Vol 5 Chapter 71: The Return of the Prodigies

Several days later.

Apart from Lin Jing, all the other prodigies from the Tianyuan Realm consumed medicinal pills and entered seclusion to break through to the Void Mystical Stage. Following Lin Jing's plan, they prepared to leave the Origin Realm first.

Although they could still stay in the Origin Realm for a long time, it no longer held any meaning.

Coming to the Origin Realm had only two purposes.

First, the density of natural energy in the Origin Realm was the highest among all lower realms. Nascent Soul Transformation cultivators here could refine their Heaven-Earth Primordial Spirit to perfection.

A year of arduous cultivation here was equivalent to over a decade of cultivation for Nascent Soul Transformation cultivators in the outside world.

After more than twenty years of cultivation, the Tianyuan cultivators had already achieved this—each had reached the Great Perfection of Nascent Soul Transformation and possessed a flawless primordial spirit.

Of course, this was only the most basic achievement. Given enough time, every prodigy who entered the Origin Realm could accomplish this.

The second purpose was the competition for Origin Sources.

After refining a flawless primordial spirit, one could begin competing for Origin Sources. Even if it took hundreds of years to obtain just the most ordinary Origin Source, it would still be immensely valuable for most prodigies.

Many lingered in the Origin Realm unwilling to leave, all for the chance to obtain a few wisps of immortal energy.

But for the Tianyuan prodigies, since Lin Jing planned to monopolize the Origin Sources of the Origin Realm in the future, staying here no longer held any meaning.

Given their strength, they wouldn’t be of much help anyway, especially since Lin Jing had a group of spirit subordinates.

In this situation, it was better to follow Lin Jing's plan. After all, a portion of the Origin Sources would eventually be used to nourish Tianyuan, so they still had hope of obtaining them.

"But is this really alright?"

Breaking through to the Void Mystical Stage was extremely difficult for ordinary cultivators, but for these carefully selected top prodigies from every cultivation world, it was no challenge.

Having already laid a perfect foundation at the Nascent Soul Transformation Stage, breaking through to the Void Mystical Stage presented almost no bottleneck. Coupled with the "Void Refining Pills" Lin Jing had provided, the Tianyuan prodigies advanced to the Void Mystical Stage with remarkable ease.

Yet, as they prepared to leave the Origin Realm, these prodigies still felt Lin Jing's plan carried too great a risk.

The slightest misstep could turn the Tianyuan Realm into a target of universal condemnation. However, such decisions were beyond the authority of mere prodigies...

Though upon their return, their Void Mystical cultivation would place them as the second-tier combatants of the Tianyuan Continent, matters concerning the fate of Tianyuan still required the decision of the Seeking the Way ancestors from various factions.

The Dayuan Realm.

Over twenty years had passed since the ten prodigies of Tianyuan's golden generation entered the Origin Realm. During this time, the Tianyuan Realm flourished under the prosperity of the Golden Age.

Among the most shocking events was the birth of another innate Immortal Physique in the Tianyuan Realm!

An innate Immortal Physique was fundamentally different from an acquired one and could be considered the most evident manifestation of the Golden Age.

This Immortal Physique was born into the Wang family, a cultivation clan of the Tianyuan Ancient Kingdom. Though the Wang family held considerable prestige within the ancient kingdom, they were far from noteworthy on a continental scale. However, the birth of this Immortal Physique instantly propelled the Wang family to unprecedented heights.

Moreover, the father of this innate Immortal Physique was no ancient relic but a prodigy listed on the Golden Ranking—Wang Xiao, the Wang family's prized son.

The moment his child was born, Wang Xiao went mad with joy, laughing for nine days and nights, his voice echoing throughout the capital.

"Lu Yi, you once thought I'd live forever in your shadow. But who could have imagined my son would be born with an innate Immortal Physique! Though I may never surpass you in this lifetime, if my son one day defeats you, my life will be complete!"

