"Shake!"
A surge of immense spiritual energy erupted from within the cave.
Instantly, the spiritual energy within the Shangyang Sect converged towards a specific location like a tide.
Many of the cultivating disciples were puzzled, but the elders of various branches all turned their gazes towards the place where the sect master was in seclusion, their eyes revealing expressions of joy.
"The sect master is about to break through!"
A year ago, Lin Lin had announced to the sect that he would use the power of seclusion to reach the pinnacle of the fourth tier.
However, until now, there had been no movement, and everyone believed that this attempt might end in failure.
Who would have thought that today, the sudden anomaly in the spiritual energy indicated that Lin Lin had glimpsed the secret of the fourth-tier perfection and was striving to challenge this realm!
"Six months ago, the Immortal Kingdom transmitted the news that Gu Fang, after a fierce battle in the deep sea, finally broke through to the fourth-tier perfection, becoming the foremost fourth-tier perfection powerhouse in the Qingyang Immortal Kingdom."
"Now, if the sect master succeeds in breaking through, he will become the second fourth-tier perfection powerhouse in the Immortal Kingdom."
Xiao Li wore a solemn expression.
Gu Fang had taken fifteen years to break through from the late fourth tier.
It had taken him years of tempering to reach the threshold of the fourth-tier perfection.
In contrast, Lin Lin had only spent a few years in the late fourth tier.
Now, he was directly aiming for the fourth-tier perfection; such a cultivation speed was indeed astonishing.
Xiao Li couldn't help but speculate whether Lin Lin also possessed some rare immortal root, allowing him to cultivate so swiftly.
However, doubts were doubts. As an elder of the Shangyang Sect, Xiao Li knew that everyone had their secrets, and he had no right to probe into Lin Lin's private matters.
…
Inside the cave, Lin Lin suddenly opened his eyes, as if lightning flashed within them, and the gathered spiritual energy around him dispersed instantly.
Scanning with his divine sense, he saw a miniature version of himself sitting cross-legged within his dantian.
At the same time, there was a slight tremor at his brow, as if something mysterious was trying to break out, yet it was elusive.
"Forming a nascent soul at the fourth tier and splitting the spirit at the fifth tier requires opening the Purple Palace at the brow, allowing the nascent soul to transform into the primordial spirit."
"Now that I have reached the fourth-tier perfection, I have reached the peak of the nascent soul. To seek a further breakthrough means opening the Purple Palace."
Lin Lin pondered inwardly.
He had once found fifth-tier offerings in ancient relics, detailing the cultivation path for splitting the spirit at the fifth tier.
If Lin Lin were an ordinary cultivator, he would have long since adopted the ancient method and awaited the opportunity to break through to the fifth tier.
However—
Knowing he possessed the Grand Dao Immortal Body, Lin Lin resolutely abandoned this idea.
Although the fifth-tier techniques were wonderful, they needed to align with his own body.
Cultivating a technique that suited the Grand Dao Immortal Body compared to one that didn't was as different as night and day.
For example, breaking through to the fourth-tier perfection with an ordinary technique might give a spiritual power of ten.
But using a technique that suited the Grand Dao Immortal Body, the spiritual power would at least reach twenty.
This was a fundamental difference that ordinary techniques could not match.
Therefore,
To advance to the fifth tier, Lin Lin needed a technique that suited him.
Only then,
When breaking through to the fifth tier, his strength would multiply, and his foundation would be deeper, greatly aiding higher-level cultivation in the future.
This was why Lin Lin valued the Immortal Kingdom Grand Competition so much.
The offerings required to exchange for a fifth-tier technique were vast, only an immense amount of offerings could suffice.
Subsequently,
Lin Lin calmed his mind and focused his divine sense on the Immortal Rankings in the Heavenly Court chat group.
When his divine sense touched it, various pieces of information flooded in.
Fourth-Tier Immortal Rankings.
Since no fifth-tier cultivators had yet appeared, the Immortal Rankings stopped at the fourth tier.
Lin Lin's gaze locked onto the fourth-tier Immortal Rankings, with Gu Fang's name prominently at the top, followed closely by Lin Lin's own name.
The rankings for the same tier were determined by the order of breakthroughs, not the level within the tier.
In other words, whoever broke through first held the top spot in that tier.
Even if they remained at the initial stage of that tier for life, their position would not be challenged until their death, at which point it would be taken by the next in line.
In short,
Securing the top spot was the highest honor.
The Immortal Rankings encompassed all beings in the Qingyang Immortal Kingdom, and once one's name was at the top, they would be revered by countless cultivators.
"Wait until I seize the top spot on the fourth-tier Immortal Rankings and become the first to step into the fifth tier!"
Lin Lin murmured, his eyes brimming with unwavering confidence, then he focused his mind to stabilize his newly achieved realm.
…
"Another fourth-tier perfection powerhouse has emerged. Those with immortal bodies indeed have extraordinary talent!"
Although the disturbance caused by Lin Lin's breakthrough was slight, it did not escape Lu Qingyang's perception, and his gaze instantly focused on the Shangyang Sect.
Seeing Lin Lin, who possessed the Grand Dao Immortal Body and outstanding comprehension, breaking through, Lu Qingyang was not surprised.
Immediately,
He turned his gaze to the other few geniuses with immortal bodies, all of whom had reached the late fourth tier.
They were all striving to break through to the fourth-tier perfection.
As time passed, the advantages of having an immortal body became increasingly apparent.
Led by Gu Fang, the first echelon began to widen the gap with other cultivators, which was to be expected.
After all, the strength of an immortal body was as if ordained by destiny.
For ordinary people to make up this gap with sheer determination and effort was incredibly challenging.
"However… ordinary cultivators do not have no chance to catch up!"
Lu Qingyang's gaze locked onto a green grass, observing it absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
As it refined the essence of the sun and moon, a phantom of a green lotus would appear, with a sharp sword intent that was chilling.
Anyone who saw this would never think it was merely a plant, but rather an unparalleled divine sword.
"In just a few months, it has advanced another level, reaching the mid-second tier. Such talent is truly remarkable."
"Combined with outstanding comprehension, it has quickly grasped the fundamentals of the Qinglian Sword Manual within a few months, surpassing others of the same tier."
"Although it does not possess an immortal body, it has both exceptional talent and comprehension. If it does not meet with an untimely end, it will surely contend with the great immortal bodies of various sects in the future!"
Lu Qingyang praised inwardly.
Qingye's rapid growth was evident to him, with its cultivation becoming increasingly profound.
For this,
Lu Qingyang had high expectations, eager to see how far Qingye could go.
With this in mind, he moved his divine sense and immediately added Qingye to the Heavenly Court chat group.
Since it had developed spiritual intelligence and was no different from human cultivators, there was no issue with adding it to the group.
At the same time, Lu Qingyang also added the ancient trees like Wanqing to the group chat.
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