Chapter 1: Crossing into Another World

  "Ah, you're right. If I were to take on a disciple, I'm sure many would flock to me! And you, young one, your talent before breaking through wasn't as excellent as I said, but rather quite trashy! However, you have something they don't - potential! That day you went to the kitchen was probably right after you broke through, and only those who rely on their own strength to break through would lose control shortly after. I've been observing you recently and found that the spiritual energy circulating within your body is incredibly pure! I reckon you didn't borrow even a bit of external power during your breakthrough!"

  "Just as the senior said, I indeed relied solely on my own innate abilities to break through and become a Spiritual Master. But what's the difference? In the square, I felt that they were all Innate, so why was their spiritual energy so messy?"

  Upon hearing Xu Zhen's acknowledgment, really without any external help, the old man's eyes suddenly shot out two dazzling rays of light!

  "Not bad! This is the biggest difference between you - the purity of spiritual energy! All those who can achieve the realm of Spiritual King rely on their own breakthroughs. If external forces intervene during the breakthrough process, the resulting congenital true energy will not be pure. Perhaps there won't be a problem in the early stages, but once you reach the peak of Spiritual Sect and have sufficient enlightenment and understanding, only by purifying your spiritual energy to its purest state, without any impurities, can you break through the sect's seal and become king! Those who rely on external forces for breakthroughs, unless they are someone with a heaven-defying aura, will forever be unable to eliminate that one strand of impurity brought about during their congenital period!"

  "Nowadays, as long as you don't fall halfway, relying on the accumulation of your sect, the Great Way can be expected! The King's stage can be hoped for! Moreover, through my observation of you over this period of time, the purity of the spiritual energy in your body is comparable to that of those at the initial stage of the Sect, and it's simply an existence that makes people jealous! For a Spirit Master who has just broken through the Pre-Heavenly stage, it's truly an enviable existence! So, after breaking through the Pre-Heavenly stage, your current qualifications are already considered to be a rare occurrence in a hundred years by many people, and the purity of your spiritual energy is even more so that your qualifications can be compared to those who are destined to become kings, the ghostly talents that appear once in a thousand years!"

  Xu Zhen finally understood why he and those people had different performances since they were young, previously thinking it was due to his own cultivation methods, now knowing there's another layer of meaning!

  "How's your consideration going? Are you ready to acknowledge me as your master? You know, someone like your teacher, a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy who knows all the martial arts in the world, is not someone you'll easily come across again. Haha! Disciple, don't you now urgently want to acknowledge me as your master? That's right, this is your most correct choice. Come on, let Master take you back to the peak and let us create a legendary myth that will be passed down for eternity..."

  He hadn't said two serious words before the old man returned to his usual self. It seems he wasn't wrong about one thing, that is, his appearance and inner heart are absolutely inconsistent...

  "Alas, this is an old..."

  Another sharp glance. Grandma's, how did I run into such an unreasonable old thing.

  "Senior, to be honest, someone with your incredible abilities is indeed suitable for me to apprentice under... Unfortunately, I'm really not talented, and this time's breakthrough was just a coincidence. Previously, I hadn't heard that breaking through the innate could be assisted by others; if I had known earlier, I absolutely wouldn't have done something so dangerous. So someone like me, without ambition, would only bring shame to your school and waste your illustrious reputation, please be cautious..."

  "Don't worry, kid, I'm here for you. Later on, you'll definitely achieve great things and have a bright future, hahaha..."

  Sweat dripped down his forehead again. Can't this old man understand? I really don't want to be his apprentice...

  He gritted his teeth and decided to tell the truth. In fact, thinking carefully, having a teacher at the peak of the Spiritual Sect was not bad at all. That way, he wouldn't have to hide anything and could cultivate openly. Believing in such a teacher, the cultivation environment would definitely be excellent as well. It's just that Xu Zhen knew himself, hoping to live freely, without wanting to be bound by anything. As for planning to enter the inner sect through assessment a few years later, it was also intended to have a stable environment to help him break through when he met Jingping.

  "To be honest with you, sir, I don't actually want to become your disciple!"

  The old man who was laughing loudly with his head thrown back suddenly lost control of his strength and a few of the white whiskers on his chest were pulled out.

