After sensing it for only a moment, Wei Yuan determined—by virtue of his peerless mathematical attainments—that this expanse of the Chaos Sea had already reflected the Splendor of the Many Realms and had, to some degree, become part of his mindscape world.
For a mindscape world to reflect the Chaos Sea, the underlying mathematical principles were extraordinarily complex, far exceeding the limits of Qingming's current mathematics.
Yet Wei Yuan considered his own mathematical skill to be rivaled by few in this world. His proof lay in his judgment that his resonance with this section of the Chaos Sea was the result of his mindscape world's reflection; as for the process and reasons, they were irrelevant.
Why Wei Yuan's mathematical attainments could be ranked among the pinnacle of the age could be summed up in a single sentence: other mathematical masters knew how to calculate, but might not arrive at the correct result; whereas even if Wei Yuan did not know how to calculate, he could still arrive at the correct result.
Contemplating the Chaos Sea, Wei Yuan mused with a sigh: so-called genius truly was ninety-nine percent talent plus one percent karmic luck. Without that one percent of karmic luck, ninety-nine percent talent was utterly worthless.
Having thoroughly marveled at and admired himself, Wei Yuan raised his left hand. Several spheres of light appeared within his palm, each containing a completely different world.
Wei Yuan flicked these spheres of light one by one into the Chaos Sea. The spheres shattered immediately, and the worlds within manifested, slowly expanding within the Chaos Sea.
Within the Battle Saint Hall, Jun Weizhi was cultivating when his entire body suddenly jolted. The space around him transformed into a wondrous world where countless tall crystal pillars towered. With a peculiar look on his face, he reached out to touch a crystal pillar beside him. It felt solid to the touch, yet it was unmistakably illusory.
"Could this be...?"
With a bang, the door was slammed open, and Dugu Cangqiong barged in, shouting over and over, "A mindscape world! I have a mindscape world!!"
His voice was deafening, echoing instantly throughout the entire Battle Saint Hall. For a moment, all the cultivators looked toward the top floor in shock.
Jun Weizhi looked quietly at Dugu Cangqiong, his eyes brimming with tolerance and understanding. Han Li and Fuyao also quietly appeared at this moment, neither saying a word. Dugu Cangqiong looked at the three of them and slowly calmed down. "You three couldn't possibly have mindscape worlds as well, could you...?"
A single glance at their expressions gave Dugu Cangqiong his answer. Letting out a long sigh, he said, "After braving countless hardships, I finally obtained a true mindscape world. I thought I had made history in our realm, yet to think all of you succeeded as well. It seems my talent still couldn't surpass yours... What kind of look is that on your faces?"
Jun Weizhi asked, "Is it possible that this true mindscape world isn't the result of your hard work, but rather that this world itself has broken through?"
Dugu Cangqiong's expression grew colorful. "You're saying this world broke through? Wait, if the world broke through, doesn't that mean the Old Man of Creat—the Creation Immortal Venerable broke through? He can still break through?"
Jun Weizhi gave a soft sigh and said, "It is not a breakthrough, yet greater than a breakthrough. We are effectively like a few insects parasitizing the divine sense of the Creation Immortal Venerable. Merely looking at the immense leap we have made along the Dao, one can imagine how tremendous the Creation Immortal Venerable's progress must be this time."
Dugu Cangqiong stared blankly. "I can't imagine it!"
Around Fuyao, a clear mountain brook sprang forth, with dots of wild blooms along its banks—a rustic, natural mountain landscape. Then she said, "My mindscape world has formed as well. Truly unexpected. Does he not know of my past?"
Han Li coughed softly and said, "Or perhaps he simply doesn't care."
Fuyao was taken aback, her expression conflicted.
Dugu Cangqiong's eyes suddenly lit up. "If the world breaks through and we break through along with it, that only proves our talent is far above this world! To achieve what we have today is primarily down to our own hard work!"
The other three stared at him in silence, feeling that he truly possessed the bearing of a creation deity.
***
High in the immortal heaven, clouds and winds gathered once more as the immortals arrived in succession, assembling by the shores of Mirror Lake. Duke Yansheng and a female immortal dressed in a water-blue gown sat on the hills by the lake, each occupying a peak, subtly set above the gathering of immortals. Though this female immortal's cultivation was ordinary, she had come as the representative of the Venerable Master, naturally elevating her status. Certain well-traveled immortals even detected Cangwu's aura lingering on her, inwardly alarmed and wondering what had happened to Cangwu.
