Chapter 689: Foreshadowing

Li Qi glanced at the Utmost Person beside him.

His heart sank.

The malice from the Immortal Heaven had disappeared, but it was replaced by the other party's gaze.

Clearly, this Utmost Person had heard their conversation.

Oh my, just kill me!

Although the other party had dropped in Rank, with the Immortal Heaven having consumed his Dao, he still possessed the gaze and insight a Third Grade should have, and his understanding of Dao had not weakened.

In other words, this was like the situation when the rabbit dropped in Rank; at that time, the rabbit, at Eighth Grade, could create Formations capable of countering a Seventh Grade, and single-handedly repelled most of the Eighth Grades from an entire city...

Now, Li Qi was supposed to fight someone like that?

"Wait a moment," Zhu Fengdan raised her hand again at this point. "Can I have some time before the match?"

"Teacher!?" Li Qi turned his head to look, dumbfounded.

What 'before the match'? Are you really going to make me fight a Third Grade?

How could I possibly win!?

Unfortunately, Zhu Fengdan couldn't hear him. Li Qi was currently in a state of Dao Integration; although he maintained his consciousness, he couldn't escape the Immortal Heaven at all, much less transmit messages freely.

There was just one problem.

Why could Li Qi still maintain his consciousness after Dao Integration?

Li Qi himself hadn't even realized this problem; he still thought he hadn't integrated with the Dao.

After all, he had never integrated with the Dao before. Although he had consumed others, was being a tiger and being meat the same experience?

Zhu Fengdan didn't hear Li Qi's words but continued to speak to the Immortal Heaven: "I want to say a few words to my disciple. After all, you see, the gap in your challenge is a bit too large."

"I know you want to clarify, after learning about our Dao Orthodoxy, whether we are stronger or the Human Dao is stronger, so you can make a choice. After all, you only want to follow the stronger side. It's just... at this time, isn't it when the true foundation is revealed?" Zhu Fengdan said to the Immortal Heaven.

Li Qi didn't know the other party's background, but Zhu Fengdan did.

The Immortal Heaven, a First Grade World Heavenly Dao that had awakened, had no Dao-seeking behavior. It was extremely intelligent and could quickly master almost all methods, but it had always found Dao Orthodoxy difficult to understand.

This was a beast that devoured civilizations, immortal and indestructible. Unbeknownst to anyone, it took the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution as its path, everything just for survival and greater strength.

Therefore, the topic of strength interested the other party more.

Thus, the Immortal Heaven acquiesced.

Zhu Fengdan was able to successfully enter the Immortal Heaven' body.

"Yo~, disciple, how are you?" Zhu Fengdan patted Li Qi.

Li Qi had a Sima-like expression, looking at Zhu Fengdan with lifeless, dead-fish eyes of utter despair.

"Haha, you still look very energetic! Your consciousness is quite resilient. Twenty-five billion Reincarnations, plus the suppression of First Grade Qi and the prospect of facing a Third Grade, haven't managed to break you down. You truly are my disciple!" Zhu Fengdan laughed heartily.

Li Qi, on the other hand, took a deep breath, then sighed deeply.

Regret.

He regretted not listening to his teacher back then. If only he could erase his memories, but he definitely couldn't erase them now, something bad would happen.

"Regretting it now? I told you, how could I harm you? Now that you think about it, I'm asking you to face a Third Grade who has dropped in Rank. Do you think I would let you have no chance of winning?" Zhu Fengdan sat down in front of Li Qi and said casually.

"Teacher has a surefire way to win?!" Li Qi's spirits lifted.

"No," Zhu Fengdan unhesitatingly poured a bucket of cold water on Li Qi.

Zhu Fengdan herself didn't have a surefire way to win against someone who was once a Third Grade, let alone teach Li Qi.

"Then that's nonsense. If you want to fight, you go. I'm not going." Li Qi simply gave up, imitating Zhu Fengdan's actions, and lay back.

He wasn't playing anymore. If Zhu Fengdan hadn't counted, he wouldn't have known he had Reincarnated twenty-five billion times.

If you have the guts, just kill me and let me be reborn. The amnesia from being in the womb might not be a bad thing.

"Are you really not going? You haven't gone stupid from Reincarnation, have you? Raise your hand and look at yourself now." Zhu Fengdan poked Li Qi's shoulder.

Li Qi raised his hand in confusion. However, his stiff and numb consciousness suddenly became active, and a powerful force, a force capable of controlling Heaven and Earth, surged from within him.

He... was Fourth Grade.

When did that happen?

