Chapter 1571: The Sea of Truth
A dry cough sounded. Feng Yan stood in the distance, gazing at the two people embracing each other, revealing a smile. "It's only been a few days since you last saw each other. Do you really need to hug for that long?"
Ling Feiyu, Su Qingling, Wen Shusheng, and Ling Mi were also standing at the edge of the sacred martial field, each with a different expression on their faces.
Zhang Ruochen suppressed the emotions in his heart for the moment, slowly separated from Mu Lingxi, and fixed his gaze on Feng Yan. "Who exactly are you, sir?"
"Let me introduce myself again. I am Feng Yan, a first-class disciple of the Truth Divine Temple. Zhang Ruochen, I've been waiting for you here for three days. How about we sit down and talk?"
A smile always hung on Feng Yan's face.
Zhang Ruochen sensed no hostility from Feng Yan, and the cultivators from Guanghan Realm were also being treated as honored guests. So, he nodded and followed Feng Yan to a bamboo pavilion.
Two maidservants in flowing white robes came forward with a jug of wine and filled the cups for Zhang Ruochen and Feng Yan.
"Knowing that you are a lover of wine, I specially went to the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market to bid on a pot of 'Fairy Scattering Flowers.' This Fairy Scattering Flowers wine is brewed by the Hundred Flowers Fairy, Ji Fanxin, using the petals of a hundred kinds of sacred flowers. Its value is immeasurable," Feng Yan said with a smile.
The aroma of wine spread out, fresh and elegant.
In the air, thousands of colorful flowers bloomed, their petals crystal clear, dancing with the gentle breeze, truly like the scene of a fairy scattering flowers.
Clearly, Feng Yan knew that Zhang Ruochen possessed the Dragon Spirit Mad Cow Wine, so he assumed Zhang Ruochen had a special fondness for wine.
"A lover of wine?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Unfortunately, I am not a lover of wine. If I could avoid it, I wouldn't even want a single drop."
"Is that so?"
Feng Yan immediately waved his hand, instructing the maidservants to take away the "Fairy Scattering Flowers" and then summoned a pot of clear tea.
Zhang Ruochen merely lifted the teacup and took a small sip, knowing that this pot of tea was extraordinary. It could help cultivators comprehend the sacred path and was undoubtedly as priceless as the "Fairy Scattering Flowers."
"Whether it was that pot of wine just now or this pot of tea now, neither is something an ordinary cultivator could obtain. The power behind this Feng Yan must be immense. He might even come from an ancient clan with a god," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I'm curious, can a first-class disciple of the Truth Divine Temple own a sacred island near the temple?"
Feng Yan shook his head. "It's not that easy. The owner of this sacred island is actually my elder sister. She is a divine disciple of the Truth Divine Temple, with a status far higher than mine."
"I see," Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Yan said, "Actually, the main reason I invited Brother Zhang here today is to make friends with you."
"Friends? Why? We don't seem to have had any previous interactions," Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Yan smiled. "Making friends depends on mood and affinity, without any other purpose. Brother Zhang has been cultivating in the Truth Divine Temple for thirteen days now. What do you think of the cultivation environment there?"
"Excellent," Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Yan continued, "But Brother Zhang only has one month of cultivation time, and you've already used up a small portion of it. Don't you want more cultivation time?"
"Are you trying to recruit me into the Truth Divine Temple?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"No."
Feng Yan shook his head. "I've already said, I never make friends with any other purpose. Even if I did, I would say it directly, not beat around the bush like this. Besides, even if Brother Zhang intended to join the Truth Divine Temple, I would advise you not to do so."
"Why?"
Zhang Ruochen looked somewhat surprised.
Feng Yan said, "Zhang Ruochen has been in the Truth Heaven Domain for some time now and should have seen the harsh environment here. In reality, the competition among the disciples of the Truth Divine Temple is even more brutal. Moreover, even for disciples of the Truth Divine Temple, entering the temple to cultivate is no easy task."
In truth, Zhang Ruochen wasn't particularly eager to join the Truth Divine Temple, so he didn't press further.
"Then how can I obtain more cultivation time?" Zhang Ruochen asked the question he cared about most.
Feng Yan said, "There are two methods."
"First, every month, the Truth Divine Temple assigns various tasks. For example, going to the Merit Battlefield to hunt a cultivator from the Hell Realm, searching for a rare sacred medicine, or traveling to some undeveloped primordial world to teach cultivation methods... and so on."
"Second, about eight thousand miles away from the Truth Divine Temple, there is the Sea of Truth. It has ten layers of sea territory. Crossing the first layer grants one month of cultivation time. Crossing the second layer grants two months. Crossing the third layer grants four months... and so on, doubling each time. If you can cross all ten layers, you would gain eighty-five years and three months of cultivation time."
Zhang Ruochen had heard about the "Sea of Truth" before coming, but hearing Feng Yan explain the benefits in detail still made his heart tremble slightly.
After all, every day of cultivation in the Truth Divine Temple was incredibly precious. If one could cultivate there for eighty-five years and three months, even a cultivator with very ordinary talent could probably reach the Great Saint realm.
Who wouldn't be tempted?
However, Zhang Ruochen was only tempted for a moment before quickly calming down. "Crossing ten layers of sea territory must be extremely difficult, right?"
Seeing Zhang Ruochen remain calm and composed, Feng Yan secretly admired him. "Miss Lingxi, Palace Master Ling, and the friends from Guanghan Realm have all tried it. Perhaps they can tell you the answer."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "How many layers did all of you cross?"
