Chapter 666: Nine Orders

Li Hao was stunned, somewhat pleasantly surprised and unexpected.

Although he could become a True Immortal by comprehending his art to the eleventh stage, he didn't know if it would be a Nine-Flower Immortal Seal.

Challenging the second layer of the True Venerable Tower was only the second step of the trial; the difficulty of this third step could be imagined.

"Thank you, senior."

Li Hao said repeatedly.

The projection, or rather the tower soul, waved its hand indifferently to Li Hao and said as if to itself:

"Wang Shanhe has already taught you the Ancestral Scripture of Following Heaven, right? Do you know what 'Following' means and what 'Heaven' means?"

Li Hao shook his head honestly.

"You must remember: 'Following' is Time, 'Heaven' is Space!"

A sharp glint flashed in the tower soul's eyes as it stared at Li Hao, then it returned to indifference and said: "When you comprehend to the bottleneck, you will understand. I will send you out first. If you need to challenge, you can come back at any time. If you want a sparring partner, I can also give you the projections of the first and second layers for you to hone yourself."

Li Hao's heart shook slightly, and the other party's words still echoed in his mind.

Following is Time, Heaven is Space?

Time-Space Ancestral Scripture?

He immediately knew that for comprehending the Ancestral Scripture of Following Heaven, the other party's words were equivalent to a huge hint.

At this time, the tower soul waved its hand casually, and Li Hao returned to the True Venerable Tower again.

Before his eyes, it was pitch black and gloomy, and behind him, a light opened—it was the tower gate.

"Go."

The tower soul's voice came, but compared to the voice emitted when projecting Li Hao before, it had a few more depths and heaviness, as if coming from a distant time and space.

Li Hao was dazed for a moment and slowly walked out of the True Venerable Tower.

Outside the tower, on the cushions in the distance.

Seeing Li Hao's figure appear, everyone started whispering in low voices.

Compared to last time, the time Li Hao spent inside this time was slightly shorter.

Although Li Hao passed the second layer, he didn't have the constant pulling through the Return Ruins Extreme Realm like the first layer, and the battle ended faster.

"It was half a stick of incense faster than last time. It seems that these two years were wasted; not advancing means retreating."

"It could also be that his state of mind was disturbed, having other distracting thoughts during battle, not pure enough."

"Most likely."

In the crowd, Flower Sage and Wanderer Sage's expressions changed slightly, looking at Li Hao with worry, thinking of hinting and reminding the other party when he came over.

And Bright Sage and Shepherd Sage in the front row of the cushions looked at each other, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Hearing the whispers around him, Shepherd Sage suddenly felt a sense of blushing. Li Hao would be disturbed by his challenge and affect his mentality?

How could that be? Others didn't know yet, but that young man had already passed the first layer of the True Venerable Tower trial. This time, he was challenging the second layer!

Now that the time had shortened, this was understandable. The difficulty of the second layer was doubled, and being able to persist for two sticks of incense was already quite terrifying.

A breeze rose, and Elder Wang in front of the hut in the distance appeared before the cushions at some unknown time. He stared at the True Venerable Tower, and after a while, his eyes contracted slightly, revealing a trace of horror.

Even with his vast experience, such things were not common.

In the prosperous period of the True Realm, those few monstrous personal disciples had revealed such exaggerated talent, but before his eyes, the young man who played chess with him every day actually reached this level?

In just five short years, two challenges, passing the second layer of the True Venerable Tower...

He felt that he had somewhat underestimated this young man's talent.

His body trembled slightly, like a withered old man shivering in the cold wind, with no one knowing the excitement in his heart.

Bright Sage and Shepherd Sage before the cushions noticed Elder Wang's arrival and were stunned, then their expressions changed drastically, and an unbelievable thought surged in their hearts.

At this time, Li Hao had already arrived before the cushions.

Seeing several gazes staring straight at him in the crowd—it was Bright Sage and the other three—he smiled slightly, then looked toward Flower Sage and Wanderer Sage, and seeing their worried faces, he was surprised.

"Hao Tian..."

Flower Sage just transmitted a voice to Li Hao, wanting to persuade him, when suddenly, Lin Sheng stood up and said to Li Hao:

"Being able to persist for so long on your first challenge to the second layer, it seems this Immortal Emperor orthodoxy is destined to be yours."

As soon as these words were spoken, the cushions fell into silence.

Flower Sage, who was transmitting, was stunned, then looked at Li Hao in astonishment.

Wanderer Sage was also unbelievable, her noble face, as beautiful as an imperial princess, full of disbelief.

Other Sages were all stunned, not reacting to Lin Sheng's words for a while.

After a few short seconds, exclamations like a pot exploding rang out.

"Second layer? What second layer?"

"The True Venerable Tower has a second layer?"

"What level is this second layer? Never heard of it."

Everyone became excited, discussing heatedly, and then they found Elder Wang above their heads, all looking at him suspiciously, wanting to wait for him to give an explanation.

