Chapter 14: 境界

All signs indicated that his talent, though not exceptional, was certainly not as low as 'one-leaf' caliber. Could it be related to the talent tree? The leaves on the talent tree only bore spiritual patterns. How could that possibly assist him in cultivation? Yet, aside from the talent tree, Lu Ye couldn't find any other explanation. He vaguely sensed that if this were indeed the case, the talent tree might be more complex than it seemed on the surface.

“Miss Yu,” Lu Ye began, deciding to change the subject to alleviate his somber mood, “I have something I’d like to ask you.”

“Please, Brother Lu,” Yu Xiaodie replied, looking at him with a formal demeanor.

Lu Ye carefully considered his words before speaking. “It’s like this: my first spiritual aperture is full, and I want to open the second, but I can’t seem to pinpoint its exact location. How can I resolve this?” This issue had been troubling him for several days. Normally, after filling the first spiritual aperture, one could proceed to open the second. However, despite numerous attempts, Lu Ye had been unable to pinpoint the precise location of the second aperture, needlessly expending much spiritual energy in the process. Yu Xiaodie undoubtedly possessed more knowledge than he did, and since she was the only one he could truly converse with, he naturally sought her guidance.

“For cultivators like us, who are just beginning our practice, this is indeed a common challenge,” Yu Xiaodie explained. “It’s not related to innate talent; rather, our spiritual power simply isn’t robust enough yet, making it difficult to precisely locate the spiritual apertures. To overcome this, you can either slowly explore and find it yourself, or seek assistance from someone with a higher cultivation level. When I opened my second aperture, it was a cultivator from Evil Moon Valley who helped guide my spiritual power into place. However, to perform such a feat, one must be at least in the Cloud River Realm.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ye let out a wry smile. “In that case, I suppose I’ll have to slowly explore and find it myself.” He had no one else to turn to for assistance.

“Brother Lu,” Yu Xiaodie continued, “although the primary spiritual apertures of cultivators are largely similar, the precise location of the second aperture varies depending on the cultivation method being practiced. If you don’t possess a suitable cultivation technique, Brother Lu, you absolutely must not attempt to open the second aperture rashly, as it could lead to serious problems.”

“Regarding cultivation methods, I do have one.” The Golden Cicada Free and Easy Art probably wasn’t an exceptional cultivation method, but Lu Ye had no other options.

“Oh, by the way,” Lu Ye interjected, “you just mentioned the Cloud River Realm… Is that a cultivation realm?” He recalled his Third Senior Brother mentioning the True Lake Realm and Divine Sea Realm back in the tent—terms he had never encountered before. Having spent a year at the mining vein, he had rarely interacted with others and had few friends. Consequently, all the information he possessed about cultivation was fragmented hearsay.

“That’s right,” Yu Xiaodie affirmed with a nod. “There are four major cultivation realms in total for cultivators: the Spirit Stream Realm, Cloud River Realm, True Lake Realm, and Divine Sea Realm. Each of these major realms is further divided into nine minor levels.”

Stream, River, Lake, Sea—this progression seemed quite intuitive and clear.

“So, are we considered Spirit Stream Realm cultivators?” Lu Ye inquired.

Yu Xiaodie smiled and shook her head. “Not yet. We’ve only just opened our spiritual apertures. Only by opening enough of them, allowing one’s spiritual power to flow through them and form a complete internal circulation, with spiritual power flowing like a stream, can one truly be considered a Spirit Stream Realm cultivator. It is only at that point that one can genuinely be called a ‘cultivator’.”

Lu Ye was surprised. “We’re not cultivators yet? Then what exactly are we?”

“Cultivator reserves?” Yu Xiaodie tilted her head, a hint of cuteness in her expression.

“Alright,” Lu Ye conceded, accepting the term. He had initially believed that merely opening a spiritual aperture made one a cultivator, but now it seemed his youthful ignorance was showing.

Yu Xiaodie likely noticed Lu Ye’s complete lack of common knowledge regarding the cultivation world, so she deliberately shared more information. “The Nine Provinces Continent is teeming with sects. Just here in Bing Province alone, there are at least a thousand large and small sects and influential families. The strength of these sects varies, and their foundation lies in the cultivation realms of their members. Naturally, the higher the realms of the cultivators within a sect, the stronger the sect becomes. Furthermore, sects are also categorized by rank.”

