Disturbance at the Mind Stele, Mind Power Surges! Lu Changsheng Promoted to True Disciple Seed!

"Mind power!" "Only a martial artist who has sensed mind power can make the Mind Stele tremble." "Quick, go take a look! Someone who can sense mind power—a true disciple seed has appeared..." An elder from the Technique Transmission Hall rushed toward the Mind Stele almost immediately. At this moment, Lu Changsheng was puzzled as well. The dazzling light made it nearly impossible for anyone to make out his exact mind index. However, as the radiance gradually subsided and the Mind Stele stopped trembling, the crowd finally saw Lu Changsheng's mind index clearly. "Fo... forty-eight?" "Am I seeing things? Is it really forty-eight?" "I remember clearly that when Lu Changsheng tested at the Mind Stele last time, his mind power was only at an index of thirty-three, wasn't it? It has only been a little over a month, and it increased to forty-eight?" "Gaining fifteen points of mind power in one month—what on earth did Lu Changsheng do?" "At the rate Lu Changsheng's mind power is rising, reaching an index of one hundred is probably only a matter of time." For a moment, the inner disciples looked at Lu Changsheng with eyes full of astonishment and envy. Any inner disciple knew just how difficult it was to raise mind power. Some might spend an entire year only to increase it by a few points. Some might not even raise it by a single point in several years. Those were the ones with no hope of opening their brain domain. Lu Changsheng, on the other hand, had a very high probability of opening his brain domain and advancing to the Divine Treasury Realm. Lu Changsheng, however, was running the numbers in his head. *Reaching perfection in the Starry Sky Domain raised my mind index by fifteen. I still have the Waterfall Domain, the Ocean Wave Domain, and the Tempest Domain. If each perfected domain can raise my mind power by fifteen points, then once all four domains reach perfection, my mind index is very likely to reach ninety-three.* Lu Changsheng frowned slightly. A mind index of ninety-three was still seven points short of one hundred. *Wait, I still have the Perception Domain.* *If the Perception Domain also reaches perfection, could that push my mind index to one hundred?* Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. He had almost forgotten about the Perception Domain. Even though the Perception Domain could not be used to condense Divine Gang, that did not stop it from raising his mind index. Lu Changsheng prepared to leave the Mind Stele. Suddenly, an elder from the Mission Hall stepped in front of him. The elder glanced at Lu Changsheng, then said in a deep voice, "Inner seed disciple Lu Changsheng, were you the one testing your mind power at the Mind Stele just now?" "Yes, it was me." Lu Changsheng nodded. "Follow me." With that, the Mission Hall elder turned and led Lu Changsheng into a room inside the Mission Hall. "May I ask what matters the Elder wishes to discuss?" Lu Changsheng asked. An elder of the Mission Hall was no minor figure; only martial artists of the Divine Treasury Realm were qualified to hold such a position. "Did you sense mind power?" "Hmm?" Lu Changsheng looked up at the Mission Hall elder. Still, this was no secret. He nodded and replied, "That is correct. While contemplating domains, this disciple sensed mind power upon bringing a domain to perfection." "Wait, what did you say?" "You brought a domain to perfection?" The Mission Hall elder's eyes widened. He seemed utterly shocked. This puzzled Lu Changsheng even more. "Yes. I only sensed mind power once the domain reached perfection. Is there another way?" The Mission Hall elder took a deep breath. He knew Lu Changsheng was talented, but he had never imagined the young man was gifted to this extent. To actually force an awakening of mind power by comprehending a domain to perfection... This was simply... incredible! Bringing a domain to full perfection was far more shocking than merely sensing mind power! "You really are..." The Mission Hall elder did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had originally come to ask about Lu Changsheng sensing mind power. Yet he had stumbled upon a far greater revelation. A domain perfected! And at the Divine Gang Realm, no less. The elder was a Divine Treasury Realm martial artist himself, so he understood the reality well. Even Divine Treasury Realm powerhouses who had opened their brain domain and used it to contemplate domains took a long time to achieve deep comprehension, and not all of them could bring a domain to full perfection. Yet Lu Changsheng had already perfected one. The moment he opened his brain domain, Lu Changsheng would instantly become a standout among the Divine Treasury Realm. He was undeniably a true disciple seed! "Lu Changsheng, you may not be very familiar with mind power." "Generally, once martial artists raise their mind index to a certain level—say, above an index of seventy—they gradually begin to sense mind power." "Only exceptionally gifted martial artists can sense mind power at a low mind index." "As for perfecting a domain... let's put it this way: even among Divine Treasury Realm martial artists, not a hundred percent of them can bring