The father of the Immortal Physique turned out to be an academy classmate of the Ancient Emperor, sharing some camaraderie with him.

This left many cultivators speechless—cultivating well was nothing compared to being born well.

Across the Tianyuan Continent, similar occurrences had become increasingly frequent in recent years. Every few years, exceptional prodigies would emerge—some born with the potential for ascension, others rising from obscurity after stumbling upon heaven-defying opportunities.

However, the Seeking the Way powerhouses who ruled the continent remained more concerned with the developments in the Origin Realm. Outside the Origin Realm's teleportation array, each of these great figures had left behind a strand of consciousness, waiting for the day one of the prodigies would return.

This wait lasted over twenty years. Though twenty years meant little to them, every Seeking the Way cultivator still yearned for news from the Origin Realm.

"Hm?"

"They've returned?!"

"Wait... it seems there's more than one!"

At the teleportation ruins, after a long wait, flickering lights suddenly appeared. The Second Ancient Emperor, the Demon Court's master, and the other Seeking the Way ancestors swiftly descended with their consciousness avatars outside the array, their hearts tense with anticipation.

Under their watchful gazes, they realized it wasn't just one prodigy returning—it seemed all the prodigies sent to the Origin Realm were returning together today, emerging one after another.

Before leaving, these prodigies had all been at the Nascent Soul Transformation Stage. Now, after over twenty years of cultivation in the Origin Realm, every one had broken through to the Void Mystical Stage, their primordial spirits radiating immense power. The Seeking the Way ancestors couldn't help but rejoice, feeling the activation of the teleportation array had been well worth it.

"Father!"

"We've returned."

Gu Xinghe and Gu Youran bowed to the Second Ancient Emperor.

"It's good you've returned. Hm?" The Second Ancient Emperor paused, noticing someone was missing. "Lin Jing hasn't returned?" he asked, though he wasn't particularly surprised. Lin Jing possessed the Longevity Body and cared little for how much time he spent in the Origin Realm.

The other ancestors also noticed and turned their gazes toward the Demon Emperor. The Demon Emperor raised an eyebrow, her expression proud. What joke was this? How could Lin Jing return so soon? With the Longevity Body, the Origin Realm was like home to him—of course he'd stay longer.

Still, the prodigies had returned rather quickly. Even if they were delivering a message, one person would have sufficed. Though they lacked the lifespan of the Longevity Body, staying a few hundred years in the Origin Realm wouldn't hinder their future cultivation.

Did none of them have the ambition to compete for Origin Sources?

"Reporting to Father, Lin Jing remained in the Origin Realm. We returned early to deliver a message," Gu Xinghe said.

"Have you obtained the Cultivation Alliance's contact method?" the Second Ancient Emperor asked. As long as they secured a way to communicate with the Cultivation Alliance, they wouldn't have to fear the Heavenly Demon Sect's invasion.

The ancient kingdom's legacy would not be destroyed under his watch.

"This..." Faced with the Second Ancient Emperor's question, the prodigies fell silent. Gu Youran spoke slowly, "Originally, we successfully obtained the Cultivation Alliance's contact method..."

"But before we left, Senior Brother Lin confiscated all the communication tokens the Cultivation Alliance had given us."

"He asked us to return so we could relay his message: he no longer wishes for the Tianyuan Realm to join the Cultivation Alliance for now. Instead, he plans to leverage the advantage of his Longevity Body to monopolize the Origin Realm's resources for countless years, positioning the Tianyuan Realm between the Cultivation Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Sect so that Tianyuan may exclusively enjoy the Origin Realm's resources..."

"Joining the Cultivation Alliance would restrict him too much—it would hinder his ability to act freely."

The ancestors' vision darkened, and they all turned to stare at the Demon Emperor.

"?" The Demon Emperor blinked. "Why are you all looking at me? I think the Holy Son's idea is excellent! Rather than pinning our hopes on others' help, it's better to—wait, monopolize the Origin Realm's resources for countless years? Does that mean I won't see Lin Jing for thousands of years?"