Xu Ying and Lou Mingyu had exchanged only a few blows before both were grievously injured and unable to continue. They had no choice but to support each other and return to the Great Luo Heaven above the Nine Heavens to nurse their wounds.
The two of them fought with extreme severity: one sought to verify whether what he had learned from the Holy Venerable was authentic, while the other sought to verify how his own abilities measured up against the Holy Venerable's. A strike or two was enough to decide life or death, perhaps without even needing to determine victory or defeat.
Thus, when confronted with the final life-or-death clash, they stopped simultaneously by unspoken consensus.
In the Holy Venerable's Great Luo Heaven, Xu Ying and Lou Mingyu tended to each other's injuries. Lou Mingyu asked, "Junior Brother Xu, how has your collation of the realms been coming along these past few days?"
Xu Ying smiled. "I have already organized them."
Lou Mingyu's spirits lifted, and he said hurriedly, "Let's hear it."
Xu Ying said, "I plan to divide Nuo cultivation into two stages. The first stage is Cave-Heaven, and the second stage is Dao Scenery. The Cave-Heaven stage corresponds to the nine realms of Qi Refiners from Qi Gathering to Ascension, and it is likewise divided into nine realms."
A sense of admiration welled up within Lou Mingyu. With a solemn expression, he said, "May I ask how these nine realms are demarcated?"
Xu Ying hesitated briefly, then said, "They will simply be called First Tier Cave-Heaven Realm, Second Tier Cave-Heaven Realm, Third Tier Cave-Heaven Realm, and so on, all the way to Ninth Tier Cave-Heaven Realm."
Lou Mingyu was struck dumb. After a moment, he said, "Dao Ancestor Xu's division of the Dao Scenery stage must surely be First Tier Dao Scenery Realm, Second Tier Dao Scenery Realm, Third Tier Dao Scenery Realm, and so on, am I right?"
Xu Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Brother Lou, you can foretell the future? Don't tell me you are skilled in divine divination as well?"
Lou Mingyu sighed inwardly at how uncultured and unlearned this person was. Yet it was this culturally unrefined Xu Ying who had pioneered the New Dao and walked its entire path, lacking only a final step to attain the Supreme realm. Meanwhile, Lou Mingyu had studied under the Holy Venerable and was exceptionally erudite—more so even than Mingzun, for Mingzun's teacher Qingxuan had died early, whereas the Holy Venerable still lived.
Yet despite all that, Lou Mingyu had failed to pioneer a cultivation system for the New Dao.
At the thought, Lou Mingyu felt so aggrieved he nearly coughed up blood.
Xu Ying asked puzzledly, "Is there something wrong with naming them like this?"
Lou Mingyu shook his head. "Look at the original realms: Qi Gathering, Striking the Pass, Intertwined Refining, Mansions, Jade Pool, God Bridge, Jade Capital... All these names are rich in poetic elegance and reflect the characteristics of each stage. In your hands, it's just First Tier Cave-Heaven, Second Tier Cave-Heaven... It's utterly illiterate."
Xu Ying laughed. "Qi Gathering, Striking the Pass, Intertwined Refining, Mansions—the names are nice, sure, but many people cannot remember them and complain that they are too complicated. Calling them First Tier, Second Tier, and Third Tier makes them easy to memorize and roll off the tongue. Even a child can understand them. Wouldn't that make cultivation much simpler?"
Lou Mingyu explained tactfully, "Still, there ought to be some description for each realm. Otherwise, upon entering a realm, one wouldn't know how to cultivate. Furthermore, you are merely opening cave-heavens, and cave-heavens correspond to the Ten Sceneries of Great Void. What if one day the Ten Sceneries of Great Void are gone? What will we do then?"
Xu Ying fell into contemplation.
Nowadays, when a Nuo Immortal opened a cave-heaven, they were actually accessing the Great Void, drawing upon the Dao power of six kinds of Great Void Dao sceneries and integrating it into themselves.
However, the Ten Sceneries of Great Void were merely Qingxuan's ten great Dao sceneries, which would sooner or later be exhausted. If the New Dao was built solely on perpetuating Qingxuan's Ten Sceneries of Great Void, it would inevitably collapse in the end.
On the other hand, opening the ten Immortal Realm cave-heavens like Xu Ying did, stealing the spiritual energy and spiritual power of the Immortal Realm for personal use, was far too difficult.
From antiquity to the present, only two people had achieved this: the first was Qingxuan, and the second was Xu Ying.
Even if his method were taught to the world, no one else could learn it. If just anyone could master it, the Immortal Emperor would not have laid schemes for six hundred thousand years waiting for this generation's Xu Ying.
