Chapter 1076: Yuan Fei Is Insane

"If we manage to go there, we"ll become direct disciples!" the crowd was clenching their fists. Direct disciples… that was their dream. They would have the opportunity to receive the emperors" direct teachings. They would also be able to practice cultivation in much better conditions.

"I can only make it to the third level now so I still have to progress. I have to manage it like Lin Feng did and climb up the first nine groups of steps." thought many people. Indeed, the higher levels were difficult to climb. They were a bit envious, why could Lin Feng do it and not them?

"Brother, will we have the opportunity to become disciples of the first batch?" asked someone of the second batch.

"Of course you will. In Tiantai, everybody is treated fairly. If you are talented, there"s nothing you can"t do, but if you"re weak, you will be eliminated. If someday, you manage to climb three groups of steps, you"ll be able to eliminate those who can only climb the second group of steps and replace them. You will also be able to take over their palaces. If there are several people on one level, then their cultivation level will be compared and the weakest ones will be eliminated." said Mu Chen.

They had become imperial cultivation disciples of the first batch and could benefit from better things, but it wasn"t fixed. They could be replaced if they didn"t progress, then they would be eliminated.

"It"s the same for everyone. Nothing is fixed. Things can change if you remain unchanged." continued Mu Chen.

How intense. What a pressure.

But pressure was the only way to progress. In order not to be surpa.s.sed and not to feel humiliated, they had to become stronger.

"Lin Feng had managed to climb up the ninth group of steps. Not only would he get better things to study, but also, it would be difficult for others to catch up with him and replace him.

Everybody looked at Lin Feng. Behind him was Meng Ba who had only climbed five groups of steps. Would he be able to catch up with Lin Feng at some point?

"Alright, take your keys out and go up without worrying. Lin Feng, you go first. Disciples of the Zun Qi layer, wait, you"ll go up later." said Mu Chen.

Lin Feng took out his key and started going up the stairs. On the first level, he sensed nothing at all.

Thanks to his key, he was able to go up the stairs easily.

Lin Feng sensed nothing at all. Behind the second group of steps, there was no palace, only a road. On that road were many palaces. It looked like Tiantai. Those palaces were for people to practice cultivation. In those numerous palaces, there were probably many treasures to practice cultivation. Lin Feng could sense their energies.

The 81 palaces all had an incredible Qi. There were large differences between all those Qi though. The highest palace had the thickest and the richest Qi. Lin Feng could choose first because he had ranked first.

There was a lock, with his key, he could open it with the key he had obtained when going up the ninth group of steps.

He slowly opened the door. It was magnificent and luxuriant. In a flash, golden lights surrounded Lin Feng and he could sense an extraordinary Qi. He suddenly thought about many things.

Lin Feng smiled. He knew that that palace was his. Besides, no matter what, he just had to think about it and that palace could appear on any floor.

The other students chose their palaces too and decided to then all practice inside their palace.

The students of the second batch had to wait. They didn"t have those palaces, so they were even more determined. They had to climb up the stairs and replace someone.

"Alright, practice here and make efforts to become stronger. You"re students of the first batch, many people are observing you now. I hope that when you come back down, you"ll have become incredible. Don"t let Tian Long Divine Castle"s disciples think they"re right when they said you are weaklings." said Mu Chen seriously. They couldn"t afford being humiliated because they were imperial cultivation disciples now.

"We understand."

Everybody nodded. They were now imperial cultivation disciples, everybody in Ba Huang Province thought they were strong and powerful. They couldn"t disappoint those people.

"You follow me!" said Mu Chen to the Zun Qi layer of the first batch. They were already Zun cultivators so they had to go somewhere else. They didn"t practice cultivation in the same way as Tian level cultivators.

Tiantai was now the imperial cultivation disciples" territory. They could benefit from everything there was to become stronger.

"Hehe, I"m coming too." said Yuan Fei trying and he stepped on the group of steps. Yuan Fei was very, very strong and his grandfather was the Great Ape Emperor. He had broken through to the same Tian Qi layer as Xuan Yuan, but he was infinitely stronger.

Yuan Fei went up to the third group of steps and didn"t sense anything. Many people looked at him impressed. That was already the difference between them and him.

Everybody was captivated because of his social status. They wanted to see how many groups of steps he could climb.

At the fourth group of steps, Yuan Fei started sensing something. But he continued without hesitating.

Fifth group of steps, Yuan Fei roared and released energies, people who weren"t far could sense those energies.

