Chapter 390: The Immortal Realm, Great Primordial [Monthly Ticket Bonus, Request Monthly Tickets]

"Below Tongxuan, I'm invincible?"

Li Rui smiled and shook his head: "There are always people above people, mountains beyond mountains. I can't bear such a title."

"Brother Li, don't be so modest."

Nie Siming laughed heartily.

Today's battle felt utterly exhilarating.

He even felt that after this fight, what once would've taken three years to break through would now take only two.

The top man among the Xiantian.

It wasn't just flattery from him and Yuan Xiong—it was sincere.

Li Rui is truly strong.

Previously, it was always them two brothers fighting above their level; now they'd finally tasted the bitterness of being challenged by someone higher.

Li Rui had only recently broken through the Lianxin barrier.

But we've both already half-stepped into Lianshen—we'll break through soon, and after two more years of solidifying our foundation, we'll be genuine Upper-Tier cultivators.

Of course, we're not on the same level.

They naturally admired him.

They also understood that Li Rui's ferocity clearly came from inheriting He Qianian's external martial arts—his strength was only natural.

Pure external martial arts are a dead end.

Below Tongxuan, he holds overwhelming advantage in same-level combat.

Back in his day, He Qianian also dominated the Xiantian realm.

But once reaching the Upper Tier, things change drastically.

How can one man contend with heaven and earth?

Among the Upper Tier, warriors who specialize solely in external arts are few and far between.

Yuan Xiong chuckled: "Brother Li, my brother and I will break through in two years. When you enter Tongxuan, let's fight again."

Losing now doesn't mean I'll definitely lose.

The Upper Tier is entirely different from the realms before Xiantian.

In the world's martial rankings, there are many who were once weak but suddenly became ferocious after reaching Tongxuan.

It's because their path has changed completely.

Li Rui: "Fine, I'll work harder and try to keep up with you two younger brothers."

Three days later.

News came that Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong had broken through.

In the small courtyard of Qianhe Martial Arts Hall.

"Tsk tsk, truly, a tiger father has no dog son."

Now,

Yuan Dingting's eight adopted sons had all become Upper-Tier cultivators.

Truly terrifying.

He Qianian could only envy him.

It wasn't that his eye for disciples was worse than Yuan Dingting's—it was that his strength wasn't enough. Yuan Dingting could pick eight Upper-Tier disciples not because he had supernatural discernment, but because he himself was strong enough that those who became his adopted sons were already young dragons showing their fangs.

The rise was inevitable.

Li Rui also looked deeply moved:

"Indeed."

In the Annan Marquis's courtyard, Upper-Tier cultivators were terrifyingly numerous.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong had both broken through, yet had no intention of returning to the Annan Marquis's estate.

They still lived in Qinghe.

This was highly intriguing.

Not just Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong—even Zhou Dinghai, the Provincial Military Commander, still lounged leisurely in his command post with no plans to move.

Zhou Dinghai became Provincial Military Commander because of war.

Provincial Military Commander isn't a permanent post.

He was always the Fubo General; Provincial Military Commander was only a temporary appointment.

Now that the war is over, logically, if His Majesty has no intention to transfer him, Zhou Dinghai should return to Jiangnan and resume his role as Fubo General.

But in reality, Zhou Dinghai clearly intended to stay and not leave.

Thus,

The number of Upper-Tier cultivators in Qinghe City even surpassed that of some weak provinces.

With Yu and Wu now on friendly terms, such overwhelming power isn't even using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken—it's using a butcher's knife to kill a mosquito.

Li Rui recalled the rumors he'd heard.

Most likely, it's for that long-rumored sect.

He Qianian seemed to sense Li Rui's thoughts: "Don't dwell on those matters. How's your cultivation coming along?"

This was almost always the first thing he asked whenever he saw Li Rui.

Li Rui smiled faintly.

He said nothing.

Only raised his right hand and grasped the empty air.

He snatched a strand of light from the horizon!

He Qianian, seeing this, was overjoyed.

"Good! Excellent!"

This was a sign of the Great External Conditioning reaching completion.

According to his calculations, with this as a foundation, he might truly forge a Dao Embryo realm.

Completely satisfied!

He couldn't help but ask curiously: "Have you made further progress?"

Li Rui: "Almost there."

"Good lad."

He Qianian squinted and lay back down.

He knew his unofficial disciple's nature too well.

Too steady.

He never overpromised. Before, Li Rui gave his all; now he says "almost there"—that means a breakthrough is imminent.

