199: After seven days of hard work, I finally broke through to the eighth realm. Cultivation is getting harder and harder.
"System, let me see what rewards I've earned from my hard work over these seven days."
Jiang Yuan looked at the expectant gazes of the several Old Ancestors, a 'mischievous' smile appearing on his face... [Ding! Detected host and Dao Companion Gui Rui (Rating: 97)...]
[Mission complete! Evaluation: Perfect!]
[Critical Hit reward triggered, reward increased by 7000%!]
...[Ding! Detected host and Dao Companion Gui Zhaoye (Rating: 93)...]
[Mission complete! Evaluation: Perfect!]
[Critical Hit reward triggered, reward increased by 3000%!]
...[Ding! Detected host and Dao Companion Gui Zhaoxing (Rating: 93)...]
[Mission complete! Evaluation: Perfect!]
[Critical Hit reward triggered, reward increased by 3000%!]
[Combined reward: 13,000%!! Settlement in progress...]
...A massive amount of information surfaced in his mind.
These were all notifications that had begun sounding seven days ago when he was teaching the strategy for multiplying the clan.
The System was simply too sensible.
Knowing he was too busy, it insisted on saving the notifications until he was in front of the Old Ancestors.
It wasn't that he wanted to show off.
This Imperial Son was being forced to show off against his will.
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the final combined rewards:]
[1. Cultivation: 13th Realm Great Saint Realm, Ninth Heaven Peak!]
[2. Jade Pool Heavenly Derivation Art analysis increased to 45%! Primordial Chaos Creation Art analysis increased to 50%! Primordial Chaos Creation Art utility unlocked: Feedback Chapter! Jade Pool Heavenly Derivation Art utility unlocked: Transformation Chapter!]
[3. Ten Spirit Ascension Pills! Eight saint spirit pills!]
[4. Ultimate Imperial Weapon: Heavenly Emperors Palace!]
[5. One enlightenment tea tree!]
[6. Pure Void Heavenly Secret Art (Immortal Art, inheritable)]
[7. One great emperor dao fruit (Complete)!]
[8. One portion of essence of spatial profundity!]
[9. Casting Immortal: Three times!]
..."Boom—!"
At the very moment Jiang Yuan checked the rewards.
The first reward—Cultivation—poured in like the Nine Heavens' Silver River, carrying unimaginable pure energy as it brazenly surged into his limbs and bones, rushing toward his Qi Sea!
Before the thatched cottage, the six Great Emperors sat upright and solemn.
They saw Jiang Yuan finish speaking and then stand still, his eyes slightly glazed over as if he were spacing out.
"What is this kid up to?" The most impatient, the Fourth Ancestor, was just about to open his mouth to tease him.
However, before the words could leave his mouth, an aura that made every Great Emperor present look sideways erupted from within Jiang Yuan without warning!
"Buzz!"
The space around Jiang Yuan distorted violently as Chaos Qi churned and purple mist rose.
His cultivation aura, like a prehistoric Dragon breaking free from its shackles, soared wildly at an inconceivable speed!
Second Heaven!
Third Heaven!
Great Saint Realm!
Fourth Heaven!
Fifth Heaven...
...Ninth Heaven!
Peak Saint King!
...On the stone table before the thatched cottage, the teacup the First Ancestor Jiang Qidao had just picked up froze in mid-air.
The Second Ancestor's expression also froze in place.
The Fifth Ancestor's hand, which was wiping the Ancient Void Mirror, came to an abrupt halt.
The Sixth Ancestor's mouth hung open even more exaggeratedly, the foxtail grass in his hand falling to the ground with a "patter."
Their Divine Thoughts clearly perceived it.
Jiang Yuan's aura was undergoing earth-shaking changes every single second.
Although they knew Yuaner's cultivation increased daily.
This was the first time they had personally witnessed a true 'enlightenment' scene.
That majestic magic power and those condensed Dao Laws didn't seem like a fresh Breakthrough at all; it was more like tens of thousands of years of bitter cultivation had been compressed into this brief moment!
