In the Dragon Star Immortal Sect headquarters, within Wu Yuan’s world residence.
I still lost! Wu Yuan strode through the sky, his gaze sweeping over the mundane world sprawled beneath him.
Over the past ten years, the entire world had begun to worship Wu Yuan. Statues of him dotted the landscape below., along with countless stories and legends about his exploits circulating among the common folk.
These were the fruits of the efforts of Lu Zhu and his Golden Core followers.
The guardian of level sixty-four turned out to be adept in the Metal Dao. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.
Too ruthless!
Among the five elements, the Earth Dao excelled in defense, with Wood Dao following closely behind. Metal and Fire Dao reigned supreme in offense. The Metal Dao’s edge lay in its penetrating sharpness, while the Fire Dao’s strength was its explosive fury.
After Wu Yuan conquered four consecutive levels, the one-star tower’s guardians seemed to grow wise to his tactics, thus assigning a guardian adept in the Metal Dao on level sixty-four.
Though unable to shatter Wu Yuan’s miniature celestial body outright, the guardian’s divine swords assembled from sword arrays proved devastatingly effective. Their razor-sharp assault drained Wu Yuan’s mana at an alarming rate, ultimately leading to his downfall.
When my understanding of the Celestial Body Dao deepens to the sixth-level Domain stage, and my comprehension of the Longevity Dao reaches the third or fourth-level Domain stage, their combined might should create a defense rivaling a Lesser Law’s Dao Field. Then, I should be able to withstand such an onslaught.
From levels sixty-one to sixty-nine, the guardians’ strength didn’t increase dramatically. Yet, upon reaching a certain point, even the slightest enhancement in power became a Herculean task.
Suddenly, the air beside Wu Yuan shimmered, and a disheveled figure materialized. The newcomer casually munched on a banana.
“Master!” Wu Yuan exclaimed, startled by the unexpected appearance.
He was eating a banana?
High Immortal Nan Yin tossed the banana peel below. “You seem rather relaxed, strolling about after breaking through level sixty-three,” he remarked.
Wu Yuan admitted honestly, “Disciple was reflecting on the earlier battle. I couldn’t withstand the guardian’s attack.”
“I observed your fight,” High Immortal Nan Yin said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “There were no major issues; it’s simply that your comprehension of the Dao isn’t deep enough yet.” He paused, stroking his unkempt beard thoughtfully. “However, had you been fighting in your true body and armed with your nine lifebound flying swords, you could have endured it.”
Wu Yuan nodded in agreement, recognizing the vast difference between utilizing his nine lifebound flying swords as the core for the Earth-Wood Dao combination versus relying on ordinary flying swords.
High Immortal Nan Yin’s eyes twinkled. “This time, you’ve caused quite a stir. The entire immortal continent is abuzz with talk of your feats.” He chuckled, revealing his yellowed teeth. “Even the abbot and the veteran elders were left slack-jawed by your performance.”
A smile tugged at Wu Yuan’s lips as he imagined the dumbfounded expressions on the faces of the abbot and High Immortal Hei Yuan. Indeed, his recent accomplishments had sent shockwaves through the immortal continent, far surpassing the impact of his previous performances.
“Although your current performance is slightly inferior to Zhuo Haiyue’s,” High Immortal Nan Yin continued, his tone thoughtful, “you can still be considered a peerless genius that appears once in tens of thousands of years in the Silvermist Immortal Nation.”
He fixed Wu Yuan with a piercing gaze. “But remember, you’re still young. Your future holds many uncertainties. The brilliance of many peerless geniuses tends to dim as they age.”
Wu Yuan nodded slightly, acknowledging the wisdom in his master’s words. He understood that talent was not unchanging. Some fortunate individuals underwent transformative experiences that reshaped their mental state, soul, or body, leading to dramatic shifts in their innate abilities.
Conversely, many once-brilliant geniuses faded into mediocrity as they advanced through cultivation phases.
Such occurrences were far from rare. Even in the Blue Planet civilization of his previous life, tales of wasted prodigies and late bloomers abounded.
High Immortal Nan Yin’s voice took on a more optimistic tone. “Overall, if an ordinary High Immortal has a one in a thousand chance of becoming an Archimmortal, you have at least a one in ten chance. Should you succeed, you are destined to become a formidable Archimmortal.” His grin widened. “It’s no wonder that many super powerhouses have taken a keen interest in you.”
Wu Yuan’s eyebrows rose in surprise as his master continued, “Many powerhouses intend to take you in as a direct disciple.”
“Take me in as a direct disciple?” Wu Yuan echoed, his mind reeling at the implications.
Nominal disciples were commonplace, often little more than a title. Many ancient beings had amassed thousands, even tens of thousands of such disciples over the long years. Masters invested little energy in nominal disciples, and if such a disciple were to betray their master, it was typically of little consequence.
Direct disciples, however, were an entirely different matter. A direct master assumed the role of both teacher and father figure, shouldering the responsibility of charting the best path forward for their disciple and investing all available resources in nurturing their potential.
Wu Yuan reflected on how High Immortal Nan Yin had poured considerable time and treasures into his development over just a few short decades.
Similarly, if a direct disciple betrayed their master, they would be shunned by all powerhouses and find it difficult to gain the trust of others.
After all, if one could betray their direct master, what wouldn’t they dare to do? Naturally, every powerhouse exercised extreme caution when accepting direct disciples.
“Though not much time has passed,” High Immortal Nan Yin continued, “over ten Astral Lords have already sent messages to the sect, including Archimmortal Redmoon. These Astral Lords are among the strongest in the immortal nation, all surpassing our own immortal ancestor in power.”
