Chapter 748: Ming Jian Emerges From Seclusion (1)

The Summerpeak World, within the imperial city of the Middle Land.

Inside a grand hall.

"Astral Monarch, thank you for your assistance," Wu Yuan said with a slight bow.

"It was a trifling matter, and this Fang Xia is indeed quite talented," Astral Monarch Hou Qu smiled. "Now that the matter is settled, I shall no longer maintain this incarnation. You may continue your discussion. Regarding the array you mentioned, I will make arrangements as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your help, Astral Monarch," Wu Yuan stood and cupped his hands respectfully.

Whoosh~

Astral Monarch Hou Qu's incarnation silently dissipated. His true body could not enter the Summerpeak World; only his incarnation could descend.

As a non-native Astral Monarch, if his true body were to forcibly descend upon a worldlet, it would cause the entire world to collapse.

In the hall, only Wu Yuan, Fang Xia, and Wu Yijun remained.

"Thank you, Young Master. Without your help, I fear I would have been trapped in the Shan Yue Sect until my dying day," Fang Xia said respectfully, attempting to kneel.

"Old Fang." Wu Yuan waved his hand, and an invisible force instantly steadied Old Fang. It prevented him from kneeling and lifted him to his feet.

"There's no need for such formalities between us. Once I found out that you went missing, I naturally had to investigate," Wu Yuan smiled. "After all, you are my ancestor. Without you back then, there wouldn’t be me today."

"It is all due to Young Master's unparalleled talent," Fang Xia shook his head repeatedly.

"Ancestor Fang, Brother, why don't you stop praising each other and try the delicacies I've prepared?" Wu Yijun smiled from the side.

"Old Fang, come. Let’s eat," Wu Yuan said with a smile.

"Mm, indeed," Fang Xia nodded, looking at the table laden with exquisite cuisines and immortal wines. He sighed with emotion, "All these years trapped in the Shan Yue Sect... It’s been a long time since I’ve had such delicacies. Yijun, you are truly thoughtful."

Immortal cultivators ate not out of hunger, but for the pleasure of taste.

The three ate and drank while conversing.

Gradually, Wu Yuan learned of Fang Xia's many experiences over the years, and couldn't help but smile, "Old Fang, to think you obtained Astral Lord Qian She’s legacy? Not bad at all."

"The core inheritance had long been taken. What I obtained were merely some teachings and secret arts, nothing truly precious," Fang Xia said with a wry smile. "And I nearly lost my life because of it."

"Teachings and secret arts are priceless treasures in their own right," Wu Yuan said.

"That Thousand Serpent Forbidden Valley is under the control of the Shan Yue Sect. Astral Lord Shan Yue is quite formidable, and was likely keeping watch from the beginning," Wu Yuan said softly. "He probably feared that forcibly seizing it would destroy the inheritance grounds, so he patiently waited outside. Once someone obtained the legacy, he would imprison them.

It's understandable. When it comes to an Astral Lord's legacy, he wouldn't give face to other Archimmortals," Wu Yuan said.

"It's likely as Young Master says," Fang Xia agreed with Wu Yuan's reasoning.

"Old Fang, now that you've reached the Void Refiner phase, do you have any plans?" Wu Yuan asked with a smile.

"Plans?" Fang Xia hesitated, then shook his head, "Astral Monarch Hou Qu ordered Astral Lord Shan Yue to compensate me with treasures worth a hundred thousand divine crystals, settling this karmic debt. For now, I needn't venture out and take risks. I'm thinking of cultivating to the ninth-stage Void Refiner phase first."

Wu Yuan listened quietly.

He understood that Fang Xia had suffered greatly. Given his personality, he might seek revenge once he became powerful enough. But Astral Monarch Hou Qu had essentially made the decision to forgive this karmic debt with a hundred thousand divine crystals on his behalf.

Since Fang Xia had accepted this, Wu Yuan decided not to say more.

"Ancestor Fang, in that case, why don't you reside in Summerpeak long-term?" Wu Yijun smiled. "My brother will also be staying in Summerpeak for the foreseeable future."

"The young master is returning to Summerpeak?" Fang Xia was surprised.

"Yes," Wu Yuan nodded.

"But Young Master, aren't you a member of the Origin Eldritch Field? As an Earth Eldritch, shouldn't you reside in the Origin Eldritch Field?" Fang Xia asked, puzzled. "Moreover, I've heard that members of the Origin Eldritch Field are required to undergo many trial tasks and tests. Shouldn't you be preparing to become an Archeldritch in the future?"

"That's unnecessary. If I wished, I could more or less become an Archeldritch right now," Wu Yuan smiled. "Old Fang, what you speak of applies to ordinary members of the Origin Eldritch Field. I need not fulfill those duties; I can cultivate as I please."

He can become an Archeldritch now?

Fang Xia was secretly shocked.

He then recalled Astral Monarch Hou Qu's attitude towards Wu Yuan, and his doubts cleared. How else could he be given such treatment from a legendary Astral Monarch?

"Summerpeak is my homeland. Dwelling in my homeland soothes my mind, allowing my cultivation to progress more smoothly," Wu Yuan said. "So, for the years to come, I will likely reside in Summerpeak.

As for you, Old Fang, you've already obtained many inheritance teachings and secret arts, as well as divine crystals and treasures. Why not engage in secluded cultivation for a time?"

"Very well, I'll do as Young Master says," Fang Xia nodded.

...

Six days later.

About ten thousand li from Cloud Capital, a towering pagoda a hundred li high gradually materialized. The pagoda was pure white like jade, with nine floors in total. It stood majestically between heaven and earth, as though reaching for the sky.

