Chapter 102: My Ambition Lies Not in Tiansang, But in the Five Domains

Xu Xiaoshou was a little flustered.It wasn't even autumn yet; was it time to settle scores?

Elder Sang glared at him, annoyed. "That spiritual skill you just used was quite good; you can continue researching it. However, to make it controllable, you'll probably need to break through to Xiantian." He sized up Xu Xiaoshou, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. "Your cultivation is too low!"

Xu Xiaoshou breathed a sigh of relief. It's fine if you lecture me, just don't hit or kill me.

"My breakthroughs have actually been quite fast." He still felt a bit indignant. Although his realm was low, his progress was rapid! Since emerging from his closed-door cultivation, it had perhaps only been about half a month in total, yet he had already broken through from the third to the ninth realm. And this speed was despite his utmost efforts to suppress it; if he weren't afraid of an unstable foundation, he might have soared to even higher realms by now. Of course, there's still a long road ahead; there's no rush for immediate success. He firmly believed that a tall building starts from the ground up, and the foundation for the tenth realm of spirit refinement must be solid. Being strong on the outside but weak within was not what he wanted.

Elder Sang, however, was unaware of Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts. In his view, the boy's cultivation at the ninth realm of spirit refinement was indeed too low. In the future, if he wanted to compete with the Inner Court for resources, he would at least need to reach Xiantian; otherwise, he was bound to face obstacles everywhere.

"I just went out and secured you a spot to enter the 'Heavenly Profound Gate'. Go there in three days; the spiritual energy concentration inside is enough for you to break through to Xiantian."

"Heavenly Profound Gate?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, puzzled.

Elder Sang nodded. "This is a small secret realm exclusive to the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace. It opens once a year, with ten spots each time, allocated to new disciples entering the Inner Court and the newly promoted thirty-three members of the Inner Court. This is the first and most crucial resource for Outer Court disciples after entering the Inner Court. Originally, since you won the 'Wind and Cloud Hegemony' championship, if you had entered the Inner Court, this spot would naturally have been yours..." He suddenly sneered, shaking his head. "But you were rigged!"

"Rigged?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled. This didn't quite align with the information Elder Qiao had given him. Wasn't it because his cultivation hadn't reached Xiantian that he couldn't enter the Inner Court?

"Exactly!" Elder Sang patted his head and continued, "Outwardly, it was announced that your cultivation didn't meet the standard, which is partly true. But realistically, your Xiantian physical body could compensate for that. However, there were indeed too many young talents entering the Inner Court this year, four in total. If you were added, that would mean taking five spots for the Heavenly Profound Gate. As for the newly promoted thirty-three Inner Court members, there are no fewer than ten of them. The intensity of this competition is easily imagined. The Elder Council could only label you as 'under-qualified' in cultivation, stripping you of your chance to enter the Inner Court, while also freeing up a spot for the Heavenly Profound Gate."

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists, his eyes filled with indignation. This wasn't just about stripping away an opportunity and a spot; for others, it might have ruined their entire life! In the world of spiritual cultivation, one strives for the present, not just the future. If someone falls behind for a year, how much time would it take to catch up?

Elder Sang chuckled, unconcerned. "No need to be angry, and don't feel indignant. Such things rarely happen in the Spiritual Palace, so for you to encounter it, you're actually lucky."

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless. Lucky? So he should be grateful?

Elder Sang suddenly spoke in a deep voice. "But once you step out of the Spiritual Palace, you'll find that the world is pretty much like this everywhere. Before you gain strength, before you are recognized, all your efforts, in the eyes of those in power, are nothing but trash. Heaven and Earth are indifferent, treating all beings as straw dogs; the sages are indifferent, treating the populace as straw dogs. No one will show you extra pity just because of your efforts. A pawn is a pawn; life and death are predestined, success and failure are determined by Heaven. When you are merely a pawn, to be used is your luck; not to be valued is perfectly normal."

Elder Sang grabbed Xu Xiaoshou's clenched fist. With a squeeze, the young man's fist relaxed.

