Perhaps I Was Raised Better

The First Society Master was visibly moved. He had never expected Supreme Venerable Biluo to obtain a matching variant Dao fruit and step into the third tier of the Yang God realm. Originally, someone like Supreme Venerable Biluo, who cultivated a Supreme Ultimate Principle at the second tier of the Yang God realm, was already comparable to a Realm Lord who had just entered the Rule Realm. Now that he had obtained a variant Dao fruit, once he completely refined it, his strength was bound to surge. Such a Supreme Venerable Biluo was indeed more qualified than Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns to enter the One Yuan Assembly. "This..." The First Society Master hesitated. "Yet I have already spoken of this matter with Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns. If I suddenly go back on my word, where will I put this old face of mine?" At his level of cultivation, his mindset could no longer be measured by ordinary standards. Sometimes he could be entirely shameless, but other times, saving face was more important than anything. "Senior Brother, if you fear losing face, why not simply refrain from laying your cards on the table with Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns for now? Just tell him to go back and think it over," the Second Society Master said. "In the future, once Supreme Venerable Biluo finishes fusing with the variant Dao fruit, steps into the third tier of the Yang God realm, and hosts a grand Realm Lord assembly, he will come to our Ultimate Principle Society to take the One Yuan Assembly. When that happens, Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns will surely recognize the difficulty and back down without further complaint." The First Society Master wavered. "Will that work?" *** Meanwhile, outside, Qi Yuan stood quietly and stretched lazily. "I've always said my place was missing a wall, and that the Wall of Ultimate Principle would do nicely. Looking at it now, though, the Wall of Ultimate Principle is rather ordinary." His gaze pierced through layers of obstacles and fell upon the Wall of Ultimate Principle. The wall, which had once seemed profound and enigmatic to him, now appeared utterly pedestrian. "This so-called One Yuan Assembly sounds quite extraordinary, but in reality, isn't it just a curious treasure of light? How is it any different from the imperial seals or the Jade Disc of He back on Blue Star? Does possessing it grant an imperial throne? Pure feudal superstition," Qi Yuan muttered to himself. Just then, a faint, slender streak of light flew swiftly toward him. Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes in curiosity. The faint radiance resembled a little green swimming dragon. It descended swiftly and soundlessly onto his wrist, as though seeking to transform into a jade bracelet and coil around his arm. However, because Qi Yuan was far too powerful, the streak of light resembling a green dragon was instantly immobilized by his aura. "What is this...?" [One Yuan Assembly, a Realm Lord curious treasure forged by a disciple of an Immortal Realm Dao Lord.] "The One Yuan Assembly?" "Could it be that We... truly bear the Mandate of Heaven?" Qi Yuan cracked a small joke with himself. This One Yuan Assembly was far too enthusiastic. The moment it saw him, it secretly tried to burrow into his sleeve without the slightest shred of modesty. Was it trying to acknowledge him as its master? "Hey now, I don't have a whip or candles. I don't know how to play that sort of stuff..." As if possessing consciousness, the One Yuan Assembly transformed into a tiny swimming dragon, panting and fawning like a little puppy. Seeing this, Qi Yuan sighed at last. "Ah, it must have had a terrible time at the Ultimate Principle Society. That's why it rushed straight toward me the moment it saw me. This isn't called taking, nor is it stealing—this is rescuing it from a sea of misery." As he spoke, Qi Yuan activated his recording function to preserve evidence for himself. "Little thing, follow me from now on." After a brief thought, Qi Yuan ceased restraining the One Yuan Assembly. A wave of joyful emotion immediately rippled from the Realm Lord curious treasure. It wound itself around Qi Yuan's wrist, settling into the form of a green dragon bracelet. He pulled his long sleeve down slightly, feeling a bit guilty after