a domain to full perfection." Lu Changsheng was slightly taken aback. He understood now. Many more people could sense mind power. Those who could perfect a domain, however, were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns. Perfecting a domain was far more difficult than merely sensing mind power! Though he had slightly exposed that he had perfected a domain, it was not something he needed to guard as a deep secret. As soon as he used the domain, others would notice anyway. Besides, this was a good thing. In the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, everything had to be fought for. The greater one's talent, the more value the sect placed on them. One only had to look at the treatment of seed disciples to see how much the Northern Region Heavenly Sect valued prodigies. "Elder, what are you trying to say?" "This old man is saying that you can be promoted to a true disciple seed!" "A true disciple seed? This disciple has only heard of seed disciples, never a true disciple seed." Lu Changsheng was full of confusion. He had not been in the Northern Region Heavenly Sect for a short time. With his Perception Domain scanning his surroundings, he was hardly uninformed. Yet he truly had never heard of a true disciple seed. "On the surface, there really are no true disciple seeds in the sect." "You can think of them as the most outstanding disciples among the inner seed disciples—those with extraordinary talent in mind power who possess a very high probability of reaching a mind index of one hundred, opening their brain domain, and advancing to the Divine Treasury Realm." "Such disciples are known as true disciple seeds!" Lu Changsheng nodded in understanding. "If true disciple seeds exist in the inner sect, then I should have heard about them. Why is it that the inner sect rarely mentions them at all?" Lu Changsheng was perplexed. This was not something requiring strict secrecy. Yet almost no one in the inner sect spoke of true disciple seeds. "The reason is very simple: once someone becomes a true disciple seed, they almost always leave the inner sect." "Leaving? Going down the mountain?" "You could understand it that way. It is roughly equivalent to going down the mountain." "As long as an inner disciple can sense mind power, they become a true disciple seed, meaning they have hope of advancing to a true disciple!" "For such disciples, staying in the sect makes further progress very difficult. Aside from Dao Comprehension Pills, the mountain offers little assistance to true disciple seeds." "Even with Dao Comprehension Pills, the more you use, the less effective they become. Having taken Dao Comprehension Pills, you should have experienced this yourself, right? Most of the time, taking them eventually stops yielding noticeable results." Lu Changsheng remained silent. He truly had not experienced that diminishing return. Whenever he consumed Dao Comprehension Pills, the results seemed consistently great. Of course, he would not contradict the elder. Satisfied, the Mission Hall elder continued, "In truth, the difficulty of raising mind power is also tied to the environment of our Northern Region." "You should know that Immortal Masters must breathe in and refine the spiritual power of heaven and earth to cultivate. When spiritual power wanes, their cultivation stagnates; they may even find it impossible to cultivate, and even if they can, their progress will be minuscule and dreadfully slow." "Long ago, martial dao was nowhere near as flourishing in our Northern Region. Back then, it was the domain of the Immortal Dao, ruled by Immortal Dao masters capable of calling the wind and summoning the rain." "However, the spiritual power between heaven and earth gradually diminished later on. This happened across all Five Regions: East, West, South, North, and Central. Over time, the Immortal Dao waned across our martial domains, while the martial dao rose to prominence." "Up to the present day, only the Central Region's Immortal Dao sects still maintain their lineages. As for other Immortal Dao forces, they have basically vanished." "The Immortal Masters you encounter out in the world are actually pitiable figures. Though gifted with spiritual roots to become Immortal Masters, they are basically stuck below the third level of Qi Refinement. Those able to break through to the fourth level are exceedingly rare, to say nothing of establishing Immortal Dao sects." Lu Changsheng had a sudden realization. He had previously thought that the cultivation system of Immortal Masters was exceptionally powerful. Look at the Immortal Master in Zhanhai City. He could refine pills and possessed wondrous dharma artifacts. Before reaching the Divine Treasury Realm, martial artists seemed unable to rival Immortal Masters. How could so few people practice such a formidable system? Lu Changsheng had initially assumed it was because qualified candidates were simply too scarce. Now it seemed that was not the true reason at all. The Northern Region had a massive population. How could there be a shortage of people born with spiritual roots? The real cause was the waning of spiritual power between heaven and earth. "Spirit, or spiritual power, is truly wondrous. We martial artists do not rely heavily on