Purple Bamboo Pavilion

After bidding farewell to his senior brothers and sisters, Xuanyuan Che set foot on a quiet, secluded path.

As one of the five main peaks of Eastern Xuan Academy, Xuanqing Peak boasted abundant spiritual energy and picturesque scenery, while the cave abodes of core disciples were situated at the mountainside where spiritual veins converged, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy so dense it far surpassed ordinary cultivation dwellings.

Following the directions, Xuanyuan Che quickly found his cave abode.

What name should he give it?

His cave abode lay deep within a dense Purple Bamboo Forest. The entrance was a Stone Gate, quite ancient and imposing in style.

On either side of the Stone Gate stood two rows of verdant purple bamboo. A gentle breeze set the leaves swaying, producing a rustling sound—quiet and elegant.

In that case, let it be called "Purple Bamboo Pavilion."

Xuanyuan Che lightly tapped his fingertip, and a plaque appeared above the Stone Gate. With a few swift strokes, three bold, flowing characters hung there.

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

Xuanyuan Che admired his work with satisfaction, then pushed open the Stone Gate. A wave of dense spiritual energy rushed toward him, lifting his spirits.

The interior of the cave abode was extremely spacious, covering several hundred square meters, divided into a front and rear courtyard.

The front courtyard was a wide yard paved with bluestone slabs, planted with various spiritual flowers and herbs that emitted a faint, refreshing fragrance.

In one corner of the yard was a Spiritual Spring, its water crystal clear to the bottom, shrouded in mist, radiating a rich fluctuation of spiritual energy.

The rear courtyard housed an exquisite two-story Bamboo Tower, with upturned eaves and an antique charm, blending seamlessly into the surrounding Purple Bamboo Forest as if naturally formed.

The first floor of the Bamboo Tower contained a living room and a Cultivation Room. The living room was simply furnished—a stone table, a few bamboo chairs, and nothing else. The Cultivation Room was relatively spacious, its floor covered with thick meditation cushions, and the walls engraved with mysterious runes to aid cultivation.

The second floor held a bedroom and a study. The bedroom was cozy and comfortable, with a soft Jade Bed, an elegant dressing table (seemingly useless), and a censer in the corner emitting a faint scent of Sandalwood Incense.

The study's bookshelves were packed with all kinds of books—Classics and Historical Texts, Records of Customs and People—everything one could want.

The entire cave abode, though not luxurious, exuded a simple and unadorned atmosphere that was refreshing and very suitable for focused cultivation.

"Not bad, not bad. This Purple Bamboo Pavilion's environment is way better than the Seventeenth Ancestor's shabby Thatched Hut." Xuanyuan Che nodded in satisfaction.

Back at the Ancestral Shrine, he had always lived in the Seventeenth Ancestor's Thatched Hut. Though it was quiet and its spiritual energy was many times stronger than here, the conditions were crude—a world of difference from the Purple Bamboo Pavilion.

"I'll settle down here and cultivate peacefully for a while."

He walked to the Spiritual Spring, cupped a handful of water, and drank. The water was icy cold and clear, sweet on the tongue, rich with spiritual energy. Drinking it, he immediately felt refreshed throughout his body.

"The taste is passable, but it's useless." As he spoke, Xuanyuan Che pulled an Immortal Spring from his Storage Ring, replaced the spring water before him, and took a small sip.

Now that hit the spot.

He then set up a barrier and conjured a mysterious Small World, faintly flowing with the Power of Space-Time.

This realm was called the [Zi Wu Realm], refined by Xuanyuan Che's father from a major world.

Cultivating in this world twisted time. One day outside, a year inside—what a treasure!

Xuanyuan Che sat cross-legged by the Immortal Spring and began to circulate the Chaos Scripture, absorbing the spiritual energy emanating from the spring.

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

The moment the Immortal Spring's water entered his body, it transformed into the purest energy, gently nourishing his limbs and bones.

If an ordinary prodigy rashly absorbed such high-concentration energy, their meridians would likely burst, but Xuanyuan Che felt no pressure at all.

His Innate Chaos Dao Body was one of the most supreme physiques in the universe, integrating all laws into one. This mere trace of Immortal Spring spiritual energy was nothing but a trickle to him.

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

A year ago, when his physique awakened, Xuanyuan Che had stepped directly into the Saint Realm in one go, but afterward, at the Ancestral Shrine, he had not advanced his cultivation further.

The reason was simple: the Seventeenth Ancestor forbade it.

So he was forced to also sanctify his Physical Body.

It had to be said, training the Physical Body was tens of thousands of times harder for Xuanyuan Che than improving his cultivation. Enduring physical pain day in and day out was the least of it.

For someone like him—a half-hearted, laid-back, pure talent-type—this was undoubtedly torture upon torture.

Within the barrier, dense Chaos Qi formed a massive vortex, devouring the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy. The youth sitting cross-legged by the Immortal Spring grew increasingly profound in aura, like a bottomless abyss, unfathomable.

On this day, Xuanyuan Che finally slowly opened his eyes, a flash of sharp light passing through them. He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, feeling completely relaxed and refreshed.

He had firmly stabilized himself in the Saint Realm but was in no hurry to break through.

The firmer the foundation, the farther the path ahead could go.

Besides, if he did break through, he would either remain silent or stun the world with a single feat!

"The spiritual energy in the Lower Realm is truly thin, and the Immortal Spring's effect is greatly diminished." Xuanyuan Che frowned slightly, a little dissatisfied.

In the Taichu Immortal Domain, the cultivation resources he used were all rare treasures of the world, far beyond what the Lower Realm could compare to.

Still, he didn't mind. Training in the Lower Realm was meant to temper his mind, not to pursue speed.

"Oh well, I'll just cultivate slowly." Xuanyuan Che stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt the surging power within his body, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

The Saint Realm was just a beginning. His journey should be more brilliant than the stars themselves!

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

"Time to relax in the study."

The candlelight flickered, and Xuanyuan Che found himself unable to take another step.

The books in the study were all-encompassing—various classics and historical texts, geographical travelogues, and even some miscellaneous anecdotes and curiosities—broadening Xuanyuan Che's horizons immensely.

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

The Lower Realm's Three Thousand Dao Domains were far vaster and more splendid than he had ever imagined!

The Eastern Wasteland Domain was merely above average among the Three Thousand Dao Domains, and the Eastern Xuan Academy, though hailed as the foremost academy of the Eastern Wasteland, could only be considered first-rate when viewed across the entire Lower Realm—still a considerable gap from those top-tier powers.

True experts were all concentrated in the few leading domains, especially the Central Continent.

"Sooner or later, I'll go see it for myself. It should be quite fun, I hope—don't let me down."