Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao nodded.

These individuals are indeed prodigies. True Monarch Tianyi advanced to the Nascent Soul stage at the age of two hundred, while True Monarch Xuanyang advanced to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage after a thousand years.

Linglong Fairy was in his year, and she was always ranked first in the sect's evaluation, surpassing Yan Feng and Pei Yue. Although Qin Tianjun's combat strength was first in that year, he could only barely be in the top ten in the sect's courses.

After advancing to the Core Formation stage, Fairy Linglong pursued a path of mastering all arts and crafts, and now it's clear she's aiming to comprehend the rules.

These people are all one in ten thousand.

But Lin Zhao still had some doubts.

In the history of the sect, True Monarch Qingyuan once accepted more than a dozen secret disciples in one go, but it is still very rare for him to make you the only secret disciple now.

Xuan Yang once sought an audience with True Lord Qingyuan, hoping to become a secret disciple and receive guidance on the path to Nascent Soul, but he never even got to see him.

Xuan Yang isn't exactly a magnanimous guy. Do you think he might cause you trouble?

Of course, the sect has rules; they won't really harm you, but they'll still make things difficult for you.

Lin Zhao sighed, rubbing her forehead.

As expected, this place was a trap set by True Lord Qingyuan.

Over the years, he had come to understand Qingyuan Zhenjun's personality to some extent. Perhaps this trap was deliberately dug by Qingyuan Zhenjun just to watch the show.

All I can say is that it's his style.

That's fine, we'll deal with whatever comes our way.

-----

The two left Tianhao Domain and continued their travels.

Over the course of six months, they traveled through seven regions of Yunzhou.

Finally, they arrived at the edge of Yunzhou, the Luotian Domain.

To be precise, it is Luotian Lake.

A vast lake stretches for thousands of miles, its surface seemingly endless. The water is a deep blue, like a giant sapphire embedded in the earth.

Dozens of islands of varying sizes are scattered across the lake. These are the ancient cities left behind after the collapse of the Luo Tian Secret Realm, now transformed into islands floating on the lake.

In the center of the lake stands a giant tree thousands of feet tall, its canopy spreading out to block out the sun.

That was formed from the Dharma power that True Monarch Qingyuan dissipated back then.

The sect used this tree as its foundation to build the Luotian Stronghold, responsible for guarding forty-three islands and protecting tens of millions of mortals.

Beichen Zhenjun stood by the lake, silent for a long time.

The lake breeze ruffled his dark blue Taoist robe and white hair. His expression was calm, but there was something indescribable in his eyes.

Lin Zhao stood behind him without saying a word.

"This is the place where I will achieve divine transformation."

Lin Zhao hesitated for a moment, then asked, "True Lord, aren't you at the Nascent Soul stage in your sect?"

Beichen Zhenjun shook his head.

"There is no fixed number for the Nascent Soul stage. Every cultivator's path is different. The Nascent Soul stage is the process of transforming from a human into a non-human being."

He took two steps forward, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the lake: "I have already obtained two fifth-tier spiritual items, and this place, formerly the Luo Tian Secret Realm, can barely be considered a small world."

"In a true world, there exists a special resource called the Origin Stone, also known as the World Stone. It is a treasure that condenses the world's rules and Dao principles, as well as immense primordial power. It can strengthen the Dharma Realm and smaller worlds, and is beneficial for the creation of the Dharma Realm."

Origin Stones are essential resources for those above the Nascent Soul stage to comprehend the power of rules, advance through the Dharma Realm to the Cave Heaven, or even to the World, similar to the spirit stones we use in cultivation today.

His gaze fell upon the depths of the lake.

"Back when the Luo Tian Secret Realm collapsed, we all thought that the original power of the secret realm had been taken away by True Monarch Qingyuan. With an existence like him taking it, who would dare to say a word against it?"

"Later it was discovered that he had completely integrated the primal power of the Luo Tian Secret Realm into this vast lake, forming a hidden and special training ground. Then, by nourishing it with the lake water, the primal power actually grew stronger here."

The tone of Beichen Zhenjun held an inscrutable meaning: "This method is unfathomable. Back then, I thought that Qingyuan Zhenjun descended his Dharma form mainly for you."

Now it seems, it was paving the way for my Nascent Soul transformation, or perhaps he really was doing it for you, and I was just a byproduct.

Beichen Zhenjun shook his head: "In any case, what is certain is that Qingyuan Zhenjun must have foreseen my situation of becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator back then and made preparations in advance."

I brought you here today so you could witness the process of becoming a deity firsthand. How much you can comprehend depends on your own destiny.

Beichen Zhenjun stretched and said, "Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. There's a teleportation array in Luo Tian Chongdi that can take you directly back to the sect. Go back by yourself; I won't see you off."

He took out a jade slip and handed it to Lin Zhao.

"Qingyuan Zhenjun asked me to give this to you. I don't know what it is. You'll have to see for yourself later."

After saying that, he turned around and stepped onto the lake, walking on the water step by step.

As I walked, I hummed a little tune. The tune was very simple, like a folk song sung by a boatman when sailing on the water.

Clearly, True Lord Beichen is a man with a story.

He went further and further away.

Halfway there, his body began to turn into spiritual light, his physical body disintegrated, and even his soul dissipated.

This looks very much like the tribulation of the Dao of the Transformation God—the self completely merges into heaven and earth and nature, and then dissipates.

However, the spiritual light transformed by True Monarch Beichen was golden, which clearly indicated that there was another reason behind it, and it should be the effect of a fifth-order spiritual object.

In the end, he completely merged into the lake, and his physical body, soul, and magic power all disappeared.

The lake returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

Only in the depths of the lake, a vast and slow ripple could be faintly seen spreading, which was the soul of the Northern Star True Lord merging with this boundless lake.

Lin Zhao stood by the lake and observed carefully.

The soul of Beichen Zhenjun has completely merged with this vast lake.

He will use this lake to achieve his own path to becoming a deity and to build the Dharma realm.

When he succeeds, he can reassemble his body and walk out of the lake; if he fails, he will naturally dissolve into the lake.

But Lin Zhao wasn't too worried about Beichen Zhenjun's safety.

His Beichen Palace and the fifth-tier spiritual treasure Seven Kill Sword have disappeared without a trace—they must have been kept as a backup plan.

Perhaps he can be brought back if he encounters danger or fails to achieve the Divine Transformation stage.

Moreover, no one would really believe that a sect would allow a top-tier existence with the potential to advance to the Nascent Soul stage to die silently outside.

The sect has a profound foundation, and this area within a radius of ten thousand miles may have already been equipped with various special methods by the remaining Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Beichen lineage.

Anyone who dares to cause trouble is courting death.

If Lin Zhao hadn't had Qingyuan Zhenjun's endorsement, she wouldn't have been qualified to know about this matter.

Lin Zhao turned around and walked towards the teleportation array of the Luo Tian Heavy Land.

He was still processing the experiences of the past six months: traveling through the seven regions, witnessing the power shifts within sects, and seeing the path to becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator firsthand.

Each of these things alone would give him enough to ponder for a long time.

He returned to the sect, went back to his cave on Tianxing Peak, sat down at the stone table, took out the jade slip that True Monarch Beichen had given him, and stuck it to his forehead.

The jade slip contained a task issued by True Lord Qingyuan, and it also bore a mark representing True Lord Qingyuan.

Lin Zhao stared at it for a long time, then sighed and rubbed his forehead.

The task is simple—collect debts.

The problem is that the debt collectors are two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, both of whom are in the mid-Nascent Soul stage.