“Oh? How are they categorized?” Lu Ye asked, his interest piqued. He realized Yu Xiaodie was imparting fundamental knowledge of the cultivation world, an opportunity he wasn’t about to miss.

“Each major cultivation realm for cultivators is divided into nine levels, and sects are similarly categorized into nine ranks, with ninth rank being the lowest and first rank being the highest!” Yu Xiaodie explained. “I’m not entirely sure about the precise criteria for each division, but first- to third-rank sects are certainly home to powerhouses in the Divine Sea Realm, and there seem to be numerical requirements as well. Fourth- to sixth-rank sects must possess a sufficient number of True Lake Realm cultivators, while for seventh- to ninth-rank, having a few Cloud River Realm cultivators is generally enough.”

“What if a sect only has Spirit Stream Realm cultivators?” Lu Ye asked, unashamed to seek knowledge.

Yu Xiaodie pursed her lips and smiled. “Spirit Stream Realm cultivators do not possess the qualifications to establish a sect.”

Lu Ye’s face flushed slightly, realizing how truly ignorant he was.

Yu Xiaodie continued, “There’s a saying here in Bing Province: ‘One Palace, Two Halls, Three Gates, Four Sects.’ This refers to the ten top-tier, first-rank sects of Bing Province. The ‘One Palace’ is the Azure Cloud Palace. The ‘Two Halls’ are the Senluo Hall and the Abyss Rainbow Hall. The ‘Three Gates’ are the Righteousness Gate, Azure Jade Gate, and Rakshasa Gate. And the ‘Four Sects’ are the Limitless Sect, Scarlet Moon Sect, Northern Profound Sword Sect, and Heavenly Origin Sect. The Vast Heaven Alliance and Ten Thousand Demon Ridge each account for half of these, and every one of these sects boasts numerous Divine Sea Realm cultivators.”

Lu Ye recalled his Third Senior Brother’s earlier remark that the Azure Jade Gate ranked among the top five in overall strength within Bing Province. While he had considered that a respectable position at the time, he hadn’t fully grasped its immense significance. Given that Bing Province contains well over a thousand sects of varying sizes, the Azure Jade Gate’s ability to stand out and rank among the ten first-tier sects truly highlighted its remarkable power.

“This time, the Deputy Alliance Leader from the Vast Heaven Alliance who led the attack on Evil Moon Valley hails from the Righteousness Gate.”

“Is that Deputy Alliance Leader’s surname Pang?” Lu Ye asked casually.

“That I wouldn’t know,” Yu Xiaodie replied. “How did you come to hear that, Brother Lu?”

“I overheard it by chance earlier,” Lu Ye replied, offering no further explanation. “It seems Evil Moon Valley is quite formidable, then. This assault involved forces not only from the Righteousness Gate but also the Azure Jade Gate—two of the top ten first-rank sects.”

Yu Xiaodie chuckled. “You can’t calculate it like that. While Evil Moon Valley isn’t weak, there’s still a significant gap between it and a first-rank sect. I’d estimate it’s at most a fifth or sixth-rank force. Even though two first-rank powers participated in this operation, not every individual within a first-rank sect is a highly cultivated master.”

“That’s a fair point,” Lu Ye conceded, agreeing with her assessment.

Yu Xiaodie continued, “Besides the two major first-rank sects, several other sects have also arrived. The inspection is nearly complete, and those who possess a jade token will have the chance to join one of these sects. Brother Lu, please don’t miss this opportunity.” The verification of aptitude and talent was merely a preliminary step; the true opportunity lay in the chance to be accepted into one of these visiting sects and begin one’s cultivation journey. This wasn’t to suggest that these sects were in need of disciples; first-rank powers like the Righteousness Gate and Azure Jade Gate would never lack recruits. Rather, this method of recruitment had become an established custom. For individuals like Lu Ye and Yu Xiaodie, who had been rescued, the world, though vast, offered them no safe haven. The Vast Heaven Alliance had to provide some form of resettlement, and admitting those with cultivation aptitude into their ranks was simply a convenient measure. It incurred no losses and might even yield a few promising talents.

Lu Ye chuckled. “With my ‘one-leaf’ talent, I doubt any sect would be interested in me, would they?”

“Always try to look on the bright side,” Yu Xiaodie reassured him. “Having opened a spiritual aperture is an advantage. With nearly ten sects here, Brother Lu, you are bound to find a place to belong.”

“Then I’ll take your kind words to heart.”