The Space-Time Temple's Personal Disciple

"Qie Qiong, Transcendent of the Cangyun Material World, the Space-Time Temple invites you to join us. Are you willing?" The ripple gave voice to a deep, resonant sound, detached and imperious.

Qie Qiong, who had just mastered the True Meaning of Extreme Point, was slightly taken aback.

They were inviting him to join the Space-Time Temple?

He hadn't expected the Space-Time Temple to show up right after he'd mastered a Grade One True Meaning.

There had already been traces of the Space-Time Temple back in the Extreme Thunder World.

Back then, he had been eager to comprehend the True Meaning of Space partly because of what had happened to his mother, and partly because of the Space-Time Temple.

Although, in this Cangyun Material World, the three gods only gave information about the Divine Realm or the Abyss to their own people.

As a result, the Transcendent families here knew almost nothing about the forces of the Divine Realm.

However, as someone reborn after reading the original novel, he knew very well what kind of place the Space-Time Temple was.

If he had been taken away when he had a Grade Six True Meaning, he feared that even now, his life and death would still be in someone else's hands.

But he was no longer the same person he had been thirty years ago. He now had the right to refuse.

Transcendents with a Grade Two or Grade One True Meaning were absolutely forbidden to be taken by force. They could only be invited.

"Sorry, I refuse," Qie Qiong said without hesitation.

He didn't think joining the Space-Time Temple now would offer him any particular benefit.

After all, even if Qie Qiong were to study the "Golden Light" secret tome now,

with his Deity Heart of Space, he would still feel that the part he could comprehend about space amounted to less than a tenth of the whole.

Qie Qiong understood what that meant.

If he joined the Space-Time Temple, in the end his life and death wouldn't be up to him.

Yes, he wouldn't even be able to decide when to die. After all, the Space-Time Temple was never short of powerful experts.

That would be a terrible loss.

"What, are you afraid? Worried the Space-Time Temple's missions are too dangerous?" The voice remained detached. "You needn't worry about that. With your potential, I can directly promote you to Gold Token Divine Emissary within the Space-Time Temple. You'll have many privileges, and the chance of losing your life will be negligible."

Qie Qiong smiled faintly.

It seemed the Space-Time Temple was exactly as described in the original novel.

But that didn't matter. He hadn't planned to join the Space-Time Temple anyway.

"I still refuse," Qie Qiong said. "I have no intention of joining the Space-Time Temple."

The detached voice continued, "You've mastered the True Meaning of Extreme Point at such a young age. The Space-Time Temple has many powerful experts, countless resources, and countless treasures. I believe you'll soon be able to comprehend the Extreme Point Deity Heart even faster."

"And as for death, you needn't worry too much. The Space-Time Temple will do everything in its power to protect you. Even if you die, it will protect your soul and bring it back, then remake your body."

"Gold Token Divine Emissary?" Qie Qiong shook his head. "There's no need. At my cultivation speed, even if I were slower, it wouldn't take me long to cultivate the Extreme Point Deity Heart."

"Then I could become the lord of this Material World. What I need is time. As far as I know, your Space-Time Temple couldn't give me much time, could it?"

"For example, if I wanted to stay in this Material World until I refined the Material World, would you let me do that?"

"That won't do! You're young now; you've only lived a little over fifty years. This is the most important time for your development, and the best opportunity to comprehend the Extreme Point Deity Heart." The detached voice refused. "The earlier you cultivate, the more important time is! You mustn't waste it. Once you become a powerful expert in the Divine Realm, you can squander a million years as you please. But now, you must treasure every year! The Space-Time Temple's cultivation rules may grant Gold Token Divine Emissaries many privileges, but they cannot violate the most fundamental rules!"

"You should know that if you follow the Space-Time Temple's missions, you have a very good chance of becoming the fastest person in history to reach the First Firmament World Deity level."

"Besides, with your talent, as long as you don't fall, becoming a powerful expert will be a simple matter."

After all, even the least impressive record-holder among the four Firmament levels of World Deity, Manor Lord Flying Snow, was an extremely powerful expert.

The other two were even more remarkable.

"Sorry, but then there's nothing I can do." Qie Qiong shook his head. "As for becoming the fastest First Firmament World Deity, I have no interest in that."

Just as Qie Qiong was refusing the Space-Time Temple's artifact spirit,

at the central hall on Space-Time Island,

the hall looked no different from an ordinary hall in the mortal world when seen from outside.

Inside, however, it was like a small world.

In that small world, a black-haired man in black robes was cultivating.

This was the Space-Time Island Lord, one of the top ten existences in the Tianyu Cosmos, and the true master of the Space-Time Temple.