spiritual power; even without it, we can still cultivate." "However, if spiritual power is present, it does assist our martial cultivation. For instance, in elevating mind power, aside from Dao Comprehension Pills, places rich in spirit give rise to many spiritual items that can directly enhance mind power." "Furthermore, where spiritual power exists, our minds become more active. Using mind power to sense the spiritual power of heaven and earth provides tremendous aid in tempering the mind." "Therefore, all true disciple seeds are sent by the sect into the Ancient Region." "The Ancient Region is the only large-scale, strong-spirit region in the entirety of the Five Regions. Most forces within it are Immortal Dao sects, housing many Immortal Masters. However, our martial artists are numerous there as well. After all, the true rulers of the Five Regions today are martial dao sects!" "Consequently, those Immortal Dao sects cannot monopolize the Ancient Region. They had no choice but to agree to allow our martial dao sects from the Five Regions to send in outstanding disciples at regular intervals." Lu Changsheng understood completely now. The Ancient Region! All true disciple seeds went to the Ancient Region! The Ancient Region was a land of strong spirit, home to many Immortal Dao heritages and numerous Immortal Masters. Naturally, there were just as many martial artists. In the Ancient Region, raising mind power would be much easier. Lu Changsheng had previously felt how difficult it was to elevate mind power. Even after bringing a domain to perfection, his mind index had only grown by fifteen points. How could ordinary disciples ever raise their mind power to an index of one hundred? If one were to follow the usual path of contemplating heaven and earth or wandering the mortal realm to sharpen their mind, the Divine Treasury martial artists in the entire Northern Region Heavenly Sect would likely be few and far between. Yet while Divine Treasury martial artists in the sect were scarce, they were not vanishingly rare. How had those people made their breakthroughs? The truth had finally come to light. Most of them had likely been to the Ancient Region. Relying on the unique environment of the Ancient Region, their mind power had surged by leaps and bounds, allowing them to advance to the Divine Treasury Realm. "This disciple thanks the Elder for clearing up my doubts!" Lu Changsheng stood up and bowed to the Mission Hall elder. "No need to be so courteous. Telling you this is merely forging a good tie with you." "Even if this old man hadn't mentioned it, the deacon elder of the inner sect would have told you soon enough." "Well then, do you have any other questions?" Lu Changsheng pondered for a moment before asking, "I once saw True Disciple Xiao Jian, and his Sword Domain had manifested from an illusion into physical reality." "When I previously perfected my domain, I found that I could also use mind power to materialize the domain from illusion into reality, but I couldn't sustain it." "How did Xiao Jian manage to do that?" This was something Lu Changsheng had been wondering about. "Hahaha, with your meager amount of mind power, you want to materialize a domain into reality?" "Xiao Jian can turn his Sword Domain from illusion into reality because he sent his Sword Domain into his brain domain to nurture it." "The brain domain is where mind power is born, endowed with inconceivable, wondrous power. As the saying goes, the world is as boundless as the mind. The mind is extraordinarily profound; what is conceived in the mind can be made real." "It does you no good to think so much about this right now; you cannot yet open your brain domain. In any case, once you open your brain domain and advance to the Divine Treasury Realm in the future, you will also be able to turn your domain from illusion into reality." Lu Changsheng nodded. So it was related to the brain domain. There was truly nothing he could do about that for now. Although his mind power was growing rapidly, he was still quite far from opening his brain domain. With that, Lu Changsheng bid farewell to the Mission Hall elder and took his leave. Returning to his courtyard, Lu Changsheng sorted through his thoughts. He could still use Dao Comprehension Pills to comprehend his domains. However, exchanging for Dao Comprehension Pills required a vast sum of contribution points. Even if he took part in the monthly battles and placed in the top three every time, so what? He still had four domains. To bring all four domains to full perfection, how many Dao Comprehension Pills would that consume? If he relied on domain comprehension to push his mind index to one hundred, would it take three years, or five? Lu Changsheng had no desire to wait so long. Perhaps going to the Ancient Region was the better choice. With that thought, Lu Changsheng made up his mind. He rested for a day. The next morning, Lu Changsheng headed straight to the inner sect and found the deacon elder. "Elder, this disciple has sensed mind power," Lu Changsheng stated plainly. "Hmm?" "What did you say? You sensed mind power?" The deacon elder seemed to find it unbelievable, his eyes locked onto Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng focused his thoughts. *Hum.