"How many layers? Zhang Ruochen, do you think the Sea of Truth is that easy to cross? None of the five of us crossed the first layer. Only Palace Master Ling reached the checkpoint of the first layer. The other four fell into the sea midway," Su Qingling said, rolling her eyes, feeling that Zhang Ruochen was underestimating the difficulty of the Sea of Truth.
Zhang Ruochen was secretly shocked.
After all, these few were the top talents of their respective worlds, born from billions of living beings. Yet, none of them could cross the first layer.
Ling Feiyu was a sword path prodigy. Even in the Kunlun Realm, where sacred path rules were severely lacking, she had managed to reach the Saint King realm. Yet even she had failed.
This wasn't just difficult; it was practically hopeless.
"Take me there. I'll give it a try."
Zhang Ruochen had developed a strong interest in the Sea of Truth.
After all, crossing the first layer would grant a month of cultivation time. He had to at least give it a shot.
"Alright."
Feng Yan sent out a message light talisman. Soon, a cloud boat arrived at the edge of Kongling Island to pick up Zhang Ruochen and the others and head toward the Sea of Truth.
The owner of Kongling Island, Feng Xi, a divine disciple of the Truth Divine Temple, was sitting in the sacred hall, playing a game of chess with a man in a Daoist robe.
Feng Xi wore a robe embroidered with cranes and blue sky, a veil covering her face, giving her an ethereal and transcendent aura. As she played, she said, "You've seen him now. Did he disappoint you?"
"Not bad. He's not an arrogant person. Before coming, I saw his performance in the Ancestral Spirit Realm and heard about his massacre at the Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dojo. I was a bit worried that his killing intent was too heavy and his temperament too violent," the Daoist-robed man said calmly.
Feng Xi said, "Why not approach him yourself? Why use me as the intermediary?"
"It's not the time yet. I need to observe a bit more. Besides, if Shang Zihong knew I had come to the Truth Heaven Domain, the stakes he would bring to the table would be more than ten times what they are now. Then it would become a conflict between him and me, and what would be the point?" the Daoist-robed man said.
Feng Xi said, "In the end, your Daoist lineage is still watching and doesn't have much confidence in him."
The Daoist-robed man paused, carefully studying the pieces on the chessboard, and said slowly, "If the Daoist lineage is to help him, he must first show enough strength. Otherwise, who would be willing to easily offend the top-ranked great world of the Western Universe, the Paradise Realm?"
Feng Xi also paused. "Since you want to continue observing, should we go to the Sea of Truth and see his performance?"
"Cultivating in the temple for thirteen days and then going to cross the Sea of Truth—will there be any result?" the Daoist-robed man seemed to be asking himself.
Feng Xi said, "Even if he can't cross the first layer, just watching how long he can hold out at the checkpoint will give us a preliminary assessment of his potential, comprehension, and strength."
The Daoist-robed man smiled slightly. "I get the feeling you're also quite interested in him."
"The Heir of Time and Space, number one on the Sacred Merit Ranking, the fiancé of a god—any one of these identities is enough to spark my interest," Feng Xi said without any emotion.
"It seems this game of chess will have to wait until later to continue," the Daoist-robed man said.
A moment later, Feng Xi and the Daoist-robed man turned into two streaks of light, flew out of Kongling Island, and headed straight for the Sea of Truth.
...
On the shore of the Sea of Truth, a large number of Saint realm cultivators had gathered, all coming to cross the sea in hopes of gaining more cultivation time.
Zhang Ruochen stepped off the cloud boat and looked out at the sea. The sea area displayed ten different colors, with a layer of light curtain between each two-colored sea area.
Roughly estimating, Zhang Ruochen found that there were as many as two to three thousand cultivators gathered on the shore.
Among them, Zhang Ruochen saw some familiar figures: the Spiritual Flame Demon Consort from the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm, the East Stream Sword Venerable from the Purple Mansion Realm. There were also several cultivators from the Kunlun Realm: Wan Zhaoyi, Chen Wutian, Master Heart Technique, the Unattainable Monk, and Pei Yutian. All five from the "Heroes Ode" had arrived.
Spotting Zhang Ruochen, the Spiritual Flame Demon Consort revealed a charming smile and flew straight over. "Zhang Ruochen, you've finally come to the Sea of Truth. Do you have the confidence to cross the first layer?"
"I've heard it's very difficult," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Indeed, it's very difficult. The first layer is thirty miles wide. I only made it to the twenty-second mile before falling into the sea. I didn't even touch the checkpoint of the first layer. They say breaking through the checkpoint is several times harder than just reaching it," the Spiritual Flame Demon Consort sighed.
Before Zhang Ruochen appeared, the Spiritual Flame Demon Consort was the only genius from the Shatuo Heaven Domain to enter the Sacred Merit Ranking, with talent surpassing even Wu Hao and the East Stream Sword Venerable.
With her strength, she had only made it to the twenty-second mile.
"However, I've only cultivated in the Truth Divine Temple for half a month. I still have opportunities in the future. After returning to the dojo to cultivate for a year, I'll come back to cross the sea. Maybe I'll have a chance then," the Spiritual Flame Demon Consort said.
Just then, a roar like a tsunami of exclamations rose from the shore: "The Divine Son Wang Xu has broken through the checkpoint of the fourth layer and entered the fifth layer!"
Zhang Ruochen immediately looked toward the fifth layer of the sea and indeed saw a man in black robes steering a Truth Boat, slowly sailing forward.