal disciples, your status is not much inferior to theirs," Nan Yin chuckled.

"After all, those Archimmortals with their long lives tend to focus more on themselves. Over the many years, they take on many disciples and must treat them equally. It's hard for them to devote themselves to nurturing a certain disciple."

"But you are different. You are my only disciple. As long as you prove yourself, I won't disappoint you," Nan Yin smiled.

"Yes," Wu Yuan nodded firmly, warmth spreading in his heart.

He could feel his master's ambitiousness, as well as his high expectations for him.

"Catch," Nan Yin tossed the small crystal to Wu Yuan, who quickly caught it.

"The second matter is Dao comprehension." Nan Yin continued, "You should continue to focus mainly on studying the Star Ruins Sword Codex. Among the Lesser Laws of the Celestial Body Dao, prioritize the Land Dao."

Wu Yuan nodded. This was what he had been doing all along.

"But, in addition to the two sword codices, I want you to cultivate the 'Extended Life Sword Codex'," Nan Yin declared.

"The Wood Dao?" Wu Yuan was momentarily stunned.

While he wasn't very familiar with the sect's Archimmortal-level sword codices, he knew their names and had a general idea of their nature.

"That’s right," Nan Yin confirmed. "The 'Extended Life Sword Codex' is a sword codex that interprets the Wood Dao and contains its profundity."

"Your qi refiner self is actually fairly talented in the Wood Dao, but its potential has yet to be revealed," Nan Yin said. "You should take advantage of this."

"Master, didn’t you say that our lifespan is limited, so we should devote all our efforts to studying a single Dao?" Wu Yuan couldn't help asking.

"That's a mediocre way of thinking," High Immortal Nan Yin tutted. "In cultivation, one must give it their all. However, you must remember this: everything under heaven and earth, the Great Dao, all are interconnected. No law stands alone."

"I asked you to comprehend the Wood Dao as I have bigger plans for you. When you grow stronger in the future, you will naturally understand," High Immortal Nan Yin continued.

"Of course, if your progress in the Wood Dao is indeed slow even after contemplating it for a while, you can always choose to give it up then."

"Understood," Wu Yuan responded, committing the 'Extended Life Sword Codex' to memory.

He felt that his master wouldn't deceive him. But, comprehending the Earth Dao and the Wood Dao? Wu Yuan couldn't help but mutter, "At this rate, I’ll be a civil engineer." [1]

"Next, until the moment you advance to the Amethyst Cradle phase, or reach the True Intent stage of the Celestial Body Dao, your cultivation routine remains the same. Come to me once a month for guidance," High Immortal Nan Yin, instructed.

"When you first begin to comprehend a Dao, the last thing you want is to lose your way. You can’t go wrong following in the footsteps of successful Archimmortal seniors."

"When your power gradually increases and you reach the True Intent stage, then you may try forging a sword path best suited to yourself," High Immortal Nan Yin said.

Wu Yuan nodded.

If one couldn’t even walk steadily, trying to run was folly.

No matter how talented one was, one must still learn from their seniors in the beginning. Only after accumulating enough experience could one truly find their own path.

"In the following years, I only ask that you fulfill two objectives," High Immortal Nan Yin looked at Wu Yuan.

"Number one, take first place in the Dragon Star Tournament!"

"If you win first place, I will reward you an extra one hundred million catties of ethercrystal on top of the regular rewards from the sect," High Immortal Nan Yin, said. "You may use them for your cultivation needs."

Wu Yuan’s breath caught.

One hundred million catties of ethercrystal? The usage of the piece of divine crystal worth a billion catties of ethercrystal was limited to mana cultivation. However, there was no such limitation to these one hundred million catties of ethercrystal.

He could think of plenty of uses for them. For instance—upgrading his lifebound flying swords.

"Number two, conquer the higher levels of the one-star tower. At present, you are forty-five years old."

"Before sixty, if you clear level sixty of the one-star tower, I will reward you with thirty million dragon crystals or a hundred million catties of ethercrystal!"

"Before you turn a hundred, each level you clear from level sixty-one onward entitles you to another thirty million dragon crystals or a hundred million catties of ethercrystal."

"If you can pass level seventy, I will reward you with a one-off bonus of ten billion catties of ethercrystal." High Immortal Nan Yin said with a smile.

Wu Yuan's eyes went wide as saucers.

Before sixty? Before a hundred? His master was indeed a Sixth-Tribulation High Immortal! Such rewards were far more generous than those granted by the sect.

Ten billion catties of ethercrystal was a fortune capable of driving many a Void Refiner Eminence mad.

One had to remember that Wu Yuan would only reach the Amethyst Cradle phase at most when he was a hundred. It was more than enough for him to splurge.

"My disciple." High Immortal Nan Yin looked at Wu Yuan's dumbfounded expression, flashing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Remember, if you perform well, I won't let you down."

"Master, what if I make it to level eighty?" Wu Yuan asked with bated breath.

High Immortal Nan Yin paused, and spat out a word. "Scram!"

…

Watching Wu Yuan leave through the teleportation array, High Immortal Nan Yin revealed a smile.

This kid. Hardly grown out his hair yet, but his ambitions aren’t small. Level eighty?

Even your master only made it to level sixty-seven back in the day.

1. so the term used is 土木工程 which is a standard term for civil engineering. 土: earth, 木: wood, 工程: engineering. Geddit? ☜

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