Audience with the Sovereign, Secret of Eternity!

As the days slipped by, Lu Changsheng and Lin Qingluan did not have to wait long. Roughly ten days later, Lin Qingluan was summoned. The two were granted an audience separately, with Lin Qingluan called first. She did not return until three days later. Upon her return, her thoughts still seemed stirred, unable to calm down. "So that is what the soul is... It is truly... beyond words." "Changsheng, Master will summon you soon. When the time comes, you will understand naturally." Lin Qingluan did not reveal the details of her audience with Sovereign Feilong. There was surely a reason for that, so Lu Changsheng waited patiently. Several days later, Lu Changsheng received his summons from Sovereign Feilong and made his way to the Sovereign's cave dwelling. "Greetings, Master." Lu Changsheng bowed respectfully. "Changsheng, take a seat. There is no need to be so formal." Sovereign Feilong appeared quite genial. "Changsheng, do you have any questions?" Sovereign Feilong asked. "Questions..." Lu Changsheng hesitated slightly. He had many questions. Yet when reduced to their essence, they all boiled down to a single inquiry. "May I ask Master, what is the soul?" Lu Changsheng inquired. At their core, countless questions were merely extensions of this one. What was the soul? Understanding this was enough. Sovereign Feilong pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "What the soul is, even as your master, I do not know. Perhaps only the great Fourth Realm can comprehend it." "The Fourth Realm?" "Indeed. The Fourth Realm is also known as the Eternal Realm." "Not eternal life, nor longevity, but... eternity." "For they have transcended everything and broken free from all things. Matter, energy, mind, and the like can no longer affect them." "Those in the Eternal Realm are omnipresent, yet it seems no one can ever find them. They go by many titles, and countless living beings bestow all manner of grand designations upon them, but in the end, we refer to them as the Eternal Realm!" "Of course, we call the Eternal Realm the Fourth Realm, as though it simply follows after the Third Realm. In truth, however, between them lies an insurmountable chasm; we do not even know how one becomes an Eternal Realm being." "The only method we have conceived thus far is the soul." "Every one of us is a unique living entity. Every minute, every second, perhaps a single fleeting thought or the smallest movement can branch out into another timeline and project into different dimensions." "In other words, across endless timelines lie countless dimensions. And within these countless dimensions, our own presence exists. The common denominator we have observed thus far is the soul. No matter how many timelines diverge or how many dimensions are projected, the fundamental essence of our own soul remains identical." "Therefore, the cultivation universally pursued in the Third Realm requires merging the souls of oneself across infinite timelines and countless dimensions into one. When the souls of oneself across all dimensions and timelines are unified, one becomes the truly Unified True Self—and that is the Eternal Realm!" Lu Changsheng's heart trembled. To be honest, the Fourth Realm was far too distant for him. After all, he was merely a First Realm cultivator. Yet, Lu Changsheng could comprehend it. It was not mere ignorant nodding. He genuinely understood. The reason was simple: prior to this, when Lu Changsheng comprehended the soul, he had vaguely realized that there were countless dimensions with countless versions of himself, all sharing the same soul essence. He had even created his own special soul frequency in hopes of drawing upon the souls of other dimensions to bolster his own. Lu Changsheng had tried it, and he had even succeeded. Comparing what Sovereign Feilong said against his own deduced method, Lu Changsheng fully realized that everything he had deduced previously was correct. "Unified True Self, Eternal Realm..." Lu Changsheng murmured softly. "Indeed. Unified True Self, the Eternal Realm—an existence that is eternal regardless of location, rules, or universe. Unlike we of the Third Realm, who seem to possess endless lifespans yet remain bound by the Great Universe itself. Our lifespan is infinite, but the lifespan of the Great Universe is finite. Once the Great Universe collapses and perishes, we must perish along with it. Only by attaining the Eternal Realm and becoming the Unified True Self can one achieve true immortality and eternity." Sovereign Feilong wore a faint smile and spoke no further, waiting quietly to let Lu Changsheng digest this information. In truth, Sovereign Feilong explained this in detail to every personal disciple. This was his philosophy—or rather, the philosophy of Feilong Mountain. "Actually, regarding soul cultivation, there is much debate throughout the Great Universe. Many Sovereigns believe soul cultivation can only begin at the Third Realm, but I do not share that view." "I believe soul cultivation is best started as early as possible—ideally being introduced to and even strengthening the soul in the First Realm. Furthermore, a strengthened soul aids cultivation, whether