Chapter 650: The Five Realms Before the Divine, Entry-Level Treatment (Combined)

A great master!

Looking at the boy at the end of the golden bridge, smiling and cupping his fist in greeting, Li Yuan's heart tightened involuntarily; at this moment he was still commanding the "Five Senses Set," and his perception was extremely sharp.

In his sensing, the figure before him was no boy at all — clearly a ferociously violent giant ape!

The true form of the Kun Peng that had shrunk and landed on his shoulder had its feathers bristling upright, looking as if facing a formidable enemy, and before long it had already withdrawn back into his Niwan Palace.

"Disciple Li Yuan, pays respects to the Immortal Child."

Li Yuan bowed in greeting; he had consciously trained his Origin Divine Script, so although his speech was a bit dry and stiff, communication was unimpeded.

"Oh, forgot to mention — my name is Lingshu."

The Dao-child Lingshu sized Li Yuan up and down with a glance, then belatedly introduced himself:

"Li Yuan, of the San Yuan Fa Jie domain, a native of Tian Shi Yuan, right? When you passed the ceremony, your information was already recorded in the 'Disciple Registry,' and I read it before coming!"

"Disciple Registry?"

Daoist Li understood all too well the importance of gathering intelligence after joining a sect — when he heard something he didn't understand, he asked.

"It's normal that a new disciple wouldn't know. Well, the Disciple Registry is a divine ability of the supreme treasure 'Da Luo Catalog' left behind by the founding patriarch in years past. All who enter the gates of our Da Luo Heaven have their names listed upon it…"

Lingshu casually explained a sentence, and seeing that he still wanted to ask, cut him off:

"After you join, people will naturally teach you all this — no need to ask me."

Having said that, without waiting for Li Yuan's reply, he lightly flicked his sleeve:

"Follow me."

"Yes."

Daoist Li was very thorough in his manners, and bowed once more.

Only then did he follow the Dao-child into this towering Shenshan.

From afar, Mount Mount Dongxuan looked enormous to the extreme; only upon entering the mountain did he realize that what he had seen from a distance was merely the tip of the iceberg.

The instant he entered the mountain, Li Yuan turned his head to look back, but where could he still see that stretch of gloomy darkness? Behind him was an endless expanse of land, with mountains rising and falling, and the same on both sides.

He strained his eyes to gaze into the distance, yet could not catch even the slightest glimpse of what "Mount Mount Dongxuan" looked like.

Before him, the clouds were light and the sky was high, endless peaks rose and fell — like, no, it was a vast, boundless great world!

"Mount Mount Dongxuan, also known as Mount Xuanshi, is the foremost of the Lord Dao's Jiu Da Fa heavens. After the Lord Dao achieved his Dao, it became his first sacred ground, able to contain the radiance of ten thousand stars together. It also holds many alternate dimensions plucked from beyond when the Lord Dao opened up the Returning Ruins — its greatness can truly be called boundless!"

Seeing Li Yuan's face full of wonder, Lingshu gave a faint smile and introduced a few things for him:

"By the way, 'Shan Xuan' is the Lord Dao's mortal name. Since you have now entered Mount Mount Dongxuan, you must remember — at certain times, you must avoid the venerable's taboo name!"

"This disciple understands!"

Li Yuan nodded repeatedly, committing the Dao-child's words to his heart. Comparing them with some intelligence he had gathered from the Common Knowledge Sphere, he immediately formed some guesses.

"Mount Xuanshi? Fa Heaven… the first sacred ground?"

In Tian Shi Yuan, entering the Dao is also called the first realm. Regardless of race, only those who have entered the Dao are regarded as kin; humanity is no different — entering the Dao makes one a True Person.

Entering the Dao is the first, Unity is the second, Divine Palace is the third, Dharma Ring is the fourth, Refining Realm is the fifth… these five realms are collectively called the Shen Qian Wu Jing. One who achieves great success in Refining Realm can take in the Dao and ascend to Heaven, transforming the Refined Realm into a Fa Heaven.

Only by achieving the Fa Heaven can one gain the power to illuminate all heavens.

'Can a Fa Heaven transform into a sacred ground?'

Infinite reverence suddenly welled up in Li Yuan's heart.

If one day he too could open a sacred ground, then his sacred ground would be called Mount Yuanshi!