"Master."

A calm voice rang out in this world.

"What is it?"

The Space-Time Island Lord opened his eyes. He had given the order that unless one of the conditions he had set was triggered, the Space-Time Temple's artifact spirit was not to disturb him.

"Master, I've found a Grade One True Meaning Transcendent in a Material World."

The Space-Time Island Lord waited for the temple spirit to continue. An ordinary Grade One True Meaning Transcendent, though precious, would never have information about them brought to him.

After all, even those who became powerful experts were only the most ordinary kind, and a large proportion could only reach the Fourth Firmament World Deity level.

"Master, this Grade One True Meaning Transcendent is somewhat unusual," the Space-Time Temple's artifact spirit continued.

"Oh?" This piqued the Space-Time Island Lord's interest.

"This Transcendent is only a little over fifty years old, but he has already mastered the Second Level of the True Meaning of Extreme Point!"

At this, the Space-Time Island Lord's expression finally changed noticeably.

A Grade One True Meaning Transcendent at the Second Level in his fifties had every hope of becoming a First Firmament World Deity before the age of three hundred.

Back then, he, the Pantheon Head, and the Bloodshed God Emperor had all fought over "Qing Jun."

In the end, the Bloodshed God Emperor had been the most domineering and forceful, and was the one who took "Qing Jun" as his disciple.

But this Grade One True Meaning Transcendent had yet to comprehend a Deity Heart. Judging by his cultivation speed, however, he had a very good chance of doing so.

Back then, he had been the first to voluntarily back down. In the Space-Time Island Lord's eyes, that had been a great humiliation.

If he could take Qie Qiong as his disciple today, then when Qie Qiong emerged in the future, the Space-Time Island Lord could regain some face.

"Space-Time, does he have a record of his cultivation history?" the Space-Time Island Lord asked.

"Master, I only discovered him today, while observing the lower world. I detected the fluctuations as he fought a god's avatar."

"Then show me the— No, never mind. I'll do it myself." The Space-Time Island Lord was growing impatient himself.

Although the Space-Time Temple could also reverse time in a Material World, it was certainly not as fast as its creator.

The Space-Time Island Lord gazed into the distance.

An immense, surging might began forcing its way through countless barriers of space, forcibly piercing the barriers around the Material World.

"Whoosh~~~"

An invisible might descended upon the Azure Cloud World.

Qie Qiong's life unfolded before his eyes.

"Qie Qiong, born in the Cangyun Material World. At six, he achieved Unity of Man and Sword; at eleven, Unity of Heaven and Man; at twenty-four, he comprehended the True Meaning of Metal."

Up to this point, Qie Qiong's talent seemed merely average in the Space-Time Island Lord's eyes.

But what followed made the Space-Time Island Lord take notice.

"Ten years later, the True Meaning of Space. Twenty years after that, he had already mastered the Deity Heart of Space and the Second Level of the True Meaning of Extreme Point."

And in Qie Qiong's True Meaning of Space, he saw something unusual.

For an existence who ruled over space-time, distance and the Material World were no obstacle. A single thought was enough to cross them.

Qie Qiong had just finished refusing the Space-Time Temple's artifact spirit and hadn't yet had time to clear away the spoils of battle.

Suddenly, his entire body was enveloped by a fluctuation of space-time.

The next moment, he was in another world.

Looking at the black-haired man in black robes before him, Qie Qiong bowed without hesitation. "Greetings, senior."

The man was clearly right in front of him, yet in Qie Qiong's perception, the man's position seemed like a void.

To move him out of the Material World without giving him any chance to resist was beyond anything he could contend with. And if he wasn't mistaken, this person was none other than—

"Qie Qiong." A detached yet familiar voice sounded directly beside his ear. It was the voice of the Space-Time Temple's artifact spirit, the same one that had spoken to him earlier.

"Don't be alarmed. This is the core of the Space-Time Temple—Space-Time Island. The being before you is the creator of the Space-Time Temple, the great Space-Time Island Lord."

Sure enough, Qie Qiong had guessed correctly. Other than him, Qie Qiong couldn't think of anyone who would teleport him here after his conversation with the Space-Time Temple's artifact spirit.

"Greetings, Space-Time Island Lord." Qie Qiong bowed again.

"No need for formalities."

The Space-Time Island Lord's voice was very similar to the Space-Time Temple's artifact spirit's, and his tone was just as cold.

He continued, "Qie Qiong, you're quite impressive. Becoming a Grade One True Meaning Transcendent in your fifties makes you outstanding even in the history of the Divine Realm and the Abyss."

