The steward quietly transmitted a message: “The Ancestor has decreed that as long as the Seventh Prince becomes a World Deity, Guest Elder Feixue will be permitted to learn the *Six Slaying Sword Techniques*.”
“The Ancestor truly spares no effort,” Dongbo Xueying smiled. As a father himself, he deeply understood the intentions of the Chong Clan’s Ancestor, and this very understanding had greatly increased his goodwill toward the old patriarch.
“Master, please accept me as your disciple,” the Seventh Prince pleaded, kneeling with an earnest gaze.
Dongbo Xueying nodded slightly and sat down solemnly in his chair. “Since you wish to become my disciple, I will not coddle you. From this day forth, you are no longer the Seventh Prince in my presence—only Chong Yan.”
“Yes! From now on, this disciple will accept any punishment without complaint,” the Seventh Prince Chong Yan declared loudly, his child’s voice clear and bright.
“Kowtow and complete the ceremony,” Dongbo Xueying instructed.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The Seventh Prince immediately struck his forehead three times against the ground. “Disciple Chong Yan pays respects to Master.”
The steward standing nearby frowned inwardly. *This Guest Elder Feixue… The Seventh Prince is only insisting on becoming his disciple because of his youth. In truth, the Ancestor will be the one to teach him properly—how can a mere Four-Heavens World Deity compare to the Ancestor? And yet, the moment he takes a disciple, he puts on such airs!*
“Good,” Dongbo Xueying smiled and nodded. “Rise.”
The Seventh Prince scrambled to his feet.
“Little Qi, rest for today. Come see me early tomorrow morning,” Dongbo Xueying instructed, now addressing him familiarly as “Little Qi.”
Overjoyed, the Seventh Prince bowed respectfully like a miniature adult. “Understood. This disciple takes his leave.”
He departed obediently, without a trace of arrogance.
The steward glanced at Dongbo Xueying but said nothing before following the Seventh Prince out.
Dongbo Xueying watched his young disciple leave with a faint smile. *Back then, when I first met Ye Qing, he was about this age. But Ye Qing lived in hardship—thin and small, though actually older and far more mature than Little Qi. This is the youngest disciple I’ve ever taken.*
At eight years old, the boy was both precocious and naive. He understood etiquette and could read people’s expressions, yet remained sheltered within the Chong Clan, untouched by the cruelties of the world.
*He was born after the Chong Clan Ancestor became a mighty figure, blessed with extraordinary talent. Guiding him to World Deity status…* Dongbo Xueying saw no real challenge in it.
—
Time flowed, years passing one after another.
The Chong Clan’s most doted-upon “Seventh Prince,” Chong Yan, proved obedient and diligent, following Dongbo Xueying’s guidance in cultivation step by step. Though the Chong Clan Ancestor secretly instructed his son as well, Dongbo Xueying paid it no mind—he taught as he saw fit. As a Venerable who had opened two Daos, his understanding of the path ran deep, and he knew the most effective ways to guide his disciple.
A millennium passed in the blink of an eye.
“Master!” A white-robed youth, a sword strapped to his back, arrived excitedly to pay his respects.
Dongbo Xueying, clad in black with his own divine sword, stood nearby, exuding a cold, sharp aura—though his gaze softened when looking at his disciple. “Little Qi, you seem quite confident. Made some progress?”
“This disciple has mastered the *Light-Chasing Sword* technique you imparted,” the youth declared.
“Show me,” Dongbo Xueying commanded.
“Yes!”
The Seventh Prince Chong Yan drew his sword and began demonstrating the technique. The blade transformed into streaks of light, swift and illusory.
Watching silently, Dongbo Xueying smiled. *Watching a disciple grow is truly rewarding. He’s now at the mid-stage of Deity-level, but reaching World Deity within ten thousand years will be a struggle—likely requiring tens of thousands. Compared to me, or even my third disciple, Jia Yun, Little Qi has faced far too few trials. It can’t be helped. Even when I send him out on missions, the Chong Clan Ancestor secretly dispatches experts to protect him. At most, he encounters minor setbacks—never true suffering.*
*How can one become a true weapon without being tempered?*
*If even divine avatars exist, why cling to such overprotection?*
The Chong Clan Ancestor understood this logic, yet his paternal instincts compelled him to send guardians.
*In the Chong Clan, the Ancestor’s will is absolute. I can’t oppose him over teaching methods.* Dongbo Xueying shook his head slightly. He had done his best, and the Ancestor was pleased—among all his children, the Seventh Prince Chong Yan cultivated the fastest. The Ancestor had even grown closer to Dongbo Xueying, personally promising that once Chong Yan became a World Deity, the supreme technique *Six Slaying Sword Techniques* would be bestowed.
*The Three Holy Lands…*
These past thousand years had not been idle.
Through his closer ties with the Chong Clan Ancestor and their discussions, Dongbo Xueying had gleaned more about the Three Holy Lands.
*Though formidable, the Chong Clan Ancestor seems wary yet not powerless against them. From his words, the Three Holy Lands likely have Venerable-level experts—but no Supremes.*
Had there been a Supreme, the sheer might would have long forced the Chong Clan and others into submission. The gap between ordinary mighty figures and Supremes was simply too vast.
Thus, the Three Holy Lands likely had no Supremes—a deduction that eased Dongbo Xueying’s mind and felt logical. *Though this world’s cultivation methods and techniques are more freely disseminated, allowing even mortals access, the world itself is limited. Trials and dangers are finite.*
*Without enough clashes between powerhouses, without perilous tribulations, without guidance from greater predecessors like the Heartlake Island, Six Paths Heavenly Wheel, or Primordial Land… opening a Dao is difficult, let alone becoming a Supreme.* After a millennium here, Dongbo Xueying recognized this world as weaker overall compared to the outside.
Even in the outside realms, with access to supreme legacies, multiversal trials, and personal guidance from figures like the Bloodblade Thearch and Island Master of Time and Space, attaining Supremacy remained immensely challenging.
Geniuses like “Azure Lord” stalled at bottlenecks just a step away. Even Pang Yi only became a Supreme after creating his own cultivation system.
Here… the difficulty was likely tenfold greater.
—
As he watched his disciple practice, Dongbo Xueying’s thoughts wandered. The more he understood this world, the better he could act—dying here due to recklessness would be a tragic waste. Historical records showed most fallen experts perished from *carelessness*.
Even the two Protectors of the Mother Goddess Sect had died underestimating him.
Thus, Dongbo Xueying dared not belittle this world’s power.
“Master, how was it?” the Seventh Prince Chong Yan asked eagerly.
“You’ve mastered the form, but don’t you feel your transitions between stances lack fluidity?” Dongbo Xueying countered with a smile.
Chong Xiaoqi flushed in embarrassment. In his haste to master the technique, seamless execution had been an afterthought.
“Practice more. Return only when every move flows as one,” Dongbo Xueying instructed. Suddenly, his expression shifted as he looked outward. *Hm? An enemy dares attack the Chong Clan? Interesting…*
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