Chapter 5

He focused his senses on his surroundings, then suddenly realized:

This was a dream?

Lu Tian could barely contain his shock—this dream was no different from the real world!

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged smiles. "This is only the edge of the dream. You have yet to reach the true realm."

Dao Enlightenment in Dreams was divided into two levels. The first was tempering the heart within dreams, allowing one to experience reincarnation and forge one's Dao heart.

Lu Tian understood. This was a method of cultivation through reincarnation in dreams.

The second was the mystery they had mentioned before—the world within dreams.

"One must enter a dream without becoming lost in it before one can touch the true realm while remaining lucid. We shall now impart the mnemonic to you. You may contemplate it yourself in the future."

Zhunti parted his lips, and profound ** transformed into golden light that entered Lu Tian's sea of consciousness. He immediately focused and studied it, yet even with a Saint's comprehension, he found it obscure and profound.

Seeing Lu Tian frown in deep thought, the two Saints instead revealed satisfied expressions. Being able to sense its obscurity was already rare; ordinary cultivators could not even understand the meaning of the ** words.

"Let him cultivate and contemplate in peace."

With a sweep of Jieyin's sleeve, the two Saints faded away, leaving Lu Tian sitting alone upon the lotus platform.

Time flew like an arrow in the dream. Five thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

Then one day, Lu Tian abruptly opened his eyes, golden light flowing through them.

"So that's how it is!"

He threw back his head and laughed. Though exhaustion lingered between his brows, it could not conceal the surging emotions in his heart.

He had spent five thousand years comprehending a secret art...

This deal was an absolute steal!

His figure gradually faded away like dispersing mist.

After cultivating bitterly in the dream for five thousand years, he had finally touched upon the existence of that wondrous world.

Chaos churned as Lu Tian's consciousness suddenly plunged into a vast expanse.

This was the dream realm?

Lu Tian looked around. Chaos roiled and reassembled according to his thoughts. In an instant, verdant spirit peaks rose one after another, and clear springs babbled—a veritable Blessed Land.

This was originally the territory of his dream. Everything was governed by his will.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted slightly—

[The host has arrived at the Blessed Land: Dream Realm. System reward acquired: Realm of Void and Reality]

Lu Tian held the jade slip that had suddenly appeared, his fingertips trembling.

Who would have thought that this illusory dream would be recognized by the system as a Blessed Land?

System, what exactly was the basis for determining a Blessed Land?

The answer soon appeared: the Dream Realm was a reflection of the real world, where reality and illusion gave rise to one another. Though it existed within a dream, it belonged to the same special dimension as Blessed Lands.

"So that's why..." Lu Tian lightly smiled as he rubbed the jade slip. No wonder it could simulate all things while still being bound by laws.

Jieyin and Zhunti had once warned him not to investigate too deeply, but when faced with the secrets of the primordial world, who could resist exploring them?

The foundations of the Western Teachings likely far exceeded imagination. As he gazed at the light of void and reality blooming in his palm, he wondered how many earth-shattering secrets like this were hidden within the Three Sects.

The primordial-world novels he had read in his previous life had ultimately been mere glimpses through a tube. In this real primordial world, every stone concealed mysteries that had endured for eternity.

Only now did he stand within a world that was truly real!

"I really was worrying too much before..."

"Even if I can gain a foothold in the Jie Sect, with my identity as a disciple of the Western Teachings, it will ultimately be difficult for me to access secrets of this level."

Lu Tian's emotions surged, but he swiftly steadied his mind and began comprehending the "Virtual-Real World" granted by the system.

This method and the Dream Path Enlightenment Method arrived at the same destination by different paths. Both were supreme mysteries.

The so-called Virtual-Real World was an illusion completely ** from reality, constructed through one's will.

Within this illusion, he could emulate Pangu Creating Heaven and Establishing the World, forging a vast world no less magnificent than the primordial world!

Once the world took shape, it would naturally evolve all things and nurture living beings, becoming no different from the real world.

Because the world originated from his will, all things within it resonated with Lu Tian. As his cultivation advanced, this world would grow ever closer to reality.

Even more wondrously, the Dao Charm produced during the world's evolution would also nourish Lu Tian and raise his realm.

