Looking at the Dao Book in his hand, Lü Yang’s expression grew even more astonished, as it sounded so-called Biyang Cultivation World was utterly powerless before a Foundation Establishment True Person.
However, that was merely on the surface.
By the simplest reasoning, how could a power that could not resist Foundation Establishment manage to occupy so many island territories in such a lawless place overseas?
So either there was truly a Foundation Establishment True Person backing the Biyang Cultivation World from behind the scenes, or the so-called strongest cultivators there, the Integration Grand Cultivators, had other means comparable to Foundation Establishment.
Otherwise, such a talent-rich treasure trove would have long been devoured clean.
Yet, these were secondary concerns.
Having experienced the Secret Realm of Technique Refinement, Lü Yang constantly reminded himself never to underestimate anyone, let alone an entire mature system.
Thus, he quickly noticed something more important:
Strictly speaking, it could even rank as Fifth Grade.
If the Nascent Soul was already .
What if the realm was higher? There were still three realms above Nascent Soul!
“Continuously purifying True Qi, if Nascent Soul is Fifth Grade, could Spirit Refining reach Fourth Grade? Could Void Return be Third Grade, and could Integration achieve Second Grade True Qi?”
The grade of True Qi basically determined a cultivator’s future; below Seventh Grade, one had no hope of Foundation Establishment, below Third Grade, no hope of forming a Golden Core, and without First Grade, one could not achieve a Nascent Soul!
Second Grade True Qi was still barely acceptable.
But what if Integration was not the limit of the Biyang Cultivation World?
If there were realms beyond Integration, could True Qi ascend even further?
“First Grade True Qi!?”
For a moment, Lü Yang was shocked by his own thoughts. First Grade True Qi! This concerned the Nascent Soul. Could such an opportunity really exist in a tiny offshore world?
One must know that even his 『Nine Transforming Dragon Art』, created by a Golden Core True Lord and perfected to fruition, could only produce Third Grade True Qi.
As for techniques capable of producing Second Grade True Qi, Lü Yang had lived eight lifetimes and had never even caught a glimpse of one, as if such a thing simply did not exist.
Let alone First Grade True Qi!
However, in the next second, Lü Yang’s expression suddenly filled with doubt: “That’s not right. Isn’t the maximum lifespan of a perfected Qi Refining cultivator just one hundred and fifty years?”
Qi Refining Realm, Heaven’s lifespan of one hundred and fifty years!
And that was only theoretical. In reality, the vast majority of Qi Refining cultivators could not even live to one hundred and fifty years, often dying at one hundred and twenty or thirty.
But what about the Biyang Cultivation World?
Logically speaking, these people, from the lowest Qi Refining to the highest Integration, all fell within the category of perfected Qi Refining.
Where, then, did their extended lifespans come from?
“Purifying True Qi can extend lifespan? Impossible.”
“Moreover, this Biyang Cultivation World’s system strictly speaking only refines Spiritual Roots, not the self. In theory, it should not extend lifespan at all…”
Yet in reality, the cultivators of the Biyang Cultivation World lived very long lives, even to a degree that made Lü Yang, a Foundation Establishment True Person, envious.
However, the structure of their lifespan was very strange.
“Mortal lifespan tops at thirty or forty years, so they often marry in their teens, become grandfathers by thirty, and by forty they are even considered auspicious.”
“Qi Refining cultivators don’t fare much better, living only forty or fifty years.”
“Foundation Establishment is slightly better, living up to eighty years. Golden Core can reach one hundred and twenty years. Nascent Soul two hundred years. Spirit Refining three hundred years. Void Return five hundred years. Integration one thousand years.”
At this point, Lü Yang almost jumped up in shock. A Qi Refining cultivator could actually rival a Golden Core True Lord in lifespan, and without even needing to reincarnate!
But in the next moment, Lü Yang reacted: “That’s not right. It’s not that they don’t need to reincarnate, but that they cannot reincarnate. Without true Foundation Establishment, their souls have not undergone qualitative change. When they die, they truly die. As for how they live so long, it should be because they do not suffer the erosion of Bifeng.”
Yet, this still did not fully explain it.
Not undergoing Bifeng erosion only raised the upper limit of lifespan. But what about the lower limit? How did Qi Refining cultivators extend their lifespan to over a thousand years?
Moreover, the lifespans of mortals and low-level cultivators were far too short.
The higher the realm, the greater the lifespan gained upon breakthrough. The leap from Void Return to Integration even doubled lifespan, an utterly staggering difference.
“If I consider it from the perspective of the Primordial Saint Sect…”
Lü Yang’s brow gradually relaxed as he suddenly took out a root filament crackling with lightning. It was Liu Chi’s mutated Lightning Spiritual Root, the foundation of cultivation.
