"The quality of my qi should have reached the level of an immortal's, becoming immortal qi, and that's why I was able to open the Truth-Seeking Eye?" Tianyi repeated Mengfei's words.
He had just broken out of the sealed space that Mengfei constructed less than five minutes ago. After finding the exit, Tianyi immediately went to find his mother. When he saw his eternally youthful mother, Tianyi didn't know what to say.
After weeks, months, or perhaps even years—Tianyi couldn't tell since the void he was trapped in had no indication of the passage of time. It was like being trapped in a white room, only much worse—the first thing Tianyi sought was human contact. He didn't know where Su Bojing was, the attendant usually came to him, and he was unsure if Daoyi or Xi Ri had returned. So, Tianyi came to his mother...he just forgot that his mother was horrible at conversing.
Not the best conversationalist after being trapped in isolation for who knows how long.
A long awkward silence had followed after Mengfei had asked for Tianyi's gains during his forced secluded cultivation. After racking his brain, the recently freed venerable asked why his third eye opened before he had entered the Immortal Realm.
Mengfei's answer both shocked and delighted him. The Truth-Seeking Eye had three prerequisites that needed to be completed before it could open, an immortal body, materials, and qi.
When a cultivator entered the Immortal Realm, their body would be remodeled to no longer have a definite lifespan. The process created a fleshly body akin to the lifeforms born during Earlier Heaven, the lifeforms that were born after the gods. All other lifeforms born after had a lifespan and were known as lifeforms of Later Heaven.
Tianyi wouldn't attain an immortal body until after entering the Immortal Realm, so he had never thought the Truth-Seeking Eye would open.
The second condition was the materials used to construct the Truth-Seeking Eye. This was the step that most cultivators were stopped at. The materials needed to create it were extremely precious. Most of the time, cultivators would find substandard materials and slowly refine them during the gestation period. The end result was a Truth-Seeking Eye several grades below Erlang Shen's third eye.
Again, Tianyi didn't need to worry about this step since he had a ton of materials gifted from his mother. Most of the time, he didn't even know how many he had and no longer bothered to remember unless it was incredibly precious.
The third prerequisite was qi, or rather, the purity of energy. When a cultivator stepped into the Immortal Realm, they would no longer produce true qi. Instead, their bodies would generate immortal qi, an energy that was thousands of times more powerful than spiritual qi.
This did not mean that the Truth-Seeking Eye could be opened just from immortal qi. The purity and intensity of immortal qi were determined by the concepts or laws mastered by the immortal, and the purity of immortal qi needed to be near that of an immortal monarch.
"Does that mean I have a qi and body near that of an immortal monarch?" Tianyi repeated, still in disbelief.
Mengfei's face was still expressionless, but her eyes flashed with a trace of worry. "It might be. Your current state is extremely strange, but its power is undeniable. True qi of chaos is already a step ahead of other true qis. Even as a true qi, it is already infinitely close to the level of immortal qi. From your description, your qi's intensity has been elevated due to the process of integrating your cultivation. It may allow you to open the Truth-Seeking Eye, but your eye could be closed if you allowed your integration to loosen."
At Mengfei's words, Tianyi's excitement faded and turned to seriousness. "Not only that, just because you have a body similar to that of a true immortal's, that doesn't mean you will have the same lifespan."
Mengfei looked away from Tianyi and stared out to the distance. She stepped off from her couch and walked out of her room with Tianyi hurriedly following her. "True immortals are said to share longevity with heaven and earth. While that is true for their body, it is not the same for their soul. With the passage of time, if their willpower wanes, their souls will dissipate, causing their bodies to disintegrate into pure energy."
Once the two reached the main hall of Jade Peak Palace, Mengfei stopped and stared at Tianyi. "Your body may be similar to an immortal's, but your soul is far weaker. Without an immortal's soul, even if your body persists, your willpower would only last a tenth compared to a true immortal, so you shouldn't come complacent."
Tianyi nodded. "I understand, Mother."
Once Mengfei made sure that Tianyi took her warning seriously, she advised once more. "Do not easily reveal your third eye. The cultivation method of forming an immortal body and qi before entering the Immortal Realm will cause those with greed to target you even with my prestige. Even if they cannot replicate your achievement, they would still target you out of the thought of giving it a try. So it's best not to use it unless you have to. Naturally, you won't need to hide it once you become a true immortal."
