The Preaching Ends, the System Repays

"You wretched brat! Sleeping is one thing, but daring to claim there's a reason for it—nothing but nonsense!"

"If I don't teach you a lesson today, my name isn't Tongtian!"

The spirit whip appeared in his hand, aimed straight at Xian Junyu's backside and lashed out.

"Ow, Master, I'm wrong, wrong, your disciple truly knows his mistake!..."

"Ow..."

Xian Junyu howled in pain, though honestly, it didn't hurt as much as he'd imagined. But this lazy good-for-nothing, idle for over a thousand years, couldn't bear even a shred of hardship.

And even if he could endure it, he wouldn't—the more he held back, the harder his Master would strike. As anyone could see, the louder he yelled, the lighter the lashes fell.

Below, Duobao and the others couldn't help but shrink their necks at the sight.

Tongtian lashed him a full thirty-one times before his anger subsided.

Still, he hadn't struck with any real malice—at worst, it was just a bit of broken skin. If he'd truly meant harm, a single whip would've been enough to kill.

"Get out of my sight!"

"If I catch you sleeping again, it won't be a mere thirty-one lashes!"

After driving that infuriating Xian Junyu away, Tongtian had two Daoist children take up rulers and stand on either side of him.

"If he sleeps again, give him a good thrashing!"

"Yes, Master!!"

The two Daoist children looked at Xian Junyu with apologetic expressions.

As if to say: Sorry, Senior Brother, you see how it is—we don't want to hit you either, but the Master is watching. Don't blame us...

Rubbing his already blooming backside, Xian Junyu glanced up at his Master on the platform and, when Tongtian wasn't looking, shot the two Daoist children a glare.

Meaning: Just give a light tap, don't go hard!

The two Daoist children blinked, instantly catching on. Going hard was out of the question—they'd just go through the motions.

Tongtian caught every little trick between Xian Junyu and the Daoist children, but he didn't bother intervening. As long as the brat stayed awake and listened, whatever he absorbed was his gain.

With that, he resumed his lecture on the Dao.

"Heaven and Earth are the root of all growth; emperors and sages the source of creation. Humans are born receiving qi from the Great Ultimate, their movement and stillness modeled on Heaven and Earth. They originate spirit from the One Origin, their opening and closing embodying yin and yang..."

To avoid falling asleep and getting thrashed, Xian Junyu forced himself to endure the discomfort and concentrate on listening.

At first, he was utterly lost—like playing a lute to a cow. But as his focus sharpened, a glimmer of understanding suddenly dawned.

It was as if he stood in pitch darkness, and a beam of light shot in, clearing his vision.

Like Duobao and the others, he entered that mysterious state, listening with rapt absorption.

Seeing his eldest disciple truly sink into the zone, Tongtian cursed inwardly.

"That rascal just needs a good beating. See? He can listen after all. Looks like I'll have to give him some motivation from time to time!"

Having seemingly found the right teaching method for Xian Junyu, Tongtian decided that whenever this eldest disciple's laziness reared its head in the future, he'd reward him accordingly.

Three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

Bathed in the Saintly Aura, the five listened in blissful absorption, and three hundred years flew by.

"Awaken!"

The lecture ended. Tongtian's call to wake roused Duobao and the others, who opened their eyes instantly as their cultivation levels broke through.

Xian Junyu, however, didn't wake immediately. As his junior siblings broke through, the system began returning cultivation to him, and he immersed himself in receiving it.

[Ding! Jin Ling's cultivation breaks through to Mystic Immortal Middle Stage. Random multiplier return to host... Golden Immortal Initial Stage!]

[Ding! Wu Dang's cultivation breaks through to Mystic Immortal Initial Stage. Random multiplier return to host... Golden Immortal Late Stage!]

[Ding! Gui Ling's cultivation breaks through to Heavenly Immortal Late Stage. Random multiplier return to host... Golden Immortal Perfection Stage!]

[Ding! Duobao's cultivation breaks through to Heavenly Immortal Perfection Stage. Random multiplier return to host... Grand Unity Heavenly Immortal Initial Stage!]

