Chapter 222: Suppressing Gu Xuan! Soaring in Cultivation!

[In the blink of an eye, several decades had passed, and the Heavenly Immortal Continent had become even more bustling. Yet, you remained quietly cultivating, waiting for the right moment to challenge Gu Xuan.]

[Not long after, Ji Bingyan sent a letter, and you went to the Ji Clan. When the Wang Clan discovered that you, the first prince of Taiyi Emperor Palace, had chosen to help the Ji Clan, their faces turned pale, and they abandoned any thoughts of a duel, opting to surrender directly.]

[In response, you smoothly entered the secret realm. Although you had already broken through to the level of a Great Sage this time, for caution's sake, you brought Cai Yonglong with you. At the same time, this was also an opportunity you fought for him.]

[Soon, you ventured into the frigid depths and encountered the Icy Heaven. This time, you showed no fear and directly confronted the Icy Heaven. Sensing the threat you posed, the Icy Heaven released a terrifying cold aura, attempting to freeze you.]

[Facing the Icy Heaven's frigid aura, you coldly smiled and easily disintegrated it. For your current self, the Icy Heaven was no longer a formidable adversary. Next, you began attempting to subdue the Icy Heaven.]

[Although the Icy Heaven resisted fiercely, causing you some headaches, you ultimately managed to suppress and seal it, placing it within your own inner world, preparing to absorb it later or exchange it for benefits with the Ji Clan or another powerful ice attribute expert.]

[After all, the Icy Heaven didn't hold much use for you. You were about to possess a complete Space-Time Dao Body, and having the Icy Heaven, which was merely an ice-type counterpart to the Saintly Body, wouldn't enhance your combat power.]

[So, trading it away was undoubtedly the best choice. As for giving it to Ji Bingyan, you didn't owe her anything, and you couldn't bear to part with such a precious item. Perhaps, when you became exceptionally powerful in the future, you would consider favoring her a bit more, but for now, you had to prioritize yourself.]

[Next, you delved deeper into the frigid pool and encountered the source of time, which you also subdued. However, you had no intention of refining it here; you planned to return to Taiyi Emperor Palace to do so.]

[After all, if you refined the source of time again here, you would undoubtedly face another heavenly tribulation upon leaving. At that time, your Great Sage cultivation would be impossible to conceal. Once it was exposed, challenging Gu Xuan without revealing your true strength would be impossible.]

[However, you didn't undergo the tribulation this time. When the secret realm closed, Cai Yonglong, on the other hand, successfully underwent the Saint Tribulation and became a Saint. Cai Yonglong was very delighted about this and grateful to you. Although he didn't understand why you had chosen to bring him for this opportunity instead of Lin Qinghe and Wan Yu, he didn't ask further questions and silently remembered this favor.]

[Next, you returned to Taiyi Emperor Palace and absorbed the source of time in the palace's secret location. Eventually, you successfully attained a perfect Space-Time Dao Body and began to undergo a tribulation.]

[A terrifying heavenly tribulation appeared, even more frightening than the previous simulation. After all, you had now reached the level of a Great Sage, making you even more powerful than before. However, you had no fear; you welcomed the stronger heavenly tribulation.]

[As you underwent the tribulation, many ancient beings in Taiyi Emperor Palace were alarmed, and they were all greatly shocked by the horrifying heavenly tribulation you had attracted. Soon, they figured out the truth and learned that you had obtained the source of time and perfected your Space-Time Dao Body.]

[This revelation astonished these ancient beings, and what followed was sheer joy. Now, you could truly be considered a Young Emperor, with a chance to surpass Gu Xuan and vie for the opportunity to become an Immortal.]

[In the end, you successfully passed the tribulation, with your Space-Time Dao Body perfected and your power enhanced. Simultaneously, thanks to this heavenly tribulation, you broke through a minor realm and reached the Second Stage of the Great Sage level.]

[Now, you laughed heartily and felt invigorated, believing that among your peers, no one could match you, not even Gu Xuan.]

[At this moment, Yu Daohong came with a complex expression to congratulate you. In response, you grinned and asked if Yu Daohong wanted to become your disciple so that you could ascend to Immortality together.]

[Hearing your words, Yu Daohong's face darkened, and he told you to get lost, then disappeared in a flash of divine light.]

[Watching this scene, you shook your head slightly. This child told you to leave, but ended up leaving himself; it was quite amusing.]

