Jiang Ding felt deeply uneasy in this foreign realm. He had already begun to miss home.
"Good."
"That's a prudent decision. You haven't let a sword cultivator's lust for slaughter go to your head. That's good."
Divine Mechanism Heavenly Lord approved of his decision. "To be frank, on a star-domain battlefield, the strength of anyone below Void Refining doesn't matter much. I'd wanted to urge you to return sooner, but I don't understand the sword cultivator's path well enough to interfere."
"As I see it, the greatest thing you can do for the Immortal Sect is advance to Spirit Transformation as soon as possible, or even Void Refining."
"We can handle an ordinary battlefield like this."
"Also, do you know anything about how Immortal Order Dao Children advance to Spirit Transformation?"
Divine Mechanism Heavenly Lord looked to him for an answer.
Jiang Ding shook his head.
"According to historical records, an Immortal Order Dao Child's advancement from peak Nascent Soul to Spirit Transformation is rather unusual."
"It may take over a thousand years," Divine Mechanism Heavenly Lord said slowly.
"A thousand years?"
Jiang Ding was not overly shocked. Instead, he thought it through, though a thousand years was almost longer than a Nascent Soul Cultivator's entire lifespan.
He felt a strange familiarity, as though every path before him led to this same outcome.
"You sensed it too?"
Divine Mechanism Heavenly Lord looked surprised. After some thought, he said, "According to historical records, Immortal Order Dao Children remain at peak Nascent Soul for at least a thousand years. I think the reason has to do with the miniature immortal-path ecosystem within their bodies."
"That ecosystem can be regarded as a miniature world."
"Even if a Dao Child begins refining that miniature world from childhood and continues throughout his cultivation, that is