Sixth group of steps, Yuan Fei lived up to his status, he released an insane amount of Qi. He roared so loudly that the atmosphere became distorted, but it didn"t stop him.

At the seventh group of steps, he looked like a gigantic gorilla, as heavy as a mountain. The crowd looked at him, astonished and their hearts were pounding violently.

At the eighth group of steps, Yuan Fei"s blood started boiling. He was holding his wooden stick firmly and looked determined. The Earth and sky were emitting rumbling sounds from the pressure. His energies turned into b.e.s.t.i.a.l clouds. Mu Chen turned around and saw him, he was surprised. Like Lin Feng, he was defying the skies. Finally, he stepped on the ninth group of steps, completely relaxed!

His Qi disappeared and the atmosphere became calm again. The crowd was astonished, their hearts were pounding violently. They could still see him in their thoughts!

Chapter 1077: A cave with a waterfall at its mouth, in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit

How strong. They couldn"t imagine how strong Yuan Fei was. They felt like the Earth and sky were going to collapse from his strength. Yuan Fei looked like a mountain holding a wooden stick.

He had managed to climb up the stairs even more relaxed than Lin Feng had. His grandfather was the Great Ape Emperor after all.

Lin Feng was astonished too. How majestic! He was as strong as a mountain with such an explosive force!

No wonder that Xuan Yuan was scared to death while facing Yuan Fei.

Just a moment before, he looked like a gigantic gorilla with a stick and now he looked normal again. Lin Feng guessed that the wooden stick was probably an extraordinary tool.

Lin Feng walked next to Yuan Fei and said smiling, "You"re awesome!"

"Hehe, that was fun! Should we try to go higher?" said Yuan Fei smiling fatuously while pointing towards the tenth group of steps.

"Eh?" the crowd was astonished when they heard him. He was really fearless. He wanted to try everything at once. Did he think it was easy?

"Alright, let"s try!" said Lin Feng laughing. Even though he wasn"t strong enough, he could still try to see how overwhelming it was.

They glanced at each other and started going up. They had already reached the ninth group of steps anyways, so that was Lin Feng"s next goal anyways.

"Boom!" They hadn"t even put a foot on the following step when they both sensed a terrifyingly oppressive energy which turned into a black cloud and forced energies to roll in waves.

"How strong. It"s an illusion." said Yuan Fei. Lin Feng and he moved back, they definitely couldn"t go up.

When they took their foot back, the black cloud disappeared and turned into emptiness again as if it had never existed before that.

"It"s an illusion, it looks like a holy weapon. It might even try to kill us." said Yuan Fei. To become the emperors" direct disciples, Lin Feng had to climb that black cloud which contained an incredibly oppressive strength. How could he do it? How could he break the illusion?

"It can definitely be broken. It"s just that we"re not strong enough." said Lin Feng. They couldn"t break the illusion yet because cultivation wasn"t that easy. Someday, he would manage to do it though.

"I hope so. Lin Feng, if the emperors don"t feel like teaching you, just come to the cave with a waterfall at its mouth in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, my grandfather will teach you personally!" said Yuan Fei smiling fatuously. Lin Feng was dumbstruck, as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, a cave with a waterfall at its mouth!" whispered Lin Feng. His heart was twitching.

Great ape, wooden stick, Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, a cave with a waterfall at its mouth, Lin Feng thought, "What… the Great Ape"s grandson is…"

"Indeed, Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, the cave with a waterfall at its mouth! Remember!" said Yuan Fei smiling.

"Do you always call that place the cave with a waterfall at its mouth in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit?" asked Lin Feng. He couldn"t help but ask.

"No, I used to call it ape stone mountain, but a thousand years ago, an incredible person appeared there and observed Ba Huang from that spot. One of my ancestors challenged him, but lost. When that person left, he told my ancestor to call that place the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, and that there"s a cave with a waterfall at its mouth there!" replied Yuan Fei.

"Who was that cultivator? Is he still alive?" asked Lin Feng. He had defeated the Great Ape Emperor"s ancestor, he must have been extraordinarily strong.

"It"s not important. Someday, I"ll tell you if he"s still alive, n.o.body knows right now. But we can be sure that if he"s still alive, he can destroy the Continent of the Nine Clouds on his own!" said Yuan Fei unwilling to talk too much about it. He even looked a bit scared. It was difficult to imagine that someone obstinate and unruly like him could also fear another person.

"Alright, my brother, I just came to see you. Now I need to find my buddy to bring me back to the Huang Sea underground, I came from there afterall. Come and see me when you have time. I"d be happy to see you." said Yuan Fei tapping on Lin Feng"s shoulders. That tap actually hurt Lin Feng, that guy was strong!