"Mm."

Lingshu gently swept his sleeve, and a mass of cloud and mist naturally rose from beneath their feet, lifting him and Li Yuan together; in a flash they had already entered the sea of clouds.

Gazing from the heights, the vastness of this place became all the more apparent.

Li Yuan looked all around, exclaiming from time to time, and asking about everything he saw.

Lingshu, seeing his attitude was excellent, couldn't help but say a few more things — mostly about Mount Mount Dongxuan.

"Many thanks to the Immortal Child for resolving my doubts."

Li Yuan's mind was sharp; a sidelong glance swept over the Dao-child's subtle expressions, and he knew full well that the boy held immense awe for Mount Mount Dongxuan — or rather, for that Lord Lord Tianyu. So he made his face even more awestruck:

"Could it be that there are nine such sacred grounds?!"

"Exactly!"

Lingshu gave him a rather approving look, nodded, and said: "The Lord Dao has nine Fa Heavens, so naturally there are nine sacred grounds, but Mount Mount Dongxuan is a little different… well, as for how it differs, you'll know in the future."

"So that's how it is, many thanks to the Immortal Child…"

Li Yuan put on a look of sudden realization. Naturally he would not let slip any chance to gather intelligence; having suddenly entered a strange land, he was in urgent need of information about this place.

'This boy's realm may be high, but his mind doesn't seem all that complicated…'

Turning the thought over in his mind, Li Yuan's attitude grew even more respectful.

This Dao-child Lingshu had clearly never rolled around in the mortal world. Although his realm seemed very high, extracting information from him was even easier than from Chi He Lian or Huang Huang Longzi — before long, he had even spilled out his own origins.

Just as Li Yuan had guessed, this Dao-child was not a human, but a star-borne giant beast enlightened in years past by that Lord Lord Tianyu, named the Red-Pupil Star Ape.

A species born already having entered the Dao — once it reached adulthood, it could naturally cross into the third realm.

And its realm…

"The fifth realm! And a peak fifth-realm powerhouse just one step away from refining a Fa Heaven!"

Li Yuan's heart shook violently. This time it was not an act — he truly felt shock.

This Dao-child, whose words and bearing still carried a touch of simple honesty, was undeniably the strongest living being he had ever encountered!

"This wine is just so-so."

After draining in one gulp the ninth gourd of Hundred Herbs Wine Li Yuan offered, Lingshu showed not the slightest sign of drunkenness, but his desire to chat had clearly grown considerably:

"When I, Lingshu, was enlightened by the Little Lord, I was already at the second realm of Unity. Who would have thought that in the blink of two thousand years, I still cannot penetrate the wonder of the Fa Heaven — truly, I have let the Little Lord down…"

"I didn't expect the Immortal Child's innate talent to be so extraordinary?"

Li Yuan was no longer deliberately flattering; he was genuinely envious.

He had spent over twenty years of bitter cultivation before barely entering the Dao, yet these alien races were born already within the Dao — it was truly hard not to envy them.

"Just so-so."

Ling Shu waved his hand. Of course he knew the lad was deliberately flattering him, but in his heart he still found it very pleasing.

After all, this lad was a genuine disciple of the Great Luo Heaven Gate, one who had entered through the Receiving Divine Fire, a quasi-core disciple with hope of truly being taken in under the Little Old Master's tutelage!

Moreover…

Ling Shu's mind stirred slightly; through the unseen he communed with the "Great Luo Register," and in a thought had already glimpsed the lad's detailed information.

【Li Yuan】

【Bloodline: Human】

【Realm: Entering the Dao】

【Talent: God-Demon】

【Divine Endowment: Supreme】

【…Age around thirty, refined the Kun Peng true form through the Receiving Divine Fire…】

【May audit, may register, may enter the inner hall…if he refines top-tier magic power…may undergo the true disciple grand rite】

'Seventh-rank talent, supreme divine endowment, pure-blooded human…such a foundation is truly enviable!'

Feeling the information the Great Luo Register poured into his heart, and looking again at Li Yuan beside him carefully flattering him, Ling Shu was in quite a pleasant mood, naturally willing to chat a few more lines with him.

Thus it was — one deliberately flattering, the other happily receiving — the two of course chatted very happily along the way.

