Chapter 1216: They Forged Fake Paths, We Cultivate True Sounds!

The small town welcomed a long-awaited grand event.

The last time it was this lively was when immortals descended upon the town to select outer disciples. Although this event was similar, it was even grander, as it welcomed everyone regardless of aptitude, talent, or lifespan.

This alone caused quite a stir in the region.

At this moment, on a vast bluestone plaza within a spatial realm, numerous "Dao instruments" were available for them to perform calculations and virtually simulate "marble" explosions.

Xu Zhi looked calmly at the mortals below. "This bypasses all cultivation stages, allowing them to directly perceive the ultimate essence... In their eyes, it's like holding the seed of a great tree and influencing its division and growth. All they need to learn is how to make it grow into the desired form."

It was that simple.

Holding a seed, making it divide into a great tree with hundreds of billions of branches.

This was something any mortal could do.

Divide?

Who couldn't?

"But while the entry is simple and the principles easy to grasp, truly delving into it reveals countless possibilities, making it very difficult to master... Furthermore, this is an incomplete Dao Singularity; 99.9% of attempts will not succeed. They can only control the shape of the Great Dao Blueprint that leads to a bloodline universe, allowing it to survive..."

Xu Zhi took a light sip of tea, sitting in front of the spatial gate, and shook his head. "I hope the common people can give me a surprise... Perhaps they can even forge an unprecedented path, bypass the blueprint for me, and solve the greatest dilemma in my heart."

"Whether founding a sect or a school... the cosmic river is too vast, the starry sky immense. A mere life-bearing planet might not even be noticed by a Ninth-tier Dao-achiever."

Several groups of these mortals had already left.

Only a few dedicated mortals remained, still studying.

Initially, they understood what they needed to do within minutes; it was very simple: divide a glass bead to meet the specified requirements.

But upon closer inspection, they realized it was an extremely arduous and profound field of study.

"What is this?" an old farmer scratched his head, sitting in front of a Dao instrument's screen, repeatedly hitting the table. "I've restarted over a thousand times, and they all failed. I can't understand it at all..."

"Yeah, isn't this just pure luck?"

"What kind of test is this? I don't get it."

"This immortal destiny is too strange... Previous immortal destinies tested bone structure and aptitude; they were simple and straightforward. But this one doesn't look at aptitude, which is so odd."

"That's right, I've failed every time, and they haven't given us any methods to succeed."

"Stop making so much noise, quiet down!" an elder reprimanded them. "How can we mortals easily comprehend this immortal destiny? This is about seizing an opportunity! I feel like I'm close to understanding it! I see the immortal opportunity!"

Many vendors, merchants, and even some village women, people of all walks of life, were completely bewildered.

On the other hand, some scholars, educated and intelligent individuals, found a way. A glimmer of light flickered in their eyes. "They haven't given us any methods; this is a test of our comprehension! It wants us to constantly explore from scratch, deduce the rules ourselves, and forge our own path..."

They vaguely felt it was a test of their mental acuity and comprehension.

A few more days passed.

Groups entered and exited every ten seconds, and countless batches had already passed through.

Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, from nearby towns heard the news and rushed over. Many had undergone the test... but only a small number chose to stay.

Among those who remained, a few stood out: an honest-looking middle-aged village woman, a ragged elderly beggar, and a middle-aged scholar.

They seemed to have found some patterns.

Nearby, several young cultivators in the Spirit-condensing phase from various sects looked on, slightly stunned and anxious. "Why are those village women, beggars, and lowly mortals faster than us? It feels like they're about to comprehend it!"

"We are all prodigies of our sects, and our senior brother is a once-in-a-century cultivation genius. How can we be inferior to these mortals?"

They naturally knew that this might be a great reclusive power making an appearance. The spatial gate, the miraculous Dao instruments before them, and the images appearing in the glass mirrors... They greatly treasured this opportunity, but they found themselves lacking aptitude, only slightly better than ordinary people, making them very anxious.

A few more days passed.

The news spread even wider, and even some ministers and emperors of the Great Wen Dynasty arrived, along with cultivators from powerful sects.