Yuan Fei jumped away into the distance in a free and unrestrained way.

"If you"re in the mood, come and find me to have some drinks too!" said Yuan Fei from the distance. His voice rolled in waves in the air as he disappeared.

Lin Feng watched as his silhouette disappeared in the horizon. He had a new friend!

After that, Lin Feng sighed and looked at the sky.

"The Sky Palace, what"s the date tonight?"

He remembered those words. They were deeply carved in his memories.

"Is it you…?" whispered Lin Feng talking to the sky.

The crowd looked at Lin Feng. What was Lin Feng doing? He looked nostalgic.

"When was Qiong Qi born? Maybe he knows something!" thought Lin Feng suddenly. Then, he opened the palace and went in.

"Kacha!" A terrifying strength suddenly oppressed Lin Feng which made him crawl. He had the impression a mountain was crus.h.i.+ng him.

"How oppressive!" thought Lin Feng. There was nothing in that palace, it was empty. There was only an oppressive pure Qi with some fog. How scary was that!

Lin Feng had to use both his hands to get off the ground. It was difficult for him to stand up and his back hurt from just trying. The oppressive energy in the palace was as terrifying as the energy on the eighth group of steps. Lin Feng"s blood was boiling at that moment.

Lin Feng raised his head and looked at the ceiling. There was a strange energy there. Sometimes, there were star patterns, sometimes, mountain and river patterns, it was a mysterious strength.

"Not bad…" thought Lin Feng grinding his teeth. He understood what Yuan Fei felt like, he had to suffer to become stronger.

Lin Feng shook his hand and his animal tower appeared.

"Kacha!"

A silhouette appeared and was instantly attacked by those oppressive energies.

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d, why did you take me out here?" said Qiong Qi shaking. He had the impression he was being crushed. He opened his gigantic eyes and fixedly stared at Lin Feng.

"You have to respect your elders, do I have to teach you politeness!" said Qiong Qi grinding his teeth. Lin Feng had put him in the animal tower which was already very uncomfortable, and now he had taken him out in another uncomfortable place with oppressive energies. He wasn"t being very nice to the great emperor!

Chapter 1078: Lin Feng"s Reflection

"Emperor, I need to ask you something important!" said Lin Feng seriously.

Qiong Qi looked at Lin Feng. What did that madman want now?

"Speak!"

"Do you know a cave with a waterfall at its mouth in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit?" asked Lin Feng.

Qiong Qi"s eyes were suddenly wide open and twinkling. Of course he knew!

When Lin Feng saw Qiong Qi"s reaction, he understood that Qiong Qi knew.

"I just want to ask you one question." said Lin Feng. Then, he said, "The G.o.dly awareness palace is a.s.sociated to the phrase "The Sky Palace, what"s the date tonight", and a long time ago, an incredible cultivator fought against an ape emperor. He used to call a place the stone ape mountain and then the name changed to Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, isn"t that the same person?"

"Roar!" Qiong Qi stood up as the energies oppressed him. He stared at Lin Feng and said, "What did you learn?"

"As expected, it"s the same person." thought Lin Feng suddenly.

There couldn"t be one thousand possibilities. How strange, the Continent of the Nine Clouds was such a strange world. Lin Feng"s a.n.a.lytical skills were incredible to have figured that out.

Lin Feng was sure it was him!

"Do you know who it is?" asked Qiong Qi. Impossible, Lin Feng couldn"t know who such an incredible warrior was. A cultivator who could destroy the Continent of the Nine Clouds!

"I don"t know. I just heard some mysterious stories!" said Lin Feng. "Emperor, you"re extremely strong, yet you don"t even feel anything under such an oppressive strength."

Qiong Qi looked at Lin Feng in a cruel way.

"Boom!" Qiong Qi spat out flames towards Lin Feng.

"Kacha!"

Lin Feng dodged the attack and crawled again because of the oppressive energies. He rolled his eyes speechless. Wasn"t this  the palace where he lived? How could he live there?

"Little boy, good for you, you tried to oppress me in here!" said Qiong Qi laughing. At that moment, a sharp sword Qi moved towards Qiong Qi. Qiong Qi coughed and fell down.

"Who made me come out?" said Qiong Qi. It was almost better to be in the animal tower.