The secret method stated that if Lu Tian attained sainthood, this world would completely solidify and become a truly existing heaven and earth.

At that time, he would be the creator and master of this world!

"This method's power is actually no weaker than Dao Enlightenment in Dreams..."

Lu Tian marveled inwardly. The system's mysteries were indeed unfathomable.

A Saint might be able to redefine earth, water, fire, and wind, but opening a world on the scale of the primordial world remained unimaginably difficult.

Yet this Virtual-Real World allowed even him, a Golden Immortal, to touch the authority of creation in advance!

More importantly, this world possessed limitless potential—

Perhaps it could grow into a supreme world comparable to the primordial world!

"Fantasy as the foundation, will as the guide..."

Lu Tian closed his eyes and focused. The countless books he had read in his previous life flowed through his sea of consciousness.

In a daze, his consciousness sank into endless darkness.

That origin point, seemingly infinitesimal yet containing boundless energy, was what existed before the universe's great ** in his previous life—

The Primordial Singularity!

With a slight shift of Lu Tian's thoughts, that strange origin point erupted with terrifying power and exploded into the void in an instant.

Though the newborn space was tiny, it continued extending outward.

When Pangu created the world, he had split open the primordial chaos, which was like an egg, and created the vast universe.

Later theories spoke of the singularity exploding and the universe expanding.

Some unseen heavenly will seemed to link them together.

At the moment the singularity burst apart, Lu Tian's extraordinary Saint-level comprehension finally displayed its might.

His understanding of heaven, earth, and all things grew increasingly thorough.

Afterward, Lu Tian began adjusting the foundational structure of his self-created illusory world.

If this world was to thrive endlessly, it needed a framework capable of sustaining itself. Only then could the fantasy world continue evolving.

Otherwise, the illusory world would stagnate, forcing him to recreate heaven and earth again and again until he produced a world capable of evolving on its own.

Lu Tian divided the universe into two parts: the material realm, which operated through the interaction of the five great elements—earth, water, fire, wind, and space;

And the spiritual realm, which depended upon the material realm.

He then established the iron law governing the universe—this world's system would not progress in a straight line, but would undergo cycles of rise and decline. The world would repeatedly experience birth, existence, collapse, and annihilation. In the final tribulation, fire would burn all things to ashes before the cycle began anew.

He then further perfected the universe's fundamental laws...

The entire process took only ten thousand years within the dream.

A new heaven and earth was thus formed.

Though this world was as crude as a village, with no stars yet appearing, no living creatures born, and even its basic elements still incomplete.

Even so, Lu Tian was already deeply satisfied.

He had truly accomplished the great feat of creation!

This universe... would be called!

Lu Tian gazed upon the miniature universe within his sight and bestowed a name upon it.

One day, it might grow into a real world and perhaps even nurture native Saints!

Of course, that was a matter for the future.

For now, after Creating Heaven and Establishing the World, Lu Tian's understanding of laws was already comparable to that of a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

In other words, as long as he cultivated diligently, once his cultivation reached the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, he could begin attempting a breakthrough into the Taiyi Realm!

The path of cultivation required steady progress. The hardest part was understanding the Heavenly Dao and comprehending laws.

For instance, if a Golden Immortal wished to advance into Taiyi, he first had to master a complete Origin Law, then refine the Five Qi in the Chest. Only then could he open the Gate of Taiyi. Upon successfully surviving the tribulation, he would enter the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal.

And comprehending a complete law was precisely the most difficult part of this stage.

From the early Golden Immortal stage to the peak of the Golden Immortal realm was merely a process of accumulating magical power. As long as one could endure solitude and accumulate strength over time, one would eventually reach it.

That was why even Sunlight and Moonlight, the latest to enter the sect, had already reached the late Golden Immortal stage. Their other senior brothers had long been stuck at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, while only Pharmacist had broken through to become a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

Even for the resource-starved Western Teachings, it was not difficult to pile up enough Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to produce a late-stage Golden Immortal.

The true obstacle lay in comprehending laws—only by thoroughly mastering one complete law could one enter the Taiyi Realm.

The further one progressed in cultivation, the more insignificant external aid became.

