Luo Feng felt somewhat dazed. He had encountered his fair share of lucky chances—once meeting the Master of the Heaven-Eroding Palace and receiving guidance from him, and even conversing with the Deathless Venerable. Yet he never imagined that his elder brother, Hong, could have any connection with the mighty Void Gold Monarch.
That was the existence who created the “Heaven-Eroding Chaos Stele”! In Luo Feng’s mind, those fifty-two creators of Chaos Steles were likely the fifty-two strongest humans throughout countless eons of human history. Even if there were some inaccuracies in this assumption, they wouldn’t be significant. Moreover, the Heaven-Eroding Chaos Stele ranked among the top ten Chaos Steles!
How formidable was that?
Humans were the peak race of the cosmos, and being one of the ten strongest individuals in the history of such a dominant race was something that sent shivers down one’s spine just thinking about it.
“What kind of luck?” Luo Feng quickly asked.
“Brother,” Thor also widened his eyes, “I remember you once mentioned the fifty-two Chaos Steles—each one forged by the mightiest beings across the infinite eons of mankind. You truly know of such an existence?”
To be honest, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God were merely insignificant ants in the vast cosmos. For such tiny creatures to encounter a supreme existence was simply beyond belief.
“I call it luck, and I’ll tell you about it,” Hong smiled and sighed. “Back then, I participated in the Elite Training Camp, and eventually was accepted into the core of the Axe Fighting Arena, then sent to Chaos City for cultivation and enlightenment. Haven’t I told you, the third brother, that I recently left Chaos City?”
“Yes,” Luo Feng and Thunder God nodded.
“After leaving Chaos City, I continued to follow the training regimen of the Axe Fighting Arena,” Hong continued. “But yesterday, on a whim, I decided to challenge the Illusionary Sea. That challenge… turned everything upside down.”
Luo Feng and Thunder God held their breath.
The Illusionary Sea? With Hong’s mental fortitude, how far could he have possibly advanced? However, the deeper one went into the Illusionary Sea, the more terrifying the mental pressure became. Even Hong shouldn’t have been able to go too deep.
“I kept pushing through island after island,” Hong sighed. “The Illusionary Sea is indeed formidable. The deeper I went, the more difficult it became. The mental pressure was terrifying… Even I was pushed to my limits, barely managing to reach the twenty-first island. Unfortunately, I failed at the twenty-first island.”
Luo Feng was stunned.
“Brother, you actually failed?” Thor asked in bewilderment.
“Second brother, do you even understand what you’re talking about?” Luo Feng snapped, then looked at Hong in disbelief. “You… you actually made it to the twenty-first island? You were just one step away from completely succeeding?”
“Yes,” Hong nodded.
“That’s impossible! Absolutely impossible!” Luo Feng shook his head. “The mental pressure increases exponentially. Starting from the tenth island, it’s already the mental pressure of an immortal god. The twenty-first island would be the pressure of a Cosmic Sovereign! Brother, you’re only at the Cosmic level. How could you withstand the pressure of the twentieth island?”
Hong smiled.
“Third brother, let me ask you,” Hong countered. “When you were at the Cosmic level, how far did you get in the Illusionary Sea?”
“I failed at the tenth island,” Luo Feng replied.
“The ninth island is already a challenge even for peak Emperors. Yet you passed it at the Cosmic level. Why?” Hong pressed. “Don’t even talk about the illusions later on—how did you withstand that mental pressure?”
Luo Feng answered, “My will is the general, my mind the soldiers… My will leads my mind. My heart is as sharp as a sword, so my will and mind solidify like a rock, allowing me to endure that mental pressure.”
“Haha…”
Hong laughed. “In the face of overwhelming mental pressure, you know how to solidify your mind like a rock. That’s the first stage of the Three Realms of Mind Cultivation. But why did you fail at the tenth island’s pressure? Because you went too far, too rigid. Rigidity leads to fragility!”
“If your mind cultivation could match your second brother’s, reaching the state where extreme Yin produces Yang and extreme Yang produces Yin, then it would be different. As the saying goes, when Yin and Yang unite, the Dao naturally arises. Facing overwhelming pressure, combining Yin and Yang, balancing firmness and flexibility—using resistance when needed and yielding when appropriate. By combining these, your ability to withstand pressure would greatly increase.”
“Of course, reaching the second stage—’Harmony with Heaven and Earth, the Innocent Heart, Perfect Mind’—you’d probably only make it to the fourteenth or fifteenth island. The pressure becomes even more terrifying the deeper you go.”
“It’s only at the third stage—’The Mind is Infinite, Embracing All’—that no matter how strong the pressure is, you can embrace it. Since your mind is infinite, it cannot be crushed or broken,” Hong laughed and shook his head. “Unfortunately, I’ve only just entered this third stage and haven’t truly mastered it yet. That’s why I failed at the twenty-first island.”
Luo Feng blinked.
Incredible.
His elder brother was just too amazing.
“At that time, failing only at the twenty-first island immediately drew the attention of the highest levels of the Axe Fighting Arena, including the Void Gold Monarch and even the founder of the Axe Fighting Arena,” Hong sighed. “The great founder immediately ordered the news to be sealed. So even the Cosmic Sovereigns don’t know about this.”
Luo Feng nodded.
A Cosmic-level being advancing through twenty islands of the Illusionary Sea—Earth’s mind cultivation had indeed shown its might, drawing the attention of those top figures.