"I made you come out because I fear that you forgot the date tonight!" said Lin Feng. Qiong Qi looked at him and said, "Do I need to know? There"s no holy mark here. There are star, fire and wind energies as well as the force of the Earth and sky, they"re quite simple, actually, they"re the simplest. You must sense those energies. Now, make me go back into the animal tower. I need to rest."

"Are you serious?" Lin Feng looked at the energies, perplexed. Could those energies be the simplest ones? How could they be so oppressive then?"

"You need to learn slowly. You need to understand the mysteries of the explosive force of the Earth and sky. This palace can help you achieve that." said Qiong Qi in a despising way.

Lin Feng smiled. Qiong Qi was helpful. He just couldn"t speak in a friendly way sometimes.

"Let"s go and see." said Lin Feng. He was slowly getting used to the palace. He was curious to see what advantages he had access to after climbing up the nine groups of steps. He needed to get familiar with the surroundings first though.

Lin Feng walked around and inspected the palace. The pressure made him feel as heavy as a mountain and his steps even made some loud b.u.mping sounds.

He turned around and looked at Qiong Qi. Qiong Qi looked relaxed, it didn"t seem difficult at all for him. How did he do that? was he using the force of the Earth and the sky to manage it? Maybe he was condensing it in his paws?

Very quickly, Lin Feng managed to feel more relaxed as Qiong Qi was walking next to him.

They both walked next to each other as some fog emerged. It felt like a holy place, a fairyland, there was even more beauty than one should take in at that moment. There were lofty towers of Qi in the mist. What was it?

"What an awesome place. It"s an emperor"s territory!" thought Qiong Qi suddenly. He looked excited.

"Let"s go and see." said Lin Feng. Qiong Qi followed him, but then stopped and lied down nonchalantly. He seemed like he was waiting for something.

At that moment, Lin Feng suddenly sensed something. The mist under his feet suddenly rose up and surrounded him. Very quickly, he was wrapped in a mysterious Qi.

In front of him, a silhouette appeared, it was exactly the same as him, he was staring at a mirror!

It couldn"t be him though, but it looked exactly the same. It was the first time Lin Feng saw himself so clearly.

"It"s an illusion!"

Lin Feng immediately understood that it was an illusion. That silhouette was another Lin Feng.

"I wouldn"t have thought that I"d need to face a copy of myself in here. I wonder if I"m strong in the illusion." thought Lin Feng walking forwards. He condensed force in his feet, then he condensed strength and released it towards the illusion. However, the illusion didn"t move at all. It looked like a statue.

"Boom!" Lin Feng attacked the illusion again. Qi and force started flowing furiously in the air.

The illusion remained motionless. Lin Feng then punched the air in the direction of the mirror. He was captivated by this mystery. A terrifyingly oppressive strength crashed onto him. He could barely breathe from it.

"Boom!" The same sound spread in the air. It was the same energies as those contained in Lin Feng"s punch. When Lin Feng punched the mirror, the mirror punched him too.

"Boom boom!" when Lin Feng attacked the mirror, it attacked him too and it was very painful. His blood was boiling.

"How strong." Lin Feng and his reflection in the mirror were seemingly fighting. The illusion in the mirror didn"t wait for Lin Feng to catch his breath and continued attacking him. Punches were now a.s.saulting him endlessly.

"Boom boom boom!" Lin Feng continued being punched. His head was sore and he coughed up blood. He was propelled to the ground where he felt like he was going to be crushed by those attacks.

"How f.u.c.king strong!" swore Lin Feng. He turned around and looked at Qiong Qi lying on the ground.

"He knows what illusion that is!" thought Lin Feng.

"Little boy, cherish this opportunity. Those holy marks are mysterious and contain an explosive force which will help you on the path of cultivation. That mirror will teach you even more about the force of the Earth and sky. Why are you not satisfied? Someday, you"ll be able to use and condense the force of the Earth and sky even better. When that time comes, you"ll easily be able to defeat the person you are now!" said Qiong Qi nonchalantly. Lin Feng was surprised but happy.

Lin Feng stood up and shook his head, he was more determined than ever!

Chapter 1079: Wise Men Look Like Fools

Lin Feng walked towards the mirror again. No matter what he did, his mirror attack him back with the same strength. Poor Lin Feng, he didn"t feel like being attacked again. His entire body was sore.

"Continue. Someday, you"ll defeat the person you are now." said Qiong Qi with a smile yet not a smile. Was he gloating over Lin Feng"s misfortune again?

Lin Feng looked at him and said, "Emperor, don"t you want to come and try?"

Qiong Qi looked at him and said, "It"s such an easy technique, I don"t need to practice that kind of skill. I already understand and control that kind of strength. Why would I need to study them?"

