Divine Wonders

On the Southern Edge Continent, the sky was clear and bright, with not a cloud for ten thousand miles. It was a rare day of fine weather.

In the blink of an eye, fierce winds rose and thunder rumbled.

Lightning flashed amid endless thunderclouds, where a colossal shape could faintly be seen moving through them.

Across the Southern Edge Continent, cultivators and mortals alike suddenly felt a sense of fear!

Some terrifying existence was slowly awakening!

Li Chengxuan, however, felt something entirely different.

A vast consciousness that filled heaven and earth was gazing at Supreme Mystery Mountain.

"This consciousness..."

"It's the Heavenly Dao manifesting!"

Li Chengxuan's heart shook!

Why was the ancient Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao so difficult to cultivate?!

Countless generations of the Southern End Continent Immortal Alliance had sought an answer, and their conclusion left all cultivators of the ancient method in despair.

The Heavenly Dao did not respond!

The Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao followed the path of resonance between heaven and man. After attaining the Golden Core fruition, one reached the state of "my heart is the heart of heaven"!

Yet no one knew what had changed. The Heavenly Dao of this world no longer responded to cultivators of the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao.

Never mind that the fruition no longer manifested; even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi needed to enter the Dao was growing scarcer.

For all its size, the Southern Verge Immortal Alliance did not have a single Purple Mansion cultivator. Only a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators stood guard.

"But now, the Heavenly Dao has actually manifested!"

"Why?!"

A thought stirred in Li Chengxuan's mind. He directed his Divine Sense to make gentle contact with the vast consciousness.

A flood of jumbled information poured in.

The clearest thing among it, however, was a sense of joy.

In an instant, Li Chengxuan understood many things.

"So that's how it is!"

"The Heavenly Dao manifested because of me!"

"To be precise, it was because of Liu Zhijian, whom I brought here!"

"The abundant Kan Water Phenomenon Liu Zhijian possesses was formed on Earth. To the Heavenly Dao of the cultivation world, it is a great tonic!"

The earth-shaking phenomenon on the Southern Edge Continent sent tremors in every direction.

The Southern Verge Immortal Alliance was naturally overjoyed.

The many immortal sects of the Central Continent, East Sea, and South Sea that practiced the new cultivation methods were filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

The Heavenly Dao consciousness seemed to fear something. It withdrew as soon as it touched Li Chengxuan and quickly vanished into the vast unknown.

The wind and thunder above the Southern Edge Continent disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

It was as though the astonishing phenomenon just now had been an illusion.

Liu Zhijian had no idea how great a commotion his arrival had caused. He was still marveling and exclaiming over everything before him.

Li Chengxuan suppressed his shock and asked, "Are you willing to join my Supreme Mystery Mountain?"

Only a fool would refuse!

Liu Zhijian's spirits soared, and he nodded repeatedly. "Of course I'm willing!"

"Good!"

Li Chengxuan stood beneath the ancestral master's statue, holding a spirit seal in his hand. In a solemn voice, he said, "Liu Zhijian, why haven't you knelt and paid your respects?!"

Liu Zhijian understood at once. He knelt on the ground in all earnestness. "Your disciple Liu Zhijian pays his respects to Master!"

"Mm."

"From this day forth, you are a disciple of Supreme Mystery Mountain's three hundred and sixty-fifth generation!"

With a thought from Li Chengxuan, Liu Zhijian's name appeared in the sect register.

A nearly imperceptible ripple spread across the blank portrait in the center of the ancestral hall.

A faint, hazy layer of mist shrouded Liu Zhijian.

This was a concealment provided by the Heavenly Dao consciousness.

Li Chengxuan's Outside the Calculations fate was already conspicuous enough.

If another such person appeared on Supreme Mystery Mountain, even a fool could guess that something was amiss.

Thus, although the Heavenly Dao consciousness had withdrawn as soon as they touched, it had also helped resolve a hidden danger.

From now on, Supreme Mystery Mountain's disciples would acquire the As If Within the Calculations fate to conceal their origins and aspects.

This ancestral hall would also develop divine wonders, so there would be no need to worry about others prying.

These things were naturally very useful.

But Li Chengxuan's true gain was that he had seen his own Dao Path!

"No rush, no rush!"

"At last, I've seen hope!"

Li Chengxuan quelled the tumult in his heart and slowly said, "Zhijian, remember to be careful in your words and actions from now on. In particular, don't speak too much about your past."

"If trouble comes out of your mouth, no one will be able to save you."

