The Oddities of Immortal Heaven

The answer is that Li Qi can indeed read minds.

The enhanced True Knowledge could easily penetrate even Li Shiwei's superficial thinking, let alone a ninth-grade Ju Ye like the one before him.

Li Qi continued, "Ju Ye, hailing from the Wind Swift Sect, has been Tiger Slaying Gate. You Tiger Slaying Gate Slayer Sect and forced to use your Spirit Walking Technique to steal and rob..."

"What a terrible name you came up with, so tacky." Li Qi curled his lips, then continued, "After the massacre of your clan, you had no choice but to be controlled by the restrictions and make a living by doing these things every day. However, you broke through to the ninth rank a few months ago. With your abilities, you could have left long ago. The reason you didn't leave is because you still have a senior sister. She is still in the unranked stage, and you can't take her with you."

"No way, brother, your senior sister has already had three children after Tiger Slaying Gate Sect... You're really... infatuated." Li Qi said as he continued to scan his mind, probing his surface thoughts.

Although he couldn't see the memories, Li Qi could understand this person enough from the surface level of his thinking.

But as Li Qi spoke, the ninth-rank cultivator named Ju Ye was first astonished, then fearful, and when he mentioned 'senior sister', he became angry.

But after his anger subsided, he became confused.

The other party... knows me too well. It's absolutely impossible to know this in such detail without a special investigation, unless someone can read minds.

But mind reading is too absurd. He did have the art of soul searching, but he had heard about the terrible effects of it. This person in front of him obviously hadn't used soul searching on him.

So what abilities does he have that make such a big shot invest so much energy in investigating him, and even go so far as to set a trap for him?

What exactly is it that he seeks?

But Ju Ye didn't know was that everything he was thinking had already been revealed to Li Qi.

The enhanced True Knowledge has given Li Qi the ability to see into the shallow thinking of the weak.

Li Qi clapped his hands. "Instead of thinking about this and that, why don't you answer my question first, young man? Would you like to be my guide? You seem to know a lot about this Bailu City."

Li Qi sent a chill down Ju Ye's spine. He immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and said loudly, "Since you have entrusted me with this task, I dare not refuse!"

"Don't be so nervous. I should be much easier to get along with than the people here. By the way, if you can help me understand this city, I'll help you rescue your senior sister, how about that? Although I think she probably won't want to go with you..." Li Qi said.

The mortal realm of the celestial realm is truly like that of wild beasts; the women abducted there will naturally not have a good ending.

However, this Ju Ye in front of him is a person who values relationships, which is why Li Qi chose her.

There must be other good people out there, but since we've already run into them, let's choose him. Li Qi doesn't care anyway.

Upon hearing Li Qi's instructions, Ju Ye immediately nodded and replied, "I am willing to serve you, senior!"

Li Qi observed his superficial thinking.

Ah, this person didn't believe Li Qi's promise at all. He just wanted to live, so he simply let Li Qi do as he pleased. In fact, he didn't think Li Qi was any different from the others.

But whatever.

"Take me around outside the city first, then we'll go inside," Li Qi stated directly.

"Inside the city? Sir is willing to pay to enter the city?" Upon hearing this, Ju Ye was shocked.

The cost of going into the city is not cheap.

Li Qi just smiled and looked at him.

How could that be? He didn't have a single penny on him, and he had never even come into contact with Spirit Stone in this world.

Of course, Ju Ye should pay.

Ju Ye understood immediately; clearly, the other party wasn't planning to pay out of their own pocket.

Although it hurt a little, he immediately put on a smile in order to save his life, "Then... shall we start from now?"

"Of course, let's go." Li Qi stood up. "Lead the way."

Ju Ye immediately got up and began to lead Li Qi around, explaining the Bailu City.

Although Li Qi could find out on his own, it would obviously be much easier and save time if he had a guide.

And so, the trip began.

As the tour progressed, Li Qi also began to learn about the Bailu City.

It turns out that this Bailu City was built by a great master named Ming Bailu who was about to ascend to immortality. His purpose in building this city was to protect the region.

Of course, that's what they say, but in reality, the city has extremely high taxes and entrance fees. Whether it's housing or various approvals, they're all ridiculously expensive.

Clearly, this city is a tool for accumulating wealth; it's used to make money.

However, there are advantages to being expensive, namely that it is very safe here.

Bailu City does not allow any outside sects to act recklessly, and it doesn't matter what the visitors are for. The principle is that once you enter, you can leave.

