https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-168-This-Freaking-is-a-Nascent-Soul-/13506094/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-170-Spiritual-Root-Secrets-Celestial-Vanguard-Opportunities/13506096/
Chapter 169: The Structure of the Cultivation World
Chapter 169: The Structure of the Cultivation World
At this moment, the entire island fell into silence.
Lv Yang hovered midair in deep thought, his silence mirrored by everyone else, who dared not even breathe heavily. Some had fainted from sheer terror.
After all, just moments ago, the Qingting Patriarch—renowned across neighboring islands—had been dangling in the air like a dead dog in the grip of this terrifying demonic expert. Everyone knew he was a Nascent Soul cultivator, a mid-tier power even by Immortal Alliance standards. Yet he had been utterly helpless.
What realm was Lv Yang in? Spirit Refinement? Void Return? Dao Harmony? No one knew, but all understood one thing: one whimsical thought from Lv Yang could decide their fates.
“Sigh…”
After a long pause, Lv Yang finally exhaled deeply. The thoughts and fears of the crowd below were as transparent to him as glass, all laid bare before his perception.
“Being a good guy is hard.”
“I specifically came here trying to be the hero, but because of a tiny mishap, I’ve turned into the mass-murdering villain again.”
As he mused, he glanced at the Qingting Patriarch in his grasp.
“All because of you!”
He had planned everything so carefully—to casually kill a few Qi Refiners to show his power, then negotiate with the Foundation Builders as equals. Everyone would save face. He’d build a reputation as a benevolent figure in the overseas regions while protecting the Golden Core Sect. Later, there would be substantial rewards, maybe even a well-played “sacrificial lamb” strategy to put the Golden Core Sect in his debt for the future.
As for the dead Qi Refiners? Lv Yang had never spared them a thought.
Were Qi Refiners even considered people?
Yet who could’ve predicted that a single, exaggerated title would spiral into chaos, shattering his plans and turning him into a villain overnight?
‘Should I kill them all?’
Lv Yang swept his gaze across the crowd, then recoiled at his own thought. When had he started entertaining such terrifying impulses? Killing everyone wouldn’t even silence the rumors—it would be utterly pointless!
‘Blame the Holy Sect. Proximity to ink stains the purest white. I’ve spent too long there!’
Lv Yang reflected deeply, then turned to the trembling Xiao Furen behind him. “From today, the Divine Thunder Sect is under my control.”
“You dare oppose this?”
Xiao Furen dared not protest. She prostrated herself instantly, her delicate frame trembling as if caught in a storm. His piercing gaze felt like a blazing inferno, scorching through her body until her face flushed crimson, every secret laid bare.
“Senior’s might is divine!”
Suddenly, a figure burst forward, kowtowing before Lv Yang without hesitation. It was Liu Chi—the one who had just betrayed the Divine Thunder Sect.
“I possess a Mutated Thunder Spirit Root of supreme quality. Today, I humbly offer myself as your disciple, pledging unwavering loyalty and readiness to die for you!”
With that, Liu Chi struck his head on the ground three times, his devotion absolute.
Xiao Furen, however, raised her head sharply, her eyes blazing with hatred. “Traitor! Do you truly believe you’ll live through this?”
Liu Chi said nothing, only continuing his kowtows.
Lv Yang observed him with amusement. He had to admit—Liu Chi was perceptive. In an instant, he’d recognized the reality of the situation.
With Lv Yang’s power, escape was impossible. Begging for mercy was the only path, but his weak cultivation offered no leverage. After weighing his options, only his Spirit Root and loyalty remained. Xiao Furen’s opinion, of course, meant nothing.
This was the best choice Liu Chi could make.
“A capable man.”
Lv Yang’s lips curved into a smile. As his words fell, Liu Chi’s face lit with ecstatic hope—only to dissolve into a pool of blood a moment later.
A lightning-veined root shot from the crimson puddle into Lv Yang’s palm.
