116: How come the world is unified when I wake up?

Five years later.

Outside the small courtyard on the Myriad Dao Divine Mountain.

Wang Duojin sat on the bluestone steps, his face full of worry.

"I say, Eldest Senior Brother, it's already the fifth year."

He sighed and looked at Ye Chenfeng, who stood as still as a pine tree under the ancient enlightenment tea tree nearby.

"What kind of secluded meditation is Revered Master in, exactly?"

Ye Chenfeng didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the tightly closed courtyard door, his eyes calm.

"Revered Master's Realm is already beyond our speculation."

"Perhaps he is comprehending a Great Dao that we cannot understand."

"Great Dao? What Great Dao requires sleep... cough, requires five years of secluded meditation?" Ye Wushang stepped out from the shadows, yawning.

His Devilish Qi was restrained, yet he still carried a terrifying aura that made heaven and earth tremble.

In these five years, he had searched the entire continent and could no longer find an opponent who could make him use a second move.

Being invincible is truly lonely.

Su Linger and Zhao Wuji also arrived side by side, nodding slightly to everyone.

Behind them, Gongsun Yan and Bai Jinnian also arrived one after another.

The seven Personal Disciples gathered here once again, each of their auras as deep as an abyss, clashing with this world.

They were all at Mahayana Perfection.

Just one step away, they would be forcibly rejected by the Heavenly Dao Laws of this world and undergo tribulation for Ascension.

To wait for Revered Master to emerge, they had suppressed their cultivation for five years, no longer absorbing a single wisp of Spiritual Qi, instead turning to comprehend various Divine Abilities and secret techniques to polish their own Dao.

But even so, the pulling force from beyond the world was growing stronger and stronger.

"We can't get in," Wang Duojin said with a worried face, pointing at the courtyard.

"Every time I get within thirty feet of the courtyard door, that pressure is like the Heavenly Dao itself pressing down; my Divine Soul feels like it's about to be crushed."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

They had all tried that power.

Even though they were now at the Peak of this world, they were still like ants before that power.

They knew that power belonged to Revered Master.

Because of this, they understood even more how vast the gap was between them and Revered Master... and it was precisely because of this gap that they had spent these five years turning the entire Azure Cloud Continent upside down without any hesitation.

When there were no more enemies in the world, what needed to be done was simple.

Unification.

All the defiant Sects were beaten into submission.

All the stubborn noble families were uprooted.

Even the legendary Old Ancestor of the Central Continent Sacred Domain, who had protected the continent for a hundred thousand years and whose cultivation had long reached the Early Stage Mahayana, was politely "invited" out of his secluded Immortal Cave by Ye Chenfeng and Zhao Wuyou.

After a "friendly" exchange, that Old Ancestor announced on the spot that he was old and only wanted to be a free spirit; from then on, the entire Azure Cloud Continent would follow the lead of the Myriad Dao Divine Sect.

The cultivation world was unified.

The Mortal world was, naturally, no exception.

Under the leadership of Su Linger and Zhao Wuji, a massive transformation swept across the entire continent with great momentum.

The original Great Zhao Dynasty of the Eastern Wasteland moved its capital to the Central Continent and changed its name to "Great Chu."

The System of official recommendation was abolished, and the Imperial Examination was established.

Inside the examination halls, there were no Mortal examiners, only Advanced Magic Treasures called "Heart-Inquiry Mirrors," personally refined by Wang Duojin.

This treasure was connected to the Heavenly Dao above and the human heart below.

Any intent to cheat, smuggle materials, or show favoritism would be instantly detected, and the candidate would be disqualified on the spot and banned for life.

Family status, background, and connections were all meaningless before the "Heart-Inquiry Mirror."

Only true talent and learning were the only pass.

For a time, the commoners of the world were all invigorated.

Countless talented individuals were able to stand out, and the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty's atmosphere improved by leaps and bounds.

As for the imperial succession, it set a precedent never seen before in history.

Zhao Zheng had long since laid down the burden of the Retired Emperor and, holding the Magic Treasures gifted by his Disciples, happily traveled the world.

After discussing with his fellow Disciples, Zhao Wuji announced to the court.

After him, the throne of Great Chu would no longer be hereditary.

Every emperor would be selected from the Disciples of the Myriad Dao Divine Sect for a term of one hundred years.

This was both a responsibility to the people of the world and an ultimate trial for the Sect's Disciples.

Once this decree was issued, the world was shaken, and there were no more objections.

Under the absolute rule of the Myriad Dao Divine Sect, the entire Azure Cloud Continent entered an unprecedented golden age of rapid development.

Wang Duojin's "Myriad Dao Merchant Guild" had long since monopolized ninety-nine percent of the continent's business.

His biggest daily worry was looking at the astronomical profits in the ledgers and thinking about how to spend so many Spirit Stones.

Ye Chenfeng restrained his aura year-round, transforming into an ordinary Jianghu wandering swordsman, with a flask of wine and a horse, traveling the world and acting on his sense of justice.

He defeated all the swordsmen in the world and also guided countless juniors.

The name "Sword God" echoed throughout the Jianghu.

