Xuandu sank his consciousness into the System Interface, and the constantly flickering number finally froze.
[Real-time Cultivation Feedback (Extractable): Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak]
Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak!
Xuandu's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart nearly leaped from his chest.
His boldest estimate had only been the mid to late stage of the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm.
After all, the Witch-Demon Tribulation had yet to conclude. Though the Jie Sect had begun to take shape, it was still far from its peak during the Investiture of the Gods period.
Figures such as Daoist Duobao and Saint Mother Jinling, the core Personal Disciples, were likely only hovering around the Mid Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal stage at this moment.
Zhao Gongming and San Xiao had perhaps only recently broken through to the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm.
Even though the Jie Sect already had quite a number of disciples, the difficulty of breaking through each minor realm increased exponentially.
The gap in strength between the early and middle stages, and between the middle and late stages, was as vast as the difference between clouds and mud.
He had expected the total to be enormous, but he had never imagined it would directly soar to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak!
With only one final step remaining, he could glimpse that vague and ethereal Primordial Dao Fruit!
This was simply an immense fortuitous opportunity falling from the heavens!
"System."
Xuandu forcefully suppressed the wild roar that nearly burst from his throat and hurriedly asked in his mind,
"When extracting cultivation, can I conceal my true realm?"
He stared fixedly at the System Interface. This was the most critical step.
If he could not hide it, extracting it now would be no different from courting death.
[ Ding! The Host may freely set the cultivation realm displayed to the outside world. The system will perfectly simulate the aura of that realm. None beneath a Sage can see through it. ]
The cold mechanical prompt sounded like celestial music from the Ninth Heaven to Xuandu at this moment!
He could conceal it?
And even those beneath a Sage could not see through it?
The final massive stone in Xuandu's heart crashed to the ground, and an indescribable excitement and exhilaration swept through his entire body.
If he could hide his cultivation, what the hell did he have to fear!
Secured! Completely secured!
On Golden Ao Island, so long as Sect Leader Tongtian did not deliberately inspect every inch of his foundation, who could possibly see through him?
And why would his Sage Master be bored enough to inspect him?
If not now, then when?
"System, extract cultivation!"
Xuandu no longer hesitated and silently recited the command in his heart.
The instant the command was issued.
Boom!!!
An indescribably Vast Power seemed to surge forth from the depths of the endless void, crashing fiercely into his limbs and bones and Eight Extraordinary Meridians!
That power was as vast as a sea of stars and as pure as the innate, carrying the ancient Dao rhythm of the World's First Opening.
It was no longer thin spiritual qi, but Innate Magic Power condensed to the absolute limit!
Xuandu only felt as though his entire body were about to be burst apart by the sudden torrent.
His meridians expanded to an unimaginable extent in an instant. His bones let out crackling Light Sounds as specks of Jade Luster surfaced over them.
His internal organs were repeatedly washed and tempered by the pure magic power, radiating vigorous vitality.
His Divine Soul felt as though it were bathing in a hot spring, growing and solidifying wildly at an unprecedented speed.
Within his sea of consciousness, which had previously been a mass of Chaos, stars now seemed to light up as insights naturally emerged one after another.
His perception of the Heaven and Earth Rules became clearer than ever before.
It felt as though, if he wished, a mere thought could unleash tremendous might.
Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak!
The real deal!
From the outside world, he was still that Young Man in Green seated cross-legged atop a simple stone bed.
The aura emitted by him was faint and ordinary, no different from before. He had not even completed Qi Induction.
The spiritual qi in the cave mansion remained sparse, while dust slowly drifted down.
It was as though nothing had happened.
Only Xuandu himself knew what kind of world-destroying power lay hidden beneath that seemingly ordinary shell!
He slowly opened his eyes.
Deep in his eyes, visions of galaxies being born and extinguished and the Universe Rotation flashed past before swiftly vanishing, returning his gaze to its original clarity.
He gently clenched his fist.
Feeling the vast magic power within him, flowing endlessly and responding to his will like an arm or finger, a heroic spirit of My Fate Is Mine To Control, Not Heaven's rose within him.