Whoosh!

In the sky.

Streaks of light, flying on swords, approached.

"Heavens! That's Venerable Mingwen of the Imperial Realm! He has a lifespan of six hundred years! He has secretly controlled the Great Wen Dynasty for who knows how many dynasties, surviving seventeen emperors, and he's still alive!"

Someone exclaimed.

They descended on colorful clouds, looking down at the long queue.

It welcomed everyone, regardless of aptitude; even white-haired elders and beggars could take the test. They initially thought it was some kind of charlatanry, but upon arriving and seeing the spatial gate, their hearts immediately tightened with dread.

Only an Eighth-tier Immortal or Deity could control a sub-spatial realm.

This was actually a living Eighth-tier Celestial Immortal, who had descended to walk among mortals, surpassing the most powerful beings on the entire planet!

In their sect's history, there had been immortals who achieved Dao through tribulation, but they all ascended to the Upper Realm, leaving this barren land, and almost never descended.

"Senior... are you from the Upper Realm?" A middle-aged man in a golden dragon robe, who was none other than the current sacred Emperor Zhaowen, asked with immense excitement, bowing respectfully.

"You are also mortals; you can queue up," Xu Zhi simply said, taking a sip of his tea.

The few of them were stunned. Venerable Mingwen, being called a mortal, seemed to show a flicker of anger in his eyes, but also a hint of helplessness. He looked at the endless queue behind him, hesitating for a moment. How could they, mere mortals, gauge an immortal who descended from the Upper Realm? An immortal, given enough time, could level the surface of this planet and annihilate all living beings.

They could only obediently join the queue, standing silently behind a crowd of commoners and farmers.

Conversely, the farmers in front of them were dizzy with fear. "This is the current Sacred Emperor! If we stand in front of him, our entire clans will be executed!"

They quickly tried to defer, "Your Majesty, you are wise, please go ahead."

"No need," Emperor Zhaowen shook his head.

The farmers were terrified, only able to stand tremblingly in front, their legs weak.

Emperor Zhaowen looked at Venerable Mingwen beside him and respectfully asked, "Grand Imperial Advisor, what is your view on this?"

Venerable Mingwen's gaze was solemn, tinged with a hint of fanaticism. "This is an immortal, and certainly not an ordinary one. Such a vast testing space, if one can truly gain entry, it would be unimaginable."

Emperor Zhaowen's eyes immediately glowed with fervor.

After more than ten hours, their group finally entered and began to manipulate the Dao instruments, performing calculations.

But after thousands of attempts, Emperor Zhaowen's aptitude proved not to be mediocre; he even found some patterns. Several of his generals also performed well. In contrast, Venerable Mingwen and his disciples performed only ordinarily.

Xu Zhi sat in the distance, shaking his head. "Indeed, it doesn't look at physical aptitude for cultivation, but rather talent, or perhaps the ability for meticulous thinking and troop deployment... After all, this division itself is a form of deploying hundreds of millions of troops."

To be an emperor and command the world, one naturally possesses sufficient ability to coordinate and control the overall situation.

Some of the top scholars and civil officials nearby also performed well, greatly pleasing the emperors and ministers of these dynasties, who realized they possessed such talent.

Conversely, the immortal sects that controlled the dynasties, represented by Venerable Mingwen, had very displeased expressions; they found themselves lacking the required aptitude.

Even the village woman in the distance attracted much attention.

And he, was he even inferior to a village woman?

Emperor Zhaowen was ecstatic internally. "The immortal sects behind the scenes have controlled imperial power for generations. To prevent our imperial lineage from resisting, they planted evil spells within our royal descendants, preventing us from cultivating... Now, perhaps, is our best chance to resist."

Maintaining his composure, he looked at the surrounding ministers and declared loudly, "My lords, I believe you all understand that this is a test of our ability to summarize, to find patterns ourselves through countless failures... We can discuss and summarize together."

"Go and summon General Baisheng, who guards the border, and also invite Liu Cheng, the current prime minister!" Emperor Zhaowen commanded.