Jieyin and Zhunti could casually offer guidance during a trial and help him leap from True Immortal to Golden Immortal, yet they could not help others ** break through the shackles of Taiyi.

But for Lu Tian, this most difficult hurdle was instead absurdly easy!

Having personally experienced the opening of heaven and earth, and possessing Saint-level comprehension, would it not be a tremendous joke if he still could not comprehend laws?

What he had mastered were even the exceedingly difficult and profound laws of time and space!

But who could have expected—

Though Lu Tian within the dream world now possessed the power of Taiyi, with laws following every wave of his hand and a breakthrough seemingly possible in an instant, his expression was unusually complicated.

Even cultivating bitterly in the spiritual-energy-rich Western Teachings, he would need eighty thousand years to reach the peak of the Golden Immortal realm?

After multiple deductions yielded similar results, even if he spared no expense in using top-tier resources, it would still take five thousand years.

Five thousand years... was still far too long!

Lu Tian shook his head with a bitter smile.

He knew that mediocre innate aptitude was an inborn flaw. Otherwise, he would not have remained trapped in the True Immortal realm after cultivating for ten thousand years, only breaking through after joining the Western Teachings and receiving a Saint's guidance.

The root of it all was that he was a lifeform born from the western lands after the Earth Veins had shattered in the War of Dao and Demon.

The sparse spiritual energy had made it difficult for his original body to develop, damaging his foundation. Only after transmigrating had his consciousness awakened, allowing him to take form!

For this Purple Bamboo to have survived until now was already a miracle.

The War of Dao and Demon had devastated the west, and countless living beings had been caught up in it and perished.

As a result, the west had few talented individuals, leaving only a sparse handful behind.

With such innate deficiencies, his aptitude was naturally mediocre.

Before joining the Western Teachings and awakening the system, Lu Tian's greatest wish had merely been to cultivate to the Golden Immortal realm and attain immortality.

"This is troublesome. I've never heard of a method to repair one's foundation."

"Perhaps Master knows. I should go and ask."

Lu Tian furrowed his brow and performed another deduction within the dream world.

The result remained the same.

He could only set the matter aside for now and withdraw from the dream.

Upon returning to reality, he was still seated where he had been. His two masters and five senior brothers had long since departed.

With a quick calculation, he found that a thousand years had passed since he had entered the dream to cultivate the Dream Path Enlightenment Method.

A great dream lasted thousands of years—what year was it now?

Lu Tian's dream had lasted far longer than several thousand years.

He had first spent five thousand years comprehending the Dream Path Enlightenment Method.

Then he had opened the Virtual-Real World within the dream, spending another ten thousand years.

As for simulating cultivation, that had taken only an instant.

Like purchasing an experience tome in later generations, he had obtained eighty thousand years of cultivation in an instant within the dream and completed the deduction.

After accumulating ten thousand years of time, only a thousand years had passed in reality.

His cultivation was still shallow. Once he reached his masters' level, perhaps he truly could dream through thousands of years and awaken only after experiencing countless cycles of reincarnation.

Lu Tian sighed inwardly at the long road of cultivation.

He delayed no longer and rode the clouds straight into the heavens.

In moments, he arrived outside Jieyin and Zhunti's temporary palace.

Lu Tian bowed. "** Lu Tian has awakened from his dream and has come to pay respects to Master."

The palace doors opened in response.

Jieyin and Zhunti were playing a game of Go.

"Your aura is solid, and all traces of instability have faded. Have you comprehended it?"

Lu Tian replied, "I can already cultivate within dreams. Thank you, Masters, for imparting the method."

The two nodded with smiles.

"Very good. Since you have comprehended this method, your advancement to the Great Luo realm is just around the corner. Return and cultivate diligently."

Jieyin waved a hand in dismissal, his eyes full of approval.

Lu Tian hesitantly said, "Master, ** foundation has been damaged, making cultivation difficult. Is there any way to repair it?"

Only then did Jieyin turn his head, a trace of clear radiance flashing through his eyes.

Lu Tian's heart trembled—those eyes seemed to see through every secret he possessed. Before Jieyin, he felt as though he had nowhere to hide!

Fortunately, the gaze did not last long.