338: A century of enlightenment

Xiao Zhuo's Divine Sense swept over and he immediately understood the principle of the Restriction within the jade crystal.

True Monarch Bibo's Talisman Dao was extraordinary, but his attainment in the Dao of Restriction was only average in Xiao Zhuo's eyes; he didn't even need the help of this Restriction jade crystal to refine this Immortal Cave.

A formidable Divine Sense instantly surged from between Xiao Zhuo's brows.

In an instant, it had already infiltrated the entire small Immortal Cave, which was about a hundred li in size. As Xiao Zhuo's Divine Sense entered, the Restrictions were instantly suppressed.

Xiao Zhuo didn't move; with just a thought, the entire mountain of the Immortal Cave rose from the ground.

The scene before them was incredibly spectacular, leaving The Two Little Ones and the fox stunned.

What immense power was this? A towering giant peak, spanning a hundred li and over a hundred thousand zhang tall, slowly detached from the earth under their gaze.

At the same time, it began to shrink rapidly.

"Shortened name! In a moment, I will Seal this Immortal Cave into your Sea of Consciousness. When you reach the Tribulation Crossing Realm in the future, you can completely refine this Immortal Cave. With good Opportunity, you might even be able to use this Immortal Cave to construct the prototype of your own world," Xiao Zhuo said, looking at Wang Xianzhi with a serious expression.

"Yes! Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!" Wang Xianzhi was moved. Although he had long guessed that Young Master wouldn't care for his meager possessions.

But for Young Master to so casually bestow this Immortal Cave, which even Heavenly Immortals would covet, upon him, he was still incredibly touched.

In his Heart-Nature, Young Master had already become an existence that was both his teacher and his master.

Though he wished to surpass Young Master, more than that, he wanted to be capable of repaying Young Master's kindness in recognizing his talent and his guidance.

Xiao Zhuo waved his hand: "Over these past twenty-odd years, I've watched your progress. Although you don't have any special Physique, your Comprehension Ability is extraordinary, and your Heart-Nature is resolute. As long as you Cultivate diligently in the future and always have contingencies when traveling the Mortal World, you might not be weaker than those Prodigies with Dao Bodies or Divine Physiques. Concentrate your mind, and do not resist!"

As he spoke, the giant mountain Immortal Cave had already shrunk to less than a hundred zhang.

It continued to shrink rapidly as he spoke.

By the time his words fell, this vast Immortal Cave had transformed into a miniature mountain, glowing with spiritual light, only the size of a finger.

Xiao Zhuo pointed a single finger at Wang Xianzhi's brow.

The mountain instantly flew towards Wang Xianzhi.

It merged into his brow without any obstruction.

Wang Xianzhi could sense an incomparably powerful immortal Qi swirling around the mountain, that immortal Qi carried a domineering aura that commanded all wan fa (myriad laws) of the Nine Heavens.

This was Xiao Zhuo using his own power to help Wang Xianzhi restrain the Immortal Cave's power.

Without this power as a Seal, with Wang Xianzhi's current meager Cultivation, it would be impossible for him to incorporate the Immortal Cave into his body.

"You must wait until you reach Tribulation Crossing Realm before breaking the Restriction I left behind, otherwise your Sea of Consciousness will absolutely not be able to bear this Immortal Cave!" Xiao Zhuo warned again.

Wang Xianzhi nodded heavily.

He would not have the slightest resistance to Xiao Zhuo's warning.

The commotion here would naturally alert the surrounding Sects.

But the process of collecting the Immortal Cave was incredibly fast. By the time several streaks of light arrived from all directions, all that remained for everyone was a hundred-li wide pit.

The giant mountain Immortal Cave that had been there had vanished.

Xiao Zhuo had already moved away with the Wang Siblings.

He did not want to attract too much attention. A million li away, the dark gold tower ship reappeared.

Xiao Zhuo was already seated at the bow, and the Wang Siblings had both gone to Cultivate.

Wang Xianyu, now with her Spirit Beast Cloud, had significantly accelerated her Cultivation speed. The magical power gained from their Cultivation could be interlinked, and the rate of improvement was far more than a simple one plus one, directly multiplying several times.

Her Cultivation speed was even faster than Wang Xianzhi's.

Wang Xianzhi, on the other hand, was in his room, diligently studying the Bibo Talisman Codex, which was True Monarch Bibo's Legacy.

A Legacy that even Xiao Zhuo praised, Wang Xianzhi naturally valued it greatly.

The dark gold tower ship silently tore through the sea of clouds, traversing the vast and boundless Immortal Realm territory.

After collecting the Immortal Cave from the Jade Condensation Great Marsh, Xiao Zhuo did not stop. He took the Wang Siblings and Cloud on a long journey, crossing the Ten Continents of the Immortal Realm and even the Four Great Continents under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction.

