translator: ahad
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Humanity’s Great Sage – Chapter 1039: The Opportunity
In the Nine Provinces, the number of cultivators at the ninth order of the Real Lake Realm was not small. These people had immersed themselves in this realm for years and months on end, long since elevating their own foundations to the absolute limit—that is, the point where their physical bodies reached the standard. Yet they still found it difficult to break through to the Divine Ocean Realm.
Thus, it was not that every person who possessed the opportunity to break through to the Divine Ocean Realm could fulfill their long-cherished wish. Only a select few could trigger the metamorphosis of their mental-spirit power, gestate a soul body, and transform it into divine sense.
Lu Ye had long since taken this step. But that had been a stroke of fortune, the protection of his own subconscious mind under the stimulation of an external force.
Because the power of his physical body was still only at the Real Lake Realm, his divine sense was sufficient to command it. Thus, all along, his divine sense had not grown significantly. According to Eldest Senior Brother, only when the foundation of his physical body elevated to a point where his divine sense found it difficult to command would his subconscious mind have the need to seek transformation. That moment would be his opportunity to break through to the Divine Ocean Realm.
Therefore, what Lu Ye needed to do now was very simple: continue cultivating, continuously strengthening the foundation of his physical body.
“Of course, while increasing the power of your physical body, you must also temper your mental-spirit… Only by advancing both together can you achieve the best effect. However, Junior Brother, your situation is special. Others face a bottleneck when breaking through to the Divine Ocean Realm, but for you, it should come naturally, like water flowing into a channel.”
After all, he had already gestated a soul body. There was no barrier to speak of. As long as he accumulated enough strength, he would naturally break through.
“How does one temper the mental-spirit?” Lu Ye humbly asked for guidance.
Feng Wujiang smiled faintly. “For an ordinary Real Lake Realm cultivator, the best method to temper the mental-spirit is visualization.”
“Visualization?”
“During quiet cultivation, visualize the structure of some object within your mind. Try to reproduce it as completely and flawlessly as possible. At first, visualize some simple things. Once you are proficient, increase the difficulty. In this way, during the process of visualization, your mental-spirit power will be consumed. When your mental-spirit is weary, allow it to slowly recover. By repeating this process of consumption and recovery, the mental-spirit can be nourished and strengthened.” As he spoke, Feng Wujiang looked at Lu Ye. “Cultivators from large sects generally begin preparing for this matter at the seventh order of the Real Lake Realm, or even earlier, solely to lay a solid foundation. Each sect has its own visualization methods, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. This is also part of each sect’s heritage and cannot be generalized. If Junior Brother were in the Nine Provinces, the Sect Master should have transmitted these to you.”
Lu Ye nodded. In this regard, his situation was again somewhat difficult to explain, mainly because his cultivation had progressed a bit too quickly.
The reason he had not heard of this before was probably because the Sect Master and Second Senior Sister thought his cultivation was still too low and he would not need it for the time being, so they did not tell him, lest it disturb his state of mind.
As a result, by the time he could use it, he had been captured by that woman Yu Daiwei, and afterward, he had come to the Blood Refining World.
Had he not heard Eldest Senior Brother speak of it today, Lu Ye truly would not have known such a secret method existed.
Eldest Senior Brother’s tone shifted. “Of course, that is the method for ordinary Real Lake Realm cultivators to temper the mental-spirit. Junior Brother already possesses divine sense, so it is much simpler. You only need to continuously consume your own divine sense, then slowly restore it.”
“Can I use some auxiliary recovery items?” Lu Ye asked. “For instance, Soul Cleansing Water?”
If he could do that, the effect of tempering his divine sense would be countless times better than that of an ordinary person.
“It would be best not to,” Feng Wujiang shook his head. “This period is extremely critical for you. Any act of pulling up seedlings to help them grow is discouraged. It is best to let things take their natural course. In any case, there is still a year. I believe Junior Brother can do it.”
“A year?” Lu Ye was puzzled. “What will happen in a year?”
Feng Wujiang smiled. “Junior Brother, you don’t intend to stay here forever, do you? In one year, the Heavenly Secrets Pillar will be activated.”
Lu Ye’s expression perked up. “Senior Brother means…”
Feng Wujiang said, “Your situation is different from all of ours. We are all people who have already reached the end of the cultivation path. The Nine Provinces’ Heavenly Secrets sent us here, on the one hand, to have us find a way to save the humans here and plan for the future of this world’s humans. On the other hand, it was probably also afraid that leaving us in the Nine Provinces would continue to stir up storms.”
Throughout the years, those qualified to be sent to the Blood Refining World by the Nine Provinces’ Heavenly Secrets were all the most elite powerhouses of each era. They had reached the end of the cultivation path, with no further progress possible. Leaving such people in the Nine Provinces would ultimately be a destabilizing factor. Thus, the Nine Provinces’ Heavenly Secrets sent them here, to let them shine and give their heat here.
Lu Ye was the first to be sent here as a Real Lake Realm cultivator, and moreover, sent in the role of reinforcements.
It was precisely because of his arrival that the Jade Blood Holy Land had been able to withstand the Blood Race army’s siege this time.
“I can’t be certain, but I estimate that Junior Brother has a very high chance of returning to the Nine Provinces.”
“Senior Brother and the old seniors cannot return?” Lu Ye asked.
Feng Wujiang shook his head. “In the past, when the Heavenly Secrets Pillar was activated, we tried. It could not be done.”
Lu Ye steadied his mind and spoke. “I understand.”
Within one year, break through to the Divine Ocean Realm, and return to the Nine Provinces. This was what he had to do next.