“The great founder of the Axe Fighting Arena directly accepted me as a disciple in name,” Hong smiled slightly. “However, the great founder of the Axe Fighting Arena is the strongest human being, with no time to personally guide me. Therefore, he arranged for the Void Gold Monarch to guide me first. Only when I become an Immortal King-level being will I be worthy of receiving the founder’s guidance, and only then will I truly be considered his disciple. For now, I’m just a disciple in name.”
Luo Feng was completely stunned.
A tremendous stroke of luck!
Even Bo Lan from his generation in the Genius Competition wasn’t qualified to have a Cosmic Sovereign as a teacher. Only Ronjun became a disciple of a Cosmic Sovereign, and Luo Feng himself became a disciple of Zhenyan Wang… This showed how proud and reluctant the Cosmic Sovereigns were to take in geniuses as their students. Yet his elder brother Hong had suddenly risen to the top!
He had become a disciple in name of the strongest human being, the founder of the Axe Fighting Arena!
Even just a nominal disciple was already extraordinary.
At least for now, Hong was being guided by the Void Gold Monarch, and once he became an Immortal King, he would receive direct guidance from the founder of the Axe Fighting Arena.
“Brother, the founder of the Axe Fighting Arena! Among the fifty-two Chaos Steles, the Axe Chaos Stele ranks first,” Luo Feng looked at Hong.
“It was only because my performance in the Illusionary Sea was too extraordinary that I drew the attention of the highest levels,” Hong shook his head and smiled. “Although mind cultivation helps in training, it’s ultimately intangible and insubstantial. In actual combat, it’s still the tangible forces like mental energy and primal power that matter.”
“No matter how high my mind cultivation is, an Emperor could kill me with a single move.”
“Mental cultivation is auxiliary; real strength is the foundation,” Hong sighed.
Luo Feng smiled.
Thor also smiled.
“Showing off,” Thor chuckled.
“Totally showing off,” Luo Feng laughed. “I bet the Yinxue Marquis Ji Clan would be regretting like crazy if they knew that Brother became the disciple in name of the founder of the Axe Fighting Arena and is now being guided by the Void Gold Monarch!”
Hong smiled calmly.
Indeed, Hong had risen to the top in one step. His background was now incredibly formidable.
“The Void Gold Monarch once told me during my guidance,” Hong shook his head, “that understanding the laws requires an extremely high ‘affinity for the laws’… Some people can comprehend the laws hundreds or even thousands of times faster than others because their perception is clearer. Unfortunately, although my affinity for the laws is decent, compared to you two extraordinary geniuses, it’s still hundreds or thousands of times worse.”
“And although a high level of mind cultivation can provide some assistance, it only improves things by two or three times. When it comes to comprehending the laws, it still pales in comparison to the talents of geniuses by hundreds or thousands of times,” Hong smiled. “The Void Gold Monarch also said that my cultivation journey would be very long.”
Luo Feng and Thunder God listened with rapt attention.
“My mind cultivation is extremely high, so almost any illusion is ineffective against me,” Hong smiled. “Therefore, the Void Gold Monarch charted a cultivation path for me—the Illusionary Warrior Style. When I strike with my spear, it simultaneously unleashes illusionary attacks. This is my optimal path.”
“Phantom Warrior Style?” Both Luo Feng and Thunder God were stunned.
“Big brother,” Thor exclaimed, “with such profound mastery of the mind, if you unleash your illusions, who could possibly resist being ensnared?”
Hong smiled, “Although my status is now quite high, to protect me, the information has been completely sealed. I’m still only an outer core member of the Axe Fighting Arena, and even the Cosmic Sovereigns don’t know this news.”
Luo Feng nodded, feeling happy for his elder brother.
Although his elder and second brothers were far less talented than himself, their advantage lay in mind cultivation. Now, Hong had risen to the top through his mind cultivation. However, a teacher is still a teacher. For a disciple to become strong, he must still cultivate step by step.
“Second brother,” Hong turned to Thor.
“Huh?” Thor was startled.
“I also recommended you to the Void Gold Monarch, saying that your mind cultivation is also very high,” Hong smiled. “The Void Gold Monarch has already arranged for one of his disciples to accept you as a student. He should contact you soon.”
Thor’s eyes widened.
…
Seeing how his elder and second brothers were doing, Luo Feng couldn’t help but feel happy.
Back in the days on Earth, the three brothers had been quite evenly matched in strength. However, after entering the cosmos, Luo Feng’s progress had accelerated rapidly, to the point where he could now fight against immortal gods. But his elder and second brothers had fallen far behind… Now, they both had their own opportunities.
“Come on!”
“Brothers, not only you two, but also other human geniuses in the cosmos, and even countless alien geniuses from other races, may have powerful mentors, miraculous encounters, or extraordinary talents.”
“I, Luo Feng, will definitely surpass them all and stand at the peak.”
“Definitely!”
Luo Feng’s fighting spirit burned even more fiercely.
Competition made things interesting. After being targeted by the insect race’s covert organization, Luo Feng’s perspective had broadened, and his ambitions had grown even greater!
Kedi?
The Venerable of Eclipsing Flames?
Geniuses with guidance from supreme beings?
“I will become stronger than them!” Luo Feng silently vowed.
…
The three brothers conversed in the courtyard.
“Brother,” Luo Feng quickly asked, “why have all those Cosmic Sovereigns from the Axe Fighting Arena sent immortal gods to Earth? Why are they all so eager to purchase Earth? What secret does Earth hold that has driven so many Cosmic Sovereigns into a frenzy? You must know the truth.”
“Yes,” Hong nodded. “I do know the truth.”
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