The mountains and rivers were magnificent, immortal cities stood in great numbers, and various races appeared.

They had set foot in the northernmost reaches of Xuan Continent, where snow fell all year round, and witnessed the roar of ice frost giant beasts.

They had ventured deep into Yanzhou (Flame Continent), shrouded in miasma, and witnessed the wild dance of fire spirit tree demons.

They had also briefly stopped in the prosperous immortal markets of Dong Sheng Shenzhou, directly under the Heavenly Court, feeling the undercurrents beneath the solemn and majestic Heavenly Court.

At each stop, Xiao Zhuo was like a true passerby, his aura restrained to the extreme, observing the myriad phenomena and Mortal World affairs of the Immortal Realm with a cold eye.

Whenever they passed by a Secret Realm or dangerous place suitable for The Two Little Ones to gain experience, Xiao Zhuo would quietly let Wang Xianzhi and Wang Xianyu disembark.

"Go, bear the consequences of life and death yourselves, and seize your own Opportunity," his words remained calm, yet they were the most solid reliance in the hearts of the Wang Siblings.

Wang Xianzhi, relying on the profundities of the Bibo Talisman Codex, turned danger into safety in one perilous situation after another. His Talisman Dao advanced by leaps and bounds, and he even combined lightning magic with Talismans, creating the astonishingly powerful "Thunder Talisman Secret Art."

His actions became increasingly steady and experienced; he planned before acting, deeply grasping the essence of Xiao Zhuo's "leaving contingencies."

Wang Xianyu, on the other hand, was inseparable from Cloud.

Seventy years of time, the palm-sized fox cub had grown into an elegant and agile Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, pure white all over, with nine tails like clouds, brimming with spirituality.

Her Spirit Communication Dao Body had fully Awakened with Cloud's assistance; not only could she communicate with Spirit Beasts without hindrance, but she could also sense the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, avoiding misfortune and seeking good fortune.

The Wang Siblings cooperated tacitly, growing rapidly through life-and-death struggles, and their Foundation was exceptionally solid.

In less than seventy years, they both simultaneously Broke through to the Tribulation Crossing Realm.

Xiao Zhuo remained hidden in the background, his Divine Sense covering the Wang Siblings' training area like a heavenly net.

He witnessed Wang Xianzhi narrowly escape death in a desperate situation with a newly comprehended "Void Realm Escape Talisman."

He "saw" Wang Xianyu pacify the raging guardian Spirit Beast in an ancient demon relic with her Spirit Communication power, acquiring a secret treasure without shedding blood.

He witnessed their desperate struggle side-by-side when encountering powerful enemies, and also saw their pure joy when obtaining Opportunity.

Each time they returned from training, the dust-laden Wang Siblings would immediately seek out Xiao Zhuo.

Wang Xianzhi would present strange spirit fruits or rare Talisman materials found in the Secret Realm, while Wang Xianyu would carefully prepare newly learned immortal dishes. Cloud would obediently curl up at Xiao Zhuo's feet, her nine tails gently sweeping.

Those gifts, perhaps insignificant in Xiao Zhuo's eyes, carried the most sincere intentions.

Xiao Zhuo sat quietly at the bow, watching them gradually grow from fledglings needing constant protection to independent eagles capable of soaring through the Nine Heavens.

The Dao Heart, which had become slightly unstable due to the rapid improvement of his panel, slowly settled and solidified during this century of silent guardianship and witnessing.

He experienced the "ordinary" path of Cultivation – rising from obscurity, taking one step at a time, enduring hardships, and gaining growth. This was precisely the most fundamental and profound life experience he lacked by relying on the panel.

This experience, like the final piece of a puzzle, quietly filled the last gap in the perfection of his state of mind.

The number of times he needed to act became fewer and fewer.

Time flew by; seventy years passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the dark gold tower ship was quietly suspended at the edge of a magnificent nebula dust belt.

Xiao Zhuo, at the bow, was closing his eyes, experiencing the profound cycles of creation and destruction within the stellar sea nebula.

Suddenly—

"Ding! System upgrade complete! All Heavens panel System is dedicated to serving you! Current version 3.0!"

A soft female voice, an incredibly familiar prompt, sounded without warning deep within his Soul!

Xiao Zhuo, who had been sitting as still as a rock, heard this prompt, and his eyelids, which seemed to have been unchanging since ancient times, trembled ever so slightly.

At the same time, an immensely vast Dao Principle also emerged from Xiao Zhuo's body.

The Dao Principle of Freedom had Broke through, reaching the second stage of Dao Principle.

Without the aid of the panel, this century of experience allowed Xiao Zhuo to find his own path to the second stage of Dao Principle.