From now on, the sea was vast enough for fish to leap, and the sky high enough for birds to fly!
On this Great Wilderness Continent, he, Xuandu, finally had the foundation to establish a foothold!
With a thought, he set the cultivation realm he displayed to the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
After all, it was perfectly reasonable for someone Laozi had taken a liking to possess slightly better talent, wasn't it?
After finishing all this, Xuandu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
That breath was long and distant, faintly carrying the sound of wind and thunder. It blew the dust before the stone bed into spiraling flight.
He rose to his feet and stretched his limbs.
The surging sense of power within him left him somewhat intoxicated.
But he quickly calmed down.
He had cultivation now, but how to use it, how to fight, and how to truly bring out the strength of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak still required learning and tempering.
Right now, he was purely someone with the realm but without the corresponding Divine Ability.
Moreover, the Jie Sect was filled with great experts.
Duobao, Jin Ling, Wu Dang, Gui Ling...
Which of these Personal Disciples had not fought countless battles and possessed profound Divine Abilities?
Zhao Gongming's Sea Calming Pearl and the Three Goddesses of Xiao's Nine Bends Yellow River Formation were even renowned throughout the Great Wilderness.
Before those experienced veterans, this cultivation he had suddenly acquired might not give him much of an advantage.
He had to familiarize himself with his power as quickly as possible and find suitable cultivation arts and Divine Abilities.
Thinking of Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's contemptuous expression earlier, a cold smile tugged at Xuandu's Mouth Corner.
Good.
He wanted to see what kind of spectacular expression that fellow would wear upon seeing his cultivation.
And there was also the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation...
Xuandu cast his gaze beyond the cave mansion, as if it had pierced through the stone wall to see that future Great Tribulation that would sweep across heaven and earth.
Originally, he had merely wanted to use the Jie Sect Disciples' numerical advantage and rely on the system to Become Stronger, thereby avoiding the Killing Tribulation.
But now that he possessed the cultivation of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak, his mindset quietly began to change.
Was merely avoiding it enough?
How many Jie Sect immortals had their True Spirits annihilated upon the Investiture of the Gods List, or become bound to the Heavenly Court?
Traitors like Chang Er Ding Guang Xian deserved death all the more!
Now that he possessed power, could he... do more?
Could he try to reverse that seemingly predetermined outcome?
Could he truly Seize a Thread of Life for the Jie Sect, which sought to Seize a Thread of Life?
Once this thought arose, it grew wildly in his heart like weeds.
The risk was immense, but the reward... was equally incalculable!
After all, his cultivation increased according to the real-time total of the Jie Sect Disciples.
If too many Jie Sect Disciples died or were injured, his cultivation might even decline.
But conversely, the more living beings that joined the Jie Sect, the higher his cultivation would become.
Before the Investiture of the Gods, he could fully reach the realm of the Daluo Golden Immortal.
This was also the path Xuandu had planned: to walk the Hunyuan Dao rather than the path of the Quasi-Saint.
He took a deep breath and suppressed his churning emotions.
The road had to be walked one step at a time.
His most urgent task was to consolidate his cultivation, familiarize himself with his power, and find a way to acquire cultivation techniques and Divine Abilities.
He pushed open the stone door and walked out of the cave mansion.
Outside, the sun shone brightly, and Golden Ao Island was rich in spiritual qi, far beyond this barren mountain at the edge.
He could clearly sense quite a few powerful auras within the island's core area.
Several of them were obscure and profound, carrying sharp Sword Intent. They should belong to Duobao, Jin Ling, and the others.
Another was bold and unrestrained, containing Wind and Thunder Momentum. It was likely Zhao Gongming.
Further away, three streams of cool Immortal Qi intertwined and circled. They undoubtedly belonged to the Three Goddesses of Xiao.
"So this is the perception of a Daluo Golden Immortal..."
Xuandu silently marveled.
In the past, when he had possessed no cultivation, he had only found those auras vast and terrifying.
