In place, Ye Xuan gazed at the distant spacetime gradually healing, the young man and the old man disappearing from sight.
In truth, he had already guessed the identity of the other party!
That man was likely the Defier of Heaven that Qin Guan Lateralus had mentioned!
Defier of Heaven!
Guanxuan Realm!
Ye Xuan fell silent.
In that fleeting moment of their clash, he had realised one thing: there was a gap between him and the Guanxuan Realm, and it was substantial!
Ye Xuan slowly closed his eyes, his fists clenched tightly.
A gap!
He wasn’t discouraged; on the contrary, it ignited his fighting spirit.
If others could reach Guanxuan, why couldn’t he?
Guanxuan!
Ye Xuan looked down at the sword in his hand. In that brief exchange with the Defier of Heaven, he noticed the opponent could ignore spacetime and matter, completely disregarding them!
What happens when one can ignore spacetime and matter?
Speed would reach its absolute peak, the true extreme!
When he swung his sword now, it still had to traverse through spacetime and matter. But if he could ignore them, his sword would face no resistance. In that case, his sword’s speed could reach its limit—not just in speed, but its power would also reach an extreme, capable of annihilating matter.
What is the limit of matter?
It’s the transformation of quantity and quality, with quality’s core still being matter. Guanxuan, however, transcends matter, capable of directly destroying it!
In his earlier clash with the Defier, his three sword strikes were forcibly erased by the opponent! Because the opponent had erased the river of spacetime itself!
At this thought, Ye Xuan suddenly slashed downward with his sword.
*Rip!*
The spacetime before him shattered instantly!
Yet, Ye Xuan frowned, for he noticed that while the spacetime was destroyed, the matter remained!
The Law of Conservation!
Even if the universe were destroyed, its essence would persist, and its quantity would remain unchanged.
How could one destroy the essence itself?
Ye Xuan sank into deep thought.
At this moment, the small tower suddenly spoke, “Little Master, why not come inside the tower to cultivate?”
Ye Xuan slowly closed his eyes. “If you speak again, I’ll sacrifice the tower to the heavens!”
Small Tower: “…”
Ye Xuan didn’t return to the tower to cultivate!
Abandoning all external aids, he sought to understand himself and face his heart directly.
He knew this would be difficult. He had grown accustomed to cultivating in the tower, almost like cheating. Changing that habit wasn’t easy, but he was determined to do so.
Atop the mountain peak, Ye Xuan sat cross-legged, like an old monk in meditation!
Day turned to night, and night to day.
Time passed bit by bit.
Enlightenment!
Often, cultivation was about enlightenment. If the mind became clear, everything would follow.
But in truth, that was nonsense.
Was it ever that easy to become clear?
Ye Xuan rose and left.
No more enlightenment!
He needed to find some inspiration.
Ye Xuan arrived at the Immortal Treasure Pavilion in the Great Thousand Domain. Upon reaching it, Old Zhang appeared before him.
Old Zhang gave a slight bow. “Young Master Ye!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “May I visit Pavilion Master Qin Guan’s study?”
Old Zhang nodded. “You may!”
Ye Xuan was puzzled. “Why is that allowed?”
Old Zhang smiled. “When the Pavilion Master left, she instructed that if Young Master Ye were to return to the Immortal Treasure Pavilion, it would mean you had gained some insight and wished to read!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Old Zhang smiled. “Young Master Ye, please!”
Ye Xuan nodded slightly and headed toward the twelfth floor.
On the way, Ye Xuan asked, “Senior…”
Old Zhang quickly interrupted, “Just call me Old Zhang!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Old Zhang, do you know where your Pavilion Master has gone?”
Old Zhang shook his head with a wry smile. “I don’t know!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Old Zhang added, “The Pavilion Master is very mysterious and loves to wander! But she is truly a wonderful person. If not for her saving me back then, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. “Indeed, a wonderful person!”
Old Zhang led Ye Xuan to the door of the twelfth floor and said, “Young Master Ye, when the Pavilion Master left, she left something for you. She said if you came to the Immortal Treasure Pavilion, I should bring you here. If you didn’t come…”
He trailed off.
But Ye Xuan understood!
If he came, it meant he didn’t hold a grudge against her ‘heart-piercing’ words, and their bond remained intact. If he didn’t come, it would mean he was petty, unable to accept criticism humbly, and their connection would be severed.
At this thought, Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile.
He, Ye Xuan, wasn’t a petty person, nor was he fragile.
If he was wrong, he’d correct it!
Moreover, he understood one thing: only those who truly saw you as a friend would criticise you without holding back.
Ye Xuan entered the study. On the desk lay a notebook and a letter.
