"Master Zi Jian, I…" said Lin Feng.
But Zi Jian interrupted him and said, "Call me Uncle Zi Jian, don't say Master, it's a bit too much."
"Eh, alright, Uncle Zi Jian," said Lin Feng cupping his fists and smiling.
Lin Feng already had grandchildren, but Zi Jian was already thousands of years old, at least so calling him "Uncle" was fine.
"Lin Feng, what questions do you have?" said Zi Jian rolling up his sleeves and taking a drink. He was happy to get drunk.
Zi Jian looked so happy to get drunk and talk about topics that Lin Feng felt embarrassed of, he didn't want to talk about serious topics anymore, but he had to if he wanted to progress.
Therefore, he asked, "Uncle Zi Jian, can you tell me how the cold fire can help cultivators make their Dao reach the second level and break through to the Half-Holy Emperor layer?"
"What is level two Dao?"
Zi Jian looked perplexed and curious. He glanced at Lin Feng and looked pensive.
Some time passed, Zi Jian drank alcohol silently, Lin Feng just waited.
Ten minutes passed. Zi Jian sighed and finished his bottle. Then he smiled and said, "Fine liquor. I love it. Give me some more."
"Here you are," said Lin Feng. He wasn't a petty person, he gave three bottles to Zi Jian.
Zi Jian grabbed one and took a big sip. Then, he said slowly, "Lin Feng, after you absorb the cold fire, you can improve your fire Dao and you will have the opportunity to make your fire Dao reach the second level.
"Regarding your other question, this is something you need to understand on your own. I can't give you a precise answer. What is level two Dao? I can't tell you that, it's something you need to feel. I can tell you vaguely, though."
"I'd like to hear the details!" Lin Feng smiled.
Zi Jian nodded. Then, he raised his bottle, threw it away, punched it, and it exploded.
Lin Feng didn't understand what Zi Jian was doing and frowned. Drops of alcohol fell down, but then they condensed and gathered into one big drop. Zi Jian stretched out his left hand and sword lights streaked across the sky. The sword lights cut the big drop into two, and then into four, and eight, before they turned into one again.
The drop fell onto Zi Jian's palm, the big drop of alcohol looked like a ball, which he threw at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng raised his left hand to grab it, but it instantly disappeared.
Lin Feng was stupefied, and stared at Zi Jian.
Zi Jian laughed wholeheartedly, opening his mouth and swallowing the contents of the whole bottle at once. He sighed with delight.
"Uncle Zi Jian, what was that?" The alcohol in his hand had disappeared and turned to steam.
"My level two Dao. I can make space and time stop. You can too, of course, but can you make a flower, a speck of grass, or a tree stop?
"I can. Many people can control space and time in a definite space, but can they control infinitesimal things? I can control drops of water, but time continues passing as always. It doesn't flow like water. That's my level two Dao," said Zi Jian slowly.
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. His brain processed what Zi Jian was saying. Lin Feng had the impression that information was precious, it would definitely help him break through at some point.
The better a cultivator understood Dao, the better it was. They started at the macroscale and progressively understood it better at the microscale.
Zi Jian clearly had an advanced understanding of Dao already. He was probably at the top of the second level already. No wonder Zi Jian could scare people like Tian Han away with one single sword attack.
Tian Ao didn't dare offend him!
Zi Jian looked at Lin Feng and noticed he looked pensive. He smiled indifferently. Lin Feng was a real genius who loved to study.
"Lin Feng, level two Dao is like this. I see that your Qi is quite pure. You must have a Forbidden Body, right?" Zi Jian asked.
Lin Feng nodded. Since Zi Jian could see it, it wasn't in Lin Feng's interest to lie.
"I see. That is a great body type. You will definitely become a Controller in the Continent of the Gods someday," said Zi Jian, nodding at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng frowned, he looked puzzled, he asked, "A Controller? What is a Controller?"
"Eh? You don't know what a Controller is?" Zi Jian couldn't believe it.
Lin Feng shook his head. He really didn't know. What was a Controller? He only knew he was a Ruler in the Continent of the Nine Clouds.
"You're not from a powerful group, I guess. How can you not know what a Controller is? Anyway, I like you, so I don't mind telling you. In the Continent, very few people know about them," said Zi Jian downing another bottle.