* A silent, invisible trace of mind power instantly brushed against the deacon elder. The deacon elder felt it immediately. After all, he was a martial artist of the Divine Treasury Realm. "It truly is mind power." "Yet, how long has it been since you entered the inner sect?" The inner sect deacon elder sighed with emotion. "Very well. Since you have already sensed mind power, there are certain things I must tell you." The deacon elder explained the matters concerning the Ancient Region and true disciple seeds. The contents were virtually identical to what the Mission Hall elder had shared. "Therefore, you are now a true disciple seed and are eligible to go to the Ancient Region." "Do you wish to depart for the Ancient Region immediately, or would you prefer to wait a while?" The deacon elder gave Lu Changsheng two options. "This disciple wishes to depart for the Ancient Region immediately!" Lu Changsheng replied decisively, without a shred of hesitation. "The Ancient Region, eh..." "You certainly have bold resolve." "Still, you have made the right choice. The earlier you go to the Ancient Region, the better it will be for you." "Go back and make your preparations. Return in three days." "Thank you, Elder." Lu Changsheng returned to his courtyard. He had little to prepare. Just some clothes and simple baggage, nothing elaborate. And so, Lu Changsheng waited quietly. In the blink of an eye, three days passed. Lu Changsheng returned to the inner sect Deacons' Office and met with the deacon elder. "Good. Follow me." The deacon elder stood and led Lu Changsheng toward the main peak of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Lu Changsheng had never been to the main peak before. The main peak was where many elders and true disciples resided. Before long, the two arrived at a place engraved with bizarre runes. Small flags were planted all around the perimeter. "This is..." Lu Changsheng asked. "A teleportation array!" "One has to admit, the cultivation system of the Immortal Dao is uniquely blessed; its various spells and formations are exceedingly miraculous." "Take this grand teleportation array, for instance. As long as there are spirit stones and formations carved at both locations, one can be transported tens of thousands of li away in an instant." "This teleportation array leads directly to the Ancient Region. Do not worry; simply keep your mind steady." "This array was personally engraved by a Daoist Master. Back then, our Northern Region Heavenly Sect paid an enormous price to invite a Daoist Master to set up this grand teleportation array. Moreover, every single activation consumes immensely precious spirit stones." "Only a true disciple seed like you can use spirit stones to activate the array free of charge." The deacon elder sounded somewhat envious as he spoke. It was not that he did not want to go to the Ancient Region; rather, he simply could not. The spirit stones required to activate the teleportation array once, if converted into contribution points, amounted to an unimaginable sum. To this day, he was still accumulating contribution points in hopes of earning a teleportation to the Ancient Region. After all, everyone knew the Ancient Region was rich in spiritual power and treasures. For martial dao and Immortal Dao alike, it was practically a holy land. Lu Changsheng stepped into the center of the grand teleportation array. The deacon elder then activated the formation, inserting the spirit stones. *Hum.* Lu Changsheng distinctly felt a vast, immense power instantly wrap around his body. *Whoosh.* The next instant, Lu Changsheng's figure vanished into thin air. Looking at the now-empty teleportation array, a smile appeared on the deacon elder's face. "May you already be a true disciple the next time you return!" A deacon elder could not compare to a true disciple. Though both were in the Divine Treasury Realm, their significance was entirely different. A true disciple could take their cultivation even further, whereas an elder had basically hit the ceiling of the Divine Treasury Realm. *** The Ancient Region, Northern Region Heavenly Sect outpost. *Hum.* The grand teleportation array unexpectedly activated, emitting a beam of white light that soared into the sky, visible even from afar. A number of guards and disciples of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect were alerted. "Eh? The teleportation array activated? That's truly rare." "Indeed. The sect lacks spirit stones; having the sect activate the teleportation array once is exceedingly difficult. If we want to return, we have to find a way to obtain enough spirit stones ourselves." "Without spirit stones, the array won't activate, and we can't return to the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Sigh, I haven't been back in eighteen years..." "Yes, though the Ancient Region is wonderful, I still want to go back and visit." "I wonder who was teleported over this time? An elder, or a true disciple?" These people were disciples, guards, or elders of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Here in the Ancient Region, rigid distinctions were less pronounced. Their relations were quite harmonious. *Swish.