Won't lose to anyone in cultivation talent... Perhaps those were just Third Senior Brother's final words of encouragement.
If Tian Yang truly possessed such remarkable talent, how could he have remained stuck at the Golden Core realm during the previous lifetimes?
Furthermore, he needed to absorb earthfire constantly, spending thousands of years tempering himself, before barely achieving Spirit Transformation...
While he ultimately became a Spirit Transformation cultivator, it certainly doesn't speak to any extraordinary natural talent. Rather, it was the result of an ingenious, roundabout strategy.
Li Fan shook his head inwardly with a sigh.
After a while, Li Fan began compiling the information he had gathered during this period.
Back when he first entered the Cloudwater Palace, he had learned about an ancient war of immense scale and exceptional brutality from Qin Tang and Daoist Chong.
Perhaps influenced by the memory-wiping ability of that Eternal Heavenly Venerable, Li Fan couldn't find any related records within the Tianxuan Mirror.
However, the terrifying wartime visions experienced later by that cultivator named Peerless One subtly confirmed this war's existence.
And from Reverend Tian Yang's memories, Li Fan gained an even deeper understanding of this conflict's cruelty.
Even the ordinary, remote mountain sects of that era's cultivation world had been nearly annihilated. One could only imagine just how brutal this great war had been.
Which were the two sides in the conflict? And what were they fighting for?
Tian Yang's Big Senior Brother, Si Xing, had once disdainfully referred to the opposing side as "barbarians." But judging by the outcome, their strength was certainly nothing to scoff at.
The side of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, while ultimately victorious, could only claim a pyrrhic victory at best.
Throughout his simulation cycles, Li Fan had encountered powerhouses at the Dao Unity realm and knew perfectly well just how terrifying Dao Unity cultivators could be.
During ancient times, Dao Unity experts weren't exactly commonplace, but the powerful sects certainly housed significant numbers of them. Not to mention that the Ten Great Immortal Sects undoubtedly had Eternal Heavenly Venerables in their ranks as well.
One could easily imagine the fearsome force they must have represented once these sects stood united.
What kind of enemy could have driven the cultivators to such desperate straits?
Li Fan's heart swelled with curiousity.
But the truth lay hidden within the fog of history. Despite Li Fan's numerous fortuitous encounters, he had only glimpsed a corner of it thus far. To truly understand what had transpired back then, Li Fan needed more information.
Soon, Li Fan quietly suppressed the scattered thoughts about the ancient war and turned his mind to another matter.
During the Great War Era, the sects flourished. The alliance of the Ten Great Immortal Sects held absolute dominion over the entire cultivation world.
The jade slip left by Third Senior Brother Lian Chang didn't record the cultivation methodology of “borrowing the Curios of heaven and earth.”
Therefore, it can be inferred that this era occurred before the Immortal Venerable's new methodology was spread.
Perhaps it was precisely this great war that drained these ancient sects, creating the space and fertile ground for the Immortal Venerable's new methodology to develop.
When the time came, the new methodology eventually replaced the old. And within years, the cultivation world returned to its former prosperity.
However, cultivators plundered heaven and earth, inviting heavenly retribution. The law of the Exclusivity of Immortal Techniques suddenly descended.
During the early days of the Great Reformation, though inevitable mutual slaughter occurred, the overall order could still be maintained.
But as time passed, more and more cultivators approached their lifespan limits. Collapse became inevitable.
At this critical juncture, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma erupted.
This period was thus called the Great Plague Era. [1]
Realizing that resolving this matter took precedence, the cultivators temporarily stopped killing each other and sought solutions to the Miasma.
The mass slaughter of mortals proved counterproductive, forcing them to relocate entire populations to surrounding minor worlds.
When this world became devoid of mortals and the Immortal-Mortal Miasma problem was completely resolved, true chaos and slaughter descended. The orthodox order of the cultivation world that had endured for countless millennia collapsed overnight, with the righteous and heretic alike tumbling down as cultivators struggled like ants fighting for survival.
This period is called the Dark Ages.
Even the darkest days eventually pass. When the number of cultivators dropped to a critical threshold, the killing finally ceased.
By then, the cultivation world had already become a wasteland. Only solitary cultivators who had survived the Dark Ages remained, living in this desolate land.
This was called the Wasteland Era.
Afterwards came the establishment of the Myriad Immortals Alliance and Five Elders Council, as a new cultivation order emerged in the Xuanhuang World.
As Li Fan organized his observations since entering the cultivation world, a clear historical thread slowly surfaced.
The vitality of cultivation civilization is truly tenacious. Li Fan couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Even after enduring such calamities, even when nearly annihilated, it can take root and sprout anew from the ruins.
Then he considered that his future opponents would likely be ancient monsters who had survived these successive calamities.
Li Fan couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle. Yet, he remained utterly unafraid.
I can fail countless times. Meanwhile, regardless of their cultivation levels, if they fail just once, they lose completely.
Why should I fear? I will surely eliminate those who obstruct my path to eternal life.
Li Fan had already discerned that this new order of the Xuanhuang World somewhat resembled that fish betting game.
To survive, merely becoming the new champion fish wasn't enough. One must also escape the collective ambush of those previous champion fish to truly control one's own destiny.
His emotions gradually settled.
Return to Truth’s memory simulation hadn't ended yet.
Li Fan guessed that Tian Yang's "plot" remained unfinished.
Since time flowed differently in this Fallen Immortal Realm-like world compared to reality anyway, Li Fan wasn't in a hurry to leave.
He simply began cultivating within this Embodiment Transformation Dao Sect’s cave dwelling, using Tian Yang's body.
The ancient methodology of cultivation was a novel experience for Li Fan. Unlike the new methodology's straightforward greed, it emphasized a deeper comprehension of the techniques themselves and the contemplation of the Great Dao.
Compared to the mechanical repetition and ascetic method of practicing the new cultivation methodology, practicing he old methodology gave Li Fan a greater sense of autonomy and enjoyment in the process.
Of course, this was also because Li Fan currently inhabited Reverend Tian Yang's body. If he were a mortal without cultivation aptitude, it certainly wouldn't be this enjoyable.
There was no need for a Curio of heaven and earth. After reaching the final-stage Qi Refinement realm, Li Fan, in Tian Yang’s body, broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm as naturally as water flowing downhill.
After that, he advanced with unstoppable momentum, reaching the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm, then the late-stage Foundation Establishment realm.
Only when he reached the final-stage Foundation Establishment realm did his progress finally stall.
1. TL Note: The author left out everything after “This period was called...” for this and the subsequent sections so I had to fill everything in lol ☜