Xu Ying pondered for a long time before saying, "Allow me to think it over and come up with a progression of realms that isn't too difficult."
A few days later, their injuries had healed. Lou Mingyu descended from Great Luo Heaven to find Xu Ying, and the two walked back up together.
When they reached Yangtian, the Yanglong Emperor saw them coming from afar and instantly grew tense, shouting orders for the craftsmen to halt repairs and go home.
A moment later, the Yanglong Emperor arrived before the Taixiao Emperor and said with a smile, "Pardon the intrusion for a few days."
Waves of terrifying aura pulsed from Yangtian; Xu Ying and Lou Mingyu were clashing once more, waging a battle that overturned heaven and earth.
The Yanglong Emperor sighed, worry written all over his face.
After a few more days, the Taixiao Emperor said, "Brother, it's not that I don't wish to host you, but staying here indefinitely isn't a solution either."
The Yanglong Emperor had no choice but to take his leave. He went to the Jiuyou Emperor and said with a smile, "Pardon the intrusion for a few days."
Yangtian once more emanated pulses of terrifying shockwaves. Xu Ying and Lou Mingyu had evidently rested for a few days and clashed once again, testing their mettle against each other.
After he stayed for a while, the Jiuyou Emperor also grew annoyed and served tea to see his guest off. The Yanglong Emperor took the hint, rose to bid farewell, and went over to intrude upon the Luhe Emperor for a few days.
He worried secretly, 'Quelin, Fuyue, and Caiwei are all women. If I go disturb them, rumors might spread that things among us Nine Emperors aren't proper. Emperor Qinghua is a man, but unfortunately he is an eccentric old fellow who never sees eye to eye with me. If the Luhe Emperor drives me out too, I'm afraid my only option will be to stay in Yantian.'
Yet Yantian had no new Changsheng Emperor. If he went there to stay, others might think he had demoted himself, forsaking his position as Yanglong Emperor just to be the Changsheng Emperor.
'Just how long do these two bastards plan to keep wreaking havoc?' the Yanglong Emperor fumed inwardly.
At first, Lou Mingyu had sought out Xu Ying, but later it became Xu Ying seeking out Lou Mingyu, yet they continued to duel in Yangtian.
Over these days, Xu Ying and Lou Mingyu went from only being able to withstand one of each other's moves, to two or three, and then to over ten moves before inflicting heavy injuries on one another. Their cultivation, vision, and insight all improved considerably.
However, the longer their fights lasted, the more severely Yangtian was destroyed, leaving the Yanglong Emperor thoroughly helpless.
On this day, Xu Ying came looking for Lou Mingyu again. Lou Mingyu finally caught on and smiled. "Junior Brother Xu, your taking the initiative to seek me out these past days isn't just about comparing cultivation and Dao attainments. There must be another reason."
Xu Ying sighed. "Mingzun has come out of seclusion."
Lou Mingyu's heart skipped a beat. Mingzun was the Immortal Emperor Supreme. He had previously entered the Supreme cave abyss to heal, and now his injuries were fully recovered.
Xu Ying was a crop planted by the Immortal Emperor. He was already ripe; if the Immortal Emperor didn't harvest him now, it might become impossible to do so in the future. Thus, the Immortal Emperor was exceedingly keen on harvesting Xu Ying.
Last time, with the Holy Venerable present, the Immortal Emperor hadn't gone so far as to harvest him directly. But this time, the Holy Venerable had gone to the Mortal Realm and had yet to return, presenting the Immortal Emperor with an opportunity!
"You and your father's merits cover the heavens! If you two hadn't stepped in to thwart the Changsheng Emperor's conspiracy, the Changsheng Emperor would already be sitting on the throne of the Immortal Emperor!" Lou Mingyu said with great indignation. "Once the Changsheng Emperor took the throne and used the Supreme cave abyss to attain the Supreme realm, what bloody good would Mingzun's return have done? With the Changsheng Emperor uniting the other eight emperors, Mingzun would have had no choice but to surrender the throne obediently! How can he show no gratitude for your kindness and instead come to harvest you?"
Xu Ying said, "I am a crop he planted. He calculated my enmity with the Changsheng Emperor long ago. As early as forty-eight thousand years ago, he sent the Changsheng Emperor's avatar, the Imperial Monarch, to suppress and deal with me. He used that enmity to eliminate the Changsheng Emperor. Naturally, he considers this his own capability, not a debt of gratitude to me."
