Chapter 255: Chapter 144: The Rules of the Third Realm Quota

While waiting for the materials for the Thunder Law Altar, Wang Ping incidentally raised his soul’s familiarity with Spiritual Energy to (76/100). With this, he now possessed all the necessary conditions to advance to the Third Realm.

This filled Wang Ping with a sense of accomplishment, but he couldn’t help but recall everything he had experienced along his journey.

He had been fortunate most of the time. The most dangerous incident was his first calculation to go to Xudong Island. If not for the Star Demoness’s warning, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

His smooth journey to this point was largely due to his Master’s early arrangements. For his future cultivation, he could only rely on himself. At the same time, he also had to repay his Master’s kindness and guidance.

"Go have tea with Master?"

Wang Ping looked at Yu Lian, who was basking in the sun.

Yu Lian opened one eye, then closed it again without a word.

Her attitude was clear: she wasn’t going!

For some reason, Yu Lian had always been somewhat in awe of Yu Cheng Taoist ever since she was young. This might have been due to the influence of Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea on her.

Wang Ping chuckled at Yu Lian’s reaction and went to have tea with his Master alone.

This time, master and disciple were not preoccupied with cultivation or worldly affairs. They simply savored the aroma of the fine tea and passed the time chatting about amusing anecdotes within the sect.

Two years passed in this leisurely fashion. At last, Wang Ping gathered all the materials needed to build the Thunder Law Altar, spending a total of seven million five hundred thousand taels of silver. He had also mobilized sect disciples over a thousand times to gather information and recorded thousands of internal activities, costing nearly one million taels of silver.

After reviewing the list Zhao Wan submitted, Wang Ping couldn’t help but sigh. "Even a Child of Destiny, relying solely on themselves, probably couldn’t have gathered all these materials in such a short time."

Building the Thunder Law Altar was simple. Wang Ping finished it in just a month.

Afterward, he needed to cultivate his mind and spirit, adjusting his mental state to its peak condition, before he could proceed with advancing to the Third Realm.

Sensing Wang Ping’s thoughts, Yu Lian couldn’t help but say, "I think you should advance right now."

"Why?"

"What you need is to act decisively. Too much time spent on self-cultivation might cause you to hesitate and stagnate."

’Her words made some sense. After all, Wang Ping still had over six hundred years of life left. If he took some elixirs, living for eight hundred years wouldn’t be a problem.’

’If it were anyone else, they might truly hesitate after a period of mental cultivation. After all, they’d still have eight hundred good years to live.’

’But Wang Ping had his cheat system, which had always kept his mental state incredibly stable.’

’Facts had proven that while his cheat system was sometimes overly rigid, it had never made a mistake so far.’

’As for any potential future mishaps, they were not within Wang Ping’s current scope of consideration.’

「After the Spring Festival.」

One bright and sunny morning, Wang Ping awoke from his deep meditation. Gazing at the sun’s rays on the horizon, he performed a divination for himself.

The Holy Trigram: Permission granted!

"A good omen!"

Wang Ping laughed heartily, returned to his courtyard, and took out some letter paper. He wrote a letter to each of the friends he had made since he began cultivating, then summoned his disciples.

Liu Shuang hadn’t changed much. She spent her days peacefully teaching her own apprentices in the Dao Field, occasionally going out to spread the teachings of Qianmu Temple. Sometimes, when Shen Xiaozhu or Wang Yang had questions they didn’t understand, they would go to her for guidance.

Her direct disciple, Yang Rong, had blossomed into a graceful young woman. She wore the Daoist Robe of an Inner Sect Disciple, yet possessed the dashing air of a Jianghu Traveler. Moreover, the lively spirit in her eyes was as bright as ever, a clear sign she had yet to venture down the mountain for training and did not yet understand the importance of concealing her talents.

Hu Qianqian also hadn’t changed. She maintained a Daoist’s tranquility and inaction on the surface, but inwardly possessed the active and curious nature of the Fox Demon clan. This brought her personality to a delicate balance, allowing her cultivation to grow with each passing day.

Hu Xin, on the other hand, retained the wild nature of the Demon Race. In the nearly one hundred years that had passed, the Daoist aura she had cultivated remained weak. Her wildness had been forged on Ningzhou Road, which had allowed her to survive. While cultivating by Hu Qianqian’s side, she was mostly under Hu Qianqian’s protection. And although Hu Qianqian was very strict, she couldn’t change the wild nature Hu Xin had developed.

Shen Xiaozhu was the one who satisfied Wang Ping the most. Although she now appeared old, with the wrinkles of time on her face and streaks of gray in her hair, her aura was perfectly in tune with the Wood Spirit. She possessed an even greater Daoist tranquility than Hu Qianqian, yet she managed to balance it with her humanity.

Wang Yang had already diverged from Wang Ping’s path. His body was steeped in the aura of the mortal world, and the Daoist Robe he wore specially for today looked out of place on him. Fortunately, his state of mind was stable. Occasional bursts of an aggressive presence didn’t bother Wang Ping; instead, he nodded in gratification, because the path he cultivated required such an aura.

"Next, I will enter seclusion to break through to the Heaven-Reaching Realm..."

Wang Ping stopped his disciples from congratulating him and calmly instructed, "During this time, if there’s anything you can’t decide, you can discuss it with your Eldest Martial Sister..."

He looked at Liu Shuang as he spoke. "If you can’t make up your mind, you can discuss it with Qianqian. If that doesn’t work, you can find my Master or Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan."

"Yes!"

"Also..."

After giving his instructions, Wang Ping dismissed his disciples. Yu Lian followed them and went to Shen Xiaozhu’s Dao Field. Apparently, she had something to say to Shen Xiaozhu in private.

