In his mind appeared the scene of Wei Donglai attaining godhood, then sailing away across the sea with carefree ease.
Above the imperial palace of Great Wei, Wei Donglai stood at the Forbidden Peak, dressed in white.
In the sky, dark light flickered as a sea of thunder roiled, brewing an unprecedented tribulation.
"Rumble!!!"
Thunder boomed, shaking the heavens and earth. Amid the earth-shaking roar, nine tribulations, each like a horned dragon, prepared to strike Wei Donglai as he stood atop the Forbidden Peak.
When facing such an unprecedented tribulation, ordinary people undergoing tribulation would circulate their cultivation methods and bring out their precious treasures to protect themselves, resisting the thunder with all their might in hopes of finding a sliver of life.
Wei Donglai showed no fear. He circulated the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture, and nine Fortune Dragons coiled around him. Then, with the momentum of swallowing mountains and rivers, he charged toward the sea of thunder in the sky.
Above the sea of thunder, the nine tribulations contained the power to destroy the world. Yet with the nine Fortune Dragons protecting Wei Donglai, no tribulation could come near him, and none could harm him in the slightest.
With the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture, Wei Donglai not only passed through the nine tribulations, but also cleaved the sea of thunder apart, defying heaven and attaining godhood in the Age of Dharma's End.
Ye Jing seemed like a transcendent standing beyond the banks of the river of time, quietly watching the entire process of Wei Donglai overcoming that unprecedented tribulation.
Especially the scenes of Wei Donglai displaying the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture: every move and stance brimmed with profound meaning, deepening Ye Jing's insights.
[You have fully comprehended all the mysteries of the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture.]
Hearing the system's prompt, Ye Jing slowly opened his eyes.
Compared to his usual delight, there was little joy in Ye Jing's eyes this time.
Wei Donglai truly deserved to be the undisputed greatest figure in Great Wei in thousands of years. His talent was indeed peerless; he had actually created a cultivation method like the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture.
However, this method did not align with his Dao Path.
The Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture used Imperial Aura in place of a nation's fortune, gathering the entire country's fortune within oneself and allowing the practitioner to wield the might of an entire nation.
In the Age of Dharma's End, the Heaven and Earth Shackles made breaking through to godhood tremendously difficult. Wei Donglai had drawn upon Great Wei's fortune to overcome the Heaven and Earth Tribulation.
Though it was a bit of a shortcut, it was still enough to astonish the ages.
However, to use Imperial Aura in place of a nation's fortune, one was best off becoming the Supreme Emperor. Five hundred years ago, Wei Donglai had defied heaven and attained the Dao, perfecting his cultivation of the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture.
First, Wei Donglai had been the ruler of Great Wei at the time. Second, under his rule, Great Wei had reached its most prosperous era, and its fortune had been at its strongest.
Neither of those things had anything to do with Ye Jing. He only wanted to stay quietly in the Hanlin Academy and improve his strength in silence each day.
What was more, Dali was already tottering in the wind and rain, its national fortune declining by the day. It simply did not meet the conditions for cultivating the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture to perfection.
Only the rise of a new dynasty might offer some chance.
Although the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture did not align with Ye Jing's Dao Path, it was a complete cultivation method that could greatly improve his cultivation.
The Thirteen Swords of Heavenly Annihilation, Pill King's Precious Mirror, and Indestructible Golden Body he had comprehended before were mainly ways to improve his combat strength, and did nothing to improve his cultivation.
The original owner had been no more than a Qi Refining Fifth Layer novice. Ye Manor was no Martial Arts Clan, so Ye Jing only knew some basic cultivation knowledge about the Qi Refining Realm and the Innate Realm.
As for the realms beyond those, such as Grandmaster and Great Grandmaster, or even Peak of Humanity, the original owner had never had access to them.
Now that he had comprehended the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture, he had gained a detailed understanding of the Grandmaster Realm and all the realms beyond it.
Ye Jing was already at Innate Perfection. Now that he had acquired a cultivation method that could raise his cultivation, he could break through to the Grandmaster Realm simply by entering seclusion.
However, Ye Jing did not choose to break through inside the Hanlin Academy. A breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm would cause a disturbance, and it would be easy to expose himself there. He needed to find somewhere exceptionally quiet.
After compiling Wei Donglai's deeds, he handed them to the Censor for review. Once they had been approved, Ye Jing straightened the somewhat disordered documents on his desk and left the Hanlin Academy.
As he walked through the alleys, Ye Jing's expression shifted. Having comprehended the Imperial Pole Dao Proving Scripture, he now understood what he needed to break through to the Grandmaster Realm.
He only needed to go back and cultivate in seclusion for a while, and he would be able to break through to the Grandmaster Realm.
With the Thirteen Swords of Heavenly Annihilation and the Indestructible Golden Body, two peerless cultivation methods, once he broke through to the Grandmaster Realm, he would surely top the Grandmaster Ranking.
His strength would rival that of a Great Grandmaster in the early stages. Even across all of Dali, he would be a force to be reckoned with.
Just as Ye Jing was basking in the joy of his impending breakthrough, a sudden voice interrupted his reverie.
"Brother Ye! Brother Ye!"
Ye Jing stopped and looked toward the voice. His expression changed instantly.
"Brother Hu, the Law Enforcement Department is after you. How dare you show your face again!"
"If they catch you, you'll be killed!"
Quick to react, Ye Jing grabbed Hu Jie and pulled him into an abandoned courtyard. Only after confirming that no one was around did he sternly rebuke him.
"You're right, Brother Ye. I'll never be so reckless again."
Hu Jie respectfully cupped his hands toward Ye Jing, then explained, "But, Brother Ye, I truly had a reason for coming today."
"We're brothers, after all. I came here especially to say goodbye."
With the Law Enforcement Department hunting Hu Jie, the Imperial Capital was certainly no place to stay for long. Ye Jing did not doubt him and asked with concern,
"Brother Hu, what do you plan to do from now on?"
Hearing Ye Jing's question, Hu Jie's face lit up with excitement. "Brother Ye, King Zhennan will surely rebel. When he does, Dali will fall into chaos."
"I plan to gather a force and join hands with King Zhennan to overthrow Dali's tyranny."
"What did you say? You're going to rebel!"
Ye Jing's eyes filled with shock. If not for their dangerous predicament, he would have cried out.
He had never expected Hu Jie to be so wildly fanciful as to want to overthrow Dali, which had stood for a thousand years.
"That's right, Brother Ye. Yesterday I spread the word that Emperor Li was foolish and incompetent. I never expected the people of the Imperial Capital to react so enthusiastically. It seems all of Dali's people are dissatisfied with Dali's tyranny."
"Brother Ye, I saw an opportunity in that. Dali is an aging lion, barely clinging to life. Give it a fatal blow, and it will come crashing down."
Divine Light flickered in Hu Jie's eyes, and his spirit blazed with determination, as if he could already see Dali crashing to the ground.
"But, Brother Hu, Dali has endured for a thousand years, and its reserves are unfathomably deep. Even King Zhennan, who commands an army of three hundred thousand, may not be able to shake its foundations."
"You're only a Scholar, with cultivation no higher than the Innate Realm. Compared to a behemoth like Dali, you're no more than an ant trying to shake a tree."
"Overthrowing Dali will be incredibly difficult."
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