Several ministers beside him were greatly alarmed. "General Baisheng guards the southern dynasty; if he is recalled, the enemy might invade... And His Excellency the Prime Minister is managing state affairs for Your Majesty; if there's no one in court..."

"No matter," Emperor Zhaowen replied.

Emperor Zhaowen had a desperate resolve; this was his only chance to break free from the immortal sects behind the scenes. He said, "Even if the country falls, as long as we pass the immortal's test, we can reclaim it at any time... Wouldn't you agree, Grand Imperial Advisor?"

Venerable Mingwen's expression subtly changed, and he said, "Precisely, summon them all..."

He then looked at a disciple beside him, instructing him to notify the entire sect to come and take the test, surely there would be a few with the required aptitude.

Xu Zhi watched the ministers' fanaticism, narrowing his eyes and stretching. "It seems these mortal dynasties can be given some attention. After all, they don't look at cultivation levels but instead use the imperial examination system to gather the most intelligent talents from across the land. The probability of finding suitable individuals within a court is not small."

At this point, Xu Zhi genuinely intended to establish a sect.

At the very least, it would allow them to deduce some things for him without affecting the overall structure of this universe.

A few more days passed, and the peasant woman became the most noticeable. She was tall and sturdy, with dark skin, thick legs, blackened teeth, and a fleshy face, yet she actually showed faint signs of successfully solidifying a form.

Emperor Zhaowen and even the powerful figures from the immortal sects nearby watched, feeling incredibly inferior and utterly astonished.

"What is your name?" Xu Zhi asked, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"My name is Li Zhuangya," the middle-aged village woman said with a touch of pride and respect. "Everyone in the village looked down on me, thinking I ate too much and grew too big, so no one came to propose marriage. Now they'll regret it! I want to join the immortal sect, old immortal, will you accept me as your disciple?"

Xu Zhi paused, then smiled. "You've passed the test. You may stay. You don't need to use your worldly name anymore. From now on, you shall be called Li Shengyin."

Emperor Zhaowen, watching from the side, was stunned, feeling that this new name was also quite random and no better than Li Zhuangya, but he dared not voice such thoughts about an immortal's words.

Xu Zhi had indeed chosen a name offhandedly. After a moment's thought, he suddenly announced, "My sect shall be named..."

"The Heavenly Sound Sect."

"They cultivate false Dao; we cultivate true sound."

"We cultivate the Great Dao's melody, opening the primordial chaos."

"Heaven and Earth are all based on false principles, and what is cultivated is false Dao. Our lineage, however, can hear the Great Dao's heavenly sound and cultivate the true principles of Heaven and Earth... Sooner or later, you will ultimately see beyond the chaotic heavens."

As these words fell.

All the mortals simply listened, not finding anything else unusual.

But the cultivators, and even the more powerful Venerables of the Imperial Realm, felt their scalps tingle, as if the world were spinning.

"Chaos... is a Sage's Dao-field? What lies beyond Chaos?" Venerable Mingwen whispered, trembling.

Xu Zhi glanced at him in surprise.

He hadn't expected this cosmic era to be so open; even beings of this level knew that beyond the cosmic chaos lay a Sage's Dao-field... The information hadn't been completely sealed off. After all, it was still a primordial universe where class stratification hadn't truly solidified.

"Beyond Chaos lies a realm of true reality," Xu Zhi merely smiled. "In the past, Yi Mang failed, but he ultimately found a path, yet his path was built upon reality... Now, the Heavenly Sound Sect hopes to find a future, to transform this place into a true future."

Beyond Chaos, there's *still* more beyond?

Venerable Mingwen's mind went completely blank.

At the same time, this sect was simply too terrifying. All the powerful cultivators, were they cultivating false principles and false Dao? Did this mean their entire cultivation system was fake?

Was it possible that this system, which appeared to offer no path to increased power but merely involved the evolution of everything, was cultivating the true Great Dao?

"Greetings, Master!" the village woman slowly bowed.

"I am not your master; you are merely a registered disciple," Xu Zhi shook his head. His actions were no longer a whim; he truly intended to act as a God of Destruction, to transform this universe into reality, defeat the "Creator God" outside, and take his place.