Chapter 152: The Secret of the Spiritual Root, The Opportunity of the Celestial Pivot

"Inconceivable."

Gazing at the Daoist scripture in his hand, Lu Yang's expression grew increasingly astonished; it seemed this so-called Biyang Cultivation World was utterly vulnerable before a Foundation Establishment True Person.

Yet that was merely the surface.

By the simplest logic, how could a power incapable of resisting Foundation Establishment possibly occupy so many islands and territories in the lawless overseas regions?

Therefore, either the Biyang Cultivation World had a true Foundation Establishment True Person as its hidden backer, or its theoretical strongest, the Dao-Integration Great Cultivator, possessed means comparable to Foundation Establishment; otherwise, such a fertile ground teeming with talent would have been devoured and stripped clean long ago.

Even these considerations were secondary.

Having experienced the Dharma Refining Secret Realm, Lu Yang constantly reminded himself never to underestimate anyone, let alone a mature system.

Thus, he quickly noticed something more critical:

"Ancestor Qingting... a Nascent Soul Condensation Realm cultivator; the Nascent Soul he refined, as true qi, could indeed be considered superior quality."

Speaking strictly, it was even worthy of ranking Fifth Grade.

If Nascent Soul Condensation was already like this...

What if the realm was higher? There were three realms above Nascent Soul Condensation!

"Continuously purifying true qi; if Nascent Soul Condensation yields Fifth Grade, could Spirit Refining reach Fourth Grade? Could Void Return achieve Third Grade, and could Dao-Integration possibly attain Second Grade true qi?"

This was the crux.

The grade of true qi essentially determined a cultivator's future; below Seventh Grade, one had no hope of Foundation Establishment; below Third Grade, no hope of Golden Core; and without reaching First Grade, forming a Nascent Soul was impossible!

Second Grade true qi was barely acceptable.

Yet what if Dao-Integration was not the limit of the Biyang Cultivation World? If realms existed above Dao-Integration, could true qi ascend yet another level?

"First Grade true qi!?"

For a moment, Lu Yang was stunned by his own thought; First Grade true qi! A matter concerning the Nascent Soul—could such a minor overseas region possess such an opportunity?

Consider that even his Nine Transformations Dragon Art, created by a Golden Core True Person and a true art leading to the Fruit Position, refined true qi of only Third Grade; as for arts capable of refining Second Grade true qi, in eight lifetimes Lu Yang had never even caught a glimpse of one, as if they simply did not exist.

Let alone First Grade true qi!

Yet the next second, a look of confusion suddenly surfaced on Lu Yang's face: "That's not right; isn't the maximum lifespan for Qi Condensation Great Perfection merely one hundred and fifty years?"

In the Qi Condensation Realm, the heavenly lifespan is one hundred and fifty years!

This was merely theoretical; in reality, the vast majority of Qi Condensation cultivators never lived to one hundred and fifty, often dying at merely one hundred and twenty or thirty.

But what of the Biyang Cultivation World?

Logically, these people, from Qi Refining up to Dao-Integration, all fell within the scope of Qi Condensation Great Perfection; from where did their lifespans originate?

"Could purifying true qi extend life? Impossible."

"Moreover, this system of the Biyang Cultivation World, strictly speaking, refines the spiritual root, not the self; theoretically, it should not extend lifespan at all..."

Yet in reality, the cultivators of the Biyang Cultivation World lived very long lives, so long that even Lu Yang, a Foundation Establishment True Person, felt envious.

However, the structure of their lifespans was peculiar.

"Mortals live at most thirty or forty years, so they often marry in their teens, become grandfathers by thirty, and reaching forty is considered an auspicious omen."

"Qi Refining cultivators fare little better, with lifespans of only forty or fifty years."

"Foundation Establishment is slightly better, living to eighty; Core Formation to one hundred and twenty; Nascent Soul Condensation to two hundred; Spirit Refining to three hundred; Void Return to five hundred; and Dao-Integration to one thousand."

Inconceivable!

Upon reading this, Lu Yang nearly jumped up; a Qi Condensation cultivator could actually match the lifespan of a Golden Core True Person, and without even needing reincarnation!

But the next second, Lu Yang realized: "No, it's not that they don't need reincarnation, but that they cannot reincarnate; without true Foundation Establishment, the soul undergoes no qualitative change, so death is final death. As for why they can live so long, it must be because they do not need to endure the erosion of the Gales."

Yet something still felt off.

Avoiding the erosion of the Gales merely raised the upper limit of lifespan, but what of the lower limit? How did Qi Condensation cultivators extend their lifespans to a full thousand years?

Furthermore, the lifespans of mortals and low-realm cultivators were far too short.

The higher the realm, the greater the lifespan increase after breakthrough; between Void Return and Dao-Integration, it doubled directly, a difference akin to heaven and earth.

"If I consider this through the lens of the Holy Sect..."

