Secluded Cultivation

The five peak experts of the Radiant Church each had their own place. Luo Ye, for instance, had come from the Ascetics. After reaching the Peak Saint Realm, he took charge of all the Ascetics and became their leader. Lei Ming was also a Peak Saint Realm expert, and he now oversaw the Fanatic Legion as its commander.

Then there was Wusennuo. As a dark-element warrior, he normally wouldn't have been accepted by the Radiant Church. But he was a Peak Saint Realm expert, so after joining the church, he took control of the Religious Inquisition outright. As for Steller, he was also a Peak Saint Realm expert, but of the five, he had reached that level most recently and was the weakest. The only thing he could oversee was the Special Deacons.

The remaining Peak Saint Realm expert was, of course, the current pope of the Radiant Church. Thanks to his position, he had authority over every institution in the church. Even the angels could be commanded by him in many situations.

That meant that even if one or two more Peak Saint Realm experts appeared, the pope would merely hand them the positions of one or two institution heads. When it really mattered, he could still issue orders himself.

The Ascetics, the Fanatics, the Inquisition, and the Special Deacons—all had Peak Saint Realm experts as their leaders. But whenever necessary, the pope could bypass them entirely and even command the Peak Saint Realm experts directly.

Since a group of institutions made up of priests could bring a pope a Peak Saint Realm expert, it was a fantastic bargain. That was why whenever a Saint Realm expert appeared in the Holy Alliance, the Radiant Church tried to recruit them. There was little harm in failing, but if they succeeded, the church might gain another Peak Saint Realm expert after a few decades.

Still, the chances of success were extremely low. Anyone who reached the Saint Realm was proud and arrogant. They might have been meek and submissive at Level 9, but once they entered the Saint Realm, they saw all the world's heroes as little more than easy prey.

As expected, Steller's invitation was turned down. To ordinary Saint Realm experts, life was long. Unless they were pursuing the God Realm, many things they once cared about gradually faded with time.

It was like how many Saint Realm experts had once been hot-tempered. But after truly reaching the Saint Realm, they realized how difficult it was for experts of that level to fight one another.

Progress from the Early Saint Realm to the Mid Saint Realm was clear and steady. Understanding Momentum of Heaven and Earth wasn't particularly difficult for a Saint Realm expert; it was simply a matter of time and effort.

But once they reached the Peak Saint Realm, they began to touch the true pinnacle of power on the Yulan Continent. They realized that instead of fighting one another, they could choose to go to the Divine Plane or stay on the Yulan Continent and prepare for the Necropolis of the Gods, which opened once every thousand years.

Going to the Divine Plane was extremely risky, and the rewards were unknown. To this day, only the Radiant Church and the Dark Church still had complete information about the Divine Plane, allowing them to secure a relatively reliable passage there in exchange for contributions to their churches.

For other Saint Realm experts, the Divine Plane was an unknown whirlpool.

By contrast, the Necropolis of the Gods on the Yulan Continent opened once every thousand years. It was dangerous, but the rewards were substantial. There were treasures useful even to Saint Realm experts, like the Life Pearl and Soul Gold Pearl, as well as materials that Saint Realm experts needed to make tremendously powerful weapons and armor. And after passing certain trials, they might even obtain a Godhead.

To these Saint Realm experts, the Divine Plane was a place of cultivation from which there was no return. Those who looked forward to going there naturally didn't need to maintain good relations with other Saint Realm experts. But it was different for those who wanted to enter the Necropolis of the Gods.

For these immortal Saint Realm experts, a thousand years was a long time, but as long as they survived, they would eventually have a chance to obtain a Godhead. And to obtain one, they might need more than their own strength. They would need friends.

As a result, unless Saint Realm experts were already enemies, many chose to set aside their grudges. Compared with the final leap into the God Realm, minor conflicts among Saint Realm experts were nothing.

Steller's arrival and departure had no effect on Carl. She continued to cultivate diligently every day, though the daily cost of leaving her cultivation on autopilot had increased considerably. Battle Qi cultivation alone cost a full three thousand points each day. Cultivating Wind Element cost ten thousand, and Physique Growth was even more expensive, consuming thirty thousand points daily.

In all, Carl spent forty-three thousand points a day just on herself. Including the upkeep of her territory, her daily expenditure came to more than fifty thousand points. It was only because she had established Tianfeng Prefecture that she could register its residents at a higher level.

Even so, Carl was often still living off her savings.

At this rate of spending, I'll be broke in at most fifty years.

Carl quickly worked out the answer. Back when she was in Spark Town, she had only just been able to cover her points expenditure. After establishing Spark City, her territory reached the second level, giving her a comfortable surplus. Over nearly thirty years, she had accumulated quite a few points.

But then she had spent nearly half of them buying [Wind Element] and [Physique Growth]. On top of that, she had set aside some points that she couldn't afford to use. Now, if she cultivated at full strength, she was losing points every day.

Things will work out when I get there. I'll cultivate for fifty years first.

Carl estimated that in fifty years, her progress should reach twenty-one thousand and nine. That would be an across-the-board improvement. It wouldn't be as absurd as becoming twice as strong with every point of progress, but more than twenty thousand points should still make her hundreds of times stronger.

By then, even if I'm not at the Saint Realm Limit, I'll be among the very strongest at the Peak Saint Realm. If I can find a few Saint Realm subordinates, I might have a chance.

Carl's eyes flickered as she quickly made up her mind.

After Carl went into seclusion, Tianfeng Prefecture continued to develop rapidly.

With Carl spending points every day to maintain the territory, the birth rate across Tianfeng Prefecture soared within just a few years. The establishment of the Wind Shadow Pavilion also attracted several Level 9 Warriors to join. It was always good to find shade beneath a great tree, especially one that had only recently become a Saint Realm expert.

In the eyes of these Level 9 Warriors, a newly ascended Saint Realm expert needed people to help build up their power. And because the expert had only recently reached the Saint Realm, they had lived for less time despite their long lifespan and still retained more of their humanity. A Level 9 Warrior might find it much easier to ask such an expert for guidance.

The Saint Realm experts of those ancient factions had lived for so long that they only had eyes for those at their own level. Even if a Level 9 expert joined them, they wouldn't be given much attention.