Han Xuanji looked forward, seeing the River of Destiny surging, with dozens of sparse figures moving through the waves.
Just then.
A Cultivator standing in front of Han Xuanji smiled and said,
"My codename is 'Qingluan'. What should I call you, Fellow Daoist?"
Hearing this, Han Xuanji casually replied,
"Call me 'Yanyun'."
"So it's Fellow Daoist Yanyun,"
A soft chuckle came from the figure calling himself 'Qingluan', his voice gentle but with a hint of unhidden weariness.
"To meet here is fate. It seems Fellow Daoist has also just glimpsed the path of the Great Dao of Destiny, choosing this... most arduous and tormenting path."
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, saying nothing more, simply waiting for him to continue.
You talk a lot, you finish first.
Qingluan seemed accustomed to the reticence of the Cultivators here and sighed to himself,
"Does Fellow Daoist Yanyun know how much time we spend sitting here, how much time is consumed with each step forward?
Sometimes a seemingly insignificant insight requires decades of time."
"Don't look at me as only being a few dozen steps ahead of you; in reality, it would take at least several hundred years to reach this point. Of course, I only took thirty years."
Han Xuanji mused, saying,
"It seems Fellow Daoist has good Comprehension Ability."
"Just average,"
A hint of helplessness entered Qingluan's voice.
"How difficult it is to comprehend destiny! Even though the outside world calls me a Comprehension Ability Genius, I often find myself struggling."
"The only good thing is that it's quite safe here, and there are no outsiders to disturb us."
"But you must know..."
His gaze turned to the endlessly flowing River of Destiny ahead, which contained infinite mysteries and dangers, and his tone became grave:
"Destiny is impermanent, and its backlash is especially fierce.
If one's will is not firm, and one forcibly deduces one's own or others' destinies, the slightest carelessness can lead to one's mind being overwhelmed by endless chaotic destiny information. At best, one's Dao Foundation will be damaged; at worst... one's Primordial Spirit will merge into this river, becoming part of countless destiny fragments, eternally sinking."
"Uh..."
Hearing this, Han Xuanji said,
"Since I have stepped into this place, I am naturally prepared."
He understood. Everyone who entered this place was a competitor. Was he trying to scare him away?
"I see Fellow Daoist's Qi is condensed, so you must come from a major sect? But even so, there is very little one can rely on on this path; it's more about fumbling alone, like treading on thin ice.
One wrong step leads to eternal damnation.
Contending with heaven and earth for luck, and with all living beings for destiny, its difficulty far surpasses other Great Daos.
Fellow Daoist's choice of this Dao shows commendable courage, but... the road ahead is long; I hope Fellow Daoist is well prepared."
Qingluan's words were full of hesitation.
Han Xuanji responded calmly, his voice steady and unperturbed:
"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Qingluan."
At this moment, a phantom figure in the distance suddenly spoke,
"Qingluan, are you still trying to deter newcomers? Comprehending the Great Dao of Destiny isn't as dangerous as you make it sound."
"There's no danger in comprehending it on this River of Destiny; don't worry. Even if your consciousness is scattered, you'll only lose a Divine Thought. Of course, if you expose your true identity, then you'll need to be careful."
"How am I deterring others... I'm just kindly reminding them."
Qingluan mumbled back.
Han Xuanji nodded slightly. He thought this place shouldn't be so dangerous.
What Qingluan said was only the worst outcome, something that would only happen if one went mad while comprehending the Great Dao, right?
Han Xuanji withdrew his thoughts, sinking his mind into it, and began to comprehend the Great Dao of Destiny.
Destiny, destiny, to become stronger is to control one's own destiny.
Here, time seemed to lose its meaning.
His consciousness wandered in the torrent formed by countless destiny threads, witnessing the rise and fall of myriad living beings' fates, the birth, destruction, and Reincarnation of worlds, and the Peak and demise of Cultivators.
He saw Su Ming's future, perhaps reaching the pinnacle, shining brightly; he also saw him surrounded, fighting desperately; he even glimpsed scenes of his Dao disappearing and his body perishing, ending sadly... He also saw the various future trajectories of his old Disciples in the Lower Realm, their joys and sorrows, their connections beginning and ending.
Initially, his emotions inevitably fluctuated, sometimes sighing, sometimes regretting.
However, the more he saw, the calmer his mind became. This was not numbness.
Rather, it was the realization that all beings struggled and floated in the river, and what he sought was to transcend it, to control his own destiny, and not to drift with the current.
He should transcend destiny, control destiny, rather than be controlled by destiny.
And to achieve this, he still needed to cultivate diligently.
Han Xuanji was immersed in the vastness of the Great Dao of Destiny, oblivious to the passage of time.
And his figure also moved forward with the flowing river.
Qingluan didn't notice at first, but after only a year, he found that Han Xuanji had already moved ahead of him.
A few more years passed, and he couldn't even see Han Xuanji's back anymore.
"Hiss... Could it be that I really encountered a legendary peerless Genius?"
Qingluan had some doubts about himself.
He had clearly read in books that reaching this point in thirty years was already considered a Genius.
What did it count as to surpass him in one year?
Han Xuanji's actions quickly attracted the attention of many, but because his identity could not be confirmed, they could only secretly gather intelligence.
Among the various clans and sects in the Upper Realm, there were hidden peerless Geniuses, and collecting information on Geniuses from other forces was a basic operation.
Suddenly, fifty years passed like flowing water.
Han Xuanji slowly opened his eyes, realizing that he seemed to have traveled a great distance in this place.
Deep in his eyes, billions of destiny threads seemed to flash and disappear, and the Qi around him became even more profound and unfathomable, as if he had existed since ancient times.
He gently exhaled a turbid breath, carrying a hint of profound Dao charm.
"Cultivating in the River of Destiny is indeed mysterious..."
Han Xuanji sighed.
The Dao is boundless; each deep dive into comprehension felt like time flew by.
And this retreat not only greatly improved his understanding of the Great Dao of Destiny, but his cultivation also quietly Broke Through to the fourth layer of Golden Immortal.
Comprehending the Great Dao could also increase his cultivation speed.
Fifty years, from newly entering Golden Immortal to reaching the Middle Stage of Golden Immortal.
This speed should be an unprecedented existence; no one would believe it if he told them.
And Han Xuanji truly achieved it, without even relying on the System's help, relying entirely on his own Comprehension Ability... Taixu Spirit Realm.
Shenxuan Sect.
Li Taiqing stood alone atop a Dao Peak, his white robe fluttering in the strong wind, yet spotless.
"Finally... this moment has arrived."
He whispered softly, his voice calm, yet with a trace of imperceptible emotion.
Hundreds of years of arduous cultivation, enduring hardships, all for this day: to transcend this realm and Ascend to the Upper Realm.
His gaze swept over the area below.
In the distance, Lu Fan, Nangong Wenjian, Lin Potian, Little White Tiger, and other old friends were all present. Further away, there were also many Cultivators who had traveled from the Kyushu Continent to witness the ceremony.
None of them stepped forward to disturb him, merely watching quietly, their gazes filled with awe and envy.