Duke Yansheng spoke first: "Recently, that little scoundrel has begun to exhibit faint traces of immortal light, showing signs of completing his cultivation! At this rate, I fear he will attempt ascension to immortality again in less than a century. What arrangements has the Venerable Master made?"
The female immortal replied, "We intervened to thwart him once, and a grudge over blocking his path already exists; naturally, we cannot allow him to ascend to immortality this time. Not long ago, he fought a great battle in the outer world against an extraterrestrial immortal and won by a stroke of luck. He must have gained something from it to advance by such leaps and bounds. If the Venerable Master's deductions hold true, he should dedicate all the spoils of that battle to elevating his existential status, so his cultivation will not rise so swiftly."
Master Gu said, "Yet what if he is shortsighted and fixated solely on immediate cultivation, pouring all his gains into his cultivation? In that case, another ascension might be just around the corner. Having accumulated ample foundation this time, our intervention would face the backlash of heavenly tribulation—something most of the fellow immortals present could hardly bear."
Cui Zhengxing echoed, "Master Gu speaks with great reason. I hear the Venerable Master possesses heaven-defying means capable of concealing the Heavenly Dao. When the time comes, will there be a way to spare us from suffering the tribulation of ascension once more?"
"That..." The female cultivator trailed off, falling silent in thought.
Cui Wantong spoke up at this moment: "Although I did not manage to act in time last time, I must make one thing clear now: I cannot endure the tribulation of ascension again. If the Venerable Master has no means to shield us, then I can only stand by with folded arms and watch Wei Yuan ascend to the immortal heaven."
Her words were laced with menace, causing the female immortal's face to turn cold. Meanwhile, the minds of the other immortals grew active. Ranking grudges and grievances, once Wei Yuan ascended to immortality, the first people he would seek vengeance on would definitely be the Venerable Master or Duke Yansheng; it would never be their turn first.
Duke Yansheng said, "The Palace of Grand Beginning has two immortals presiding, possessing formidable strength to begin with. The Sword Palace has also explicitly aligned itself with them. Previously, the Venerable Master claimed the Pure Land would intervene, yet there has been no sign of movement. If the Venerable Master cannot present some effective means, expecting my Academy alone to hold off both the Sword Palace and the Palace of Grand Beginning would be asking too much."
The female immortal tilted her head slightly, as if listening intently to something. After a moment, she said, "The Venerable Master will contact the alien immortal lords. When the time comes, they should be able to suppress the Heavenly Dao, preventing the tribulation of ascension from falling upon your heads."
Yet Cui Wantong was not satisfied and said, "Which immortal lords will be contacted, how will they be contacted, and to what degree can they suppress the heavenly tribulation? That is the tribulation of ascension, dozens of times more lethal to us than to mortals. If any slip occurs in the suppression, our foundations could very well be damaged."
The female immortal's face hardened, and she said sternly, "Are you questioning the Venerable Master?"
Cui Wantong did not back down in the slightest. "When our lives are at stake, we cannot simply brush it aside. If the Venerable Master is truly confident, why not explain it clearly to us? Being so evasive—could it be that you wish to use us as cannon fodder?"
"Impudent!" The female immortal's eyebrows raised in fury, on the verge of striking.
Duke Yansheng frowned slightly but did not speak to stop them, clearly also wanting to know just how much certainty the Venerable Master possessed.
Just then, however, a pillar of azure light suddenly surged from the center of Qingming, soaring straight into the firmament and piercing deep into the immortal heaven!
Beneath the azure pillar of light, three colors of immortal radiance—azure, gold, and crimson—rose from the earth. Even the Heavenly Dao began to shift slowly as the immortal light spread across an ever-widening expanse.
After watching for only a moment, Duke Yansheng showed delight on his face and said, "The little scoundrel truly chases grandiosity! Instead of augmenting his Dao cultivation or elevating his existential status, he expands his mindscape world! If he wants to ascend to immortality this way, won't he have to wait until the end of time?"
Chapter 1456