"From lowest to highest, a cultivator's stages of realm are: Peak Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Void Integration, Integration Stage, Great Tribulation, and Tribulation Transcendence."
"Peak Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core are collectively known as the lower three realms; Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Void Integration are collectively known as the middle three realms; Integration Stage, Great Tribulation, and Tribulation Transcendence are collectively known as the upper three realms."
"Aside from the lower three realms, where advancing stages requires no tribulation, the heavenly tribulations hereafter must be carefully accumulated and prepared for. Otherwise, the slightest carelessness will result in utter annihilation, leaving no room for regret."
"Spiritual beasts are also divided into nine grades, corresponding to the nine realms of cultivators. However, as Young Friend Yan has explained to me before, Qingshu, though your previous form was that of a spiritual beast, your beastly physique was congenitally flawed, yet by a twist of fate you achieved human form early, shedding your beastly shell to walk the path of a beast cultivator."
"The difference between spiritual beasts and beast cultivators lies in the fact that spiritual beasts focus more on the evolution of their own bloodlines, fighting with formidable beastly bodies. Beast cultivators, on the other hand, retread the human cultivation system after taking human form, practicing human techniques, which is why they are called beast cultivators."
"There is no superiority or inferiority between the two; they simply have their respective strengths. If Qingshu wishes to transform back into a beastly form, perhaps a way can be found upon reaching the Integration Stage. In the past, there was a Great Tribulation beast cultivator who managed to master both paths... But these matters are still too far off for you, let us not speak of them for now."
Watching Qingshu listen attentively without a trace of distraction, Meng Chunqiu stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction.
"Young Friend Yan said he has already found a suitable cultivation technique for you, so I need not worry about that. As for the inheritances of Meng Family Academy, I cannot impart them privately, but I can teach you some combat skills and pass down a few of my signature techniques."
"First..."
...
"First of all, can you please eat your meal properly?"
Yan Xiaosan glared at Mu Jian, who was staring fixedly at him even while drinking congee across the table.
Ever since Qingshu had been mobbed that day, Meng Chunqiu had made the executive decision that after he finished teaching Qingshu, he would take Qingshu to visit other academies.
Though he called it a visit, judging by the attitude of those academy masters, if Qingshu possessed good talent, he would certainly learn a great deal.
Meng Yanzhuo had quietly told him that those old men were probably bored stiff in the Penglai Realm and were eager to hold grandchildren. Usually, most of the people they saw were arrogant young whelps who couldn't fart a single word even after being beaten with three sticks.
A personality like Meng Haize's was a rarity in the Penglai Realm.
Oh, speaking of Meng Haize, ever since his heavenly tribulation that day, he had remained at the academy to recuperate. It would probably take a while for him to fully recover; having accumulated power for so many years, his breakthrough, once triggered, certainly wouldn't stop at the Early Nascent Soul.
So right now, whenever he looked at Mu Jian, he was guaranteed to meet this fellow's gaze.
Damn it, this clinging, suffocating attachment.
"I am eating properly." Mu Jian looked at Yan Xiaosan and replied.
Yan Xiaosan: "......"
A thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately rearranged his expression. Lowering his eyes with a look of disappointment, moisture welling up in his eye sockets, he imitated the persona of a fragile white lotus from his memories of his past life, and spoke in a weak voice.
"Perhaps my cooking is too unpalatable, making it hard for you to swallow, so you can only keep staring at me. It's all my fault."
Mu Jian, sitting across from him, instantly panicked and became flustered. He hurriedly lowered his head, grabbed his spoon, and shoveled down several mouthfuls in a row. Then, feeling it was still too slow, he picked up the bowl, tilted his head back, and gulped it down ravenously, finishing the whole thing in two massive gulps before thrusting the bowl in front of Yan Xiaosan as proof.
"It's delicious, it really is delicious! It's my fault, don't blame yourself, it's all my fault, only my fault! I... I next time......"
