The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Ziwei Tianzun.

Yuanshi Tianzun.

Moral Celestial Venerable.

Lingbao Tianzun.

These are all titles, not names.

It was never a name.

Yang Wanqing finally realized what was happening and slammed her hand on the table. "Yaoyao! I remember now!"

"What?"

"Jingwei! The letter Jingwei left for her master! And Yun Wanlan!"

Chen Siyao was stunned for a moment.

Yang Wanqing spoke rapidly in her haste: "Jingwei mentioned 'the Venerable One' in her letter, using the exact word 'the Venerable One'! And Yun Wanlan, she also calls her master 'the Venerable One'!"

"I was wondering why they didn't just call me by my name? Now I know why!"

Chen Siyao nodded.

Right.

All the fragmented information strung together into a complete chain at this moment. Each of the seven major sects had a peak expert, all of whom were at the Refinement of Emptiness and Integration of the Dao level.

Addressing someone as "venerable one" is not a respectful way to address them, but it is the only correct way. This is because one's true name should not be spoken directly.

Chen Siyao placed the document back on the table. The amount of information was overwhelming; she needed to process it. But another question popped into her mind, one directly related to her own cultivation.

All the realms recorded in the document—Mahayana, Dao Tribulation, Refining Emptiness and Uniting with the Dao—are part of the Qi Refining system.

She, Yang Wanqing, and the mysterious resurrection all took a different path.

Body Refinement.

My brother's body refinement cultivation is now at the Undying Battle Body level. This realm corresponds to the Mahayana stage of the Qi Refining system, as my brother mentioned before.

So here's the question.

After the Great Ascension stage of Qi Refining comes the Dao Tribulation Realm and the Void Refining and Dao Integration Realm. What comes after the Undying Battle Body of Body Refining?

"Qingqing".

"Um?"

"These are all classifications for Qi cultivation. What about our body cultivation? What realm is above the Undying Battle Body?"

Yang Wanqing was eating a spiritual fruit for a midnight snack when he heard this and paused.

She chewed twice, swallowed, and then scratched the back of her head.

"...I don't think Chang'e's notes mention this?"

"No. Chang'e followed the path of Qi refining."

Yang Wanqing tossed the fruit pit aside, stood up, and tugged at Chen Siyao's sleeve. "Ask Master! Let's go!"

"wait..."

But she didn't wait. Yang Wanqing was excessively strong; he simply pulled Chen Siyao up from the stool and dragged her towards the balcony.

The tea on the balcony has already been replaced twice.

Chen Hao sat on the wooden chair that had been moved there, his posture relaxed, his left hand resting on the armrest, his right hand holding a cup, which he hadn't finished half of.

The moonlight shone on his profile, outlining his entire figure with a pale golden edge.

Yang Wanqing dragged Chen Siyao out and stopped three steps away from Chen Hao.

"master!"

Chen Hao looked up.

Yang Wanqing rested his hands on his knees and took a breath—not because he was tired from running, but because he was too excited.

"Master, we've been reading Chang'e's insights. After the Mahayana stage of the Qi Refining system comes the Nine Realms of Dao Tribulation, and after the Nine Realms of Dao Tribulation comes the Refining Void and Merging with the Dao."

"Um."

"What about body tempering?" Yang Wanqing's eyes lit up. "What realm follows the Undying Battle Body?"

Chen Hao's gaze lingered on Yang Wanqing's face for a moment before shifting to Chen Siyao.

The younger sister stood next to Yang Wanqing without urging her, but the seriousness in her eyes was just as intense as Yang Wanqing's excitement.

He put down his teacup.

"Nirvana stage."

Yang Wanqing tilted his head. "Nirvana?"

"Beyond the Undying Battle Body, Body Refining cultivators must undergo Nirvana. The physical body is burned and reshaped in heavenly fire, and with each Nirvana, the physical body will undergo a transformation. There are a total of nine Nirvanas.

"Nine Nirvanas!" Yang Wanqing clapped his hands. "Does this correspond to the nine heavenly tribulations of the nine realms of Dao Tribulation?"

