Chapter 105

I don't know you... Wait, what am I doing here?

Lingbao Tianzun muttered as if in a dream, his face blank, and with a step he was about to sleepwalk away.

I still need to go back and take on my disciple—Xiao Duobao's training has reached a crucial stage.

No cheating, starting with me!

But Yuchen wasn't happy.

Hey, don't pretend you have selective amnesia... Yuchen grabbed his collar, "If it weren't unavoidable, who would resort to such despicable tactics?"

Who wouldn't want the feeling of conquering the world on your own?

Or, if we all compete on fair terms, I wouldn't have any objections—I'm confident I'm not inferior to anyone.

I can accept either losing or winning.

But I want fair competition, and those opponents don't! Yuchen said sadly, "This isn't something that can be solved by effort alone."

Look at Chiming—he works so hard!

As soon as the Wu Clan's server launched and the beta test began, they joined in... Then they earnestly battled monsters and cleared stages, constantly on edge, one person with one sword, sweeping through the entire Wu Clan, becoming the sword king among the young Wu.

And then?

Put him in the midst of all fields combined into a contest, what is he! Yuzhen felt bitter in his heart, a sympathetic sorrow, "He truly relied on his own insight to comprehend from scratch a sword technique matching his own strength—could he go up against that 'Nine Axes of Opening Heaven'? Or fight someone's 'Three Thousand Great Dao'? Or perhaps challenge 'Honghuang is my home'? And with the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array glaringly set up, onlookers feel a chill down their spines."

Sorrow, already flowing back like a river.

These guys, each one more unscrupulous than the last…… but!

Yuzhen painfully shook his head, closed his eyes, "If only light were just like this."

Everyone deep down knows what's going on…… nothing more than the backstage player investing and raising the stakes, no big deal.

But the problem is…… the guy seen with one's own eyes really tests people's hearts!

Without cheats, I'd be getting pressed to the ground and hammered…… luckily I once tricked him, so he has a bigger psychological shadow." Yuzhen complained, "Otherwise, if he challenged me with an innate spiritual treasure, I'd be lost in no time!"

The situation is this urgent, we can no longer delay……" Yuzhen sighed long, "Grant the authority!"

Unlimited cheat loading rights!

Lingbao Tianzun remained silent.

After a moment, the Tianzun said faintly, "This isn't good…"

One can't, just because others are scrambling at the bottom of integrity, lower my own limit to their level in order to fight them……

This is my insistence." Lingbao slowly shook his head, "Whether it's you or Chimi, I can grant you the strongest qualities and insight, standing at the peak…… glance at the sun and you'll comprehend a hint of pure yang ultimate truth; glance at the earth and you'll understand three parts of virtue bearing all things……

But that's all there is to it.

Just giving a high starting point at birth, not altering data later…… now you want me to break this limit?

If this gets out, my lifetime reputation will be ruined in an instant!

Lingbao Tianzun sighed.

This matter is not easy to handle.

He treasures his reputation, unwilling and unwilling to do such an unscrupulous thing.

After all, Lingbao is not a lone wanderer who can do as he pleases.

He is the leader of a sect, and moreover the leader whose disciples and grand-disciples fill Honghuang.

Not to mention grand-disciples, the disciples directly acknowledged and recorded in the genealogy number over ten thousand!

As for the auditors, needless to say.

Peach and plum fill the world!

Lingbao Tianzun's contribution to education ranks among the top three in this era throughout Honghuang.

Having brought his teaching career to this point, how could this teacher not be scrupulous?

One must set an example as a teacher!

Regardless of whether his disciples are good or bad, causing harm abroad…… but as the source, he cannot lead the spread of bad things; he must lead by example.

"Eh!" Yuzhen, nonchalant, dismissed his words, "What reputation are you still worrying about!"

That sounds as if you cared, and then the reputation would improve.

The Three Pure Ones, aren't they always synonymous with cheat users according to rumor?

What are you saying? I allow you to reorganize your words." Lingbao Tianzun took a deep breath, his gaze at Yuzhen turning dangerous.

This isn't me making things up." Yuzhen spread his hands, shrugged, "In legend, the Three Pure Ones are transformations of Pangu's primal spirit, endowed with boundless merit; if one establishes a teaching and draws forth that merit, one can become a saint instantly."

I was thinking, isn't this just indirectly scolding, saying you three are using a reincarnation cheat?

