Liu Dongyue felt that some people seemed to want to force-feed him.
As his gaze swept across the room, he noticed that most of the people who harbored murderous intent and hatred towards him were the ones who had stripped him of his clothes in Fengsha Valley earlier.
It was no wonder they harbored such intense animosity toward Liu Dongyue.
He decided to ignore it because, frankly, he couldn't explain himself anyway. What's going on?" Mike asked, surprised.
"Nothing, Master. Just tell me what you need, I'm all ears," Shi Ming hurriedly said, trying to appear as obedient as possible.
"Do you know how to ascend to the Immortal Realm?" Mike asked.
"Ascend?" Shi Ming blinked, wondering why Mike was asking something so irrelevant to him.
However, Shi Ming still gave a serious explanation: "Ascension requires immense strength, but more importantly, you must fight for the Heavenly Mandate. Only those who seize the Heavenly Mandate can ascend. In our Xuantian realm, several predecessors have ascended, including the first emperor of Shenque Kingdom, who ascended into immortality after breaking through to the Supreme Broken Realm. His ascension, witnessed by all, happened in broad daylight, which solidified Shenque's position."
"Supreme Broken?"
"What kind of realm is that?" Mike asked, puzzled.
Shi Ming put down his chopsticks and explained earnestly: "After the Nine Grades comes transcendence, and above transcendence is the way to comprehend the Dao, further upwards leads to the Tianshen Realm! After that, one can become an Immortal, then condense the Half-God Pool, and only then can you challenge the Supreme Broken Realm. Only when you reach that level can you compete for the Heavenly Mandate!"
Mike felt overwhelmed by the complexity of it all. His current cultivation was only at the Sixth Rank, so could he really hope for ascension?
"Master…" Yun Qianchu couldn't help but say, "Isn't escaping debt the goal? Why talk about ascension?"
"Mind your own business," Mike replied, speechless.
"Forget about ascension. Even the Seven Exquisite Sword Immortal, hailed as the Xuantian Realm's greatest talent, took over four hundred years to ascend with his family," Shi Ming added.
"Wait, ascension with family?" Mike widened his eyes. "You mean you can bring your family when you ascend?"
"Of course," Shi Ming nodded.
"Then Shi Ming, if you ascend one day, would you be willing to take your master along?" Mike asked, seeing hope.
"I may not make it in this life, but my disciple can! I'll help them succeed!" Mike thought optimistically.
Shi Ming was momentarily stunned, then awkwardly nodded. As long as Mike didn't sell him out, he would agree to anything Mike said.
"Good!" Mike clapped his hands, already thinking of ways to help his disciple increase his strength. One way or another, he'd make sure they could ascend.
Shi Ming breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Mike happy but also thought Mike was being a little too idealistic. Given their Longsheng View was just a small sect, how could they ever produce someone to compete for the Heavenly Mandate?
"Don't worry, I'll earn plenty of money, and buy pills, weapons, whatever it takes to turn you two into powerful cultivators!" Mike swore.
Yun Qianchu and Shi Ming exchanged looks, feeling helpless.
Money? They were all too familiar with Mike's betting habits. The last time, he had gambled away all their savings.
Mike, however, was determined. Since he didn't understand cultivation, his only hope was to use money to build up his disciples.
After all, no matter the world, money was the hard currency.
"By the way, your second brother should be back soon, right?" Mike looked into the distance, reminding himself that the day for collecting gambling debts was fast approaching.
In the evening...
At Baiyun City's Lord's Mansion, Ye Ziying was meditating in her room. She practiced the "Yuzhao Gong" from the Shangqing Sect. With each breath, true energy circulated within her body, glowing with a white, pure aura as if she were a holy being.
Although Ye Ziying was not the most talented disciple in the Shangqing Sect, she was certainly among the top. She had already reached the Seventh Rank at a young age, and the "Yuzhao Gong" had been cultivated to the third layer, making her a formidable opponent among the younger generation.
She had returned for a day, yet the faint demonic aura in her family home had still not shown its face.
Ye Ziying could only wait quietly.
Suddenly, she heard a scream from Ye Qingbei.
"It's here!"
Ye Ziying immediately rushed to Ye Qingbei's room.
With a loud crash, Ye Qingbei's door shattered as he emerged from the room, clutching his head in pain, looking as though he was enduring unimaginable torment.
The guards of the mansion rushed in, but none of them knew how to handle the situation.
"Step back!" Ye Ziying's eyes flashed with a purple light, and she immediately spotted a shadow on Ye Qingbei's body that was devouring his soul.
"A Dream Demon!" Ye Ziying's expression shifted as she gathered her true energy and struck Ye Qingbei with a palm!
Her palm gathered purple lightning, capable of exorcising all evil spirits.
Boom!
With a dull thud, the Dream Demon was blasted away, its black, ethereal form retreating several steps. It then looked up and sneered, "'Yuzhao Gong'? You haven't trained it enough. I thought I had met a true expert from the Shangqing Sect, but it seems you are no different!"
"Hmph, I'll take care of you!" Ye Ziying coldly stared at the demon. "I don't believe you came here for no reason. Who is behind you?"