"We've arrived!"

After a long while, Ling Shu suddenly spoke, and the colored clouds beneath their feet stopped as well:

"This is the true Mount Mount Dongxuan, where the Little Old Master cultivates in seclusion. You may only go up to the thousandth step; beyond that, you cannot proceed without an imperial decree!"

The true Mount Mount Dongxuan!

Li Yuan focused his gaze.

He saw a divine mountain in the distance rising from the earth straight into the clouds, yet it was not as grand and sacred as what he had seen outside before — though still towering, compared to what he had seen earlier it was rather unremarkable.

Whoo~

The cloud-head landed at the foot of the mountain.

Li Yuan swept a glance around. Apart from a single mountain stairway leading straight to the summit, there were almost no traces of human modification at the mountain's base, nor any sign of habitation.

"Are there no other people on Mount Mount Dongxuan?"

Li Yuan inquired.

His perception was keen, but along the entire journey he had barely seen any cities; this place seemed to have only endlessly stretching mountain ranges, and countless varieties of strange beasts.

"Under the Little Old Master, there are thirty registered disciples, one hundred and twenty auditing disciples, thirty-five inner disciples, and five core disciples."

Ling Shu walked slowly toward the mountain's base while introducing things to Li Yuan.

"So few?!"

Li Yuan clicked his tongue somewhat. He had expected the Great Luo Heaven to have few disciples, but this was too few!

Not to mention compared to Longhu Longhu Dandan; this number of disciples was far fewer than even Shenshan…

"Still think that's few? Among the twelve Great Luo mountains, my Mount Mount Dongxuan already has quite a lot of disciples. The disciples of 'Yuanhuang Mountain,' 'Jingshan,' and 'White Bone Mountain' are the truly few ones — under those Dao Lords there are only core disciples, and some haven't even gathered all twelve core disciples!"

Ling Shu glanced at him:

"What do you think the Great Luo Heaven is? A place anyone can enter? Hmph, among all the heavens-protecting Dao sects, our Great Luo Heaven is the strictest in taking disciples. Even I…"

Ling Shu suddenly fell silent, for he had already stepped onto the mountain stair.

"Hm?!"

Li Yuan followed closely, stepping onto the stair in one stride. His heart gave a sudden jolt; light and shadow flickered all around, as if he had suddenly crossed into Ling Yi Zhong heaven and earth.

"Whoa!"

After a brief daze, his vision suddenly opened wide.

Before him lay an extremely vast plain, planted with a kind of unnamed spirit rice standing taller than a person and as thick as an arm. A breeze blew in, filling the air with the fragrance of the spirit rice.

Li Yuan instinctively drew in a breath, feeling the strange fragrance flood his nose; warmth rose within his body, his spirit gave a jolt, and he felt quite refreshed and exhilarated.

"Squeak!"

The little mouse curled up in Li Yuan's bosom was so excited it nearly bolted out, had Li Yuan not been quick-eyed and swift-handed.

"What is this?"

Li Yuan looked toward Ling Shu.

"Mount Mount Dongxuan has nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine stone steps. Within each step is contained a small grotto-heaven — most are fragments of alternate dimensions harvested by the Little Old Master Dao Lord when he opened up the Returning Ruins, transformed into such…"

Ling Shu also drew in a deep breath. He was a vegetarian monkey, and he was very fond of this spirit rice fragrance:

"This spirit field is planted with 'Scarlet Origin Rice.' This rice is originally of lower grade, but nourished by spiritual energy it has acquired quite a fine flavor, no inferior to the upper-grade spirit rice of the outer realms."

"Fine rice, fine rice." Li Yuan took another deep breath — just smelling it felt refreshing and exhilarating; wouldn't eating it be more nourishing than even spirit pills?

"Within these small grotto-heavens, there are spirit fields, spirit plants, and the like — the nurturing of spirit beasts, Dao soldiers, spirit puppets, flying swords, magic treasures, and so on. The disciples' abodes on Mount Mount Dongxuan, the Dao-debate grounds, even the various 【Domain Gates】 are all here…"

At this point, Ling Shu paused slightly:

"Your senior fellow disciples who entered earliest have already been here three hundred years. Apart from a very small portion who enjoy tending spirit fields, nurturing spiritual intelligence, and raising spirit beasts, most are either herding folk in the various realms, or else opening up the Returning Ruins and harvesting alternate dimensions…"

"But whenever the Little Old Master preaches the Dao, no matter where they are, they will return to the mountain through the Domain Gates to listen to the Dao Lord's sermon…"

As Ling Shu spoke, his feet did not stop. He led Li Yuan around this small grotto-heaven for a while, then went to the grotto-heaven of the second step, and taught him how to enter and exit these small grotto-heavens.