Amidst the noisy exclamations of the crowd, Elder Wang had already put away his inner excitement. A kind smile appeared on his face, his eyes seeming to only have Li Hao. He softly said "good" three times in a row, then said:

"Come with me."

Li Hao nodded, then looked at Flower Sage, asking suspiciously via transmission: "Did you have something to find me for just now?"

Flower Sage was stunned, then couldn't help but say: "Is what Lin Sheng said true?"

"Yes."

Li Hao nodded, then saw the other party stunned with no reaction, so he followed Elder Wang first.

After Elder Wang and Li Hao headed to the hut, the crowd on the cushions entangled Lin Sheng to ask. Soon, they learned from Lin Sheng that Li Hao had already passed the first layer of the True Venerable Tower last time.

And they also learned that the True Venerable Tower had three layers, corresponding to the identities of personal, formal, and registered disciples.

They had worked hard for tens of thousands of years, only experiencing the registered disciple trial.

After listening, the cushion area fell into a deathly silence.

"Didn't Elder Wang say he wouldn't give special treatment? How come he made an exception for him?"

After a long while, a Sage said in a low voice.

Flower Sage and Wanderer Sage looked over and saw it was an old Sage with a long beard, his face full of gloom.

Lin Sheng glanced at the other party and said: "Who said that being able to pass is special treatment? Can't it be by his own ability?"

"But just three short years ago..."

This Sage frowned, staring at him without fear.

Lin Sheng sneered slightly and said: "What about three years? True monsters break the rules. Who among us wasn't a genius? But geniuses also have gaps. Besides, the Nine Rings of Heaven and Earth have long since broken the rules. Is there anything else to be unconvinced about?"

He had just stood up to speak, having already seen Li Hao's potential. This Immortal Emperor orthodoxy was eight or nine out of ten destined to fall into Li Hao's hands, so he wanted to befriend him in advance, leave himself a way out, and also gave up the idea of competing with him.

Now he refuted loudly, speaking for Li Hao, and his voice could be heard even in front of the hut.

Hearing about the Nine Rings of Heaven and Earth, the old Sage with the long beard was slightly speechless and fell silent.

Other Sages also thought of Li Hao's stunning arrival at this time and remained silent. And in front of the hut, Elder Wang brought Li Hao back. Hearing Lin Sheng's voice, Elder Wang didn't look back and said with a laugh: "It seems those little fellows are jealous of you again."

Li Hao shook his head and smiled, not taking it to heart.

Elder Wang sat in his old spot habitually. When he turned to see Li Hao's indifferent appearance, not affected, his mood became even better. He looked Li Hao up and down, sighed lightly, and said:

"Don't blame them; you brat scared me this time too."

Hearing this, Li Hao asked: "You already knew I just passed the second layer?"

"The Divine Venerable has already indicated your situation to me."

Elder Wang said with a smile, looking at Li Hao with eyes full of admiration and love: "Although you could pass the first layer of the True Venerable Tower before, I thought you mostly broke through because of some epiphany. I didn't expect you to break through the second layer too. This difficulty is not a simple five-fold increase. You must know that those who could pass the first layer of the True Venerable Tower in the past numbered at least a million, but those who could pass the second layer numbered less than ten thousand."

"Some people even killed the projection in seconds on the first layer, but stopped at the second layer and could never cross it for the rest of their lives."

He said this, his eyes full of laughter besides emotion.

Li Hao had only passed the first layer before, and he didn't dare to think about the second layer, but now, Li Hao gave him a huge surprise.

"However..."

!.

Thinking of the third step trial, the smile on Elder Wang's face faded a lot, and his eyes became complex.

The formal disciple trial must be a Nine-Flower Immortal Seal, and it must be completed within a ten-thousand-year soul lifespan; there was a time limit.

This was hundreds of times harder than a Three-Flower Immortal Seal!

A Three-Flower Immortal Seal—generally, if a technique was comprehended thoroughly, one could comprehend one type, which was a One-Flower Immortal Seal, and also the most ordinary True Immortal.

Secondly, a Two-Flower Immortal Seal was a genius level in small and medium-sized sects.

And a Three-Flower Immortal Seal was a monster cultivated vigorously in many top forces.

"A Nine-Flower Immortal Seal requires comprehending nine types of Great Dao origins. You cultivate the sword; if the sword is cultivated to the extreme, it is one type."

"The Primordial Spirit is also the Mastery Dao; this is the second type!"

Elder Wang stared at Li Hao and said: "But this is only two types. You still need to comprehend seven more!"

Li Hao's expression changed slightly. Hearing him say this, he immediately felt the difficulty of this Nine-Flower Immortal Seal.

Calculated this way, his Mastery Dao and Physical Body Dao improvement could only count as two types.

That was only a Two-Flower Immortal Seal?

"There are thousands of Great Daos in the world, but comprehending nine types to the origin level, and within ten thousand years, the difficulty is too high."