"Who knows? You"re bragging but haven"t shown anything." said Lin Feng in a disdainful way. Qiong Qi looked furious, "You understand nothing on the path. Don"t think that you understand holy marks properly. I"m telling you, you don"t understand holy marks right now, otherwise, you"d kill any Tian level cultivator. You just understand rudimentary holy marks, they"re almost illusionary and not real at all!"

"What path?" asked Lin Feng.

"A flower in the world, a thought, a step, the path englobes all things of creation. If you understand the path, you can create holy weapons using holy marks. The force of the Earth and sky are a part of the path." said Qiong Qi raising his head. Then, he looked at Lin Feng in a disdainful way and said, "Telling you those things is useless to you right now, you can"t understand."

Lin Feng grinded his teeth. Qiong Qi was an emperor so he already understood those things, but Lin Feng didn"t.

"So what does the natural strength of the Earth and sky have to do with the path?" asked Lin Feng.

"You don"t understand the Earth and sky. If you understood how to control the force of the Earth and the sky properly, you"ll understand the path." said Qiong Qi disdainfully. He sounded like a Buddha, but in that animal body, he looked comical.

"What you mean to say is that I first need to understand how to control the force of the Earth and sky and then I"ll understand the path of strength?" asked Lin Feng.

"Indeed. Do you understand what cultivation means?"

"No, I don"t." replied Lin Feng without hesitation.

"I see, a funny one…" sighed Qiong Qi. He lied down again and closed his eyes. Lin Feng grinded his teeth.

"I have some abstruse crystals, I can give you some." said Lin Feng throwing a ring at Qiong Qi. Qiong Qi"s eyes twinkled.

He grabbed the ring, inspected it and whispered, "The path of cultivation is priceless, each world is worth a thousand pieces of gold." said Qiong Qi. Then, he stopped talking and closed his eyes again.

What did Qiong Qi want to do with so many abstruse crystals anyways! Qiong Qi"s level hadn"t changed. Lin Feng was sure that he was hiding his real cultivation level. He couldn"t possibly stop there.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" said Lin Feng and threw another ring.

Qiong Qi inspected it and said, "In the Continent of the Nine Clouds, a long time ago, people wouldn"t dare bully me. On the path of cultivation, you must be perseverant and true to yourself. You can separate those two words. Path and cultivation. Path means everything that belongs to the Earth and the sky, like a path on which you walk. The Earth and the sky are natural things which englobe the ten thousand things of creation. You can use those things to release terrifying strength. Concerning cultivation, cultivation is a school, cultivation is composed of rules and principles. People who apply to those rules and principles are cultivators, real cultivators can break holes in the atmosphere, they can reincarnate, they can release abstruse energies, they understand all the rudimentary aspects of the path."

"Therefore, we have to keep learning new principles, understand the Earth and the sky in more detail, we have to be one with the Earth and the sky."

Lin Feng remained silent. He had never really asked himself what the concept "the path of cultivation" meant. Every real cultivator wanted to understand nature and its secrets.

"In the palace where you live now, there isn"t only the strength of force, there"s also the force of the path, it"s unfathomable, enigmatic, mysterious. An emperor build it for you." said Qiong Qi. As Mu Chen had said.

"I used to be an incredible hero back then. How sad.. What a tragedy…" sighed Qiong Qi looking at the sky in a serious way. Lin Feng was making him sad with those questions. It reminded him of the past.

"I gave you so many abstruse crystals and you gave me absolutely no information!" said Lin Feng grinding his teeth. He walked towards the illusion again. If he didn"t manage to pa.s.s that test, he wouldn"t be able to make it to the next palace.

He was attacked by the mirror many times again, and then he gave up. He went back to the middle of the palace. Lin Feng decided to sense those oppressive energies. It was painful, but he grinded his teeth and endured it. He had ranked first and had obtained the best palace, if he didn"t study those energies, sooner or later, someone would catch up to him and replace him.

There were many people in lower levels. They were determined to become stronger and replace the cultivators at the higher levels.

Where he was, the risk to see someone catch up and replace him was low. But he couldn"t eliminate that opportunity. Even without that risk, he had to become stronger anyways. He had to motivate himself.

After half a month, Lin Feng"s attacks against the mirror were even more powerful. His attack had become so powerful that he could destroy people at even higher cultivation levels than him.

Even with that, it wasn"t enough. He still couldn"t win against the illusion. However, he didn"t feel dispirited anymore, he was just feeling determined.

