Chapter 1216: To the Dark Sea New Law

Chapter 1226New Path of the Darkest Sea

Although Zhao Wuji didn't explicitly state how talents were stripped, the disappearance of past "geniuses" from the Immortal Boat Academy suggested their fates were likely not pleasant.

More importantly, Zhao Xian had not encountered anything related to this in his dreams. This caused a momentary, uncontrollable panic in him, as he had believed himself to be clairvoyant. However, he was no longer a naive, ignorant youth. Soon, a cold energy surged from within him, quickly calming Zhao Xian.

He quickly pondered, "Indeed, revealing my talent will attract the scrutiny of the Academy's high-ranking members. It could even cost me my life. But crises often come with opportunities.""This is no longer a time when the Academy can dominate everything. The Profound Immortal Boat has undergone significant changes. The Broken Immortal Tower and the Immortal Hub Institute are fiercely contending for control over the Immortal Boat. I believe even the Dao Validation Academy must consider the impact of this struggle on the Immortal Boat's future.""Talent is merely talent. As long as I can continue to survive, there will never be a lack of geniuses."

Zhao Xian felt his thoughts were clearer than ever before. It was as if something unseen was guiding him, meticulously sifting through numerous chaotic clues to deduce the correct future. "If I hesitate, the Immortal Boat will still face destruction in the end. Only by confronting the three major powers of the Immortal Boat, and seeking life amidst death, can I lead the Immortal Boat to find a way to survive."As he thought of this, the fear in Zhao Xian's eyes completely vanished. His aura, which had been chaotic, now became steady once more.

Zhao Wuji watched his disciple's transformation with astonishment, not understanding why. Zhao Xian, however, took a deep breath and solemnly replied, "A small-minded person sacrifices himself for profit; a sage sacrifices himself for the world. I received grace from the Academy, which is why I have this fortune today. If my talent is useful to the Academy, then take it! Why should I begrudge it?""Conversely, if I were to deliberately hide my cultivation while using the Academy's resources, wouldn't that be ungrateful?"

These words were spoken with righteous indignation. Standing on such a moral high ground, Zhao Wuji was momentarily unable to retort. He looked at this young disciple as if truly seeing him for the first time. Zhao Xian's sincere and resolute gaze even caused a hint of shame in Zhao Wuji's heart. The two stood in silent confrontation. Ultimately, Zhao Wuji conceded defeat.

"So be it. Since you possess such conviction, it only makes me seem petty," Zhao Wuji sighed deeply and departed in a dejected state.Zhao Xian watched his master's retreating figure, a complex expression flashing across his face before it vanished."The Immortal Boat, I must save it." This thought grew increasingly firm in his mind.

Neither the master nor the disciple realized the true reason for Zhao Xian's stubbornness. It wasn't because of Zhao Xian's noble character or unwavering faith. It was purely because a clone hidden in his sea of consciousness was at work."Interesting. I didn't expect this Dao Validation Academy to have a method of claiming others' talents. As expected of the civilization that barely survived in the Darkest Sea of Stars, it indeed has its merits.""Whether it's the secrets of the Dao Validation Academy or the Immortal Hub Institute and Broken Immortal Tower's control over True Immortal Seal Script, all are valuable to me. How could I let this young Zhao Xian retreat? Besides, with me here, harming him won't be so easy."

Three days later, the news of Zhao Xian's rapid breakthrough to the Golden Core stage spread throughout the entire Academy. It had been too long since such a genius had appeared in the Academy, and now was a time of impending storm. Thus, with the deliberate encouragement of certain individuals, Zhao Xian's reputation quickly spread beyond the Academy, becoming increasingly exaggerated. From barely breaking through to Golden Core, it became 'directly entering Golden Core and achieving completion in seven days.' Finally, it escalated to the exaggerated claim of being 'half a step into Nascent Soul.' By this point, even if those who knew the truth came forward to clarify, it was useless. Outsiders would simply dismiss it as the Academy's attempt to conceal such an extraordinary genius.

The Broken Immortal Tower and the Immortal Hub Institute both sent people to inquire about Zhao Xian's background. Within the Academy, there were disagreements on how to handle this cultivation genius, who appeared only once every few centuries. As the great tide surged, Zhao Xian increasingly cast aside all distracting thoughts. He calmly hid in the secret chamber specially opened for him by the Academy, accelerating his cultivation as much as possible.

"No need to worry about sufficient spiritual energy—this is truly exhilarating. Is this the treatment for a true direct disciple of the Academy?""Moreover, until a final decision is made regarding me, I can freely use most of the Academy's resources."

His spiritual sense soared, converting into his own cultivation. After his realm improved, it in turn nourished his spiritual sense, allowing it to continue growing. This formed a perfect cycle, making Zhao Xian's cultivation speed reach an unbelievable level. Especially, there were no bottlenecks or obstacles whatsoever. Zhao Xian felt his heart was as firm as a rock. No distracting thoughts or inner demons could affect him in the slightest."I've never cultivated this quickly even in my dreams. Am I truly a genius?""Was my slow cultivation progress before merely due to a lack of resources and not finding a suitable cultivation method?"Zhao Xian couldn't help but think this in his mind.

Meanwhile, Li Fan's clone, which had been fending off numerous inner demons for him, was somewhat over-exhausted. Even with the blessing of the Immortal Heart Incantation, these restriction-breaking inner demons were not easy to deal with. Although Li Fan could maintain his self-awareness through various extremely realistic illusions, each escape took considerable effort. Moreover, the process of fighting inner demons seemed to be recorded, making the next encountered inner demon even stronger. After all, it was just a clone, so a bit of wear and tear was normal.

"One can imagine how difficult it was for cultivators to advance when the laws of the Darkest Sea of Stars were not yet shattered.""No wonder the New Path was able to replace it in the Xuanhuang Realm."Thinking of this, a thought suddenly emerged in Li Fan's mind. The Darkest Sea of Stars could be seen as an enlarged version of the Xuanhuang Realm. The upper limit of its laws was higher here. It was just that the power of the True Immortal Seal Script had shattered it into pieces. Since the propagated New Path was viable in the Xuanhuang Realm, did that mean that under normal circumstances, the New Path could also be cultivated normally in this sea of stars?

"The corresponding requirements would all need to be magnified to the level of the sea of stars...""Foundation Establishment wondrous items, Golden Core formation methods, Nascent Soul grotto-heavens—all of these, in essence, are manifestations of world laws. The laws of the Darkest Sea of Stars are shattered, filled with the power of the True Immortal Seal Script.""Conversely, the True Immortal Seal Script is the manifestation of the current laws of the Darkest Sea of Stars."

A flash of insight struck Li Fan's mind, as if he had grasped some crucial clues. "Perhaps the Broken Immortal Tower's method of cultivation, using the True Immortal Seal Script, operates on the same principle as the New Path in the Xuanhuang Realm."

(End of Chapter)