'This disciple is truly low-maintenance.'

Which master wouldn't love a disciple who doesn't require fussing over yet achieves extraordinary results?

With the great war over and peace restored, trade between Yu and Wu grew even more frequent.

Qinghe had clearly become Yu's largest port.

To connoisseurs from the capital and Jiangnan seeking Wu's treasures, Qinghe's goods were the finest.

"Old brother."

Lin Lang sat beneath the Assistant Regional Commander's courtyard, chuckling: "Remember what I said? I always had the greatest faith in Qinghe—land of outstanding people and fertile soil."

Everyone knew Li Rui was now called the Qinghe Dragon.

Aside from Li Rui, no one else was worth mentioning.

"Land of outstanding people and fertile soil" was just subtle praise for Li Rui.

Li Rui: "It's your eye for opportunity, Brother Lin."

Lin Lang was now riding high.

While Qinghe was at war, he hadn't been idle.

He daily visited the mansions of powerful nobles and even established ties with Zhou Dinghai.

The Dingyuan Marquis had always been the patron of the Tianyuan Trading Association; Zhou Dinghai was his right-hand man—their relationship grew even closer.

As Qinghe continued to grow, the daily profits of Chunfeng Hall became staggering.

His status within the Tianyuan Trading Association soared.

He had no rivals for the next chairmanship!

All of this was inseparable from the little old man before him.

He was practically Lin Lang's lucky star.

He believed deeply in fate—Li Rui was his destined connection.

Besides fate, Li Rui was also a Fourth-Rank Assistant Regional Commander—his status was far from low.

Naturally, he must keep visiting.

Lin Lang beamed: "Old brother, I heard you're searching for the Seven-Star Stone—I've instructed my men to keep watch."

"Hey, guess what?"

"We actually found traces of it in the Eastern Sea."

As he spoke, he patted his chest: "Old brother, rest assured—I'll deliver the Seven-Star Stone straight to your door."

Li Rui's eyes lit up.

Although he now possesses a top-grade spiritual root, there is still room for improvement.

He simply lacks the celestial treasures recorded in the Ascension Scripture.

If it's about finding treasures, few in the entire world can rival the Tianyuan Trading Association.

"Since it's Brother Lin's heartfelt gift, I, your elder brother, shall not refuse your kindness."

Lin Lang: "We're brothers; it's only natural for the younger brother to think of the elder."

Liu Tiezhu glanced sideways at them.

If you didn't know better, you'd think these two were real brothers.

'Only the Master could do this.'

Liu Tiezhu grinned.

In today's Qinghe, who doesn't know his Master?

At the mention of Li Rui's name, even the old-timers of Qinghe would raise their thumbs and say, "A man of great ability!"

Before the white jade steps of the Grand Void Dao Hall.

"Oh, Brother Wu."

Li Rui had just opened his eyes when he saw a slightly chubby Daoist standing at the very top of the white jade steps.

His heart jolted.

At least with his current strength, he could never reach that height.

'Is Wu De a top-tier third-rank martial artist?'

But remembering the two previous flying swords, Wu De was indeed powerful.

Wu De turned his head and saw Li Rui.

He immediately grinned: "If it isn't Brother Zhu—truly a long time no see."

As he spoke, he floated upward effortlessly.

He arrived before Li Rui, levitating through empty air.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

'Such an exquisite technique.'

Just by this alone, most of the Tongxuan realm couldn't achieve such ease and grace.

Because Wu De didn't leap with his body—he moved entirely through true qi, entirely different.

Wu De landed.

Suddenly he let out a soft "Huh?" and began circling Li Rui, scanning him up and down.

A series of impressed "tsk-tsk" sounds came from his mouth.

"Eye-opening, truly eye-opening."

"I've seen many small primordials, but this is my first time seeing a great primordial."

"Remarkable."

Hearing Wu De's words, Li Rui frowned slightly.

Great primordial?

Primordial is primordial—what's this "great" primordial?

While Li Rui pondered, Wu De continued: "I never expected someone in this world would abandon the true path of cultivation and instead take this detour. Though all paths ultimately lead to the same destination, it's unnecessarily arduous and unprofitable."

Li Rui's heart stirred.

Cultivation?

He never imagined Wu De would say those two words so casually.

In an instant.

Li Rui seemed to grasp a possible truth.

His pupils contracted slightly; every hair on his body stood on end.