"In the Continent of the Gods, Half-Holy Emperors are normal. There are many of them everywhere. Then, there are Low-Level Holy Emperors and High-Level Holy Emperors, people who reach such cultivation levels are called Revokers."
"Revokers?" whispered Lin Feng.
"Indeed! Low-Level Holy Emperors are Lower Revokers. High-Level Holy Kings are Higher Revokers!" replied Zi Jian nodding and smiling.
"So, what are Controllers?" Lin Feng asked.
"Controllers are supreme cultivators whose level is higher than the Holy Emperor layer and who have transcended worldliness. Those who are stronger than High-Level Holy Emperors are called Controllers. In the Continent of the Gods, there are very few Controllers. We don't even know where they are," said Zi Jian. His eyes were filled with admiration and respect. Lin Feng had the impression the Continent of the Gods was even more complex than he had thought.
"Uncle Zi Jian, are the Shrine leaders all Controllers?" asked Lin Feng.
"No. They are just Revokers," said Zi Jian shaking his head.
Lin Feng had even more questions, the Shrines were already extremely powerful but their leaders hadn't transcended worldliness. How strange.
The Shrines' leaders were only Holy Emperors. So where were the people who were stronger than Holy Emperors? Nobody could be sure.
When Lin Feng heard Zi Jian's reply, he was even more lost in thought.
"Uncle Zi Jian, are there Rulers in the Continent of the Gods?" asked Lin Feng. Since there were Revokers and Controllers, maybe there were Rulers too? Wasn't Lin Feng a Ruler in the Continent of the Nine Clouds, after all?
Zi Jian burst into laughter, he even smiled mockingly. "Little boy, you don't know anything, do you?" said Zi Jian, laughing. He laughed to tears and said, "Little boy, you're already a Ruler, don't you know what you are yourself?"
"I am really a Ruler?" Lin Feng was stupefied when he heard that.
"Of course. Even though you're not a Holy Emperor yet, you are already a Ruler. When you become a Half-Holy Emperor, you'll be a genuine Ruler," explained Zi Jian. Lin Feng understood a little bit better.
Supreme Holy Kings and Half-Holy Emperors were all Rulers.
Low-Level Holy Emperors and High-Level Holy Emperors were all Revokers and above them were the Controllers.
That's how it was.
"Uncle Zi Jian, you're also a Ruler?" asked Lin Feng with a smile.
"Indeed, I am a Ruler for now. But I will soon become a Revoker, I am about to become a Low-Level Holy Emperor," said Zi Jian, laughing heartily. Lin Feng's heart twitched. So, was cultivation an endless process? Was there no limit? Was there an unlimited number of levels?
Lin Feng was also convinced he'd soon become a Half-Holy Emperor. He clenched his fists.
At that moment, Zi Jian looked at the last bottle, his eyes twinkling. He stood up, smiled and said, "Alright, Lin Feng, I have to go. I'm sure you'll come to the eastern part of the Supranatural Region soon and will visit me at the Sword Sect. I'll wait for you there."
"Take care, Uncle Zi Jian!" said Lin Feng, waving at Zi Jian.
"Lin Feng, come to the Sword Sect. You will meet many people you know there. See you!" said Zi Jian, smiling wholeheartedly. Then he disappeared. Lin Feng stayed there, staring blankly.
"He knows who I am!"
Lin Feng suddenly saw the light, he understood immediately, Zi Jian knew he was from the Continent of the Nine Clouds! There was no other explanation.
What surprised Lin Feng even more was that the Continent of the Nine Clouds was definitely not a sealed and remote world, many people from the Continent of the Nine Clouds had probably come to the Continent of the Gods already.
Many people he knew? Who, though?
Lin Feng remembered the god had also told him that he'd see many old friends in the Holy Shrine of the Supranatural Region.
Zi Jian now said the same.
What kind of place was the Continent of the Gods?
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Author's Note: Attention: After Supreme Holy Kings, there are gods, Half-Holy Emperors are Half-Gods, Low-Level Holy Emperors are Low-Level Godly Emperors. Therefore, there is no mistake in what I am writing, there are just several different ways of calling them.