Chapter 920: Vision

Dongbo Xueying returned to his abode from the Heart Image Sect Leader. He had just sat down and taken out a jug of his treasured fine wine, yet before he could even pour a cup, a guard hurried into the courtyard and announced, “Elder, the Hall Master of the Heavenly Inquiry requests an audience.”

“The Hall Master of the Heavenly Inquiry?” Dongbo Xueying was momentarily stunned before immediately rising to his feet. In just a few steps, he arrived at the entrance of his abode.

“If the Hall Master of the Heavenly Inquiry wished to see me, a simple message would have sufficed, and I would have rushed over,” Dongbo Xueying began, but then he noticed the expression on the Hall Master’s face—his dark skin devoid of any trace of a smile, his gaze calm yet cold as it swept over Dongbo Xueying. Without a word, the Hall Master strode past him into the abode. “Let us speak inside.”

Dongbo Xueying blinked in surprise. The Hall Master seemed… off.

Following the Hall Master inside, Dongbo Xueying still tried to be hospitable. “Though the task of selecting genius cultivators for the Star Conference is simple, I dared not slack off, given its public nature. Everything had to be done impeccably. Now that the list is finalized, I can finally relax. I had just taken out a jug of ‘Maple Leaf’ wine, brewed from the ancient Primordial Sacred Realm era, but before I could even take a sip, you arrived, Hall Master. You must stay and share a few cups with me.”

“You think you’ve done well? You’re relaxed?” The Hall Master halted and turned to face Dongbo Xueying.

Dongbo Xueying was taken aback.

“Do you truly believe you’ve done well?” the Hall Master pressed.

“Since the first four mentors submitted their lists before me, I had to avoid overlapping with their choices. I revised my selections several times, but the candidates are all excellent,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“All excellent?”

The Hall Master nodded slowly. “What about Xinghuo Xunyi? What do you think of him?”

“He is outstanding, truly exceptional—the best among my selections this time.” Noticing the Hall Master’s expression, Dongbo Xueying suddenly understood and chuckled. “Ah, Hall Master, are you upset because I chose Xinghuo Xunyi? Worried that I’m shamelessly currying favor with Emperor Xinghuo? Do you really think so little of me? Rest assured, Hall Master. Since you are not one of the mentors, you may not know just how astonishing Xinghuo Xunyi’s progress has been over the past thousand years.”

“Astonishing?” The Hall Master frowned, sensing Dongbo Xueying’s confidence. His initial anger gave way to doubt. “What progress could he possibly have made? After five hundred billion years of cultivation, he remained stagnant. He had access to treasures and guidance from the strongest. What difference could a mere thousand years make?”

This wasn’t just the Hall Master’s opinion—many Chaos Realm experts shared the same skepticism upon seeing the list.

Cultivation required gradual accumulation. Even Dongbo Xueying, a prodigy among prodigies, had taken considerable time to advance from the fifth to the sixth level of the Star Tower, only achieving it after reaching the “My Heart as the Heavenly Heart” realm.

These genius cultivators had trained for hundreds of billions, even trillions of years. A thousand years was but a fleeting moment in comparison.

For those like Xinghuo Xunyi, who came from prestigious backgrounds, resources and guidance were never lacking. A thousand years would hardly make a noticeable difference.

Only rogue cultivators, who had spent eons groping in the dark, burdened by countless unanswered questions, could experience significant breakthroughs under proper guidance. The likes of the Axe Palace Master and Dongbo Xueying—the strongest Unity Realm expert across the two great Sacred Realms—could provide invaluable insights, resolving long-standing doubts and propelling their strength forward.

In a thousand years, only rogue cultivators could achieve such leaps.

Figures like the Axe Palace Master, the Purple Slaughter Island Master, General Tian Guang, and the Five Marsh Serpent Ancestor all dismissed the idea that Xinghuo Xunyi could have improved. Progress required accumulation—how could he have suddenly advanced? Had he been plagued by unanswered questions all this time? Lacking guidance from top-tier experts? Impossible. Xinghuo Xunyi’s father was a ninth-level Star Tower expert. Through his connections, he could easily seek advice from Chaos Realm masters—conditions far superior to consulting the five conference mentors.

“His progress has been immense,” Dongbo Xueying said with a smile. “The other four mentors should know this.”

“General Tian Guang sent me a message—polite on the surface, but laced with mockery,” the Hall Master said, shaking his head. “If Xinghuo Xunyi truly made such strides, he likely never sought guidance from General Tian Guang.”

Dongbo Xueying paused.

“Wait a moment.”

He immediately sent a message to Emperor Xinghuo. The two had exchanged contact marks after the emperor had expressed interest in befriending him.

“Emperor, did Xinghuo Xunyi not seek guidance from the other mentors?” Dongbo Xueying inquired.