"Emperor, my attacks are quite powerful. Even though my attacks are powerful, other people can have such powerful attacks by using special skills. Is understanding the force of the Earth and sky the only way to understand the path?" asked Lin Feng to Qiong Qi.

"You"re as stupid as a pig." said Qiong Qi. He sighed and said, "How can you be so stupid? If you can attract the force of the Earth and sky and use it for your own attacks, if you condense twice the force you usually use and it doesn"t kill your opponent, what about thrice force? And four times?"

"What I don"t understand is how you can ask such stupid questions. I told you to study the force of the Earth and sky, not to learn how to make your attacks more powerful like a brute. So what if you use force? If your special attacks are extremely powerful, what will happen if you mix them with force? Really strong cultivators can attack once and destroy their enemies in the world, but their attacks are not brutal, they are subtle."

"Eh…"

Lin Feng had been attacked by the illusion for half a month and couldn"t think clearly anymore.

"Hm, I was a hero in the past and now I end up teaching an idiot. What a tragedy." sighed Qiong Qi. He then turned around and lied down away.

Actually, Qiong Qi was laughing on the inside. Lin Feng wasn"t stupid, he was just trying to make him think and a.n.a.lyze his surroundings. Lin Feng was so talented, he had to be shaken a bit. He couldn"t do everything for him!

Chapter 1080: Just A Punch!

Still inside the palace, Lin Feng sat down cross-legged. The force was still there, however, Lin Feng felt more relaxed than before. Of course, it was still oppressive, but Lin Feng understood it a lot better and on top of that, he was getting used to it.

Pure sun Qi revolved around him and Lin Feng absorbed that force. The palace was filled with pure Qi. Even without using stones, he could still absorb plenty of pure Qi. Therefore, he could practice cultivation calmly in there. Lin Feng was determined to become stronger.

At that moment, inside the palace, some marks appeared and  revolved in the palace.

Bzzz!" the energies exploded in the palace and surrounded Lin Feng. He was bathing in dazzling lights. He was getting familiar with the Earth and sky, as if he was fusing together with it. It was a natural strength.

Qiong Qi opened his eyes and looked at Lin Feng. Interesting. His eyes were twinkling as he sat down respectfully. Since he had turned into an animal, he hadn"t been that close to the strength of the path. Tiantai"s emperors seemed like they attached a lot of importance to the path. They hoped their best cultivators could learn about it as soon as possible.

Every emperor attached importance to the path. Tiantai"s emperors were no different.

The sun became even more dazzling. Lin Feng was sitting and bathing in those golden lights. The celestial Qi of the palace became even thicker and richer, and definitely more dazzling.

That was the energy of the ten thousand things of creation: trees, flowers, water… Water started flowing around Lin Feng. It seemed like an illusion.

Lin Feng was sitting motionless as he looked calm and serene. Qiong Qi looked at him respectfully. It was as if there was n.o.body around Lin Feng. It was like the big bang, the creation of the universe.

The fire became even more intense and Lin Feng felt hot. Soon the fire illuminated the room.

Lin Feng lost the notion of time as he was already holding his Tian Xuan stone. It was glowing now as strange lights and energies flowed in Lin Feng"s body. He was trying to understand them. He attracted them to his brain, into his spirit. He was in his void world which looked like the outside world, but more distinct, clearer.

His spirit was absorbing the strength of the Earth and sky.

"I"m absorbing the Earth and sky." thought Lin Feng. He was more and more surprised by his spirit. It was extraordinary. He was wondering how he had obtained such an extraordinary spirit. He could use it to memorize holy marks, skills, … now he could use it to focus the strength of the path, the Earth and the sky!

Lin Feng didn"t stop practicing cultivation. It felt so comfortable to study there after all. The pure Qi he absorbed was also incredibly fresh: so rich and thick. His fire became stronger. Everything was so distinct in his brain.

After three more days, Lin Feng"s fire slowly disappeared. The dazzling lights around him faded and the atmosphere became calm again. The illusion gradually disappeared. There were only fading lights in the palace, like the mysterious intent of the path.

"What a strange palace!" thought Lin Feng. It contained an explosive force. Lin Feng practiced three days and reached the top of the fourth Tian Qi layer, one more step and he"d break through to the fifth Tian Qi layer.

Lin Feng turned around and looked at Qiong Qi. Qiong Qi said nothing. He had sensed the strength of the path and that was great. Besides, he couldn"t hide his cultivation level anymore either.