Now, however, he could roughly distinguish their strengths and attributes, even faintly sensing some traces of the Great Dao they cultivated.
This feeling of control was truly wonderful.
However, Xuandu next planned to seek out Zhao Gongming.
After all, when he had joined the Jie Sect, Sect Leader Tongtian had instructed Chang Er Ding Guang Xian to settle him in.
Clearly, Chang Er Ding Guang Xian had also been meant to teach him the Jie Sect's cultivation techniques.
But Chang Er Ding Guang Xian obviously looked down on him, so he had not even taught him any cultivation techniques.
With his mind made up, Xuandu did not delay any longer.
He left the Simple Cave Mansion and turned his gaze toward the depths of Golden Ao Island.
Based on Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's perfunctory directions and his own powerful Spiritual Sense, he swiftly locked on to the approximate location of Zhao Gongming's cave mansion.
It was a range of mountains where the spiritual qi was even more concentrated, with rosy clouds lingering about it and countless wondrous auras rising from it.
Compared to the desolate outskirts where he lived, it was as different as clouds and mud.
"Sure enough, no matter where one is, strength and status determine everything."
Xuandu felt no ripples in his heart. Instead, his resolve to Become Stronger became even firmer.
He tried to mobilize the magic power within his body, as boundless as the sea.
With a slight movement of his thoughts, he thought of the location of Zhao Gongming's cave mansion.
Then, he merely took one seemingly casual step forward.
The surrounding space rippled gently like water.
The next instant, the scenery before him had changed completely.
The barren mountain and humble dwelling had vanished.
In their place stood an imposing immortal mountain.
Cloud mist curled through the mountains, immortal cranes gathered in flight, and waterfalls plunged like rivers of stars with thunderous roars.
The rich Innate Spiritual Qi had nearly transformed into liquid. With every breath, he felt refreshed in body and mind.
And he stood at the foot of this immortal mountain, before the entrance to a cave mansion.
It was Zhao Gongming's cave mansion!
Xuandu stood where he was, utterly shocked.
That step had not been any Divine Ability or technique. It had merely been the natural result of his thoughts guiding the magic power within his body.
He had crossed more than just tens of thousands of miles!
"So this is the power of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak..."
"Without deliberately using an Escape Technique, wherever the heart reaches, the body goes?"
He carefully savored the mysterious sensation from just now.
In his perception, space seemed to have become elastic, capable of being folded and crossed at will.
Was this the world as seen through the eyes of high-level cultivators?
It truly was incomparably wondrous!
Possessing such great power without matching Divine Abilities was indeed a regret.
It also strengthened his resolve to seek cultivation techniques.
Just as Xuandu was immersed in his understanding of using his power for the first time,
A streak of light drifted down from the sky and landed not far away.
The immortal radiance dispersed, revealing a woman dressed in an emerald immortal gown.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, with a hint of liveliness and playfulness between her brows. Her aura was cool and pure.
She was Bi Xiao of the Three Goddesses of Xiao.
Bi Xiao had originally been heading back to her own cave mansion, but at a glance, she spotted Xuandu standing before Zhao Gongming's cave mansion and could not help freezing slightly.
Her delicate brows furrowed, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
"Huh?"
"Aren't you... that newly arrived Junior Brother Xuandu?"
She remembered clearly.
This person had just been personally accepted by her master at Biyou Palace and placed under Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's care.
By all rights, he should have been in the Outer Disciples' settlement at the edge of the island, familiarizing himself with the surroundings or attempting Qi Induction.
How had he appeared here in the core area, before her big brother's Luofu Cave?
Judging by his aura... had he already stepped onto the Immortal Path?
The Heavenly Immortal Realm?
The surprise in Bi Xiao's beautiful eyes deepened.
That speed was a little too fast.
Though anyone favored by Uncle-Master Taiqing was surely exceptionally gifted.
Still, to enter the Dao Path and, in mere moments, rise from an ordinary mortal to a Heavenly Immortal was rather unbelievable.
Could it be that he had accumulated enough beforehand and attained enlightenment in a single stroke?
Before you continue