Indeed, for Lu Yuan, the most critical priority at present was elevating his cultivation and realm to enhance his strength.
Everything in the days to come would hinge on his own power. After hearing what Jiang Taiyu had shared, he was all the more convinced of this truth.
After all, higher realms lay beyond the Immortal Realm, and even those were not the final destination. At present, he was merely a Creation Immortal. Though seemingly powerful in this universe, he had yet to reach the apex.
Thus, so long as an opportunity presented itself, Lu Yuan had no intention of letting it slip by. Adjusting his condition slightly, he sat down cross-legged.
Of course, before doing so, Lu Yuan deployed warding measures to temporarily seal off the room. No one could guarantee that someone wouldn't suddenly barge in.
While such an interruption might not severely harm him, taking precautions was always wise. Having seen to that, he drew a deep breath, calmed his thoughts, and sank his awareness inward.
Since departing Earth, he had engaged in two fierce battles against the Extraterrestrial Demons, during which he had unleashed his true capabilities.
Though both encounters had appeared to be total dominations, they had differed from his earlier fights, for he had fought in earnest. In truth, life-and-death battles did not merely push one into dire straits to stimulate potential in moments of crisis and propel one higher. More importantly, in such states, one could readily discern where one's limits lay.
Through this process, one gained a deeper understanding of oneself, establishing a foundation to ascend to the next tier. Having experienced insights of this nature, Lu Yuan wished to see if he could grasp the Heavenly Position Laws and break through to the Heavenly Position Immortal realm.
In this state of deep meditation, the Ancient Bodhi Tree within his mind emanated layer upon layer of radiance. He felt as though he had stepped once more into the cosmos itself.
The movements and workings of all creation manifested clearly before him. Lu Yuan observed it all from the vantage of a detached onlooker.
During the process, he felt as if his fingers brushed against something profound, yet he could not grasp or command it. Just as before, he had touched upon the Heavenly Position Laws, but he had yet to comprehend them.
Even with the aid of the Ancient Bodhi Tree, he remained barred from that realm. The reason was quite simple: too little time had been granted to him.
One had to recognize that among all those in this universe who could reach the realm of a Heavenly Position Immortal, which of them was not an extraordinary genius blessed with countless years of accumulated heritage? How long had Lu Yuan been cultivating and evolving? Even with the profound foundation forged by those divine treasures, the span of his cultivation remained far too brief. That he had attained his present achievements while keeping his foundation impeccably solid was already an astonishing feat.
To advance another step, there were essentially only two paths: the first was the slow accumulation of time, and the second was a sudden, miraculous epiphany in an opportune moment that allowed one to cross the threshold.
The first method was clearly not an option for Lu Yuan, as he simply did not possess that kind of time.
He had no choice but to rely on the second approach. Yet such moments of insight were things one could stumble upon only by sheer fortune, never forced by will. Consequently, when Lu Yuan opened his eyes once more, the aura surrounding him showed no change whatsoever, and his cultivation realm remained exactly where it had begun. His combat strength seemed marginally sharper, but without a genuine breakthrough, any improvement was exceedingly modest.
"Perhaps I am being far too hasty?" Lu Yuan murmured, a trace of helplessness surfacing in his eyes as he assessed his condition. He truly yearned to take that next step.
He had exerted tremendous effort toward that end, yet things had not gone as hoped, and success eluded him. Reflecting carefully, he could see that he had been in too great a rush.
In other words, he had been eager for quick success. All cultivation was a matter of letting the water carve its own channel when the time was right. At such a critical juncture, haste was the very last thing he needed.
Recognizing the flaw, Lu Yuan adjusted his state of mind. He set aside his musings on the matter, acknowledging that patience was required.
If his mindset remained as rushed as before, the outcome would not alter. The pressing priority was to rebalance his state of mind.
Lu Yuan remained utterly certain that he would eventually become a Heavenly Position Immortal; it was merely a question of sooner or later.
Thus, he needed to turn his attention elsewhere for now, setting aside thoughts of breaking through.
"The eighth Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token is located in the Celestial Clan's other ancestral land."
"Senior Jiang Taiyu's plan is to draw out the Celestial Clan and the Extraterrestrial Demons so I can slip into that ancestral land and retrieve the token. Not the slightest mistake can be tolerated throughout the process."
Lu Yuan murmured softly, turning his thoughts to the task at hand.
What was certain for now was that knowledge of the eighth Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token was essentially confined to himself and Jiang Taiyu.
On top of that, the Celestial Clan was keeping the matter strictly concealed. Were word to leak, never mind how the Extraterrestrial Demons might react; most critically, the myriad clans across the starry sky would never let the opportunity pass. The fewer people who knew, the better, lest the situation spiral into greater chaos.
This was especially true regarding the Extraterrestrial Demons, which made secrecy all the more essential. On that front, Lu Yuan was not overly concerned.
The Celestial Clan would certainly exhaust every means to keep the information hidden. Barring unforeseen accidents, complications should not arise, for even if the Celestial Clan lost the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, they would not dare make a public fuss about it.
Doing so would only provoke the displeasure of the Extraterrestrial Demons.
"Senior Jiang said three days."
"My brief seclusion took two days. One more day of preparation should be just about right."
Without dwelling further, Lu Yuan calmed his heart and devoted this final stretch to bringing his condition to its peak.
If all went according to plan, the operation would commence shortly. All he had to do was wait.
Furthermore, once he infiltrated the ancestral land, a fierce battle might very well await him. In any event, he had to confront whatever lay ahead in optimal form.
Time trickled away, moment by moment. Another day passed. Early in the morning, Lu Yuan sensed someone approaching his quarters.
It was Jiang Ningxian. Dispersing his wards, he walked out.
"My father says he will lead a force to launch a counterstrike against the Extraterrestrial Demons. Anyone at or above the Grotto-Heaven Immortal realm must participate," Jiang Ningxian said straightforwardly, without preamble. She, too, remained unaware of her father's true objective for the expedition.
Lu Yuan naturally offered no hints either, nodding at once. "Since Senior Jiang has spoken, I certainly won't remain behind closed doors. Let's go."
Hearing this, Jiang Ningxian broke into a smile. A playful urge surfaced in her heart, and she could not resist teasing, "What? Are you still calling my father 'Senior' even now?
"Aren't you planning on changing what you call him?"
Lu Yuan blinked in surprise, then could not help but chuckle. "Oh? How would you like me to address him? Tell me, and I'll follow your lead."
The affection between the two of them was of the kind that was plain to see yet rarely put into explicit words.
Naturally, not everyone was perceptive enough to pick up on it. Right at that moment, Jiang Haokong strolled over with a look of confusion, calling out, "Sis, Lu Yuan, what are you two doing here? Father is waiting for us!"
Having spoken, he cast a bizarre look at the pair, then turned on his heel and walked off.
Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads with a laugh before saying nothing more and following closely behind.
Chapter 488