“Your rewards for challenging the one-star tower remain the same. How much you can obtain from me depends on your abilities,” High Immortal Nan Yin stated.
“Given your current cultivation speed, in four or five years, you should be able to reach the ninth-stage Golden Core phase. But don’t rush, take some time to consolidate your cultivation.”
“Transitioning from the Golden Core phase to the Amethyst Cradle phase is a leap in the order of life. The completion of each cultivation phase represents a type of extremity in the operation of heaven and earth. Take some time to understand it. It will be beneficial for you,” High Immortal Nan Yin instructed.
“Yes,” Wu Yuan nodded.
He had long understood this from his research.
When one reached the ninth-stage Qi Sea phase, the ninth-stage Golden Core phase, and the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase, it was not a good idea to break through to the next phase the moment it became possible.
“Of course, don’t drag your feet either. I suggest that you break through after the Moonsilver Tournament is over,” High Immortal Nan Yin advised.
Wu Yuan nodded.
The Moonsilver Tournament would take place a decade later. By then, Wu Yuan would be just sixty years old. If he was already prepared to step into the Amethyst Cradle, such progress exceeded his expectations.
“The Moonsilver Tournament ten years from now will be the final test for you at the Golden Core phase,” High Immortal Nan Yin said, “By then, your opponents won’t be limited to our sect, and will include top-tier geniuses from the entire immortal continent.”
“The Moonsilver Tournament restricts participants to individuals under 150 years old. So, many Golden Core geniuses intentionally halt their progress for some time, just to partake in the Moonsilver Tournament.”
Wu Yuan was taken aback as he listened.
150 years old? Geniuses like Hao Shanjing and Xing Luo would undoubtedly grow much stronger if they trained for a few more decades.
“Even though our Dragon Star Immortal Sect is touted as the top sect on the immortal continent, there are thirty-two first-rate sects, along with countless second-rate sects, third-rate sects, and countless other beings. Thus, some formidable geniuses do occasionally emerge,” High Immortal Nan Yin explained.
“As far as I know, in recent years, some peerless geniuses have emerged throughout the immortal continent. Their talents are on par with Hao Shanjing’s, but their power surpasses him.”
“Stronger than Hao Shanjing?” Wu Yuan was quietly astonished.
But he felt that it was understandable. Hao Shanjing had been specially recruited not due to his power, but because he had stepped through the threshold of the Longevity Dao, showcasing massive potential.
As for his power? If Xing Luo were to train for another thirty years, he would likely be able to defeat the current Hao Shanjing.
“Also, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Silvermist Immortal Nation will also dispatch a group of top-tier geniuses to participate in the tournament,” High Immortal Nan Yin continued.
“The Silvermist Immortal Nation?” Wu Yuan was surprised.
His knowledge of the Silvermist Immortal Nation was limited to its name. He knew that the immortal nation was immensely vast, and that the entire Redmoon Immortal Continent was just a small fraction of its territory.
“The immortal nation is vast, teeming with powerhouses and Archimmortals. The Silvermist Immortal Nation directly governs around 3300 immortal continent planes and indirectly governs another 2600,” High Immortal Nan Yin softly said.
“The Redmoon Immortal Continent is but one of the numerous spacetime planes that are part of its territory.”
Wu Yuan’s eyes widened at this revelation.
So, the entire Silvermist Immortal Nation controlled roughly six thousand immortal continents? It was an enormity beyond comprehension.
And if the immortal nation was this big, what about the larger immortal world?
Wu Yuan finally understood why his master said the immortal world was vast and boundless.
“Immortal Redmoon is an incredibly powerful Archimmortal. The overall strength of the entire Redmoon Immortal Continent is among the strongest in the thousands of immortal continents within the immortal nation,” High Immortal Nan Yin said.
“It is precisely for this reason that the immortal nation often sends talented individuals to participate in the Moonsilver Tournament. Their aim is simple: suppression. To flaunt their might to the Redmoon Immortal Hall,” High Immortal Nan Yin sighed.