In the rumors, there's a huge mockery of 'Give me this condition and I could do it too'……" Yuzhen sighed long and short, "Those guys all turn a blind eye deliberately—even if a Daluo can reverse cause and effect, beforehand who hasn't struggled hard, beaten countless rivals, and risen to the top?"

In this world, no one is ever born noble from the start.

Even reversing cause and effect requires a fruit earned through effort to invert. Moreover, even if reversing cause and effect succeeds, when the order is restored later without effort…… that fruit won't disappear, but will only appear very late.

Just like attaining the Dao as a Daluo…… this kind of ultimate Dao fruit, once verified, forever verified, once achieved, forever achieved, once attained, never falls.

But aren't a Daluo with self-awareness and an innate spiritual treasure also Daluos?

If you don't put in some effort, others might scheme against you and turn you directly into an innate spiritual treasure—who do you go to reason with?

Yuzhen, full of arguments, complained to Lingbao Tianzun—this world is too terrifying!

This effect was outstanding; the Tianzun's attitude visibly softened, and he began to consider carefully.

So, just lift the ban and grant me cheat authority?

Those defeated underlings, slandering your good name randomly, claim you have that great merit only because you cheat…… and the key is the origin of that merit, which is also hard to explain outwardly.

Since that's the case, why not comply with their wishes?" Yuzhen, murderous intent rising, "Just tell them bluntly, what's it matter if we cheat? If you've got the guts, bite us! Go report us!"

Let's see who would accept their complaint? Who dares to accept it?

A bunch of defeated underlings, how would they know the origin of this great merit and Pangu's primal spirit imprint, hiding what kind of tremendous terrifying transaction?" Yuzhen fumed, "This money is scorching hot to hold…… we've been walking a tightrope, who knows when we might fall."

The situation has come to this point; why do you still care so much?

The final questioning and doubt plunged this hall into a very long, very long silence.

After a long while, Lingbao Tianzun let out a sigh.

"No need to say more…… My mind is set." The venerable's eyes were deep: "I am an innate god who upholds principles; giving my own people cheats, privately transmitting things…… I will not do that, no matter what."

Saying this, he stretched out a hand, tapped Yuchen's head three times, then tapped his right shoulder five times, each tap heavier than the last, with a rhythmic feel: "You must hold to your bottom line…… and also believe in your own talent."

"You are not as good as those people now, only because your talent hasn't been fully tapped…… Otherwise, in a peak battle, who would win or lose is still unknown! And given the vastness of Honghuang, who knows where such a place might be!"

"……"

Yuchen first froze, his eyes filled with confusion; then the confusion quickly faded, turning into understanding, a flicker of joy passing through.

Then the joy instantly vanished, as if nothing had happened, his tone sorrowful and heavy yet mixed with unyielding fighting spirit: "All right…… I understand."

"Even if I cannot freely give cheats like those people, I still have a strong, never‑yielding heart……"

"I will seek, I will strive, study and ask questions, to find a platform that will let me transform and ascend……"

"One day I will tell them with iron‑clad facts—giving cheats is not omnipotent!"

"Excellent!" Lingbao Tianzun's face broke into a smile: "You have finally understood."

"I will wait for the day you blossom in brilliance."

……

Meanwhile, Fengxi was still socializing.

"Senior Brother Guang Cheng, how many ethnic groups are there on Kunlun Mountain?"

He spoke indirectly, preparing for his future work.

"As for the number of ethnic groups…… I'm not really sure, because it's impossible to count, cannot be counted。」 Guang Chengzi shook his head: "The verifiable history of Kunlun Mountain is already unimaginably long……"

"When heaven and earth first opened and Pangu transformed into all things, Kunlun Mountain already appeared, and it has continued to this day."

"As for how long this has lasted, how many ethnic groups have reproduced—aside from the three elders, no one can say for sure."

"Even if we don't mention Kunlun, the historical records of my Daoist sect already go back hundreds of millions of years…… although back then they also taught the Dao, it wasn't called the Daoist sect, and during the Dragon‑Phoenix Great Tribulation it wasn't particularly prominent."

"Oh?" Fengxi rose in reverence: "Did the Three Pure Ones' venerables already teach the Dao back then? Unbelievable!"

"I thought you lot were the first batch of students!"