Zhao Wuyou remained a battle maniac; unable to find opponents, he could only spar with Ye Chenfeng and Ye Wushang every day.

The battles between the three often shook the earth and dimmed the sun and moon, becoming the most talked-about spectacle among the continent's Cultivators.

Gongsun Yan's "Myriad Dao Pharmacy" opened in every city; she practiced medicine to help the world and save the dying, and was revered by Mortals as the "Living Medicine Immortal."

Bai Jinnian traveled to every corner of the continent, and the places he visited most often were the libraries of the major Sects.

Now, all the books in the world were open for him to read, and no one dared to utter a single word of complaint.

His knowledge was already as vast as the sea.

As for the Disciples within the Sect, every one of them was like a dragon.

After five years of development, the current Myriad Dao Divine Sect was formidable.

Even the lowliest Utility Disciple had a cultivation at the Early Stage Golden Core.

If this were five years ago, it would have been enough to start a Sect in the Eastern Wasteland and become an Old Ancestor... Just as the seven Personal Disciples were facing the courtyard gate in silence.

Inside the courtyard, in the bamboo hut.

On the bed made of ten-thousand-year-old warm jade, Chu Xuanjin, who had been lying there for five years, finally twitched his eyelid.

His consciousness slowly rose from a boundless Chaos.

"Mmh..."

Chu Xuanjin let out a satisfied groan and stretched, his joints making a series of cracking sounds.

This sleep was truly comfortable.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes a bit dazed.

Huh?

It feels... like my body is a bit stuffed?

With a thought, he brought up his attribute panel.

【Myriad Dao Divine Sect】

【Sect Master: Chu Xuanjin】

【Realm: Middle Stage Golden Immortal】

Chu Xuanjin: "..."

He blinked, suspecting he hadn't fully woken up.

Golden Immortal?

He remembered that before he fell asleep, he seemed to be... Late Stage Profound Immortal?

You can automatically level up just by sleeping?

【Ding! Detected that the Host's Disciples Ye Chenfeng, Zhao Wuyou, Su Linger, Ye Wushang, and Zhao Wuji have broken through to Mahayana Perfection! Triggering ten-million-fold critical hit return!】

【Ding! Detected that the Host's Disciple Bai Jinnian has broken through to the Late Void Refinement Stage...】

【Ding! Detected...】

The System's notification sounds were like a menu being read out, frantically flooding his mind.

Only then did Chu Xuanjin realize.

It turns out that although he was sleeping for these five years, the cultivation feedback from his Disciples hadn't stopped at all!

"Good grief."

He shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This feeling of leveling up while lying down was truly... simple and unadorned.

He stood up and stretched his limbs.

That sense of restraint from being rejected and suppressed by the Laws of the entire world was more than a hundred times stronger than five years ago!

He felt like an ancient giant beast forcibly sealed in a glass bottle; with just a slight movement, the entire bottle would be on the verge of collapsing.

"It seems the matter of Ascension can't be delayed any longer."

Chu Xuanjin murmured to himself.

He slowly closed his eyes.

The terrifying Divine Thought of the Middle Stage Golden Immortal, like a silent storm, instantly centered on the Myriad Dao Divine Mountain and swept out in all directions!

Within a single breath, it covered the entire Azure Cloud Continent!

...All the changes in the Azure Cloud Continent over the past five years unfolded clearly in his mind, frame by frame, like a scroll.

The unified Imperial Dynasty, the prosperous commerce, the Sect where everyone was like a dragon, and those few silly Disciples who were already standing at the Peak of the world but were still guarding the door for him... A curve slowly formed on the corner of Chu Xuanjin's mouth.

It was a heartfelt, fatherly sense of gratification.

"These little brats..."

"They've done a pretty good job."

He withdrew his Divine Thought and slowly opened his eyes.

In those deep eyes, there seemed to be rivers of stars flowing and the sun and moon rising and setting.

With a thought, the terrifying pressure that enveloped the small courtyard—which even those at Mahayana Perfection could not approach—quietly receded like a tide... Outside the courtyard.

Wang Duojin and the others, who were worrying, suddenly felt a weight lift.

The terrifying pressure that had weighed on their Divine Souls for five years had vanished!

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then wild joy surged onto their faces!

They suddenly looked up, staring intently at the courtyard door!

"Creak—"

A soft sound.

The bamboo door that had been tightly closed for five years slowly opened.

A figure dressed in simple green clothes, bathed in the afternoon sunlight, stepped slowly out of the door.

His face still looked like that of a handsome young man in his twenties, unchanged from five years ago.

But his eyes seemed to have experienced eternal Reincarnation—deep, weathered, and carrying a hint of the laziness of someone who had just woken up.

"Revered Master!"

For the first time, Ye Chenfeng's voice carried a hint of irrepressible excitement.

"Revered Master!"

Wang Duojin, Su Linger, Ye Wushang... the seven Peak experts who were now enough to make the entire continent tremble, at this moment, were like a group of children who had finally seen their parent, bowing together with choked voices.

Chu Xuanjin looked at them and smiled.