Yes, you can go in. No matter how serious your crime, as long as you are in the city, you will be fine. Even if you violate the city's rules, there is no need to worry. The most severe punishment in the city is simply being expelled from the city and never allowed to enter again.

Of course, what happens after they are driven out of the city is another matter.

Anyway, it's definitely safe inside the city.

In order to protect the safety of the city, it is necessary to prevent ambushes and other such activities outside the city. Therefore, guards patrol outside the city to eliminate necessary threats.

It is precisely because of this that many independent practitioners have gathered here, whether for safety, business opportunities, or for various other purposes. They have formed an organization similar to a 'slum' outside the city, and many people live here.

Anyway, the guards don't care about these things, and these people are even beneficial to the guards, since their bribes can give the guards more cultivation resources.

Over time, this led to the current layout of Bailu City.

"According to this statement, it seems that no one in Bailu City can check or balance this place? Is it a single, dominant power?" I asked as I walked down the street.

"The Bailu City extremely powerful, the supreme ruler of this area of 100,000 li. He once defeated thirty Primordial Spirit Realm cultivators with one hand. It seems that ascension is already within his grasp, but we don't know when he will set off," Ju Ye said respectfully.

"Primordial Spirit Realm? Oh, I forgot to ask, how are your cultivation levels divided?" Li Qi nodded slightly and asked.

This problem was rather peculiar, which caused Ju Ye's expression to look somewhat strange.

Has this expert never cultivated before? How could he not know about the rank?

However, he was well aware of his situation, so he said, "In reply to you, sir, cultivation... naturally begins with Qi Cultivation, then building Foundation Establishment, then constructing Law Palace, forming a pill within the hall, the Nascent Soul transforming into a nascent Nascent Soul, the Primordial Spirit, the Primordial Spirit merging with the physical body, and finally attaining ascension to the Immortal Realm, enjoying endless lifespan, and from then on free from the suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death."

Li Qi nodded.

After Qi Cultivation Foundation Establishment, the next step is the Law Palace. So, by calculation, reaching the Law Palace means advancing to the ninth rank.

This is rather strange. Isn't the ninth rank the Golden Core?

However, it must be their unique methods and cultivation path.

A golden core is condensed within the Law Palace, and then the golden core hatches into Nascent Soul...

Uh, what exactly is a Nascent Soul? I'll ask Shen Shuibi later.

Then, the Nascent Soul becomes the Primordial Spirit, which should be the eighth rank.

Then, the Primordial Spirit and the physical body merged into one... wait, isn't this a flawless procedure? Shouldn't it have been completed at the ninth rank?

If we move to the eighth rank, wouldn't it mean that those who painstakingly cultivate to the ninth rank can no longer extend their lifespan?

Wouldn't this mean that many people wouldn't be able to advance to the next level before their lifespan ends?

Well, they probably have their own plans.

After reaching the eighth rank, the Primordial Spirit and physical body become one, achieving perfection and increasing lifespan. Then, one prepares for ascension, which means breaking through to the seventh rank.

Finally, after reaching the seventh rank, one can proceed to the 'True World'.

No, they call it the Immortal Realm.

It's quite... troublesome.

This system of cultivation feels very unscientific and not at all mystical; many of its methods are distorted.

For example, the most typical Daoist cultivation method is to unite the Primordial Spirit with the physical body before reaching the ninth rank, in order to achieve the Golden Elixir.

This practice was devised by powerful cultivators when revising Cultivation Method to extend the lifespan of ninth-rank cultivators. If this was achieved, Daoist cultivators could easily live two or three times longer at the ninth rank, giving them more time to refine their cultivation, contemplate their Dao Path, and ultimately advance to the eighth rank in a more fulfilling state.

However, this place does the opposite, deliberately preventing people from doing this when they reach the ninth rank, so their lifespan remains almost unchanged, and only those with exceptional talent can advance within their lifetime.

They don't care at all about 'getting more people promoted'; instead, they deliberately eliminate more people so that those without talent can never break through to the ninth rank in their entire lives.

"You must be at the Law Palace level, right? Show me what you've got?" Li Qi suddenly said to Ju Ye.

Ju Ye Leaf was even more confused.

This big shot...

What happened?

But he didn't dare ask too many questions. He simply began to display his cultivation level, which seemed somewhat abrupt, even though it was done on the street.

Li Qi told him to kneel and kowtow in the street, but he didn't dare say anything, let alone show any of his cultivation.

So, Ju Ye Leaf took the initiative to demonstrate her cultivation and her Law Palace on the street.