Ye Xuan picked up the letter and opened it:
“*Hehe, Young Master Ye, congratulations! By now, you should have reached Divine Transformation. In truth, you should have reached it long ago, but no one broke through your inner barriers to help you truly know yourself. Now, your goal should be the Guan Realm, and at this moment, you likely have many questions about it. No worries—I’ve explained this realm in detail in the notebook beside this.*
Ye Xuan glanced at the notebook, then continued reading:
*Young Master Ye, besides the Guan Realm, I’ve left you another realm, a completely new one I created based on the Guan Realm. I hope you can cultivate it successfully. Lastly, Young Master Ye, remember this: cultivation is about refining oneself, eliminating bad habits, knowing your heart, facing your heart, and taming your heart. Perhaps you’ve done this before, but you’ve likely overlooked one thing: as your strength grows, your heart changes too. Thus, a cultivator must reflect on themselves daily.*
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment, then turned to the second page. It contained only one sentence:
*Cultivation has no obstacles; it’s only the complexity of the human heart and excessive thoughts that create barriers. Young Master Ye, until we meet again!*
In the study, Ye Xuan remained silent for a long time.
*Cultivation has no obstacles; it’s only the complexity of the human heart and excessive thoughts…*
After a long while, Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile.
The small tower suddenly spoke, “Little Master, have you not gained enlightenment?”
Ye Xuan replied curiously, “What’s that got to do with you?”
Small Tower: “…”
Ye Xuan sat at the desk and opened the notebook. The first page bore two large characters: *Guan Realm!*
Guan Realm!
Ye Xuan paused, then turned to the second page:
*The Guan Realm transcends the material level, the spacetime level, and the level of the Dao and laws. The Guan Realm is divided into External Guan and Internal Guan. External Guan refers to transcending spacetime, matter, the Dao, and laws. Internal Guan is the transformation of thought. What is the transformation of thought? It’s seeing through everything and reaching a new domain. The difference in thought between people leads them to see different worlds. If your thoughts are narrow, the world and universe you see will be narrow. In short, you’ll be confined by your own thoughts. A person’s life requires constant transformation of thought; otherwise, they’ll merely repeat a mechanical cycle daily.*
Reading this, Ye Xuan’s right hand slowly clenched, and he fell into deep thought.
After a long, long time, Ye Xuan continued reading:
*But the transformation of thought often comes with pain. Thus, to achieve Internal Guan, one needs accumulation, perseverance, restraint, reflection, and the struggle to break free from the mental and spiritual shackles within pain. In shattering past shackles, one seeks new vitality, like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. Before becoming a butterfly, how painful is the cocoon’s transformation? External Guan is easy to achieve; Internal Guan is hard to attain. Young Master Ye, good luck.*
Ye Xuan fell silent.
External Guan!
Internal Guan!
This time, the realm was described in great detail—so detailed it gave him a headache.
Reaching the Guan Realm seemed incredibly difficult! Especially this Internal Guan… it sounded so abstract.
As if recalling something, Ye Xuan turned to the next page. It bore three large characters: *Years Realm!*
Seeing these words, Ye Xuan froze.
He quickly turned to the next page:
*The Years Realm—what are the years? They are time, but not mere time; they are the time that has passed, the carrier of all things in the world, capable of encompassing everything. All that has passed is the years, and the years can be substantiated and mastered. This realm was created based on your Qingxuan Sword, for within it lies the power of the years. Moreover, it is immune to the effects of the years. When I studied it, I discovered that the power of the years surpasses the Guan Realm, for it can destroy everything, including Guan Realm experts. In this world, only a few divine objects are immune to the years!*
The Years!
Ye Xuan quickly drew the Qingxuan Sword and sensed it. Indeed, he felt the power of the years. But he was puzzled—though he had used this special power within the sword before, it didn’t seem *that* powerful!
After a moment of silence, Ye Xuan turned to another page:
*Young Master Ye, the power of the years within this sword has been suppressed, for you currently cannot fully control it. Thus, that young lady suppressed its power. When your strength reaches a certain level, the power of the years will unseal itself, and then, the sword’s might will become even more terrifying.*
Ye Xuan looked at the Qingxuan Sword in his hand. After a long moment of contemplation, he turned back to the notebook:
*Young Master Ye, you must reach the Guan Realm before cultivating the power of the years, for you cannot yet handle it. A single misstep, and you’ll be corroded by the years, becoming part of the past. That’s all! Young Master Ye, until we meet again.*
The end.
In the study, Ye Xuan remained silent for a long time before softly saying, “Thank you!”
This notebook had resolved many of his doubts.
Guan Realm!
Ye Xuan decided to focus on cultivating the Guan Realm first. The journey must be taken step by step—too large a stride could lead to trouble.
Ye Xuan began cultivating in the study. He still chose not to enter the small tower, as he didn’t want to rely on it. The tower was here now, but what if it wasn’t in the future? What would he do then?
Dependency wasn’t formed overnight.
He refused to have any trace of dependency, especially on cheat-like divine objects like the Qingxuan Sword and the small tower!
At this moment, the small tower suddenly spoke, “Little Master, in terms of knowledge, who’s more impressive—Sister Qin Guan or Sister Qing’er?”
Ye Xuan paused, then said, “Qing’er, forever the legend!”
…
