"What are glasses?"
The cultivator stared at Yang Zhen in bewilderment, as though looking at a fool. Then his eyes suddenly went round, and he pointed at Yang Zhen, saying in a trembling voice, "St... stripping clothes, you're Yang Bazhen?"
Yang Zhen slapped the cultivator on the head and said irritably, "Who gave you permission to change my name? I'm Yang Zhen, not Yang Bazhen."
The cultivator lying on the ground was on the verge of tears. He wiped his eyes as he took off his clothes, like a young woman who had suffered a terrible injustice.
"Yang Zhen, you can have the clothes. Could you leave me the ginseng?"
"What's your name?"
"Me?" The cultivator looked bewildered and hurriedly replied, "My name is Liu You!"
"Dripping oil?" Yang Zhen burst out laughing. He picked up the clothes from the ground, pulled them on, and turned to leave. "Good name. You really are a talent. Cultivate well and make a name for yourself on the Youzhou Continent someday!"
Liu You wrapped himself in the large leaves Yang Zhen had taken off and stared excitedly at his departing figure. So excited that he stood in a daze, he murmured to himself, "I... actually saw my idol up close. His presence... he actually broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm Sixth Layer so quickly?"
On the next stretch of the journey, Yang Zhen ran into lone cultivators from time to time, but he no longer had any desire to swindle them. Ever since obtaining the saint-grade Cultivation Method, the Ancient Elephant Lightning Defense Body, Yang Zhen had realized that the disciples of these major sects really were the ones with good things on them.
Another day passed before Yang Zhen finally began to sense a different kind of presence.
Under its influence, Yang Zhen's mind grew calm, as though he had become one with heaven and earth and a part of these mountains.
The Qi within Yang Zhen also gradually stabilized at the Foundation Establishment Realm Sixth Layer.
The closer Yang Zhen got to the Dao Comprehension Stele, the more he could sense that profound presence, vast as an ocean. It was as though it encompassed all the ultimate truths between heaven and earth, filling Yang Zhen with impatience.
The Dao Comprehension Stele really did have something to it. Even from so far away, Yang Zhen could faintly sense an epiphany. But whether because of the distance or not, he could not grasp that feeling.
Not far ahead, an enormous black stele stood between heaven and earth, wreathed in an elusive azure Qi. Closer to it, one could seemingly hear the great Dao resounding in song, each note refreshing the heart and striking directly at the mind.
Cultivators had gathered in many places around the Dao Comprehension Stele. The stronger they were, the closer they sat to it. Geniuses from major sects, such as Zhang Zongjin, Princess Changyang, and Su Qingyu, were closest of all.
With no good positions left, the rest simply gathered farther from the Dao Comprehension Stele, gazing enviously at those seated before it. Most were Rogue Cultivators and disciples of minor sects. They had little strength of their own and could only wait for those ahead of them to succeed or fail in comprehending the Dao and step down before taking their places.
Boom!
A tremendous force erupted from the Dao Comprehension Stele, gathering above the head of a major sect disciple in the shape of a wave of fire. The fearsome flames roared, and the disciple's hair gradually turned fiery red.
"He comprehended it! Another person has comprehended it!"
"That's... that's Lu Quan of the Morning Glow Sect! He actually comprehended a profound-grade Fire Essence Cultivation Method. That's truly remarkable."
"The Morning Glow Sect is a major sect too. I just wonder why Zhang Zongjin and the others still haven't comprehended anything."
"What do you know? How could those geniuses be content with comprehending mere profound-grade Cultivation Methods? Either they comprehend nothing, or once they do, it's bound to be a heaven-grade Cultivation Method or martial skill, perhaps even a spiritual power martial skill!"
"What?!" someone exclaimed, saying in shock, "Could they all have come for spirit-grade Cultivation Methods?"
"Why else? Do you think the geniuses of major sects would be short of heaven-grade Cultivation Methods?"
Yang Zhen watched from the crowd, dumbfounded. The Dao Comprehension Stele really did have something to it. It could actually let the people sitting in front of it comprehend things just like that. What kind of place was this?
I wonder if I can take this thing away!
If everyone knew what was going through Yang Zhen's mind at that moment, their eyeballs would surely have fallen all over the ground in shock.
It was not as though no one had ever had that thought, but no one had ever been able to budge the Dao Comprehension Stele. Like a pillar of heaven, it stood here, untouched by wind and rain.
Just as Yang Zhen was pondering how much strength it would take to carry the Dao Comprehension Stele away, a cry rang out, shaking heaven and earth. Like the call of a divine bird from legend, it was deafening.
Fearsome True Essence burst forth, and waves of violent power gathered from the Dao Comprehension Stele, forming the shape of a great bird above Su Qingyu's head.
"Ph... Phoenix Luan?"
As soon as the great bird appeared, everyone present was shaken to the core. They all stared in horror at the terrifying azure bird in midair.
Yang Zhen was startled too. The great bird before him looked a little like the legendary Azure Luan, but that was a damn divine bird!
Hearing the exclamations all around him, Yang Zhen was even more baffled. Just what had this mysterious woman comprehended? Had she really conjured up a divine bird?
The great bird soaring through the air was breathtakingly beautiful, its body seemingly solid. Its gaze was sharp as it stared at the crowd before it, then raised its head and let out another cry that shook heaven and earth.
Su Qingyu's whole body trembled, and a mass of terrifying azure light burst from her as well, answering the great bird in the sky.
"That's a profound-grade Cultivation Method! Heavens, with an upheaval of Primordial Qi on this scale, it's a profound-grade Cultivation Method at the very least. As expected of Su Qingyu, to comprehend a profound-grade Cultivation Method so effortlessly."
"It should be a martial skill, one related to the divine bird Phoenix Luan. It looks very powerful."
Everyone was stunned by the upheaval of Primordial Qi around Su Qingyu, their faces full of disbelief. Even Yang Zhen was startled. Did the emergence of a profound-grade Cultivation Method produce such a heavenly phenomenon?
Though the bird in the sky was lifelike, Yang Zhen could tell that, powerful as it was, it somehow lacked spirituality. If Su Qingyu could give the great bird spirituality, this martial skill might rise another grade and reach saint grade.
Unfortunately, over the next while, no matter how hard Su Qingyu tried, the spirituality within the bird gathered but would not emerge, and she ultimately failed. Even so, she still stunned the onlookers.
The shock brought by the Phoenix Luan lingered for a long time, until someone suddenly shouted, "Yang Zhen is here!"
In a rush, everyone's eyes turned to Yang Zhen, and the onlookers instinctively parted to make a path for him.
"It really is Yang Zhen. He actually came."
"What use is it for him to come? There are no places left near the Dao Comprehension Stele, unless he can challenge a major sect disciple and take their place."
"Has Yang Zhen gone mad? Challenge a major sect disciple? Even if he won, he'd offend a major sect. What major sect would be willing to take him as a disciple then?"
"Look, Yang Zhen is coming this way."
At those words, everyone turned to look at Yang Zhen. Even those still contemplating the Dao Comprehension Stele stopped and watched him.
At first, there was some puzzlement in their eyes, but as Yang Zhen approached, more and more faces showed shock.
"He... he's actually walking toward Young Master Zhang. What is he going to do?"
"Hiss, this guy looks like he's going to stir up trouble!"