Moreover, he seemed to have also acquired the characteristics of a Fourth Grade, which is, under normal circumstances, the pinnacle of all Cultivation.

"Ha, you fool, forgotten? You are currently integrated with the Immortal Heaven!" Zhu Fengdan laughed heartily, then reminded Li Qi.

Li Qi's stiff consciousness became active.

Yes, Li Qi had integrated with the Dao before.

Who still remembered... that the Dao Integration Realm was actually the Fourth Grade of the Immortal Heaven.

Li Qi reached Fourth Grade through Dao Integration, and that Utmost Person also passed through Dao Integration; his Dao was encroached upon, and he naturally also reached Fourth Grade.

Now, at least in terms of Cultivation, both sides were at the same Rank.

"Teacher, was this also part of your plan? Wait, then how do I get out of this state?" Li Qi immediately reacted.

It was already strange that Dao Integration could maintain consciousness; was there any precedent for wanting to break free?

"If the Immortal Heaven lets you go, won't you be out? Defeat him, and the Immortal Heaven will definitely let you pass. I bought you some time to get familiar with your Fourth Grade power, even if it's temporary," Zhu Fengdan said.

Dao Integration is Fourth Grade; naturally, once separated, it won't be. However... this is a rare opportunity; there won't be a second Immortal Heaven, and other First Grades wouldn't be this idle.

After saying this, Li Qi closed his eyes and began to review his power from scratch.

From Ninth Grade to the Third Grade he understood.

The Ninth Grade ranking method was created by a Great Power. This Great Power, with extraordinary wisdom and perseverance, observed countless Dao Orthodoxy and summarized an unknown number of cultivation methods, finally establishing a grading System. According to the characteristics of Cultivation, all Dao Orthodoxy and all Cultivation methods in all Heaven and Earth were unified, allowing the same method to judge a person's Cultivation Rank.

Those not in Rank were bizarre and varied, but their common characteristic was weakness. As long as you were weak enough, you were not in Rank.

The common characteristic of Ninth Grade was stepping into Cultivation. They could manipulate Qi to influence the material world. Generally speaking, possessing the ability to manipulate Qi, no matter how, whether through self-Cultivation, creating machinery, or utilizing parasitic organisms, could be considered Ninth Grade.

Upon reaching Eighth Grade, Cultivation must have a System. At this point, even those from self-developing small Worlds could clearly distinguish their characteristics. From this point on, cultivators began to possess personal styles; this was the precursor stage to their Dao path. Here, they needed to find their own path.

Seventh Grade, attaining Longevity. Because one desires to seek the Dao, a long lifespan is indispensable. Without this, you can never join the Ranks of Dao-seekers, no matter how powerful you are, even if an Eighth Grade can kill a Sixth Grade. But without Longevity, others will outlive you, and no matter how strong you are, it's merely an illusion.

Such things are quite common. In some backward Worlds, Long-lived beings can easily outlive people stronger than themselves. If the opponent was too strong when young, they would find a place to hide and wait until they grew old to seek revenge, taking advantage of their declining Qi and blood. This is the benefit of Longevity.

Moving up to Sixth Grade, at this stage, generally speaking, after a long life, experiences, contemplation, and accumulating enough experience and wisdom, cultivators will understand their Dao path and clarify the path they wish to walk.

Once the Dao path is clear, you can use this to add to your Cultivation. At this stage, the journey of seeking the Dao officially begins. You can easily observe a person's Cultivation to determine if they are Sixth Grade.

Sixth Grade Cultivation is already quite terrifying. To contain such a degree of power within one's body requires a practical and feasible Great Dao and Dao Heart for maintenance, just like a nation must have a viable System to operate, otherwise it will fall into chaos and then split.

If a nation splits, it merely becomes smaller countries. If a person's Cultivation splits, that's self-destruction. So, people without a clear Dao path cannot reach this stage, unless they are naturally Sixth Grade, with a Great Dao formed within them.

Therefore, to confirm a Sixth Grade, one only needs to observe the opponent's Cultivation. As long as the Cultivation reaches that boundary, it must be Sixth Grade.

Fifth Grade, which is how Li Qi is now, will possess the unique characteristics of Dao Orthodoxy. For example, Shamanes have the Inner World that turns Void into reality.

These characteristics vary, but their commonality is that they are realized through one's own Dao path's understanding of the World. They all represent a certain Dao path's interpretation of the World, and through this interpretation, they construct their own World, achieving a unity of subjective and objective.

A Fifth Grade Human Dao can use its own rules to bind this Universe, while a Shaman creates a World belonging to herself. Shen Shuibi and Yang Ning, this pair of black and white rabbits, can make themselves the center of space-time, and even manipulate the opponent's coordinate axis and the flow rate of space-time. These all represent their understanding of the World and their ability to change the World through this understanding.

