After his grandstanding, Zhang Bin landed on the high platform. The cloud he had secretly bound remained hovering in the air, as he planned to ride it again for another flashy display on his way back.

He spoke only a few simple words, the gist being that the Taiqing Sect wanted to nurture some genius disciples to bolster the nation's strength. He invited youths aged 10 to 15 to sign up at the Longyin Martial Arts Hall; as long as they were identified as geniuses, they would have the chance to become outer sect disciples of the Taiqing Sect. In the future, they could potentially become inner sect disciples and, ultimately, powerful cultivators.

Then, amid the roars of the crowd, he rode the cloud away. Liu Ruomei and Zhang Lele, riding a dragon and phoenix, flanked him. With a mere wave of his hand, Zhang Bin even summoned Da Huang and Tian Bingbing, who was on its back, into the air. Together, they flew away at high speed, quickly vanishing into the night.

The crowd was once again thoroughly stunned, erupting in earth-shaking cheers.

Predictably, the Longyin Martial Arts Hall would no longer need to worry about attracting disciples with exceptional talent. This publicity stunt and demonstration was a great success.

And indeed it was. Starting the next day, the Longyin Martial Arts Hall was packed to the brim, with droves of people bringing their children for testing. The martial arts hall remained extremely busy, accepting more than three hundred disciples with excellent talent.

However, selecting sky-defying geniuses from among them was no easy task. For now, they could only have them practice the entry-level cultivation techniques and pick out those who progressed the fastest. If any of them could reach the Rushing Pulse Realm within a mere two months, they would be the supreme geniuses Zhang Bin was looking for.

Tian Guangjin's disciples were also diligently practicing the entry-level cultivation techniques, looking for standout geniuses among their own ranks. The true results would likely not be known for another two months. After all, identifying a true genius required more than just checking their physique and meridians; it also depended on their perseverance and spiritual nature.

Naturally, Tian Guangjin, Tian Bingbing, and the others were busy handling these matters, so Zhang Bin didn't need to get involved.

With this matter settled, Zhang Bin felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. In just a few more years, or perhaps a decade, the Taiqing Sect would grow very strong. Within a century, they might even find a way to take down that Cosmic Battleship from the Black Prison Star. No, no, no... better yet, capture it and annihilate all the Black Prison Star People.

He began to cultivate diligently.

「A month passed in the blink of an eye.」

Just as dawn brightened the sky, Zhang Bin was sitting cross-legged on a peak of Great Green Mountain, facing east and breathing out a white mist. The True Qi within his body circulated rapidly.

His eyes were tightly shut, yet in his perception, he could sense a red sun slowly rising from beyond the horizon. It ascended with an unstoppable momentum, breaking through all barriers to reveal a sliver of its golden edge. Myriad streams of golden light shot forth, illuminating the earth.

Dewdrops on the leaves sparkled, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors. The lush green leaves swayed gently in the sunlight and morning mist, as if cheering and dancing. The birds in the mountains became visibly excited and enlivened, letting out crisp chirps as they flew about joyously, searching for their favorite food. The grass on the ground grew even greener, striving to breathe, eagerly devouring the sun's nourishment as it slowly grew. Zhang Bin could even sense the insectoid beasts in the soil stirring to life under the sun's warmth.

It is the sun that grants life to this world. Without it, Earth would be a cold, silent planet, an epiphany welled up within him. The world inside my Dantian may have wind, and the liquefied True Qi may have currents, but it is still lifeless. It cannot be considered a world with vitality. To bring life to my world, I must first cultivate a sun—a sun that radiates light and heat...

With this enlightenment, he felt a sudden clarity. The misty veil obscuring his cultivation path began to disperse rapidly. It was as if a lighthouse had appeared in the distance, illuminating the way forward.

Cultivation techniques were merely that—techniques. How to truly comprehend them and the Dao was something one had to figure out on their own. If the methods of comprehension were spelled out, it could shackle one's thinking, preventing true understanding and halting one's progress to profound levels. Thus, the Qingmu Longevity Technique only taught how to circulate True Qi, not how to achieve enlightenment.

Over the past month, Zhang Bin had been cultivating diligently, using Evergreen Pills and Spirit Stones to aid his practice. As a result, the True Qi in his Dantian had increased rapidly. However, he had recently reached the peak of the Liquid Phase Middle Stage and could not make any further progress. He was simply unable to gather more True Qi in his Dantian.

This was a classic case of his comprehension failing to keep up with the growth of his True Qi. His power had increased too quickly, but his understanding lagged behind. Consequently, Zhang Bin had recently been striving to comprehend the myriad things of Heaven and Earth, its rules, and the natural way of the Heavenly Dao to elevate his Realm.

Today, he had finally made some progress. He understood the direction of his current cultivation: to create a sun in the world of his Dantian, establishing the conditions necessary for life and preparing for his eventual breakthrough to the Seed Condensing Realm.

Creating a sun wasn't an impossible task. As long as he could awaken a Light System Ability, he could form one. From now on, if he spent time every day comprehending the sun in the sky, feeling its radiance, and diligently practicing the Pure Heart Mystique, a Light System Ability would likely emerge. He cultivated the Qingmu Longevity Technique, which involved treating himself as a tree. For a tree, comprehending the sun was the easiest path, which meant forming a Light System Ability would also be quite easy.

Instantly, he felt his entire body and mind relax. As this feeling washed over him, a thunderous voice resonated within his spiritual world. He seemed to have broken through an invisible bottleneck.

Something miraculous happened.

His Dantian, which had been completely saturated and unable to gather any new True Qi, suddenly became exceptionally thirsty. It began to frantically devour the True Qi produced by his body's "factory," and the reserves within his Dantian increased steadily.

This is great, just great! I've finally reached the Liquid Transformation Late Stage! I can gather True Qi rapidly again! Zhang Bin shouted excitedly in his heart.

He immediately consumed an Evergreen Pill and half a Spirit Stone and began to cultivate earnestly. Perhaps it was because he had just broken through to the Liquid Transformation Late Stage and was in a state of wondrous comprehension, but his body's speed at absorbing Spiritual Energy and Medicinal Power to produce True Qi increased immensely—at least a hundred times faster than before.

Strands and wisps of True Qi were rapidly produced by his body, flowing into his meridians and gathering in his Dantian. The True Qi within his Dantian was increasing at a terrifying speed.

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