Extracting the Origin (Happy Winter Solstice)

Hearing the Old Celestial Master say that, Madam Qian froze for a moment.

At their level, they were basically all feeling their way forward alone. When they occasionally exchanged experiences, it was usually things like, "I took a wrong turn," "I went astray again," "Am I even on the right path?" or "Well, I'm back where I started."

But here with the Old Celestial Master,

what she heard was, "I've walked this path to its end."

Though the Old Celestial Master did not seem particularly pleased to say it, it was still strangely infuriating to hear.

Really, just listen to that.

Was that even something a human being would say? After a moment of mixed emotions, Madam Qian asked, "Thanks to the favor of a young friend, I found the path to the Eighth Realm. You, however... have reached the Ninth Realm?"

The Old Celestial Master waved his hand. "There is no Ninth Realm."

Madam Qian: "..."

Not that he had not reached it, nor that he did not know of it.

It simply did not exist.

His tone was utterly certain.

The Old Celestial Master continued, "The Eighth Realm is the limit. Beyond that, it is merely a matter of how far one travels. Different domains and different paths produce slightly different results at their extremes. But when the path of my lineage reaches its limit... this world can no longer contain me."

Madam Qian asked, "Ascension?"

The Old Celestial Master shook his head. "There have been ascended beings since ancient times, but there are different kinds. Those who, in ancient times, were taken away by high-ranking beings from subspaces do not count. That is false ascension."

If that counted,

then someone like Old Man Lu would have long since been a sword immortal in ancient times.

But there