advancing to the Second or Third Realm, or venturing further along the path to eternity than other Third Realm Sovereigns once that realm is reached." "In truth, coming to Feilong Mountain and even becoming my personal disciples serves as an 'experiment.' I conduct tests on you all, allowing you to experience firsthand the effects of soul strengthening, to see whether it benefits advancement to the Second and Third Realms." Sovereign Feilong was remarkably frank. Experimenting on his personal disciples was something many would figure out over time without being told. But being this transparent from the start made Lu Changsheng feel respected. The same went for the other personal disciples. Earning the respect of a Sovereign was no easy feat. "Then did Master's experiment succeed? Does the soul aid Transcendents in advancing to the Second and Third Realms?" Lu Changsheng asked. "The Third Realm... At present, no disciple has advanced to the Third Realm, so the outcome remains unknown." "As for the Second Realm, however, I have accepted thirty-two personal disciples in total, with countless named disciples. Among them, three have advanced to the Second Realm." "Three Second Realm cultivators—nearly a tenth of my personal disciples succeeded in advancing to the Second Realm. This probability is... very high!" "In the vast Great Universe, First Realm Transcendents are beyond count. Even if a Sovereign personally instructs disciples, being able to cultivate a single Second Realm disciple is a remarkable feat, considered stellar guidance. Yet for my thirty-two disciples, including you and Qingluan, I expend little effort, leaving you largely to cultivate on your own. And even so, nearly a tenth have advanced to the Second Realm." "Such an accomplishment is singular throughout the entire Great Universe! Thus, strengthening the soul is of immense help in advancing to the Second Realm. I infer that it surely helps in reaching the Third Realm as well, but with only three Second Realm disciples at present, the sample is too small, and none have yet broken through to the Third Realm, so I cannot provide a definitive answer." Sovereign Feilong's words set Lu Changsheng into deep thought. Nearly one-tenth of disciples advancing to the Second Realm was an astonishing ratio. Of course, as time passed and the number of disciples grew, this ratio might drop somewhat. Even so, for one Sovereign to foster three Second Realm mighty figures was a magnificent achievement across the vast Great Universe. Second Realm mighty figures could not simply be produced at will. Not even a Third Realm Sovereign could guarantee the rise of a Second Realm mighty figure. Sovereign Feilong had forged an unconventional path, having his disciples strengthen their souls starting from the First Realm. On the surface, it appeared to be an experiment. In reality, for his disciples, wasn't this also a tremendous opportunity? "Very well. Now, can you tell me why your soul suddenly strengthened during the first and second trials?" Sovereign Feilong asked slowly. "Mm?" Lu Changsheng looked up at Sovereign Feilong. He felt a bit surprised, yet it was only natural. Even Qingluan knew his soul had suddenly strengthened and that something was amiss; how could an august Sovereign not notice? Perhaps this was the real reason Sovereign Feilong had made an exception and granted Lu Changsheng an extra three years to assemble the ninth soul diagram. Otherwise, even if Lu Changsheng had completed eight soul diagrams, that might not have moved the Sovereign—let alone convinced him to make an exception. The soul was the only matter Sovereign Feilong truly cared about. Lu Changsheng fell silent in thought for a moment, and Sovereign Feilong did not press him. Presently, Lu Changsheng spoke: "Master, this disciple believes that oneself across various dimensions and timelines is still oneself. Even if experiences, thoughts, and cultivation bases differ, the soul essence remains identical." "Furthermore, oneself across different dimensions and timelines ought to share a connection. But where does this connection lie? This disciple felt it must reside in the soul. If so, could there be a method to establish resonance between these souls, or even merge them?" "In the end, this disciple deduced a special soul frequency and continually oscillated with it, hoping that one day the soul frequencies would resonate and forge a connection..." Lu Changsheng's words sent a tremor through Sovereign Feilong's heart. "And did you succeed?" Sovereign Feilong asked eagerly. In truth, the answer was already obvious. If he had not succeeded, how could Lu Changsheng's soul have grown so much stronger? But Sovereign Feilong needed a definitive confirmation! "It did!" "Once on the hundredth tier of the Soul Staircase, and once while assembling the soul diagrams—twice in total." "Yet both instances were very brief, lasting merely a few breaths. Moreover, when the soul frequencies will align is unpredictable and beyond my control; it relies purely on chance. It might take decades, centuries, or perhaps never happen again in a lifetime." "Even this disciple cannot foresee when the next time will be, or if there will ever be another..." Even