Perhaps Wu De isn't even from this world—he's from the cultivation realm!!

The cultivation realm.

Those three characters surfaced.

Li Rui's mind exploded like thunder. Wu De was very likely a cultivator from the cultivation realm!

His heart trembled.

But his face showed no change; he chuckled: "Brother Wu has sharp eyes—this is a secret technique passed down by my sect, quite different from what other cultivators use."

Wu De cleared his throat twice.

"Your sect is truly extraordinary."

He knew that in the Qingming Great Realm, many ancient, unfathomable forces still existed.

Their methods were far beyond his imagination.

One must always remember: beyond people stand greater people; beyond mountains rise higher mountains.

At first, he thought Li Rui was merely pretending to be a lone cultivator; now he realized Li Rui was clearly from one of those unknowable places, forbidden to reveal openly.

Wu De's eyes lit up.

Excellent!

!

His greatest joy was forging connections with cultivators across the world.

"Brother Zhu and I are truly destined to meet."

Li Rui saw Wu De's mouth stretching nearly to his ears.

His attitude had become noticeably warmer.

"Brother Zhu, you entered the Grand Void Dao Hall—was it aided by a senior from your sect?"

Wu De chuckled, rubbing his hands together.

Li Rui glanced sideways but said nothing.

He understood: Wu De had misunderstood.

He didn't correct him, but he also didn't speak.

After all, he knew nothing of the cultivation realm—speak too much, and you'll slip. Silence was safest.

Wu De was all too familiar with this look—like one staring at a dog.

Yes, yes, yes.

That's exactly it—the way heirs of mysterious lineages looked at others when walking the world.

Wu De became even more certain: Li Rui was an heir of some ancient lineage.

He raised his right palm and feigned slapping himself, smiling apologetically: "My apologies, I spoke out of turn—my fault, my fault."

A psychological gap had formed.

What followed became much simpler.

Li Rui took the dominant position.

Still, even with the advantage, he dared not ask too much—afraid of revealing his ignorance.

Wu De chuckled:

"I spoke foolishly just now—truly inappropriate. I see you cultivate the Great Primordial, and I happen to have something you might find useful."

As he spoke,

Wu De pointed into the air.

A line of golden characters appeared before Li Rui.

Seeing those characters,

Li Rui's eyes brightened.

It was an extremely advanced method for refining the spirit.

Seeing Li Rui's reaction, Wu De knew he'd chosen the right gift.

The technique was called the Divine Arrival Scripture.

He'd found it accidentally in the ruins of a great cultivator's cave—initially thrilled, believing he'd stumbled upon an ultimate immortal art.

But then he discovered:

It could only be cultivated by a Great Primordial cultivator.

He was stunned.

That's precisely why he'd recognized Li Rui as a Great Primordial at a glance.

In the cultivation realm, spying on another's secrets was an unforgivable, mortal offense.

If Li Rui were merely a common lone cultivator, he wouldn't care.

But if he were an heir of some mysterious sect, that was another matter entirely—the grudge couldn't wait until tomorrow.

This was the Grand Void Dao Hall—elixirs and magic treasures were illusions, impossible to carry out. Since he himself couldn't practice the Divine Arrival Scripture, it was better to give it away and forge a good connection.

Watching Li Rui's focused expression,

Wu De grinned: "Brother Zhu, I'm glad you like it."

"I'm known as the Treasure-Bringing Daoist—nothing else, just fond of giving away treasures and forging good connections."

He knew the grudge was surely settled.

Li Rui had extraordinary talent—he memorized the immortal art in mere moments.

The more he looked, the more his heart raced.

No wonder it was a celestial art from the cultivation world—it was truly extraordinary.

Fortune!

Wu De had done it casually, but for him, it was a great opportunity.

Pure profit!

He had long coveted those exiled immortals' arts, originally planning to trade the heretic's cultivation method for one with the imperial court—yet Wu De had gifted him a celestial art.

Truly an unexpected joy.

The golden characters vanished.

He burst into laughter: "Wu friend, from now on, you are my closest companion!"

Wu De's smile deepened: "Just a few trivial trinkets. If you ever come to Yuxiao City, don't forget to visit this humble Daoist."

"Of course, of course."

Li Rui nodded readily.

He had no chance to reach the cultivation world anyway.

Afterwards,

the two chatted warmly before the white jade steps.

After a full half-hour,

Wu De's form dissolved, and the Grand Void Dao Field returned to stillness—before the white jade steps, only Li Rui remained.

