Chapter Eight: Even the Formation of the Infant Spirit Has Its Hierarchies

However, he looked at the situation in a relatively optimistic light; if the truth were exposed, the repercussions would certainly not be limited to his personal reputation alone.

After weighing his options, he made a decision. Regardless of anything else, his true identity must never be leaked. Once the mission was completed, he would slip away immediately! Otherwise, the consequences of his identity being revealed were truly unimaginable.

Fortunately, the System had granted him a one-month grace period. During this time, he could handle the various matters, both large and small, concerning himself and the sect.

Just as he was deep in thought, a knock sounded at the door of his cave dwelling.

"Holy Son, the Holy Master summons you to the Main Hall."

"Master wants to see me in the Main Hall?"

Su Yi felt a bit surprised, but he didn't dwell on it and rose to depart.

A short while later, in the Main Hall.

In the center of the grand hall, seated upon a high throne, was an elderly man in Daoist robes. He wore a crown of white jade, possessed the youthful complexion and white hair of a celestial, and held a whisk in his hand. He radiated an aura of immortality, his eyes closed, and not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuated from his body.

He was the master of both Su Yi and Wen Qingyun, the Holy Master of the Tianyuan Sacred Land, Daoist Taixuan.

Su Yi bowed respectfully and cupped his hands. "Disciple greets Master."

Only then did Taixuan open his eyes. The moment he did, a subtle pressure descended upon Su Yi. Su Yi felt a flicker of tension, but his expression remained unchanged, and he accepted it calmly.

A moment later, Daoist Taixuan nodded slightly, a look of approval appearing in his eyes. "Not bad. You haven't allowed your will to erode or your cultivation to slacken during this time; your power has improved once again."

"Disciple strictly follows Master's teachings and would never dare to neglect my cultivation."

The more Daoist Taixuan looked at Su Yi, the more satisfied he became, and he stroked his beard.

Seeing this, Su Yi felt relieved. When he arrived, he had been worried that Daoist Taixuan might notice something unusual, especially since he now possessed a system. Seeing this reaction, he realized his worries were somewhat superfluous. If even a master at the Integration Stage like Daoist Taixuan could not detect the system on him, then he basically had nothing to worry about.

"It seems you have indeed taken my words to heart. In this regard, you are far superior to that useless senior brother of yours."

Hearing his Master speak so bluntly about Wen Changchun in front of him, Su Yi found it difficult to suppress a laugh, but he checked the impulse and cupped his hands respectfully.

"Disciple would not dare to say so. Senior Brother has his own strengths, and I still have a long way to go before I can compare to him, so I dare not make such presumptions."

Meanwhile, he muttered to himself that there was indeed a distance between them—after all, he still had a sense of shame, whereas when that fellow Wen Changchun decided to be shameless, he truly could disregard everything!

Escorting someone for a hundred thousand miles and calling it "protecting" them—was that something a person with self-respect would do? He had cast his shame to the winds! Regardless, that was something Su Yi could never learn to do.

"Hmph, smooth-tongued. I don't know who you learned that from." Daoist Taixuan laughed and scolded, though he didn't dwell on it and his expression turned serious.

"You are now the Holy Son. Your every word and action is inextricably linked to the reputation of the Sacred Land. In the future, you must be cautious in all you do and say, maintain proper conduct, and never tarnish the name of our Tianyuan Sacred Land."

Su Yi agreed repeatedly, though he broke into a cold sweat internally. If Master knew that he, a dignified Holy Son, was going to travel thousands of miles to deal with petty thugs and even act as a menial servant in a small sect, would he slap him to death? Honestly, it was highly probable!

"Why are you so nervous?"

Su Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly cupped his hands. "Disciple only feels the weight of the responsibility and fears my shoulders are too weak to bear such a heavy burden, thereby failing to live up to Master’s expectations."

Daoist Taixuan nodded repeatedly and sighed with emotion. "If your senior brother had even half of your awareness, there would be no need to worry about him failing to reach the Transformation Stage."

Su Yi’s heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Does Master worry that Senior Brother cannot reach the Transformation Stage? Didn't you say his aptitude was even greater than yours was at his age?"

