First Steps on the Path of Cultivation, Defeating the Future Heavenly Emperor Ye

Little Dingdang failed to see Ye Fan's true intentions and genuinely thought he wanted to test her. Nervously, she began answering his questions one by one.

Half an hour later, Little Dingdang was already getting anxious, constantly muttering,

"If I go back too late, there won't be anything to eat."

"Dingdang doesn't want leftovers."

Only then did Ye Fan let her go, agreeing that they could bring them meals the next day and come over later after eating.

When the time came, he would treat Little Dingdang to grilled fish.

Little Dingdang immediately agreed and ran off in a flash, as though some terrifying monster were chasing her from behind.

Jiang Yun looked at Ye Fan with a teasing expression, and Ye Fan could tell what Jiang Yun was thinking.

Rather speechlessly, he said, "You're so noble, so amazing. Whatever you do, don't ask me if you don't understand!"

Jiang Yun nodded repeatedly. With a little help from the panel, he had already stepped onto the path of cultivation.

At present, there was nothing he needed to ask Ye Fan about, so he was not afraid of that threat.

Ye Fan quickly finished his meal and returned straight to his room, impatient to study the "Dao Scripture."

Jiang Yun calmly finished the bland food before returning to his room to cultivate.

Guiding the vital essence within his body through circulation had already become an extremely familiar experience.

Next, he needed to guide that vital essence to strike the Sea of Bitterness, preparing to open it and release the wellspring of divine power.

Jiang Yun had consumed the sacred fruit of the Desolate Forbidden Land and undergone a rebirth-like transformation after leaving it. His Sea of Bitterness was no longer as difficult to awaken as that of an ordinary Mortal Physique, but without external help, it would still not be easy to open it in a single day.

Jiang Yun estimated that at this rate, it would take three to five days to successfully open his Sea of Bitterness.

But Jiang Yun did not want to wait those three to five days. He wanted to quickly embark on the path of cultivation.

He opened Source Space and took out a small cup of Divine Spring Fluid he had borrowed from the Desolate Forbidden Land, around twenty-odd drops in all, then drank it in one gulp.

He quickly sat cross-legged. If the vital essence within his body was not enough, then he would draw in external vital essence and accelerate the assault on his Sea of Bitterness.

The Divine Spring Fluid was quickly digested. Back in the Desolate Forbidden Land, he had drunk a great deal of it. At the time, he had only felt full of energy and had not noticed anything else unusual.

That was because the Desolate Forbidden Land had constantly been drawing the life essence from the creatures within it, so the Divine Spring Fluid he drank had merely replenished what was being consumed.

Whatever remained had been absorbed by the Desolate Forbidden Land again, producing no great effect.

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. No wonder the Desolate Forbidden Land had Divine Spring Fluid, while those who entered it aged so rapidly.

That Divine Spring Fluid had probably been absorbed from the cultivators and demon beasts who entered the Desolate Forbidden Land, then used to nourish the Nine Wonders Immortal Medicine.

The Divine Spring Fluid Jiang Yun drank in the Desolate Forbidden Land had probably been wasted for nothing.

He drank its Divine Spring Fluid in the Desolate Forbidden Land, only for it to be absorbed by the Desolate Forbidden Land again. He could not take away even the slightest benefit.

It was even more ruthless than Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

As Jiang Yun pondered, the vital essence within his body had already grown seven or eight times stronger, giving him an intense sensation of being overstuffed.

Without guidance, that vital essence began scattering throughout his body, continuously being absorbed by his flesh, bones, and organs, nourishing his physical body.

Divine Spring Fluid was primarily meant to establish one's foundation. Providing vital essence and using it to strike the Sea of Bitterness were merely secondary effects.

The vital essence continued to grow, gradually nearing its limit. Jiang Yun began guiding it toward the location of his Sea of Bitterness.

It was as though he heard a thunderous boom erupt within his body. In an instant, his Sea of Bitterness was opened.

Though it was only the size of a sesame seed at first, it devoured the vital essence within Jiang Yun's body like a black hole.

Gradually, the speed at which the Sea of Bitterness absorbed energy balanced with the rate at which vital essence was produced in Jiang Yun's body.

