Chapter 2681 - The Weight of Admitting Defeat

There were five realms of Eternity: Unfettered, Divine Wandering, Silence, Immeasurable, and Heavenly Fate.

Each realm was like a separate heaven and earth.

The Unfettered Realm was the first of the five. Those who stepped into it experienced great freedom!

Entering the Unfettered Realm meant establishing Eternal foundations, grasping the mysteries of destiny, and mastering an Eternal Law. Such experts were known as Dao Lords.

Even on the River of Destiny, only a few had stepped into Eternity.

Upon reaching the Unfettered Realm, the Sea of Chaos gave rise to Eternal Dao Roots, one’s cultivation base was converted to Eternal power, and the soul established an Eternal Avatar.

One’s mastered Laws of the Grand Dao fused into their Eternal Dao Roots.

Whether you could condense these Daos into true Eternal Laws depended on your powers of comprehension, your will, and your fortune.

Cultivating in the Unfettered Realm was ultimately about tempering one’s powers of the Grand Dao. The River of Destiny had never lacked Eternal Laws, but only complete ones were worthy of even the lowest ranks of the nine-tier system, and complete Eternal Laws were rare.

Su Yi was currently solidifying his Unfettered Realm foundations in the Grand Dao.

It was just that, unlike others of the same level, Su Yi hadn’t undergone the baptism of an Eternal Tribulation, nor had he established his foundations on the River of Destiny. Thus, his Unfettered Realm cultivation was starkly different from other people’s.

Within his Sea of Chaos, the seedling born of the Epoch Spark was now as thick as a bowl and nine feet long, like a needle stabilizing the ocean. It was rooted in his Sea of Chaos, unmoving.

This was Su Yi’s Eternal Dao Root!

The Epoch Seedling had fused into Su Yi’s powers of the Grand Dao. Now that he’d stepped into Eternity, it had transformed, gathering Su Yi’s powers of the Grand Dao to become his Eternal Dao Root.

This was the biggest difference between Su Yi’s Unfettered Realm cultivation and that of other people.

As he circulated his cultivation base, the power within his Sea of Chaos rumbled and boomed, stirring up waves full of Eternal power. It seemed immeasurable and boundless.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

That aside, within his sea of consciousness, his soul avatar was bathed in a rain of Eternal Light. It now showed signs of Eternal, inextinguishable charm.

It was like a blazing sun illuminating his sea of consciousness.

His body transformed too. Eternal power washed his skin, muscles, tendons, bones, blood, organs, and even his meridians and acupoints. Every pore and every follicle glowed with Eternal Dao Light.

As his blood and qi circulated, burning like the flames of an Eternal divine furnace, overflowing vitality coursed through him in a self-perpetuating cycle with no beginning or end. It brought with it distinctive, dense energy fluctuations of the Grand Dao.

It was no exaggeration to say that now, even a single drop of Su Yi’s blood was a precious Eternal elixir brimming with shocking Eternal power.

The only thing that hadn’t changed was his mastery of his powers of the Grand Dao.

In the Unfettered Realm, cultivators had to temper their powers of the Grand Dao into Eternal Laws.

Su Yi was in no rush to achieve this.

He had no need to search outside himself, because both the reincarnation and Profound Ruin pointed directly to destiny. Once condensed into Eternal Laws, they’d be first tier—at the bare minimum!

That was no exaggeration, either. Otherwise, why would the old-timers of the River of Destiny have been so hungry to acquire reincarnation?

I seek the Dao within myself, and manifest Destiny within myself. I’ve stepped into Eternity. Now, I have to grasp the mysteries of Destiny and find my way to its Far Shore.

The Unfettered Realm is but the first of five, but it’s of the utmost importance. The level of Eternal Laws I condense will determine how far I can walk along the path of cultivation.

All manner of revelations flooded Su Yi’s heart. Unlike past breakthroughs, this time, Su Yi had no experience from his past lives to draw on. He’d relied purely on the power he’d built up in this lifetime to carve this unprecedented path.

To him, all of this was novel. It was an extraordinary feeling.

Historically, no matter what stage he broke into, he had his past lives’ experience as a basis for comparison and study.

That saved him a lot of time and unnecessary detours, but it robbed him of the joys of striving and contemplation.

And the joys of striving were among the most precious to be found on the path of cultivation.

Later, once I’ve fused with the Dao Imprints of my remaining lives, I’ll naturally be able to confirm the mysteries of cultivating Eternity. We’ll see whose approach is best then,

thought Su Yi.

When the time comes, whether I fuse their knowledge into mine or simply use it as a basis for extrapolation, I’ll be sure to surpass them all!

Su Yi silently awakened from his seated meditation and opened his eyes.

Xiao Jian had been sitting in the distance, staring into space, when he suddenly turned his head to look. “How do you feel?”

“I’ve seen Eternity,” said Su Yi. “I’m not like I was before.”

With that, he rose to his feet.

The crowd stirred. All of them looked over.

Against all expectations, even after breaking through, Su Yi’s presence was as tranquil as a dragon hidden in an abyss, plain and unassuming. It was as if he hadn’t changed a bit.

Xiao Jian rose, brushed off his clothes, and said, “Each of the Five Realms of Eternity is a world in its own right. The Unfettered Realm temper the Dao. In the Divine Wandering Realm, you quench the soul. In Silence, you polish the heart, and the Immeasurable sever the flesh.

“Only those who step into the fifth realm, Heavenly Fate, are worthy of the title ‘Heavenly Monarch,’ and only they are capable of holding Eternal Thrones. Those who succeed are known as Heavenly Sovereigns.”