"Level five Tian level beast, he hid his cultivation level! I knew it!" thought Lin Feng. Qiong Qi had become stronger than him earlier. Each time he became stronger, he didn"t mind staying next to Lin Feng and doing nothing.

Qiong Qi sensed something, he opened his eyes and looked at Lin Feng. "You inspected my cultivation level!"

"You lied to me!" said Lin Feng. Qiong Qi looked at Lin Feng in a disdainful way and said, "You were just too slow."

"Slow?" Lin Feng was speechless. After having broken through to the Tian Qi layer, he had progressed so fast. He wasn"t slow at all.

Lin Feng walked into the palace and looked at the illusion in the mirror again. Lin Feng was determined this time. He had practiced hard for three days and now he could use the force of the Earth and sky to a higher degree. He tried to attack the mirror again, but it was always the same.

He continued for half a month and continued becoming stronger. Lin Feng believed that he needed to go out and face dangerous situations to break through to the fifth Tian Qi layer.

The path of cultivation was mysterious and there weren"t any fixed rule. Cultivators had to understand cultivation to become stronger.

Lin Feng went down the stairs and stopped on the fourth group of steps, he saw a big road and there were many people residing there. Qiu Yue Xin, Lin Ruo Tian, and so on. For them, it was the same, they also had to face illusions with their own self inside.

"Lin Feng!" said Qiu Yue Xin when she saw Lin Feng. She suddenly looked relaxed and smiled at him. She said, in a gentle way, "When you practice cultivation, you forget everything, you haven"t come in a month!"

"I missed you, that"s why I came now." said Lin Feng smiling. Qiu Yue Xin rolled her eyes and said, "You"re such a flirt."

"Lin Feng, brother, you want to come and try?" said Lin Ruo Tian. He was also getting attacked by the mirror. Even though Lin Feng had refused to join the Lin Clan, Lin Ruo Tian still considered Lin Feng a close friend.

"That illusion is so annoying. The emperors want us to understand how they created those illusions. We can"t pa.s.s this test." said Qiu Yue Xin. She was obviously annoyed. She came from a rich and powerful family so she understand what that test consisted of.

Lin Feng raised his head and said, "It seems like a.n.a.lytical and understanding skills are the most important thing for the emperors. Once we pa.s.s those tests, we can join them on the tenth floor."

"Maybe." whispered Qiu Yue Xin.

Lin Feng walked towards the illusion, his reflection appeared, motionless.

Lin Feng stepped forwards, the Earth and sky emitted a b.u.mping sound. Some strength was flowing into Lin Feng"s hand. He punched the illusion and a sound spread in the air. Natural strength immediately flowed into his body.

"Kacha!"

Lin Feng"s reflection shook, force flowed in the reflection and it disappeared, it was destroyed. Qiu Yue Xin and Lin Ruo Tian were completely astonished.

They couldn"t destroy their reflections and Lin Feng could destroy his with only one punch?

Chapter 1081: Celestial Place of the Alchemists

"No wonder you ranked first. I admire you, brother." said Lin Ruo Tian smiling. Lin Feng was really gifted.

A young man in purple clothes looked at Lin Feng, he was amazed too.

"I"m convinced you"ll defeat the illusion as well, it"s only a matter of time." replied Lin Feng. The illusion of the ninth group of steps was terrifyingly strong, on the fourth group of steps, it was a lot easier to defeat.

Qiu Yue Xin looked at Lin Feng smiling in a resplendent way. She hadn"t seen Lin Feng in a month and he was surprising her once again. He could defeat the illusion easily. How strong would he be a year later?

But many people also guessed that Lin Feng defeated the illusion easily because he had obtained something on the ninth floor. They couldn"t wait to go and see for themselves.

The young man in purple clothes immediately tried to make it to the fifth floor.

A terrifying strength oppressed him, he shouted furiously, his clothes and hair fluttered in the wind. It looked painful. He released energies as the atmosphere was distorted.

"Someone made it up." thought the crowd. Many people had already managed to make it to a floor higher. One person had managed to climb two more floors. They were wondering how the ranking list had changed. Lin Feng didn"t know about that because he had stayed on the highest floor.

Everybody watched him and felt like going up too.

"I should try too." thought Lin Ruo Tian. Then, he started walking up the stairs. He breathed in deeply and started walking up the fifth floor.

"Ah!" Lin Ruo Tian shouted furiously when he sensed the oppressive energies. His blood was boiling. He released energies to counter those oppressive forces. He also tried to condense force and he managed to go up the fifth floor.

