Chapter 5

By the time the conversation ended, it was already late at night. Returning to his small courtyard, Jun Wuming did not light a lamp but lay down on the bed fully clothed. However, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Jun Wuming chuckled bitterly; he was still deeply influenced by the three cycles of reincarnation.

Now, his martial arts cultivation had reached the Great Perfection of the First Rank. With sufficient accumulation, he only needed to slightly activate the Divine Water Technique, and a blue light from his brow was about to penetrate the Heavenly Gate. He was only one step away from breaking through to the Second Rank, which required comprehending the transformation of aura into form.

According to Jun Wuming's current knowledge, martial arts cultivation has nine ranks.

The First Rank is Body Refinement, where the strong body realm is divided into four levels: strengthening tendons, fortifying bones, refining skin, and transforming qi. The ultimate transformation of qi is the Great Perfection of the First Rank.

The Second Rank is Qi Refinement, where qi is unified, and the innate body is integrated. The most important aspect of this rank is the ability to ride the wind, freeing oneself from the constraints of the mortal body. Second Rank cultivators are usually the backbone of strength, and in Jun Wuming's Lianyun Fort, most of the clan warriors are at the Second Rank.

The Third Rank is Soul Refinement, where qi and soul are unified, and the hundred meridians are refined. The soul can leave the body at will. Third Rank cultivators are very difficult to kill, and if they are not careful, their souls can escape and repossess a body, allowing them to be reborn. However, the soul power of Third Rank cultivators lacks protection and can be destroyed if stimulated.

The Fourth Rank is Malevolent Qi Refinement, where malevolent qi is refined to traverse the heavens, protecting the body and allowing swift travel through the world.

The Fifth Rank is Yin Spirit, where malevolent qi and spirit are unified. They can travel three thousand miles at night and become true beings in the world.

The Sixth Rank is Yang Spirit, where pure yang qi is channeled, transforming yin into yang. They can soar through the vast sky, with qi forming eight hundred layers. Their breath can create thunder, and their exhalation can form clouds, representing the pinnacle of the mortal world.

The Seventh Rank is Void Transformation, where the Yang Spirit undergoes nine transformations, forming nine layers of barriers. The primordial spirit is immortal, and the soul is eternal, with a lifespan of three thousand years. Even a single thread of the nine-layered primordial spirit can forcefully reincarnate and live for three more lifetimes!

The Eighth Rank is Spirit Transformation, where barriers transform into domains, and the initial formation of laws occurs. They are the mythic rulers of the mortal world, the thousand-year dominators, and the revered kings.

The Ninth Rank is Demigod, where the nine primordial spirits transform into divine nature, which is eternal, and the myth is eternal!

In the ancient main world, various techniques and methods are like a hundred flowers blooming, and there are countless techniques like stars in the sky. However, where there are living beings, there are hierarchies. Techniques range from the lowest level of the Mortal World's Sixth Rank to the high-level Earth-Shaking Bronze, Sky Silver, Gold Star, and Divine Rank Dao Canon.

The Sixth Rank techniques of the Mortal World are like clouds in the sky, common and easily obtainable. Many small factions have collections of these techniques. As long as one is careful, it is not difficult to buy such techniques. However, these techniques have various defects, and the qi they cultivate is not only thin but also lacks profound principles, making it difficult to reach the Earth-Shaking level of the Seventh Rank!

The Earth-Shaking Bronze techniques (hereafter referred to as Bronze techniques) are quite precious. For example, the "Bihai Jue" technique of the Lianyun Fort's main camp is a Bronze-level technique, a treasure of the clan. Only core disciples are taught the basic techniques, and only direct disciples are taught the core techniques.

When a technique is fully cultivated, it can overturn rivers and mountains, and the Earth-Shaking techniques are named for their ability to shake the earth and carry mountains. The Silver Sky techniques involve spatial laws, the Gold Star techniques suppress ancient stars, and the Divine Rank Dao Canon points directly to the origin.

These techniques carry a trace of the Dao and laws and exist only in myths.

Jun Wuming has never seen Silver, Gold, or Divine Rank techniques. As for the "Divine Water Technique," Jun Wuming has privately speculated about its rank, but this technique is quite mysterious. Only when Jun Wuming breaks through to the next stage does the next level of the technique reveal itself, making it difficult for him to judge.

However, Jun Wuming is certain that the "Divine Water Technique" is not a Sixth Rank technique of the Mortal World, as the divine water qi it cultivates, in terms of both its aura and nature, surpasses other techniques of the Mortal World that Jun Wuming has seen!

Eternal life, suppressing stars, and overlooking the ancient world—these incredible abilities make Jun Wuming's blood boil just thinking about them. The immortal empires that span millennia, the sacred grounds of gods and demons that span multiple eras, the mysterious alien races, and the supreme rulers with divine power are not just myths but are vividly present before Jun Wuming. Just thinking about it makes him feel incredulous, trembling with both fear and longing!

As a strong person, the stronger one becomes, the weaker the weak become. In his previous life, the innate realm was the highest level Jun Wuming could reach. However, in this life, the innate realm is only comparable to the Second Rank. Even in his current Great Perfection of the First Rank, Jun Wuming has the confidence to instantly kill his past self.

