Chapter 658: Master-disciple dialogue

On the flying boat, Li Qi was drinking tea with Zhu Fengdan.

This guy, the Little Heavenly Master, truly held back. While the Rock Rhyme Tea was good, the difference compared to this one was truly immense.

Li Qi even felt his cultivation improve, and at the same time, a pure Dao Resonance began to spread throughout his body.

This Dao Resonance had no aggressive properties and was dissipating, seemingly unable to exist for long, perhaps returning to the tea tree.

But the process of its dissipation also made Li Qi's body feel a special sense of pressure.

This pressure wasn't uncomfortable; it felt like… it felt like… a massage?

Yes, it was a massage, a relaxing and soothing pressure, followed by relaxation. The Dao struggles within Li Qi's body seemed to have calmed down significantly.

"Is this… what Dao Orthodoxy considers the 'Ultimate Dao'?" Li Qi finished this cup of tea, feeling that the Dao struggles within his body had relaxed considerably, and all Dao Orthodoxy seemed to have quieted down.

"En, the afterglow of the Great Dao. Isn't it wonderful? It uses tea leaves to simulate the existence of the Ultimate Dao. Although it has its shortcomings, it's very impressive as an experience and for tasting," Zhu Fengdan said to Li Qi with a smile.

"Master, you suddenly came to me. Is it because of that Ordained Invoker mission?" Li Qi didn't waste words but directly got to the point.

Compared to exchanging pleasantries with Zhu Fengdan, it was better to honestly ask about the mission.

"Hmm, it's about that. I need to tell you in advance that once you enter, it will take you about a hundred years to come out. Of course, this refers to a hundred years in the outside world," Zhu Fengdan said.

As he spoke, he laid out a pile of dishes, all high-grade delicacies: "Don't just talk, eat first. We can talk while we eat."

Li Qi was not polite. With a movement of his hands, his Inner World materialized chopsticks. He picked up a slice of Kunpeng sashimi, put it in his mouth, savoring it and digesting the precious Qi within, then continued, "A hundred years outside means the time inside will be longer. Is it a special flow of time?"

"En, it can't be considered a special flow of time, but it can probably reach one to ten thousand?" Zhu Fengdan calculated.

Li Qi immediately spat it out with a 'poof'.

"How much?!" he shouted loudly, staring at his Master with wide eyes, his face full of disbelief.

Are you kidding? One to ten thousand!? That means he has to stay inside for a million years!?

Will he even be alive when he comes out? He'll die, won't he?

"Hey, hey, hey, this is the sharpest part of the Kunpeng's belly, and it's very expensive." Zhu Fengdan looked at the fish slice Li Qi had spat out with a pained expression, as if he wanted to pick it up and eat it, but was too embarrassed, hesitating and conflicted.

Li Qi, however, ignored all that and immediately said, "Master, you want me to stay inside for a million years? Are you serious? I'm only a little over a thousand years old! Even counting the time I've rewound, I'm not even nine thousand. Are you kidding me? If that's the case, I might not be able to complete this mission. It's not me slacking off; it's simply too outrageous."

Zhu Fengdan, however, said, "Don't worry, I'm estimating based on the worst-case scenario. In the absolute worst-case scenario, you'll be out in a hundred years."

"No, even staying for ten thousand years is more than I can bear!" Li Qi couldn't help but retort.

"Don't be so anxious. Throughout the entire process, you will only have the memory of your successful attempt, so it won't be too painful," Zhu Fengdan explained.

"Hey, Master, isn't it a bit bad for you to directly say 'tampering with memories'?" Li Qi glanced at the table.

"It's good for you. If you repeat it hundreds of millions of times, can you bear it? It's better to delete it. Just treat it as a dream, and having an impression is enough. Insisting on remembering it, isn't that just asking for trouble?" Zhu Fengdan said with a smile.

"I cannot accept that. Memory is part of self-continuity," Li Qi retorted.

"Do you still remember things before you were three years old? Was the 'you' before three years old not you?" Zhu Fengdan said casually, then picked up a chopstickful of Spiritual Mushroom, which was full of vitality and suffused with the Qi of mountains and marshes, causing his chopsticks to sprout.

