Chapter 1519: Ten Thousand Years, Yet Only Thirty

Jiang Ding cultivated daily, refined his sword, led major sect research projects, and also lectured for the sect's disciples, pondering his own sword arts—every day he was so busy he was practically flying, with almost no free time.

Fortunately, this kind of life was exactly what he loved, so there was nothing dreary about it.

Time drifted on, and before anyone realized it, three hundred years had passed.

Over those three hundred years, the Youming Realm had nearly become the sect's research and education center in the Ancient God Domain, with large numbers of the sect's Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, and Refining Void cultivators coming here to listen to the Great Sun Sword Master's lectures—especially those on the verge of Break Through Realm.

Their arrival further promoted the prosperity of the Youming Realm domain and further deepened mutual understanding between the cultivators of the Youming Sword Grotto-Heaven and the sect's cultivators.

The Grand Yin and Grand Yang sword cultivators of the Youming Sword Grotto-Heaven also began to participate in the sect's affairs.

Mainly responsible for suppressing rebellions in numerous Minor Thousand Worlds.

Their frontal combat power was very strong, and they also needed battle; they effectively supplemented the sect's strength on the frontal battlefield, providing an extremely safe output environment for the warships and warplanes behind.

As for the Great Sun sword cultivators, still growing under Yue's tutelage, in three hundred years only a single batch of Jin Dan cultivators had been born—not really fit for use.

Everything was developing in an orderly fashion.

The sect, as the hegemon of the world cluster, must of course be all-embracing, absorbing factions with all kinds of abilities and heritages in every field, to increase the diversity of immortal Dao techniques—this was very beneficial to the progress of immortal Dao techniques.

On this day, in the Dayang Dayang Tianchi Sun Abyss.

Jiang Ding sat cross-legged.

Around him, a group of sect cultivators sat upright—Soul Transformation, Nascent Soul, all present, and many Refining Void as well—listening attentively to the lecture, occasionally asking questions; tens of thousands asking at once was no more than a breeze brushing the face of the Great Sun Sword Master, there was no strain at all in handling it, even a single avatar would be enough, no need for the true body.

However, today it really was the true body.

This was extremely rare.

The Great Sun Sword Master was busy with cultivation; often, before one noticed, several hundred or thousand years would pass, and many Jin Dan and Nascent Soul cultivators might go their whole lives without ever getting the chance to meet the Great Sun Sword Master's true body, because this was merely a brief stretch of time in his life.

As for the reason, many Soul Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators glanced at the several Respected and Esteemed Soul Transformation elders in the crowd, and a great deal of envy welled up in their hearts.

Born in the wrong era…

If only I had been born ten thousand years earlier and met the young Great Sun Sword Master, by now Refining Void shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Of course, all of this was mere fantasy.

These several Soul Transformation elders were all cultivators of outstanding merit to the sect, having lived through the sect's humble and bitter years, having gone through who knows how many dangers; if they had truly been born in that dangerous and impoverished era of the sect, they might well have long since died and not lived to the present.

In that era, how many hundreds of millions of sect cultivators were there?

Yet now, only Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun and a very few other elders had survived to the present; countless citizens across the long sweep of history had died, among them no lack of prodigies and heroes.

"The Refining Void world is formed, rules are born; Teacher, your Refining Void world should be a world like ripples on water…"

"Can you understand this?"

Jiang Ding split off a portion of his divine soul's computing power, carefully explaining to Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun all the various points to note when advancing to Refining Void, pausing from time to time to repeatedly confirm whether Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun had truly understood.

"I understand, I really do."

"Why won't you just believe me?"

Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun said helplessly, smiling wryly: "When I taught you back then, I didn't keep asking over and over whether you'd understood. What's our relationship? Would I pretend to understand and not say so if I didn't?"

"That's different, Teacher."

"I was young back then; not understanding was just not understanding, at worst my grades suffered—but yours is a matter of life and death."

Jiang Ding said seriously: "We need to advance to Refining Void, live past thirty thousand years, and later become Dao Merging cultivators—we can't fall at the Soul Transformation stage."

For these goals, he did more than just lecture; he also applied to the Central Array Spirit Computer to repeatedly scan Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun and the others, tailoring a set of Tribulation Crossing methods for them, doing his utmost to let them survive.

Old friends, fewer and fewer.

He truly did not wish that, in the days to come, he would look back across the vast starry sky and find himself utterly alone.

"I'll do my best."

Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun sighed.

"Birth, aging, sickness, death—the natural order."

"Jiang Ding, you still need to take it more lightly."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng said comfortingly from the side: "As for Refining Void, the few of us brothers still have a good deal of confidence—after all, the conditions are excellent and we're plenty strong—but as for Dao Merging…"

"At that time, among us brothers, I'm afraid many will fall; the ones who truly advance might be one, or might be none."

"But it doesn't matter."

"We're already stronger than many people; don't be so greedy."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng had been comforting others, but in the end he let out a self-mocking laugh himself.

The natural order of the universe truly leaves one helpless.

"The Great Dao is long; all we can do is press forward with all our might."

Luling Canghai Tianjun said lightly.

"As long as we've done our best, that's enough…"

An Siyan and Jin Jin Lingfeng said firmly.

Silence fell around them for a moment.

A cultivator's longing for longevity runs through their entire life of cultivation—but who among them truly succeeds?

A reality like the moon in a mirror, flowers reflected in water.

"Then let's first take this step to Refining Void!"

"No need to overthink it

."

Jiang Ding felt a sting of sourness in his heart too, but showed none of it on his face, smiling: "Why must everyone be so pessimistic? This is completely wrong."

"It's only a little over nine thousand years old—is that really old?"

"Each realm is a different heaven; whether one is old or not is directly tied to realm."

"If everyone can advance to Refining Void, in actual fact they'd be under thirty years old—the prime of a person's strength, the beginning of a flourishing career. Among mortals, countless tycoons only began to rise at thirty; a young life, anything is possible."

"Why be so pessimistic?"

"For a Void Refining cultivator, this is still prime adulthood! Everything in the future is unknown and not yet set."

His voice was impassioned, full of power, stating a simple fact.

The future still holds infinite possibilities!

The crowd around him could not help but be infected, feeling their aged mindset recover some youth.

"That is true."

"Jiang Ding Zi, forever sixteen."

An Siyan thought of something and chuckled: "Calculating by the two hundred thousand year lifespan of a Heavenly Immortal, you are only five years old now, still a baby. People usually say you are sixteen, but actually it is a child pretending to be mature, full of longing for the world of adults, is that right?"

"Yes."

"Exactly, not a single mistake."

Jiang Ding said seriously.

"Hahaha..."

Master Master Dinghai, Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun, and others laughed heartily.

Amidst such joyful laughter, they gradually regained confidence in their Dao path, no longer viewing themselves as an old man on the verge of entering the coffin, but as a young person about to complete a new transformation.