Elder Wang stared deeply at Li Hao and said: "Although I really want to help you, I cannot betray the Immortal Emperor's expectations. This matter can only be solved by yourself. If you haven't completed the Nine-Flower Immortal Seal after ten thousand years..."

He paused and said in a low voice: "I will break the rules and help you comprehend the Nine-Flower Immortal Seal. But at that time, even if you condense it, you won't be able to become a formal disciple of the Immortal Emperor. But it doesn't matter; at least you yourself possess the power of the Nine-Flower Immortal Seal, and I can rest assured when you go outside."

Li Hao was startled, raised his head to look at Elder Wang, and only saw a smile in his eyes. Clearly, once the rules were broken, the other party would also sacrifice some things.

But this old man seemed to have prepared for this.

Li Hao shook his head slightly, took a deep breath, and said: "I'll try first!"

Seeing the determination in Li Hao's eyes, that gaze was like the obsession when playing chess. Elder Wang's eyes became gentle, and he whispered:

"There are thousands of Great Daos in the world, but in the past, they were recorded by the Immortal Emperors. This is a Record of Ten Thousand Daos, collecting the Great Daos of the Myriad Worlds. Take it and look at it. See which Great Daos you have come into contact with and have some comprehension of, and you can continue to deepen your exploration."

He flipped his palm and handed Li Hao an ancient book with black covers and gold characters.

He saw that Li Hao's soul lifespan was too short. Even if his talent was monstrous and he had high comprehension in his own focus, he didn't know enough things.

And the Nine-Flower Immortal Seal must be nine types of Great Dao Origin True Intent.

Li Hao didn't decline or be polite, held the ancient book with both hands, and began to flip through it.

He saw ancient characters like meaning, shooting into his eyes in golden light.

Subsequently, there were ancient Heaven and Earth loud sounds echoing in his mind.

Fate... Time-Space... Five Origins... Form-Mastery...

One type of Great Dao after another poured into his mind. The Great Daos collected on this had high and low distinctions, with Fate as the most respected, Time-Space as the King, and Five Origins as the Generals...

Fate Dao, Time Dao, Space Dao.

These Five Origins were Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

And Form-Mastery were Form Dao and Mastery Dao.

According to the description above, Form Dao was his Physical Body Dao.

All things have form; the physical body is the form of everything.

Fate is unique, and the other nine types combined are the Nine Orders!

Being able to comprehend one of them and condense it into an Immortal Seal is a genius of the same realm; if one can obtain two, one can be invincible in the same realm!

Li Hao suddenly thought of what the tower soul said.

Following is Time, Heaven is Space.

Ancestral Scripture of Following Heaven, could it contain the wonderful principles of Time-Space Dao?

Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly. If so, it was no wonder that mastering the Ancestral Scripture of Following Heaven could suppress the same realm.

Except for the Nine Order Daos, the others, such as Spear Dao, Sword Dao, etc., were common Great Daos.

"If so, to comprehend the Ancestral Scripture of Following Heaven, my Physical Body Dao and Mastery Dao just reaching the eleventh stage might not be enough."

Li Hao's eyes showed contemplation. This technique had corresponding Great Dao comprehension, and Mastery Dao and Physical Body Dao corresponded to the comprehension of Form and Mastery in the Nine Orders.

But in his own panel, there didn't seem to be attributes for Time and Space Daos.

Could it be that this time he couldn't improve by adding points and could only rely on his own comprehension?

Li Hao's eyes flickered.

Elder Wang sat quietly. Seeing Li Hao fall into deep thought, he didn't speak. He couldn't give Li Hao any teaching, including hints, and could only rely on Li Hao to comprehend it himself.

After a long time, Li Hao's frowned brows slowly relaxed, and he said to Elder Wang:

"Elder Wang, where is the chessboard?"

"Hm?"

Elder Wang was startled, a trace of bitter smile in his eyes, and said: "Are you really not tempted?"

Li Hao shook his head slightly, raised his head to look at him, and said: "Even for the sake of the senior, I will work hard, and besides, I want to go out!"

Elder Wang was looked at by the young man's clean eyes, and his heart trembled slightly. He turned his head to look at the medicine field blown by the wind and said: "Then..."

"I want to see the chessboard."

Li Hao said.

Although Elder Wang didn't know what Li Hao meant, he didn't refuse and took out the chessboard with a wave of his sleeve.

Li Hao stared at this chessboard, lines crisscrossing, 361 squares, not many, not few, but this small chessboard, the size that Li Hao could shatter with a pat of his hand, carried a world within the game.

When the pieces were placed, sinking into it, this chessboard was as vast as the world.

Li Hao stared, and the chessboard seemed to expand and expand before his eyes, until it surrounded him. He himself was like a piece, standing on the chessboard.

Li Hao suddenly had some realization.

Within this chessboard, there was endless space.

【End of chapter】 ===== CHAPTER 667 =====