New Ability: [Convergence] (End of This Realm)

After Zhao Wu left, the back mountain of Cangyuan Palace's inner sect was finally free of all restrictions.

Yet the back mountain, once shrouded in mystery and immense majesty, was now nothing but yellow earth.

When the wind blew, dust scattered everywhere.

The moment the Supreme Elders and inner sect elders learned they could finally enter, they went mad searching for their own Patriarch.

Beneath the yellow earth, beneath the ruins—every place where someone might possibly be was turned over completely.

They were scared.

Terrified.

Cangyuan Palace had stood firm in Central Province for tens of thousands of years not because of some so-called foundation, nor because of elders like them, but because of Azure Origin Patriarch.

Azure Origin Patriarch was like a pillar that steadied the sea.

He had once suppressed every invading enemy with a single man and a single sword, his might shaking all of Central Province.

"Have you found him?"

"We've searched everywhere, top to bottom. There's nothing."

"We haven't found him. This time, the Patriarch's remains are probably—"

An inner sect elder wore a worried expression, his eyes brimming with tears as he spoke in a trembling voice.

Before he could finish, he was sent flying.

Dust billowed as he slammed into the ground.

Then—

A familiar figure slowly descended.

It was none other than Azure Origin Patriarch, who had previously fled to take refuge.

He had only just returned, yet he heard such inauspicious words. Did they want him dead that badly?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. With another sweep of his sleeve, he made the elder vanish from the face of the earth.

He swept his gaze around, ignoring the so-called elders.

That person's aura had disappeared?

His main purpose had been to sense Zhao Wu's aura. Now that the other man's aura was gone, Azure Origin Patriarch could not help but sigh in relief, though his expression grew solemn.

After all, the system had accompanied him for so many years. There was still a bit of sentiment there.

Though it was always going against him, fabricated enemies, plotted against him, and—

Forget it. It was better off dead.

It truly deserved to die.

It had not died unjustly.

"Alas, the system truly did not deceive me. There are always greater people beyond people, and greater heavens beyond heaven."

Standing atop a patch of yellow earth, Azure Origin Patriarch sighed emotionally. As he recalled the previous battle, his expression turned serious again.

He had to grow stronger!

He absolutely had to grow stronger!

This time, even without the system urging him on, he would become stronger.

If he had understood this sooner, what happened today might not have occurred.

At the very least, he would not have been so miserable.

As for how to grow stronger—

Leave?

Definitely not now.

After this battle, he understood that the outside world was actually dangerous, and there were many powerful experts.

For safety's sake, he needed to improve his cultivation further before he could survive better outside.

"Qi Refining Formula?"

Standing on the yellow earth, Azure Origin Patriarch was filled with emotion. He suddenly recalled the cultivation method he had obtained out of nowhere and could not help muttering its name.

This thing was not from the system, nor was it likely from those mysterious people.

It had appeared directly in his mind out of thin air.

Could it truly be a fortunate opportunity?

With dreams of becoming stronger in his heart, Azure Origin Patriarch immediately came up with an idea.

Promote the Qi Refining Formula with all his strength!

Have the entire Cangyuan Palace help him cultivate!

As for the hidden dangers and schemes behind it, Gu Yuan's interference naturally caused him to cast them aside.

Perhaps this was the legendary intelligence-reduction aura.

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Three months went by.

Gu Yuan casually lay on a tree branch, sensing the progress of his cultivation.

After three months, supported by the massive number of cultivators, his realm had finally broken through to the Golden Core Realm.

With such a realm, even in Central Province or Cangyuan Palace, he could become an outer sect elder.

In some ordinary sects, even the sect master had only reached this level.

Still, Gu Yuan felt that his cultivation progress was too slow. But after the Golden Core Realm, the progress bar became increasingly sluggish, requiring more and more energy.

Each cultivator's feedback was limited. He did not know when he would finally possess a body.

Floating around every day did not feel grounded at all.

"It's becoming more and more different from what I experienced in my previous life."

"The changes are huge."

Below Gu Yuan, beneath the large tree, Fu Chengqin watched the many disciples passing by, his feelings complicated.

At some point, everything had become different from his previous life.

The battle at the back mountain had never happened before, nor had the Patriarch's teachings.

Most absurd of all, the cultivation method the Patriarch taught was actually one he had casually taken from the outer sect's Scripture Repository.

The fortunate opportunities in his memories had all disappeared.

So had he truly been reborn, or had he merely dreamed it all?

At this moment, Fu Chengqin began to doubt his own memories.

It was strange. Truly strange.

Poor child. He still did not know he had been treated as an abandoned pawn.

"The Patriarch is giving a lecture! Hurry, everyone! If we're late, there won't be any seats!"

"What? How did I not hear anything? Quick, quick, quick!"

"What's he teaching today?"

"Mm, let me see. It's the eighty-ninth lecture on the Qi Refining Formula."

"Actually, I feel that this Qi Refining Formula... Forget it, I'd better not say anything. Patriarch, here I come!"

From top to bottom, Cangyuan Palace was somewhat confused by the Patriarch's push to popularize the Qi Refining Formula.

The Qi Refining Formula was clearly inferior to the sect's original universal cultivation method, and it looked exceedingly simple.

But there was nothing they could do. It was being promoted by the Patriarch—the strongest expert in all of Central Province!

There had to be a reason for him to do this, even though the content of his lectures was always more or less the same.

In the past, this was something they would not even have dared to imagine.

A lecture?

They normally could not even catch a glimpse of him.

Whether inner or outer sect disciples, anyone who managed to see him once would be thanking the heavens.

Naturally, Gu Yuan had no interest in these so-called lectures.

Everything Azure Origin Patriarch taught was recorded in the Qi Refining Formula. In terms of understanding, Gu Yuan, the original source, was the true grandmaster.

So Gu Yuan began coming up with tricks throughout Cangyuan Palace.

Every now and then, he would stir up conflicts among the disciples and affect their emotions.

The results were not bad. He got to watch quite a few fights.

With the massive number of people cultivating the Qi Refining Formula, Gu Yuan could descend into nearly every corner of Cangyuan Palace at any time. He was much freer than before.

Freedom was freedom, but boredom was truly boredom.

After doing certain things too often, they lost their appeal.

Azure Origin Patriarch did not stage any plot developments. No visitors from beyond the realm came to bombard the back mountain, and no protagonists from elsewhere arrived seeking revenge.

Every day, Gu Yuan merely absorbed energy and teleported around for fun, feeling no sense of accomplishment whatsoever.

The myriad realms—he still wanted to go to the myriad worlds.

That old man was no wonder even the system had abandoned him. He was far too cowardly.

Forget it. He might as well try out his new ability.

He casually found a spot and sat down. Gu Yuan began studying the new ability he had gained after breaking through to the Golden Core Realm.

The vast stream of information condensed into two words.

[Convergence]

What was Convergence?

The stream of information did not explain, nor did Gu Yuan need to activate it himself.

It seemed to be a passive skill that could only wait for itself to take effect.

What would it converge with?

How would it converge?

And what would the result of the convergence be?

He knew nothing at all.

Yet in the unseen depths, there seemed to be a faint trace of something profound.

The kind of profoundness that was difficult to describe.