Seclusion Breakthrough, the Sage Lectures on the Dao

"Then let me offer my congratulations in advance, Eldest Senior Brother Duobao. May you succeed in your breakthrough." Xuan Liu brushed his azure robes, a trace of sincere admiration flashing through his eyes.

Great Luo Golden Immortal—each step led to another heaven!

Though the gap between the early and middle stages of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm seemed like merely a minor realm difference,

the disparity between them could absolutely be called the difference between clouds and mud.

Breaking through this bottleneck was exceedingly difficult.

Yet his own eldest senior brother, Duobao Daoist, was actually about to break through to the middle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

"Hahaha! Then I must thank Fifth Junior Brother."

Duobao Daoist laughed heartily, then his expression turned solemn. "Penglai Immortal Island was formed from a fragment of chaos. There are certainly more opportunities here than just these."

"Let us thoroughly search Penglai Immortal Island."

"Agreed." Xuan Liu nodded.

The Primordial World did not mark the years; time passed like a white steed through a gap.

Deep within Penglai Immortal Island, which stretched for an unknown countless billions of miles and was filled with endless auspicious radiance,

two streams of escaping light rose once more—one bright yellow, the other emerald green—interweaving through the boundless immortal mist.

Along the way, countless rays of rosy light and auspicious signs drifted amid the mountains and valleys.

Yet opportunities and fortune ultimately had their heavenly ordained limits.

During this period, the two of them on Penglai Immortal Island

did not encounter any more great opportunities capable of shaking the heavens and earth of the Primordial World.

However, they did gather quite a few mid-grade and high-grade innate spirit roots and innate spirit treasures.

Within a valley dense with innate Bing Fire energy,

Xuan Liu forcibly broke through a natural innate formation and found a high-grade innate spirit root within: the Fire Parasol Tree.

The tree bore nine Fire Parasol fruits, each containing refined Bing Fire creation energy.

Though it was not as heaven-defying as the Yellowheart Plum, it was still a rare treasure for cultivation.

Duobao Daoist also discovered quite a few spirit treasures by relying on the traits he possessed from transforming from a Many-Treasure Rat.

He tucked every one of them into his wide sleeves as though they were precious items he knew by heart.

One day, Duobao Daoist and Xuan Liu stood side by side, overlooking the vast immortal island below, shrouded in dense immortal energy.

Duobao Daoist smiled faintly and slowly said, "Fifth Junior Brother, we have already explored most of Penglai Immortal Island."

"Now it seems there are no further great opportunities to be found here. Let us part ways."

Xuan Liu naturally understood that Duobao Daoist could not delay his breakthrough to the middle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

As the chief disciple of the Interception Sect, Duobao Daoist represented the honor of the Upper Clear lineage.

Besides, they had already obtained more than enough opportunities on Penglai Immortal Island.

"Farewell, Eldest Senior Brother Duobao." Xuan Liu cupped his hands in salute and spoke with a refined expression.

"Hahaha! Good!"

Duobao Daoist laughed brightly and said in high spirits, "Fifth Junior Brother, then this elder brother shall take his leave and return to Golden Ao Island for secluded cultivation."

"You may remain on Penglai Immortal Island and cultivate in seclusion with peace of mind. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth here is abundant, and it will surely bring you considerable improvement."

"Rest assured, Senior Brother. I understand." Xuan Liu nodded slightly and agreed.

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, an immortal hum rang out.

Duobao Daoist instantly transformed into an incomparably brilliant bright-yellow rainbow.

With utmost ease, he tore through the layers of sea mist above Penglai Immortal Island and sped toward Golden Ao Island at full speed.

In the blink of an eye, he had completely vanished into the river of void.

After seeing Duobao Daoist off, the enormous Penglai Immortal Island fell entirely silent.

Xuan Liu did not hesitate any longer. His body turned into a streak of emerald light as he headed toward the immortal palace.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally returned to his immortal palace.

Outside the palace, the Three Luminaries Divine Water pool shimmered with rippling light, while the Yellowheart Plum tree blotted out the sky.

Entering the immortal palace, Xuan Liu slowly sat down upon a meditation cushion and took a deep breath.

He purified his divine sense and instantly entered a profound state of cultivation, empty of all things and self.

"Hah!"

With a low shout, the mana within him belonging to the early stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm began to rumble and circulate.

The surrounding innate spiritual energy frantically surged toward him.

As refined innate spiritual energy gathered, Xuan Liu's Upper Clear Immortal Method circulated madly, and divine radiance burst forth from his entire body.

Deep within his true spirit, the phantoms of three thousand divine kingdoms flowed without end.

Within each embryonic divine kingdom, the laws of heaven and earth rapidly reorganized and perfected themselves with every breath he took...

The Primordial World did not mark the years. No one knew how much time had passed—perhaps ten thousand years, perhaps a hundred thousand.

Fueled by the endless innate spiritual energy of Penglai Immortal Island,

the Taiyi Golden Immortal mana within Xuan Liu reached a terrifying level, many times more vast and surging than before.

Over these years, his cultivation advanced steadily until, without a sound, it reached the absolute limit of the early stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm!

He was only half a step away from the middle stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

If he could deepen his comprehension of the Dao and the Dharma,

he would essentially be able to break through to the middle stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

However, comprehending the Dao and the Dharma was not so easily improved.

"How can I deepen my comprehension of the Dao and the Dharma and break through to the middle stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm?" Xuan Liu opened his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Just as Xuan Liu's thoughts churned and he desperately considered how to break through that thin barrier,

"Clang!!!"

Suddenly, an indescribably majestic bell chime that resounded throughout the heavens and earth of the Primordial World

boomed from the distant eastern sea.

The bell chime was incomparably vast, as though it had crossed the river of time.

It came from Golden Ao Island, from Jade Tour Palace!

It was the Immortal-Gathering Bell of the Interception Sect. Unless a major event had occurred within the sect,

or a Sage was personally expounding the Great Dao, it would never be rung lightly.

"I am Upper Clear Tongtian. The Xuanmen Grand Tournament is approaching. I shall expound the Great Dao at Jade Tour Palace on Golden Ao Island. All disciples of the Interception Sect, return at once!"

As the vast and majestic Dao voice of the Sage resounded throughout the entire Primordial World,

all myriad phenomena of heaven and earth across the East Sea instantly calmed and fell still.

"Rumble!"

In an instant, endless purple qi rolled like a surging galaxy, covering the boundless sky.

Heavenly flowers rained down, golden lotuses sprang from the earth, and billions of rays of auspicious light descended amid rising immortal mist.

"The Xuanmen Grand Tournament is about to begin? And Master is going to lecture on the Dao?"

Xuan Liu, who had been stuck at his bottleneck and racking his brains, was shaken to the core. He was overjoyed.

No wonder Eldest Senior Brother Duobao had been so eager to break through to the middle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

It turned out that the Xuanmen Grand Tournament was about to begin.

Right now, he was precisely lacking comprehension of the Dao and the Dharma.

Master expounding the Great Dao was like receiving a pillow just as sleep overtook him.

Once he broke through, he would definitely shine brilliantly at the Xuanmen Grand Tournament.

He absolutely could not disgrace the Interception Sect's standing as a Sage's lineage.

With that thought, he rose to his feet, unleashed a great divine ability, and sped toward Golden Ao Island.