A Hasty Year, Opening the Dao Palace

Time flew by, a year passing in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Fang Yang completed his ninth transformation in the Other Shore Realm. Simultaneously breaking through the peril of losing his way, a Divine Bridge Realm bridge emerged from his Bitter Sea, piercing through the fog to open a gap leading to the Other Shore.

A majestic and magnificent Dao Palace stood before him, appearing as if it were within reach, yet simultaneously as distant as the horizon.

Fang Yang took a single step, arriving directly at the Other Shore and rushing into the next secret realm.

In an instant, the five qi of his human body connected with the essence of heaven and earth, condensing into clusters of auspicious clouds that transformed his simple cave dwelling into a fairyland.

"The Dao Palace Secret Realm cultivates the deities of the five viscera, with the heart as the foremost among them."

Fang Yang looked ahead, seeing only a vast expanse of mist; he needed to find the Heart's Divine Treasure himself to open the corresponding Dao Palace.

Following his intuition, he walked and stopped, turning left and right through the impenetrable fog, until he finally saw a lotus bud waiting to bloom.

This was the Heart's Divine Treasure.

Using the techniques from the Dao Scripture, Fang Yang mobilized a wisp of pure divine power from his Bitter Sea to enlighten this lotus.

The lotus bloomed with nine petals, and from it, a blazing Dao Power was born, burning away the mist until the world was clear, revealing the solidity of his foundation.

Even as a Triple Common Physique, under the dual cultivation of the Lesser Brightness Scripture and the Dao Scripture—mystical arts that did not compromise his foundation—Fang Yang's physical body had reached the absolute limit of what a common physique could achieve.

When he broke open the Dao Palace Secret Realm, there even appeared a breakthrough phenomenon that usually only occurred for those with special physiques.

"My comprehension has improved by a significant margin."

Fang Yang channeled his Dao Power slightly.

Even with just an initial contact, he had already mastered this power, and from the mystical arts of the Dao Scripture and the Lesser Brightness Scripture, he instantly created a minor technique for utilizing Dao Power.

He pushed his right palm forward, and the Dao Power condensed into a human-sized Dao Power Great Hand Seal, slamming into the stone wall of the cave.

No wind or waves were stirred; as the Dao Power Great Hand Seal dissipated, fine stone powder fell in a rustle, leaving behind a palm print exactly three inches deep.

[Opened the Dao Palace Secret Realm]

[Fate Points +300]

Yao Guang Side Hall.

This was the cave dwelling of the Holy Lord of Yaoguang, used for daily cultivation and receiving relatives and friends.

The true main hall of Yao Guang Sacred Land was never opened except for major festivals or the arrival of distinguished guests.

Inside the cold, quiet hall.

The Holy Lord of Yaoguang, Li Daoqing, wore a gloomy expression, drinking wine with his junior brother, Li Daoming, to drown his sorrows over the massive, hidden force lurking within the Sacred Land.

"The Ruthless Lineage is growing too powerful; I can barely hold on anymore."

In front of his junior brother, Li Daoqing shed the majesty he maintained before others, appearing more like a pathetic man who had lost his soul.

"In recent years, thirty percent of the Holy Son Position have been held by people from the Ruthless Lineage. Especially the current Yaoguang Holy Son—he is truly a talent of his generation; even I was not his equal when I was young."

"If things continue this way, there is a high probability that the position of the next Holy Lord of Yaoguang will be seized by the Yaoguang Holy Son of the Ruthless Lineage."

Li Daoqing poured out his grievances.

The position of Holy Lord of Yao Guang Sacred Land had always been contested by the Yaoguang Holy Son of each era.

The Ruthless Lineage was small in number, yet they could occupy thirty percent of the Yaoguang Holy Son positions, which was enough to show how weak the Holy Lord Lineage had become.

"During the last trip to the Green Emperor Tomb, I found a young girl with an Immortal Spirit Eye, but I dared not take her as a disciple directly, lest she be targeted by that group of Remnant of the Ruthless One."

Li Daoming also sighed repeatedly.

The reason their Holy Lord Lineage could still struggle to hold on for so long under the covetous eyes of the Ruthless Lineage was entirely due to the foundation sealed within the Divine Source.