[Next, you planned to consolidate your cultivation and then challenge Gu Xuan again. While you believed it would be safer to wait for Emperor Tian Yu to find the Divine Calculator and use it to locate the whereabouts of the Dark Era Emperor Scripture, the simulation revealed a difference this time - Emperor Tian Yu had not returned yet, leaving you somewhat puzzled and forcing you to abandon this idea.]

[However, you weren't worried. If you were still vulnerable to being defeated by Gu Xuan at a higher level, it would be too embarrassing.]

[In the blink of an eye, two months had passed. During these two months, Wan Yu became a Saint, and Wang Xiao Yao reached the level of a Half-Step Saint. Both of them chose to embark on the Taiyi Heavenly Path together. In the end, both of them reached the twelfth level and became the new prince and princess of Taiyi Emperor Palace.]

[This left the people of Taiyi Emperor Palace amazed. Your apprentices were so extraordinary, and you, as their master, were indeed formidable. At such a young age, you had disciples at the level of princes and princesses, and among your peers, you were probably the only one with disciples of such high status.]

[During these people's amazement, they didn't know that Lin Qinghe, to avoid causing trouble for Taiyi Emperor Palace and you, had been cultivating quietly and had no intention of becoming a princess. Otherwise, with Lin Qinghe's current potential and strength, it would have been effortless for her to become the Fourth or even the Third Prince.]

[Next, after consolidating your cultivation, you chose to come out and challenge Gu Xuan.]

[This challenge created a sensation throughout the Heavenly Immortal Continent, and countless cultivators eagerly awaited Gu Xuan's response and the impending battle between you two.]

[Soon, Gu Xuan accepted your challenge and decided to face you at the summit of the Purple Moon Mountain in half a month. In an instant, numerous cultivators started heading to the summit of the Purple Moon Mountain, including many from outside the Heavenly Immortal Continent.]

[Under the watchful eyes of the masses, someone was not pleased. That someone was Shi Yuyan. She felt that you were too arrogant, blatantly

 ignoring her and challenging Gu Xuan, which was a clear sign of looking down on her.]

[After all, you were only ranked fifth on the Saint King List, and you only had an incomplete version of the Space-Time Dao Body. While you could defeat Yu Daohong, your position was mainly due to the advantage of the dual laws of space and time. In her opinion, if she were to fight you, her chances of winning would be significantly higher.]

[At the same time, Shi Yuyan was also puzzled about why the usually aloof Gu Xuan would accept your challenge.]

[Therefore, while waiting for Gu Xuan's arrival, Shi Yuyan chose to challenge you directly, indicating that she wanted to fight Gu Xuan before you did.]

[You looked at Shi Yuyan without saying much, activating your Space-Time Divine Art with your Half-Step Great Sage cultivation, and employing the effect of Double Play.]

[Faced with your merciless attack, Shi Yuyan couldn't even respond; she would have been killed on the spot. This left her with a look of shock on her face, as she hadn't expected you to be so powerful. It reminded her of the feeling of powerlessness and despair from your previous fight with Gu Xuan.]

[In the end, Shi Yuyan was saved by her protector, leaving her flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't expected to be in such a sorry state, unable to withstand even a single blow from you. She couldn't help but feel ashamed of her earlier words.]

[Meanwhile, many prodigies were greatly shocked and awed by your strength, thinking that perhaps you could indeed challenge Gu Xuan. The ancient beings of Taiyi Emperor Palace were even more surprised that your Space-Time Dao Body had actually compensated for its flaws and achieved perfection. They realized that they had underestimated you too much.]

"This woman is just asking for trouble. Now that I've become so powerful, there's no one among my peers who can match me," Wang Ping mumbled as he read the simulated text.

"Well, considering you're ranked second on the Saint King List, I won't argue with you. I'll accept you as my disciple when I become even more powerful in the future and give you some 'guidance' in your cultivation," Wang Ping muttered.

While Wang Ping was muttering, the simulation continued.

[Next, the immortal from the Eternal Gu Family, Gu Xuan, arrived. You were brimming with battle intent and launched an attack directly. Gu Xuan calmly accepted it. You weren't surprised, and you still had no intention of using your true cultivation, opting to have a same-level battle with Gu Xuan.]

[Facing your full-force attack, Gu Xuan also took it a bit more seriously, unleashing astonishing combat power and easily suppressing you. Even though you used your Golden Talent, Multimelody, without holding back and triggered Two-fold Harmony from time to time, you couldn't gain the upper hand.]

Chapter 222: Suppressing Gu Xuan! Soaring in Cultivation!