Lu Ye was very confident about this. Though there had been many dangers and perils along the path of cultivation so far, at the very least, on the road of advancing his own strength, he had not encountered too many obstacles. He had long since built up a state of mind and momentum of pressing forward indomitably.
He believed this time would be no exception.
Taking his leave of Feng Wujiang, Lu Ye did not rush to cultivate. Instead, he brought Dao Thirteen down the Holy Mountain and wandered and sightseeed at will on the Holy Island.
A year was still very long. There was no need to be in a hurry. Moreover, his injuries had just healed; it would not do to immediately enter a state of cultivation.
The entire Holy Island was a single massive human settlement, without distinction between cultivator and mortal. Cultivators and mortals lived together in harmony and joy. Perhaps because they had just repelled the Blood Race army, the Holy Island was filled with rejoicing and鼓舞, the atmosphere relaxed. Everywhere, one could see scenes of lanterns and decorations being put up.
On street after street, crowds of people jostled shoulder to shoulder. Shops lined both sides. The air was thick with the bustle and aroma of mortal life.
This was a scene Lu Ye had very rarely seen. Some cities in the Nine Provinces where mortals gathered were like this. But ever since embarking on the path of cultivation, he had rarely come into contact with large numbers of mortals, so he could not help but find it novel for a time.
As Lu Ye walked and looked around, he came face to face with a vendor carrying a pole of candied hawthorn skewers, hawking his wares. The pole over his shoulder was densely skewered with strings of glistening, translucent candied hawthorns.
Lu Ye stopped the vendor and asked the price. Just as he was about to buy two skewers to try, he suddenly remembered—he had absolutely no currency of this place.
He had no spirit stones or spirit pills either. Long ago, when he had broken through to the eighth order of the Real Lake Realm, he had used up all his stored cultivation resources.
A woman selling tofu nearby spoke up: “Give him two skewers of candied hawthorn. I’ll pay.”
Lu Ye turned his head at the sound, his eye twitching. Moments later, Lu Ye and Dao Thirteen each held a skewer of candied hawthorn as they stood beside the tofu-selling woman. Lu Ye still could not quite believe his eyes. “Senior, with your clothes on, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Yue Ji raised a hand and rapped him on the head. “Speak properly.”
Lu Ye also knew he had misspoken. Mainly, he had not expected Yue Ji to be here, and dressed like this.
The Yue Ji of before had always been veiled in sheer gauze, her graceful, enchanting figure faintly discernible, stirring the blood. Now, she was dressed in coarse burlap peasant clothes, a square kerchief on her head, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows—the very image of a farmer’s wife.
“Senior, what exactly are you doing?” Lu Ye truly could not understand.
“Selling tofu,” Yue Ji replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “One has to make a living, after all.”
Lu Ye did not know whether to laugh or cry. The dignified Seventh Generation Sect Master of Lei Province’s Myriad Laws Sect, a figure at the very peak of the Divine Ocean Realm, had come to this Blood Refining World to sell tofu. If the disciples and grand-disciples of the Myriad Laws Sect saw this, how could they bear it?
Moreover, a senior expert like Yue Ji—what need had she for mundane things to sustain her livelihood?
Lu Ye could see it now: she was simply amusing herself in the game of life. He could only sigh with emotion. The actions of experts were always unfathomable.
“Can I not sell tofu?” Yue Ji eyed him sideways.
“You can, you can!” Lu Ye dared not let a single word of dissent escape his mouth.
“In my youth, I sold tofu to make a living. Later, I was noticed by a cultivator of the Myriad Laws Sect and taken in as a disciple. Now, I am merely returning to my old trade. What is there to be so surprised about?” As Yue Ji spoke, she pointed across the street. “Look at that old man over there.”
Lu Ye followed the direction she pointed and saw an old man dozing in the sun at the entrance of a small shop. A few children were gathered around him, using a blade of dog-tail grass to poke at his nostrils. He did not even lift his eyes, merely waving them away with an occasional, casual swat, making the children giggle secretly.
Beside the old man was planted a cloth banner, on which was written a single, large, and extremely eye-catching character: “Fortune.”
“Somewhat familiar…” Lu Ye thought for a moment, then it came to him. Wasn’t this one of those seventy-plus old seniors?
“That old gentleman… is telling fortunes?” Lu Ye was utterly speechless.
“Just a little hobby.” Yue Ji pursed her lips in a smile. “People like us—we can’t die, yet living is dull. We can only find our own amusement.”
“Senior, those words…” Lu Ye did not know how to respond.
But perhaps it was also the truth. The old seniors still had their lifespans, but their path forward was gone. For any cultivator who had spent their entire life chasing higher realms, this was nothing short of torture.
If there truly were no path forward, that would be one thing. The crux was that each of them could clearly sense that there was still a path ahead—they just could not find the way.
Thus, they bore not the slightest resentment toward the Nine Provinces’ Heavenly Secrets for sending them to this Blood Refining World. At the very least, by coming here, they had found something they wanted to do. It was not like in the Nine Provinces, where they still had to maintain the架子 of old seniors and adhere to their status.
“Is it good?” Yue Ji suddenly asked.
Lu Ye held out the half-eaten candied hawthorn skewer. “Would you like to try?”
Yue Ji rolled her eyes. “Eat quickly. When you’re done, help me call out.”
Lu Ye nearly choked to death. With great difficulty, he swallowed the candied hawthorn. “Senior, this is a bit过分. How much could two skewers of candied hawthorn cost? I’ll pay you back later.”
“Less nonsense!”
A moment later, a clear, crisp cry rang out from the tofu stall:
“Tofu for sale! Fresh, tender tofu—!”
(End of Chapter)