Chen Hao nodded.

"And what happens after the entire Nirvana period is over?" Yang Wanqing pressed, "What's it called after that?"

"The True Form of the Daoist Master".

The three words fell.

Yang Wanqing's mouth formed an "O" shape. "Daoist Venerable...true form?"

Chen Hao didn't explain further.

Yang Wanqing spun around in place, rubbing her hands together. "This name is too... Master, Master, is the Dao Venerable's true form like the Refining Void and Merging with the Dao? Can it also be reborn?"

"Can."

"Isn't that the same as the Qi Refining and Dao Integration stage? It's also immortal and indestructible?"

"almost."

Yang Wanqing jumped up. She spun around on the balcony twice, then stood still with her hands on her hips, chin raised, facing the moonlit light.

"That's so cool. The true form of the Dao Venerable. I must cultivate to this level. I absolutely must."

Chen Siyao sighed, rubbing her forehead. "You know it took Chang'e three thousand years in the Taiyin Realm to go from the Mahayana stage to the Dao Tribulation stage, right?"

"I know."

"You're currently at the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm. How many years do you think it would take you to cultivate from the Meridian Opening Realm to the Undying Battle Body, then undergo nine Nirvanas rebirths, and finally reach the Dao Venerable True Body?"

Yang Wanqing's enthusiasm was immediately dampened. She moved her lips, but couldn't figure it out.

"Don't bother calculating," Chen Siyao said. "You should get more sleep. Sleeping will help you fall asleep faster."

"Ugh..." Yang Wanqing stamped her foot. "There has to be something to look forward to! What if I have some extraordinary talent!"

Chen Siyao ignored her. She turned to Chen Hao and hesitated for a moment.

"elder brother."

"Um."

"How long did it take you?"

Chen Hao picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"To what stage of repair?"

"Refining to Emptiness and Uniting with the Dao," Chen Siyao said. "How long did it take you to get to your current location?"

Chen Hao paused for a very short while. He placed the cup back on the table, the teacup making a soft sound as it tapped against the stone.

"Two hundred years."

The balcony was quiet.

Yang Wanqing stood three steps away, her mouth still holding the pouting expression she had when she stomped her foot, but she was frozen in place.

Chen Siyao didn't move either.

Two hundred years.

It took Chang'e three thousand years to go from the Mahayana stage to the fifth stage of the Dao Tribulation.

My brother reached the Refining Void and Merging Dao realm, which is a level higher than the ninth stage of the Dao Tribulation, and it took him two hundred years.

The difference between them...

Chen Siyao suddenly remembered something. When the martial arts school started, the instructors praised Qin Xiaoyu and Ying Wenjie's talents as "prodigies of our time".

Her own cultivation speed far surpassed that of her peers, and she was hailed as a "genius" and "monster" countless times by the higher-ups of the martial arts school.

But what was my brother's opinion of them again?

"not bad."

Three words.

Now Chen Siyao finally understood the weight of those three words. It wasn't a perfunctory response, nor did she genuinely think "it's not bad."

It was because the older brother was standing in a high position; from his perspective, everyone's speed could only be considered "not bad."

Even these three words are probably meant as encouragement.

Chen Hao glanced at his sister.

He didn't provide any further explanation. For example, he didn't tell Chen Siyao that those two hundred years weren't counted from the beginning of the Mahayana period.

It is from the Qi Refining stage.

From the very beginning to the very top.

More than two hundred years.

If this number were revealed, it would probably kill both his sister and his apprentice Xinxin at the same time. There's no need.

Yang Wanqing finally came to her senses. She swallowed hard and gestured forward with her hand. "Master... two hundred years? Chang'e only went halfway through in three thousand years, and you've reached the end in two hundred?"

"Different talents. Different circumstances." Chen Hao's tone was as flat as if he were commenting on the quality of the tea today. "Her conditions in the Taiyin Realm were limited."

That's easy for you to say. Chen Siyao smiled, a smile tinged with helplessness.