Liu Chi’s judgment had been correct. The Mutated Thunder Spirit Root was indeed useful… though only the Spirit Root itself mattered.
“You’ll accompany me inside.”
He ordered Xiao Furen, then darted into the Divine Thunder Sect as a streak of light. Xiao Furen followed swiftly, not daring to linger.
Thankfully, Lv Yang was currently acting through Su Nu’s body, his outward appearance that of an exquisite beauty.
Otherwise, Xiao Furen might have suspected ulterior motives—thinking he had designs on her body.
Truthfully, he did desire her body… or more precisely, the supreme-grade Water Spirit Root within her.
Perfect for in-depth research.
After all, Spirit Roots were unique to the Emerald Sun Cultivation Realm. To uncover the truth of this realm, he needed to start with the Spirit Roots.
The next day, as shaken cultivators departed, news of Lv Yang spread like wildfire, triggering panic among sects on nearby islands.
“He casually captured Qingting Patriarch and left him powerless?”
“Definitely a Spirit Refiner!”
“But shouldn’t Spirit Refiners all be in the Immortal Alliance? Why is one here? Could this be a secret mission from the Immortal Alliance? Did Qingting violate some taboo?”
Countless rumors swirled.
Meanwhile, deep within the Divine Thunder Sect, Lv Yang paid no mind to the chaos. He ordered Xiao Furen to fetch every scripture and classic text from the sect’s library.
Most were useless.
Only one Daoist text caught his interest—the sect’s prized cultivation manual, the Heavenly Union Divine Azure Manual.
“I see…”
Frowning, Lv Yang finished the entire manual. Along the way, he summoned Xiao Furen into his retreat chamber and subjected her to a soul-scry, rigorously interrogating her. As the sect’s elder, she finally gave him a complete understanding of the Emerald Sun Cultivation Realm.
“In this cultivation world, only those born with a Spirit Root can cultivate Dao!”
“But a Spirit Root isn’t innate at birth. It descends from heaven after a child is born, merging into their body based on their fate and fortune.”
“Hence, conspiracy theories abound—that the Immortal Alliance uses Spirit Roots to control cultivator populations.”
“The Immortal Alliance dismisses these theories as baseless, even as they prosecute them fiercely.”
With a Spirit Root, one could begin cultivation.
The path forward involved refining heavenly and earthly qi through the Spirit Root, purifying true energy. The stages were roughly divided into seven tiers.
“The Qingting Patriarch claimed to be Nascent Soul, but that’s just an unofficial term. The Immortal Alliance officially recognizes seven stages: Refining Qi, Zhu Ji, Foundation Building, Nascent Soul, Spirit Refinement, Void Return, and Dao Harmony.”
This made far more sense.
He’d assumed Refining Qi, Zhu Ji, and Foundation Building were overseas terms, but now he realized they’d been altered out of respect for higher tiers.
The Golden Core Sovereign could survey the heavens!
If they discovered cultivators in the Emerald Sun Realm calling themselves Golden Core, how would the Sovereign react?
Who do you think you are, claiming the same title as me?
The deeper Lv Yang delved into the Emerald Sun’s system, the more unsettling it seemed.
“Why do these cultivation techniques not advance Status Ranks at all?”
Nascent Soul was above Core Formation. Lv Yang had assumed Spirit Refinement would rival Foundation Building, even fearing it.
Yet the Divine Thunder Sect had once produced Spirit Refiners. The Heavenly Union Divine Azure Manual even described Spirit Refiners and Void Return cultivators. Upon investigation, Lv Yang found that even Spirit Refinement or Void Return cultivators were merely purifying their true energy further—no qualitative leap.
In other words, no true transformation.
In the Emerald Sun Cultivation Realm, even the most powerful Dao Harmony cultivators were still at the peak of Refining Qi! Their Status Ranks were pitifully low—Lv Yang could exterminate them all with a single breath.
(End of Chapter)
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