“Ah, Elder Dongbo, I saw the list you submitted. The other four mentors did not select my son—only you did. When I asked the boy about it, he said the others knew nothing of the Void Path and weren’t worth his time,” Emperor Xinghuo replied. Indeed, Xinghuo Xunyi was no rogue cultivator. His standards were high, and he saw no value in consulting mentors who couldn’t aid his Void Path cultivation—especially when the greatest Void Path expert, Dongbo Xueying, was right there. Once Dongbo Xueying ascended to the Chaos Realm via the Void Path, he would become the first in history to do so.

This was no surprise.

In the history of the Rules and Mysteries system, fewer than twenty had ever reached the Chaos Realm. The Void Path was one of its more obscure branches, unlike the far more common paths like the Slaughter Path.

“You saved my son—such a great favor… Haha, words cannot express my gratitude. It is etched in my heart,” Emperor Xinghuo added without elaborating further.

His tone made it clear—he was deeply grateful.

To heal his son, he had even sought the aid of several Cosmic Gods. Now that his son had regained his drive, Emperor Xinghuo was overjoyed. Moreover, his son had expressed a desire to become Dongbo Xueying’s disciple, ensuring a closer bond between them in the future.

…

After concluding his exchange with Emperor Xinghuo, Dongbo Xueying turned back to the Hall Master. “I just confirmed with Emperor Xinghuo—Xinghuo Xunyi only sought my guidance and ignored the other four mentors.”

“Has he truly improved so much?” the Hall Master couldn’t help but ask.

“Truly. Why would I lie? In ten thousand years, during the public battles, Xinghuo Xunyi will have to fight. If I were lying, wouldn’t the truth come out then?” Dongbo Xueying chuckled.

“But… how? After five hundred billion years of stagnation, how could he suddenly progress so much?” The Hall Master was baffled.

Dongbo Xueying hesitated.

The matter of the heart wound…

It was somewhat shameful. Emperor Xinghuo had even asked him to keep it confidential.

Falling for a woman in an illusionary world and suffering a heart wound was indeed embarrassing. None of the intelligence Dongbo Xueying had gathered on Xinghuo Xunyi mentioned such a thing.

Undoubtedly, Emperor Xinghuo had sought help from several Chaos Realm masters and Cosmic Gods skilled in illusions—and had sworn them to secrecy. Given their statuses, none would spread such gossip.

“There were… minor reasons,” Dongbo Xueying said vaguely, smiling. “But his progress is undeniable. If you doubt me, Hall Master, you can review the scene from decades ago when he last sought my guidance.”

“Oh?”

The Hall Master nodded.

Though Dongbo Xueying seemed sincere—and at this level, there was little reason to lie—the Hall Master still found it hard to believe. How could someone like Xinghuo Xunyi, with his background and five hundred billion years of mediocrity, suddenly achieve such breakthroughs in a mere thousand years?

The Hall Master’s eyes gleamed with an eerie light as he gazed forward, distorting the space before him.

Whoosh.

The scene rewound to decades ago, showing Xinghuo Xunyi’s most recent consultation with Dongbo Xueying.

As the scene unfolded, the Hall Master’s expression shifted from shock to disbelief.

“The Void Path?” he exclaimed. “He… he has elevated the Void Path to the Unity Realm? And his strength—is this the fourth level of the Star Tower?”

Dongbo Xueying smiled and nodded.

Over nine hundred years, with Emperor Xinghuo’s full support, Xinghuo Xunyi had trained in the Time Tower of the Blade Emperor City at a ten-thousand-fold time acceleration. While cultivating at the Unity Realm for a hundred million years would cost roughly 200,000 Source World Stones—a luxury even Cosmic Gods couldn’t afford—a mere thousand years at ten-thousand-fold speed required only two stones.

After over nine million years of cultivation, with the finest resources, auxiliary treasures, his own accumulated insights, and Dongbo Xueying’s guidance, Xinghuo Xunyi had indeed reached the Unity Realm in the Void Path.

When Dongbo Xueying had first achieved this, he had swiftly mastered the “Dark Bubble” technique, instantly reaching the fifth level of the Star Tower.

Though Xinghuo Xunyi was talented, his comprehension of the Void Path still paled slightly compared to Dongbo Xueying’s. Nevertheless, he had mastered the second move of Dongbo Xueying’s self-created technique, “Void Realm”—”Bubble’s Ruin.”

As the Hall Master watched the scene, his astonishment gave way to delight.

“If I recall correctly, only one candidate passed the fourth level of the Star Tower during the preliminary selections,” the Hall Master mused. “Now, Xinghuo Xunyi has matched that strength. He could rank among the top three.”

Dongbo Xueying grinned. “As I said, he is the best on my list. Since he never consulted the other mentors, rumors will likely spread. Should we inform them?”

“Absolutely not.”

The Hall Master shook his head, a hint of smugness creeping into his voice. “General Tian Guang deliberately sent me that mocking message. Let the rumors fly! In ten thousand years, during the public battles, Xinghuo Xunyi will shine brighter than ever. I look forward to seeing their stunned faces. And when the cultivators observing the Star Conference witness this, they will know—the mentor sent by our Rules and Mysteries faction’s sacred land, the Heavenly Void Temple, possesses the sharpest eye for talent!”