True Saint Aptitude (Please Keep Reading, Please Bookmark)

Steward Yu crossed out "Qi and Blood" in Bai Jing's cultivation column and wrote "Dao Platform First Layer" in its place.

Then, he briefly looked over Bai Jing's information before touching the mirror again.

Immediately afterward, the Jade Pendant hanging from Bai Jing's belt gleamed. He discovered that his Immortal Merit had suddenly increased by a hundred.

Still somewhat puzzled, he heard Steward Yu's voice:

"One hundred Immortal Merit. Fifty is your monthly stipend as an Array Dao genius, while the other fifty is your reward for breaking through. From now on, every time you break through a layer, you may come to me and claim twenty Immortal Merit. Once you break through to the Inner Core Realm, your benefits will increase again. Young man, cultivate diligently. Strive to advance to an inner peak disciple in the future and become a pillar of our Spiritual Elegance Peak."

Upon hearing this, Bai Jing immediately nodded. "I will heed Steward Yu's instruction."

"These are your cultivator robes. When you travel outside, they are the symbol of your identity as a disciple of Shangqing Mountain." Steward Yu took out three brand-new sets of azure Dao robes and handed them over.

Bai Jing nodded respectfully again, then lightly placed his hand on the robes. They vanished in an instant.

At his waist, a storage pouch faintly glimmered.

He had bought it along with the Qi Replenishing Pills last time, simply for convenience.

After bidding Steward Yu farewell, Bai Jing arrived at the Scripture Repository.

Standing before the building, he briefly looked over the imposing pavilion before stepping inside.

Many disciples within were selecting their various techniques, making the place rather lively.

Bai Jing, however, headed straight for the second floor.

A moment later, he arrived at the section near the windows marked "Immortal Dao Anecdotes."

The bookshelves here could be browsed freely, and all the books recorded various matters from the cultivation world.

"Mountains and Rivers!" He casually picked up a booklet titled Mountains and Rivers and opened to its first page.

"Heaven and Earth, Dark and Yellow; the cosmos, vast and primordial!" The eight opening characters shook him inwardly. When he turned the page again, he froze slightly.

All right, these were the names of the Eight Domains into which this world was divided.

The Eight Domains were divided by strength into the Upper Three Domains, the Lower Three Domains, and the two most mysterious Divine Realms.

Upper Three Domains: Earth Domain, Barren Domain, Cosmic Domain.

Lower Three Domains: Yellow Domain, Hong Domain, Universe Domain.

The two domains known as Divine Realms were Heaven Domain and Profound Domain.

Bai Jing picked up the map tucked inside the book and gave it a quick look.

He discovered that the Upper Three Domains and the two Divine Realms were generally far more vast, while the Lower Three Domains were comparatively smaller.

And Bai Jing's current location was Shangqing Mountain in the Southern Territory of the Hong Domain.

All right, rising from the humblest beginnings, amid ruin and decay—

Bai Jing set down the booklet. A ranking titled Hong Domain Saint Ranking caught his attention.

He opened it, and the first thing that entered his sight was the Saint Ranking's number one:

"Name: Ye Qingxuan

Cultivation: Lesser Saint

Origin: Sect Master of the Ruoshui Immortal Sect in the Northern Territory

Saint Ranking: First

Evaluation: Number one in talent across the Hong Domain for four thousand years; number one in strength beneath a True Saint. A remarkable figure with the greatest chance in this era of attaining True Sainthood!"

"A Northern Territory sect master. He sounds incredible." Bai Jing murmured. The man already sounded formidable just from his name.

He continued reading.

The second on the Saint Ranking was a woman, likewise from the Northern Territory. He could not help sighing that the Northern Territory truly produced talents in abundance.

But when he saw the third-ranked name, his expression instantly changed, and even his breathing became hurried.

The ranking read:

"Name: Ning Feng

Cultivation: Lesser Saint

Origin: Mountain Lord of Shangqing Mountain in the Southern Territory

Saint Ranking: Third

Evaluation: Possesses extremely high talent. Undefeated before reaching Lesser Saint. Has a great chance of attaining the rank of True Saint."

"Our Shangqing Mountain actually has a Lesser Saint—and the third-ranked Lesser Saint at that. Does that mean disciples like us can swagger about sideways whenever we go out?" A smile appeared on his face as his heart raced with longing.