Jun Wuming's body flows with the blood of a strong person. The immortal prodigy and the supreme empire are what Jun Wuming asks himself: how can he live in an ordinary world and be indistinguishable from the masses in such a wonderful and vast world?

The ancient world is very wonderful and vast. Describing the size of this continent with words seems pale. From the ancient texts of Lianyun Fort, Jun Wuming discovered that this continent has existed since ancient times, spanning several eras. Even the great powers who can suppress the heavens and traverse millions of miles in an instant cannot determine the size of this continent, only knowing that it is boundless in all directions!

This main continent is divided into nine regions and eighty-one major continents by the eight directions. Each region has up to twelve states and at least five major continents.

Lianyun Fort is located in the northern part of Lingming State in the Northern Mystic Wasteland. Lingming State is mostly mountainous, with mountains stretching for billions of miles. Many alien races live in these mountains, which are rich in resources, including rare herbs and ancient beasts.

The conflicts in the state are extremely intense and chaotic, with frequent bloodshed. The fierce beasts in the mountains often attack humans in groups.

However, those who dare to act recklessly within the territory of Lianyun Fort are few, as the fort has been home to many strong people in recent years, including mysterious sorcerers and powerful martial artists.

The sorcerers are extremely mysterious, with their fierce aura intimidating a million miles around. In recent years, as the power of Lianyun Fort has expanded, many powerful sorcerers with deep magical abilities have been recruited due to the fort's rich heritage.

The Taoshan Mountains behind Lianyun Fort serve as a barrier to the southeast of the Bibo River Basin, backed by the primeval forest. The ancient trees in the primeval forest block the sky, and the area is shrouded in mist year-round, earning it the name "Mist Forest." It is home to many rare and exotic species, with poisonous flowers and fierce beasts everywhere. Even from the other side of the Taoshan Mountains, the mountain people can hear the roars of fierce beasts at midnight.

To prevent fierce beasts from breaking out of the Mist Forest, the strong people of Lianyun Fort live in the mountains, using the eighteen forts and eighteen main peaks as bases to resist the potential beast tides.

This has two benefits: first, it prevents fierce beasts from suddenly attacking people; second, the Taoshan Mountains are a famous blessed land with a thick underground spirit vein. Among the mountains, there are thirty-six spirit peach trees, each of which is worth a fortune. These thirty-six spirit peach trees bloom every fifty years, bear fruit every fifty years, and mature every fifty years, with each tree producing at most nine fruits. Eating one fruit can extend one's life by eighty-one years, with the effects of invigorating the blood, resolving stasis, and prolonging life. However, one should not consume too many.

The second fruit has half the effect, and the third fruit becomes a deadly poison, instantly draining one's blood and using the body as nourishment to develop into a blood peach tree. This tree is extremely evil, growing and budding by absorbing human blood, blooming and bearing fruit. The blood peaches are bright and covered with strange patterns, making them a deadly poison that is highly sought after by many poison sorcerers. To this day, Lianyun Fort has cultivated several blood peach trees for use by the fort's sorcerers.

Although Jun Wuming has seen the spirit peach fruits, he has not tasted them due to his status. However, in addition to these thirty-six spirit peach trees, the Taoshan Mountains are home to countless thousand-year-old spirit peach trees. Although the spiritual effects of these thousand-year-old spirit peach trees are much less than those of the spirit peach trees, regular consumption can still strengthen the body and bones. This is a privilege enjoyed only by the true descendants of Lianyun Fort, while the ordinary people at the foot of the mountain are forbidden to enter the mountains to collect these spirit peaches.

It was also midnight, but Jun Wuming had no sleepiness. He opened the door and came outside under the spirit peach tree, took a deep breath, and leaped onto the roof with a light step on a branch, lying down gently.

Looking at the stars in the sky, he sighed. The lights at the foot of the mountain had dimmed, and most of the mountain people had fallen asleep.

Jun Wuming closed his eyes gently, and his mental energy spread out like a gentle breeze, detecting dozens of different breathing sounds in the surrounding forest, rising and falling. Under the detection of Jun Wuming's mental energy, nothing could hide.

Jun Wuming was not surprised. These guards were clan members assigned to patrol and prevent thieves from invading and stealing. Hundreds of years ago, the guards were not so strict, as the clan elders believed that no one would dare to cause trouble with them around. However, a great thief once used a mysterious technique to disguise himself as a high-ranking member of the clan and almost stole a spirit peach tree, which led to increased vigilance and the addition of many checkpoints to prevent accidents.

Looking up at the sky, Jun Wuming activated his divine water qi, and a gentle and cool aura formed a stream that slowly gathered. Suddenly, a faint blue vortex centered on his seated figure began to rotate at a steady pace. The elemental energy of heaven and earth rushed past Jun Wuming, passing over his skin as if he had become one with the elemental energy, forming a bridge. A faint blue light bloomed into a clear water lotus platform, looking majestic and elegant from a distance.

The Second Rank, it's getting closer!!