Kong Xuan was inwardly horrified.
Although Undying Volcano was remote, he was not cut off from the world.
He had heard of the major events in the Great Wilderness and its top-tier Great Powers.
Jie Sect Myriad Immortals come to pay homage had been an imposing spectacle. Outstanding figures such as Daoist Duobao and Saint Mother Jinling were renowned throughout the Great Wilderness.
As far as he knew, even Daoist Duobao, the foremost disciple of the Jie Sect, was only at the Mid Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.
But this Xuandu before him...
A member of the Human Race?
That race created by Saintess Nuwa from kneaded earth, one that had existed for only a little over ten thousand years, with shallow roots and arduous cultivation?
Yet it had produced a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak?
This completely overturned everything he knew!
What's more crucial is that he had never heard Xuandu's name anywhere in the Great Wilderness.
It was as though this man had appeared out of nowhere and ascended to the very peak in a single step!
Such cultivation could never have been achieved by some unknown nobody.
Unless...
An absurd yet seemingly only reasonable thought suddenly sprang uncontrollably into Kong Xuan's mind.
He suppressed the stormy waves churning within him, forcibly steadied the restless Five-Colored Immortal Light around him, stared fixedly at Xuandu, and asked word by word,
"How many years have you cultivated?"
Xuandu had been about to use thunderous methods to subdue him, but he could not help pausing at those words.
Years of cultivation?
He subconsciously inspected himself inwardly.
Fusing with those memories, awakening at the foot of Shouyang Mountain, kneeling in worship for ten years... no, that belonged to the previous owner of this body.
What truly belonged to him, from the moment he opened his eyes until now...
Breaking free of Laozi's Karma, being transported to Golden Ao Island, entering the Jie Sect, receiving its cultivation method, and finally finding Kong Xuan...
Even counting everything, it had been less than a day!
And that astonishing Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak cultivation had come from the system's feedback in an instant.
As for the time he had truly spent cultivating the Shangqing Gongfa himself, it had only been a few shichen.
How could he tell that to an outsider?
The trace of surprise on Xuandu's face vanished in an instant, but it did not escape Kong Xuan's eyes.
Kong Xuan grew even more suspicious, and that absurd feeling became increasingly intense.
Seeing Xuandu remain silent, he could not help pressing further,
"What? Could it be that your cultivation time has been extremely short?"
There was an urgency in his tone that even he had not noticed, along with a trace of... an utterly unbelievable guess.
Xuandu quickly calmed his mind, and his expression returned to being calm as an old well.
Naturally, he could not reveal the system or the secret of his own pedigree.
With thoughts racing, he already had an answer.
"What does the length of one's cultivation have to do with attaining true harmony with the Dao?"
Xuandu's voice was calm, yet it carried an indescribable confidence.
"Pedigree, fortune, opportunities, and comprehension are all determined by fate."
"My master favored me and bestowed the Great Dao upon me. With one moment of enlightenment, I surpassed the arduous cultivation of others over ten thousand years."
"The mysteries within are not something a fellow cultivator can fathom."
His words were vague. He neither admitted nor denied it, instead attributing everything to Sect Leader Tongtian's teachings and his own comprehension. He even subtly invoked his Sage master's lineage to make his words more convincing.
Yet to Kong Xuan, those words exploded like thunder!
"With one moment of enlightenment, he surpassed the arduous cultivation of others over ten thousand years?"
Could it be... that this man had truly reached such a realm in an extremely short time?
Was that possible?
If a Sage had devoted all his efforts to nurturing someone, bestowed upon him a Supreme Opportunity, and coupled it with comprehension so heaven-defying it defied all reason...
Kong Xuan found that he could not completely deny the possibility.
Sect Leader Tongtian was a Heavenly Dao Sage, and his methods were unfathomable.
If he truly wished to nurture someone, he might indeed be capable of creating a miracle.
But just how terrifying did Xuandu's comprehension have to be?
Did the Human Race truly possess such potential?
For a moment, Kong Xuan's gaze toward Xuandu became incomparably complicated.
Suspicion, shock, scrutiny, and even a trace of wariness that he himself was unwilling to acknowledge.
If that was truly the case, then the Jie Sect and Sage Tongtian were likely even more unfathomable than he had imagined.