so, Lu Changsheng's words left Sovereign Feilong deeply excited. "Hahaha! Who would have thought that a mere First Realm World Master could actually create a soul frequency from scratch and, with remarkable luck, strengthen his soul twice!" "However, this soul frequency must differ for every cultivator, does it not?" Lu Changsheng nodded. "Every living being's soul frequency is different, and only oneself can deduce one's own soul frequency; no one else can help. Only oneself can perceive that obscure soul frequency." Sovereign Feilong sank into contemplation. Lu Changsheng held nothing back; he explained in detail how to deduce the soul frequency and what that sensation felt like. Sovereign Feilong immediately attempted it. That obscure sensation... Alas, he tried for a long time, only to gain nothing. After a long silence, Sovereign Feilong looked at Lu Changsheng with complex emotion. "Perhaps your method only applies to yourself... At least, even I cannot perceive any obscure soul frequency, let alone anyone else." "Perhaps your talent in the Dao of the soul does not lie in soul strength, but in sensing other souls..." Lu Changsheng did not know how to explain. He knew he had no special soul talent. The sole reason was likely his comprehension. He possessed top-tier comprehension. Lu Changsheng had once thought the upper limit of his top-tier comprehension could only reach the Transcendent level. But seeing now that even the Third Realm Sovereign Feilong could not sense the soul frequency, it indicated that Sovereign Feilong's comprehension was likely inferior to his own. The potential of top-tier comprehension likely surpassed even Third Realm Sovereigns! However, Lu Changsheng said nothing about his comprehension. This was his greatest secret. Moreover, even if he spoke of it, it would be useless. Comprehension was esoteric and profound, something to be grasped intuitively rather than conveyed in words. Even if others knew of it, they could not replicate it. "Then how do Master and other Third Realm Sovereigns perceive the soul, or even strengthen it?" Lu Changsheng asked. This was also a question he cared about deeply. If Sovereign Feilong did not rely on soul frequency to enhance his soul, what did he rely on? Sovereign Feilong's soul was exceptionally powerful. Lu Changsheng could sense it—again through that obscure perception. Perhaps once one's soul strengthened, one gained such sensitivity. That power far surpassed Lin Qingluan's, and even far surpassed Lu Changsheng's own. Moreover, Lu Changsheng knew that Fang Chuan's soul was also exceedingly strong. Throughout Feilong Mountain, even named disciples possessed souls far stronger than ordinary Transcendents. This had already become a hallmark of the entire mountain. Hence, Feilong Mountain certainly possessed a method to strengthen the soul. "In the vast Great Universe, there are actually all kinds of methods to strengthen the soul. But there is only one method that can be widely applied and utilized by everyone, and that is fortune!" "As long as one enhances their fortune, it seems that, through unseen workings, their soul is strengthened." "Take your Dao companion, Lin Qingluan. She integrated the Divine Tree of Fortune. During the opening of Feilong Mountain, she surpassed many Transcendents, allowing the Divine Tree of Fortune to absorb a vast amount of fortune. This caused her fortune to surge, and her soul strength increased accordingly, enabling her to traverse the Soul Staircase and assemble seven soul diagrams in succession." Lu Changsheng grew thoughtful. A fortune treasure? Such treasures sounded formidable, yet they could not directly increase one's combat strength. In the vast Great Universe, many fought over fortune treasures. Yet most Transcendents probably had no idea what those treasures were actually good for. Now, Lu Changsheng understood: fortune was tied to the soul. As to why fortune strengthened the soul, Lu Changsheng was not certain. However, he had a vague conjecture. At that moment, Sovereign Feilong added, "In fact, many Sovereigns share a hypothesis. The souls across endless dimensions and infinite timelines share subtle, underlying connections. When oneself in a certain dimension becomes exceptionally powerful and blessed with great fortune, the souls in other dimensions will imperceptibly lose a fraction of their soul essence, which gathers into the strongest soul. Thus, the strong grow stronger." "This is known as the 'soul gathering phenomenon.'" "This is why many Sovereigns demand that their disciples do everything in their power to compete and strengthen themselves as quickly as possible. Only in this way can one become the strongest soul among all parallel dimensions at that moment, thereby passively strengthening one's soul over time." Lu Changsheng nodded. It appeared the Sovereigns had studied the soul extensively. In their eyes, researching the soul was tantamount to exploring the path to eternity. "Master, has an Eternal Realm powerhouse ever been born in our Great Universe up to now?" Lu Changsheng asked. "That... perhaps there has, or perhaps not." "After all, as long as an Eternal Realm being does not wish to reveal themselves, even if they