As for the alliance established by both sides in the past?

Only a ghost would believe the other party would honor it.

"An Immortal Spirit Eye? That must be Weiwei, the disciple you took in some time ago, right?"

Li Daoqing was busy with official duties, but he was still aware of his junior brother taking on a disciple.

"Correct."

Li Daoming had nothing to hide from his senior brother.

In fact, even if Weiwei's Immortal Spirit Eye were exposed, as long as he strictly ordered her to stay within the Sacred Land and not go out for training, there would be no need to worry about the Ruthless Lineage striking from the shadows.

But what true expert ever emerged from closing themselves off for bitter cultivation?

Only by fighting and struggling against others could one clear away the dust to let the light shine through, illuminating the mountains and rivers.

"Actually, besides the Immortal Spirit Eye, I also brought back a little boy on that trip who is far superior to Weiwei in terms of comprehension."

Li Daoming couldn't help but think of Fang Yang.

A year had passed in a flash; with his insight into the Lesser Brightness Scripture, he had likely become an Other Shore Realm cultivator and perhaps had even completed three or four transformations.

"Stronger than the Immortal Spirit Eye? What is his physique?"

Li Daoqing asked curiously.

In his view, a special endowment like the Immortal Spirit Eye was even rarer than the most renowned Divine Body in the Eastern Wasteland, and its future prospects were far greater.

Yet his junior brother had unexpectedly encountered two geniuses in a single outing; what kind of luck was that?

"He is merely a common mortal body."

Li Daoming spoke the truth.

"A common mortal body?"

Li Daoqing furrowed his brows.

It was not to say that a mortal body was necessarily inferior to a special constitution.

But in the early stages of cultivation, a special constitution brought more than just a powerful physical form and a vast, ocean-like reservoir of divine power.

The comprehension that surpassed ordinary cultivators was also the privilege of geniuses with special constitutions, and one of the reasons they could crush a crowd of mortal bodies.

For a mortal body to surpass a special constitution, it generally required exerting strength in the later stages.

"I have personally examined his level; his comprehension is excellent, and he possesses flourishing fortune. While still a mortal, he once stumbled into the Desolate Forbidden Zone and consumed a Sacred Fruit."

Li Daoming recounted everything he knew.

He greatly admired this youth Fang Yang, which was why he had sent people to investigate his background and origins, only then learning of these matters.

"Good fortune."

Upon hearing this, Li Daoqing's expression became complex.

The Sacred Fruit of the Desolate Forbidden Zone was something that could make the Holy Lords of various sacred grounds fight until their heads bled.

He had not expected that a mortal would actually consume such a divine object, one that he, the Holy Lord of Yaoguang, could not obtain even if he wished.

It was truly...

Li Daoqing could not help but smile bitterly:

"If Fang Yang's comprehension is truly as formidable as you say, then it is possible to cultivate him and attempt to compete for the Holy Son Position."

"The Holy Son Position has always been held by the strong and lost by the weak."

"Although Fang Yang started his cultivation a bit late, in a dozen years or so, it is not impossible for him to catch up to the current Yaoguang Holy Son."

"Let us hope so!"

Facing his senior brother's words, Li Daoming was, conversely, not very confident.

Do not be deceived by the fact that the Yaoguang Holy Son did not seem outstanding now; he understood that the other party was practicing the Ruthless Inheritance and would only grow stronger with time.

No matter how high Fang Yang's comprehension was, he would likely stop at the level of an ordinary mighty figure, finding it difficult to peer into the realm of a supreme Holy Lord.

"Fang Yang has opened his Dao Palace?"

The jade tablet at Li Daoming's waist flashed, and upon receiving a message, he found it somewhat unbelievable.

It had only been a short year, yet he had transformed from someone who had just entered the Divine Bridge Realm into a Dao Palace Secret Realm cultivator; it was simply too fast.

"Oh? Breaking through so quickly? Why don't I summon him here to take a look?"

Li Daoqing was also intrigued and proposed as much.

For a common mortal body, there was a limit to the speed at which one could absorb the essence of heaven and earth.

To have completed the accumulation from the Divine Bridge Realm to the Dao Palace Secret Realm in a mere year was indeed quite interesting.