Shi Shi Zuzu within the first hundred steps were all planted with spirit rice — only the varieties and grades differed. Li Yuan was dazzled by what he saw, and the little mouse drooled nonstop.

"From the hundredth step to the five-hundredth step, most are the disciples' dwellings; the rest are Dao soldier quarters, spirit puppet quarters, and the like. The method of entry and exit I have already taught you; afterward you may explore on your own. Of course, those with owners you cannot enter without permission…"

Ling Shu led Li Yuan to the three hundred and thirty-third step. A faint smile hung on his face: "This small grotto-heaven is the one I've chosen for you. What do you think?"

Mount Mount Dongxuan's path, Yi Bu Yi Zhong Tian.

But if one harbors no thought of entering the cave-heaven within, these are just ordinary steps.

"This disciple has no objections."

Of course Li Yuan had no objections; with an air of letting the immortal lad arrange everything, he left the latter quite satisfied.

Compared with those unruly ones before, this lad truly suited his taste.

"This lesser cave-heaven is not far from the 'Domain Gate District,' and also close to the 'Spirit Field District,' 'Spirit Beast District,' 'Spirit Plant District,' and 'Spirit Pill District'—the location is quite good!"

"Many thanks, Immortal Lad!"

Li Yuan thanked him again and again.

Yu Yu Xuanji led him into the lesser cave-heaven.

This ownerless cave-heaven naturally had no spirit fields or spirit plants; at a single glance there was only desolation, but it covered a vast area—by Li Yuan's estimate, probably the size of three Mount Hengshan paths.

'Worthy of being the Weitian Dao Sect—such a large cave-heaven for just one disciple…'

Li Yuan clicked his tongue in awe.

"This cave-heaven has mountains and waters, plains and hills—whatever you wish to plant as spirit fields or spirit plants, or raise as spirit beasts or spirit fish, all are possible. Tend it well and it will be a foundation of your own!"

Yu Yu Xuanji paused slightly; Li Yuan had already presented a gourd of spirit wine. The former nodded in satisfaction—of course he did not care about a mere gourd of wine, but this attitude truly pleased him.

"Many thanks, Immortal Lad."

"No need for thanks. So long as you don't curse me behind my back as a 'beast with fur and horns,' that shall count as your remembering my grace in receiving you!"

Not knowing what he thought of, Yu Yu Xuanji's expression darkened slightly, then with somewhat deflated spirit he waved his hand and tossed him an iron token:

"No need to say more. This is the Cave-Heaven Token—refine it yourself. Later a spirit puppet will come to teach you the introductory matters; this lad will not disturb you further."

Beast with fur and horns?

To think he even dared curse a Dao Lord's lad—those senior brothers he had never met were surely not easy to get along with…

Li Yuan turned these thoughts over in his heart, yet respectfully saw him off:

"Safe travels, Immortal Lad!"

"Squeak squeak~"

The moment Yu Yu Xuanji left, the little mouse had already leapt down impatiently.

"Don't run about!"

Li Yuan grabbed it in one hand. Though the cave-heaven looked utterly desolate, and Yu Yu Xuanji had said there was no danger, he dared not be careless.

"Squeak squeak~"

Raising his hand to suppress the little mouse, Li Yuan rose into the air, looking down from above at this lesser cave-heaven assigned to him.

The lesser cave-heaven was not small—within it were several dozen mountain ranges, some ten great rivers and great streams, and countless small rivers and brooks. But just as Yu Yu Xuanji had said, there was not a single living creature—not a single spirit beast, and the only mouse was the one he had brought.

"Seems to have been deliberately cleared?"

Li Yuan guessed, yet set his mind at ease. He picked the most pleasing mountain peak, descended, sat on the ground, and began refining that 'Cave-Heaven Token.'