Everyone in the Heavenly Fate Realm was a Heavenly Monarch, while Heavenly Sovereigns were rulers among them.

Xiao Jian laughed. “You’ll naturally understand all of this later. You needn’t seek anything outside yourself. Awaken the memories of your past lives, and you’ll instantly grasp the complete mysteries of the Five Realms of Eternity.”

His gaze was suddenly a bit complicated. After all, the memories of Su Yi’s past lives included his own!

Meanwhile, when the onlookers heard that, none of them could remain calm.

Even the strongest of them was at most in the Silence Realm, yet to step into the Immeasurable Realm, let alone the Heavenly Fate Realm.

But all Su Yi had to do was awaken the memories of his past lives, and he’d instantly grasp the secrets of the Five Realms of Eternity. Who could possibly have stayed calm after hearing that?

“Memories are like books in that you can flip through them and learn from them. They’re helpful,” said Su Yi with a nod. “But now, I’m more interested in tasting your attainments in the Unfettered Realm.”

With that, he looked at Xiao Jian.

Silence descended over the area. Everyone watched with bated breath. The final match would soon begin!

But then, Xiao Jian laughed and waved. “I’m no match for you. I admit defeat.”

He’d admitted defeat as casually as if commenting on the weather.

The crowd almost dared not believe their ears.

We waited all that time, and we were so eager to see what happened, only for you to just give up?

Su Yi fell silent. He understood Xiao Jian well enough to know that, despite his amiable, bookish appearance, he was proud and confident deep within his heart.

Even the River Lord once sighed that Xiao Jian was the person most similar to their mutual first incarnation, intelligent and determined!

He’d lain low in the Path of the Ancient Gods for countless years, calmly bearing witness as one epoch after another aged and faded away. He’d also gazed into the dome of heaven, disregarding the lofty Eternals watching from on high.

He’d learned countless secrets in his lifetime, and his knowledge was enough that when they spoke, Su Yi felt like a pupil; he had little to contribute.

When he died and entered the cycle of reincarnation, he should have vanished, yet he seized a mystery of Destiny and, in a highly unusual fashion, managed to live on in the Path of the Ancient Gods.

Now, he’d waited long enough to re-enter the present day and live again!

Su Yi didn’t know just how capable Xiao Jian was before entering the cycle of reincarnation, or how strong he was.

But he understood the weight of Xiao Jian’s seemingly light, airy admission of defeat!

Thus, Su Yi was stunned, and unwittingly silent.

“We’ve yet to fight, but you’ve already admitted defeat. Are you really willing to accept this outcome?” asked Su Yi.

Xiao Jian laughed. “Resentment will only leave the heart unsatisfied. It’s only by accepting the facts that one’s heart can be at ease. I acknowledge your strength from deep within my heart. What’s there to be bitter about?”

He gazed up at the dome of heaven. “In a clash limited to the same level of cultivation, I’m truly no match for you. I have no desire to be defeated beneath so many watchful gazes. That would be far too embarrassing.”

He rubbed his face and laughed. “Face is everything, but I’ve always been thin-skinned.”

Su Yi in no way believed that. How could Xiao Jian possibly have been the type to admit defeat lightly?

“Of course, I’m only admitting defeat in the Battle for Order, not in terms of the Dao of the Sword,” said Xiao Jian, sharply changing tacks. “In this lifetime, there are only two areas in which I’ll never admit defeat: studying and the Dao of the Sword.”

He suddenly seemed to have recalled something interesting. “You know, I’ve killed countless enemies in my life, but I’ve never lost in a clash of the sword. In all that time, I’ve only ever felt respect for one other sword cultivator.”

“Who?” asked Su Yi.

“It was a long, long time ago, back when I’d only just become an immortal,” said Xiao Jian. “I ran into a Transcendent.

“Before he died, I crushed him into the dirt. He couldn’t even struggle, but he used the last of his strength to strike me.” Xiao Jian’s eyes shone with reminiscence. “His attack was weak, no more threatening than a woman’s embroidery needle, but I’ve never respected another attack more, nor have I ever been more impressed.

“Because in that slash, I saw the soul of a true sword cultivator, inextinguishable even in death. That’s how a sword cultivator ought to be!”

Xiao Jian looked at Su Yi. “The same is true of my Dao of the Sword. To me, the Battle for Order is nothing but a game, and I simply don’t want to play anymore. Besides, I know deep within my heart that, within the Unfettered Realm, I’m indeed inferior to you.”

Su Yi could roughly understand how Xiao Jian felt. He clasped his fist. “I understand.”

Xiao Jian was stunned. Then, he burst into hearty laughter.

If I’m not mistaken, that’s the first time Su Yi ever clasped his fist at me.

A moment later, Xiao Jian’s robes swayed around him as he descended the Five Elements Altar. He was visibly delighted.

Everyone found this hard to understand.

He just gave up an opportunity to become the Bringer of Order. What’s there to be happy about?

But it was then that something suddenly shifted on Five Elements Peak. The five-colored auspicious clouds churned, transforming into divine arcs of light. They fell into the altar, enveloping Su Yi completely.

Dense chaos qi rose around the altar, rumbling and booming.

All of Five Elements Peak shook, followed by the entirety of Red Pine Mountain.

Everyone stirred, their expressions shifting. All they could think was,

Su Yi is about to become the Bringer of Order!

Meanwhile, the yellow finch said softly, “Countless years have passed, but this moment... has finally arrived...”