"Sis, I didn’t mishear, did I...? Ancestor Ge said Senior Brother Bai has a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation?"

Back in his seat, Longx Qi still felt like he was hearing things.

How could anyone advance at the rate of one major stage every ten years? It completely defied all common sense.

"You heard right. It’s Late-Stage Foundation Establishment..."

Longx Longx felt that even her Ice Heart Technique could barely suppress her shock. It was laughable; just a short while ago, she’d said Bai Zichen was still a long way from reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection.

"This cultivation speed... isn’t it even faster than the Sect Leader’s was back in his day?"

The Sect Leader Longx Qi mentioned was, of course, Wei Dao.

He too had reached Foundation Establishment before he turned thirty. Everything had gone smoothly for him, and even taking on the position of Sect Leader hadn’t hindered his cultivation progress.

"Much faster. I remember Senior Brother Wei was around eighty when he advanced to Late-Stage Foundation Establishment..."

Longx Longx’s gaze grew distant. Geniuses this far beyond imagination always left ordinary cultivators feeling helpless.

"He’s almost catching up to Ancestor Ge, who has a Celestial Spiritual Root. It’s unbelievable... Perhaps in a few decades, Ancestor Ge’s praise of ’having the form of a Nascent Soul’ will apply to Junior Brother Bai. We’ll be worlds apart from him, no longer cultivators on the same level."

It wasn’t just the Longx siblings. All the Elders were frantically exchanging Sound Transmissions, trying to digest this news that seemed like some kind of joke.

The corners of Liang Yu’s lips curved upward in a gratified smile.

Gu Xisheng’s brow furrowed for a moment before relaxing. A Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator in his fifties could already be considered halfway to being a Core Formation True Man.

’Thankfully, I never became true enemies with Bai Zichen. I even did him a favor last time when he wrote asking about the Foundation Establishment Pill.’

’Perhaps I should seriously reconsider whether to tie myself so closely to the Lan Family...’

Lan Hong held a deep-seated grudge against Bai Zichen and had repeatedly urged Gu Xisheng to cause some minor trouble for him, but he had simply ignored her.

In recent years, Gu Xisheng had solidified his position as Deputy Sect Leader and had subtly begun to distance himself from the Lan Family. The fact that he still hadn’t officially become Dao Companions with Lan Hong was a clear indication of this.

For one, he sensed that some of the powerful figures in the Sect were not pleased to see him getting too close to an influential, deeply-rooted clan like the Lan Family.

For another, as Deputy Sect Leader, he had built his own network of allies. He was no longer that powerless Elder from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall who needed the Lan Family’s backing.

...

"Nephew Bai, how old are you?"

"I am fifty-one, Junior Martial Uncle Ge."

Bai Zichen knew Master Ge Cang had kept him on the Cloud Viewing Platform because he had questions for him, and he was already prepared.

"Excellent. Seeing you is like seeing myself in my younger days... I believe I was fifty-three when I advanced to Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. I still remember that day when Senior Brother Yangg took my hand and had me kneel in the Ancestor Hall. We kowtowed before the ancestors, and he begged them to bless me and ensure my successful Core Formation."

A reminiscent look appeared on Master Ge Cang’s face. That was during the Qingfeng Sect’s most precarious and turbulent period.

The danger was even greater than six years ago, when the Ghost Spirit Sect’s army swept across Black Mountain.

The Sect had been under siege for over a decade, and morale was shattered. It was only through Ancestor Yangg’s desperate efforts that they held on. The treasury was completely exhausted, and things once reached such dire straits that Foundation Establishment Cultivators whose Spiritual Artifacts were damaged had to resort to fighting with mere Magical Artifacts.

There were no strong allies to call on for help. The Five Elements Sect only had two Core Formation True Men at the time, and Master Houtu, who had come to their aid, had to return to his sect after a year at Black Mountain due to chaos breaking out in the Dian Country.

Fortunately, the Qingfeng Sect recruited a disciple with Celestial Spiritual Root talent—Ge Cang—and managed to weather the storm to see brighter days.

"After I came out of the Lotus Secret Realm this time, True Monarch Jiulian of the Holy Lotus Sect requested a long discussion with me..."

Master Ge Cang’s expression turned serious. With a wave of his long sleeve, a Thunder Net enveloped the entire Cloud Viewing Platform, sealing it off completely.