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As for Xuandu, his future was simply immeasurable!
Kong Xuan had cultivated arduously for countless years. Only by relying on the Phoenix Clan's legacy and his Innate Five Elements pedigree had he attained Mid Daluo Golden Immortal Dao Cultivation.
If the other party had truly crossed into this realm in such a short time, then would not his own pride have become a joke before this man?
Xuandu saw every change in Kong Xuan's expression and knew that his mind had already been seized.
The time had come!
He said no more, and the immense pressure of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak erupted completely from his body!
Boom!
It was as though all of Undying Volcano were trembling!
The sky was torn apart by an invisible force, revealing the dark backdrop of the void.
The viscous magma in the valley below was instantly pressed downward several zhang, solidifying like an iron plate.
The Primordial Five Elements Qi surrounding Kong Xuan, once exceptionally nimble, now became sluggish and heavy, its radiance dimming.
Kong Xuan let out a muffled grunt, feeling as though countless divine mountains weighed upon his entire body.
Every inch of flesh and blood, every wisp of his divine soul, cried out in agony beneath the unbearable burden.
The Five-Colored Immortal Robe burst forth with dazzling radiance on its own, attempting to resist, yet it retreated steadily before the absolute gap in strength.
A flush rose on his handsome face, a sign that his mana was being forcibly suppressed.
His eyes were filled with horror and... a trace of helplessness.
For a Daluo Golden Immortal, each step was a new heaven.
The gap between the mid stage and the peak seemed to be only two minor realms, yet the disparity in strength was as great as clouds and mud!
He had no doubt that if Xuandu attacked with full power, he would not be able to endure for long.
"Fellow Daoist,"
Xuandu's voice rang out again, calm yet carrying an unquestionable resolve.
"I will ask once more."
"Are you willing to enter my Jie Sect and explore the Supreme Great Dao together?"
The pressure intensified by another degree, directly testing Kong Xuan's Dao Heart.
Should he fight to the death to preserve the last shred of dignity of the Phoenix Clan Crown Prince, possibly damaging his Dao Foundation or even suffering death and Dao annihilation?
Or should he bow his head for now and join this unfathomable Jie Sect, perhaps truly breaking free of his destiny and glimpsing Hunyuan as Xuandu had said?
Kong Xuan gritted his teeth, and a thread of golden blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
His proud nature made him unwilling to submit.
But reason screamed madly within him, reminding him of the despairing gap in strength between them.
And of Xuandu's incomprehensible cultivation speed, along with the potential of the Jie Sect that it represented.
Struggle—intense struggle—clashed fiercely in his eyes.
Xuandu did not urge him. He merely maintained the pressure capable of shattering Stars and waited quietly.
He believed Kong Xuan was a smart man.
He would make the most beneficial choice.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Every breath became incomparably long.
Finally.
The Five-Colored Immortal Light around Kong Xuan, which had been resisting with all its strength, slowly receded like a tide.
His straight back bent ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.
His tightly shut eyes suddenly opened. The defiance and unwillingness deep within them were forcibly suppressed, turning into profound complexity.
He looked at Xuandu, his voice carrying a trace of hoarseness and dryness.
"What you said... can the Jie Sect truly help me... transcend the Phoenix Clan's destiny and perfect the Great Dao of Five Elements?"
Xuandu's heart settled, knowing that it was done.
He withdrew some of the pressure. His tone remained indifferent, but it carried a little more solemnity.
"Master commands the Dao of Intercepting Heaven and teaches without discrimination."
"Enter the Jie Sect, and let us strive together toward the Great Dao."
"With a fellow cultivator's talent, gaining Master's favor will be only a matter of time."
"Transcending destiny is no empty promise."
Kong Xuan fell silent for a moment and took a deep breath.
He slowly clasped his hands in salute. Facing Xuandu, and even more so toward the distant direction of Golden Ao Island, he said solemnly,
"Kong Xuan of the Phoenix Clan... is willing to enter the Jie Sect and listen to the Sage's teachings."
Hearing this, Xuandu was overjoyed.
It's done!
From this day onward, the gate to the Hunyuan Great Dao stood open before him!
As long as Kong Xuan formally joined the Jie Sect, he would be able to obtain the Pedigree Sum of the Jie Sect Disciples.
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