It Was the Same

"What was there to talk about?" Wei Suo said weakly, utterly exhausted. If he had not felt that the Green Robe Old Man truly had some skill, he would not even have bothered speaking at a time like this.

The Green Robe Old Man glanced at Wei Suo. "You kept shouting about spirit stones earlier. What exactly are they?"

"Spirit stones are crystals containing spiritual energy. Cultivators can absorb the spiritual energy inside them to cultivate, much like refining demon cores. But the spiritual energy in them is relatively pure, so they do not have to be made into pills before use like demon cores do. That's why they are now the hard currency of the Cultivation World. They are divided into three grades according to quality—the ones with the most spiritual energy are high-grade, and those with the least are low-grade. What, did spirit stones not exist in your time? That can't be, can it?" Wei Suo asked suspiciously.

"There were actually such spirit stones discovered? But why is that impossible? There are plenty of things from tens of thousands of years ago that no longer exist today, and it is hardly strange for things that exist today not to have existed ten or twenty thousand years ago. Forget anything else—your current cultivation methods must certainly differ from those at the time my last master fell, more than ten thousand years ago." The Green Robe Old Man looked at Wei Suo as though he were a country bumpkin. "If you don't believe me, tell me roughly what your current cultivation methods are like. How many levels are there?"

"There are countless cultivation methods. By quality, they are divided into the four grades of Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, with twelve tiers in total. As for realms, there are the Sea of Consciousness Realm, Circulation Realm, Mind Splitting Realm, Golden Core Realm, Divine Profound Realm, and True Immortal Realm. What were they like more than ten thousand years ago?"

"...It was the same."

"Damn it, then why did you say they were definitely different?!"

"But if you go back further, they were different. Cultivation methods from tens of thousands of years ago focused on cultivating only one Vital Energy cultivation method. Fire-element techniques had matching Fire Vital Energy cultivation techniques, and those who cultivated Fire Vital Energy cultivation techniques could not use any other techniques. Unlike the cultivation methods now—so long as your True Essence and magical power are sufficient, you can use most techniques."

"No way, Green Haired Old Ghost. You're not just making this up, are you?"

"Making it up? You are simply too ignorant. Many cultivation methods in today's Cultivation World were inspired by and evolved from the cultivation method of a great mighty figure from back then. At that time, only that great mighty figure's cultivation method could use techniques of any other elemental energy. Even the Sky Dome Wall outside the seven continents today was created by that great mighty figure's spellcasting."

"I think I've heard about that." Wei Suo perked up somewhat. Lingyue City, where he lived, was a remote little city on Tianxuan Continent. The closest continent to Tianxuan Continent was said to be Cloud Spirit Continent. Between the two continents lay the Desolate Plains, stretching across an unknown distance, and only a few major cities possessed connected Teleportation Arrays. Although Wei Suo had never even visited those major cities, Lingyue City itself lay at the edge of Tianxuan Continent. He had specifically gone to pay homage to the Sky Dome Wall, which could be viewed without paying.

It was a white curtain of light like a city wall, stretching on and enclosing the entire continent. The naked eye could not see how high it rose; it seemed to connect directly to the heavens. It was said that even powerful cultivators at the Golden Core Realm, flying upward at full speed, could not see its end. It lay far beyond the heights Golden Core Realm cultivators could reach. Most peculiar of all, the white curtain of light was harmless to cultivators. Passing through it was like passing through a layer of rippling water. Yet when demon beasts outside tried to enter the continent, they would be bounced away the moment they touched the Sky Dome Wall. Moreover, however much force they used to strike it, they would suffer exactly that much backlash.

The number of demon beasts in the Desolate Plains beyond the Sky Dome Wall was astonishing. Without the Sky Dome Wall holding them back, the continent's cultivators might not necessarily have been a match for the demon beasts. However, after tens of thousands of years, cracks had reportedly appeared in some places along the Sky Dome Wall. Although the powerful demon beasts that entered through those cracks were later killed by the continent's major powers, and many cracks were guarded by those powers once discovered, many demon beasts below the fourth rank, whose magical power fluctuations were not intense, had already multiplied throughout the continent. Even now, the wilderness outside the various cities of Tianxuan Continent contained great numbers of demon beasts in certain places.

Legend said that the Sky Dome Walls enveloping the seven continents had been created by an ancient great mighty figure with heaven-shaking power. As for the specifics, Wei Suo knew absolutely nothing.

"Since you know nothing at all, I'll tell you a little more. In the earliest days, the Cultivation World had countless spiritual veins. Most cultivators cultivated by directly absorbing the spiritual energy of spiritual veins, and there were nowhere near so many demon beasts between heaven and earth." The Green Robe Old Man said, "Later, a formidable enemy of that great mighty figure fought him with spells, causing mountains to collapse and the earth to split. Not only was heaven and earth divided into seven continents, but many stars also fell, tearing open countless spatial rifts. The spiritual veins of heaven and earth were almost completely wiped out. Later, to prevent the entire world from falling into the hands of demon beasts, that great mighty figure used heaven-shaking power to cast nine Sky Dome Walls around the seven continents. Only then did later techniques and cultivation methods gradually evolve, becoming reliant almost entirely on spiritual medicines and demon cores for cultivation."

"Right, what grade of cultivation method do you cultivate, and what is your cultivation level?" After finishing, the Green Robe Old Man seemed to recall something and asked Wei Suo.

Wei Suo's old face reddened slightly. "The Purple Profound True Art I cultivate is a Profound-grade low-tier cultivation method. I am currently at the second level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm."

The Green Robe Old Man showed no surprise whatsoever. After considering for a moment, he said, "Tell me about some of the more numerous and common spiritual herbs and demon beasts in your era. Include even those spiritual herbs and demon beasts that you currently believe are useless."

"Common demon beasts include Red Scale Poisonous Snakes, Five-Colored Centipedes, Black Fire Rock Turtles, Crimson Yuan Beetles... Common spiritual herbs include Small Mist Grass, Iron Wire Grass, Glazed Fruits..." Wei Suo spent more than half a shichen thinking and talking before roughly recounting the common things in his memory. Fortunately, Wei Suo had been poor as dirt ever since he began cultivating. He remembered anything with even a little value so that he would not miss it when hunting in the wild. Thus, the things he remembered were quite varied and complicated. Had it been that wasteful, pert little beauty with the curvy backside, she would have done well to name a few dozen items.

"Who is this woman?" After listening, the Green Robe Old Man pointed at the several paintings of beauties hanging on the wall and asked.

"Damn it, Green-Haired Old Man, are you ever going to stop? What use is there in asking that?" Wei Suo had been eagerly waiting for the Green Robe Old Man to reveal something valuable, and he was instantly bitterly disappointed. He could not help shouting.

"Answer this last question first, and you will naturally gain something from it." The Green Robe Old Man looked at Wei Suo.

"She is a female disciple of Ye Xuancheng, the sect master of Xuanfeng Sect. Her cultivation is formidable, and she is beautiful too. Lots of people are fighting to marry her, and many join Xuanfeng Sect after seeing her portrait, all because of her. Is that clear enough?" Wei Suo rattled it off, then looked at the Green Robe Old Man. "All right, speak. What benefit is there?"

"How about we make a deal? Help me condense a form, and I will help you cultivate." The Green Robe Old Man narrowed his eyes at Wei Suo. "I cannot promise too much, but helping you reach the Golden Core Realm—and perhaps even win this Shui Ling'er—should be very hopeful indeed."

(The red votes are continuing their fierce surge; we've already climbed to fourth place on the daily rankings!)