This is also what Li Qi is doing now.

And upon reaching Fourth Grade, one will arrive at a higher, but not complex, situation, which is the strengthening of the interpretation of the World, and the pre-existence of substantiality.

Much has been discussed about what 'substantiality' means, but the pre-existence of substantiality stems from the foundation laid at Fourth Grade, which requires a prior explanation of Third Grade characteristics.

The characteristic of Third Grade is substantiality.

The Reality Universe itself possesses substantiality.

This means that if one possesses substantiality, then one's existence is equivalent to the entire Reality Universe.

This substantiality fundamentally originates from your Dao. For a Shaman, upon reaching this stage, their Dao is already sufficient to interpret a World and operate self-consistently. Then, you will no longer need the World itself; it can sustain itself.

It doesn't need any external things, just as the Universe itself doesn't need anything else to exist.

Mortals need various things to sustain themselves, such as relying on external physical rules, relying on weather Systems, and so on. These are all things rooted in the Reality Universe.

And what is the Reality Universe itself rooted in? That's right, it's the Dao of the Reality Universe.

This is the characteristic of Third Grade: completely constructing one's own Dao, relying on this Dao, this Law for survival. If the Dao is not extinguished, the body is not extinguished. The essence of Third Grade is completely identical to the Rank of the Reality Universe. Thus, Third Grade also produces its own completely independent objective substantiality.

He no longer relies on any external rules, nor does he submit to anything in the Reality Universe. For Mortals, a Third Grade is no different from a Creator.

This is: Self-existent, Eternally existent.

Existing independently, existing forever, able to live without relying on anything other than oneself, and even able to 'create Heaven,' which means opening up a 'Heaven' that is independent of this Universe.

All Heaven and Earth, their Worlds are actually within the boundless Void Realm, but 'Heaven' is not within the Void Realm, but outside of it. However, it is still within the Universe.

After all, the Universe is the collective term for all time and space. No matter if you are in the Void Realm, or even in another place similar to Outer Void, you are part of the Universe.

The Universe is everything; there is nothing beyond time. And a Third Grade, their very existence is on the same Rank as the Reality Universe, just not as ethereal as the concepts that support the Universe.

Fourth Grade is a weakened version of this point. The Dao Orthodoxy characteristics mastered by a Fifth Grade will be sublimated in Fourth Grade.

They do not have substantiality, but they are no longer bound by the Law of the Reality Universe. Their own Dao has not yet fully formed, insufficient to support them at the same Rank as the Reality Universe, but they are already clearly superior to other beings who must rely on the Laws of the Reality Universe to survive.

They are in an intermediate state.

And Li Qi is also like this. At this moment, with the power of the Immortal Heaven, he has escaped the shackles of the Reality Universe and is no longer affected by the physical Laws of the Reality Universe.

In other words...

The Heavenly Dao limit of the speed of light can no longer constrain him.

At this moment, Li Qi can break the speed of light without needing to modify the Heavenly Dao limit, although this would cause immense destruction and energy waste, and even injure himself, but it is simply possible.

Is this Fourth Grade!?

No wonder Zhu Fengdan and the others could zip around the Universe; they relied on this, didn't they?

Furthermore, he also discovered that the Dao dispute within him had subsided at this moment.

However, this result made him frown.

He integrated with the Heavenly Dao of the Immortal Heaven, and the Immortal Heaven' passage was part of the Dao Sect, plus the characteristics of another part of the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution. This led to Li Qi's Fourth Grade characteristic being that of the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution.

And the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution, as mentioned before, had no conflict with any Dao Orthodoxy.

This doesn't mean the Dao dispute ended; it only means that the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution suppressed all his Dao Orthodoxy, and Li Qi didn't approve of the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution, so he couldn't advance in this way.

Otherwise, his Dao path would be cut off at this moment.

"Teacher... this Fourth Grade..." Li Qi wanted to say something.

But Zhu Fengdan slapped Li Qi's hand.

Immediately, a surge of lightning power appeared in Li Qi's hand.

What was this all about?

But he immediately realized that this lightning power actually had the aura of a Young Heavenly Master!

Within it, Zhang Zong's will was revealed.

"Zhang Zong and your Karma connection have long been established by me. The Heavenly Evolution within you, combined with pure Dao Sect cultivation method, can perfectly fit the power of the Immortal Heaven. Come on~, if you lose, you'll die," Zhu Fengdan said with narrowed eyes and a smile.