Chapter 374: Perfection

Ninth Dao Academy, Rear Mountain.

The lone peak's summit, the entrance to the Chaos Grotto-Heaven still hovered silently. But now, Wang Ping had stepped out of the grotto-heaven, standing on the platform at the peak's summit, looking down upon the myriad miles of mountains and rivers.

Sunlight poured down, the cloud sea surged.

Three years ago, when he entered the grotto-heaven, he was covered in wounds, his heart holding the smile of the Mountain-Moving Patriarch, and holding the bone-deep hatred for the Pure World Court. Three years later, he walked out of the grotto-heaven, his injuries fully healed, his cultivation greatly advanced, but those hatreds, those responsibilities, still weighed on his heart.

But now, he has greater strength to bear them.

"Not bad aura."

An aged yet gentle voice came from behind him.

Wang Ping turned and saw Jiang Mingyuan already standing three feet behind him, though he hadn't noticed when he arrived. This Unity Stage expert wore a gray-white Dao robe, his hair and beard all white, his face gaunt, looking like an ordinary old villager from the countryside. But his eyes were like two sheets of chaos star sea, deep enough that one dared not meet his gaze.

"Martial Uncle." Wang Ping bowed in salute.

Jiang Mingyuan waved a hand, carefully sizing him up, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"Nascent Soul Great Completion, with a foundation extraordinarily solid—I have never seen such in my life. The Way of Chaos is indeed extraordinary."

He paused, then added: "Moreover, you still have an aura… that I cannot see through. It is not chaos, not the five phases, not those laws… what is it?"

Wang Ping fell silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Primordial Chaos Source."

Jiang Mingyuan's pupils contracted slightly.

"You have fused the Primordial Chaos Source?"

Wang Ping nodded: "In the Law Corridor, the remnant of the Myriad Phenomena Stargazers bestowed upon me a thread of the purest Primordial Chaos Source. After three years of secluded cultivation, I have completely integrated it into the Chaos system."

Jiang Mingyuan gazed at him for a long while, then let out a soft sigh.

"Child, do you know what the Primordial Chaos Source is?"

"I do." Wang Ping's voice calm: "It is the most primal force of chaos that separated when chaos first opened, the source of all possibilities, and also the existence that the Pure World Court wishes to completely erase."

Jiang Mingyuan nodded, a flicker of complex emotion crossing his eyes.

"Thirty thousand years ago, I once saw cultivators corrupted by the Primordial Chaos Source. It was madness…… they lost themselves, lost reason, left only craving for 'chaos'. In the end, I had to personally send them on their way."

He looked at Wang Ping, his eyes deep as the sea.

"But you are different. You have not gone mad, nor lost yourself. Your Dao heart is more tenacious than I imagined."

Wang Ping whispered: "Because my Dao is chaos itself. Chaos embraces all things; order and disorder both reside within it. The Primordial Chaos Source is merely a part of my Dao, not the whole."

Jiang Mingyuan smiled.

That smile was relieved and proud.

"Good. Good 'Chaos embraces all things.' Ping'er, you have grown up."

He turned his body, gazing toward the distant cloud sea.

"Come, let's return to the academy with me and talk in detail about your gains in the Law Corridor."

Ninth Dao Academy, Dean's Quiet Chamber.

This quiet chamber lies deep within the Dao Academy, surrounded by layer upon layer of formations that block all probing. Even the divine sense of a Spirit Transformation cultivator cannot penetrate its defenses.

Jiang Mingyuan sat cross-legged on the futon, Wang Ping sitting opposite him.

"Speak." Jiang Mingyuan said, "From the moment you entered the corridor, tell me everything, great and small."

Wang Ping nodded and began his narration.

From the three-day wait before entering the corridor, to the difficulty of traversing the Law Wilderness; from the fierce battle with the three transformed guardians, to the shock of entering the Core Hall; from the appearance of the Myriad Phenomena Stargazers' remnant, to the gift of that clump of "Primordial Chaos Source"; from the joy of discovering the Star Map Jade Tablet, to the astonishment at deciphering those ancient characters; from the path of life bought by the Mountain-Moving Patriarch with his life, to the desperate situation of three Spirit Transformation pursuers; from Jiang Haiyun's interventional palm strike crossing realms, to the Silver-Robed Leader's sacrifice of the Boundary-Breaking Void Escape Shuttle to flee……

He spoke for a long time.

Jiang Mingyuan listened silently, not uttering a word.

When Wang Ping spoke of the Myriad Phenomena Stargazers' remnant recounting the origin of the Pure World Court, the evolution of its ideology, and that internal schism, Jiang Mingyuan's expression grew grave.

When Wang Ping spoke of the silver-gray "Observation Posts," "Order Bulwarks," and "Cleansing Records" on the star chart, Jiang Mingyuan's brows knit tightly.

When Wang Ping spoke of the area marked "Primordial Chaos Sea — suspected source of chaos — observation interrupted," a glint flashed in Jiang Mingyuan's eyes.

When Wang Ping spoke of the Mountain-Moving Patriarch's final smile, and that utterance "Brother, take care," this Unity Stage expert also fell silent for a long while.

After finishing, Wang Ping took out the projection of that jade tablet, and the star chart copy he had personally traced, presenting them with both hands.

"Martial Uncle, this is all we brought back."

Jiang Mingyuan accepted it, extending his divine sense into it.

After a long while, he set down the jade tablet and exhaled a long breath.

"Stupendous." He murmured, "Stupendous. The Myriad Phenomena Stargazers… I had once heard of this ancient primeval civilization; I only knew they had vanished suddenly, never imagining they were destroyed by the Pure World Court's hand."

He looked at Wang Ping, his eyes full of complex emotion.

"Child, do you know how important the information you brought back is?"

Wang Ping thought, then slowly said: "At least, it lets the Spirit Realm know the truth of the Pure World Court, know its sphere of influence, and know what it might do next."

"Not only that." Jiang Mingyuan shook his head, "This information is enough to change the fate of the entire Spirit Realm. The 'friendly' and 'neutral' civilizations marked on the star chart, those forces we could contact—if we can unite them, we can form a force capable of opposing the Pure World Court. And those law informations……"

He paused, a flicker of fervor flashing in his eyes.

"Those law informations are enough to enable Spirit Realm cultivators, within a hundred years, to collectively advance a major realm. The Spirit Transformation stage will no longer be the privilege of a few."

Wang Ping startled.

He only knew these informations were precious, but never imagined they were precious to this extent.

Jiang Mingyuan looked at his expression and gave a faint smile.

"Child, you do not understand. The Law Imprint Jade Tablet is a legendary item. In ancient times, a cultivator who comprehended a single Law Crystal could step from Nascent Soul into Spirit Transformation. And what you have brought back are three thousand six hundred pieces."

Three thousand six hundred pieces.

This number, Wang Ping had heard once before, but only now, hearing it from Jiang Mingyuan's mouth, did he truly grasp its weight.

"Therefore," Jiang Mingyuan looked at him, eyes deep, "you and your companions have already established an unsurpassed merit for the Spirit Realm. This achievement is enough for you to leave a vivid, bold stroke in the Spirit Realm's history."

Wang Ping fell silent for a moment, then whispered: "Disciple seeks none of those. Disciple only wishes… to avenge the Mountain-Moving predecessor, to protect those I wish to protect, and to prevent the Pure World Court's schemes from succeeding."

Jiang Mingyuan looked at him, and the satisfaction in his eyes grew deeper.

"Good. This is truly my disciple."

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the sky outside.