“The Silvermist Immortal Nation controls numerous spacetime planes across its vast territory, which naturally produces plenty of prodigies. Even the weakest of those who have been selected to enter the Silvermist World are at Xing Luo’s level.”
Wu Yuan nodded slightly, lost in thought.
In the Redmoon Immortal Continent, someone like Xing Luo ranked in the top tier. But when compared to the entire immortal nation? He barely stood out.
“Of course, from another perspective, it serves to remind the prodigies of Redmoon Immortal Continent that there is always a higher mountain beyond, and they should not let their egos get too inflated,” High Immortal Nan Yin added.
“My disciple, in terms of strength, you are no worse than those few Golden Core prodigies in the Moonsilver World, ranking in the top tier across the entire immortal continent. In terms of talent, you are also top-tier within the entire Silvermist Immortal Nation.”
“The only thing you lack is time. I estimate that you will be one of the youngest participants,” High Immortal Nan Yin said softly.
“But I expect you to make it into the top ten. If you do so, I shall reward you with a hundred million catties of ethercrystal. Break into the top three and I’ll reward you with three hundred million catties of ethercrystal,” High Immortal Nan Yin said, a hopeful glint in his eyes as he looked at his apprentice.
Wu Yuan was deep in thought.
Top ten? Third place?
“Master, what if I claim first place in the Moonsilver Tournament?” Wu Yuan asked.
“First?” High Immortal Nan Yin paused. Stroking his chin, a smirk spread across his face. “My disciple, if you can take first place, not only will the Redmoon Immortal Hall grant you additional gifts, but I will also prepare a great treasure for you.”
“A truly great treasure.”
Wu Yuan’s eyes lit up. If his master called it a great treasure, it must be extraordinary.
“Master, I will work hard,” Wu Yuan solemnly said.
High Immortal Nan Yin chuckled.
Treasures? To him, other than a few treasures necessary for overcoming his Tribulation, everything else was expendable.
If Wu Yuan showed sufficient dedication, he wouldn’t hesitate to offer him more. As long as Wu Yuan maintained his fierce determination, that was all that mattered.
After all, treasures and rewards were just a means to an end.
Whoosh! High Immortal Nan Yin waved his hand, and a light screen materialized out of nowhere. The projection was filled with lines of text and detailed introductions.
“What is this?” Wu Yuan was startled.
“If you want to take first place in the Moonsilver Tournament, you can’t keep cultivating with your usual methods,” High Immortal Nan Yin chuckled. “Moreover, after cultivating for over ten years, you have laid a good foundation. From now on, we will change things up.”
“As you’ve seized first place in the Dragon Star Tournament, you will receive special privileges from the sect treasury. The first is this Dragonsoul Crystal Bead,” High Immortal Nan Yin pointed to the first item.
“Only the Golden Core and Amethyst Cradle champions of the Dragon Star Tournament are eligible to redeem it, and it may only be redeemed once in an individual’s lifetime.”
“It is a special treasure unique to our sect, brought here from a mysterious place by our ancestor.”
“Even the geniuses of the Redmoon Immortal Hall can’t get their hands on it,” High Immortal Nan Yin stated. “This Dragonsoul Crystal Bead has little effect on immortals, but for you youngsters, it is an invaluable treasure, a blessing from the ancestor for the young talents of the sect.”
Wu Yuan listened and silently noted it down.
A special treasure brought back by the founding ancestor?
The founding ancestor was the only Archimmortal of the sect. He had lived for more than hundreds of millions of years, and was both ancient and powerful.
“The second are these fifty-eight sword arts, which are all at the Void Refiner level,” High Immortal Nan Yin said. “Among them, thirty-six incorporate the Earth Dao, and twenty-two incorporate the Wood Dao. You should redeem and practice all of them.”
“Void Refiner level?” Wu Yuan was astonished.
