Before she could speak, however, Xu Mingxuan shook his head. "The long passage of time draws people into its depths. Most of our former fellow travelers have forgotten the road they came by. They enjoy the shelter of their ancestors' legacy, yet have not shouldered the karma that comes with it. It is difficult to judge."
Xi Yue understood and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Mingxuan's meaning could not have been clearer: those old monsters hid their thoughts deep, each harboring a ghost in their heart and scheming toward their own ends. Taking one as a master was hardly a good choice.
"Exactly. Those old monsters are fickle. If they really took you as their successor, you'd never have another peaceful day." Yao Yue curled her lips, seemingly quite displeased with those old fossils.
"However, word has recently spread that Senior Meng Tianzheng, whose fame once resounded through the ages, intends to establish an academy. He plans to gather resources from all quarters to cultivate the young supreme talents of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Perhaps you could study there," Xu Mingxuan said.
At this, Yao Yue marveled, her beautiful eyes sparkling. This academy was actually being founded under the leadership of that peerless Supreme, Meng Tianzheng!
He had already reached the Supreme realm countless ages ago. With the turning of the years, he had only grown more unfathomable. He had probably even touched the threshold of true immortality.
Xi Yue, on the other hand, showed little reaction. She had already known about this, but had not expected plans for the Heavenly Deity Academy to begin so early.
Xu Mingxuan's hair fluttered as he gently waved the folding fan in his hand. His eyes flickered as he said, "But it is still early. There are only preliminary plans at present. Much thought and preparation from all quarters are still needed. It will likely take another decade or more before everything is settled."
They chatted a while longer before Xu Mingxuan and Yao Yue departed one after the other. As the reigning emperor, Xu Mingxuan was naturally beset by affairs of state and had merely stolen half a day of leisure. Yao Yue also needed to cultivate and could not remain at her side forever.
"It's time to make some plans," Xi Yue murmured. With the knowledge of her previous life, she could avoid many detours.
"By all rights, the Nine Heavens are more powerful, yet the truly supreme experts and opportunities are all concentrated in the Eight Regions of the lower realm. How strange."
The lower realm could rightly be called a divine treasure trove. There were eight or nine Immortal Kings alone, including two giants among kings, and that did not even count the fallen Immortal Kings suppressed within the Void God Realm.
There were also quite a few immortal artifacts and precious techniques of the Ten Fiends. Its opportunities truly were boundless.
Of course, she had no intention of going to the lower realm just yet. The cultivation environment in the Nine Heavens was immeasurably better, with more complete laws and countless resources. There was no reason to abandon such an excellent environment for the lower realm.
Besides, those opportunities and treasures were right there; they would not simply vanish. She would need strength to match them before she could contend for them.
She would go to the lower realm, but not now. At the very least, she had to wait until her cultivation rose further. With her current strength in the Blood Moving Realm, going there would be serving herself up on a platter.
Cultivate!
The bloodshed and turmoil of the future were closing in, step by step. She had to gain sufficient strength, or she would only fall amid the upheaval and cease to exist.
The reserves of a long-lived clan were terrifyingly profound, far beyond the ordinary. All manner of precious elixirs and divine materials arrived in batches, as common as cabbages.
With such resources piled upon her, it would have been difficult to cultivate slowly even if she wanted to.
Moreover, the Xu Family had no shortage of body-tempering methods or ancient pill formulas. All dated back to the Immortal Ancient era and had been passed down by the family's ancestors.
High upon the divine mountain, auspicious radiance surged, and vital essence was so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve.
Xi Yue's lashes trembled as her eyes opened, seemingly shimmering with dazzling divine light. Her body was lustrous and translucent, shining like the stars.
At the same time, she had grown taller and was no longer as tiny as before. Her little face had matured somewhat, becoming increasingly delicate and lovely, already showing signs of extraordinary beauty.
"Qing Shuang, how much time has passed?" Time vanished in cultivation. Immersed in that state, she could no longer tell how long it had been. She stretched her body, rose to her feet, and asked.
Qing Shuang was one of her maids, a first-generation prodigy of exceptional talent who had followed her since childhood.
"Miss, more than a year has passed." A young girl approached, her black hair cascading like a waterfall. Her bright eyes shimmered with flickering golden light. Her figure was graceful, and though her looks could not be called peerlessly beautiful, they were certainly exceptional.
"More than a year?" she muttered. Then she walked outside the hall and casually lifted a rocky hill that radiated the light of dawn, even hefting it a few times in her hands.
"Seems... there's no strain at all?" She curled her lips, finding it rather dull, and tossed it aside. She could lift a rocky hill like this with a casual motion. There was really no difficulty to it.
Yet what seemed utterly ordinary to her struck Qing Shuang, who stood nearby, like a thunderbolt exploding in her heart. She could not calm herself for a long time.
Qing Shuang swallowed. If she remembered correctly, her young mistress was only a little over four, not even five yet. That rocky hill weighed at least twenty thousand jin, and she had lifted it so easily, treating it like a toy?
This was astonishing. Could a human body really become this powerful? Even the descendants of primordial fierce beasts might not achieve such a feat at this age.
"Miss, just... how much strength do you have now?" Qing Shuang brushed a hand across her forehead, ran over, and tugged at Xi Yue's sleeve.
Xi Yue rubbed her chin as though seriously considering it. "Probably over forty thousand jin."
Qing Shuang: "..."
She was truly stunned. Was her young mistress really not a descendant of a True Dragon or a Heavenly Horned Ant?
In truth, only Xi Yue knew that the mysterious Bronze Ancient Pagoda had made a considerable, undeniable contribution to her achievement.
As the pagoda rose and fell within her sea of consciousness, it emitted an intangible Dao resonance that flowed through every inch of her flesh and bones, cleansing her again and again. Each cleansing was a transformation.
Even her primordial spirit continued to grow stronger under its influence. Though the effect was less pronounced than on her body, it was still astonishing.
After all, the primordial spirit was a cultivator's foundation, more mysterious than the physical body. Methods for honing it were exceedingly rare, and doing so was even harder than tempering the flesh.
This was a true divine treasure trove. If she could uncover its mysteries, the benefits would be immense. Her entire being would transform, like a dragon soaring out of the abyss.
"If only I had the Chaos-Quelling Art," she muttered, then shook her head. That was too difficult, practically impossible. Even Shi Hao had only obtained it after breaking beyond the king realm and becoming an emperor.
Only now did she realize how extraordinary this ancient pagoda was. Its origins were surely monumental!
Yet she felt little joy. The pagoda's origins remained a mystery, and she still did not know what designs it might have. What karma would she ultimately have to shoulder?
She had also tried to communicate with it, but the pagoda was like an inanimate object. It showed no reaction and gave no response.
"I won't dwell on it. A day will come when I part the mist and uncover everything!"
She soon came to an understanding and banished those stray thoughts. Whatever the case, for her present self, it offered a hundred benefits and not a single harm.
Moreover, she had a sense that,
this pagoda would play a major role in the future.
It was a hazy feeling, vague and inexplicable, yet undeniably real.