A man that looked younger than thirty came out from the inner hall. He was clad in a white robe and held a fan, which enhanced his elegant bearing when coupled with his slender build and gentle expression. Had Qingyu not told him about that youth beforehand, Tianming would think he was just some random scholar.
The man cleared his throat and said, "Inner disciples, I am Exalted Master Ye Shaoqing. I'm here today to expound on some insights into the Unity realm. Today, we will talk about the formation of a unity field. During the lecture, you may not speak without permission."
"Understood!" the disciples chorused. Immediately, the elegant courtyard turned silent. Qingyu sat straight up in an obedient manner. Before Ye Shaoqing started the lecture, he looked at her and smiled before turning to Tianming, whose white hair stood out considerably among the crowd. It was even more eye catching than Qingyu's light grey hair.
Ye Shaoqing must've heard from his father, Ye Qing, about Tianming being a pentabane, and how he managed to defeat someone at fourth-level Unity despite being at Spiritsource himself. It went without saying that he had come to get some insights into breaking through to Unity. It seemed that this lecture of his was going to be a rather challenging one; that notion only fueled his passion for his lecture even more.
"When discussing the Unity realm, we must start from its name. Unity means returning to one form, fusing two into one, or perhaps even three into one. To look deeper into the mysteries of the Unity realm, you must first understand the unary nature, or, the 'oneness'. What does it really mean?
"A beastmaster and a lifebound beast are distinct entities. Why should they become one? How should they become one? I'm sure it goes without saying that a beastmaster and his lifebound beasts have spent their whole lives together, familiarizing themselves with each other. However, is that truly the same as becoming one?
"That's right, the uniting aspect of the Unity realm doesn't just refer to fighting together. Instead, their thoughts, mindset, will, and fighting spirit also have to be perfectly fused. The perfect state would have the man become beast and beast become man.
"That's why, to achieve the Unity realm, one doesn't need to consider nexuses or energy synchronization yet. One needs to start from their innermost psyche to strike an emotional resonance with the lifebound beasts! Let everything between you be the same. The birth of a unified whole is the true form of the Unity realm. Unity fields and nexuses are merely applied techniques of the realm. Remember: the key is the mind. Unity of minds is the cornerstone of the Unity realm.
"If the mortal realms are the starting steps of cultivation, the Unity realm is the point where beastmaster and lifebound beast reach the same realm. From that point on, you’ll understand their spiritsource abilities far better, and your beasts will comprehend your strategies and power. The Unity realm will also enable you all to observe the natural world to comprehend the basics of the Heavenly Will realm. The Beast Vein and Spiritsource realms are merely prerequisites for that stage. The mortal realms of cultivation are the core foundations. Only after one reaches the saint realm will they embark on the path of defying fate as their cultivation soars! You must set your ambitions far ahead, but also focus on the present to achieve a genuine understanding with your lifebound beasts."
Ye Shaoqing's lecture was rather decent, and Tianming had no problems remembering the entire thing. Seniors like these had their own insights and opinions, just like Mu Yang. Tianming was a decabane and his mind was clear. In the silent courtyard, he had entered the state of mind Ye Shaoqing was guiding him toward. Mental understanding started from observation; he had to observe his beasts and understand them before being able to become one. Only then could they create nexuses to form a bipolar domain.
Even though all of that was theoretical, it served as a good guiding light for Tianming and cleared many of his doubts before his breakthrough attempt. Usually, a lecture only lasted an hour, but Ye Shaoqing spent double that time today. Tianming took quite a lot of notes from it. It wasn't that he couldn't remember the points; he felt he needed to look it through a few times to truly grasp the intricacies of what was said. Still, he had gained much from the lecture today, and was no longer as clueless about the Unity realm as he had been before.
By now, the lecture was finally over. The other disciples said their thanks and left. Tianming kept his notes away, after giving them a final look. He only wished the lecture was much longer.
"Big Brother, let's go," Qingyu said.
"Sure." Tianming smiled. Going to class with his sister felt rather great. However, Feiling was already nodding off. Only after hearing that it was time to leave did she feel energized again.
"Isn't this the junior sect master?" an odd voice rang from behind just as they were about to leave. Turning back, they saw that it was Li Linghe, Li Xuanhe's son from the Wind Bloodline, who Tianming had harshly defeated.
Tianming had long noticed his presence there. Beside him was a beauty with an enchanting countenance around the age of sixteen, wearing a cold expression of arrogance. She wore a purple dress and didn't skimp on the preparation and makeup.
"What do you want?" Tianming asked.
"Nothing, really. I'm just here to pay my respects to the junior sect master. Meanwhile, let me introduce you to Ye Ziyi, Elder Ye Qing's granddaughter. She’s rather interested in you," Li Linghe said.
Tianming turned to look at the girl.
"This is Exalted Master Ye's niece," Qingyu said.
It was no wonder she felt so different from Ye Shaoqing. Ye Ziyi had come over to look down on Tianming, like a lofty noble would a commoner. "You are the one who defeated Li Linghe and became the junior sect master?"
"That's right."
"Did you know he's my friend?" Her gaze turned dark and she tilted her head in an unfriendly manner.
"Friend? Are you sure he's not your pet?" Tianming asked.