This Cave-Heaven Token was actually a quasi tenth-grade spirit treasure, with no other use than to open and close the gates of this cave-heaven. He toyed with it a few times then set it aside.

"The Twelve Mountains of the Great Luo Heaven, Mount Mount Dongxuan…"

Li Yuan sat cross-legged and began sorting through the various intelligence he had obtained from the Dao lad Yu Yu Xuanji.

"Mount Mount Dongxuan is Lord Lord Tianyu's Dao field, one of the Twelve Mountains of the Great Luo Heaven. Disciples fall into four categories: 'Registered,' 'Auditing,' 'Inner,' and 'True Transmission.' Among them, True Transmission disciples number at most twelve…"

"Mount Mount Dongxuan has ten thousand steps, each containing a lesser cave-heaven. Steps one to a hundred are the 'Spirit Field District'; from a hundred to five hundred li, a small portion are disciple residences, while the greater portion are the 'Spirit Beast District,' 'Spirit Plant District,' and 'Spirit Pill District.' The five-hundredth step is the 'Domain Gate'!"

"The Domain Gate was opened by Lord Lord Tianyu using great divine power, allowing one to travel directly through it to numerous realm domains and You Jing. Mm, Yu Yu Xuanji called the deep-layer You Jing the Opening Gui Xu…"

"Yuan Fire, or Yuan coins, are in common use within Mount Mount Dongxuan, and can be used to purchase spirit rice, spirit plants, and the like. Every lesser cave-heaven has spirit puppet Dao soldiers. From what Yu Yu Xuanji said, there also seems to be something called 'Shan Gong'…"

……

Li Yuan's harvest was no small matter. After he sorted through the various intelligence, his understanding of the Great Luo Heaven grew several degrees clearer.

"An immensely powerful faction, with unfathomably deep foundations!"

This thigh was very thick!

Li Yuan reached this conclusion in his heart. Just as he was pondering, he felt a fluctuation from the token:

"Spirit puppet, Ding One Thousand Six Hundred Forty-Two requests an audience with the Inner disciple!"

"An Inner disciple? Dong Dong Ershisan was right—entering through the receiving divine fire does indeed bring different treatment…"

Li Yuan's mind stirred, and he answered the spirit puppet:

"Enter!"

Hum~

The moment Li Yuan willed it, he saw a flash of red light at the foot of the mountain; then, in the next instant, a group of people streamed out from the gate formed by that red light.

"All ninth-grade and above spirit puppets… no, according to Tian Shi Yuan's way of speaking, this is one realm…"

Li Yuan had once come into close contact with a spirit puppet core in the Zang Guan Mi Jing, so he had some knowledge of such creations and recognized the foundation of these ten-odd people from afar.

Only, compared to the two he had seen in the Zang Guan Mi Jing, these ten-odd spirit puppets were of higher grade!

Whoosh~

Under Li Yuan's gaze, those twelve spirit puppets rose into the air and, in no time, landed atop the mountain peak.

"Spirit puppet, Ding One Thousand Six Hundred Forty-Two, pays respects to the Inner disciple!"

The leading spirit puppet wore a red dress, with fair features. It bowed respectfully and presented the items it had been carrying:

"Honored one, these are bestowed by the sect: the 'Inner Disciple Token' and the 'Disciple Dharma Robe.' The 'Shan Gong' that Fayin Fayin Tongzi gifted you is also recorded within the disciple token."

"Quite the generous gesture!"

Li Yuan's eyes shone bright.

Setting aside the disciple token, that dharma robe was a fine item. Though it looked like a standard-issue dharma robe, it contained a complete divine prohibition, and by the resonance of the Soldier Register, it was a superior-grade spirit treasure—tenth grade!

But he did not rush to examine it, simply reaching out to accept it.

"According to Mount Mount Dongxuan's rules, an inner disciple may claim twelve 'Xiao Gong' annually, one 'Da Gong' per century, and receives a hundred years' stipend upon entry; 'Shan Gong' has already been recorded in the Disciple Token."

The red-skirted spirit puppet said respectfully:

"Furthermore, an inner disciple may claim nine 'First-Realm Spirit Puppets', two 'Second-Realm Spirit Puppets'..."

As it spoke, the eleven spirit puppets behind it bowed in unison:

"Greetings, Master."