Lou Mingyu pondered, "You rendered great service in quelling the rebellion. If he kills you, he will bear universal infamy, and it will become leverage in the hands of the Eight Emperors of the Nine Heavens. If the Eight Emperors seize that leverage, they will move against him!"
"I originally thought he would care about his reputation and the Eight Emperors of the Nine Heavens as well, but thinking about it now, the Immortal Emperor Supreme will definitely move against me," Xu Ying said. "This opportunity is simply too rare. The Nine Heavens suffered heavy damage, and Jiugong, Taiyuan, and Saint Luo are stranded in the Mortal Realm, having yet to return. Right now, only the Holy Venerable can restrain him from acting against me."
Lou Mingyu said, "Yet the Holy Venerable just happens to be away from Great Luo Heaven."
Xu Ying nodded gently. "But he doesn't know that the Holy Venerable isn't here."
Lou Mingyu blinked, then smiled. "So your coming to Great Luo Heaven so often is to make Mingzun falsely believe that the Holy Venerable favors you and summons you every few days."
Xu Ying sighed, rallied his spirits, and said, "Now I can only pray that when the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God meet in the Mortal Realm, they don't fight."
If those two supreme beings were to clash, the power would surely shake the universe with immense fanfare. At that point, upon seeing such phenomena, Mingzun would realize that the Holy Venerable might not be in Great Luo Heaven!
Lou Mingyu laughed. "Rest assured, the Mortal Realm is vast, many times larger than the Earth Immortal Realm. They won't happen across each other so coincidentally."
Xu Ying said worriedly, "I hope so."
Putting aside his stray thoughts for the moment, he researched the realms of the New Dao while healing.
Over these days of exchanging insights and sparring with Lou Mingyu, both of their cultivations had progressed at tremendous speed, yet there remained a considerable distance to the Supreme realm.
However, Xu Ying still faced many unresolved dilemmas in organizing the New Dao's realms. The path of the ten Immortal Realm cave-heavens could only be mastered by once-in-an-epoch geniuses like Xu Ying and Qingxuan. If the New Dao was to spread, this path had to be abandoned.
"The goal of the New Dao's realms is to cultivate Dao sceneries. The process of forming Dao sceneries cannot be accomplished overnight; there must be preliminary comprehension. A Dao scenery cannot be created from nothing."
Xu Ying suddenly had an epiphany and said to Lou Mingyu, "I plan to combine the two methods of Nuo cultivation and Qi refining, thereby breaking free from the limitations of Nuo and reestablishing each realm of the New Dao. I will still call such cultivators Qi Refiners. First, one must gather qi and refine qi, so the first realm remains Qi Gathering: solidifying one's foundation, gathering the five qi to the origin, gathering the primordial qi of heaven and earth, and refining oneself internally."
Lou Mingyu nodded gently. This was the first realm of Qi refining, so it was not pioneered by Xu Ying.
Xu Ying said, "The second realm is called Hidden Scenery. One meditates inwardly upon the Realm of Xiyi, opens a cave-heaven within the Realm of Xiyi, contemplates Dao phenomena, and forms an internal cave-heaven. This is called Hidden Scenery."
Lou Mingyu was astonished. "Hidden Scenery? What a wonderful name for a realm! Very evocative! A hidden scenery is a concealed, latent Dao scenery!"
His endless praise made Xu Ying's face flush slightly, though fortunately his skin was dark enough that no one noticed.
The term "Hidden Scenery" was originally a term from the Nuo methods, not his own original invention.
"The third realm is still the original realm, but instead of Intertwined Refining, it is called Golden Core," Xu Ying continued.
Lou Mingyu nodded gently. Xu Ying had cut out the Striking the Pass stage, as Striking the Pass was actually very brief, requiring only opening the Weilu mystic pass to cross.
Calling the Intertwined Refining realm "Golden Core" was actually somewhat improper, as Intertwined Refining referred to the intertwined refining of water and fire—the most crucial step in refining a Golden Core. Calling it Golden Core directly lacked poetic elegance.
Yet considering Xu's cultural pedigree, Lou Mingyu let it go.
"The fourth realm is called Cave Abyss," Xu Ying said.
"Cave Abyss?" Lou Mingyu was deeply puzzled.
Xu Ying nodded. "Cave Abyss. This realm takes the Hidden Scenery as its foundation and the Golden Core as the means of perception to forge an immortal realm within the Hidden Scenery, which I call a cave abyss. The Golden Core enhances the Qi Refiner's comprehension of the Great Dao. After forming the Golden Core, one comprehends the Great Dao of heaven and earth to condense Dao phenomena, refining a cave abyss. Therefore, Cave Abyss is the fourth realm."
