Chapter 17: The Way of Heaven Has Changed

The ancient book Li Zhenyu gave him was a handwritten manuscript, tattered and worn, with many of its characters faded beyond recognition. Fortunately, this did not hinder comprehension; the essence of what was described could still be discerned.

“A cultivator’s path begins with oneself: gathering spiritual energy, opening meridians, communing with heaven and earth. Only then does one begin to sense the Dao, stepping into the Body Tempering Realm. In this realm, one can start to perceive their own Dao and cultivate techniques…”

Jiang Ning was instantly absorbed. Though such matters were described in the sect records every member of Idle Cloud Sect could obtain, none went into such detail as this.

“Lifespan… transcendence…”

The ancient volume elaborated on these as well. When a cultivator broke through to a new realm, their lifespan increased. Those in the Body Tempering Realm had only just begun to sense the Heavenly Dao; in truth, they had yet to transcend their mortal bodies. Upon entering the Ninefold Heaven of Gods and Demons, one’s lifespan increased by two to five centuries. Should one fail to break through, remaining stuck in a realm for too long, the end would come: the Dao would dissolve, the power sensed from heaven and earth returning to the cosmos, consciousness ceasing to exist, every inch of flesh turning to dust and drifting away.

“That old fellow Yang stepped into the sixth layer of the Ninefold Heaven. If he cannot break through, he too will dissolve into the Dao. Given that the Ninefold Heaven is the measure, he has already lived more than two hundred years—a true old monster…”

Jiang Ning pondered. “By this reckoning, even with my Celestial Spirit Constitution, if I fail to break through, I too may dissolve into the Dao—and my time is even shorter…”

His transformation into the Celestial Spirit Constitution was a stroke of immense fortune. Yet, without sufficient cultivation, if he did not achieve a breakthrough within a set time, he too would dissolve, his consciousness wiped away, returning as nothing more than a celestial herb to the Tianshan range.

“In the Body Tempering Realm, I must break through within five years… For the Ninefold Heaven of Gods and Demons, I have perhaps fifteen years to traverse an entire great realm and challenge the Fivefold Mind Condensation Heaven…”

Chen Mu did the calculation and was left utterly speechless.

“Damn…”

The Celestial Spirit Constitution—a legendary physique—was, for him, more poison than blessing. Without breakthrough, death awaited; it was terrifying. Moreover, the Celestial Spirit’s extraordinary abilities were sealed away—ancestral memories and evolutionary secret arts could only be unlocked after entering the Body Tempering Realm.

“I must seek out more opportunities for breakthrough than others…”

Jiang Ning drew a deep breath and continued reading.

“The secret of perfection…”

At last he turned to this section, growing more and more alarmed as he read.

“Heaven’s law has changed! It is now exceedingly difficult for those who have attained perfection to break through. Once one embarks on the path of perfection, one must remain flawless, always maintaining perfection; otherwise, a gap will form in the Dao, and the heart of the Dao will become unstable…”

Jiang Ning read through it all, stunned, needing a long time to recover.

Once one began the path of flawless perfection from the Meridian Opening Realm, one must never falter. The Body Tempering Realm, though said to have nine layers, truly had a tenth for perfection! The Ninefold Heaven of Gods and Demons also had a hidden tenth layer! One had to always maintain a perfect realm before stepping into the Fivefold Mind Condensation Heaven. Otherwise, the heart of the Dao would become unstable, one’s cultivation would fall, and breakthrough would be forever out of reach…

“Ancient cultivators all pursued perfection, until the Dao of Heaven changed and would no longer tolerate perfect beings. Many sought ways to break through; some succeeded, but in the process of continual breakthroughs, they were rejected by heaven's law.”

It was not unheard of to reach the tenth layer of the Meridian Opening Realm or the Body Tempering Realm. But no one had ever crossed the tenth layer of the Ninefold Heaven of Gods and Demons. They would be struck by heavenly tribulation, their cultivation severed, never able to break through again until their transcendence.