Tianyi felt as if he had swallowed a fly. In his current state, he couldn't use any qi at all unless he wanted to reset his cultivation. Currently, he was still in the early Singularity Realm, but thanks to mastering another concept of space, his cultivation speed had improved. Mastering a law was nearly impossible with his current accumulation and in a short amount of time, so Tianyi planned on mastering a few more concepts. He had already reached a bottleneck in spacetime, space, and time concepts, so Tianyi planned to focus his attention on lightning concepts.
Once Mengfei finished speaking, she entered the main hall. Tianyi followed and soon stopped as an awkward expression appeared on his face. The reason was because of one of the two people waiting inside the main hall.
Since Tianyi couldn't fulfill his obligations after entering the Singularity Realm after incurring debt from the Buzhou Immortal Sect, Tianyi avoided interacting with Sect Master Xia as much as possible. However, Sect Master Xia seemed to have no qualms. "Looks like you're doing well, Little Xi."
Tianyi coughed into his fist and courteously replied before casting a glance at the person next to Sect Master Xia. The immortal next to Sect Master Xia was an ephemeral beauty wearing a misty dress. He frowned as he tried to discern the exact features, but he discovered that her features were everchanging, sometimes innocent, other times glamorous, and even seductive. Not only her face but her black robes were misty as if it was woven from vapors.
'This must be what other people feel when they try to make out Mother's features.' Tianyi thought. Currently, he was agitated as if a cat was scratching his heart, but he couldn't do anything about it.
"You may not have met her, but this is Elder Twicewisp. She's a longtime immortal monarch elder of Jade Peak since long ago. However, most of the time, she is in retreat." Sect Master Xia was introduced for Mengfei and Tianyi's benefit.
"Your Cloud Laws are impressive. Even when you are not actively utilizing them, they are matched by only one other I have seen." Mengfei complimented, having only heard of Elder Twicewisp.
A knowing smile appeared on Elder Twicewisp's lips, one that flew over Mengfei and Tianyi's head. "I still cannot compare to Grand Elder Xi. Less than a fraction of my age, yet you have already reached the height that many would not be able to no matter how many fortuitous encounters or resources are used."
Mengfei said nothing. Elder Twicewisp wasn't the only immortal who expressed such sentiments. Many were even more overt in their envy and jealousy at Mengfei's luck and talent.
"The reason I exited my secluded cultivation was that I heard the first Longevity Peach has matured. I can only thicken my face and ask Grand Elder Xi to be benevolent and give it to me." Elder Twicewisp said. Her words were neither rushed nor slow, as if she knew that Mengfei wouldn't reject her.
When Mengfei followed Tianyi to the Lei Clan, they discovered a damaged divine artifact, the Longevity Oracle Mirror. It was the treasured tool of the Queen Mother of the West, the originator of the Jade Peak's lineage. With it, Mengfei had been cultivating a Longevity Peach Tree.
The Longevity Peach wasn't that useful to an immortal, but to a mortal, the fruit could extend a mortal's lifespan by one thousand years. The effects would diminish with each ingestion until the point that they would have to eat a single peach a day to extend their lifespan.
Mengfei cast a glance at Sect Master Xia, who subtly nodded. "Of course. I have promised the other elders as well, but there is still time before the deadline is up. Since you are in urgent need, then I will offer it to you."
"Then I will remember this kindness." Elder Twicewisp said.
After receiving the Longevity Peach, Elder Twicewisp didn't stay any longer and soon left. Sect Master Xia took this chance to motion Tianyi to come closer. "Little Xi, come here."
"Is there something you need me to do?" Tianyi asked. 'Not that I can do much in my current state.'
"It's not whether you can help, but if I can help you. Have you heard of the Heaven Enlightenment Pagoda?" Sect Master Xia asked.
Tianyi searched his memory and recalled the information. The Heaven Enlightenment Pagoda was a unique training ground of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, and it had thirteen floors. Its unique features were that it allowed a cultivator to increase their comprehension while inside. The higher the floor, the greater the comprehension. Conversely, the cultivation requirement of each floor also increased, so a regular mortal couldn't directly enter the thirteenth floor. If a mortal were to step on the thirteenth floor, their flesh would be crushed and their soul destroyed.
"I have heard of it, but only those with immense contribution to the sect would be allowed a chance to enter," Tianyi responded.
Sect Master Xia smiled. "How would you like to enter? I heard that the greater your mastery of the laws of the world and the more concepts you master, the faster your cultivation would be."