* Finally, a figure emerged from within the teleportation array. Instantly, everyone's eyes locked onto that figure. "Hmm? So young... and still in the Divine Gang Realm. Could he be a true disciple seed?" "He really is a true disciple seed! The last time a true disciple seed arrived in the Ancient Region was over a decade ago, wasn't it?" "Yes, each generation of the sect has been worse than the last lately; even true disciple seeds have become exceedingly rare." "Still, a true disciple seed picked a bad time to come. Given the current situation in the Ancient Region, things will be difficult..." The figure appearing in the array was naturally Lu Changsheng. He looked up and surveyed his surroundings. There were many buildings here, bearing a close resemblance to the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. At that moment, a middle-aged man walked over. "You have an identity token, right? Let me see it." Lu Changsheng immediately handed over his identity token. The middle-aged man took one look at it and understood at once. "Lu Changsheng... an inner seed disciple who joined the sect less than a year ago?" A hint of astonishment surfaced on the middle-aged man's face. An identity token could not lie. According to the records on the token, Lu Changsheng had indeed joined the sect only a few months ago, less than a year in total. To become a true disciple seed in less than a year meant Lu Changsheng had already sensed mind power. Such talent was practically unseen in this world! Even across all Five Regions, he would rank among the top geniuses. "No wonder the sect was willing to expend precious spirit stones to activate the teleportation array and send you to the Ancient Region." "Such talent is truly rare!" "I am Elder Mo Tu of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect." "Greetings, Elder Mo," Lu Changsheng bowed respectfully. He had previously learned from the deacon elder that the Northern Region Heavenly Sect maintained an outpost in the Ancient Region. "Northern Region" in Northern Region Heavenly Sect was merely a geographical descriptor. Similarly, "Ancient Region" was also a place name. The sect's true name consisted of just two words: Heavenly Sect! In the Northern Region, it was the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. In the Ancient Region, it was the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. "By the way, what has your mind power index reached? Is it seventy or eighty?" Mo Tu asked. "This disciple's mind index is forty-eight," Lu Changsheng replied truthfully. "What was that?" "Forty-eight..." Upon hearing this, Mo Tu froze slightly. A mind index of forty-eight was not extraordinarily high—it was far too low. Yet this made no sense! The sect was notoriously frugal, especially when it came to spirit stones. For an ordinary prodigy, the sect might not be willing to expend spirit stones at all, preferring to let them temper themselves more within the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. How could they send an inner disciple with a mind index of only forty-eight to the Ancient Region? Even the Sect Master's son would not receive such treatment. Not only was Mo Tu stunned, but everyone around them froze as well. Their expressions turned intensely peculiar. "A mind index of forty-eight gets to come to the Ancient Region?" "With an index that low, he probably hasn't even sensed mind power yet, right?" "One has to reach an index of at least seventy before there's a chance of sensing mind power." "Could he have obtained such a precious quota to the Ancient Region through the back door?" Immediately, the disciples' gazes took on a hostile edge. Pulling strings was not entirely unheard of. In the past, disputes had even arisen between the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect and the Northern Region Heavenly Sect over such matters. After all, humans were creatures of sentiment. With sentiment came the temptation to pull favors for those close to them—opening convenient doors and the like. However, expending such precious spirit stones just to open the back door for a Divine Gang Realm disciple? That crossed the bottom line of what the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect could tolerate! "The Sect Master is not so foolish." "Speak: how did you become a true disciple seed and earn passage to the Ancient Region?" Elder Mo fixed his gaze on Lu Changsheng. Not just Elder Mo, but everyone else stared intently at Lu Changsheng as well. The Ancient Region Heavenly Sect was very tight-knit, and the atmosphere was usually quite warm. If a bad egg had truly arrived, they would not care what kind of big shot back in the Northern Region Heavenly Sect was backing him. Lu Changsheng glanced at the crowd and noted their unfriendly looks. He could roughly guess why they were glaring at him. They probably assumed he was a disciple who had used connections to slip in through the back door. Yet how could he explain it? Sometimes, explanations were entirely unnecessary. *Hum.* The next instant, everyone felt the sky suddenly plunge into darkness. Looking up, they saw a canopy of countless stars. Their surroundings seemed to vanish altogether. All that remained was a boundless expanse of starry sky. It was as though they had been cast into the heart of a vast, limitless cosmos.