Saint Domains of the Mainland and the Divine Plane (Part I)

After Harry led Lin Tian and the other two away from the palace, he spoke to Porter with a kind expression: "Porter, you take Lin Tian and Laun back to your residence first. Remember to bring Lin Tian to see me tomorrow; I will assign a residence for this child on Fire God Mountain. This is a benefit that every Saint Domain expert of the Leo lineage is entitled to."

Porter replied respectfully, "Yes, Father."

Following this, Porter led Lin Tian and Laun toward the mountainside. Along the way, Porter explained patiently: "In order to strengthen the cohesion of the Leo lineage, the Ancestor decreed that every Saint Domain expert who joins the Leo lineage shall be assigned a residence on Fire God Mountain. Once any member of our Leo Family reaches the Saint Domain, they also receive a new residence here."

Lin Tian looked puzzled and could not help but ask, "Grandfather, what is the actual benefit of being assigned a residence? Why is this considered a perk?"

Porter looked at Lin Tian with a smile and said slowly, "Lin Tian, if you practice in the Saint Domain behind closed doors, your progress will be quite slow. The practice of Profound Mysteries relies on drawing inferences from other cases; perhaps during an exchange with others, a single demonstration of a mystery or an offhand remark from someone else could lead to a new realization. Think about it, how many Saint Domain experts are gathered on Fire God Mountain? Furthermore, according to the Ancestor's requirements, every Lower God on Fire God Mountain must answer questions for the Saint Domain experts residing there for one week every ten years, and the Ancestor himself answers questions for everyone for one day every ten years. These are the reasons why a residence on Fire God Mountain is a benefit for a Saint Domain expert."

Upon hearing this, Lin Tian and Laun could not help but look at each other, a sense of admiration for Leo I welling up in their hearts.

Lin Tian pondered to himself that in the descriptions of Coiling Dragon, the only expert willing to painstakingly guide others in their practice like this was Qinghuo, who had just emerged from the Plane Prison. Most other experts treated the weak like ants; it was already considered fortunate if they didn't kill them at whim.

As they walked, Porter suddenly stopped and pointed to a small courtyard in front of them: "Laun, this is your residence on Fire God Mountain. I applied for it for you when you agreed to join my Leo lineage and become a Saint Domain expert. As for Lin Tian, since you only became a Saint Domain expert today, we haven't had time to apply yet, so you will stay at my place tonight. You can rest tomorrow, or you can walk around the mountainside. Aside from other people's residences, there are no restrictions for Saint Domain experts in other areas. I will take Lin Tian to find my father and get his residence arranged."

Lin Tian and Laun looked at the residence and saw that it was merely a small courtyard, a far cry from the manor Laun had outside the imperial palace. However, Laun did not show any dissatisfaction, as he noticed that all the nearby courtyards were of similar size.

Lin Tian was curious and could not help asking, "Grandfather, if every Saint Domain expert has such a small courtyard, then how many Saint Domain experts must there be here?"

Porter smiled and clarified, "Our Leo lineage has about five or six hundred Saint Domain experts. Fire God Mountain originally could not accommodate so many people; according to legend, Fire God Mountain was expanded by Leo I himself using divine power."

Lin Tian was shocked and calculated to himself: Five or six hundred Saint Domain experts, and this was only the number for the Leo lineage. If one added the other two empires, some loose factions not affiliated with the Three Great Empires, and the Saint Domain magical beasts, wouldn't the total number of Saint Domain experts on the entire Maya Continent exceed two thousand? That was far more than on the Yulan Continent. By the way, did the Maya Continent not have a Plane Guardian?

Thus, Lin Tian feigned confusion and asked, "Grandfather, Saint Domain experts can attain infinite life, but has the Maya Continent only produced these few Saint Domain experts throughout its development? Isn't that a bit low?"

Porter and Laun exchanged a glance, their eyes seemingly communicating: Didn't you tell him about this before?

Laun gave Porter a helpless eye-roll and then said to Lin Tian, "Lin Tian, before you reached the Saint Domain, there were some things that were not convenient to tell you, which is why you have these questions. The amount of time the Maya Continent has existed can no longer be verified. If all Saint Domain experts remained on the Maya Continent, this continent would likely have been overwhelmed long ago. The Maya Continent is a Material Plane, and above it are seven Divine Planes and four Supreme Planes. At the extreme south of the Extreme South Sea, there is an island with teleportation arrays leading to the seven Divine Planes and four Supreme Planes, guarded by a Plane Guardian. Most Saint Domain and Deity-level experts, when they encounter bottlenecks in their cultivation on the Maya Plane and cannot break through for a long time, will head to the seven Divine Planes and four Supreme Planes to venture. According to the Plane Guardian, the conditions for cultivation in those seven Divine Planes and four Supreme Planes are far superior to those of the Material Plane."

Lin Tian pretended to have a sudden realization and then asked, "Teacher Laun, are there many people who go from our Maya Continent to those planes? Do they ever come back after they go?"

Laun thought for a moment and said, "There are naturally many who go; after all, everyone longs to improve their strength in a better cultivation environment. As for whether they return, I do not know, but as far as I am aware, there are some who have been stuck in the Saint Domain for a long time and headed to the seven Divine Planes and four Supreme Planes in search of a way out, but not a single one has returned to this day."

Porter interrupted from the side, "Cultivation depends on individual talent. If your talent or even your opportunities are insufficient, you will not see further improvement even if you go to places with better cultivation environments like the seven Divine Planes and four Supreme Planes. Furthermore, the better the cultivation environment, the more experts there will be. You are different, Lin Tian; given your talent, you will reach a new height even on the Material Plane. Do not worry about going to the seven Divine Planes and four Supreme Planes for now; focus on realizing your talent first. Laun, you go inside and rest; I will take this kid away first." After saying this, he led Lin Tian away.

Laun nodded thoughtfully as he watched them leave, then muttered to himself, "It seems that Saint Domain experts cannot go to the seven Divine Planes and four Supreme Planes to venture!"

After Porter had led Lin Tian some distance away, he said to the confused Lin Tian, "What I am about to tell you now must not be spoken of to anyone else, including Laun, except for the Saint Domain experts of the Leo Family."

Lin Tian asked in confusion, "Why? Isn't Teacher Laun also a Saint Domain expert of the Leo lineage?"

"This matter was passed down by the Leo Ancestor at the time. He said that the three Mid-Gods reached an agreement with the Plane Guardian that this could be disclosed to the family members of the three Mid-Gods, but it remains a secret that must not be revealed to anyone outside the three great families," Porter said solemnly.

Lin Tian was affected by Porter's serious demeanor, and fearing that he was about to hear something of great significance, his own expression became very serious as well.