Lu Yun had improved by leaps and bounds under the spirit’s tutelage. All of the Star Sect disciples were the same way. Apart from Lu Yun, the one who progressed the fastest wasn’t Xing Lingkong or Xing Wuliang, but Xing Lan.
Xing Lan… the stunning genius who could sit with the Nihil World Sovereigns and discuss formula dao. She’d been ranked number nine hundred and ninety-eight on the Serene Annex Hero Ranking before. Three years later, she was number one hundred and eight—practically the same as Lu Yun.
Serene Annex cultivators, however, were much stronger than Argent Snow cultivators. The top one hundred and seven had all entered the fourth domain. Lu Yun didn’t know if Xing Lan’s first three domains were on the level of great perfection, but she wasn’t far from the fourth.
……
“The top ten on the Argent Snow ranking have reached great perfection in at least one domain. Perhaps someone’s like me and reached it in all three.” Lu Yun rubbed his nose. “Though I haven’t comprehended the fourth domain yet, I’m still confident of triumphing over those who haven’t reached great perfection in the first three.”
“Triumph?” snorted the Argent Snow spirit. “You’re just a mere World Manifest, who are you triumphing over? The top ten of the Hero Ranking are all Nihil World Sovereigns. In fact, so is all of the top one hundred, apart from Sword Thirteen who’s a Void World King. Who do you think you’re beating?”
Lu Yun opened his mouth and closed it again. He’d sealed away the cultivation level that the Tome of Life and Death had bestowed upon him. Though it was his, it couldn’t access sequence. That would be up to his true cultivation level, not something from the book.
Though increases in his true level would also enhance his strength as a Nihil World Sovereign, that would only put Lu Yun on the same path as other world sovereigns. He would cultivate and cultivate until one day, he’d go poof and truly become nothing.
if a Nihil World Sovereign failed to access sequence and conduct its power into their body, their final end would be to meld into the void. All traces and evidence that they’d ever existed would completely vanish.
Who knew how many Nihil World Sovereigns had consigned themselves to the void since the dawn of the new epoch through their own cultivation? They hadn’t known any better.
“Alright, time for you to head out. You can come back in whenever you grasp the fourth domain. Don’t try to challenge the top one hundred or provoke Sword Thirteen. If you do, I can guarantee you’ll find life very difficult in the Boundless Planes,” the spirit issued a solemn reminder.
Lu Yun nodded, he knew the truth of this as well. The Argent Snow Hero Ranking not only recorded his Feng Feifan name and background, but also his true cultivation level—minor World Manifest.
That a minor World Manifest was one hundred and one on the Hero Ranking was ludicrous enough. It’d almost incited an uproar across the entire fourth realm. If he dared place in the top one hundred with his current cultivation level, then even sequence experts would make their move.
They would either recruit Lu Yun or… destroy him.
Lu Yun bowed to the spirit of Argent Snow and exited Soul Dominion. After gaining a place on the Hero Ranking, candidates no longer needed to access the realm through a Hall of Soul Dominion.
The current Star Sect abounded with geniuses; it was vastly different compared to the lazy faction from before. Under Qing Yu’s command, the rules had been changed so that Nihil World Sovereigns didn’t dare be as lackadaisical as they were before. Senior brothers and sisters still beat up their juniors, but a notable difference was the emergence of Nihil World Sovereigns from their residences and becoming the heads of various dao schools. They taught the younger generation with a great deal of effort and care.
Formula dao was now a mainstay of the Star Sect, and some Nihil World Sovereigns on friendly terms with the sect were also its students.
But apart from the Sword Clan, the sect refused admittance to any other sect or clan. Qing Yu’s goal was to propagate formula dao through the fourth realm—not to use it to expand the Star Sect.
The Luminaries would march on the sect if it began to expand, but the Star Sect was no match for that faction. Even though the Moon Sovereign King was Lu Yun’s martial grand disciple, she’d lived countless eons and her adventures in the Hongmeng were just a small portion of her memories.
While she might acknowledge her martial grandfather, she would never give up her ideals for Lu Yun. The Luminaries would destroy anything that stood in their path.
Lu Yun briefly visited Qing Yu when he returned to the sect and continued not handling any affairs. He changed his appearance again to head into the vast fourth realm by himself. He wasn’t a lofty Nihil World Sovereign this time, but a diligent minor World Manifest.
No one noticed his departure from the World Plane. He was just one of many Star Sect disciples going to and fro from the World Plane. They were all armed with formula dao and drifted through the planes like dandelion seeds, seeding the rest of the realm with formula dao. He was one of them now.
“The Star Sect has studied formula dao for a hundred years and now focuses on sharing it with the rest of the realm. This is Little Yu’s idea. Customary thinking would see her cement formula dao’s roots in the Star Sect before allowing it to spread outward. But that would make the sect a thorn in some people’s sides and attract hostility from all sides.
“However, since the sect has only studied it for a hundred years, that makes for shallow foundations. If formula dao does become a major dao that traverses the fourth realm, people will see its tiny origins. As for the Luminaries… Oh hey, speak of the devil.” A gray-robed Mo Wusheng had appeared in front of Lu Yun at some point during the latter’s mumblings.
“Long time no see, Feng Feifan.” Mo Wusheng no longer wished to determine superiority over Feng Feifan. Though he could crush the other with one hand, Feng Feifan was far ahead of him when it came to Argent Snow.
A tongue-tied Lu Yun stared at Mo Wusheng. He could see through the Shapeshifting death art?? He’d identified a disguised Feng Feifan without hesitation!
Ah, no, wait, he didn’t see through my death art. It's Yueyi.
The Shapeshifting death art wasn’t without its flaws. Though it was from the Tome of Life and Death, Lu Yun’s cultivation level was too low. Minor World Manifests couldn’t hoodwink sequence experts; Yueyi had seen through him with a glance at the Eastern Cluster.
Nihil World Sovereigns couldn’t see through it, but sequence experts could easily pierce through his death art.
“What do you want?” Lu Yun operated the death art again and returned to being Feng Feifan.
“So it is you!” Mo Wusheng jumped with shock. He was a premier Nihil World Sovereign and had been skeptical when the Moon Sovereign King told him this unassuming young man was Feng Feifan. He doubted the world sovereign no longer.
“The Luminaries invite you for a visit!” He recomposed himself and gestured invitingly at Lu Yun.
