Great Sage

Biodata

Nature of the Title

A Great Sage is an exceptionally rare designation for cultivators whose talent and mastery exceed ordinary Saint Disciples and Grandmasters. The title is not limited to a single cultivation realm: bearers may be described as Great Sages while standing at different stages of the Master or Ancestor realms. 610 694 742

The designation is explicitly a title of exceptional praise recognized by different factions, rather than a cultivation realm. Its prestige is described as surpassing that of the Sages of antiquity, and it represents innate gifts, boundless potential, and the possibility of eventually standing at the pinnacle of an entire race. 610

• A cultivator must master methods in more than one Ultimate Domain to become a Great Sage. 611
• Great Sage potential is also associated with reaching the absolute limit of a specialized domain at one’s current realm. 686
• Great Sages are regarded as the public face and principal supports of Supreme Dao Fields; a lethal conflict between them can be interpreted as the beginning of a Supreme Blood Battle between lineages. 690
• The title grants enormous political weight even before its holder reaches the highest cultivation realms. Factions actively seek the friendship, protection, or early allegiance of future Great Sages. 614 687
• Even a Supreme Dao Field with immense resources cannot guarantee that every generation will produce a Great Sage. Rogue Cultivator Great Sages are particularly uncommon. 690
• The designation is not restricted to young cultivators. Veteran Great Sages include figures renowned more than a century earlier and cultivators who have reached the Seventh Realm. 794 801
• Exceptional fortune is also associated with their rise: Qin Ming considers both extraordinary talent and substantial luck necessary to become a generation’s representative figure. 803

Great Sage Path

The Great Sage Path is the threshold toward the title rather than a conventional realm alone. It is commonly used for cultivators whose abilities, Dao comprehension, and Ultimate Domains have reached a level that marks them as likely future Great Sages. 611 686

Characteristics

• Multiple Ultimate Domains — Great Sages are expected to possess more than one supreme area of mastery rather than rely on a single inheritance. 611
• Peerless same-realm combat — Candidates can contend with or defeat opponents of comparable or higher cultivation through superior Dao arts, physique, and comprehension. 634 704
• Exceptional comprehension — Qin Ming’s immediate mastery of the Scripture of Guidance was recognized by Buddhist figures as the talent of a future Great Sage. 620
• Political deterrence — The mere claim that Zheng Guang was a future Great Sage persuaded major organizations to cooperate with him during the Longevity Tomb expedition. 614
• Potential for further transcendence — Dao Venerable potential is treated as a higher and rarer prospect than Great Sage potential. 633 651
• Personal tempering — Talent, will, and comprehension matter more than simply obtaining medicines. Jiang Zai’s preparations included Thunderfire tempering, attacks upon her consciousness, and battles intended to strengthen her conviction and remove lingering doubts. 687 689
• Institutional support — Supreme Dao Fields possess methods and special resources for nurturing candidates, including Strange Medicines that improve natural gifts. Competition for those resources can become a struggle over who will represent a generation. 688 689
• A starting point rather than a final attainment — Established Great Sages can still differ greatly in strength. Kong Yuanxing and Xuantu regard the Great Sage Path as the beginning of their longer competition, with later Seventh- and Eighth-Realm achievements potentially overturning early advantages. 695

Candidates and Early Recognition

Jiang Zai’s pursuit of the Great Sage Path illustrates the distinction between exceptional Saint Disciple status and full recognition. Qin Ming helped her approach the limits of the Spirit Domain, while her successive victories over powerful opponents strengthened her body, spirit, and conviction. Observers identified those changes as the prelude to the Great Sage Path. 687 689

After her performance and the support shown by Qin Ming’s sworn brothers, the Myriad Laws Sect ordered that she receive the treatment due a Great Sage ahead of her actual breakthrough. This was anticipatory recognition, rather than confirmation that she had already completed the step. 692 693

Xiang Yiwu also expressed the ambition to reunite with Qin Ming as the Sixth Great Sage, before Niu Wuwei’s later inclusion completed the six-member brotherhood. 620 645 651

Power Progression

The Great Sage designation has no fixed sequence of cultivation realms. The following milestones distinguish preparation for the title from representative cultivation levels attained by its bearers. 610 695 801

The Six Great Sages

The Six Great Sages are a sworn-brotherhood centered on future Great Sage candidates. Their alliance began when Qin Ming accepted Zhou Tian, Mu Shinian, and Taiyi’s invitation to become their Fifth Great Sage at the Bodhisattva’s Dojo. 611

