Chapter 307: Can You Perform That Again?

True Person... you underestimate me far too much!

At this moment, Wang Ping felt absolutely no emotional fluctuation. He even found it slightly amusing. Did this True Person Xuanxiao really think he could be controlled by the promise of a way out?

Since when did I ever need a way out!

Therefore, his tone remained perfectly even as he offered a slight nod. "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother. I will bear it in mind and be much more careful from now on."

With that, he said no more.

Despite Wang Ping's agreeable words, his actions showed absolutely no intention of handing over the Heavenly Yin Metal spiritual object he had just acquired—the Frost-Sunk Golden Battle-Axe Saber.

Handing it over proactively would have signified docile submission.

Keeping it hidden for himself proved he harbored his own designs.

This attitude made Xianfu smile.

In the depths of his eyes, that streak of blazing white lightning rippled slightly, betraying entirely different thoughts, but a relaxed smile surfaced on his face.

Seeing this, Wang Ping simply changed the subject. "You seem to recognize that nun from earlier, Senior Brother. I noticed a distinct profundity in her eyes. When we were fighting, she could anticipate every move I made and intercept me a step ahead of time. Do you know what that was about?"

"That was the Deep Blue Eyes Phase."

Xianfu spoke softly. "It is one of the thirty-two marks of the Brahma Nation. Only those inheriting the legacy of the eight supreme entities are qualified to cultivate it, completely different from the disciples under the Wisdom Kings."

"Once this mark is formed, it possesses the power to observe the entire Cosmos."

"Baohu's cultivation still falls a bit short. She has only managed to observe techniques down to their minutiae and glean glimpses of the future. The only reason she could stay a step ahead of you in battle was entirely due to this profound ability."

Good lord!

Wang Ping's eye twitched. She had such profound abilities, and she still 'fell a bit short'? Why didn't she just ascend to the heavens already? No wonder he had been stifled at every turn.

As if seeing through Wang Ping's thoughts, Xianfu smiled and shook his head. "Junior Brother Dousheng, there is something you don't know. The thirty-two marks of the Brahma Nation are no ordinary things. It is rumored that they are derived from the true appearance and dharma body of the Brahma Nation's supreme entity, the Living Buddha. Anyone who can cultivate four marks is solidly an arhat."

"Someone who completes all thirty-two marks is an exalted Bodhisattva, a supreme entity."

"Such mighty power, if placed within our Immortal Gate, would be equivalent to a figure at the True Monarch Pinnacle Station."

"Baohu's cultivation realm hasn't even reached Ascetic Monk yet. If she truly manages to cultivate this Deep Blue Eyes Phase, it wouldn't be just an ordinary cultivation achievement."

"It would be an exploit!"

At this point, Xianfu seemed somewhat emotive. "Acquiring an exploit before reaching Qi Refining brings immense benefits to one's cultivation."

Wang Ping's gaze flickered slightly as he looked at Xianfu. "If I recall correctly, Senior Brother, your purpose for joining the sword battles here in the Eight Trigrams Furnace was also to acquire an exploit?"

"Correct."

Xianfu nodded. "Returning human-yang wood to the natural sequence of heaven and earth—that is the exploit I seek. I only obtained this heaven-sent opportunity by borrowing the power of a life tribulation."

"After all, the sharpest blades are forged through harsh grinding. Every exploit, without exception, is tempered through a thousand trials of hardship and danger... I will not hide it from you, Junior Brother: my background in the Immortal Gate is rather prominent. If I didn't use the opportunity of undergoing a life tribulation, I am afraid no one would dare make things difficult for me, making it impossible to achieve any exploit."

Wang Ping was speechless.

So basically, if you weren't undergoing a life tribulation, your cultivation path would just be perfectly clear and unobstructed... Looked at this way, destiny actually had some redeeming qualities. At the very least, it was truly fair.

Thinking this, Wang Ping felt a surge of curiosity.

According to Xianfu, both he and Baohu were on the path to acquiring exploits and had already achieved some success, which explained their extraordinary strength.

This was completely different from his own situation.

After all, he merely carried the burden of the Great Rebellion Exploits; he hadn't yet created a true exploit of his own, which was why he hadn't triggered a qualitative transformation in his strength.

Which brought him to a question.

