A Reward for Each Level

In fact, their guess was correct. The thousand important figures who failed to rise further gradually opened their eyes and looked up at the two thousand seven hundred important figures in the sky above them with regret.

'Whoosh~'

At this moment, the golden aura surrounding the important figures who failed to ascend began to enter their bodies, merging with the aura generated by consuming the Plum Blossom, and finally converging within their dantian.

Powerful auras emanated from their bodies, and at this moment, all one thousand great figures achieved breakthroughs in their cultivation levels. Some of the old women and men, who were over a thousand years old, had hunched backs, aged faces, and dry white hair. In this instant, they seemed to spring back to life, rejuvenated, and transformed into middle-aged figures, which amazed onlookers.

Of course, none of these people were great figures at the Spirit Saint realm, and they were all quite old. Their talent was lacking, and reaching the Spirit Emperor realm was already the pinnacle of their lives. It was basically impossible for them to advance any further. It was precisely because of this that they became the first group to be eliminated and failed to keep up with the pace of advancement.

Even so, being able to break through again at the brink of death is still a worthwhile journey, because each breakthrough represents not only an increase in strength, but also an increase in lifespan.

For cultivators at the Spirit Emperor realm and above, advancing one level grants them a lifespan starting at one hundred years. With a lifespan of one hundred years, they have the opportunity to see the vast world for another hundred years, and even the chance to continue breaking through.

But desires are never-ending, especially when everyone is on the same starting line. Your final goal is 100 meters, but others' is over 100. Naturally, those people will gain more than you. Thinking like this, the joy that was originally caused by the breakthrough vanished instantly, and there was even some jealousy as I looked at the 2,700 clouds above my head.

'Hoo~'

The breeze continued to lift the 2,700 clouds upwards. However, with each ascent, some clouds would remain stationary, signifying the end of the enlightenment journey for some great figures. Gradually, fewer and fewer clouds rose, until they were about three meters above Ma Feifei's level, leaving only thirteen clouds.

They are: Saint Chu, Sage Qi, Thunder Saint, Sword Sect Shisan (the leader of the Sword Jian Shisan), Bai Yi (Grand General Qin State), Luan Feng, Zhou Wuji, Chang Kong, Yan State Chancellor Yuwen Hongdu), Lingyun Fairy ranked second on the Fairy Ranking), and three masked men in black (sarcasm intended).

"Lingyun Fairy's talent is truly remarkable; she's actually ranked one of the thirteen!"

"After all, she is hailed as the successor to the Goddess Yin Yue, and at only 150 years old, she has already reached the Spirit Saint Second Stage realm. Her talent is certainly not lacking."

"I remember Thunder Saint is over six hundred years old, right? I heard his strength is only at the Spirit Saint Second Stage realm, so his talent is really that high?"

"Thunder Saint started cultivating late, only embarking on the path of cultivation at the age of sixty, thus missing the best opportunity for cultivation. Otherwise, his current achievements would probably not be inferior to those of the Sword Sect Leader."

"Yes... the Sword Sect Leader is over five hundred years old this year, and his strength is only at the Spirit Saint Sixth Stage realm."

"That Yan State is quite capable. It seems he chose the wrong path in governing domestic affairs; he should have pursued the path of cultivation."

"He probably didn't realize he was so talented before. I guess he might change careers after this."

Below, nearly a million cultivators, having nothing else to do, began discussing the thirteen people who were still rising in status. For these thirteen people, everyone felt more envy than jealousy.

After such a long period of time, everyone has long known that the conditions for the clouds to rise depend on one's own level of understanding of the Tao Te Ching, commonly known as innate talent.

This kind of talent cannot be obtained through hard work. Everyone is born with a predetermined level of talent. Perhaps one can improve it through hard work and cultivation, but that is only for a minority. The vast majority of cultivators will never have their talent challenged by their own efforts.

Great figures like Emperor Chu the Conqueror, who rose to prominence across the entire Azure Dragon Continent through hard work rather than talent, are extremely rare.

Ma Feifei didn't care how many people climbed up. At that moment, he felt like he had no thoughts left. He closed his eyes and read the Tao Te Ching, completely indifferent to everything.

Within Ma Feifei's body, the Power of Faith began to rotate rapidly, then converged with the wisp of Innate Purple Qi within Ma Feifei's body. The two intertwined, and as Ma Feifei continuously used the Sound of the Great Dao, the two, one purple and one white, gradually intertwined, forming a yin-yang diagram, half purple and half white.

The yin-yang diagram slowly descended into Ma Feifei's dantian, floated behind it, and began to rotate.

With each rotation, a wisp of white-purple aura flows from the Yin-Yang diagram, flying towards the dantian and being absorbed there.

Ma Feifei felt as if he had become the master of all living things, able to control their life and death with a single thought. He himself had become nothingness, and the world was so vast that he could reach it at will.

The Sound of the Great Dao also underwent a slight change at this moment, carrying a subtle and indescribable quality that stirred the soul.

'Hoo~'

At that very moment, a gentle breeze blew by, and the clouds once again made a 'stomp' sound as they began to rise.

"Look! Saint Chu has gone up!" a cultivator exclaimed.

"General Luanfeng has gone up too!" someone exclaimed.

"There's another masked man in black!" someone exclaimed in disbelief.

And then that was it; of the thirteen clouds, only three eventually rose up.

The remaining ten clouds remained in place, and countless golden auras separated from them and began to enter their bodies, causing their cultivation levels to surge.

"My God, Thunder Saint has actually broken through two levels!" Without the golden aura, even a great figure like Lei Spirit Saint could Detect Thunder Saint's cultivation at a glance. Even such a great figure couldn't help but be shocked, staring wide-eyed as Thunder Saint jumped from the Spirit Saint Second Stage realm to the Peak of Spirit Saint Fourth Stage!

"The Sword Sect Leader has also broken through to a higher level," someone said.

The Sword Sect Leader, who Spirit Saint Sixth Stage realm, directly broke through to the Peak of Spirit Saint Seventh Stage, just one step away from stepping into the Spirit Saint Stage Eight realm!

"And Lingyun Fairy has also broken through two ranks."

"Elder Chang Kong has also broken through two levels..."

"The Limitless Spirit Emperor Transcendent to Saint mortal realm and entered sainthood!" Some cultivators saw that the world had undergone a tremendous change. Although it was instantly suppressed by the Sound of the Great Dao, the Spiritual Power within Zhou Wuji's body was surging, and he directly broke through from the Spirit Emperor Eighth Stage realm to the Peak of Spirit Saint First Stage!

"..."

Of the ten people, the lowest level they broke through was one rank. The one who broke through the most was Yan State Chancellor Yuwen Hongdu. He was only at the Spirit Emperor Second Stage realm, but this breakthrough allowed him to jump four ranks to the Spirit Emperor Sixth Stage, which really frightened him.

After his initial surprise, Yuwen Hongdu couldn't help but sigh, "If only I had comprehended the Emperor's Aura."