Formation

Qin Ming initially joined Meng Zhiyu, Taiyi, Mu Shinian, and Zhou Tian as the Fifth Great Sage after a battle and subsequent Dao discussion at the Bodhisattva’s Dojo. 611 Niu Wuwei later joined the brotherhood, completing the Six Great Sages. 645 651

The group’s reputation became an important source of protection for its members and allies. Qin Ming invoked the prestige of the Five Great Sages to assure Little Wu and Xiang Yiwu that Great Thunderclap Temple would protect them. 620

The brotherhood was also described as a Great Sage Organization or Great Sage Alliance. Its formation had purposes beyond casual sworn friendship, although those purposes were not fully explained at the time. Through shared experiences, it gradually developed from an improvised group into an established organization. 633 687 695

Shared Activities

• Qin Ming, Niu Wuwei, and Zhou Tian traveled together to join an expedition toward a mysterious opportunity discovered by Taiyi. Along the way, they exterminated an Azure Midge Tide and saved a village. 643
• The Six Great Sages gathered in Jade Radiance Immortal City, where their identities and potential drew attention from influential organizations. 650 651
• Qin Ming invited his sworn brothers to the Primordial Yellow Dao Field to discuss a Decayed Heavenly Immortal connected to the Land of Fate Exchange. The threat involved an old monster targeting young Great Sages who possessed an internal door. 687 695
• Their friendship did not prevent competitive sparring. Mu Shinian, Niu Wuwei, and Zhou Tian joined other Great Sages and senior figures in a collective challenge against Qin Ming within the Primordial Yellow Tree’s hidden Sword Fighting Platform. 708
• During Qin Ming’s presumed death, members of the brotherhood returned to Night Prefecture to mourn him and search for his killer. Zhou Tian and Niu Wuwei later planned another visit to care for his surviving friends and family. 719 732

Known Great Sages

History

The title gained prominence when the Demon Court’s Zhou Tian appeared as a young Great Sage, causing widespread attention among cultivators under Tushita Palace. Many observers initially believed no contemporary prodigy could contend with a recognized Great Sage. 631 632

At the Bodhisattva’s Dojo, Zhou Tian, Mu Shinian, and Taiyi recognized traits of Golden-Thread Body Weaving and Jade Medicine Nourishing the Spirit within Qin Ming’s Chaos Force. Believing him connected to an old allied lineage, they invited him into their sworn brotherhood as the Fifth Great Sage. 611

The title became politically decisive after Qin Ming adopted the identity of Zheng Guang, the Supreme Good Grandmaster. His claim to be a future Great Sage and sworn brother of Zhou Tian, Mu Shinian, and Taiyi persuaded the Traveler Civilization, Dwelling in the World Organization, and Rebirth Figurines to treat him as an equal during the Longevity Tomb expedition. 614

Qin Ming’s identity as Zheng Guang was later revealed before multiple Great Sages. Mu Shinian recognized him as his Sixth Brother, turning Xuantu and Kong Yuanxing’s expected suppression of a rogue cultivator into a five-against-two imbalance in Qin Ming’s favor. 694

By the time Qin Ming returned to Night Prefecture, Jade Capital formally declared him the youngest Great Sage of the present age. His public recognition reshaped the standing of old acquaintances, former rivals, and major families that had previously underestimated him. 740 742

Public Recognition at Tushita Palace

Zhen Gui brought Zhou Tian to Furnace Palace expecting him to subdue Zheng Guang. Instead, Zhou Tian recognized Qin Ming as his sworn younger brother and ordered Zhen Gui to address him as Fifth Uncle. The revelation publicly established Qin Ming’s place among the Five Great Sages. 632

A subsequent test of strength further heightened his reputation: Zhou Tian, despite having recently advanced, could not move Qin Ming’s hand. Former opponents began treating their own defeats as a source of prestige because they had fought a Great Sage. 632 633

Return to Maple Forest City

After years in which Zheng Guang was believed dead, Zhou Tian suggested that he might still be alive. Qin Ming then appeared openly in Maple Forest City under his real name and true appearance, drinking with Zhou Tian and Mu Shinian. Their companionship and Si Yeli’s recognition soon exposed his identity to observers. 760 761 762

His return led to another public confrontation among Great Sages. Qin Ming defeated Yan Chuan, suppressed Xu Yuan when he attacked Mu Shinian, and received medicines and recognition from powerful allies. News of his Ancestor status and victory spread widely, inviting comparisons with Jiang Xiyi. 766

Great Sage Assembly

The later Great Sage Assembly was delayed by unresolved events in the Yin-Yang Ruins. Participants from more than a dozen Supreme Dao Fields remained in seclusion because of missing memories, concerns over consciousness returning from avatars, and a lingering black handprint above the ruins. Other organizations hoped the gathering would clarify what had occurred. 787