all. "Sure enough, my skin is still too thin. Even doing a good deed makes me feel bashful. I really ought to leave the Ultimate Principle Society quickly. "It's not that I'm feeling guilty—it's just that I fear keeping the One Yuan Assembly in a place full of nightmares any longer might harm it." Just as he was thinking this, the figure of the First Society Master, the dragon turtle, reappeared. His expression was somewhat unnatural, and he seemed hesitant to meet Qi Yuan's eyes. "Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns, what do you think of what this old man proposed just now?" the First Society Master asked. "Well..." Qi Yuan hesitated. If the One Yuan Assembly hadn't been so enthusiastic, he honestly wouldn't have had much interest in entering it to boost his strength or anything of the sort. "There is still plenty of time. There are three hundred billion years left in this epoch. Why doesn't Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns return first and consider it carefully?" The First Society Master's tone clearly hinted at ushering him out. "Alright!" Qi Yuan was equally eager to leave, and a smile broke across his face. "Farewell." "Farewell." Watching Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns depart, the First Society Master wiped the sweat from his brow. *** Divine Light Sect, atop Seven Colors Peak. Qi Yuan looked down at the One Yuan Assembly on his arm, a curious expression surfacing on his face. "There are benefits to entering it. Should I give it a try?" As the saying went, never refuse what is handed to you on a silver platter. Moreover, he had now stepped into the Yin God realm. His current combat power was on par with the Heaven-Opening Realm, making it exceedingly difficult to take another step forward. After all, beyond this lay the fourth tier, or even the fifth tier, of the Yang God realm. Thus, after attaining the Yin God realm, Qi Yuan's cultivation had plateaued, leaving him unsure of how to elevate his strength further. Naturally, devouring Stellar Golden Cores did not count. That was the Golden Core Great Dao. He had yet to find a direction for advancing his true body's cultivation. Cosmic rules? Mastering anomalous treasures? Or perhaps strengthening his true spirit? At present, he was still too weak. If the Sole Palace were to suddenly go berserk, he would be no match for it and would surely be swallowed whole. Not to mention, if the deceased Dao Lord of the Immortal Realm were to suddenly spring back to life, Qi Yuan would be doomed before a Dao Lord of the fifth tier of the Yang God realm. The might of a Lord of a Great Dao was beyond imagination. "Let's set a small goal first: elevate my strength... until I have at least the power to contend with the fourth tier of the Yang God realm." In the Divine Wood Universe, Qi Yuan had been able to stand against Heitian partly because he was formidable enough, and partly because of the seven pieces of Mankind-Kindled Light. Those seven pieces of Mankind-Kindled Light were the seven primordial rules of the Divine Wood Universe. In Qi Yuan's hands, they had been able to unleash combat power comparable to half a cultivator at the fourth tier of the Yang God realm. Even so, facing Heitian, he had still retreated step by step. Had his master not bestowed "Spring" upon him, his true spirit would have been lost and annihilated amid the countless spacetimes where he fought Heitian. Therefore, while he appeared immensely powerful right now, he was actually frail and helpless. "Hopefully, within the One Yuan Assembly, I can find a method to increase my strength. "Or perhaps... if I can find news of the Divine Wood Universe, that would be wonderful as well." Looking at the One Yuan Assembly, he immediately detached a wisp of his true spirit and entered it. Qi Yuan's consciousness blurred for a brief instant before swiftly clearing. "This is inside the One Yuan Assembly?" He looked up to find himself in an unfamiliar space. He could sense no passage of time. Looking upward, the canopy above resembled a starry expanse holding an endless sea of stars. "Is this... the Cosmic Spirit Sea, the place where one can temper the true spirit?" Qi Yuan's gaze turned toward what looked like an ocean ahead, his eyes filled with curiosity. This Cosmic Spirit Sea was the place the First Society Master had mentioned where one could temper