"If I may ask, Senior Brother," Wang Ping said, looking closely at Xianfu. "Among the many true transmission disciples of the Immortal Gate, has anyone managed to achieve an exploit before reaching Qi Refining?"

"Of course."

Xianfu gave him a sidelong glance. "The last true transmission disciple to achieve an exploit was Senior Brother Gan. He very nearly eradicated the resurgent Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi."

"And the one before him was Great Cultivator Mingyou."

At the mention of that name, a hint of admiration flashed in Xianfu's eyes. "Surviving the Eight-Crossed Fate Tribulation without dying—such an exploit is quite rare even within the Immortal Gate."

"Aside from them... no one else?"

Wang Ping was somewhat surprised.

However, Xianfu chuckled and shook his head. "There are others, but those people wouldn't come and fight with you and me over the position of true transmission disciple."

"What do you mean?" Wang Ping raised an eyebrow.

"Because those people are the direct descendants, or even blood heirs, of the various True Persons or even Supreme True Lords within the Immortal Gate. They are born with exploits attached to them."

Xianfu's lips curled into a faint sneer. "After all, the cycle of reincarnation for a soul is already like thousands of troops and horses crossing a single-log bridge. Managing to be reborn as the direct descendant of a True Person or a True Monarch requires an unfathomable amount of fortune. Counting that alone as an exploit is well-deserved."

Wang Ping was dumbfounded.

Damn it, reincarnating counted as an exploit?

However, he quickly couldn't help but ask, "I heard that you, Senior Brother, are the awakened spirit soul of a True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript reincarnated as a human. Doesn't that count as being a direct descendant?"

"How does that make me a direct descendant!"

Xianfu burst into laughter. "I'm nothing but a dog tag. My original body is still hanging up in the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven, serving as a joke for those direct descendants of True Persons and True Monarchs!"

"Besides, if I were a direct descendant, I wouldn't need to come here to acquire an exploit."

"If you ever see those direct descendants of True Monarchs and True Persons with your own eyes—the ones born grasping the qi of heaven and earth and descending into this world holding an exploit—you would never ask such a question."

Having said that, Xianfu abruptly changed his tone, speaking lightly. "Still, there is no need to belittle ourselves. These direct descendants might hold every advantage during Tribulation Transcending and Qi Refining, but very few of them actually reach the stage of cultivating the truth. Back then, Great Cultivator Mingyou was not a direct descendant, yet he still suppressed them so fiercely they couldn't even lift their heads."

Mingyou was that incredible?

Hearing this, Wang Ping suddenly felt he hadn't communicated enough with his most beloved master. He would have to find a way to bond with him more in the future.

But that brought up another point.

"What about the Heaven-Stealing Thief?"

Wang Ping asked curiously. "Isn't he the descendant of an immortal? Doesn't he already have an exploit? Why would he still need to eradicate the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi to acquire one?"

"Ah, Senior Brother Gan..."

Xianfu let out a cold laugh. "There is something you don't know, Junior Brother. In today's Immortal Gate, the title 'descendant of an immortal' is nothing but empty prestige."

"When it comes right down to it, they might not even be as noble as a True Monarch's descendant!"

Rumble!

Muffled thunder echoed outside the Unified Mind Hall, nearly drowning out Xianfu's voice. Seeing this, Xianfu snapped his mouth shut and stopped chatting.

"Are you heading back to the Capital now, Junior Brother, or...?"

Wang Ping lowered his eyes.

"...I want to see the True Person."

Xianfu didn't seem surprised. He gave a slight nod.

"Come with me."

.............

Cosmic Deep Space.

It wasn't until he watched Wang Ping's figure disappear into the depths of the Unified Mind Hall and his own line of sight was cut off that Mingyou let out a melancholy sigh.

Fucking hell, this was too difficult.

Just then, a figure suddenly materialized beside him. It was Tianxing, who, just like him, was staking his hopes of cultivating the truth on this Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle.

"Mingyou, oh Mingyou. I'm afraid your lifelong reputation is going to be ruined in your twilight years."

"What do you mean?" Mingyou raised his eyes.

"You know, the thing regarding your disciple." Tianxing chuckled lightly, then gestured a few times with his hands. "Can you perform that again?"

Mingyou instantly understood.

"No matter how high the Martial Dao goes, it can never be higher than the heavens?"

"Hahahahaha!"