  His eyes bulged out like a cow's. At that moment, Xu Zhenli felt an overwhelming pressure rushing towards him from all directions.

  Just as Xu Zhen was drenched in sweat, the old man's gaze gradually calmed down.

  "Oh, can you give me a reason? Although I'm not one of the top masters in the world. But it's not difficult for me to cultivate you to the King realm, and even touching the Emperor realm afterwards. Is there someone better than me, or have you already found a master?"

  Calmed down his heartbeat, Xu Zhen shook his head and replied

  "Although I don't know your specific strength, but based on my innate perception, you are at least a spiritual master at the peak of the Lingzong realm. Such a strong person is probably standing at the top of the golden pyramid in the entire Qingxia realm. My martial arts skills rely solely on the cultivation of several popular techniques widely disseminated by the sect, and I don't have a master."

  Xu Zendong paused for a moment.

  "Why can't you kneel under my gate? Can a junior like you give me a reason?"

  The old man's demeanor at this time truly matched his identity, which also made Xu Zhen more enlightened in his heart. Madness is probably the same as himself, it's just the old man's disguise.

  "Elder, I was born in the peripheral branch of the Cang family, one of the four major families of the Yan Tian Empire. I've been weak and sickly since childhood, spending most of my early years at home. It wasn't until half a year ago that I had the good fortune to join the sect, but after entering the mountain, I was constantly bullied by several direct disciples. I had no choice but to spend most of my time completing their and my own miscellaneous chores, and even when I had some free time, I had to focus on cultivating. Elder, do you know that I'm already 11 years old now? My gaze is limited to this narrow space, and at present, I don't want to take a master. If I intended to enter the mountain gate, I would have done so earlier."

  "What I lack most now is not a method, nor resources. It's the desire for freedom. I just want to live freely for a while, travel around the world, and experience all sorts of things. I'm afraid that if I continue on this path, my heart will be confined. Confined in this narrow world, unable to see the true sky, unable to see the true mountains. From then on, I'll never be able to break through!"

  "Good! I'm more and more appreciative of you, young one from the Cang Clan! What a free and unrestrained spirit! What a mind bound by the shackles of martial arts! Once a person is bound and restricted, their progress will also be limited! How many geniuses in the world are like this, lacking your insight, simply thinking that constant practice and accumulation is the right way? They walk further and further away from the path to success, until one day they realize they've gone astray, but it's too late to turn back... And you, at such a young age, can see through all of this. Excellent!"

  "Have you ever thought that you want to travel the world? Not to mention those forbidden lands, even the masters of the spiritual realm cannot leave safely. It's just a big sect playing tricks on each other, with treacherous human hearts. How can you, a small pre-heavenly being, cope with this? Freedom, even I yearn for that thing, but true freedom is built on the foundation of strength. Those ants will never have true freedom!"

  The old man's words made Xu Zhen jump in surprise.

  Only with strength comes freedom, a principle that also applied in the world of his past life. Since arriving in this world, the cultivation technique "Hongmeng Zhuanlun Jing" had made him forget himself, unable to see the world clearly before his eyes, everything was too taken for granted. Now it seems, the freedom he wanted was just a joke.

  Xu Zhen bowed deeply to the old man, today if it wasn't for the old man's reminder, perhaps not long after, he would have been buried in some dangerous place or among petty people, at that time, what would be the point of talking about a warrior's heart, or an unparalleled realm?

  The old man nodded in satisfaction.

  "Only when your strength reaches the point where heaven and earth cannot bind you, will you obtain true freedom. Now that you are still young, it is not easy to see the heart of a martial artist. You don't have to be too hard on yourself, now you should focus on improving your own strength. Wait until one day when the time comes, go pursue your martial way!"

  At this time, Xu Zhen also felt the benefits of having a teacher, which was not only the experience of a martial artist, but also the principles of being a person and the path to success.

  "A senior's words saved a junior from danger, and gave him a new lease on life. The disciple wishes to pay respects and enter the senior's school to listen to their teachings!"

  "Alright! Disciple, from now on you will be taken in by me as a formal disciple of the Qingxia Sect's Xuanmu lineage, 134th generation. Remember your master's name! My surname is Li and my name is Tian Luo, people call me 'The King of Falling Heaven'..."