How powerful must an expert standing so close to True Sainthood be?

So long as no True Saint appeared, that person would be the third strongest in the world!

If he became a True Saint, that would be even more extraordinary. Shangqing Mountain should change its name to Shangqing Sacred Mountain!

No wonder Shangqing Mountain was revered as the number one immortal sect of the Southern Territory. This was its foundation of confidence.

Bai Jing continued through the Saint Ranking, and one powerful expert after another left a deep impression on his mind.

When he reached the end, he suddenly stiffened. His gaze landed on the date written on the reverse side, and he stood there in a daze.

This ranking was actually from more than seven thousand years ago!

Bai Jing suddenly recalled the second-generation patriarch Fang Wenze had mentioned when he first arrived—the one who had failed in his attempt to reach True Sainthood.

Could it have been the person described in this book?

He immediately consulted some historical records of the Southern Territory and confirmed his suspicion.

Lesser Saint Ning was that patriarch who had long since passed away.

"All right, just like that, my umbrella is gone." Bai Jing sighed softly. From modern historical records, he discovered that Shangqing Mountain seemed to no longer have any quasi-Saint experts.

However, even without such an expert, Shangqing Mountain still ranked as the number one immortal sect of the Southern Territory. That alone was enough to show the depth of its strength.

"Purple Gold!"

Bai Jing continued flipping through the books and finally found what he had come to learn about. This was also the purpose of his visit today.

"The Purple Gold Immortal Cauldron, also known as the Dao Cauldron, has always been the strongest immortal foundation, second only to the Innate Dao Body. Since ancient times, many True Saints whose names were recorded in history forged their Dao Platforms from Purple Gold Immortal Foundations in their youth. Thus, anyone who condenses a Purple Gold Immortal Cauldron possesses boundlessly deep potential and the aptitude of a True Saint!"

"The aptitude of a True Saint!" Bai Jing sucked in a cold breath, his face full of shock.

Did that not mean he already possessed the foundation to become a True Saint?

"Huff!"

Bai Jing took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart as he continued reading:

"For those who condense a Purple Gold Immortal Cauldron, the cauldron's surface shines in colors, and its power may be wielded with perfect ease. Moreover, without cultivating any divine ability of the Dharma Eye, they naturally form a pair of peerless heavenly eyes, whose abilities are even stronger than all kinds of Dharma Eyes."

"Such cultivators may be called invincible in the Qi and Blood and Dao Platform realms. When they reach the Inner Core Realm, their legend truly begins. It is said that every cultivator with a Purple Gold Dao Platform can condense multiple Inner Cores upon reaching the Inner Core Realm. This is their invincible aptitude for sweeping aside their peers, and also their grand aptitude for becoming Saints!"

"Multiple Inner Cores!"

Shock filled Bai Jing's eyes once more. This was the first time he had heard that multiple Inner Cores could be condensed.

And he himself possessed the immortal Dao foundation described in the book: a Purple Gold Dao Platform!

Bai Jing had originally been troubled over whether, upon reaching the Inner Core Realm, he should use a Heaven Scroll to condense his Inner Core or condense an Array Dao Inner Core.

Now, the problem had been solved as easily as a knife through butter!

"Such aptitude is indeed formidable, but because its foundation is excessively solid, it requires enormous resources—especially when cultivating all three attributes of Water, Fire, Wind."

"That's it?" Bai Jing froze. He flipped through the book again and again, only to discover that this was all it said about the Purple Gold Dao Platform. There was nothing afterward.

Then he went through every book in the area, but found no further records of Purple Gold Immortal Aptitude.

"Water, Fire, Wind!" Bai Jing murmured.

But one thing was certain: all three attributes of Water, Fire, Wind had to be cultivated. This was the prerequisite for becoming a True Saint!!

In other words, the Wind Element Heaven Scroll alone was not enough. He had to cultivate both the Water and Fire Heaven Scrolls as well!

However, obtaining the Water and Fire Heaven Scrolls required exchanging vast amounts of Immortal Merit for trial opportunities.

All right, he had thought the Immortal Merit he had earned earlier would let him cultivate peacefully for a while.

But judging by the current situation, he had to get his hands on the two Heaven Scrolls as soon as possible.

The pacing's fine, right? This talent-focused style should be readable, shouldn't it?