the true spirit. Within the Cosmic Spirit Sea, boundless waters burned, and cosmic rules were reborn or annihilated alongside the combustion of the water. A terrifying aura radiated from within. A cultivator at the first tier of the Yang God realm who stepped into the periphery of the Cosmic Spirit Sea would likely be incinerated by those flames. Those at the second tier could only remain at the outermost edges, unable to venture deep. "There are... people inside this Cosmic Spirit Sea?" Qi Yuan noted in surprise. With his formidable perception, he naturally detected numerous presences within the Cosmic Spirit Sea. "Aliens are quite open-minded... Going around without any clothes on in the Cosmic Spirit Sea." Of course, he did not examine them too closely. With his immense power, roughly a third of the Cosmic Spirit Sea fell within his perception. If he wished, ultra-high-definition images of all those unclothed beings could appear in his mind. Naturally, being an upright gentleman, he had no voyeuristic hobbies. Even so, he was well aware of the naked state of the beings within the Cosmic Spirit Sea. "Perhaps I was raised better; people should keep their clothes on in public," Qi Yuan muttered to himself. Though he was an orphan and whether he had received an upbringing was debatable, everyone here was an alien. No one knew his background anyway, so talking nonsense cost him nothing. "In this place, aren't you the alien?" Right then, a crisp female voice drifted over. A tall woman clad in a black bodysuit walked up. Her features were breathtakingly exquisite, as though she enjoyed the absolute favor of the Creator. Her figure was equally stunning. While she did not conceal formidable assets like his junior sister Jiang Lingsu, her proportions were by no means to be underestimated. The snug black bodysuit accentuated her curves to perfection. However, this beauty gave Qi Yuan an odd impression. As his gaze swept over her, he immediately saw through her depth. She was a Realm Lord of the Rule Realm, and the rule she wielded was... Beauty. Precisely because of this, she was beautiful. She imparted the very concept of beauty. Even if her facial features had been bizarre, anyone looking upon her would still perceive her as gorgeous. Realm Lord Shenmei glanced at Qi Yuan and said calmly, "At our realm of cultivation, the physical body is merely a vessel. "Moreover, the Cosmic Spirit Sea offers boundless benefits. Every moment, the spirit sea burns and rules are extinguished. To temper the true spirit, one must constantly contend with these forces—who has the spare time to condense external garments? "Not to mention, condensing the true spirit and comprehending the rules requires closest proximity to the Cosmic Spirit Sea. An extra layer of clothing might noticeably lower one's chances of enlightenment." Realm Lord Shenmei offered Qi Yuan this casual explanation. "I see," Qi Yuan said with a nod. "Still... I was raised properly." Realm Lord Shenmei's reasoning sounded fine, but asking him to strip naked in a public space... was something he still couldn't bring himself to do. "This must be your first time here, given that you don't even know this rule. Your strength is probably quite ordinary," Realm Lord Shenmei said with a chuckle. "Seeing as you're rather handsome, here's a friendly piece of advice: do not venture deep into the hundredth layer of the Cosmic Sea. "Also, stay far away from those red lights and the ones emitting black light. They have nasty tempers. You wouldn't want to die here before you even begin tempering your true spirit. If you die here... you cannot be resurrected back in your home universe." With that, she directly began unfastening her garment right in front of Qi Yuan. In an instant, she cast her clothes aside entirely, without the slightest attempt at modesty. Her slender legs, firm bust... and every inch of her radiated aesthetic perfection, resembling the most exquisite creation under heaven, enough to make anyone yearn to draw close. "You just stripped down, bold as you please?" Qi Yuan was dumbfounded. "What kind of Yang God are you? You're a living Bodhisattva!" Qi Yuan marveled inwardly. Aliens were truly unrestrained. Realm Lord Shenmei's expression remained serene. "The flesh is but an empty shell... Besides, within this Cosmic Spirit Sea, beings shaped like humans like us are few and far