"Is he... is he going to break through the Saint Realm directly and become a Quasi-Emperor in one step?" The Fourth Ancestor's eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at Jiang Yuan.
As soon as this thought emerged, the hearts of all the Old Ancestors leaped into their throats.
From the First Heaven of the 13th Realm directly to Quasi-Emperor—what kind of Heaven-Defying sight would that be?
Throughout history, such a thing was unheard of!
Under their tense gaze, Jiang Yuan's cultivation surged forward triumphantly, smashing through the barrier of the Eighth Heaven like splitting bamboo, finally coming to a slow halt at the Peak of the Ninth Heaven of the 13th Realm Great Saint Realm.
Whew—
The First Ancestor Jiang Qidao let out a long breath.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's just the Peak of Saint..." he muttered to himself.
"Scared the life out of me!"
The Fourth Ancestor flopped back onto his stone stool, patting his chest with lingering fear.
"I thought this kid was going to become a Quasi-Emperor right in front of us!"
Once he finished speaking, a strange silence fell over the area before the thatched cottage.
The six Old Ancestors looked at each other.
Wait, it's okay... it's just the Peak of Saint?
Why did we say 'it's okay' and 'just'?
From the First Heaven of the Great Saint Realm, right under their noses, in the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had soared directly to the Peak of the Great Saint Realm!
What about the accumulation in between?
He didn't need any secluded meditation to comprehend the Laws of the Great Dao at all, did he?
Is this... is this even reasonable?!
For a moment, the Dao Hearts of these old monsters who had lived for countless ages felt a slight sense of disarray.
"Cough, cough."
The Sixth Ancestor was the first to react. He picked up the foxtail grass from the ground, put it back in his mouth, and said with a straight face:
"Everyone, stay calm. It seems that as cultivation progresses, it truly does become more and more difficult."
He analyzed the situation with great gravity:
"Don't think Yuaner's Breakthrough was easy. I've been through it. This time, Yuaner worked hard for a full seven days just to break through from the First Heaven of the Great Saint Realm to the Peak. Think back to when he went from the Seventh Realm to the Ninth Realm; didn't that only take him two days?"
"Now, after seven days of hard work, he hasn't even broken through a single major Realm. After all, the Path of the Saint is difficult to Cultivate, so this is quite reasonable."
As soon as these words were spoken, the other Old Ancestors nodded one after another, as if they could understand.
"Old Sixth has a point."
The Third Ancestor stroked his beard, his face full of solemnity. "Working for seven days without rest just to break through eight minor stages shows the hardships of the Great Dao. Yuaner has truly worked hard."
"Yes, yes, it's too difficult."
At that moment, Jiang Yuan, at the center of the storm, slowly opened his eyes.
He felt the power surging like a sea within him and then looked at his Old Ancestors, who were staring at him as if he were a monster.
A perfectly timed, somewhat innocent smile appeared on his face.
"Grandfathers, I'm really sorry."
He scratched his head and said somewhat shyly, "Just now, I accidentally... seemed to break through a tiny bit more."
"..."
The faces of several Old Ancestors twitched violently at the same time.
A tiny bit?
You call this a tiny bit?!
Jiang Qidao forcibly suppressed the emotions churning in his heart, waved his hand, and said in as flat a tone as possible:
"It's fine. Cultivation is a major matter. We old guys have lived a long time and don't care about this little bit of time."
"That's right, Yuaner. Put the matter of cultivation aside. You mentioned earlier that you had good things to share with us?"
The Fourth Ancestor quickly chimed in.
He had decided that no matter what, he would ignore the matter of the cultivation Breakthrough today.
If they talked about it any further, he was afraid his Dao Heart would truly crack.
"Right, right, right."
The Sixth Ancestor's eyes lit up. Rarely on the same page as the Fourth Ancestor, he rubbed his hands and leaned in. "Where are the good things? Bring them out for your grandfathers to take a look."
They were becoming increasingly expectant.
If the 'tiny bit' of reward that was enough to make all the Prodigies outside turn pale and their Dao Hearts shatter was already this world-shaking...
Then what kind of sight would the things Jiang Yuan solemnly referred to as 'good things' be?