Then, he shrugged easily: "Alright, don't be so anxious. Memory is something that comes and goes. I can't even claim to remember everything that has happened. After so many years, some things are bound to be forgotten. Why hold onto this so tightly? It's meaningless."

But Li Qi was surprisingly persistent in this regard. He shook his head, put down his chopsticks, placed his hands on his knees, straightened his body, and said, "No, memories must be preserved. I can do the mission, but erasing memories… I cannot accept that."

"Whatever makes you happy. It's just that if you keep your memories, you'll still have to do this, and it will be very painful." Zhu Fengdan's tone also became a little more serious: "You can't refuse this. To get you to take this mission, your Master here has paid a great price. If you abandon it, I'll tie you up and drag you there."

Li Qi, of course, understood this. Zhu Fengdan's personal arrival and the 'Alliance' order had already made him realize that this matter was certainly not simple.

His choice was like undergoing surgery without anesthesia.

But he truly couldn't accept having his memories erased, mainly because the duration was too long.

Memories before the age of three could be said to be from a time when one was too young to remember, but this—if all memories from a million years inside were gone, and if Li Qi truly could come out, wouldn't that mean… 99% of his memories to date would be deleted?

If a person's memories were deleted by 99%, what would become of them?

So Li Qi couldn't accept it.

And Zhu Fengdan clearly saw Li Qi's thoughts.

So, he shook his head, not caring: "Alright, you choose. I won't interfere. If you want to keep your memories, then keep them. Just don't come crying to me to help you Seal your memories then."

"That's good. Thank you, Master." Li Qi nodded. In fact, he also knew that Zhu Fengdan would most likely not refuse him.

Zhu Fengdan inherently disliked arranging things for others.

Thinking this, Li Qi suddenly remembered something: "Master… By the way, can I ask you something?"

"You've already asked," Zhu Fengdan said, looking at Li Qi and pouting.

This little scoundrel was intentionally revealing his thoughts for him to see.

Li Qi's heart was currently pondering Zhu Fengdan's cultivation.

"Alright, anyway, you're about to do something big, so there's no harm in telling you now. Ask whatever you want, I'll answer while I'm still at the dinner table. Once I'm done eating and the table is cleared, I won't be accompanying you," Zhu Fengdan said, then tapped his chopsticks on the table, aligning them, and began to pick up food.

Li Qi was not polite and immediately said, "Then, Master, can you tell me about the highest cultivation you've reached?"

"Stepped into Second Grade, then dismantled my Dao foundation myself, which is how I am now," Zhu Fengdan said very casually.

"Why did you dismantle your Dao foundation? Did you take the wrong path?" Li Qi asked again.

His questions were simple and direct, clearly intending to analyze Zhu Fengdan's specific situation and then guess what was truly behind this matter.

"I didn't take the wrong path; I just didn't like it," Zhu Fengdan said calmly, as if chatting about daily life.

Li Qi also had no particular tone, just like a family member asking at the dinner table where someone went to work: "Hmm… arranged by Providence? Displeased?"

This guess made Zhu Fengdan raise an eyebrow.

Because Li Qi didn't know about this matter. Where did he guess it from?

"How did you guess?" He didn't deny it but asked curiously.

"Hmm… a feeling? Just a feeling. Nothing seems to be able to stop you, unless you found out you were deceived before?" Li Qi said.

"Hahaha, as expected of my disciple, so smart. Your cleverness sometimes makes people quite annoyed, but it's not entirely without merit." Zhu Fengdan laughed heartily, seemingly very pleased.

"So it's true? You were really arranged by Ancestral Master… it should be Ancestral Master, right? Arranged by Ancestral Master?" Li Qi immediately pressed.

"More or less. Anyway, it was for my own good, but as I just said, I didn't like it. Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. So I never gave you a particularly quiet environment. What, you don't blame me, do you?" Zhu Fengdan said with a smile.

"How could I?" Li Qi chuckled and shook his head: "Perhaps I had some complaints before, but now, what is there to not understand? It's just that my luck was truly not very good."

There was nothing to resent. What Zhu Fengdan had done was also what he had wanted.

Growing freely, rather than being guided step by step. Zhu Fengdan had never used his ability to manipulate Karma, as if he had fundamentally abolished one of the classic characteristics of a Third Grade being.