The eventual assembly at Myriad Gods Mountain brought together established Great Sages from the concentrated Supreme Dao Fields and unfamiliar figures from much deeper within the Night Mist World. Its reach extended as far as the Longevity Experiment Site Above the Moon. 793 796

Qin Ming defeated Jiang Xiyi in a confined Dao-art contest using a ten-string zither and the arts of the Ten Sacred Fiends. Other Great Sages congratulated him, and numerous veterans subsequently approached him to establish friendly relations. 795 796

The gathering also exposed divisions among its participants. Fang Zhiwei intervened on Qi Geng’s side, bringing several Great Sages behind them and creating two opposing camps around Qin Ming and his rivals. 796

Myriad Gods Mountain Catastrophe

The assembly ended in catastrophe when Myriad Gods Mountain collapsed. Fang Zhiwei, Qi Geng, Shi Yuan, Su Lengshu, and other Great Sages resisted, but divine-pattern chains dragged nearly everyone into an abyss and through a distorted passage. Qin Ming was separated from the others in an unfamiliar world. 797

This Martial Arts World suppressed supernatural manifestations. Techniques could circulate within the body but could not normally be projected outward, while their power and the spirituality of artifacts were drastically reduced. Even Seventh Realm Great Sages had to adapt to fighting primarily through physical strength, martial skill, and weapons. 797 801

The stranded cultivators did not remain united. Qi Geng and Fang Zhiwei became involved in a plot against Qin Ming, with Bai Heng joining local True Immortals in the hunt. Qin Ming eventually defeated and captured Qi Geng and Bai Heng. 819 822

Intervention by the Outer Dao Fields

The disappearance of so many Great Sages caused a major uproar among their home factions. Elders from the outer Dao Fields confronted the Four Dao Fields over the missing disciples, while the latter denied responsibility and complained about the destruction caused by the visitors. Negotiations produced an agreement to investigate the true culprit and exchange captives for immortal medicine. 854

The elders had already agreed to exercise restraint over deaths caused by fighting between Great Sages under the extreme conditions. Most losses had resulted from internal conflict rather than native attacks, and most participants had entered through avatars rather than their true bodies. Qin Ming and several other survivors were summoned because they had shed other Great Sages’ blood. 854

Old Cloth’s discoveries identified a late-Eighth-Realm Puppet Body, the owner of another Exotic Gold Cloth, as the figure who had sent the Great Sages into the experiment site. The Four Dao Fields’ secret medicine helped visitors preserve their cultivation or lives after leaving the Martial Arts World. 854

Qin Ming and other Great Sages subsequently accompanied the elders into the Night Mist World. Qin Ming, Niu Wuwei, and others were later selected for a journey through the Arched Gate into the Daylight World, where they registered as Solar Yang Dao Field disciples and undertook a trial. 854 858

Influence

• Great Sages can protect allies through reputation alone; their presence helped settle the fate of Little Wu and Xiang Yiwu at the Bodhisattva’s Dojo. 611 620
• Their battles attract immense attention because even a restrained conflict can endanger Dao Fields and destabilize alliances. 690
• The appearance of several Great Sages in one place can transform local disputes into major political events, as seen when Qin Ming’s sworn brothers arrived at the Primordial Yellow Dao Field. 693 694
• Great Sages are not invincible. Qin Ming killed White Qilin with the president’s assistance and later defeated established Great Sage Yun Guanya through sustained combat and coordinated techniques. 679 680 791
• Their rarity creates substantial social distance. Ordinary cultivators may only see them from afar, while even their followers can be difficult to approach. Accounts of their battles often circulate through Saint Disciples and attendants who witnessed them. 689 711
• Their standing can confer institutional benefits upon associates. The support shown to Jiang Zai by the Six Great Sages contributed to the Myriad Laws Sect granting her Great Sage treatment before her breakthrough. 693
• Public expectations can limit attempts to exclude prominent bearers. Zhou Tian argued that withholding a Great Sage Assembly invitation from Zheng Guang would provoke widespread criticism rather than give the organizers leverage over him. 792
• Their prestige does not place them above senior experts. The disappearance of the assembly participants mobilized powerful elders, but the Blood Buddha’s presence alone could overwhelm the minds of young Great Sages. 854
• Their extraordinary Dao resonance can produce spectacular manifestations in suitable trials. On the Immortal Ascension Road, Great Sages displayed visions including a possible Candle Dragon and an immortal raft formed from spatial power. 846