After the ancient era, many cultivators tried, unwilling to live a life marred by imperfection, but in the end, they came to a lesser end and dissolved into the Dao.

“Furthermore, for these three great realms, once one entered perfection, to break through required opportunity, luck, and strength—all indispensable. There was no specific method for advancement. Many, upon reaching the tenth layer of the Meridian Opening Realm, could not enter the Body Tempering Realm, soon fading into obscurity…”

This explained why, after Jiang Ning reached the tenth layer of the Meridian Opening Realm, he could not find any opportunity to break through. Heaven itself did not permit it; the law of the Dao had changed.

Jiang Ning sat in a daze for a long time before finally regaining his composure.

“To think my very state of mind could be shaken so…”

He mocked himself with a wry smile. In the end, he was still a reckless youth.

“There must be a way to break through!” he reaffirmed his resolve. “Even Yang Xiangtian aspires to the tenth layer of the Meridian Opening Realm, and I have already attained it—likely thanks to my Celestial Spirit Constitution. Since that is so, I ought to be even more confident.”

Someone has to be the first. Why couldn’t it be him?

At last, his determination solidified. Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back; in life, one is often a pawn who has crossed the river—with no retreat. Having come this far, he would continue forward.

“If I break through to the Body Tempering Realm, I’ll have the Celestial Spirit’s ancestral memories, the evolutionary methods, and more. As a legendary physique, let me be the one to shatter the limits.”

With a spark of spiritual energy, Jiang Ning burned the ancient book to ashes. Now that he had read it in full, it served no further purpose. This act was his declaration: nothing could stop him.

Beside him lay Huang Two, snoring away without a care in the world.

Jiang Ning drew a deep breath and sprawled on the ground, arms and legs spread wide. He gazed up at the vast starry sky, silvery threads of light cascading down onto the mountain peak—a sight he could never have witnessed in his previous life.

He wondered if, many years from now, he would stand atop the world and recall this starry sky, his future uncertain, everything unknown—just a brash youth who had plunged headlong into this world, cautious in all things.

Or perhaps he would never see that day, having long since turned to dust, dissolved into the Dao.

He didn’t know why, but at this moment he felt a touch of melancholy.

Everyone wishes not to live an ordinary life, but for many, ordinariness is the pinnacle they ever reach.

In his previous life, Jiang Ning had known this feeling. He did not wish to experience it again.

As his thoughts drifted, he felt himself merging with everything around him. It was a strange sensation—his body light as air, seemingly floating, sensing all of creation. The 108 peaks of Idle Cloud Sect inhaled and exhaled essence. He floated higher—an endless continent unfolded in darkness, speckled with distant lights.

He could not describe its vastness, but faintly, clusters of lights could be seen. He sensed myriad traces of the Dao, though he could not comprehend them; they permeated all creation, invisible laws, strands of the Great Dao he seemed almost able to touch.

He felt ethereal, otherworldly. Unconsciously, he reached out and brushed a strand of the Dao’s pulse.

Boom!

At that instant, a searing pain split his head! The next moment, he plummeted back down, suddenly opening his eyes as he lay on the ground.

“My body feels like it’s burning…”

A rush of heat surged through him. Gritting his teeth, he sat cross-legged, circulating spiritual energy through his body.

“Hm? What’s this…” He discovered that the Dao imprint left by the influx of spiritual energy was now being slowly erased!

Then, with a thunderous crash, a torrent of information exploded in his mind.

“This is… ancestral memory!!!”

Jiang Ning’s eyes flew wide.

Beside him, Huang Two was startled awake, the dog blinking in confusion at Jiang Ning, unsure what had happened.

At that same moment—

Within Idle Cloud Sect, atop the palace pavilions, in the grand hall—a chamber suffused with the fragrance of elixirs—Sect Master Yang sat in meditation.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a trickle of blood tracing down his lips.

Moments later, his body shook violently.

A spurt of blood burst from his mouth, spraying onto the cauldron—an alarming sight.

“I must… hasten the pace…”

His gaze grew icy as he wiped his lips, his eyes seeming to pierce the void and fix upon a distant place.