Lu Yang's brows gradually relaxed, and he suddenly drew out a rootlet shimmering with lightning light; this was Liu Chi's mutated Lightning Spiritual Root, the foundation of cultivation.

Immediately after, Lu Yang summoned Lady Xiao to assist in the research.

Three days later.

"... ndeed, so it is!"

"What a remarkable spiritual root! A genius conception!" Pushing aside Lady Xiao, who had fainted from exhaustion, Lu Yang gazed intently at the spiritual root in his hand.

The spiritual root was the key to the lifespans of cultivators in the Biyang Cultivation World!

"Named 'spiritual root,' it is actually an absorber, capable of extracting the lifespans of mortals and even low-realm cultivators to replenish one's own depleted lifespan!"

Hence, the lifespans of mortals and low-realm cultivators were so short.

As for the thousand-year lifespan of Dao-Integration Great Cultivators, that was likely the upper limit of this world; without reincarnation, living beyond a thousand years was the extreme, impossible to exceed.

"In other words, this entire Biyang Cultivation World is a super pyramid, where the vast multitude of mortals use their lifespans to sustain the cultivators, then low-realm cultivators sustain high-realm ones, until finally, everyone together sustains the Dao-Integration Great Cultivators standing at the very peak..."

Picking bones clean and sucking the marrow—the style of the Holy Sect!

"However, judging by the characteristics of this cultivation system, this place should be related to the Innate True Person; yet the Innate True Person was not a disciple of the Holy Sect..."

Lu Yang flipped through the classics, finally stopping at a certain page.

"The War Against the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons?"

What the classic described was clearly the history of the Immortal Alliance's founding: Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons appeared out of nowhere, and the local cultivators united to finally repel them.

As he read on, Lu Yang's brows furrowed.

"After the war against the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons, the surviving local cultivators established the current Immortal Alliance, and their conduct gradually shifted to the current practice of picking bones clean and sucking the marrow."

"That doesn't seem right."

"Did the local cultivators truly win?"

A group of Qi Condensation Great Perfection cultivators could be wiped out by the appearance of a single Foundation Establishment True Person; what kind of weak Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons could be repelled by local cultivators?

"After winning, they established the Immortal Alliance... Could it be that the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons actually won, merely borrowing the shell and reputation of the local cultivators to facilitate a comprehensive transformation of the Biyang Cultivation World? And judging by the current Immortal Alliance system, this transformation has been highly successful..."

Commoners like Chen Xinghai worked for the Immortal Alliance their entire lives.

Cultivators like Lady Xiao and Ancestor Qingting, though possessing some freedom, were ultimately just higher-level laborers for the Immortal Alliance.

A complete pyramid structure.

Under the rule of the Immortal Alliance, iron laws stood like mountains...

In an instant, enlightenment struck Lu Yang; the Sky-Exploring Instrument in his brow spun rapidly, giving rise to a sudden realization: "Wu is Yang Earth; its qi is solid and heavy, residing in the center to attain orthodoxy."

"In spring and summer, the qi moves and retreats; in autumn and winter, the qi is still and contracts; it is the arbiter of all living things!"

"So that is it; this is my opportunity for breakthrough... The arbiter of all living things; the 【Zhu Wei】 I seek, the Celestial Pivot of Wu Earth, is hidden within this Immortal Alliance!"

The Celestial Pivots and Earthly Fiends, emanating from Qian and Kun, are sometimes not physical objects, but some metaphysical imagery.

Wu Earth is the arbiter of all living things, just as the Immortal Alliance is to the Biyang Cultivation World.

The Immortal Alliance was a great mountain pressing down upon the Biyang Cultivation World.

And this great mountain was the Wu Earth he sought!

Therefore, to extract this imagery transformed from the Celestial Pivot, one must either devise a way to overthrow the Immortal Alliance or replace it!

"No wonder they say Celestial Pivots and Earthly Fiends are hard to find..."

If they were merely simple treasures, how could so many people remain stuck at a minor realm of Foundation Establishment, unable to advance an inch? And how could the Holy Sect lack a stockpile of them?

"To seek Celestial Pivots and Earthly Fiends, one must first possess merit and karmic fortune, only then having the opportunity to encounter them. Secondly, one must have sufficient Daoist attainment; if attainment is lacking, even if the opportunity lies before your eyes, you will not discover it. Finally, one must have strength; insufficient strength will only result in turning to ash amidst the tribulations descending upon the Foundation Establishment realm..."

Just like this time for himself.

If his Daoist attainment had been insufficient, and he could not comprehend the principle that "Wu Earth is the arbiter of all living things," he would have been like a headless fly, seeking the Celestial Pivot in vain.

"The path of cultivation... is truly difficult at every step!"

Just as Lu Yang was sighing with emotion, a voice suddenly came from outside the Shenxiao Sect, accompanied by a spiritual sense descending from the heavens, locking directly onto him:

"May I ask if this is a high cultivator of the Holy Sect?"

"Fairy Piao Miao of the Immortal Alliance requests an audience."

(End of Chapter)