Tianxing's unrestrained laughter echoed outward. Hearing this, Mingyou's face instantly darkened. He swept his large sleeve aggressively. "What, you think you're in any better shape?"

"If I'm not mistaken, the Immortal Prescription Courtyard never had any intention of handing over the Great Shun's exploit to allow the Mid-Heaven Orthodox Origin Blended Harmony Qi to return to its human position. Your plan is nothing but flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water. Trying to cultivate the truth under these conditions, I am absolutely certain you will follow in your disciple's doomed footsteps."

The moment he said this, Tianxing's smile instantly transferred onto Mingyou's face.

"The Immortal Prescription Courtyard... a bunch of bandits!"

Tianxing gritted his teeth in hatred. "They lost the Divine Farmer Cauldron through their own incompetence, so now they come here to my Eight Trigrams Furnace to steal my livelihood! Those Biyang animals!"

Hearing this, Mingyou looked perfectly calm and composed.

"You can't phrase it like that. They're only stealing your livelihood. The Immortal Prescription Courtyard paid a massive price, and the esteemed figures in the Divine Weapon Courtyard are exceedingly pleased."

"Save that crap." Tianxing shot Mingyou a glare and said coldly, "Don't I know you by now? Spit it out. What advice do you have for me?"

"The Qi Ingestion Method in your hands."

Mingyou said indifferently, "Find a time to send that Grand White Traversing the Heavens Tome to that good disciple of mine. And when you do, pass on this message to him."

After saying this, Mingyou transmitted a phrase directly into Tianxing's mind.

"...Oh?"

Tianxing raised an eyebrow. "Why are you suddenly helping your disciple? Or did getting blackmailed by him a few times make you see your younger self in him?"

"Have you actually developed some master-disciple sentiment?"

"Hahaha!"

Mingyou was genuinely amused on the spot.

"If you still want to fight for a chance to cultivate the truth, just do as I say. With our many years of friendship, why would I screw you over?"

"Speak plainly."

"I'll feel safer if you lead the vanguard and act as my meat shield."

After they shared a laugh and he sent Tianxing away, Mingyou gradually stowed his jovial expression. He tilted his head back to look at the sky, as if gazing at that twenty-four-colored radiant light.

'Heavenly Yin Metal... it's Heavenly Yin Metal!'

Even though Wang Ping kept it deeply hidden, how could Mingyou possibly fail to notice that Frost-Sunk Golden Battle-Axe Saber? With his level of Dao cultivation, he understood everything in an instant.

'The path the True Person arranged for him was to use Heavenly Yin Metal to break open the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart. This would damage the Great Rebellion Exploits and diminish the Human Yang Earth's Origin-Governing Battle-Axe-Wielding Fate-Governing Qi. But doing so would inevitably shatter the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart, this legacy of the Great Rebellion. For the True Person, this would be a complete success...'

'But for me, it brings a hundred harms and not a single benefit!'

Because to cultivate the truth, the final heaven and earth qi he needed to extract was human-yin fire—the Transmitting Brightness Inheriting Obscurity Treasury-Guarding Qi. The core essence of this qi lay entirely in inheritance and continuation.

He had helped Wang Ping retrieve the lost Great Rebellion legacy: the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart.

Therefore, the stronger Wang Ping's divine power became, the greater his own gains would be, until he could finally use Wang Ping's hands to thoroughly command the Transmitting Brightness Inheriting Obscurity Treasury-Guarding Qi.

But if the end result was the shattering of the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart, the legacy would be severed once again. When that time came, how could he possibly use the human-yin fire to cultivate the truth?

'The True Person wants to discard me like a worn-out shoe.'

Since that was the case, they couldn't blame him for seeking another path.

If the legacy of the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart was doomed to be severed, then his only option was to shift his focus and figure out a way to entrust the concept of inheritance onto the Martial Dao.

'The Grand White Traversing the Heavens Tome is a Qi Ingestion Method, the origin of the Martial Dao. Giving it to that little animal should help push his Martial Dao one step further, given his comprehension skills.'

Mingyou lowered his eyes, suddenly finding the situation rather amusing.

From the moment he began his cultivation up to the present day, he had always acted in accordance with heaven. He had always set up his own small schemes entirely within the broader designs of his superiors, never daring to overstep his bounds in the slightest.

Yet now... his lifespan, his Dao path, his cultivation of the truth—they were all right in front of his eyes.

"I have to take a gamble."