In this simulation, it's amazing how powerful Gu Xuan is, being the first on the Saint King List, and how everyone thinks you're likely to lose. But you surprised everyone by revealing your true cultivation, which is at the Second Stage of the Great Sage level.

Your decision to use your true power shocked everyone, including the prodigies and ancient beings. Your level of cultivation, which surpassed even the most talented, made them believe that Gu Xuan might lose. Although your advantage was due to your higher cultivation, no one could argue with your position as the top among your peers at this moment.

Gu Xuan's calm demeanor was replaced with a fierce battle spirit, and he revealed his true power. The world reacted with awe as he possessed both the Emperor and Saint bloodlines, along with extraordinary talent comparable to the Divine Thunderbody.

What surprised many even more was that Gu Xuan practiced the Immortal Scripture instead of the Emperor's Scripture. However, you were not surprised by this revelation, as you had suspected it earlier. You confidently declared that the Immortal Scripture wouldn't be a problem for you.

In the battle that ensued, you demonstrated your terrifying power, utilizing both the Void Devouring Emperor Scripture and the Heavenly Way Emperor Scripture, overwhelming Gu Xuan effortlessly. Even though he practiced the Immortal Scripture, he was still no match for you and suffered significant injuries.

This outcome left everyone astonished. While the Immortal Scripture was indeed powerful, Gu Xuan's cultivation was only at the Half-Step Great Sage level, and he couldn't fully comprehend its depths. Your cultivation at the Second Stage of the Great Sage made the difference insurmountable. Gu Xuan would need to reach the Great Sage level himself to have a chance against you, and the minor gap in realms wouldn't matter then.

Gu Xuan acknowledged his defeat calmly without uttering harsh words and departed, leaving many people surprised by his composed demeanor. You, too, found his calmness somewhat excessive and suspected he might be hiding something.

You chuckled, appreciating the satisfaction of overpowering others with your higher cultivation. You believed that as long as the gap in cultivation remained significant, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to challenge you, regardless of their talents or techniques.

You reflected on your growth and realized that rapid cultivation was key to maintaining your advantage. The idea of "genius competition" seemed less important; the critical factor was staying ahead in cultivation.

With your triumph over Gu Xuan, the Saint King List rankings shifted, and your name disappeared from the list. Yu Daohong returned to the fifth position, feeling complex emotions. Your victory inspired many prodigies to strive for rapid breakthroughs in their cultivation, knowing that having a significant advantage in power was crucial.

Your main focus now was on continuing to recruit disciples and quickly advancing your cultivation. You were aware of the existence of one more wild prodigy, but finding them proved challenging due to their long seclusion and the destruction of their faction.

Despite the difficulties, you were determined to establish a connection with this prodigy. Additionally, you set your sights on the remnants of the previous Swallowing Immortal Demon Body, hoping to take them as your disciple. Their past achievements included defeating an Elder Emperor in the previous era, and having them as your disciple would undoubtedly boost your cultivation significantly.

[Even though the previous generation of the Swallowing Immortal Demon Body is just a remnant soul, you believe you will gain a lot.]

[You learned about the past of the previous generation of the Swallowing Immortal Demon Body and began to persuade her. If she sincerely wants to become your disciple, you can help her regain her memories and even grant her a new life.]

[Hearing your words, the remnant soul of the previous generation of the Swallowing Immortal Demon Body became furious and told you to leave. You didn't mind and knew that it would take some effort to win her over. Even though you couldn't accept her as a disciple now, you had learned about her past and believed that with your rising cultivation level, you could make her change her mind eventually.]

[Next, you planned to continue your seclusion and focus on enhancing your own cultivation. However, you soon realized that you had overlooked something. It was not easy to recruit disciples everywhere in the vast universe, as it would complicate things for the Great Emperor of Heaven. You could explore smaller universes instead.]

[Besides, in the One Xuan Universe, there was a naturally born Saint. Even though at this point in time, the naturally born Saint had long disappeared, caught in a struggle between two quasi-emperors, and nobody knew if they were alive or dead. However, you thought it was necessary to gather some information.]

[For this reason, you asked one of the quasi-emperors who accompanied you to take you to the One Xuan Universe. Naturally, this quasi-emperor from the Taiyi Emperor's Palace would not refuse your request and gave it significant importance.]

[Soon, this quasi-emperor led you across the universe and brought you to the One Xuan Universe.]

[After arriving in the One Xuan Universe, instead of immediately inquiring about information, you started recruiting disciples within the universe.]

