Chapter 146

"Aren't you going to take a look?"

Stepping out of the Grand Void Palace, Xuan Yang grinned at his junior sister Jian Zhu.

Jian Zhu's face flushed awkwardly. "You go if you want—why should I?"

Xuan Yang said, "That's a Heaven-grade cultivation art!"

"Get lost!" Jian Zhu's face turned crimson. "Once we've reached Golden Core, do you think we can shatter the core and form a Nascent Soul just by indulging in carnal pleasures every day?"

"No matter how superior this art may be, before my eyes, I wouldn't even spare it a glance!"

"Hmph…"

With that, Jian Zhu stepped forward in one motion and vanished into the void, disappearing within two breaths.

"My fellow junior brothers, I've got a thick skin—I'm going to take a look. If I find it, I'll devote myself to the Joyful Path from now on!"

An old man with white hair and beard shot into the sky, his figure shrinking to a speck in an instant, then vanishing entirely.

Another man also flew off.

Only Xuan Yang, Chong Yang, and Elder Hong remained at the entrance of the Grand Void Palace.

"Let's go!" Elder Hong glanced at Xuan Yang and Chong Yang. "Aren't you two going to search for this Joyful Art?"

Xuan Yang and Chong Yang smiled.

Elder Hong said, "Perfect. Since you're not going, come with me first—we've got matters to discuss."

The three transformed into streaks of light and departed, arriving at another mountain peak within a few breaths, entering Elder Hong's cultivation grounds.

Among the Grand Void Sect's disciples, Elder Hong ranked second—he was the Second Senior Brother.

"Second Senior Brother!" Xuan Yang asked. "What's the matter?"

Elder Hong said, "The old man… he may be nearing his end. By the calendar, he has only a dozen or so years left before his thousand-year limit."

"Hmm," Xuan Yang nodded. "Given Master's age, that's true—but Nascent Soul cultivators' lifespans aren't fixed. Some live to a thousand, others to eleven hundred. If fortune favors him, he might still have over a hundred years."

Elder Hong shook his head. "Hard to say. Hard to say."

Chong Yang looked worried. "What do we do then?"

Elder Hong said, "A few days ago, I went out and brought back two Qi Refining disciples for him to choose from for possession."

"He didn't even see them—he told me to let them go."

"He said he's never done anything against heaven or earth in his life. Birth, aging, sickness, death—these are the natural ways of the world."

"He doesn't want to start over again."

The disciples fell silent.

Chong Yang suddenly said, "Then… what's the meaning of today's sudden seizure of my disciple?"

"I don't know," Elder Hong shook his head. "Perhaps… he suddenly took an interest? Saw potential in He Pingsheng?"

"That's the only explanation."

"Little Brother Four, don't complain. Handing the disciple over to Master for training isn't bad—it's better than leaving him under your care!"

Chong Yang said, "That's true, but now my disciple's disciple has become my junior brother—it's hard for me to accept."

"Enough of this," Elder Hong said. "Master refuses to act, but if we don't teach the Hou Clan and the Beast Taming Immortal Sect a lesson, our Grand Void Sect's strength and reputation in the Dao Alliance will plummet. That's why I've summoned you two—to discuss our next move."

"Think about how we should act."

…

Inside the Grand Void Palace.

Now only He Pingsheng and the Grand Void Ancestor remained.

"Come closer."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm just an old man near death—I won't eat you!"

The Grand Void Ancestor sank back into the massive golden armchair, extending his withered arm and gesturing to He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng hurried over.

"I heard from your Chong Yang Senior Brother that you're a Five Element Spirit Root?" The Grand Void Ancestor's hoarse voice spoke again.

He Pingsheng's heart churned with mixed emotions.

Just moments ago, he was the Ancestor.

Now he was called Senior Brother.

The shift was immense.

So does that mean my Master Yu Ning must now call me Senior Uncle?

He Pingsheng said, "Disciple has a Five Element Spirit Root."

Normally, one cannot directly perceive another's spirit root.

Even Nascent Soul elders cannot.

To know, one must use a special array for testing.

"Five Element is good, Five Element is good…" The Grand Void Ancestor's face showed envy. "I'd give anything to have a Five Element Spirit Root myself!"

"If I had one, I wouldn't be stuck here now?"

"You'd have reached Soul Transformation three hundred years ago."

He Pingsheng's eyes widened with curiosity. "Ancestor, what level of Nascent Soul are you now?"

The Grand Void Ancestor said, "Call me Master. Don't call me Ancestor."

"Uh…" He Pingsheng rubbed his forehead. "Yes… Master."

"I'm currently at Nascent Soul Ninth Layer."

"Don't worry," the withered arm reached out and patted He Pingsheng's shoulder a few times. The old man spoke gently. "Even if you possess a celestial-grade magic treasure, I won't covet it."

"Such things are useless to me now."

"Hehehe…"

He Pingsheng nodded.

If the Grand Void Ancestor truly was at Ninth Layer, then indeed, nothing could help him anymore.

He was near death—no matter how exquisite the treasure, he couldn't break through from Nascent Soul Ninth Layer to Soul Transformation in a few decades.

After all, that gap contained three minor realms and one major realm.

"Come, help me up."

"See that small door behind?"

"Let's go out through it and get some sun."

The Grand Void Ancestor moved like an ordinary mortal elder, leaning on He Pingsheng's arm as they slowly walked to the back door of the palace.

Beyond the back door lay a garden.

No—it was a spirit herb garden.

The courtyard was planted with many spirit herbs.

Some were first-grade, others second-grade.

Whether any were third-grade, He Pingsheng didn't know—he couldn't recognize or distinguish them.

The Grand Void Ancestor walked to a massive ancient tree!

Beneath the tree stood a reclining chair; he lay down on it, slowly closing his eyes. "All things in this world are yin and yang, light and shadow."

"So too is life."

"So too is human nature."

"Take spirit roots, for example!"

The Ancestor, eyes closed, spoke in his hoarse voice: "Why do four-element cultivators, and you, a five-element cultivator, get dismissed as worthless in the early stages?"

"Because to them, these are inferior spirit roots."

"Why inferior?"

"Because cultivation is too slow—the spiritual energy fills too sluggishly."

"But Heaven's Dao is fair," the old man suddenly opened his eyes, fixing them on He Pingsheng. "Do you know how cultivation beyond Nascent Soul works?"

He Pingsheng shook his head, smiling bitterly. "Disciple struggles to break through his Qi Refining bottleneck—how could he possibly understand how Nascent Soul experts cultivate?"

"Hmm," the Grand Void said. "Once a cultivator reaches Nascent Soul, they must not only fill their dantian, break through the flesh barrier, and accumulate spiritual power—they must also achieve mastery in Dao principles."

"Before breaking each realm, one must first shatter the Dao Barrier, then the Flesh Barrier."

"Do you know what the Dao Barrier is?"