"True Monarch Jiulian said he was willing to accept me as a disciple on behalf of his own late master. This would place me under the name of the Holy Lotus Sect’s previous Nascent Soul True Monarch, who has long since passed, making me Jiulian’s junior martial brother. In return, the Holy Lotus Sect would fully support my attempt to reach the Nascent Soul realm... The Nascent Soul Pill, a Tier Four Spirit Land, and all the personal notes from the Holy Lotus Sect’s past Nascent Soul True Monarchs would be made available to me."

"Furthermore, he offered to personally guarantee the Qingfeng Sect’s protection for a hundred years. Any Demon Path Sect that dared to set foot on Black Mountain would be making an enemy of the Holy Lotus Sect. The offer is for a hundred years because if I succeed in reaching the Nascent Soul realm, a single word from me would be enough to protect the Qingfeng Sect for centuries more. But if I were to die during the Thunder Tribulation, then all other promises would be meaningless."

"What? True Monarch Jiulian invited you to join the Holy Lotus Sect, Master?"

Qi Yue was clearly hearing this for the first time. His eye twitched, and he nearly lost his composure.

"If it were you, Nephew Bai, what choice would you make?"

Master Ge Cang ignored Qi Yue, his piercing gaze fixed on the nephew who had brought him such a pleasant surprise.

The Nascent Soul Pill, a Tier Four Spirit Pill, could increase the chance of successfully breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm by ten percent.

A Tier Four Spirit Land was essential for reaching the Nascent Soul realm. Without sufficient Spiritual Qi at the very moment the Nascent Soul was formed, it would be impossible to survive the Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation.

Moreover, a Tier Four Spirit Land could be used to set up Arrays to help defend against the Thunder Tribulation.

The personal notes of the Holy Lotus Sect’s Nascent Soul True Monarchs were even more priceless. This was a Super Major Sect that had produced five Nascent Soul True Monarchs; their accumulated experience on how to reach the Nascent Soul realm was incomparable to that of an ordinary sect.

Ninety percent of the Core Formation True Men in the world would switch sects without a second thought upon hearing such an offer.

After all, it was merely switching sects, and they could even continue to protect their former sect. There was no demand to betray one’s master and ancestors or to offer up their former sect’s treasures as tribute. Most cultivators could find a way to justify it to themselves.

"I am self-sufficient and seek nothing from without."

Bai Zichen said it without a moment’s hesitation.

Master Ge Cang was stunned. He had expected Bai Zichen to be hesitant and indecisive.

He thought he might make a show of his loyalty to the Sect, refusing on righteous principle.

He thought he might claim his heart was set on the Great Dao, and that he could better protect the Qingfeng Sect only after becoming a Nascent Soul True Monarch himself.

But he had never expected to hear an answer like this.

"’I am self-sufficient and seek nothing from without...’"

Master Ge Cang murmured the words to himself. With his Divine Sense, he could tell that Bai Zichen had answered naturally, almost in the same instant the question was asked. The answer came from his very core, with no artifice whatsoever.

"I had to ponder for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before I could bring myself to refuse True Monarch Jiulian... In that regard, I am your inferior!"

"The Nascent Soul Path is indeed tempting... But I still remember the sight of Senior Brother Yangg kneeling in the Ancestor Hall, weeping uncontrollably. He admitted his own powerlessness, his inability to protect the foundation our predecessors built, and his shame before all the ancestors of our lineage. Since I promised Senior Brother Yangg I would protect the Sect and bring glory to its name, how could I possibly just walk away?"

"Does this mean that without the Holy Lotus Sect’s help, I, Ge Cang, cannot reach the Nascent Soul realm?!"

Master Ge Cang’s voice boomed like thunder, and that incomparably confident, commanding aura returned to him.

"With that kind of conviction, I can rest easy... Otherwise, with your talent, Nephew Bai, I’d truly be worried some Nascent Soul Major Sect would poach you the moment you stepped outside!"

"I was born on Black Mountain and am deeply indebted to the Sect... Though my talent is poor, I wish to follow your example, Junior Martial Uncle Ge, and reach the Nascent Soul realm on my own, without relying on those Nascent Soul Sects."