[Just as the Great Universe gradually entered a golden era, the smaller universes were no exception. Many self-proclaimed geniuses and senior cultivators came out of seclusion.]

[You intended to recruit some geniuses with the potential of Saints, Saint Kings, and Great Saints. However, you were disappointed. Even though you still had some gains in recruiting disciples with Saint potential, the rewards were quite limited.]

[According to your estimation, to break through from Great Saint Second Layer to Great Saint Third Layer with disciples of Saint potential, you would need to recruit over a hundred thousand of them, and they might not help you overcome the bottleneck.]

[As for those with Saint King potential, they had slightly better potential for enhancing your cultivation, but you would still need to recruit thousands of them to advance a minor level.]

[Only by recruiting geniuses with Great Saint potential could you make significant progress. Most likely, recruiting a hundred of them would allow you to advance a minor level.]

[This left you in deep thought, as the rate of progress was different from when you were a Saint or Saint King. After analyzing the situation, you came to a conclusion. With your current cultivation, higher talent, and stronger foundation, you required more disciples to achieve the same progress.]

[You felt somewhat regretful about this, realizing that trying to advance quickly by sheer numbers was quite troublesome. Although it was feasible, the cost-effectiveness was not as good as recruiting true genius disciples.]

[Unless you had a talent that could easily scan for aptitude and gather disciples with specific potential, or you established a sect to accept disciples, it would be difficult to make rapid progress through quantity alone.]

[In addition, you knew that the quasi-emperor who accompanied you wore a stern expression. Regardless of whether it was in the mortal world or the divine realm, recruiting disciples was a serious matter.]

[However, after you arrived in the One Xuan Universe and started recruiting disciples, even disciples with ordinary potential, it made him extremely displeased.]

[After all, you gave the impression that you were just playing around, which not only diminished your identity as the First Emperor's child but also embarrassed the Great Emperor of Heaven. Not everyone had the privilege of becoming a descendant of the Great Emperor of Heaven.]

["It seems that things have changed. However, the situation is better than I expected. Gathering ordinary disciples can still accumulate cultivation, even though it's less efficient,"] you mused as you read the simulated text.

["But when I think about it, in the Ten Great Universes, there are countless geniuses with Saint potential. Even without talents that can screen for aptitude, I can still gather them through simulations.]

["Of course, this is only my method when my cultivation is low. The real high-efficiency method is not about finding talents one by one but spreading knowledge!"]

["When I become a True Emperor and Quasi-Emperor, as long as I spread the True Emperor techniques and divine abilities I created, and set a condition to sincerely accept me as a teacher, the entire divine realm will be in turmoil."]

["Although most major forces are not interested in True Emperor techniques and divine abilities, even the major forces with True Emperors will be tempted."]

["After all, receiving a new True Emperor technique for free is an opportunity they won't easily pass up. The most important thing is that even if they don't practice, the disciples and elders of these major forces have to, or they'll be overwhelmed."]

["By then, where will the advantage of the True Emperor forces lie? At that time, it won't be so easy for disciples and elders of these major forces to defeat independent cultivators who are a realm or two higher than them. At the same time, these disciples and elders will lose their sense of superiority."]

["Well, when I think about it this way, spreading the technique might lead to trouble with those major forces. After all, it's not something I can easily handle, whether the Taiyi Emperor's Palace can hold up is also a question."]

[You shook your head, mumbling to yourself.]

[Right away, you decided to immerse yourself in the simulation, intending to test this method in the One Xuan Universe.]

[Although you had only created your Great Saint technique and were far from creating a True Emperor technique, your Great Saint technique was exceptional, enough to drive many people crazy.]

After briefly entering the immersive simulation to change his rigid approach to recruiting disciples, Wang Ping returned to the text-based simulation.

Instantly, the text continued to unfold.

[As you changed your approach, the quasi-emperor from the Taiyi Emperor's Palace reminded you to pay attention to your image and not to accept ordinary geniuses as disciples everywhere.]

[You chuckled and made a promise. Then, you chose not to recruit disciples everywhere and instead focused on improving your secret techniques with restrictions during your seclusion.]

[Before entering seclusion, you asked the quasi-emperor and your Supreme Dao Protectors to leave your side. After all, with them present, many things were inconvenient, and it risked revealing too many secrets.]

[Seeing that you wanted them to leave, the quasi-emperor and your Supreme Dao Protectors frowned and couldn't understand your thinking. They didn't want to leave you alone in the One Xuan Universe, as it was too dangerous. If something happened to you, they couldn't bear the responsibility.]