"How could that be?" Guang Chengzi said dumbfounded: "At most we are the first batch of inheritors after the Dragon‑Phoenix Great Tribulation ended and the new era began……"

"Then…… I don't know about those ancient era senior brothers……" Fengxi asked puzzled: "Where are they?"

"I don't know that either……" Guang Chengzi shook his head: "When I once sorted the sect's classics and looked up materials, I found that the records of student names from the previous era had been erased, leaving only introductions to the geography and culture around Kunlun."

"I once asked my master about the reason, but he just shook his head and said that back then the demonic calamity was fierce, batches of innate gods died, and even the Three Pure Ones joining forces could barely protect themselves."

"Even preserving oneself is hard, let alone disciples—those who haven't reached Daluo, facing the sweeping demonic calamity of Honghuang, are almost certain to die utterly…… Even if some senior brother attained Daluo, they would wither in the calamity, lost to my decline." Guang Cheng let out a light sigh, his tone not very emotional: "My master said it was all because the demon ancestor Luohou acted so recklessly, persecuting all the innate gods and Daluo Supremes of Honghuang to the limit, which led to the Dao Ancestor Hongjun's one‑call‑thousand‑response."

"The living innate gods fought desperately, even the innate treasures formed from deceased Daluo beings fought desperately, together striking Luohou!"

"After all this, we barely won…… After the battle, the innate gods mostly slept and healed, while those innate treasures were entrusted to Hongjun, asking this Dao Ancestor to expend effort, using the Heavenly Dao's power to nurture and care for them, to see if they could recover and awaken."

"The three elders are the same…… My master said, recalling the past is unbearable, the heart feels very sorrowful and cold, he sealed off that history so that later generations wouldn't add to the fear."

"So that's how it is." Fengxi was moved; the hidden history behind this is even vaster than he imagined: "The three elders should mourn."

"Hmm, I think so too." Guang Chengzi nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his face: "But things should soon turn around."

"Not long ago, the three elders went together to attend the conference convened by Dao Ancestor Hongjun at the the Zixiao Palace…… After returning, the worry that had always been on their masters' faces faded considerably."

"I think it's probably because the Dao Ancestor's nurturing of the innate treasures is nearly complete, allowing some senior brothers from the previous era to return, right?"

"Innate treasures……" Fengxi raised his eyebrows, suddenly realizing: "Could it really be that we're going to have a distribution of treasures at the the Zixiao Palace?"

"Tsk…… If that's the case, no wonder the Three Pure Ones are all sitting on piles of innate treasures, huge rich men."

"It seems those treasures might each be disciples of our own from the previous era, who once painstakingly brought them to greatness…… What is this called?"

"Plant one grain of millet in spring, harvest ten thousand seeds in autumn?"

"If I have no innate treasures, will I just make them myself?"

Think of the Divine Pearl of Calming the Sea, think of the Mixed Yuan Golden Cauldron, think…… the glorious names of those innate treasures—what kind of wealth is that?

And what a terrifying force that is!

Fengxi's mind turned with off‑key thoughts: "Looking at it this way, the foundation of the Mysterious Gate under the control of the Three Pure Ones' venerables is even deeper and more unfathomable than I imagined."

"What's revealed now is just the tip of the iceberg…… At peak strength, the number of Daluo beings might be dozens or even over a hundred."

"No wonder, after the Lich Great Tribulation ended, they could run rampant, unstoppable…… From the Dragon‑Phoenix Great Tribulation, through the Lich Great Tribulation, across two long eras of silent farming, cultivation never ceased……"

"Such terrifying patience—no wonder they have become the orthodox of heaven and earth in the realm of thought!"

Three Pure Ones…… Mysterious Gate…… terrifying!

After learning some secrets revealed by Guang Chengzi, Fengxi realized how unfathomably terrifying the Mysterious Gate is—they have taken root too deeply!

"Um…… the topic seems to have drifted a bit." Guang Cheng with an apologetic smile: "You just asked me about the number of ethnic groups on Kunlun Mountain…… I really can't answer that."

"But if you ask about some influential ethnic groups, I, who constantly organize the sect's classics, can still answer one or two."

He thought for a moment, then said, "Roughly thirteen thousand seven hundred twenty branches——these are groups with large membership bases, plus experts who can barely hold their own, seated in Kunlun's territory, having a certain say."

"Over thirteen thousand?" Fengxi murmured slightly, smiled: "Thanks for the info, senior brother."

(End of chapter)