「Half an Hour later.」

Yu Lian returned to the Mountain Peak Dojo and transformed into her original form, carrying Wang Ping toward the Six Heart Sect.

...

「Six Heart Sect.」

’Coming here again, Wang Ping had a different mindset.’

When the disciples at the mountain gate saw it was Wang Ping, they let him pass without announcing him. By the time Wang Ping reached the front hall of the Inner Sect, a Kun Cultivator who had entered the path with the Wood Spirit came to lead the way.

She led Wang Ping directly to Xiao Shan Lord’s courtyard Dao Field.

There was a guest in Xiao Shan Lord’s courtyard. The guest wore an ash-white Daoist Robe made of linen, making him look particularly distinctive. His hair was not tied up in a crown; it hung down to his heels, loosely bound with a strip of linen. Around his waist was a jade belt that clashed with his clothes, from which hung three storage bags.

As Wang Ping was led to the pavilion and came to a stop, the man turned to size him up with a glance. This allowed Wang Ping to get a good look at his face. He was beardless, with a face that looked to be around twenty years old. His features resembled those of a man from the Snowfield, especially his grayish-blue eyes.

’Xiu Yu!’

The name popped into Wang Ping’s mind unbidden. Upon Wang Ping’s arrival, Xiu Yu cupped his fist in a salute toward Xiao Shan Lord, who was reclining on a lounge chair. Then, he exited the small courtyard and walked briskly away along the path outside the pavilion without a backward glance.

’Just as the rumors said, the man was arrogant, but his actions were upright and honorable. His only failing was that he didn’t know how to teach disciples, which caused his reputation in the Cultivation Realm to be left in the dust by Daoist Zi Luan.’

"Ah, Changqing has arrived..."

Xiao Shan Lord’s voice drifted out from the inner courtyard, sounding a bit lazy and casual.

Wang Ping quickly walked around the pavilion and into the small courtyard. Reaching the doorway, he paid his respects deferentially, "Greetings, Lord."

"I was right about you. It’s only been a few years, and you’ve already come this far." Xiao Shan Lord pointed to a stone stool in front of him. "Come, sit."

"Thank you, Lord!"

Wang Ping obediently sat down on the stone stool.

Xiao Shan Lord tugged at his sleeve, his face looking sleepy as he said, "Since you’ve reached this stage, as one of the successors to the southern Taiyan Talisman lineage, there are some things I should tell you."

"For the Xuanmen Five Elements—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—each path has a threshold for advancing to the Third Realm. This is because we cultivate by borrowing the souls of the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Spiritual Objects. If we exceed the quota, the Primordial Spirit cannot form. Likewise, if the quota is not met, the souls we cultivate cannot withstand the impact of the Primordial Spirit’s Spiritual Energy."

"After the rise of the Human Dao, our ancestors paid the price with their own souls to open a path for us, allowing us to advance to the Third Realm..."

’Wang Ping nodded to himself. The price Xiao Shan Lord spoke of must be referring to the forty human ancestors who first tried to ascend to the Third Realm and became True Spirits of the Inspiration Realm.’

"From our perspective, we cannot fathom how desperate our predecessors were when they faced this situation. We don’t need to concern ourselves with these issues either. In the future, if you encounter a True Spirit in the Inspiration Realm, do not hesitate. They have become our enemies—enemies who hinder the prosperity of the Cultivation Realm!"

Xiao Shan Lord continued, "Under normal circumstances, to advance to the Third Realm, one would prioritize hunting a True Spirit to obtain a promotion slot. You are lucky. Otherwise, searching for a True Spirit could take hundreds of years. After all, this world is vast, and most True Spirits enjoy wandering above the clouds."

"According to the Daoist Scripture Hall’s original procedure, you would need to apply ten years in advance to advance to the Third Realm, and the application would have to be approved by a vote of all members at or above the Third Seat. However, cultivators need not always be too bound by formalities and rules. With my guarantee, you can skip this procedure. The price, however, is that you must serve the Daoist Scripture Hall for two hundred years after your promotion!"

"Are you willing?"

"Of course I am!"

Wang Ping had no choice. He truly hadn’t known such a rule existed, which couldn’t help but set his mind racing.

Xiao Shan Lord chuckled. "After you successfully advance, the Daoist Scripture Hall will also give you the position of the Third Seat. This will require a vote. Given Qianmu Temple’s connections, this step most likely won’t be a problem. But some annoying old-timers will certainly not look pleased. Don’t bother with them."

"Yes!"

Wang Ping lowered his head and stood up.

Xiao Shan Lord didn’t ask Wang Ping to sit down again. Instead, he beckoned to the Kun Cultivator who had been waiting outside the courtyard and instructed Wang Ping, "That’s all I have to say. The rest is up to you."

"Thank you, Lord!"

This time, Wang Ping’s bow was completely sincere. He then respectfully withdrew from the courtyard and followed the guiding Kun Cultivator toward the south side of the garden courtyard.

「Half an Hour later.」

He was led to a mountain forest Dao Field rich with Wood Spirit Qi. The Dao Field was surrounded on three sides by dense jungle, and a solitary stilt house sat in front of an ancient tree.

In the yard in front of the house stood a familiar figure: Zi Luan.

"Fellow Daoist!"

This time, Zi Luan’s call of "Fellow Daoist" lacked its former arrogance.

Wang Ping quickened his pace, walked up to Zi Luan, and cupped his fist in return. "Greetings, Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. I have returned specifically to act as your Guardian this time."

Hearing this, Wang Ping steadied his mind. After a quick exchange with Yu Lian in his Spirit Sea, he cupped his fist again and said, "I am ashamed to trouble you, Fellow Daoist."