Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Futian walked away, leaving the place.
It was as if Jun Mu did not exist to him.
There were many people on Taixuan Mountain, all of them looking at Jun Mu. This disciple of the Taixuan Hierophant was exceedingly talented and had previously even tried to become Lord Taixuan’s personal disciple. He was considered the most powerful young person on the mountain. But now, everyone felt a faint sense of sorrow for him.
He had been cultivating for so many years, but now he was ignored. He had thought there would be a fight, but Ye Futian had not even bothered to lift a hand against him. He had never considered him a worthy opponent.
Jun Mu had directly launched his attacks against him but had not even been able to move him. This meant that Ye Futian’s body of the Great Path had already been completed. He had truly forged a form from the power of the Great Path.
And he was also very strong. Judging by Wan Shouyi and Li Zhiyin’s attitude, in terms of popularity, Jun Mu was far inferior to Ye Futian, who had only come to Taixuan Mountain recently.
What had happened on the trip to the Land of Proving the Way?
At that moment, a voice came from the distance. “Jun Mu.”
Stunned, Jun Mu looked up in the direction of the palace where Lord Taixuan was. He bowed and said, “Master.”
He could naturally tell that the voice he was hearing was that of his master—the Taixuan Hierophant.
“You must shut yourself away in seclusion to cultivate. Do not come out until you have achieved success,” said the Taixuan Hierophant. Jun Mu trembled slightly, and his face turned as white as paper. Was his master punishing him as well?
“Yes, Master.” Jun Mu did not dare protest. He bowed and went to do as he was told. Everyone pitied him as they watched him leave. Many of them sighed to themselves. He was both detestable and pitiable.
Wan Shouyi sighed to himself as well when he saw this. Cultivating was not easy. Someone of Jun Mu’s level should not be reduced to this. But this was because everything that had happened on the trip to the Land of Proving the Way had presented a huge obstacle to Jun Mu. He had persistently stuck to the wrong course, and thus he had come to this point.
Today’s events would certainly affect his state of mind and could even affect his future success.
Ye Futian continued walking forward until he reached Lord Taixuan’s cultivation temple. Several figures appeared on the stairs. In addition to Lord Taixuan, the Taixuan Hierophant and the other great disciples were there as well. They had probably come to discuss some matter.
Ye Futian bowed in greeting. The people on the stairs looked at him. There was a deep look in Lord Taixuan’s eyes as he said, “How was your period of seclusion?”
“I have forged my body of the Great Path, but I was unable to connect it to the Worldly Great Path. I do not understand it well enough,” he said. “Moreover, I felt that it would be useless to continue cultivating. I do not think that I can break through this barrier through cultivation. Thus, I have come to ask you for instruction.”
“The Renhuang plane is like a barrier. Although many people are blocked by the prospect of forging a body of the Great Path, this is only a single hurdle that is difficult to cross over. In reality, comprehending a spirit of the Way is much harder. One can rely on external power to forge a body, such as the fruit of the Way. You have used what you gained on the trip to the Land of Proving the Way to help you forge a body, but it has only been a short time since you reached the Nirvana level, and so you are missing some crucial experiences. You need to find opportunities to experience these,” said Lord Taixuan.
“Previously, you were only an Unblemished Saint. Then you reached the Nirvana plane on the trip to the Land of Proving the Way. Then you came back and shut yourself away in cultivation. In such a short time, you have already advanced by leaps and bounds, and yet you are still not satisfied? You still want to advance to the Renhuang level?” asked Empress Yan with a grin.
The speed that he was advancing at was putting many people to shame. Of course, this also had to do with his experiences on the trip to the Land of Proving the Way. In reality, this trip and his sojourn at the Divine Palace had been very advantageous to him, and he had learned a lot. That was why he was able to forge a body of the Great Path. His perception had become very deep, and he cannot have been too far from the Renhuang plane.
But under normal circumstances, it would take many years to reach this level.
“Uncommon people have uncommon ways of thinking. We can’t understand him,” said the City Lord of Taixuan with a smile. When his daughter had returned from the Divine Palace, he had heard Ye Futian mentioned many times, and she had praised him to high heavens. But the man was indeed incredible. Elders like him were really no match. The new generation would soon supersede the old.
At that moment, Lord Taixuan rose and walked over to the stairs. He looked at Ye Futian and said, “I heard that you are a casual cultivator from the Heavenly Mandate Realm. I know that you cultivated in the Celestial Gate of Vast Heaven before. Who was your previous master?”
“I have had several masters, but none of them are at your level,” said Ye Futian with a bow.
“Oh?” Lord Taixuan was surprised. Then he asked, “Who was it that taught you how to cultivate?”
“My recent cultivation methods were taught to me by a master who was not of a high level. Certainly nowhere near your level. You have probably never heard of him,” answered Ye Futian. He did not know why Lord Taixuan was asking this.
“He was not at a high level?”
“Mm. Who only became a Renhuang several years ago,” said Ye Futian with a slight nod.
