Chapter Eight: The Throne Awaits Me!

Zhuge Yi couldn’t help but admire Zhang Ning’s remarkable composure for someone so young. Yet what he hadn’t expected was that Zhang Ning, having been intimately familiar with the body he’d inhabited for over twenty years in the modern world and well-acquainted with things like hypnosis, understood that the key to such mental exercises lay in belief itself. Thus, he felt no unease whatsoever.

What Zhang Ning didn’t know was that the imagined body he conjured in his mind would later become the very foundation for forging the primordial spirit during the Martial Infant and Martial Master stages. Many prodigies, when their primordial spirits left their bodies, appeared as mere children, but his was that of a youth in his twenties. Moreover, because Zhang Ning had, on a subconscious level, already accepted his transmigration, he didn’t imagine himself in modern attire. Instead, he instinctively enhanced his self-image with beauty filters, transforming into a strikingly handsome young man in his own mind. This would later cause quite a stir when his spirit actually left his body. But all that would be a tale for another time.

Since meeting Zhang Ning, Zhuge Yi had lost himself in thought more times than he could count. Snapping back to the present, he found Zhang Ning tilting his head with a sly smile, stealing glances at him.

Zhuge Yi returned the smile. “Junior Brother, your talent is truly extraordinary. Your future achievements will surely be remarkable!”

Zhang Ning accepted the compliment with ease. “Of course I know. I’m a transmigrant, after all—how could I possibly bring shame to our seniors?”

Zhuge Yi understood perfectly well what Zhang Ning meant, but he didn’t mind. The Azure Heaven Realm spanned two hundred and thirty-three billion square kilometers; ordinary folk would never travel beyond their county in a lifetime. Even a martial artist would need to reach the Martial Master rank or possess a top-class magical vessel to journey thousands of miles a day and witness the wonders of distant lands. Until recently, those with average cultivation—or wealthy mortals—could only travel between provinces using teleportation arrays constructed by the combined efforts of the Eldest Brother and the Master. If not for the allegiance of the local nature spirits, even urgent messages could only be delivered through esoteric arts and supernatural means.

How many people did such a vast realm sustain? Among them, countless possessed extraordinary talent and dedication. Those with chaotic cosmic energies were not rare, and Zhuge Yi personally knew of several peerless figures who had ascended from lesser worlds or whose souls had reincarnated into mighty beings of the Azure Heaven Realm. Compared to them, Zhang Ning’s situation was hardly out of the ordinary.

Zhuge Yi took out a book bound in purple, its cover adorned with cloud patterns, and handed it to Zhang Ning. “Since you’ve been accepted smoothly into our sect, this Cloud Freedom Visualization Method, one of our core techniques, is now yours. Guard it well, and if you encounter any difficulties, do not hesitate to seek help.”

Zhang Ning flipped through it and found the entire book written in Chinese. His grin stretched from ear to ear. “Thank you, Senior Brother! You’ve worked so hard!” He was already elated at having entered this world with such ease through what seemed like a hypnotic text, and now he’d received an unexpected boon.

He quickly asked, “I still don’t know—what are the cultivation stages in the Azure Heaven Realm?”

He’d inquired about the realm’s structure with Tang Dao before, but Tang Dao had assumed Zhang Ning was a secret disciple raised by the Myriad Demon Lord, merely unfamiliar with some local details—certainly not lacking basic knowledge of martial ranks.

Hearing Zhang Ning’s question, Zhuge Yi clenched his teeth inwardly.

He’d just witnessed his junior brother’s dazzling potential, and now he was about to deceive him and hinder his progress—an act that left Zhuge Yi deeply troubled. He knew that although the Grand Demon Sect’s techniques preserved fragments of the Dao’s true meaning and the sect housed all manner of inheritances beyond martial arts, lying about such fundamental things as cultivation stages would create a mental block for Zhang Ning down the road—a needless, formidable obstacle. Still, duty was duty, even if the heavens themselves struck him down for it.

Even among his peers, several supreme masters had spent untold years secretly opposing their enemies—how could he, for a moment’s guilt, jeopardize their cause? The thought pained him, and he couldn’t help but feel both sympathy and admiration for those exalted elders. If he felt this way simply hiding the truth from one exceptionally gifted junior, how much more must those elders have suffered, carving such deep scars into the path of cultivation for the entire realm? The more talented their disciples, the more their hearts must have bled as they were forced to cripple their own pupils. No wonder his master’s gaze had been so heavy the day Zhuge Yi, with rare insight and luck, uncovered the truth.

Forcing himself to sound composed, Zhuge Yi said, “Our Azure Heaven Realm is renowned for its martial arts—everything else is but a side path. The martial way is divided into eleven stages: Martial Disciple, Martial Adept, Martial Platform, Martial Core, Martial Infant, Martial Master, Martial King, Martial Emperor, Martial Sage, Martial Lord, and Supreme. With your talent, junior brother, the future holds great promise for you!”

Zhang Ning had thought this world was one of fantasy and the arcane, but it turned out to be a high-martial realm—a realization that left him a little disappointed and out of sorts. Still, knowing the ranks of the otherworldly cultivators eased his mind; at last, he had a frame of reference.

Yet even after hearing the breakdown of the martial stages, Zhang Ning remained skeptical. When had any transmigrator ever arrived in a new world and immediately learned all the ranks? Inevitably, deeper realms would be revealed later, realms beyond those of immortals, and so much more that could only be discovered upon reaching them.

He asked, “So I just follow this manual to cultivate?”

Zhuge Yi replied, “When we return to the sect, Master will surely select the most suitable supreme art for you. For now, focus on the Visualization Method above all else.”

Nonsense! Once I meet that great figure, the misunderstanding will be cleared up—better to learn as much as possible now!

Zhang Ning pressed, “So is this an internal cultivation method? Or does it train the spirit?”

Zhuge Yi thought to himself, It is a supreme method that directly cultivates the Great Dao. Aloud, he said, “You will understand in time, junior brother.”

Zhang Ning nodded. “Alright, I will!”

Seeing Zhang Ning brimming with confidence, Zhuge Yi’s own mood brightened. He rose and said, “Then cultivate well, junior brother. I won’t disturb you. When your visualizations come easily…” He’d meant to say that once Zhang Ning found visualizing effortless, he should practice in bustling, lively places, but given his talent…

Zhuge Yi paused, then said, “You are already ready to train in places teeming with people, where all eyes are upon you.”

As Zhuge Yi uttered the words “all eyes,” Zhang Ning started—Attention Value! He absolutely had to be in the spotlight. “Is there anywhere on this ship that’s both conspicuous and boosts cultivation speed?”

Zhuge Yi replied with perfect composure, “There is—right at the prow.”

A quarter of an hour later—

At the prow of the Grand Ferry—

Zhang Ning stood dumbfounded, staring at the enormous ram’s head carved at the bow, his mind awash with awe at the sect’s eccentricities.

Zhuge Yi, ever the helpful senior, added with a grin, “Our Eldest Brother designed this years ago, claiming it aids in visualization. Ever since, every ferry has one just like it.”

Zhang Ning could only laugh helplessly. Seated here, he would indeed be the center of attention, and all the spiritual energy was said to be drawn by the arrays carved by the Myriad Demon Lord himself. There was no room left for hesitation. So what if it looked just like the infamous pirate king’s throne? If others could sit here, why couldn’t he?

With that thought, Zhang Ning’s confidence surged, and his smile shone as bright as the sun.

Who else but me deserves this seat?