[Understand Ye Hei, Become Ye Hei, Surpass Ye Hei]

Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was extraordinarily magnificent. Verdant immortal mountains rose one after another like green jade, speckled with glimmers of light and shrouded in immortal mist. Waterfalls cascaded down, their white streams seeming to condense from starlight.

On many mist-veiled peaks, palaces and pavilions could vaguely be seen. They appeared ethereal, carrying the charm of an immortal realm.

Most astonishing of all, however, was a snow-white mountain at the center of the range. Its entire body was like jade, without a single blade of grass growing upon it. It shimmered with faint radiance and resembled a round cauldron.

Elder Ma Yun said proudly, "This is the immortal vestige of our Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, the foundation upon which our sect stands. Who knew how many sect masters had cultivated into great Dao Palace divine ability cultivators atop that Cauldron Peak?"

"Dao Palace great divine ability cultivators?"

A strange smile appeared at the corner of Lin Xian's mouth. Legendary Dao Realm existences who crossed the Sea of Bitterness and transcended the Other Shore could indeed be called great divine ability cultivators.

If they were in the Dao Palace Realm, they would likely be on par with the title of Immortal Venerable of Divine Bridge from his own sect.

"I can see that Fellow Daoist possesses extraordinary talent. If you cultivate diligently, the cave heaven certainly will not begrudge you Other Shore or even Dao Palace scriptures." After witnessing Lin Xian's strength, another Divine Bridge cultivator had abandoned any thoughts of competing with him. Intending to resolve their old grudge, he said meaningfully, "It may even be possible to recommend Fellow Daoist for entry into a sacred land."

The six great cave heavens and blessed lands of Yan Kingdom were all backed by immortal sects and sacred lands. They could be said to be the outer forces of those sacred lands, their scouts and outposts near the Desolate Antiquity Forbidden Zone.

"A sacred land?"

Lin Xian's heart stirred. He probed, "I heard that Lingxu Cave Heaven is backed by Yaoguang Holy Land. May I ask which immortal sect stands behind our Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven?"

"It is Purple Mansion Holy Land." Elder Ma Yun answered proudly. Purple Mansion was said to be where immortals resided. Any sect that dared take such a name naturally possessed incomparably formidable strength.

Even the lowest-ranking Sea of Bitterness cultivators among the branches of Purple Mansion Holy Land would unconsciously straighten their backs whenever they thought of the sacred land's might and grandeur.

"Purple Mansion Holy Land?"

Lin Xian had to think for quite some time before recalling what sort of immortal sect Purple Mansion Holy Land was. During the great age of contention on the Emperor Path, Purple Mansion Holy Land had truly lacked any sense of presence.

This was an orthodoxy established by a Great Saint. It could not compare to the top-tier Yaochi Holy Land, nor even to the first-rate Yaoguang Holy Land. Its sole hope lay in the Purple Mansion Holy Maiden's Innate Dao Embryo.

This was currently the Dao-Difficult Era. Everyone stood on the same starting line. Aristocratic clans and sacred lands appeared equal in strength, Immortal Two mighty figures were peerless experts, and a single king could roam unhindered through the Eastern Wasteland.

But only when the tide receded would one know who had been swimming naked.

Once the Dao-Difficult Era ended and the myriad Dao began to revive, Purple Mansion Holy Land's position would become as awkward as it could possibly be. Not to mention an imperial weapon, it did not even possess an Emperor Scripture. The guardians underlying Desolate Antiquity aristocratic clans all began at the Great Saint level, the same level as Purple Mansion Holy Land's founding patriarch.

This was a second-rate sacred land, only somewhat stronger than sacred land orthodoxies founded by Saint Kings or Saints.

Lin Xian assessed it coolly inwardly, yet his face was filled with reverence and longing. To cultivators who were currently only in the Sea of Bitterness Realm, even the weakest sacred land was an unattainable existence, like a towering mountain waiting to be excavated.

"Sleeping beneath Purple Mansion's cloud-mother canopy at dusk, dining upon Kunlun mushrooms from the Mystic Garden at dawn." Lin Xian praised with a smile. "To enter such a branch of immortals, Lin is honored as well."

Everyone helped lift a sedan chair. Elder Ma Yun laughed loudly, then said, "Hurry and pay respects to the sect master. Do not keep him waiting too long."

The sect master of Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was an old man wearing a white jade crown and Daoist robes. His aura was vast and majestic, clearly surpassing the scope of Divine Bridge.

He sat within the great hall. The moment he saw Lin Xian arrive, divine light burst from his eyes, transforming into two flood dragons that lunged forth in battle.

Lin Xian did not yield either. He let out a Daoist shout, and the runes between his brows glowed brightly, evolving into a heavenly sword. Wherever there were flood dragons, it slew flood dragons, bringing the wondrous uses of divine sense to their utmost limit.

Boom!

The heavenly sword and flood dragons perished together. The Jade Cauldron sect master nodded in satisfaction. "Your strength is indeed not bad. There have recently been disturbances in the Primordial Ruins. A heavenly treasure may be about to emerge. Next time, you may join us."

"We will divide the resources and opportunities within together."

