The old man had a mysterious smile on his face, and his eyes remained close. One could tell from a single look that the old man didn’t possess any extraordinary qualities.
However, Tian Yongheng felt that something was wrong. Perhaps due to him being an Ascended Divinity Human, he could sense that an extremely terrifying Divine Sense, the strongest he had ever encountered, was lingering over him.
Not just that, even though the old man didn’t exude any aura and didn’t even seem like a cultivator, Tian Yongheng actually almost didn’t sense his presence at all, as if he never existed. It could once again be attributed to his race being the Ascended Divinity Human, but had he been a normal human, he probably wouldn’t even detect the other party approaching him at all.
Kunlun really is full of monsters...but who could this be?
Thinking of this, he cupped his fists as he asked in a calm tone of voice.
"May I know who the senior is?"
Hearing his words, the old man just smiled as he nodded his head before speaking approvingly, "Eighth Stage of Tribulation Transcendence Realm, yet not even a single Human Immortal in the world can detect your true cultivation. Your true strength must already be on the same level as those at the Grand Completion of the Half Immortal Realm, isn’t it?"
His tone of voice was filled with a sense of malencholy and nostalgia as he said this, finally opening his eyes slowly which were filled with a unique warmth, as if he had remembered something which was extremely precious to him.
However, as soon as Tian Yongheng heard his words, he was instantly stunned and immediately circulated the Spiritual Energy within him, preparing to leave at full force if the other party attacked.
If someone could detect his cultivation base, it meant the other party exceeded his true strength!
He could fight against beings beyond his cultivation base and even cross major realms because of his true strength being superior, however, he possibly couldn’t defeat someone who surpassed him in terms of true strength, could he?
Most importantly, the other party mentioned that my true strength should be around the level of Perfected Human Immortals, doesn’t that mean...-
Before he could think further, the old man looked at him and laughed heartily, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Hahahah, you sure are a cautious child, aren’t you? An Immortal Cultivator should indeed be like you, constantly being on the edge so as to not miss anything even if they are already at the top of the world, considering the fact that no one knows how or when one may face a life or death crisis in the world of Immortal Cultivation where danger is hidden in every corner. That should be one of the most redeeming qualities of a cultivator alongside the will to not just survive but thrive.
However, you need not be wary of me, as it’s not worth it for me to attack you out of nowhere. I’m also from Kunlun."
He replied, stroking his beard as he showed a mysterious smile.
Tian Yongheng was slightly stunned by his friendly tone of voice, but being polite and also agreeing with his words, he nodded his head as he replied.
"Senior is wise. It may seem cowardly to others, but they seem to forget that it is indeed the true essence of Immortal Cultivation, which is to value your own life above all else. This is the principle I live by. Although I wonder what position does the senior hold in Kunlun?"
The old man nodded approvingly as he replied, "Your principles reflect the inner self of the nature of all living beings. You are already a step ahead of those who don’t possess this principle in attaining immortality just by having this principle. A step closer to the Dao, as you can say that."
As he said this, the old man turned around and started to walk away.
"You’re a kind soul, child. However, abandoning your emotions in exchange for unimaginable power and the hope of eternal life is not the true way. I only learned it when it was too late. Albeit not as much as you cherish your own life, you should still cherish all that is around you, for it may not be there tomorrow. Your emotions are another kind of strength. Stripping them away will only lead you further from the true essence of the Great Dao and immortality."
Saying this, he stopped momentarily and turned his head to the sight, not fully turning back as he continued.
"As for who I really am, you’ll come to know about it when time comes. Strive to reach the Immortal Ascension Realm first. Your potential is unmatched, probably even greater than that silly kid who just descended the mountain some time ago. Use it wisely. And don’t worry, no one heard our conversation, so your secret is safe."
As he finished speaking, he began to move forward again, leaving behind a few last sentences: "Kunlun’s Great Dao Gathering will begin in 3 years. The cultivation environment of Kunlun is considered to be the best in the entirety of the Mortal World. Cultivate here till then. We’ll meet again some day, perhaps when you have truly become what you show on the surface."
The next moment, he disappeared on the spot, and not even Tian Yongheng’s eyes nor Divine Sense could catch a single trace of the old man.
He couldn’t help but blink multiple times, as if he had just woken up from a dream before he quickly summoned the system.
The old man didn’t develop any favorability or hatred towards him, so he couldn’t get all of his information, but since he was in the range of his Divine Sense before, he could at least know his identity and cultivation.
But the next moment, as Tian Yongheng asked the system about the old man, the blue screen that appeared in front of him left him staring at it blankly, like his entire worldview had been shattered in an instant.
[Sword Venerable: Unknown cultivation.
Immortal in the Mortal World. Former Saint Master of Kunlun Divine Mountain. Human Demigod. The one rejected by the heavens. Strongest in the world.]
An Immortal!?
...
2 and a half years passed by in an instant.
Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.
Eastern Continent.
Eternal Peak.
Tian Yongheng finally broke through to the Ninth Stage of Tribulation Transcendence Realm!
As he stabilized his cultivation, he opened the status panel to see the changes in his attributes after breaking through.
[Name: Tian Yongheng]
[Race: Mortal(Ascended Divinity Human)]
[Lifespan: 624/205,111]
[Cultivation: Ninth Stage of Tribulation Transcendence Realm.]
[Constitution: Five-Elemental Divine Spiritual Physique.]
[Bloodline: Jade Pure Bloodline (Descendant of the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning).]
[Innate Talent(s): Sword Heart, Primordial Meridians and Primordial Bones.]
Alright, I’ll breakthrough to the Immortal Ascension Realm within the next fifty years!
He exclaimed inwardly as he felt the surging power of the Ninth Stage of Tribulation Transcendence Realm, feeling that it wouldn’t take much for his current self to suppress his past self before this breakthrough by relying on pure Spiritual Energy.
His Sea of Consciousness had expanded even more, and so had the vastness of his Spiritual Energy.
He had long since overcome the shock of encountering an actual Immortal by his clone on the trip to Kunlun.
At first, he couldn’t believe the fact that there were actually Immortals who didn’t ascend or weren’t forced to ascend by the heavenly rules after surpassing the limit of the Lower Realm.
Then, he began connecting the dots and figured out that the Sword Venerable may be a special case, as his profile mentioned that he was "rejected by the heavens".
Those words, combined with others such as "Immortal in the Mortal World" and the "Human Demigod" probably held much deeper meaning than what meets the eye.
It was also mentioned that the Sword Venerable was actually the strongest in the world right now, which meant there shouldn’t be anyone more powerful than him, even if there were other Immortal Gods hiding in the Mortal World.
However, that didn’t mean Tian Yongheng could just relax.
The Sword Venerable did not develop any kind of emotion, neither favorability nor hatred towards him, so his intentions were still unknown and could possibly harm him if he were to blindly trust the former.
It was safe to treat the Sword Venerable as neither an ally nor an enemy, but a stranger who could become a potential ally or enemy based on multiple factors.
Things have become a bit complicated, indeed...
I never really expected someone who’s cultivation even the system was unable to calculate as of now to exist in the Mortal World.
What realm is he at?
Is it just the realm above the Half Immortal Realm or multiple realms above that?
As he thought of this, he shook his head, pulling back his thoughts together.
"This is just another reason for me to focus on my cultivation right now. My own strength must be absolute, only then can I really be safe in this world. Perhaps I’ll be able to see through the Sword Venerable after breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Realm, even if I can’t, I’ll probably be able to do it at the Half Immortal Realm or at the realm above that!"
He said to himself, taking a deep breath.
That’s right. He’s not invincible!
I will surpass him sooner or later!