Hearing the system's voice, feeling his cultivation constantly breaking through, Xian Junyu wept with joy.

"Over three hundred years, System Bro, you've finally delivered! My good junior brothers and sisters, I love you all to death, sob sob sob..."

His thousand years of lying flat had left his foundation poor. Through this lecture, relying on his own effort, he'd barely grasped the Heavenly Immortal Realm.

Now System Bro not only perfected his foundation but was pushing him toward the Taiyi Realm—this cheat was absolutely incredible.

After waking, Duobao and the others were overjoyed to see their cultivation had broken through.

They all marveled that joining a Saint's Discipleship was indeed a wise choice. Otherwise, such breakthroughs would have taken at least a thousand years.

Jin Ling: Mystic Immortal Middle Stage!

Wu Dang: Mystic Immortal Initial Stage!

Duobao: Heavenly Immortal Perfection Stage!

Gui Ling: Heavenly Immortal Late Stage!

Duobao, the former Senior Disciple Brother of the Jie Sect, might not seem to have the highest cultivation at the Heavenly Immortal Perfection Stage, but his gains this time were no less than those of the others.

In fact, he had the greatest harvest among them, surging from the Earth Immortal Realm straight to Heavenly Immortal Perfection, leaving him only a single breakthrough opportunity away from the Mystic Immortal Realm.

He had practically gained nearly two full major realms—truly worthy of the name Duobao Tathagata.

Tongtian showed no surprise at the breakthroughs of his four Personal Disciples. Their talent was not lacking, and they were diligent people—what was there to wonder about in their advancement?

What truly caught his attention was his eldest disciple, Xian Junyu.

That lazy little fellow had, for the first time in three hundred years, not let his mind wander into sleep. Compared to the others, Tongtian was far more eager to see what this lazy one had achieved.

"Eh? Has Senior Disciple Brother not woken up yet?"

At Gui Ling's words, Duobao and the others turned their gazes to the Senior Disciple Brother still sitting in meditation. They too were curious—just how much had this Senior Disciple Brother of the Jie Sect gained?

The Senior Disciple Brother was a Primordial Being, his talent and foundation not inferior, even among the top tier—he was just a little lazy.

Under the watchful eyes of their Master and the gathered Junior Disciple Sisters and Brothers, Xian Junyu's cultivation began to rise. The spiritual energy of Mount Kunlun converged into a sea of spirit power, rushing toward him with extraordinary commotion.

"Drawing in so much spiritual energy like this... this is..."

Having lived for countless eons, Tongtian had never been so expectant. Even when he achieved Sainthood, he had not been this stirred.

First came Xian Junyu's own effort.

From the mid-stage of the Earth Immortal Realm, he broke through to the late stage, then to perfection, and the Heavenly Immortal Realm followed as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

With this, all five Personal Disciples of the Jie Sect had left the Earth Immortal Realm behind, stepping toward higher realms.

"The Heavenly Immortal Realm! Great, Senior Disciple Brother..."

Gui Ling was just about to rejoice for her Senior Disciple Brother's breakthrough to the Heavenly Immortal Realm when Wu Dang, quick-eyed and swift-handed, covered her mouth.

With her mouth covered, Gui Ling looked bewildered at her Senior Disciple Sister Wu Dang, only to see her sister glance at their Master, Senior Disciple Sister, and Senior Disciple Brother.

Only then did she realize that everyone was staring fixedly at the Senior Disciple Brother.

It was at that moment she noticed that his cultivation was still rising—it had not stopped.

The sea of spirit power paused for an instant, then transformed into a whirlwind, madly surging into the Senior Disciple Brother's body.

In an instant, Xian Junyu began the second phase of his cultivation breakthrough.

[Heavenly Immortal: Initial, Mid, Late, Perfection; Mystic Immortal: Initial, Mid, Late, Perfection...]

In the blink of an eye, he had broken through from the initial Heavenly Immortal Realm straight to Mystic Immortal Perfection—and showed no sign of stopping.

Duobao and the others' eyes went wide, their faces filled with utter disbelief.