The three Divine Bridge cultivators in the hall immediately showed expressions of envy and jealousy. The Primordial Ruins were unimaginably vast and stretched endlessly near Yan Kingdom. Over the years, they had only explored a portion of them, yet had already benefited enormously and established the six great cave heavens because of it.

Even Divine Bridge cultivators did not dare explore the deepest regions. Only ancestors at the Other Shore or even Dao Palace level dared to glimpse them.

Exploring the Primordial Ruins? Don't drag me along if you want to die. A Sea of Bitterness cultivator charging into Qing Emperor's Tomb—how was that any different from someone at the Qi Refining stage entering a dungeon for Great Vehicle cultivators? The ignorant truly feared nothing. Lin Xian mocked inwardly, but his expression was utterly sincere as he declared, "Since the sect master thinks highly of me, this disciple shall live as a Jade Cauldron man and die as a Jade Cauldron ghost. I will certainly fight for greater benefits for Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven in the Primordial Ruins!"

"Good! Very spirited!" The Jade Cauldron sect master nodded approvingly. He did not care whether Lin Xian was sincere or insincere. What he wanted was simply an attitude.

If someone could not even offer an attitude, then they could not be given even the chance to serve as cannon fodder.

Lin Xian also knew that the Jade Cauldron sect master was treating him, a newly joined outsider, like a pawn to cross the river. But in this world, being used was not frightening. What was frightening was having no value to be used at all.

Seizing the opportunity, he pressed his advantage and requested, "This disciple wishes to contribute to the cave heaven, but fears that my cultivation is too weak and my studies too miscellaneous. I ask the sect master to grant me an Immortal Scripture, so that this disciple may comprehend the Great Dao and cleanse my foundation."

"What scripture do you want?" the Jade Cauldron sect master asked expressionlessly.

"I ask the sect master to allow me to choose from the Scripture Pavilion." Lin Xian cupped his hands in salute. "Only after trying them personally will I know whether they are suitable."

"I fear you will bite off more than you can chew. Be careful not to suffer cultivation deviation." The old woman in the hall sneered. "Granting you an Other Shore scripture is already heavenly grace, yet you still covet other luxuries."

"Perhaps some people are simply too stupid to understand even scriptures, so they assume others cannot understand other scriptures either." Lin Xian mocked.

"You..." The Divine Bridge old woman glared at him furiously.

"Enough!" The Jade Cauldron sect master's cold voice rang out. He waved his hand and said, "Ma Yun, take him to the Scripture Pavilion."

"Yes, Sect Master." Elder Ma Yun bowed, then led Lin Xian swiftly out of the main hall.

After the two had gone far away, the Divine Bridge old woman said unhappily, "Sect Master, he is an outsider..."

"Enough." The Jade Cauldron sect master waved a hand, stopping the argument. He said indifferently, "What outsider? What insider? There is no distinction between inside and outside. Since he has entered Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, he is a Jade Cauldron man."

"Among you people, some are clouds and some are water. You simply perform different tasks."

"You may leave."

The Divine Bridge old woman's heart trembled. She suddenly recalled that the sect master's lifespan was nearing its end. If he could not break through to the Dao Palace soon, he likely would not live for many more years.

He urgently needed several helpers to support him and gather millennium-old precious medicines from the Primordial Ruins.

"For his own selfish desires, he does not even care about the sect's inheritance anymore!" The Divine Bridge old woman gritted her teeth and flew toward the secluded cultivation grounds of several Supreme Elders.

The moment Lin Xian entered the Scripture Pavilion, he was like a fish entering the sea or a tiger returning to the mountains, no longer bound by restraints. He had the system record every divine art and scripture in the Scripture Pavilion, studying their forms and principles without cultivating them as his main path.

What he truly studied with care were only the opening volume of the Dao Scripture and several fragmentary Saint scriptures inherited by Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven.

Comparing them with those fragmentary Saint scriptures, Lin Xian found the Tianxuan Sacred Scripture ever more profound and mysterious. As expected of the sacred land that had attacked the Immortal Ascension Road six thousand years ago, its inherited scripture far surpassed ordinary Saint scriptures.

After comprehending the Scriptures Pavilion's teachings for several days, Lin Xian's divine sense caught someone secretly observing him, and a plan arose in his mind.

One day, while comprehending a certain spell, Lin Xian suddenly spat blood. His face turned deathly pale, as though he had suffered a backlash from his cultivation technique.

Elder Ma Yun was greatly alarmed upon hearing the news. He came to persuade Lin Xian not to study too many scriptures, lest they conflict with one another.

Lin Xian agreed on the surface. Yet every night, he secretly slipped into the Scripture Pavilion to read scriptures. As time passed, his aura grew increasingly powerful, but his complexion became noticeably paler.

Finally, one night, as he was heading to the Scripture Pavilion, he suddenly stumbled and fell. A dignified cultivator, he took a long time merely to catch his breath and recover.

After recovering, Lin Xian's expression changed drastically. He did not head for the Scripture Pavilion as usual. Instead, he leaped out of Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven alone, found a stone chamber he had excavated in advance, and hid within it.

Sitting cross-legged inside the stone chamber, sensing the figure drawing ever closer, Lin Xian—his aura weak and face pale—suddenly curled his lips into a smile.

Question Ye Fan, understand Yezi, become Ye Hei, surpass Little Hei.