"He did it too!" In one day, two people made it to the fifth floor. Meng Ba had sensed that people were coming to the fifth floor so he tried to make it up to the sixth floor, but failed. He still wasn"t strong enough.

"They"re all going up." thought Lin Feng. n.o.body had given up. Many people wanted to become the emperors" direct disciples and were ready to face all the risks for that.

"I need to go." said Lin Feng to Qiu Yue Xin. He hadn"t forgotten about his friends on the Island of the Nine Dragons. He had to go and see them still.

"I"m coming with you." whispered Qiu Yue Xin.

"There"s no need. You need to stay here and practice cultivation. I need to do something so I"ll come back soon."

"Alright." nodded Qiu Yue Xin.

Lin Feng went down the stairs.

"Lin Feng." said someone at that moment. It was Mu Chen. "Where are you going, Lin Feng?"

"Brother, I"m going to the Island of the Nine Dragons." said Lin Feng honestly.

"Alright, I"ll put its location in your memories. Come back quickly." said Mu Chen nodding. Lin Feng was happy. He wouldn"t need to find the way himself.

Mu Chen gave him a talisman, Lin Feng inspected it and he directly knew where the Island of the Nine Dragons was.

"As expected, it"s as big as a city." thought Lin Feng. He was worried for You You and the others.

The Island of the Nine Dragons was terrifying and there were many strong cultivators there. They scared people crossing the Huang Sea. They would do anything they wanted. Even the Yang Clan was scared of them. Pirates were always hunting treasures to trade with.

"You have a boat and the eight dragon chants, so going to the Island of the Nine Dragons shouldn"t be a problem. Come back quickly though. Something very important will be happening in Ba Huang Province soon. It will be a good opportunity for you. Don"t miss it." said Mu Chen as if he were worried.

Something was going to happen in Ba Huang Province and it would be beneficial for Lin Feng too?

"Brother, I have another question." said Lin Feng. He had wanted to ask that question for a while.

"When it"s just the two of us, you needn"t worry, you can ask me anything." said Mu Chen in a gentle way. Lin Feng was touched. He could talk about anything with Mu Chen and Hou Qing Lin.

"I have a friend who is a beast, when she was turning into a human being, she used forbidden strength and permanently turned back into an animal. How can I help her recover her human form?" asked Lin Feng. Mu Chen had a vast knowledge, he probably knew about those things.

"Your friend didn"t take care of herself. When animals turn into human beings, they have to be careful and can"t use restricted strength. I don"t know to which extent she used her strength and how far her transformation had advanced. If she was an ordinary animal and used all her strength, turning back into a human being should be fine with some Tian level medicine. However, if she is an extraordinary Tian level beast and used a lot of strength, well, it will be difficult. You will need an incredible cultivator to help her, or you will need holy medicine." explained Mu Chen.

Lin Feng remembered the cat back then which had transformed into a cat and had used all his strength. A while after, he had turned back into a human being. Meng Qing was different, she was an incredibly strong cultivator so recovering was more difficult. d.a.m.n the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who had attacked her.

Lin Feng had to wait. He would become stronger, go back to Gan Yu and annihilate the East Sea Dragon Palace and Jade Heaven.

"What can I do, more precisely, if she was a really strong animal?" said Lin Feng seriously.

"There are two solutions." said Mu Chen pointing at the flight of stairs. "Go to the tenth floor, our teachers will help you."

Lin Feng had to understand the path before that. And for that he would need time.

"What about the second solution?" asked Lin Feng.

"The second solution is to find the Celestial Place of the Alchemists, it is a holy place for alchemists who concoct pills. There will be holy medicines there. However, you"ll have to find a way to find the medicine there then." said Mu Chen smiling. Two solutions, none of which were easy. Of course, there was a third solution too. Lin Feng could go and look for the ingredients himself, however, that was too dangerous. That was why Mu Chen didn"t tell Lin Feng about it.

"Where is the Celestial Place of the Alchemists?" asked Lin Feng.

"The leader of the place is an emperor. That place is a bit like Tiantai." said Mu Chen smiling. Lin Feng had to go to a terrifying place to obtain holy medicine. Both solutions were too difficult. What could he do?

"I heard that the Celestial Place of the Alchemists" holy woman was going to appear." siad Mu Chen suddenly smiling at Lin Feng. "The Celestial Place of the Alchemists" leaders have always been women. The holy woman might be the next empress there. If she agrees to give it to you, then it won"t be a problem."

Lin Feng looked at Mu Chen and had the sensation Mu Chen"s smile was a bit sly.