A normal Third Grade being possesses the ability to manipulate Karma and control 'probability,' but Zhu Fengdan had never displayed such abilities. And now that Li Qi stood before him, he could clearly perceive this point.

Li Qi currently possessed some Third Grade characteristics. He could even sense the threads of Karma and manipulate a tiny bit of Karma, reaching a level akin to Providence, and he had used this move to defeat Liu Junyi in the Vanguard Battle.

However, there was no reaction from the threads of Karma on Zhu Fengdan's body; he couldn't even sense that unshakeable 'heaviness'.

It was as if… this person didn't exist.

If a person has no Karma, then they naturally don't exist, but Zhu Fengdan was different.

Was this intentional, or… some kind of price?

"You are indeed unlucky. Few people are as unlucky as you, but it can also be considered a blessing in disguise," Zhu Fengdan answered casually.

Having received the answer he wanted, Li Qi then opened another topic: "Then… next question, Master, where are you sending me this time, and what is the mission?"

"It's very simple, something a Invoker should do: communicate and interact with others," Zhu Fengdan said.

"What do you mean? Why choose me then? Also, how can such a thing take a million years?" Li Qi frowned.

"It's very simple. The place you're going has a bit of a problem. The place you're going is a First Grade world," Zhu Fengdan explained: "Even in the entire Outer Domain, First Grade worlds are not many. Even for me, that's not a place where I can easily come and go."

Li Qi took a deep breath, then picked up a chopstickful of snow bamboo shoots, chewing rapidly, trying to distract himself.

But the snow bamboo shoots were crisp and tender, melting into a rich Spiritual Qi in his mouth after two chews, offering no distraction at all. He could only close his eyes and meditate for a while.

Zhu Fengdan ignored him and just ate.

After a while, Li Qi finally calmed down, not losing his composure, and continued, "What kind of First Grade world? Is it very dangerous? Why not send Grand Invoker there? Why choose someone like me?"

Zhu Fengdan waved his hand, and a light screen unfolded, displaying the appearance of that world in a three-dimensional, pictorial form: "That world, they call themselves Immortal Heaven, so we call it the Immortal Heaven Realm. If you go, remember not to use the word 'Realm'; they don't like that term and consider us useless outsiders. They are quite isolated, only having some simple contact with Dao Orthodoxy, but they still believe Dao Orthodoxy has gone astray."

"Because of this, most beings above Third Grade are not very welcome there. Although they also don't like to wander in the Outer Domain, spending most of their time cultivating within their own world, it is, after all, a First Grade world… that's very, very large, and it's enough for them to survive."

Li Qi carefully watched the light screen, listening to Zhu Fengdan speak while reading the information on it.

The information was stored in the light screen in the form of book Qi, so the information density was very high, and the description was very detailed.

Immortal Heaven, a world where Dao of Heaven’s Evolution and Dao Orthodoxy's carefree path coexist.

Unlike the vibrant life of the Outer Domain and the orderly nature of the world, the world calling itself Immortal Heaven is a rather brutal place. The cultivators at the bottom have no concept of the 'Dao' whatsoever. They cultivate not to pursue the Dao, but to survive.

Yes, to survive, because they all live in extremely terrifying competition. Everything is like animals: survival of the fittest, survival of the strong.

In Immortal Heaven, the world itself is divided into three layers.

The lowest layer is called the Mortal Realm. Here, all cultivators are below Seventh Grade, and it is the most cruel and intense place of competition. The primary social structure consists of 'Gangs' called 'Sects'. Sects gather together not for a common vision or shared goals like in the world, but purely because grouping together increases their survival rate.

Sects in the world, such as the Orthodox Sword Palace that Li Qi knows, all share the same vision and recognized ways of doing things. Everyone gathers together for this goal.

But Immortal Heaven is different. Their Sects are merely gathered together. Internally, there are even various struggles, power grabs, and open and covert conflicts, so Sects often collapse and then reorganize, with extremely rapid turnover.

Again, compared to Sects, these are more like Gangs, and even the inferior kind of Gangs, because even Gangs have rules and codes to follow. These Gangs don't even have that. Everything is free competition. People are like wild beasts; cultivation is only to gain sharper claws and teeth to survive.

But upon reaching Seventh Grade, they undergo a transformation.

Called 'Attracting Ascension'.