[Seeing their reluctance, you felt a headache and had no choice but to let them stay in the One Xuan Universe. However, you still didn't keep them by your side. This way, if something happened to you, you could seek their help immediately, and they wouldn't pry into your secrets too much.]

[In a blink of an eye, several months passed, and you successfully added many restrictions to your self-created techniques during seclusion. Then, you took action and began to transmit your techniques on the ancient star where you were located.]

[When you transmitted your techniques on the ancient star, many cultivators were surprised and skeptical. However, when someone sincerely became your disciple and truly obtained the path to practice your Great Saint technique, the news quickly spread. Both major clans and sacred places were ecstatic and began to practice your Great Saint technique one after another.]

[In the end, you found that your cultivation was starting to grow under this method. Even the old-timers with Saint-level or Saint King-level cultivation were willing to sincerely become your disciples.]

[For them, it didn't matter that they hadn't seen you in person; they could kneel and pay their respects from a distance, and it didn't feel embarrassing. Moreover, even if someone saw them, what of it? A technique as powerful as yours was simply too tempting; losing a bit of face was a small price to pay.]

[You felt satisfied as you felt your cultivation growing. Although it hadn't reached the point of breaking through to Great Saint Third Layer, this was just one ancient star. As your technique rapidly spread throughout the One Xuan Small Universe, the accumulation would eventually yield significant results.]

[Soon, you took action again, quickly heading to one ancient star after another, spreading your techniques. You even found yourself frustrated by the slow pace of your transmission and started hiring other cultivators to help you spread your techniques.]

[As a result, your Great Saint technique spread rapidly like wildfire, and at this rate, it would inevitably spread to the central region of the One Xuan Universe.]

[Yes, although the One Xuan Universe was smaller than the Great Universe, it still had a central region.]

[Unquestionably, the central regions of the nine small universes had their unique characteristics. To be precise, they exhibited nine attributes: gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, and darkness.]

[The central regions of the nine small universes were suitable for cultivators with corresponding attributes. Therefore, they were considered holy places for cultivators with those attributes, and even cultivators from the Great Universe often traveled to the central regions of the corresponding small universe to cultivate.]

[However, although you were spreading your techniques, you temporarily had no intention of going to the central region of the One Xuan Universe. After all, there were many major forces there, and it was not convenient to operate. You preferred to spread your teachings on less powerful ancient stars and slowly surround the central regions.]

[In a blink of an eye, nearly a year had passed. Your cultivation had increased significantly, directly soaring from Great Saint Second Layer to the peak of Great Saint Third Layer.]

[Just when you thought you might hit a bottleneck and needed a high-quality genius disciple to break through or rely on your own efforts to overcome it, your cultivation broke through again. You leaped from the peak of Great Saint Third Layer directly to Great Saint Fifth Layer.]

[This surprised you, and you speculated that you might have accidentally transmitted your techniques to a wild and highly talented solitary cultivator, leading to a two-level breakthrough in your cultivation.]

[In another three years' time, your cultivation had improved significantly again, skyrocketing from Great Saint Fifth Layer to the peak of Great Saint Sixth Layer.]

[However, after reaching the peak of Great Saint Sixth Layer, your cultivation seemed to hit a bottleneck, and there was no further improvement. This made you ponder, realizing that advancing from the peak of Great Saint Sixth Layer to Great Saint Seventh Layer was a significant bottleneck, requiring a highly talented genius to help you break through.]

[Of course, you didn't solely rely on the hope of accidentally transmitting your techniques to a highly talented wild genius again. Instead, you entered seclusion to attempt to break through the bottleneck with your own strength.]

[Otherwise, constantly seeking geniuses to help you break through would weaken your determination in cultivation. Moreover, searching on your own had a much lower probability of success compared to transmitting techniques. After all, finding geniuses on your own was far slower than transmitting techniques.]

[Even transmitting techniques was not guaranteed, so finding geniuses on your own was even more uncertain. For this reason, you temporarily slowed down the pace of transmitting your techniques to avoid wasting too many resources on genius disciples.]

[In a flash, nearly thirty years had passed, and you broke through vigorously. Finally, with your own strength, you broke through to the level of Great Saint Seventh Layer. As your cultivation broke through, your combat power soared once again, making you feel extremely delighted.]

Although I would like to continue with a thousand-word update, it falls slightly short, so I'll leave it at 9400 words for now.