stood right before us, we would not recognize them as such. At the very least, there has never been any report of an Eternal Realm being appearing publicly in the Great Universe." "Then how did information regarding the Eternal Realm come to circulate in the Great Universe?" Lu Changsheng asked again. Sovereign Feilong gave Lu Changsheng a meaningful look. "As I said, even if an Eternal Realm being stood before us, we would not know... Perhaps this information was left behind by some Eternal Realm existence to offer living beings across the Great Universe a glimmer of hope." Lu Changsheng understood. Everything regarding the Eternal Realm consisted of ethereal legends; not a single concrete example existed. "Alright. Essentially, everything you should know has been told to you." "Remember: the soul is important, but cultivation is the foundation. After all, strengthening the soul is ultimately meant to accelerate your cultivation in the future. Since you have taken me as your master, I will naturally bestow a treasure upon you." "This is the Fortune Gathering Pagoda. As the name suggests, once refined, it will quietly augment your fortune over time. As for how much fortune is gathered, that depends on your own destiny. In theory, the farther your fame spreads across the Great Universe, the greater your fortune becomes. This is also why I require disciples of Feilong Mountain to make great names for themselves throughout the Great Universe—never keep a low profile." "Disciples of other Sovereigns are the same; every one of them carves out a resounding reputation across the Great Universe. Prodigy, Supreme Prodigy, peerless through the ages, unprecedented and unrepeatable—they boast of whatever grandeur they can. But there is one crucial rule: you must never suffer defeat. Once you lose, your fortune will bleed away massively, and replenishing it becomes exceedingly difficult." Lu Changsheng accepted the Fortune Gathering Pagoda. "Master, this disciple has one last question." "Speak." "Previously, this disciple's soul strength was ordinary. Had I not relied on my soul frequency to enhance my soul, I might not even have passed the Soul Staircase." "Does this imply that this disciple did not trigger the 'soul gathering phenomenon,' and that my soul has even been leaking toward other timelines and dimensions? In other words, in other dimensions and on other timelines, could there be souls of myself even stronger than I am now?" Lu Changsheng had realized this. According to the soul gathering phenomenon, the strong grew stronger. If Lu Changsheng were truly the strongest, his soul could not have been that weak. "Theoretically, yes. But do not lose heart. As long as you strive with all your might to catch up, you can still surpass the souls across other dimensions and timelines," Sovereign Feilong consoled him. This was precisely why Sovereign Feilong refused to accept Transcendents with weak souls as disciples. A weak soul basically indicated that the soul on this timeline was not the strongest among all dimensions and timelines. A lead at one step meant a lead at every step; for the weak to catch up was extraordinarily difficult. "Thank you for resolving my doubts, Master. This disciple understands." Lu Changsheng bowed respectfully. He truly understood. Cultivation was not merely competing against others; it was also competing against oneself—and against the versions of himself spanning endless timelines and countless dimensions. That difficulty was vastly greater. Who knew how powerful the other versions of himself were? Could they have already become Second Realm or even Third Realm existences? After all, the versions of himself on other timelines very likely possessed top-tier comprehension as well. Lu Changsheng took his leave. Before he departed, Sovereign Feilong granted him a special privilege: he could come visit him at any time. Even among personal disciples, most did not enjoy such treatment; only the three Second Realm disciples had been accorded that privilege. Lu Changsheng returned to his cave dwelling. Lin Qingluan smiled faintly and asked, "How was it?" "An eye-opening revelation." Lu Changsheng took another deep look at Lin Qingluan. He reckoned that with the Divine Tree of Fortune, Lin Qingluan was probably the strongest existence across all dimensions and timelines. Thus, for her, everything was heading in a favorable direction. "Changsheng, without this Divine Tree of Fortune from you, I could never have reached where I am today, let alone become the foremost among so many timelines and dimensions!" "I wonder whether the me on other timelines and in other dimensions ever met you again?" Lin Qingluan gazed at Lu Changsheng with deep affection, her eyes brimmed with tenderness. There might be a Lu Changsheng on other timelines, but whether Lin Qingluan would meet him was hard to say. Lin Qingluan had virtually been carried to these heights by Lu Changsheng single-handedly. After all, who else would obtain a Divine Tree of Fortune and grant it to someone else to refine instead of refining it themselves? "Qingluan, you and I are one." Lu Changsheng shared an intimate, tender moment with Lin Qingluan. Yet Lu Changsheng's mind kept returning