Next, Lü Yang summoned Madam Xiao to assist in the research.
“What a Spiritual Root! What a genius design!” Lü Yang pushed the exhausted Madam Xiao aside while staring intently at the Spiritual Root in his hand.
The Spiritual Root was the key to the cultivators’ lifespan in the Biyang Cultivation World!
“Called a Spiritual Root, but in reality, it is an absorber that extracts the lifespan of mortals and even low-level cultivators to replenish the lifespan lost by itself!”
Thus, the lifespans of mortals and low-level cultivators were so short.
As for the thousand-year lifespan of Integration Grand Cultivators, that was likely the limit of this world. Without reincarnation, living over a thousand years was the extreme, no more.
“In other words, this entire Biyang Cultivation World is a massive pyramid, with the vast number of mortals sacrificing their lifespan to nourish cultivators. Then the low-level cultivators nourish the high-level ones, and finally, everyone together nourishes the Integration Grand Cultivators at the top…”
Extracting marrow from bones, the hallmark of the Saint Sect!
“However, based on the characteristics of this cultivation system, this place should be related to the Innate True Person. The Innate True Person is no disciple of the Saint Sect.”
Lü Yang flipped through the records and finally paused on one page.
“The Battle against the Outer Heavenly Demons?”
The records vividly described the founding history of the Immortal Alliance, with Outer Heavenly Demons appearing out of nowhere, and the local cultivators banding together to finally repel the demons.
As he read, Lü Yang furrowed his brows.
“After the battle against the Outer Heavenly Demons, the surviving local cultivators founded the current Immortal Alliance, whose behavior gradually shifted into today’s bone-extracting model.”
“Something doesn’t add up.”
“Did the local cultivators really win?”
A group of perfected Qi Refining cultivators—if a single Foundation Establishment True Person appeared, they could be wiped out. How could such pathetic Outer Heavenly Demons be driven away by local cultivators?
“After winning, they founded the Immortal Alliance… Could it be that the Outer Heavenly Demons actually won, but merely borrowed the shell and reputation of the local cultivators to facilitate the complete transformation of the Biyang Cultivation World? And judging by the current Immortal Alliance system, this transformation has already succeeded.”
People like Chen Xinghai, mere mortals, spent their entire lives working for the Immortal Alliance.
People like Madam Xiao and Patriarch Qingting, though enjoying some freedom, were ultimately nothing more than higher-level workers of the Immortal Alliance.
A fully formed pyramid structure.
Under the rule of the Immortal Alliance, iron laws stood as mountains.
In an instant, Lü Yang’s mind was struck with enlightenment, and the Celestial Observation Instrument between his brows spun rapidly, birthing comprehension:
“Wu belongs to Yang Earth, its Qi is solid and heavy, occupying the center to achieve balance.”
“In spring and summer, its Qi moves and disperses; in autumn and winter, its Qi settles and contracts—it governs the fate of all things!”
“So this is my breakthrough opportunity… The Fate of All Things that I seek, the 【Zhuo Wei】, the Heavenly Gang of Wu Earth is hidden within this Immortal Alliance!”
The Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend arose from the cosmos. Sometimes, they were not physical objects, but certain metaphysical concepts.
Wu Earth governed the fate of all things, just like the Immortal Alliance did with the Biyang Cultivation World.
The Immortal Alliance was the great mountain weighing down on the Biyang Cultivation World.
And this great mountain was the Wu Earth he sought!
Thus, to extract this conceptual form of Heavenly Gang, he either had to overthrow the Immortal Alliance or replace it!
“No wonder it’s said that the Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend are so hard to find…”
If they were merely simple treasures, why would so many be stuck at a minor realm of Foundation Establishment, unable to progress an inch? Why would the Saint Sect lack stock?
“To seek the Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend, one must first have karmic merit and destiny to have a chance encounter. Next, one must have Dao comprehension—without enough insight, even if the opportunity is before your eyes, you won’t recognize it. Finally, one must have strength—without sufficient power, you will only be destroyed by the tribulations descending at Foundation Establishment.”
Had he lacked Dao comprehension and failed to grasp the principle that “Wu Earth governs the fate of all things,” he would have been like a headless fly, seeking the Heavenly Gang in vain.
“The path of cultivation… truly is fraught with hardship!”
Just as Lü Yang sighed with emotion, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the Shenxiao Sect, accompanied by a divine sense descending from the heavens, locking onto him directly:
“May I ask if you are a high cultivator of the Saint Sect?”
“The Immortal Alliance, Piaomiao, requests an audience.”