Wu Yuan’s eyes widened in astonishment. He hadn’t anticipated that clearing level sixty of the one-star tower would cause such a commotion.
“They are eager to accept you as a disciple not only because you broke through level sixty, but also because you have simultaneously entered the threshold of two Intermediate Laws. Moreover, these Laws belong to different Greater Laws,” High Immortal Nan Yin explained with a smile. “This is where you trump even Zhuo Haiyue.”
As understanding dawned on Wu Yuan, he began to realize that the cultivation path arranged by his master was far more extraordinary than he had initially believed.
“I have rejected all those messages on behalf of the immortal ancestor.” ” High Immortal Nan Yin added.
Wu Yuan’s surprise was evident, but he found that he wasn’t particularly upset by this revelation. He had received guidance from an Astral Lord-level powerhouse before, one supposedly proficient in the Celestial Body Dao. Yet, in his estimation, he didn’t seem any better than High Immortal Nan Yin – perhaps even slightly inferior.
A powerful teacher? No matter how strong the teacher is, they can’t pass their power to me directly. What’s crucial is their teaching ability. In Wu Yuan’s estimation, High Immortal Nan Yin’s ability to teach was undoubtedly first-rate, not at all inferior to an Astral Lord.
With deep respect, Wu Yuan bowed to his master. “You are my only master,” he declared, his voice filled with sincerity.
High Immortal Nan Yin’s laughter echoed through the air. “Haha, no need to worry, I am not angry,” he reassured his disciple. “I am not the type to hinder a disciple’s future.”
His eyes softened as he continued, “A disciple need not be inferior to the master, and the master need not surpass the disciple. Some peerless geniuses rise rapidly and surpass their teachers. This is normal,” he smiled warmly. “Besides, isn’t it a teacher’s wish to raise a disciple stronger than themselves?”
Wu Yuan was stunned; he hadn’t expected his teacher to hold such a progressive view.
“So, if you wish to learn from a better master, I will not stop you,” High Immortal Nan Yin said, his voice filled with genuine care. “I refused because these Astral Lords are still lacking.”
Wu Yuan nodded, finding himself in agreement with his master’s assessment. As for background? He had the backing of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, with Sword Immortal Dong Yang and the immortal ancestor presiding over it. It was no weaker than relying on an Astral Lord.
“It is not difficult for me to refuse these Astral Lords. However, there is one particular supreme entity whose request I find it hard to decline directly. After careful consideration, I decided to seek your opinion,” he said, fixing his gaze on Wu Yuan.
“My opinion?” Wu Yuan asked, puzzled.
His master had even declined Archimmortal Redmoon’s request; who could be more daunting to refuse?
“A great being beyond the Archimmortal level—Astral Monarch Su Qing,” High Immortal Nan Yin said slowly. “One of the thirteen Astral Monarchs of the Silvermist Immortal Nation.”
“Astral Monarch?” Wu Yuan’s pupils contracted.
With the knowledge he acquired after joining the sect, he had vaguely heard of Astral Monarchs.
“Only the most powerful Archimmortals are qualified to be bestowed the title of Astral Lord by the immortal world,” High Immortal Nan Yin said solemnly.”Meanwhile, great beings beyond the Archimmortal level are qualified to have their names inscribed at the divine court headquarters and granted the title of Astral Monarch.”
“The Silvermist Immortal Nation is vast and commands over six thousand immortal continents, with Archimmortals as numerous as clouds. But over endless ages, there have only been thirteen Astral Monarchs.”
Wu Yuan held his breath. A quick mental calculation revealed that there were likely several Archimmortals in the Redmoon Immortal Continent alone, and perhaps tens of thousands in the entire immortal nation. Yet, throughout the entire history of the immortal nation, only thirteen Astral Monarchs had been born. How incredibly rare!
“Each Astral Monarch possesses unparalleled power,” High Immortal Nan Yin continued. “They are peerless giants dominating the entire Greenridge Macrocosm, and their names are known across countless spacetime planes. It’s difficult for the immortal nation to produce even one Astral Monarch every hundred million years.”
His eyes gleamed as he added, “If he is willing to accept you as a disciple, even as a nominal disciple, you might become a direct disciple in the future. A nominal disciple of an Astral Monarch is far more prestigious than a direct disciple of an Astral Lord.”
Wu Yuan nodded slightly, indicating his understanding.
While there might be hundreds or even thousands of Astral Lords throughout the immortal nation, the thirteen Astral Monarchs stood as the true movers and shakers. Their statuses were worlds apart.
“This Astral Monarch Su Qing, who has fully comprehended the Celestial Body Dao, is quite suitable to be your teacher,” High Immortal Nan Yin said, his gaze fixed intently on Wu Yuan. “Just as a master chooses their disciple, a disciple also chooses their master. The Astral Monarch will not force you. If you wish to be his disciple, I will send back a reply of agreement.”
Wu Yuan’s heart raced at the prospect. An instinctual impulse to agree rose within him. After all, over the course of a hundred million years, perhaps several hundred geniuses like him would appear throughout the immortal nation. But not a single Astral Monarch might be produced in that same span of time.
Becoming a disciple under such a figure was an extremely rare opportunity, especially one who had fully comprehended the Celestial Body Dao.
Yet, reason made Wu Yuan pause. He bowed respectfully to his master, his voice filled with sincerity. “Master, I would be lying if I said I am not tempted. However, you are like a father to me. I will leave the final decision to you.”
Seeing Wu Yuan’s stance, a mysterious smile spread across High Immortal Nan Yin’s face.