Lord Taixuan nodded slightly and did not ask any more questions. He said, “You are now at a bottleneck in your cultivation, one that would indeed be difficult to break through simply by shutting yourself away and cultivating. You lack the opportunities to break through to the next level. If you wish, I will send you somewhere to cultivate. A good friend of mine is there. This will be a good experience for you. Perhaps you will find an opportunity to break through to the next level.”
Ye Futian was silent for a time. Lord Taixuan was at such a high level. Even before he had reached his current level, he was one of the most powerful Renhuangs. His good friend must be someone at the same level as him and must be an excellent cultivator. Moreover, Lord Taixuan must be sending him for a good reason.
“I do wish to go,” said Ye Futian.
“It is not in the Higher Heavens Realm,” said Lord Taixuan.
“No matter. One can cultivate anywhere,” answered Ye Futian.
“Mm.” Lord Taixuan smiled and nodded. “Go and rest now. You have a long time in cultivation, so you should relax. I will let you know when it is time to leave.”
“Thank you, Master,” said Ye Futian with a bow. He was very excited.
He had only met Lord Taixuan face to face a few times and was not his personal disciple like many people thought, but Lord Taixuan was still willing to help him. He truly was generous.
He was very lucky to have met an elder like him.
“Master, many people are watching him now. Where are you sending him?” asked Empress Yan. She was a little curious, and she did not know what her Master was thinking.
“I am sending him to an old friend,” answered Lord Taixuan. “Ye Futian might have some sort of deep connection with him.”
“What deep connection?” asked Empress Yan.
“I am not entirely sure. We will know once he goes there. This young man is incredibly talented and thus is well suited to go there to cultivate. Perhaps he will have a chance to break through to the next level there. Once he is a Renhuang, he will be able to protect himself much better,” said Lord Taixuan. He naturally knew that many people in the outside world were watching Ye Futian now.
It was not just the people from the Golden Divine Nation. The people who had come from the Heavenly Mandate Realm had probably come because of what had happened there.
Ye Futian returned to String Pavilion. Yaya was there cultivating. She opened her eyes when she heard him coming and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I’m just watching you,” he answered with a smile. Nowadays, Yaya was even more powerful than she had been. She had gained a lot from the trip to the Divine Palace as well.
Yaya rolled her eyes at him, then ignored him. She shut her eyes and continued cultivating.
“…”
Ye Futian’s face darkened, but this was just how Yaya was.
He smiled then. Yaya was the only one of his friends here in the Higher Heavens realm. He did not know how the others were faring.
How was Yu Sheng doing cultivating with the Divine Dragons? Where had elder brother, third brother, Wuchen, and that cold and arrogant princess gone? Where were his Master and the others? Three years had passed in the blink of an eye. As his level increased, time seemed to move faster. It passed without him realizing it.
Now he stopped and thought of the time when they were all together.
He also thought of Brahma’s Pure Sky. He would have to return there.
But everything rode on him being able to become a Renhuang.
“Brother Ye,” came a voice from outside.
Ye Futian’s will moved towards the voice, and he said, “Come in.”
Soon, a figure walked over towards the mountain they were on. He realized it was Li Zhiyin of Guqin Valley.
Ye Futian naturally remembered her. The first time she had come to Guqin Valley, she had been very proud and had a chip on her shoulder. Now she was calm and had a clear look in her eyes. She bowed to him and said, “I saw that you emerged from your seclusion, so I came here to bother you.”
Ye Futian smiled slightly and said, “What can I do for you?”
“I have a question about music that I hope you can help me solve,” she said. Not far away, Yaya opened her eyes and looked at her. Did Guqin Valley not have their own elders? Why come running here to ask Ye Futian?
But she did not really care about that. She was just upset that her cultivation had been disturbed.
“Of course,” Ye Futian nodded.
“Then, I will play a piece for you,” said Li Zhiyin. She played a song on her guqin. It was melodious and well written.
“Do you think it’s missing something?” asked Li Zhiyin.
“The composition is full of depth, and it is technically beautiful,” said Ye Futian with a slight smile. “But it needs more of an artistic conception. When I listened to it, I did not let go of myself and become immersed in the world of music.”
Ye Futian felt like he wasn’t able to help her too much. These problems were not hard to see, but would be incredibly difficult to fix. However, Li Zhiyin had definitely already known this, so there was no need for her to ask him for help.
But she had come to him for help, so he could not refuse her. They chatted for a while, and then Li Zhiyin said farewell.
Afterward, Luoyue came as well. She also had a question about cultivation. She wanted his help with swordsmanship.
But Luoyue was different than Li Zhiyin. She was honestly looking for help and did not have ulterior motives.
Ye Futian did not make too many suggestions. He just showed her a sword stroke and played some music to help her. Luoyue learned the sword stroke on the spot and dedicated herself to practicing it. She left with a smile.
Later, a legend about Ye Futian spread throughout Taixuan Mountain. Whenever disciple came to String Pavilion asking for help, he would not refuse them, but would instead discuss cultivation in-depth with them. This was a form of mutual learning, as it let him see if he was able to help others with the cultivation that he himself had attained.
He had been in seclusion for so long that he naturally would not want to cultivate alone anymore. Lord Taixuan had asked him to wait, and so he would wait calmly.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Finally, Lord Taixuan summoned Ye Futian!