"What did you say?!" Li Linghe snapped.
"Guess it's the latter then. So the owner is mad I defeated her dog, is that it?"
"Li Tianming, are you sure you want to cause trouble in my turf? You weren't even there when I messed with Li Qingyu back then. You want a taste?" she threatened.
"So you're the one who regularly bullies my sister?"
"Big Brother, just ignore her," Qingyu said.
Tianming turned back, seeing her with her head lowered and fists clenched. She had cultivated alone in Azure Immortal Mountain, while Ye Ziyi was the boss of the place with lots of followers. It only took one glance for Tianming to know that she was the mastermind behind the bullying. Perhaps Li Chiling and Li Chenlei were her minions, too. Li Qingyu was someone who avoided conflicts, but thanks to her family situation, people would often mess with her for a quick ego boost.
"That's right. I've messed with her hundreds of times since childhood. What can you do about it? I'm not going to let you off just because you're the junior sect master, either. It's common knowledge that the junior sect master is even lower than the outer disciples, after all," she said with a gleeful tone. Her minions cheered at the insult, relishing in their shared sense of superiority for landing a dig on the junior sect master.
Even though it was rather pointless, such a proud, arrogant girl really deserved a few slaps in Tianming's book. But in consideration of her status and the fact that Elder Ye Qing had helped him out, he decided to let it go. He noticed that Exalted Master Ye Shaoqing was looking at them from afar.
Ye Ziyi stepped forwards and reached out for Tianming's arm. "I wanted to make Li Linghe the junior sect master so he could go into the mausoleum and tell me what's inside! Yet you ruined my plans and even latched onto my grandfather to come to my Azure Immortal Mountain? I don't believe you're a pentabane. Show me."
A girl like that was no doubt brought up wrong. She was even more spoiled and fearless than Wei Lingxuan. Someone like that would never be anything more than an immature child in Tianming's eyes. He turned to Ye Shaoqing, for they were on his turf and whether he could thrash his niece depended on him.
Ye Shaoqing suddenly said, "Ziyi, get out. Don't come to my lecture if you have nothing better to do.
"Uncle!" she snapped, having lost face from being chided. Her minions were all around her to see it.
"Buzz off, or I'll make you," Ye Shaoqing pressed.
Ye Ziyi was stunned, her face crumpling into a dissatisfied scowl. Being humiliated in front of her friends caused her to flush so hard it hurt. Her pent-up rage was about to gush out in a torrent of tears. All she had done was mock the junior sect master a bit, yet her own uncle didn't even give her any face. He wouldn't butt in to stop her like that before!
"Go play in the mud, little kid," Tianming said. Since Ye Shaoqing didn't care, Tianming didn't either.
"Just you wait," she hissed, then stomped away.
"She has issues," Tianming said helplessly. He hadn’t even done anything to her to earn her hatred. It appeared this was expected for the junior sect master. Was this the general treatment he would get from the whole sect? If so, he was going to have a tough time. A look at Ye Ziyi's expression as she left told Tianming that the troubles were just beginning, but he reckoned he wouldn't need to do anything about it. Given what he knew about Elder Ye Qing and Exalted Master Ye Shaoqing, he believed that the Ye Clan wasn't a group of unreasonable people.
"So, you're Li Tianming?" Ye Shaoqing said, appearing before him.
"Yes, Exalted Master."
"Can I see your bane-rings?"
"Definitely." Tianming knew that he was definitely curious about it.
"Not bad. They do look genuine. I'm rather curious to see if you’ll reach the third level of Unity in half a year," he said with a smile.
"I'll try my best."
"How was the lecture?"
"I understood a lot, and know which way I should be striving now," Tianming said.
"Not bad. Guess my extra hour didn't go to waste. You seemed pretty attentive during the lecture." He’d seen how Tianming had even gone so far as to take notes.
"Exalted Master, your detailed explanations were really helpful."
"In that case, I’d suggest you give the Imperial Ninefold Gates a try. See if you can break through to the first level of Unity straight away."
"What are the Imperial Ninefold Gates?" Tianming asked.
"Did Qingyu not tell you?"
Qingyu replied, "Exalted Master, I was about to bring him to Grand-Orient Sacred Mountain after the lecture. I’ll give him an explanation when we're there."
"There’s many things at the Grand-Orient Sacred Mountain that are really useful to inner disciples, the Imperial Ninefold Gates being one of them. It's also called the 'instant Unity maker'. It’s able to suppress your lifebound space. Under that immense pressure, you’ll be able to synchronize your mind and energy with your lifebound beasts, which will be really helpful to reaching Unity. You're at Spiritsource now, and only by breaking through to Unity will you have a much easier time. So, go there, young man." Ye Shaoqing gave Tianming a pat on the shoulder.
"I’ll head there immediately, Exalted Master," Tianming said with a nod. Ye Shaoqing had turned out to be a decent person after all. If he could become an elder and make Tianming his direct disciple, that would be perfect. Ye Shaoqing was far more frank and direct than the more formal Elder Ye Qing.
"Thank you, Exalted Master," the siblings said in unison.
"Work hard. Also, greet Li Wudi on my behalf," he said, then waved his fan and left.