Lou Mingyu frowned slightly. The jump from Golden Core to Cave Abyss was enormous; it would likely be a realm that provided an immense boost to a Qi Refiner's cultivation and strength.
He also realized something: though Xu Ying only said Cave Abyss was the fourth realm, this fourth realm did not correspond to the Qi Refiner's fourth realm.
A Qi Refiner's progression consisted of nine realms: Qi Gathering, Weilu, Intertwined Refining, Jiaji, Mansions, Jade Pool, God Bridge, Yuzhen, and Ascension. The fourth realm was striking the Jiaji pass.
Yet the New Dao's fourth realm, the Cave Abyss realm, was undeniably vastly stronger than striking the Jiaji pass, perhaps even comparable to the Mansions stage!
Xu Ying continued, "The fifth realm is the Primordial Spirit realm."
Lou Mingyu raised his eyebrows. Xu Ying had skipped the second Striking the Pass stage again and adopted the Mansions stage of Qi Refiners. Clearly, he felt that "Mansions" was not intuitive enough and changed it to "Primordial Spirit realm" for ease of memory.
Yet the greatest feature of the Primordial Spirit realm remained the Twelve-Storyed Mansions. The Golden Core incubated here, and the Primordial Spirit imprinted upon the Twelve-Storyed Mansions to ascend to the Jade Pool!
'If one cultivates to this stage, the cultivator's strength should already be at the level of the God Bridge stage or even Ascension stage!' Lou Mingyu thought.
Xu Ying hesitated, glanced at Lou Mingyu, and said, "The sixth realm is called the Nine Cave Abyss Realms."
Seeing that Lou Mingyu didn't object, Xu Ying still felt a bit of regret. What a pity he couldn't name them Cave Abyss First Layer, Second Layer, Third Layer.
The Nine Cave Abyss Realms was based on the Cave Abyss realm, continuously enhancing one's comprehension of the Dao, shaping one's own cave-heaven, and refining nine layers of Dao phenomena.
"The seventh realm is called Jade Pool," Xu Ying said.
Lou Mingyu was thoroughly surprised, thinking, 'He didn't change the name this time.'
He could see it clearly now: Xu Ying intended to use the entire nine realms of Qi Refiners as the foundation for cultivating the New Dao. With every step a Qi Refiner took, after cementing their foundation, they would take another step closer to a Dao scenery!
Cultivating in this manner, even before ascending, a Qi Refiner would likely far surpass the Human Immortals and Earth Immortals of today!
Xu Ying continued, "The eighth realm is called Six Daos."
Lou Mingyu asked solemnly, "What is the meaning of Six Daos?"
Xu Ying said, "I chose Mingzun as the benchmark. Mingzun has refined six Dao sceneries and is the weakest Supreme. Therefore, if a Qi Refiner wishes to cultivate to the Supreme realm, they need to master six Great Daos at this realm to prepare six great Dao sceneries for the future. Hence, this realm is called Six Daos."
Lou Mingyu realized the rationale and said, "Continue."
Xu Ying said, "The ninth realm is Ascension."
Lou Mingyu nodded gently, thinking, 'This realm is direct enough as well. However, it conceals the third Striking the Pass stage and the God Bridge realm.'
Though omitted by Xu Ying, those two realms were still present, merely treated as minor realms within the Ascension realm!
'Upon cultivating to the Ascension realm, a cultivator's strength would at least be comparable to today's Heavenly Immortals,' he thought secretly.
Xu Ying continued, "Once the first stage of cultivation is completed, one reaches the second stage: Dao Scenery. After ascension, the first realm is Dao Domain. The second realm is Six Domains, the third is Bodhimanda, the fourth is Dao Scenery, and the fifth is the Supreme Realm."
Lou Mingyu's scalp tingled. The Supreme realm was originally supposed to be the seventh or eighth realm of immortals, but now Xu Ying had directly shaved off Dao trees and Dao flowers, going straight into the Supreme realm!
Yet by the time a cultivator reached the Dao Scenery realm, they would already be powerful enough—surpassing even today's Heavenly Monarch realm—to make a breakthrough into the Supreme realm!
He collected his wits and asked, "How will you verify it?"
Xu Ying summoned the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler and said, "Simple! I will sever my own realms and cultivate from the beginning. That way, I can verify whether these New Dao realms are viable!"
With that, the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler fell, severing his three major realms—bodhimanda, Dao domain, and Ten Domains—and promptly destroying his ten cave-heavens!
Chapter 608