Tianyi stiffened. He recalled only informing his mother of the nature of his cultivation, but he soon relaxed. Recalling the sect's forbidden ground and the dream that allowed him to conceive the Singulary Realm portion of his Nine Five Scripture, Tianyi found that it wasn't impossible for Sect Master Xia to know of some attributes of his cultivation.
Still, Tianyi knew nothing was truly ever free. "Why?"
"The sooner you enter the Immortal Realm, the faster you will be able to refine more pseudo realms for the sect. You have no idea how important those pseudo realms are to us. Besides, we have much expectations of you. Your current state is extremely abnormal, almost like a cocoon, but once you break out of that cocoon...I have a feeling that you will shock the entire world."
Tianyi still felt that there was something hidden from him, but from his point of view, entering the Heaven Enlightenment Pagoda only had benefits and no demerits. So even if Sect Master Xia was not being wholly truthful, he would still accept the offer.
Cuppings his hands, Tianyi gave Sect Master Xia a salute. "Then I will thank Sect Master Xia for your grace."
"Haha, there is no need to be so courteous. Helping you is helping the sect." Sect Master Xia said as he stroked his beard.
A week later, Tianyi arrived at the Heaven Enlightenment Pagoda. Unlike the Immortal Scripture Repository, the Heaven Enlighten Pagoda was situated in a heavily guarded portion in the core lands, and guarding the pagoda was an immortal monarch elder, shocking Tianyi.
The immortal elder seemed to have been expecting Tianyi, so he allowed Tianyi to enter without much hassle. Su Bojing, Tianyi's designated chauffeur, had to wait outside. His eyes were filled with desire as he stared at Tianyi entering the pagoda.
Once he entered, Tianyi observed the inside. It was quite different from the Temporal Void Domain he possessed. For one, it had actual walls with no windows. Two, at the center of each circular room, was a prayer mat. And three, it was very small, not even ten people could stand inside, excluding the stairs.
Honestly, it was quite panic-inducing. If Tianyi had claustrophobia, he would have started hyperventilating by now.
'I can't feel the effects. Maybe I should sit down at the center first.' Tianyi thought. He stepped to the center and sat in a lotus position on the prayer mat. He closed his eyes and began to ruminate on spacetime concepts.
"Yeah, I can't feel anything different," Tianyi said aloud after an hour. He felt that his speed went on as usual. "Maybe the first floor doesn't affect me much. Perhaps I should enter the next floor and try?"
Once Tianyi had the idea, he immediately put his plan into action. He stepped onto the second floor and saw a similar layout. Except for the increased density of qi, he could discern any difference. After meditating on the prayer mat for another hour, Tianyi discovered that there was no effect on his comprehension like the first floor.
Feeling an ominous premonition. Tianyi stepped into the third floor to see if there would be any effect. After meditation for a short while, Tianyi's expression fell. After entering the fourth floor, Tianyi still felt no difference in his comprehension.
By now, Tianyi sensed something wrong. Even if the first three floors had no effect, the fourth floor should have had some effect on his comprehension speed. Tianyi even tried deducting lightning concepts, but he still discovered that there was no difference in speed.
This continued all the way until the seventh floor. It was not because Tianyi finally felt a difference but because Tianyi couldn't enter the eighth floor. The seventh floor corresponded to the Pathfinding Immortal Realm. In other words, the seventh floor's effects were helpful to an immortal lord, but Tianyi still felt no effects aside from the density of qi.
With a defeated sigh, Tianyi exited the Heaven Enlightenment Pagoda. The immortal elder in charge of the pagoda was surprised by how fast Tianyi left, so he couldn't help but speak. "You've already reached a bottleneck?"
Tianyi sighed. "No, I discovered that the Heaven Enlightenment Pagoda doesn't affect me at all. Rather than mediating inside such an enclosed space, it would be much more comfortable doing at my own place."
"What? That's impossible." The immortal elder immediately said. "The Heaven Enlightenment Pagoda operates by stimulating a cultivator's soul by penetrating their body with soul qi."
Tianyi felt his lips twitch. At least he found a clue why the Heaven Enlightenment Pagoda didn't work for him. His inner cosmos absorbed all external energy, so that meant that the soul qi used to stimulate his comprehension was absorbed by him before it could exhibit its effect.
Tianyi left with a huff, his expression fully downcast. He visited the Jade Lotus Clear Pond he hadn't visited for a long time and sat on the lotus throne at the center. "Guess I can only cultivate the old fashion way."