"Mm."

Li Yuan nodded in acknowledgment, feeling satisfied.

In his estimation, though these eleven spirit puppets were not as good as the red-skirted one, they possessed considerable spirit and each bore a complete divine prohibition.

Although spirit puppets are inferior to cultivators and Dao soldiers of the same realm in combat, they are more than sufficient for constructing palaces, reclaiming spirit fields, and raising spirit beasts.

"Additionally, you may take the Disciple Token to the 'Dao Soldier Zone' to select a squad of Dao soldiers, and to the 'Spirit Beast Zone' to choose a spirit beast cub..."

After the red-skirted spirit puppet finished speaking, it took its leave, its words and actions almost indistinguishable from a human's.

"Thank you."

Li Yuan clasped his hands in gratitude, then immediately ordered the eleven spirit puppets belonging to him to build a house; the puppets bowed in acceptance and immediately entered the forest.

These spirit puppets were clearly fine quality among them; their movements and posture showed considerable spirit, and their strength was not far inferior to cultivators of the same realm.

"No wonder the Wei Tian Dao Sect is so generous."

With all matters arranged, Li Yuan felt quite excited; the generous rewards for new disciples clearly demonstrated the profound foundation of the Da Luo Heaven and its good treatment of disciples, which was a great thing.

Only then did he pick up that magic robe; it was the first superior-grade magic treasure he had obtained, and moreover, a robe. He gently stroked it, cherishing it greatly.

【Da Luo Disciple Robe (Tier 10)】

【... From Mount Mount Dongxuan of the Da Luo Heaven, a standard magic robe forged in the 'Heavenly Craft Zone' from 'Shan Xuan Long' scales, containing one Heavenly Gang divine prohibition and two Earth Fiend divine prohibitions, can be refined up to San Shi Liu Zhong, belonging to superior-grade magic treasures】

【Control Condition: Twelve units of magic power】

【Control Effect: Can command all divine prohibitions】

【Heavenly Gang Divine Prohibition: Dust Avoidance

Earth Fiend Divine Prohibitions: Fire Warding, Water Avoidance】

【Maximum Refinable Divine Prohibition Level: San Shi Liu Zhong

Current Qi Jin Zhong: Shi Liu Zhong】

A superior-grade magic treasure robe!

Li Yuan focused his spirit to perceive the divine prohibitions within, verifying the intelligence he had previously obtained from the Comprehension Sphere.

The strength of a magic treasure is judged first by its 'Earth Fiend and Heavenly Gang divine prohibitions', and second by its Qi Jin Zhong level.

The former determines the functions the magic treasure possesses, while the latter determines its power.

"The more Earth Fiend and Heavenly Gang divine prohibitions a magic treasure contains, the more functions it has; the higher the Qi Jin Zhong level, the stronger the magic treasure's power."

With such a superior-grade magic treasure as a reference, Li Yuan's understanding of magic treasures deepened considerably. Focusing his spirit to sense the robe's fluctuations, he felt excited:

"Take this robe, for instance: it has three major functions—Water Avoidance, Fire Warding, and Dust Avoidance. If the power of Qi Jin Zhong at level one is one, then refined to San Shi Liu Zhong, the power becomes thirty-six!"

"Therefore, refining is paramount for magic treasures; this requires nurturing. The former increases the level, while the latter maintains the level."

"A magic treasure, even if fully refined, will inevitably drop in level if left without nurturing for a long time..."

After playing with it for a long time, Li Yuan directly put on the robe. Although he had no magic power, it could still manifest some utility.

Whoosh!

Li Yuan pointed a finger at the ground, raising a large cloud of dust, but before it could settle on him, it all fell away, as if an invisible barrier surrounded his body.

"Is this Dust Avoidance?"

After trying several times, Li Yuan felt his understanding of the robe was now deep enough, and only then did he take out the Disciple Token with satisfaction.

Regarding this token, Ling Shu had mentioned it before; it is the identity credential for Mount Mount Dongxuan disciples, required to enter and exit various areas of Mount Mount Dongxuan, and possesses many functions.

Such as tracking and trading Shan Gong, such as containing a storage space, and such as communicating with the supreme treasure of that Ancestral Master, the 'Da Luo Record'.

(End of Chapter)