“Master, I am practicing an Archimmortal level sword codex. Why should I redeem these Void Refiner level secret arts?” Wu Yuan voiced his confusion.
One must understand that Wu Yuan’s current Dao comprehension level was almost on par with an average Void Refiner cultivator.
“Every art has its strengths and weaknesses. The Star Ruins Sword Codex and the Dark Earth Sword Codex are good, but even they are not fully comprehensive,” High Immortal Nan Yin shook his head.
“Over the long years, the sect has gathered numerous sword codices, numbering in the millions. These Void Refiner level sword codices I’ve chosen for you are all near the pinnacle of this level, each focusing on different aspects.”
“Contemplate them, understand them, and digest them thoroughly!”
“Synthesizing the strengths of numerous sources will help you solidify your foundation. It will also help you clarify some of the simpler profundities of the Dao.” High Immortal Nan Yin instructed.
“Understood.” Wu Yuan nodded subtly.
If the Celestial Body Law Codex was the outline, then the Star Ruins Sword Codex and the Dark Earth Sword Codex were the core textbooks. And the dozens of sword arts his master instructed him to redeem were equivalent to practice books.
High Immortal Nan Yin began introducing these sword arts to Wu Yuan one at a time, focusing in particular on the thirty-six that incorporated the Earth Dao.
As for those that incorporated the Wood Dao? He instructed Wu Yuan to redeem them first but hold off on studying them for the moment. After all, Wu Yuan hadn’t even reached the initiate threshold of the Extended Life Sword Codex yet. The level of these sword arts and teachings was too profound for him.
“How is your body refiner self faring in the Summerpeak World?” High Immortal Nan Yin inquired.
“Nothing unusual has happened for now.” Wu Yuan shook his head, “Over the past month, I dispatched some of my subordinate immortal cultivators to scout the regions beyond the Middle Land.”
“We have found three small civilizations similar to ours. However, none of them matches up to Middle Land. We haven’t found a truly powerful immortal path civilization yet.” Wu Yuan said honestly.
This past month, Middle Land had not undergone any significant changes.
With the disappearance of the Spiritless Regions, the five exploration teams dispatched by the Middle Land had reported back to them.
The three newly discovered civilizations were not located far from them. The closest was just a few hundred thousand li away, and the furthest was just over a million li. One of these civilizations had produced late-stage qi sea cultivators. As for the other two, barely any qi refiners had emerged at all.
“Don’t rush, and don’t panic.” High Immortal Nan Yin nodded, “These are likely previously isolated civilizations.”
“From what I’ve gathered so far, the Summerpeak World should have previously been categorized as ‘under recovery’ according to the standard assessment of the Bloodforge Devil Hall.” High Immortal Nan Yin said.
“‘Under recovery’?” Wu Yuan was puzzled.
“The intention behind these so-called Bloodforge Worlds isn’t to convert them into battlegrounds for the massacre of their inhabitants,” stated High Immortal Nan Yin.
“Instead, it’s about exploitation and collection of resources. Besides cultivation resources, the immortal cultivators born in these worlds are also considered resources – human resources!”
“Just like farming, the land needs to be fertile for a good harvest. Summerpeak was heavily damaged, akin to pollution. Thus, the Bloodforge Devil Hall either had to pay a huge price to restore the Summerpeak World or wait for the world’s essence to recover gradually.”
“I suspect that the Bloodforge Devil Hall chose the latter. According to the information I acquired, the Summerpeak World might look large with a diameter of tens of millions of li. However, it is just a tiny worldlet in the eyes of the Bloodforge Devil Hall, which controls countless worldlets under its rule.” High Immortal Nan Yin said.
“Naturally, it’s not worth the Bloodforge Devil Hall spending too many resources on. Waiting tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years before reusing the worldlet isn’t much of an issue for Bloodforge Devil Hall.”
Wu Yuan nodded slightly.
Investing always involved a return ratio. The Bloodforge Devil Hall naturally wouldn’t take unprofitable actions.