to a single issue: across multiple timelines and dimensions, he might have already fallen behind. He had fallen behind his other selves. "The destruction of my incarnation last time likely had a significant impact, causing a loss of fortune." Lu Changsheng recalled how his incarnation had been destroyed during transport. That had been his only defeat in a very long time. Although it was merely an incarnation, it still represented Lu Changsheng to a degree. A loss was a loss. That was a drain of fortune; he simply had not perceived it back then. It was only now, when he had struggled to climb the Soul Staircase on his own, that the loss of fortune showed its toll. Otherwise, given his long-standing streak of undefeated victories, how could he have stalled on a mere Soul Staircase? Fortunately, Lu Changsheng still possessed top-tier comprehension. He had deduced the soul frequency by sheer force of intellect and thereby strengthened his soul. Otherwise, he would never have become Sovereign Feilong's disciple. This experience was exceptionally vital, making him realize the critical importance of the soul. "I now have the Fortune Gathering Pagoda, but the versions of myself on other timelines likely possess similar treasures, as well as top-tier comprehension. My only advantage is having deduced the soul frequency, something the selves on other timelines may not have deduced." "After all, I deduced this soul frequency under extraordinary circumstances, forced by desperate necessity." "Without such an experience, it would be extremely difficult..." Lu Changsheng carefully evaluated his current advantages. His sole edge was the special soul frequency. This might be his only hope of overtaking the other versions of himself across different timelines and dimensions. "I must maintain this soul frequency at all times." "Fortunately, this only requires a fraction of my focus. Allocating ten percent of my mind is enough to maintain the special soul frequency without hindering regular cultivation." With a thought, Lu Changsheng partitioned off a portion of his True Realm. He left this portion of the True Realm in the Boundary Sea to continually maintain the special soul frequency, watching for the moment it might align once more with a soul in another dimension and absorb soul strength. This might take decades, or perhaps centuries, millennia, or even tens of thousands of years. For now, Lu Changsheng had no better way; he could only test his luck. It was outside his control. The only thing Lu Changsheng could control was his cultivation. Thus, cultivation had to remain the primary focus. As for the soul frequency, his incarnation could maintain it continuously. Speaking of cultivation, his self-created Dimension Ascension Method was excellent, possessing immense potential. At present, Lu Changsheng's True Realm had already given birth to the Mortal Realm, Spiritual Realm, Lesser Thousand Realm, and Greater Thousand Realm. His True Realm had expanded one hundred and fifteen times, reaching 100% progress, granting him the qualification to attempt a breakthrough to the Second Realm. However, given his current condition, if he rashly attempted to break through to the Second Realm, his success rate would only be around ten percent! With odds so low, Lu Changsheng would never attempt it. Thus, he could choose to continue expanding. After all, his True Realm could still expand further to encompass the Divine Realm and Supreme Realm. Continuing to expand the True Realm would yield a much greater chance of breaking through to the Second Realm. Yet each expansion of the True Realm now required one hundred thousand source crystals. That quantity of source crystals was vast beyond measure—an astronomical figure. Ordinary First Realm Transcendents could only dream of such wealth, and even for a World Master, it was a massive sum. Furthermore, his True Realm could not expand just once; it needed to expand many times. When it came to source crystals, the more Lu Changsheng had, the better; he would never complain of having too many. "If I rely solely on World Master transport missions, how many years will it take to earn enough source crystals?" "In the past, that wouldn't have mattered. I could afford to wait and simply keep transporting." "Now, however, things are different. Across endless timelines and countless dimensions, countless versions of myself are cultivating desperately. If I don't want to end up as a stepping stone for the selves on other timelines and dimensions, I must seize every second and raise my cultivation at top speed." "I must earn a massive amount of source crystals as quickly as possible!" A sharp glint flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes. His mind was made up. Now that his cultivation plan was set, it was time to take action. "Source crystals... Perhaps I can ask Senior Brother Fang Chuan." Lu Changsheng thought of Fang Chuan. As a Second Realm mighty figure, he should have plenty of avenues to earn source crystals. Having direct access to a Second Realm mighty figure was an opportunity ordinary First Realm Transcendents could only dream of. Thus, Lu Changsheng left his cave dwelling and headed straight to visit Fang Chuan.