The Sea of Bitterness gradually expanded, growing from the size of a sesame seed to that of a millet grain, then a rice grain, before finally stopping at the size of a soybean. The effects of the Divine Spring Fluid ended there.

The vital essence contained within the Divine Spring Fluid was simply too rich. Once swallowed, it seemed capable of continuously transforming directly into vital essence, allowing such rapid progress in opening his Sea of Bitterness. It truly deserved to be called a Divine Spring capable of nourishing the Immortal Elixir.

Though its opening speed was astonishing, Jiang Yun's Sea of Bitterness was truly utterly ordinary. It appeared a deep ink-green, filled with deathly stillness.

This was still a Sea of Bitterness that had yet to connect with the Wheel of Life. Vital essence only swirled above it, gradually gathering as though it were nurturing something. The Sea of Bitterness itself was barren and silent, without any fluctuation of life. Only the occasional bolt of lightning tore through the skies above it.

Before opening his Sea of Bitterness, Jiang Yun had worried that Ye Fan might notice some strange phenomenon. It seemed he had overthought it.

Compared to the myriad divine rays that would erupt when Ye Fan opened his Sea of Bitterness in the future, dazzling as a rainbow, with golden waves surging forth amid flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, even triggering violent tsunamis whose waves soared into the heavens and affected reality itself—

Jiang Yun simply could not compare. No phenomenon appeared at all. It was utterly ordinary, and Jiang Yun even felt that this Sea of Bitterness was somewhat ugly.

It felt as though only a short while had passed during cultivation, yet the sky outside had already turned pitch-black. Within Jade Cauldron Paradise, however, a soft radiant glow still shone down, dreamlike and magnificent.

"Open the panel," Jiang Yun silently recited in his heart.

[Panel]

Realm: Sea of Bitterness Cultivator

Physique: Mortal Physique (Sacred Physique 1.92%)

Bloodline: None for now (obtain through dual cultivation with Dao companion)

Cultivation Method: "Dao Scripture"

Reflection Points: None for now (can be obtained with a Dao companion)

Source Space: 40*40*40

Dao Companion: None for now (single)

Mark: None for now (obtain through dual cultivation with Dao companion)

Descendant Bonus: None for now

Other than changes to his cultivation realm and Source Space, nothing else had changed. Without a Dao companion, he could not experience the other functions.

Jiang Yun felt somewhat vexed. Dao companions really were not easy to find.

After closing the panel, he began to think. Finding a high-quality Dao companion was rather difficult. At the very least, their character had to be trustworthy; Jiang Yun did not want to be stabbed in the back by his Dao companion.

Secondly, Jiang Yun cared greatly about bloodlines. Dual cultivation with a Dao companion seemed able to grant bloodlines, and there should also be methods for refining bloodlines. Though Mortal Physiques in the world of Shrouding the Heavens could still defy the heavens—

If one could possess the bloodline of a Great Emperor and cultivate smoothly all the way to the Quasi-Emperor realm, who would refuse?

As for becoming a Great Emperor and merging with the Heavenly Heart Mark, those were matters for a Quasi-Emperor to consider.

They were still far too distant for Jiang Yun. The Immortal Road would open in two hundred years. He had to survive that calamity before discussing the future.

As for whether having an overly concentrated bloodline would make one susceptible to the influence of Imperial Dao laws and prevent one from becoming a Great Emperor, could that be solved by merging many bloodlines?

The Ruthless Great Emperor devoured the origins of all kinds of physiques, using herself as a furnace to transform into a Chaos Physique. Ye Fan used a furnace to nurture a hundred scriptures and created a method belonging to himself. Couldn't he, Jiang Yun, use a furnace to nurture a hundred bloodlines?

Jiang Yun thought over many things before finally deciding to see whether he could find a Dao companion among those with the Jiang surname. He was also surnamed Jiang. If he obtained the Jiang Family bloodline as well, then he would truly become a member of the Jiang Family.

Joining the Jiang Family and relying on an Ancient Era aristocratic family would provide plenty of help in the future. His path would become much broader.

So what if you were good at fighting? What the hell was fighting worth? To make it out there, you needed power and influence—an imperial clan, a holy land—and you needed backing—an Emperor Weapon. Which gang were you from?