"In the tide of time, many proud and arrogant geniuses believe they have broken free from the so-called cage, finally attaining freedom, and proclaiming, 'My destiny is determined by me, not by Heaven'..." His eyes fixed on the young man before him. "Years later, a decade or more later, the world still operates the same way. The so-called geniuses of yesteryear have long vanished without a trace, crushed by the wheels of history, without even having made a ripple. I don't want you to be one of those people."

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, his gaze falling on Elder Sang's withered hand that held his, lost in thought.

Elder Sang sighed with emotion. "It's still the same advice: before you possess absolute strength, diligently play the part of a pawn. At least let those in power believe that you are merely a pawn! Understand?"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded slightly. He understood the principle, but why was Elder Sang holding his hand, and so tightly?

"Let go!" He seriously flicked his arm.

A vein throbbed at Elder Sang's temple. So, after all his sincere advice, that's what Xu Xiaoshou was focusing on? *Can't you be normal for once?!* He was so angry that his breathing quickened, and he forcefully flung the boy's arm away.

Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his palm. This old man was truly strong. Was this the body of a Grandmaster? Or was it... beyond Grandmaster?

Regarding Elder Sang's words, he was actually quite open-minded. Just as he had been powerless to resist when the old man forced the "Emberflame Seed" upon him, he was similarly helpless regarding the Elder Council's decision now. But what did it matter? Was Xu Xiaoshou the kind of person who would be defeated so easily? In a word: what doesn't kill me makes me stronger! There's still a long road ahead. If this world truly had cages everywhere, as the old man said, then he would break them one by one. He had already said this on the day he became a disciple, and he had said it very seriously!

Xu Xiaoshou began to pace. After a long deliberation, he finally said, "Actually, I'm not worried about all that other stuff. It's just that my realm breakthroughs feel a bit too fast; I only broke through to the ninth realm yesterday. If I enter this 'Heavenly Profound Gate,' even if I break through to Xiantian, won't my foundation be unstable?" He voiced his biggest doubt, a problem that had bothered him for a long time. It was rare to have someone who could enlighten him.

Unexpectedly, when Elder Sang heard his words, he was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. "You?" "Unstable foundation?" "You must be joking!"

Elder Sang was exasperated yet amused. At the ninth realm of spirit refinement, he defeated numerous Xiantian cultivators, won the championship, and then killed Yuanting and Juwu from the Inner Court—was that still not enough? Would his ambition never be satisfied unless he had a few Grandmaster-level lives under his belt?

Elder Sang took a breath and said, "Among over 1,800 Outer Court disciples, you took first place with your Houtian cultivation. Where does this 'unstable foundation' come from?"

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head. "I never compare myself to them."

A look of surprise flashed in Elder Sang's eyes, then he said with approval, "Losers are indeed not worth comparing to. In that respect, you are quite like me."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..." *That's not what I meant; don't twist my words! Who's like you?!*

A scene flashed in his mind: the night he was caught by the masked man, when Ye Xiaotian appeared and they had a conversation. The memory was still fresh!

"Some people, upon first entering Xiantian, can contend with Grandmasters; some, upon first entering Xiantian, can slay Grandmasters!" "I don't think I have that ability right now," Xu Xiaoshou said.

Elder Sang rolled his eyes. "You're only at the ninth realm of spirit refinement; what are you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking about it originally, but that masked man appeared that night, and he wanted to capture me. That made me think."

Elder Sang was stunned. He hadn't expected Xu Xiaoshou to carry such pressure in his heart. "I can protect you!"

"You can't protect me forever," Xu Xiaoshou said calmly.

"You want to become like them?"

"No!" Xu Xiaoshou paused, then said firmly, "I want to surpass them!" His gaze went past the window to the colorless sky. "Didn't you say this continent has five regions?"

"What about it?" Elder Sang looked at him.

Xu Xiaoshou felt the evening breeze blow, and a sudden surge of inspiration and excitement welled within him. "My ambition lies not in Heavenly Sang, but in the Five Regions!"