A reward for winning a Comparison?!
Xiao Qingluan's eyes lit up instantly.
But then, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind. What if she failed the Comparison?
As if sensing her thoughts, the Yin-Yang Celestial Ruler trembled, and a new stream of information appeared: [If the Comparison is lost, the loser will be punished to serve the victor. If the victor is satisfied with the service, the loser may receive a compensatory subsidy!]
What?
Serve the victor?
She, a once-peerless empress, was to serve another?
But upon reflection, she understood. In this world, the strong devoured the weak. It was the natural order. There was nothing unjust about the weak serving the strong.
"My strength has not yet recovered. To rapidly advance my cultivation, some sacrifices are unavoidable! This Yin-Yang Celestial Ruler is profoundly mysterious; it must be a true Immortal Weapon. If I can master it, I might be able to reclaim my former peak in far less than three hundred years!"
Xiao Qingluan took a deep breath, her eyes burning with anticipation.
Bring it on.
Let's see who my first Comparison opponent will be.
[The Yin-Yang Celestial Ruler's first selected Comparison target is...]
[Jade Bamboo Peak's Senior Brother, Chen Ye!]
[The first Comparison will commence in one month!]
[The Comparison target will not change until a victory is achieved!]
The Celestial Ruler imparted the final pieces of information.
Xiao Qingluan's eyes widened, and then she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
Chen Ye?
Her useless, still-in-the-Qi-Gathering-realm senior brother?!
Hahaha…
Wasn't this a guaranteed victory?
She didn't even need a month. She could crush him right now!
"The selection algorithm of this Celestial Ruler needs some work. How can Chen Ye possibly be a match for me?"
"He has a mortal physique; I possess the Phoenix Holy Body!"
"He is just an ordinary man. Besides being handsome and a good cook, how can he compare to me, a reincarnated empress?"
"Celestial Ruler, oh Celestial Ruler, if you wanted to gift me a reward, you could have just said so. Why go through all this trouble?" Xiao Qingluan shook her head, a smug smile playing on her lips.
She felt the victory was already hers.
She was already eagerly anticipating the rewards she would receive in a month's time.
"First, I must cultivate!"
Xiao Qingluan took a deep breath and focused her mind.
She was currently practicing a technique called the [Azure Cloud Art]. It was the most common, foundational technique in the Azure Cloud Sect.
It contained seven levels in total.
Each level corresponded to a major breakthrough in cultivation realms.
In other words, by mastering the seventh level of the [Azure Cloud Art], one could reach the Divine Sea realm. At that level, one was qualified to be an elder within the Azure Cloud Sect!
The Martial Sovereign realm beyond that was considered a true powerhouse across the entire Myriad Dao Continent. Even within the Azure Cloud Sect, there were only a handful.
The reason Xiao Qingluan practiced this technique wasn't a lack of superior options, but a matter of practicality. As a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, it would be suspicious not to practice its core art.
If she revealed her other techniques, she could easily be accused of being a spy. Moreover, her most powerful art, the Emperor Scripture she personally created in her past life, required one to reach the Saint realm before it could even be attempted.
She was still a long, long way from that.
Since she couldn't practice her Emperor Scripture yet, it made little difference what she used in the interim. They were all temporary tools to raise her cultivation.
Besides, the [Azure Cloud Art] wasn't bad. On the Myriad Dao Continent, it was considered a first-class technique.
"First, I'll use the Azure Cloud Art to reach the Divine Sea realm. Then I will switch to other arts to cultivate to the Saint realm, and finally, I will practice my ultimate Emperor Scripture!"
Xiao Qingluan had her entire path planned out.
She believed that with the aid of the Yin-Yang Celestial Ruler, it wouldn't take long to achieve her goals. Filled with renewed vigor, she began to cultivate!
She sat cross-legged, her internal energy circulating.
The ambient spiritual energy of Jade Bamboo Peak began to converge on her like a whirlpool.
Her cultivation began to rise as the full power of her Phoenix Holy Body was unleashed. Her efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy was more than ten times that of any other disciple practicing the same art. It was terrifying!
On Jade Bamboo Peak, inside Shen Ziling's cave residence, the half-step Transcendent master was sleeping soundly, spread-eagled on her jade bed. A small, luminescent bubble gently rose and fell with her breath.
Suddenly, she sensed a faint disturbance. The bubble popped. She opened her drowsy, silver eyes and glanced towards Xiao Qingluan's newly built hut. A hint of surprise flickered in her gaze as she murmured, "The Phoenix Holy Body certainly has its merits."
Then, her gaze drifted to Chen Ye's hut.
After washing the dishes, he had also flopped onto his bed for a nap. The empty wine gourd lay beside him, a clear sign he had drunk himself to sleep.
She let out a soft yawn. "This one is as hopeless as I am."
Then, she pulled the silken quilt over herself and fell back into a deep slumber.
Across the entirety of Jade Bamboo Peak, only Xiao Qingluan was cultivating diligently.
The next day, as dawn broke.
Xiao Qingluan concluded her night of cultivation.
In just a single night, her cultivation had advanced once again, soaring directly from the first level of True Qi to the second level!
Below the Transcendent realm, each major realm was divided into nine minor levels.
For an ordinary cultivator, advancing from the first to the second level of True Qi would take months of arduous training. Xiao Qingluan had done it overnight.
The power of the Phoenix Holy Body was on full display.
Xiao Qingluan was immensely satisfied with her progress. "With this rate of advancement, how can Chen Ye possibly compete with me in a month?"
Her confidence was absolute.
When she thought about Chen Ye becoming the stepping stone for her rise, she couldn't help but feel a sliver of pity. "In any case, he is my senior brother in name. Though his talent is lacking, his cooking is still quite good... When I return to my peak, I shall grant him the honor of being my personal, royal chef!"
To become the empress's personal chef...
This was undoubtedly the highest honor in the culinary world. It was a single step to heaven!
Even a Martial Sovereign might fight tooth and nail for such a position.
Meanwhile.
Chen Ye had just slept until the sun was up.
Suddenly.
The system's prompt rang in his mind.
[Ding! After one night of cultivation, Xiao Qingluan has advanced from the first level of True Qi to the second level of True Qi! System feedback commencing!]
[Ding! As this is the Host's first feedback, a special SUPER FEEDBACK bonus is being rewarded!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for breaking through six major realms and directly ascending to the Divine Sea Realm!]
The system prompts chimed one after another.
Chen Ye felt a torrent of power erupt within his dantian. The faint wisp of Qi Gathering energy instantly transformed into roaring True Qi.
Before he could even process it, the True Qi condensed into a gushing Spirit Spring.
In the next instant, the spring solidified, compressing into a gleaming Golden Core!
A mysterious power pulsed from the core, and with a resounding CRACK, it shattered!
The majestic force swept through his limbs and meridians, transforming into a nascent soul within his body—Soul Formation! That shattered in turn, ripping open space and creating a vast inner world—Void Shattering!
And it wasn't over.
Within that inner world, boundless energy surged, coalescing into a boundless ocean of spiritual power that flooded his mind!
Divine consciousness was born!
The Divine Sea Realm!!
From Qi Gathering to True Qi, then climbing all the way through Spirit Spring, Golden Core, Soul Formation, and Void Shattering, to land directly in... the Divine Sea Realm!
Chen Ye was completely stupefied throughout the entire process.
Are you kidding me?
She only advanced from True Qi level one to True Qi level two...
And you blasted me directly from Qi Gathering to the Divine Sea Realm?!
That's six major realms in a single jump!
System, ARE YOU CRAZY?!