After making up his mind, Jiang Yun continued cultivating. He did not dare use any more Divine Spring Fluid for now. He had drunk too much earlier, and his body still felt swollen.

He would first cultivate his Sea of Bitterness slowly and experience what cultivation felt like for a low-level cultivator.

Three days passed like this, and aside from Little Dingdang, no one else came.

During those days, Jiang Yun watched Ye Fan "test" Little Dingdang every morning. He gradually became acquainted with Little Dingdang as well, and she told the two of them much about Jade Cauldron Paradise.

In return, the two of them grilled fish for Little Dingdang to eat. Of course, Little Dingdang had to provide all the seasonings.

The two of them gained some understanding of Jade Cauldron Paradise and were no longer completely lost. Along the way, they also learned some common knowledge about cultivation.

After Little Dingdang left, they returned to their rooms to refine Divine Spring Fluid and open their Sea of Bitterness.

Relying on the divine power he had gained after breaking through to the Sea of Bitterness, Jiang Yun sparred with the future Heavenly Emperor Ye and found him to be nothing special.

He easily gave Ye Fan a beating, letting Ye Fan experience the strength of his older cousin.

It was just that Ye Fan was currently only thirteen or fourteen years old, so Jiang Yun did not feel that much of a sense of accomplishment.

After being taught a lesson by Jiang Yun, Ye Fan worked even harder. Jiang Yun often saw Ye Fan studying the "Dao Scripture" diligently in the courtyard late at night.

Ye Fan carried the Bodhi Seed, allowing him to comprehend cultivation methods very quickly. Gradually, he also began to understand what cultivation truly was.

Jiang Yun had no way to help him now. Ye Fan had not even fully grasped his cultivation method yet, so giving him resources would be useless.

He could only occasionally clear up Ye Fan's doubts. Comprehending a cultivation method could not be rushed. Not everyone was like Jiang Yun, who had a panel directly instill knowledge into him, with the heavenly sounds of the Great Dao ringing in his ears.

Ye Fan would likely reach the Immortal Platform in ten years. Of those ten years, three or four would be spent studying the "Dao Scripture" and learning how to cultivate the Sea of Reincarnation.

After Ye Fan comprehended cultivation, he needed only six years to cross the three great realms of the Dao Palace, Four Extremes Realm, and Transforming Dragon, reaching the Immortal Platform directly.

Aside from Ye Fan's own efforts, he only received a little help from the Immortal Elixir within the Desolate Forbidden Land.

Jiang Yun had directly skipped the step of comprehending a cultivation method, saving a little time compared to Ye Fan in the early stages.

That afternoon, an elderly woman with an extraordinary bearing arrived at the small courtyard.

Jiang Yun walked into the courtyard and stood beside Ye Fan.

"You are Jiang Yun and Ye Fan, correct? For the next three months, I will teach you cultivation. You may call me Elder Jiang."

"Jiang Yun, Ye Fan, greetings, Elder Jiang!" Jiang Yun and Ye Fan said in unison.

She was an elderly woman who looked kindly. Her hair was combed with extreme care, not a single strand out of place, and not even one crease could be seen on her green robe.

Strands of silver-white hair remained clearly visible amid her black hair. In her slightly sunken eye sockets, a pair of dark brown eyes silently spoke of the vicissitudes of time.

Looking at the elderly woman before him, Jiang Yun felt as though even the air around them had become somewhat restrained.

Years of experience struggling through society told Jiang Yun and Ye Fan that this elderly woman was probably not easy to get along with.

The cultivators and elders they had seen before all possessed an immortal air, their robes fluttering in the wind, each carrying an unrestrained demeanor.

But this woman's hair was meticulously arranged, and her clothing had not the slightest wrinkle. Someone so strict with herself would certainly not be lenient with her disciples.

Though her appearance and bearing seemed somewhat kind, they had no idea what she would be like to get along with.

While Jiang Yun and Ye Fan were observing Elder Jiang, Elder Jiang was observing them as well.

Elder Jiang was somewhat puzzled. When she entered just now, she seemed to have sensed the aura of Jiang Yun cultivating in his room.

How could that be possible after only a few days?