A Grade One True Meaning Transcendent in his fifties was already remarkable, and all the more so in an exceptionally barren Material World like the Cangyun Material World.

"I don't deserve such praise. I still have much to work on," Qie Qiong said, not following the Space-Time Island Lord's lead.

"No, you needn't be so modest." The Space-Time Island Lord shook his head. He had never been a modest person himself, so he didn't expect others to be particularly modest either.

"You comprehended the Second Level of the True Meaning of Extreme Point in your fifties. With the right guidance and resources, I believe you can break the record for becoming a First Firmament World Deity."

"Do you know that those who broke these records are now among the pinnacles of the Divine Realm and the Abyss?"

Qie Qiong shook his head slightly. "This junior does not know."

Of course Qie Qiong knew. But how could he, someone who hadn't entered the Divine Realm and came from a barren Material World, know about such things? So he could only pretend not to know.

"The fastest person in the history of the Divine Realm and the Abyss to become a Fourth Firmament World Deity is the great Space-Time Island Lord before you." The Space-Time Temple's artifact spirit spoke up to enlighten Qie Qiong. "Of the other three record-holders, one was so mad he had already perished, while the others had transcended."

"This junior wouldn't dare compare myself with you seniors," Qie Qiong continued. "May I ask why you sent me here? If you want me to become the so-called Gold Token Divine Emissary, please allow me to refuse."

"Mm."

The Space-Time Island Lord nodded, unsurprised by Qie Qiong's words. He merely said, "In that case, would you be willing to formally join the Space-Time Temple?"

"Formally join?" Qie Qiong was puzzled.

He really didn't know. Were reincarnators not formal members of the Space-Time Temple?

"Yes. Once you officially join, only First Firmament World Deities count as official members of the Space-Time Temple." The Space-Time Island Lord's voice remained cold. "There are too many Deities in the Divine Realm. At most, they can be considered Outer Members."

Qie Qiong nodded, indicating that he understood.

The original work said that the number of Deities in the Divine Realm was about equal to the number of mortals in the Material World, while the number of World Deities was about equal to the number of World Deities.

"Junior is willing to join." Qie Qiong said nothing more.

The Space-Time Island Lord had personally sent him here and spoken so much with him. If he refused, he feared something might happen to him.

After all, judging from the original work, although the Space-Time Island Lord was willing to fight for this universe,

that was only because the transformed universe could not sustain cultivators below the level of Void God. In that sense, he could be said to be doing it for himself.

Not to mention that now, the Space-Time Island Lord had disregarded his agreement with the other Rulers and sent Qie Qiong here. He was probably not someone who followed the rules.

Moreover, judging by the personality the Space-Time Island Lord had shown in the original work, he was already giving Qie Qiong plenty of face.

He might as well agree now, instead of making a fool of himself.

After all, even if Bloodshed God Emperor and the others found out later, so what? By then, he feared he would already be long gone.

Not to mention, Qie Qiong knew about the matter of the Mother Ancestor Religion. They couldn't possibly severely punish a Ruler over such a minor matter involving him.

"After joining the Space-Time Temple, you can carry out missions whenever you want. There's only one condition: become a First Firmament World Deity before you turn six hundred. Then you'll be my Personal Disciple." Seeing Qie Qiong agree, the Space-Time Island Lord made a promise as well. "Until then, you'll be my inner disciple. Are you willing?"

The Space-Time Island Lord's words startled Qie Qiong. A Personal Disciple?

No matter how inadequate the Space-Time Island Lord might be, he was still a Ruler.

And he was a Ruler of the Space-Time Dao. Although the spatial path in the "Golden Light" manual was powerful, it didn't look like a Dao at the Ruler level. After all, even he had nearly comprehended a tenth of it.

Besides, no matter how inadequate the Space-Time Ruler was in the original work, he was beyond reproach as a master. He was one of those who knew how to teach his disciples.

The Nine Yang Palace Master who appeared in the original work was proof enough.

Qie Qiong no longer bowed with his hands clasped. Instead, he bowed deeply to the Space-Time Island Lord. "This disciple pays his respects to Master."

Seeing Qie Qiong's manner, a smile finally appeared on the Space-Time Island Lord's face. "Good, good, good. If you succeed, you'll be my sixth Personal Disciple."

Among his Personal Disciples, only two had transcended. The other four were merely Fourth Firmament World Deities.

Of the two mighty experts, only Nine Yang had decent combat strength, but even he couldn't be of much use to the Space-Time Island Lord.

Only if he could teach a disciple like "Qing Jun" would he have someone to fight and work alongside in the Divine Realm and the Abyss in the future.