Purple Bamboo Pavilion

After bidding farewell to his senior brothers and sisters, Xuanyuan Che set off along a quiet path.

As one of Eastern Xuan Academy's five great main peaks, Xuanqing Peak was rich in Spiritual Energy and graced with beautiful scenery. The abodes of Core Disciples were located where the mountain's spiritual veins converged halfway up the slope, where Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was incomparably dense—far beyond any ordinary cultivation residence.

Following the directions, Xuanyuan Che soon found his own abode.

What should I call it?

His abode lay deep within a dense Purple Bamboo Forest. At its entrance stood a stone gate, ancient and imposing.

Two rows of emerald-purple bamboo had been planted on either side of the gate. Whenever a breeze swept through, the bamboo leaves swayed endlessly with a soft rustling, lending the place an air of quiet elegance.

Then I'll call it Purple Bamboo Pavilion.

With a tap of his fingertip, a plaque appeared above the stone gate. With several swift strokes, three grand characters, soaring like dragons and dancing like phoenixes, hung upon it.

Graceful as a startled swan, sinuous as a roaming dragon!

After admiring it with satisfaction, Xuanyuan Che pushed open the stone gate. A dense wave of Spiritual Energy rushed toward him, instantly refreshing his mind.

The interior of the abode was enormous, spanning several hundred square meters and divided into front and rear courtyards.

The front courtyard was broad and paved with bluestone slabs. Several spiritual flowers and herbs grew within, releasing a faint fragrance.

In one corner of the courtyard was a spiritual spring. Its water was crystal clear, mist curled above its surface, and dense ripples of Spiritual Energy radiated from it.

The rear courtyard contained an exquisite bamboo building. It had two floors, upturned eaves, and an antique charm, blending seamlessly with the surrounding Purple Bamboo Forest as though formed by nature itself.

The first floor contained a reception room and a cultivation chamber. The reception room was simply furnished, with only a stone table and several bamboo chairs. The cultivation chamber was relatively spacious, its floor covered with thick meditation cushions and its walls inscribed with profound runes that could aid cultivation.

The second floor housed a bedroom and a study. The bedroom was warm and comfortable, furnished with a soft Jade Bed, an exquisite dressing table—though it seemed rather useless—and an incense burner in the corner that gave off a faint scent of sandalwood.

The study's bookshelves were piled with every kind of book: classics, histories, philosophical works, anthologies, and Records of Customs and People. Everything was there.

The entire abode was not especially luxurious, yet it exuded a simple, unadorned atmosphere at every turn. It was refreshing and pleasant, perfectly suited for quiet cultivation.

"Not bad, not bad. The surroundings of this Purple Bamboo Pavilion are far better than Seventeenth Ancestor's shabby thatched hut." Xuanyuan Che nodded in satisfaction.

Back at the Ancestral Shrine, he had always lived in Seventeenth Ancestor's thatched hut. Though it was peaceful, and its Spiritual Energy was countless times richer than this place, its surroundings were crude. Compared to Purple Bamboo Pavilion, they were as far apart as heaven and earth.

"I'll cultivate here in peace for the time being."

He walked to the spiritual spring and scooped up a handful of water. It was icy and clear, sweet upon entering his mouth, and contained rich Spiritual Energy. After drinking it, he immediately felt thoroughly refreshed.

"The taste is acceptable, but it's useless." As Xuanyuan Che spoke, he took out an Immortal Spring from his Storage Ring and used it to replace the spring water before him, taking a small sip.

Now this is more like it.

He simply set up a barrier, then waved out a mysterious Small World in which the Power of Space-Time faintly circulated.

This world was called the Zi Wu Realm. It had been created when Xuanyuan Che's father refined an entire Great World.

Cultivating in this world twisted time itself. One day outside was one year within. What an incredible treasure!

Xuanyuan Che sat cross-legged beside the Immortal Spring and began circulating the Chaos Scripture, absorbing the Spiritual Energy emitted by the spring.

As the cultivation art revolved, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy surged madly into Xuanyuan Che's body like a tide, where he refined and absorbed it.

The moment the Immortal Spring water entered his body, it transformed into the purest energy, gently nourishing every limb and bone.

If ordinary heavenly geniuses rashly absorbed such highly concentrated energy, their meridians would likely have burst long ago. Yet Xuanyuan Che felt no pressure at all.

His Innate Chaos Dao Body was already one of the most supreme constitutions in the universe, capable of embracing all laws within itself. This trifling amount of Immortal Spring Spiritual Energy was no more than a babbling stream to him.

The Chaos Scripture slowly revolved. Above his Sea of Consciousness, Golden Scriptures flickered. They were obscure and difficult to understand, yet contained the Supreme Principles of the Great Dao. Every word and sentence seemed like the primordial Dao sounds from the beginning of creation, shaking Xuanyuan Che's Primordial Spirit.

When his constitution awakened a year ago, Xuanyuan Che had taken a single step into the Saint Realm. Yet afterward, he had not advanced his cultivation any further in the Ancestral Shrine.

The reason was simple: Seventeenth Ancestor would not allow it.

Thus, he had been forced to make his physical body attain sainthood as well.

It had to be said that cultivating his physical body was ten thousand times harder for Xuanyuan Che than raising his cultivation. Even the daily suffering of flesh and blood was the least of it.

For someone like him, a purely talent-based player who only muddled through halfway, this was torment piled upon torment.

Within the barrier, dense Chaos Qi formed a massive vortex that devoured the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy. The aura of the youth sitting beside the Immortal Spring grew ever deeper, like a bottomless abyss beyond all measure.

On this day, Xuanyuan Che finally opened his eyes slowly. A sharp glint flashed through them and vanished. He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, feeling light all over, clear-headed and invigorated.

His Saint Realm cultivation had now stabilized, yet he was in no hurry to break through.

The firmer his foundation, the farther he could walk in the future.

Besides, if he broke through, he would either remain silent—or astonish the world with a single cry!

"The Spiritual Energy of the Lower Realm truly is thin. Even the Immortal Spring's effects have been greatly diminished." Xuanyuan Che frowned slightly, somewhat dissatisfied.

In the Taichu Immortal Domain, every cultivation resource he used was a rare supreme treasure of the world, far beyond anything the Lower Realm could compare with.

Still, he did not care. Descending to the Lower Realm to gain experience was meant to temper his state of mind, not to pursue speed.

"Fine. I'll cultivate slowly, then." Xuanyuan Che rose and stretched his limbs. Feeling the surging power within him, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

The Saint Realm was only the beginning. His journey ought to shine even brighter than the stars!

When Xuanyuan Che dispersed the barrier, it was already evening a week later.

I'll go relax in the study for a while.

The candlelight flickered, and Xuanyuan Che found himself unable to move away.

The books in the study encompassed everything: classics, histories, philosophical works, anthologies, geographical travelogues, and even assorted tales and amusing anecdotes. They greatly broadened Xuanyuan Che's horizons.

Reading these books gave Xuanyuan Che a deeper understanding of the customs and people of the Three Thousand Dao Domains in the Lower Realm.

The Three Thousand Dao Domains of the Lower Realm were far more vast and far more wondrous than he had imagined!

The Eastern Wasteland Domain was merely an above-average domain among the Three Thousand Dao Domains. Eastern Xuan Academy, though known as the foremost academy of the Eastern Wasteland, could only be considered first-rate when viewed across the entire Lower Realm, still far behind those peak factions.

The truly powerful were all concentrated in the highest-ranked great domains, especially the Central Continent.

Sooner or later, I'll go and see it for myself. It should be fun—just don't disappoint me.