Chapter 833: Truth Realization Is Harder Than Going Above the Heavens

Ye Mo possessed storage rings thanks to his Space Abyssal Rock. While such rocks were more common in the cultivation realm than on Earth, the realm's vast population meant they weren't easily obtained. Seeing the rings, a monkey-faced man immediately attempted to rob Ye Mo, joined by a woman who also tried to seize them. These valuable items were typically only held by high-level cultivators.

Ye Ling and Song Yangzhu were too slow to react to the sudden attack. Anticipating this, Ye Mo preemptively launched two wind blades, far stronger than those he'd used in the small world. Cultivators in this realm possessed spirit sense and cultivation chi for protection; weaker wind blades would inflict minimal damage. Both attackers were at the sixth stage of chi gathering.

Two streams of blood arced through the air as the thieves were instantly slain, collapsing to the ground. "Foundation Establishment state!" the woman gasped before dying. The monkey-faced man perished too quickly to utter a word.

A tall man, witnessing the scene, murmured, "Foundation Establishment state... Qianbei," clearly bewildered.

Ye Mo, though not a Foundation Establishment cultivator, used his Three Birth Chant to transform his chi gathering cultivation chi into cultivation essence, a hallmark of Foundation Establishment.

The tall cultivator, only at stage seven, begged for mercy. He hadn't attacked earlier, feeling morally superior to the thieves.

"Where are we?" Ye Mo asked, unwilling to blindly wander into the path of a stronger cultivator.

The tall man, trembling, replied, "Near Miao Mountain. We came from Ping Xiao City, headed to the Zheng Yuan Sword Sect's disciple recruitment tournament. We found a Tian Dan Flower—"

Ye Mo sighed. He’d collected numerous Tian Dan Flowers at Wu Wen Mountain. He never anticipated such fierce competition for a single flower in a spirit chi-rich realm. He realized the immense population and desperation for spirit herbs fueled such conflicts, even over lower-grade ones.

"Speak clearly! Where is Miao Mountain? Where is the Zheng Yuan Sword Sect? Why are they recruiting disciples?" Ye Mo demanded.

The cultivator, stunned that a Foundation Establishment cultivator was unfamiliar with these locations, didn't dare question it. He stammered, "Miao Mountain is a range bordering the Zheng Yuan Sword Sect. Many lone cultivators seek fortune there."

"The Zheng Yuan Sword Sect is a four-star sect in the North Far State, recruiting disciples from hundreds of thousands of kilometers around."

Hearing "North Far State," Ye Mo's head spun. It was real. He remembered a journal from the Magical Herb Sect detailing Luo Yue Continent's division into four states: East Black, West Extreme, North Far, and South Peace. Each was described as boundless, larger than billions of kilometers, separated by the even vaster Heartless Sea. The journal stated the North Far State was desolate, with few hollow spirit cultivators, while the East Black State fared slightly better, but rarely saw cauldron filling state cultivators. The South Peace State was a paradise, a legendary place of ascension, though the author had never visited. The West Extreme State was deemed too dangerous for ordinary cultivators.

This meant each state was immense, with the Heartless Sea dwarfing them. The North Far State possessed the weakest spirit chi, least conducive to cultivation. The best was South Peace, reputedly allowing ascension, though unverified. The West Extreme State was far too perilous.

He was in the North Far State. Disappointment washed over Ye Mo.

Noticing Ye Mo's daze, the tall man attempted to flee, but Ye Mo's flying sword swiftly ended his escape.

"Brother, what do we do?" Ye Ling asked anxiously.

Song Yangzhu frowned, worried about Ye Mo's safety in this lawless land.

Ye Mo sighed, collecting their storage bags. "Hang your storage rings around your necks. In the cultivation realm, no one dares to scan clothing with spirit sense. Let's find a market; I'll buy spirit sense shielding clothes." Such scanning was a grave offense, and shielding clothes were standard practice.

"Brother, they called you a Foundation Establishment Qianbei. Is that the highest level here?" Ye Ling inquired.

Ye Mo shook his head. "Cultivation has nine levels: chi gathering, foundation establishment, golden core, nascent soul, hollow spirit, body condensation, cauldron filling, disaster transformation, and truth realization. Each has nine sub-levels, totaling eighty-one to reach truth realization peak. The strongest I know is at cauldron filling, level seven."

"Huh!" Ye Ling exclaimed. "Brother, if we reach truth realization peak, we'll become immortal?"

Ye Mo smiled wryly. "You haven't cultivated, so you don't know its hardships. Those people died for a Tian Dan Flower, used by chi gathering cultivators. Even with sufficient herbs, many die before breaking through. Each level is far harder than the last."

Ye Ling fell silent, then declared firmly, "Brother, if others can reach truth realization, so can I!"