When Bai Zichen had spoken, he hadn’t even been thinking about the question of betraying the Qingfeng Sect. It was purely that he had no desire to join another sect as an outsider.

In the Qingfeng Sect, he was a heaven-sent talent, the center of everyone’s attention, the one in whom the Sect placed its greatest hopes.

If he really were to switch to the Holy Lotus Sect, he would be viewed as a turncoat who had brought skills from another master. A bad reputation would be a minor issue; the real fear was that the new sect would always be on guard against him.

The resources they provided for his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm would all come with strings attached.

Of course, the most important reason was Bai Zichen’s underlying confidence. As long as his cultivation speed kept up, he was sure he could tackle the Nascent Soul bottleneck on his own with his mysterious Spirit Body.

This was the fundamental reason he could be more decisive and detached than Master Ge Cang.

Qi Yue stood to the side without a word, profoundly shaken.

First, his master had revealed True Monarch Jiulian’s invitation to join the Holy Lotus Sect in exchange for all the resources needed to reach the Nascent Soul realm.

Then, his master had posed the same question to Junior Brother Bai, asking if he would leave the Sect for the Holy Lotus Sect under such conditions.

Qi Yue admitted to himself that if he were in that position, he would definitely be swayed.

That was True Monarch Jiulian, the one and only Nascent Soul Cultivator in the entire Liang Country Cultivation Realm.

With the promise he made, combined with the full support of the Holy Lotus Sect, one might truly have a chance to glimpse the Nascent Soul realm.

But from Bai Zichen, there was only the single, effortless phrase, "I seek nothing from without." The words were like a thunderclap, making Qi Yue realize that the one with true pride in his heart was this seemingly humble and easygoing junior brother before him.

’What kind of pride must a person have,’ he thought, ’to be able to completely disregard the promise of a Nascent Soul True Monarch and the full backing of a Nascent Soul Major Sect?’

"It’s for the best that you have such a temperament, Nephew... I was reading the records, and they say you possess a special Spirit Body, which is why your cultivation speed far surpasses what your Spiritual Root talent would suggest?"

Master Ge Cang had clearly gone out of his way to learn about Bai Zichen. Of course, this was all speculation on the part of Wei Dao and the others; Bai Zichen himself had never admitted to it.

The basis for this theory was that back at the Five Mountains Temple’s Inheritance Stele, Bai Zichen, Chen Wei, and Su Li had all triggered a phenomenon from the stele.

Since the latter two both possessed Spirit Bodies, it was a logical assumption that Bai Zichen, who only had Three Spiritual Roots Talent but cultivated at the speed of someone with an Abnormal Spiritual Root, also possessed a Spirit Body.

"Yes. But even the Naihe Sect’s Inheritance Stele was unable to identify my specific type of Spirit Body. It only said it was suspected to be a Merit Golden Body Spirit Body..."

At this point, Bai Zichen’s strength and status allowed him to reveal some of his secrets.

The "suspected Merit Golden Body Spirit Body" was indeed the result from the Inheritance Stele. It was just that the second time he touched the stele, it had given the answer of a "Mutated Merit Golden Body Spirit Body."

With his cultivation speed, no one would believe him if he claimed he didn’t have a Spirit Body.

Master Ge Cang had traveled through several countries, and his breadth of experience and knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary people. This was a good opportunity to see if he had any clues.

In any case, as long as Bai Zichen kept it to himself, no one could possibly imagine that his Spirit Body not only nullified cultivation bottlenecks but also encompassed all Magic, Divine Techniques, Cultivation Techniques, and Secret Techniques.

Such an effect was simply not something a Merit Golden Body Spirit Body was capable of.

Nor did it match any of the Spirit Bodies described in the Ancient Texts he had consulted.

"A Merit Golden Body Spirit Body?"

A flicker of interest showed in Master Ge Cang’s eyes. He said, "Because of Yue’er’s Spirit Body, I went to the Holy Lotus Sect years ago to borrow numerous Ancient Texts and Jade Scrolls, so I have some understanding in this area. The Merit Golden Body Spirit Body is considered a top-tier Spirit Body. It can turn a Celestial Chasm into an open path and is even helpful for breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm... But since the Inheritance Stele said yours is a *suspected* Merit Golden Body Spirit Body, that means its divine properties are merely similar, and there must be differences."