Liu Zhijian had read a few dark cultivation webnovels and naturally understood the reasoning. He agreed at once.

Li Chengxuan nodded slightly.

Although the fishing enthusiast was a little older, he was still an Earthling baptized by webnovels and short dramas. He had traveled far and wide, fishing across the country, and was mature of mind, with no lack of experience or knowledge.

He merely lacked common knowledge about cultivation and would have to be taught from the beginning.

"For the next few days, go to the side hall next door and read the introductory cultivation texts, the history of this world, and the travel accounts of the sect's predecessors."

"After some time, I'll teach you to cultivate."

The ancestral hall.

After sending Liu Zhijian away, Li Chengxuan sat down cross-legged and pondered his Dao Path.

He had traveled between two worlds and brought back from Earth someone bearing an abundant aspect, completing and strengthening the Heavenly Dao of the cultivation world. Naturally, he had gained the Heavenly Dao's favor and received a truly great benefit.

"The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi used to enter the Dao can be divided into righteous Qi, lesser Qi, and Mixed Qi."

"The Mortal World Turbid Qi I used belongs to Mixed Qi."

"Cultivation with it is difficult, and the prospects are bleak."

"However, according to the Dao teachings imparted by the Heavenly Dao, Mundane World Qi was extraordinarily remarkable in High Antiquity. It was one of the most famous kinds of Spiritual Qi in the Human Immortal Dao, and several formidable figures at the immortal level once emerged from it."

"Only after the Heavenly Immortal Dao later flourished was Mundane World Qi relegated to the Lower Vehicle."

"The Human Immortal Dao..."

"This immortal foundation is very well suited to me..."

With his heart greatly settled, Li Chengxuan sensed the Two Worlds Pearl.

Bringing someone between the two worlds should have exhausted its power.

The Two Worlds Pearl was now dim and lusterless.

But Li Chengxuan's life was linked to it, and he could sense that the Two Worlds Pearl had not been damaged and was gradually recovering.

After some time, it would regain its functions.

"Who knows how many great figures the phenomenon on the Southern Edge Continent will alarm?"

"At a time like this, keeping a low profile should be the priority. It wouldn't be suitable to travel between the two worlds frequently, either."

"I'd better devote myself to cultivation first!"

Li Chengxuan pushed down his surging thoughts, sat cross-legged, and began drawing in and expelling Spiritual Qi, circulating it through his body.

The commotion caused by the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao consciousness was still spreading.

Yet neither the Southern Verge Immortal Alliance nor the sects of the Central Continent would pay any attention to Supreme Mystery Mountain, whose lineage had fallen into such decline that its sect master had used Mortal World Turbid Qi to enter the Dao.

The Southern Verge Immortal Alliance merely sent someone to make a perfunctory inspection, and he left after collecting a few Spirit Stones.

In the side hall of Supreme Mystery Mountain's ancestral hall.

Liu Zhijian was steeling himself to read the texts with care.

All his life, Liu Zhijian had never been cut out for studying.

However, thirty years of fishing had tempered his patience and willpower beyond those of ordinary people.

Liu Zhijian gritted his teeth and stayed put, sitting through a dreary month and reading the texts Li Chengxuan had given him several times over with meticulous care, determined to seize the only chance at cultivation he would have in this life!

"Not bad."

Li Chengxuan glanced in from outside the door and was deeply satisfied. "You've just about finished reading the texts. Put them aside for now."

"Today, I'll teach you to cultivate."

Liu Zhijian's spirits rose.

Sitting still and enduring for a month had indeed been difficult.

Now, at last, he had waited for the clouds to part and reveal the bright moon!

Rather than begin the lesson, Li Chengxuan asked, "After reading the texts for so long, do you know what the first step of cultivation is?!"

Liu Zhijian thought carefully for a moment, then answered, "Nurture the spirit through embryonic breathing and reverse one's state to return to the innate."

"Correct."

Li Chengxuan nodded slightly and continued, "Our sect has no shortage of methods for nurturing the spirit through embryonic breathing. Later, you may choose one to practice yourself."

"Once you've mastered the basics of embryonic breathing, go down the mountain."

"You'll need to gather the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi required to enter the Dao yourself."

Liu Zhijian was startled. He had read about Qi Gathering Methods, and he hurriedly asked, "May I ask, Master, which kind of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi should I gather?"

Looking at the abundant Kan Water aspect Liu Zhijian possessed, Li Chengxuan slowly said, "Naturally, it's the Clear Qi Above the River of the Kan Water path!"