Several thousand immortal cultivators stood outside the pagoda. Apart from a few at the Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala phase with powerful auras, the vast majority were Golden Core/Spiritual Body cultivators. They were all elite immortal cultivators who resided long-term in Summerpeak.

"Is this the Summerpeak Tower mentioned in the Teng Snake Guard's message?"

"I heard it was built by the World Master, containing countless Daoist scriptures and teachings."

"We can enter now."

"Let's go." As the tower fully materialized and its grand doors opened, these thousands of immortal cultivators began to enter the tower one after another.

Soon, exclamations of surprise erupted from within.

"This? There are such secret arts on the first floor alone?"

"This is perfect for me. This sword art is extremely suitable, it truly points to the essence of the sword path."

"There are even array teachings..." These immortal cultivators were stunned. The countless Daoist scriptures and teachings on just the first floor alone left them in shock.

They quickly dispersed, searching eagerly through the first and second floors of the tower.

The Summerpeak Tower had nine floors in total.

According to Wu Yuan's decree, those at the Golden Core/Spiritual Body phase could enter the first floor; those at the Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala phase could enter the second.

On each floor, one could redeem five teachings or secret arts free of charge. More? One would have to undergo various trials. One could redeem a maximum of one hundred techniques.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

To enter the third floor, one either had to reach the Void Refiner/Elysian Field phase or pass the trials set by Wu Yuan.

Time flowed on.

Many Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivators didn't rush to choose their teachings, instead attempting to pass Wu Yuan's trials, hoping to enter the third floor.

One after another failed.

In the air above.

"Young Master is truly benevolent," Fang Xia smiled. "With such a Daoist Scripture Tower, the Summerpeak cultivators will progress much faster."

"It's a pity that no one has passed the trials," Fang Xia shook his head and sighed. "None of them compare to you, Yijun."

Yijun had also attempted the trials to enter the third level, and succeeded!

"Ancestor, please don't tease me," Wu Yijun smiled and shook her head. "In terms of natural talent, I'm nothing special. It's all thanks to my brother's support."

"Your own efforts still play a big part," Fang Xia said with a smile.

Wu Yuan smiled but said nothing.

On the path of cultivation, so-called talent was essentially a combination of one's immortal root potential, soul potential, comprehension aptitude, willpower, and many other aspects.

None of these were constants.

One's immortal root and soul could be enhanced through external means, while comprehension aptitude, willpower, and the like could change dramatically with various experiences an immortal cultivator underwent over the long years. This was why there were late bloomers and those who faded into obscurity.

His sister Wu Yijun was indeed not exceptionally gifted in her earliest years, but with Wu Yuan's continuous influx of resources, her own diligent cultivation, her hundreds of years as an empress, and the experience of family life, she had weathered the vicissitudes of the mortal world. Later, she received guidance from seniors like High Immortal Cen Jiang and Archimmortal Xu Cai, and was now no longer her former self.

At least, in Wu Yuan's view, among countless immortal cultivators in the present day Summerpeak World excluding himself, his sister's potential ranked in the top five. With his help, she could become a High Immortal without much difficulty.

As for the top two in potential, it's still Old Fang and Gu Qi.

Wu Yuan mused, recalling the child he had instructed earlier.

Fang Xia had relied mostly on himself, fighting and struggling all the way. His cultivation journey had been a bumpy one.

Gu Qi truly naturally possessed great talent.

"Let them choose their teachings first," Wu Yuan said. "Once the world expansion is complete, I'll invite an Archimmortal to reconstruct the Summerpeak Immortal Voidrealm. Then, we'll build another Summerpeak Tower in the voidrealm, so cultivators of the Summerpeak lineage won't have to come all the way to the Middle Land."

Wu Yijun and Fang Xia both nodded, their eyes brightening. A voidrealm constructed by an Archimmortal?

"Brother, will this world expansion you speak of be risky?" Wu Yijun couldn't help but ask.

"There's no need to worry. I've spent an enormous price to purchase immortal stones and array disks to fuse with the world's essence," Wu Yuan said.

Indeed! World expansion.

Under the rules of the macrocosm's operation, countless worldlets were born and destroyed, destroyed and born again.

The expansion of a worldlet could happen in two ways. The first was natural expansion under the workings of heaven and earth, which took an immense span of time. The second was artificial expansion.

"In a hundred years, the Summerpeak World will be expanded to a maximum diameter of over a hundred million li," Wu Yuan smiled. "By then, our Summerpeak World's population can multiply rapidly, reaching tens of trillions without much difficulty."

The limits on population growth were land, space, and resources. The larger a world, the larger the population it could support.

"Tens of trillions?" A glimmer of anticipation flashed in Wu Yijun and Fang Xia’s eyes.

The more populous a world, the more immortal cultivators it naturally produced, and the more geniuses emerged from it.

"With the Summerpeak Tower, I believe we'll see quite a few Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators born as the population grows," Fang Xia said with a chuckle. "We might even see immortals emerge."

Currently, in all of Summerpeak, besides Wu Yuan, only Fang Xia had reached the Void Refiner phase. In truth, they were still quite weak.

I must do all I can to strengthen the Summerpeak lineage.

Wu Yuan silently vowed. This had become a subtle obsession of his.

It was his way of giving back to Summerpeak.

The world expansion array alone had cost Wu Yuan tens of millions of divine crystals. Fortunately he had obtained Astral Monarch Wan Lei’s treasure trove and didn't mind the expenditure much.

"Old Fang, Yijun," Wu Yuan said, "Though I will be residing in Summerpeak, you should continue to manage its affairs. I'll have Cen Jiang assist you; do listen to her counsel."

"Very well."