between." Her meaning was crystal clear. Everyone was of different species and distinct races; wearing clothes or not made no difference. "Both of us are human-shaped," Qi Yuan pointed out. "I only did this because you look decent. Had it been anyone else... hmph." Realm Lord Shenmei concealed nothing, speaking with utter frankness. "Enough idle chatter with you. I am entering the Cosmic Spirit Sea." With that, Realm Lord Shenmei strode completely naked into the Cosmic Spirit Sea. Instantly, waters ignited, and rules continuously collapsed. Qi Yuan looked over Realm Lord Shenmei's delicate form, watching her brow furrow in pain, an inquisitive look appearing in his eyes. "She has a point. Wearing clothes puts one at a disadvantage. But alas... I was raised with good manners." Clad in his blood-red robe, he walked straight into the Cosmic Spirit Sea. Within the sea, Realm Lord Shenmei covered her chest with her hands. When she saw Qi Yuan enter fully clothed, she let out a soft sneer. "Foolish." Entering with clothes on not only squandered more true spirit to sustain them, but also widened the distance between oneself and the Great Dao and its rules. The loss far outweighed any gain. Deep down, however, a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes. Although the physical body was merely a foul sack of skin to her, had that handsome Realm Lord stripped before her, she wouldn't have minded enjoying the view. Since Qi Yuan had chosen not to undress, she looked away and concentrated on tempering her true spirit. On the other side, Qi Yuan stepped into the depths of the Cosmic Spirit Sea. Immediately, he felt boundless waters burning. Rules crumbled and disintegrated. A terrifying force continually tore at his true spirit and his garments. Truth be told, had he not actively maintained them, his clothes would have been incinerated the very instant he stepped inside. "As expected of the Cosmic Spirit Sea. I can feel my true spirit improving by a tiny sliver. "It's just... too little. And this force... is far too weak. It's lighter than a tickle." This outermost layer was likely suited only for Realm Lords who had just entered the Rule Realm, or cultivators at the second tier of the Yang God realm. No one knew how many layers the Cosmic Spirit Sea possessed, nor did Qi Yuan. Yet the deeper one went, the greater the effect. The hundredth layer was a realm where only Realm Lords of the Myriad Things Realm could linger. As for the thousandth layer, that was where Realm Lords of the Heaven-Opening Realm could tread. Without hesitation, Qi Yuan bypassed numerous figures and headed deeper. "Is this the hundredth layer? "Why does it still feel like a tickle? Seems that alien woman earlier was rather short on worldly knowledge." Qi Yuan murmured to himself. Still fully clothed, he stepped into the hundredth layer. At the outer periphery of the Cosmic Spirit Sea, a look of astonishment flashed across Realm Lord Shenmei's beautiful eyes. "He's actually in the Myriad Things Realm? A Realm Lord of the Myriad Things Realm coming to the Cosmic Spirit Sea for the very first time? How intriguing." Curiosity stirred in her gaze. "I wonder which Dao he belongs to?" She looked no further. Once Qi Yuan entered the hundredth layer, she could no longer track his movements. And as Qi Yuan crossed into the hundredth layer, numerous beings within the Cosmic Spirit Sea took notice, casting their gazes toward him. "Another newcomer has arrived." "This newcomer has some skill." "He's actually wearing clothes! What an idiot!" "Hmph, who'd be interested in a bamboo pole like him?" grunted a being resembling a wild boar Realm Lord. "Hmph, Manqi, you might not care, but this sister here is quite interested." A female Realm Lord's eyes shone with a peculiar gleam—a gleam known as lust. "I wager he'll strip before the two-hundredth layer," the female Realm Lord said, practically drooling. She currently stood at the two-hundred-and-sixtieth layer. Just then, a voice rang beside her ear: "Don't talk nonsense. I keep myself clean and proper. My innocent body isn't meant for just anyone to gawk at." How did that saying go again? A man who didn't preserve his purity and uphold male virtue wouldn't be cherished by an assertive woman, and wouldn't even receive a bride price when getting married. Besides, he was a good man through and through—he was Qi Yuan.