However, in just a moment, before anyone else even noticed, Li Qi reached out and pressed down on Ju Ye.

"Alright, I understand. Stop now and wait for me," he said to Ju Ye, then stood there lost in thought.

With just a glance, True Knowledge Dao Charm's analysis revealed that he had a complete understanding of the Law Palace's structure.

This so-called Law Palace is actually a compression formation.

By constructing a compressed array around one's own personal microcosm, one can maximize the extraction of energy from the universe and then transform the Golden Core into a pure energy core.

Through the compression of the Law Palace, the Golden Core can become more solid, although in Li Qi's view, a more solid Golden Core is actually of no use at all.

Everything was for the sake of combat power, for greater killing power, and for this they even sacrificed the perfection of the Golden Core.

In Li Qi's eyes, this was a case of losing more than one gains for a small gain.

As for killing power, you can simply develop some Divine Ability or Technique Method to compensate for Technique Method. Why bother putting so much effort into your own Cultivation Method?

If things are done this way, the path ahead will be narrowed. The entire cultivation system will have to be built on the Law Palace, and it will be extremely difficult to start over. You might even have to be reincarnated to be able to do it again.

The foundation laid in the early stages of cultivation is extremely important; it is generally considered the most important foundation within this Dao Lineage.

During this period, the Shaman Path would construct the prototype of their inner world. To this end, the shamans even persuaded the Four Symbols to give all Shaman the green light, allowing them to borrow the divine energy of the Four Symbols as the foundation of their inner world.

The Daoist school created the Golden Elixir to lay the foundation for future liberation from all defilements.

Martial arts refine the five internal organs, temper the physical body, and cultivate a body full of Qi and Blood, thus providing a framework for the Martial Way Divine Intent.

Human Path began to constrain itself with rules, forming the rudiments of rules, which in turn developed into foundations such as 'rites', 'laws', 'ink', and 'miscellaneous' practices, thus forming specific paths of cultivation.

Li Qi was unaware of the origins of the Demonic Path and the Spiritual Path before. However, after receiving the 'reward' from that powerful Spiritual Path expert, Li Qi gained a deeper understanding of these two Dao Lineage.

When one reaches the ninth rank in the demonic path, one cultivates Demonic Heart. The so-called Demonic Heart is a heart that transcends common sense and is self-centered. This is extremely important regardless of which of the Four Demons lineages one belongs to.

Based on the demonic path that Li Qi knew, the Demon Prince was a typical example of this. He had an unconventional confidence that he was absolutely Invincible at the Same Level, and he truly lived up to that.

The Spiritual Path is completely different from other Dao Lineage. The foundation laid by the Spiritual Path at the ninth rank is not a Dao heart or cultivation level, but an ability—the ability to interpret and analyze information, namely, the ability to 'construct a complete world through data'.

Through extensive training and contemplation, those who reach the ninth rank in the Spiritual Path must be able to visualize a function in their mind upon seeing it, know what a sound waveform is saying upon seeing it, and identify the color of light from a wavelength represented by words.

Because these are all essentially the same—they are all 'information'—when a spiritual practitioner comes into contact with 'information', they should be able to directly and clearly read its essence and then deduce the whole picture of the things that the information represents.

Therefore, Lingdao dares to say that they can sit at home and think to obtain the essence of the universe, to obtain a kind of "a priori" "essence" of the Great Dao, and then deduce the appearance of the entire universe through this "Dao".

For example, true dragons skip the ninth rank. As long as a true dragon is not a defective product, the ninth rank is dispensable to them because, as perfect beings, their foundation can change according to the environment, so this stage doesn't matter to them.

All these examples are meant to illustrate one point: all of these different Dao Path, when laying the foundation, focus on helping practitioners better pursue the path, better understand the world, and perfect their own Dao Path in their own way. If they can get to the forefront and take an unprecedented new step, that would be the best.

However, as First Rank World, the Immortal Heaven's approach is completely different from that of the rest of the world.

Combat power, combat power, and even stronger combat power—this is their entire cultivation philosophy.

Building, pursuing the Dao, and contemplating what the world is like are completely unnecessary for the grassroots cultivators of the Immortal Realm.

All they need to do is fight, fight better, and everything is for greater killing power. However, despite this effort to improve their combat power, Xian Tian doesn't like to invade others or even fight against them. Instead, he turns his surroundings into an extraterrestrial void, preventing others from getting close to him.

Li Qi looked up at the sky.

How exactly does such a civilization develop?