Daoist Taixuan sighed wistfully. "The vastness of this world far exceeds your imagination. Practitioners are as numerous as grains of sand, yet those who successfully form a Nascent Soul are one in ten thousand. I know not how many geniuses have faltered on the path to the Nascent Soul, only to watch their lifespans drain away in lifelong regret."

"Your Golden Core is of the finest quality, so forming a Nascent Soul should not be an issue for you. However, Nascent Souls are categorized into different grades, and between each grade lies a gulf as wide as heaven and earth."

"According to ancient records, a cultivator's Nascent Soul is divided into five tiers: the Dao-End Nascent Soul, the Purple Mansion Nascent Soul, the Taiqing Nascent Soul, the Divine Brilliance Nascent Soul, and the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul, which only exists in legends."

"The lowest, the Dao-End Nascent Soul, is filled with impurities, and its spiritual energy is impure, making advancement extremely difficult. Unless one encounters a great opportunity, there is basically no hope of advancing to the Transformation Stage. One's path of Dao ends at the Nascent Soul stage, hence the name [Dao-End]."

"The Purple Mansion Nascent Soul is better; those who form it have about a twenty percent chance of reaching the Transformation Stage. The Taiqing is a step higher, with about a fifty percent chance."

Having said this, he looked at Su Yi.

"The Nascent Soul I once formed was of the higher Divine Brilliance grade. Those who form this are about eighty percent likely to reach the Transformation Stage. That is merely the common consensus; in truth, if these individuals do not falter on their path and possess a solid foundation, reaching the Transformation Stage is essentially a certainty."

"Your senior brother's aptitude was once higher than mine. Had he heeded my advice and cultivated diligently, he surely would have formed a Divine Brilliance Nascent Soul. However, he became obsessed with love and lost his focus, ultimately forming only a Taiqing Nascent Soul. You tell me, how can I not be worried? Sigh!"

This sigh sounded truly mournful, and Su Yi suddenly understood. No wonder Master chose him over the others; it wasn't just about his "boot-licking," but also the factor of the Nascent Soul potential.

Daoist Taixuan looked at Su Yi with a burning gaze. "The Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul exists only in legends; it is not something we can hope to comprehend. The Divine Brilliance Nascent Soul is already a dragon among men; those who form it are destined for an extraordinary life."

"I overruled all objections to name you the Holy Son before you even formed your Nascent Soul, precisely to give you the greatest possible advantages—to ensure you are not distracted by fame and fortune, to keep your Dao heart firm, and to allow you to face the trial of forming your Nascent Soul in the most perfect state possible!"

"As it stands, you are the only remaining Holy Son or Saintess who has yet to form a Nascent Soul. All the others have already formed theirs... and they are all Divine Brilliance Nascent Souls."

Su Yi felt immense pressure under that burning gaze. Daoist Taixuan’s words, while encouraging, also served as a stern warning.

"Yes, Disciple will certainly not fail Master's high expectations!"

It seemed that if he didn't form a Divine Brilliance Nascent Soul, his position as Holy Son might not be secure. If it were secure, he would have a senior brother who was also a Holy Son.

However, the path of cultivation is, by nature, a process of survival of the fittest. From the moment he stepped onto this path, he had understood its cruelty, and he felt nothing was amiss.

The achievements he had reached today were obtained only by defeating other geniuses just as talented as himself at every stage. There is nothing free in this world; one must strive for everything.

His own aptitude was top-tier, he was a Holy Son, and now he had been further strengthened by the System, which had made him a little arrogant. But Daoist Taixuan's words had sobered him, making him realize his true situation.

Though he was strong, others were not weak. He still had to face the covert and overt scrutiny and challenges from the many talented disciples within the Sacred Land, and he was responsible for competing and debating the Dao with the Holy Sons and Saintesses of other Sacred Lands!

Seeing the firm look in Su Yi's eyes, Daoist Taixuan felt satisfied and stroked his beard.

"I have gained some insights from my recent cultivation and need to enter seclusion for a while. I summoned you today with the intention of having you learn how to manage sect affairs from Hall Master Yang. However, seeing that you are on the verge of forming your Nascent Soul, we shall put that aside for now. It is better for you to keep your heart focused on cultivation."