He gazed at the empty ground.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

Wu De was a person from the cultivation world—remarkable indeed.

After all, those exiled immortals came from the upper cultivation realm.

This time, he not only obtained the Divine Arrival Scripture, but also learned details about the cultivation world from Wu De—now he could handle the Immortal Uprising with greater ease.

'I wonder when I'll meet my friend Wu again.'

Li Rui stilled his thoughts.

He sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.

Cold morning light fell upon his face.

Li Rui sat up.

He did not rush to rise and wash; instead, he sat in quiet thought.

"Great Primordial."

That fat Wu De was dishonest—he mostly avoided the important points. Their exchange was full of evasion; hardly any crucial information was revealed.

But for Li Rui,

common knowledge about cultivators was vital.

Wu De still slipped out many useful details.

'In the cultivation world, cultivators typically train their bodies for only a few years; once they reach Primordial, they shift to Qi Refining and cultivate celestial arts—this is called Small Primordial.'

'Thus, cultivators' bodies are mostly frail; they prefer to fight with magic treasures.'

'My Great Primordial, according to Wu De, is still formidable in the cultivation world—once close enough, even cultivators cannot withstand it.'

Li Rui pondered.

The incantation of the Divine Arrival Scripture appeared in his mind.

'All paths of heaven and earth, all methods are interconnected. The Dao is primordial; the spirit naturally illuminates. I use Divine Arrival as illumination, to temper the later generations of martial artists—when the fist arrives, the spirit arrives.'

In the cultivation world, they also begin with martial training.

But not deeply.

They use spiritual elixirs to purge bodily impurities, then embark on the immortal path.

In this world, due to sparse spiritual energy, martial artists return to Primordial through true qi—though far harder than using elixirs, their combat power is incomparable.

Hence, it is called Great Primordial.

The great cultivator who wrote the Divine Arrival Scripture was one of the rare few in the cultivation world to reach Great Primordial.

As for the ultimate realm he attained, the Divine Arrival Scripture did not mention.

'By cultivating the Divine Arrival Scripture, one's spirit can reach parity with heaven and earth, and spontaneously open a small realm.'

'This bears resemblance to Great Hardening.'

Practicing Great Hardening and the Divine Arrival Scripture together would yield a unique flavor.

Li Rui silently sighed in regret.

He Keqian was a man of great talent, but his innate constitution limited him—he could never reach the highest heights.

"Nie younger brother, what brings you here?"

Li Rui stared in surprise at Nie Siming.

Nie Siming had recently broken through; after his spiritual soul reached perfect completion, he looked even more heroic, radiating overwhelming pressure.

After perfecting the Spiritual Refining realm, he merely needed to consolidate.

Then he could enter the Profound Mystery realm.

Nie Siming was now a confirmed top-tier strength, his power surging daily.

Nie Siming's expression was grave.

Li Rui's smile faded; he immediately led Nie Siming into the courtyard.

"Has something happened?"

Nie Siming finally spoke: "Big Brother Li, have you angered someone?"

At these words,

Li Rui was puzzled: "Why would you say that, younger brother Nie?"

Nie Siming: "I have some brothers in the black market. Some fool dared to put a bounty on your head—some idiot actually took it. I had my men snap his neck."

Black market?

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

The black market Nie Siming meant was not the one in Qinghe County.

Who dared put a bounty on him?

Only the black market buried deepest in the northwestern desert.

This market was not that market—it dealt only in heads, the largest assassin organization in the world.

"Black market" was merely a cover name.

Rumor had it that if the bounty was high enough, even the Emperor himself could be assassinated.

Of course, that was pure exaggeration.

But the black market's capabilities were indeed formidable.

Nie Siming had spent most of his life in the northwestern frontier army; having connections there was not surprising.

Li Rui bowed: "Thank you, younger brother Nie."

Nie Siming waved his hand: "Big Brother Li, I've already traced the bounty's origin—it's a remnant of the Purple Gold Palace. Truly deserving of death."

A flash of killing intent crossed his eyes.

Li Rui grew solemn.

Though the Purple Gold Palace was destroyed, many of its elite still escaped into the depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Many of these Purple Gold Palace remnants fled to the western desert.

Clearly, Li Rui was one of their targets.

But why was he singled out so specifically?

Many powerful figures contributed to that battle; Li Rui merely followed at the end, cleaning up the battlefield—there was no reason for such obsession with him.

'Strange.'

(End of Chapter)