By the end, he was so flustered he couldn't even finish his sentence, yet he still wanted to keep watching next time...
Seeing him like this, Yan Xiaosan found it rather novel and decided to keep acting: "Really, Brother Mu?"
Mu Jian's chaotic thoughts were completely blasted away by that "Brother Mu". His hands and feet felt numb as if struck by a muscle-relaxing powder, and his ears turned beet red as his heart hammered violently.
Was... was he... calling him that?
Fearing that if he kept acting, Mu Jian, now red as a tomato, would actually explode, Yan Xiaosan burst out laughing.
He found this novel side of Mu Jian utterly adorable.
Looking at Yan Xiaosan laughing heartily before him, Mu Jian, realizing he had been played, scratched the back of his head in a daze, and as the laughter rang out, his own mouth split into a grin, letting out a couple of "hehes" to echo Yan Xiaosan's hearty laughter.
The gentle breeze blew, unwilling to disturb this scene.
Li Xinghuai brushed away a fallen leaf that had landed in his hair and lowered his head, awaiting the response of the Divine Miracle Guardian.
"You mean, a time-limited mystic realm has opened inside the Divine Miracle, and we must gather five thousand people within five hours to open it, otherwise it will vanish once the time passes."
"All who enter the realm will have their projections copied to participate in the trial, and their cultivation will be suppressed to Peak Qi Condensation. The death of a projection means failure and withdrawal from the trial, causing no actual casualties?"
"Correct," Li Xinghuai added. "Among the group that discovered the mystic realm, my speed was the fastest, so I brought the information back to the Exalted One for a final decision."
The Divine Miracle Guardian rapidly weighed the pros and cons. Every time the Divine Miracle was opened to send people inside, it consumed a significant amount of resources. To maintain a passage large enough for several thousand people to enter and exit this time would require a massive expenditure of resources.
More importantly, without a shred of competence, dying inside would simply waste the resources the academy had poured into cultivating them.
"What feeling does that mystic realm give you?"
He had to weigh the gains and losses; was this mystic realm truly worth it?
"Compared to every mystic realm I have explored in the past, it gives me the most peculiar feeling."
Li Xinghuai answered truthfully. Ever since he left, he had been worrying that this mystic realm might suddenly "swoosh" away.
"How long did it take you to travel from the location of the mystic realm to the exit of the Divine Miracle?"
"A little under half an hour. At average speed for the same realm, it would probably take about an hour."
The Divine Miracle Guardian understood. Although the maps explored by various academies were not entirely identical, most of their routes shared common ground. Leaving behind an instruction to wait right there, he hurried off to contact the elders of the various academies.
After a round of discussions, they estimated that the number of students willing to participate in the mystic realm trial would be around two thousand, as some students in seclusion or with other plans would not partake.
"It doesn't have to be restricted to students. Pass down my order: make the news of the mystic realm public. Guards and handymen in the Penglai Realm who meet the requirements may all participate. Inform them of the risks—even though this mystic realm will not cause casualties, the journey to reach it is perilous. Let them make their own choice."
"The required resources will be shared equally among the various families and academies. I know that over the years, you academies have harbored complaints about the difficulty of the Divine Miracle trials, and many geniuses in your eyes never manage to obtain a Divine Miracle Token, missing their chance at the Divine Miracle."
"This time, I am giving you a chance. Gather the resources and send as many people in as you wish. Do not pin anyone's future demise on us afterwards."
The academies immediately spread the word.
In an instant, everyone who received the news rushed toward the Divine Miracle at the fastest speed of their lives.
The handymen felt the strongest surge of emotion.
Immortal cultivation was already an act of defying the heavens; their talent was lacking, and their opportunities were few. For the first time in history, the Divine Miracle was open to everyone. To them, even if they might die on the road, they had to walk this path to ascend to the heavens.
And who knew who might be lucky enough to become the one who stood out above the rest.