Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 790 - 332: Everyone Wants Me as Their Disciple? (Part 2)

The ethereal silhouette before him rubbed his chin and remarked, "With your talent, following me could one day make you the next Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor."

Ning Qi fixed his gaze on him, inwardly marveling at such a character.

To Ning Qi's ears, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will's manner hinted that the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor didn't share perfect harmony.

His curiosity grew about the ties between the Mountain and Sea Realm Will and the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor.

For countless years, the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor had clashed repeatedly, harboring their own divisions; yet now the Mountain and Sea Realm Will aimed to nurture him, claiming he might rise as the next Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor.

Was it possible that the intent was to groom him as a counter to the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor?

Unexpectedly, both sought him as a disciple, a turn Ning Qi hadn't foreseen.

Ning Qi gave a slight bow with cupped hands and inquired: "Realm Venerable, does that mean you, senior, trained the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor?"

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will answered: "Naturally, I embody the whole Mountain and Sea Realm; every creature inside originated from me. My survival ties directly to the fate of all life in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Their cultivation stems from the resources I bestowed; thus, every cultivator can be seen as one I've guided."

In a strict sense, this held truth, though it echoed the timeless debate of whether the chicken or the egg came first—who could settle that?

Ning Qi's mind drifted briefly, reflecting on the origins of the Spirit Realm, then shifting to the circumstances in the True Martial Realm.

He had eradicated the True Martial Realm's original will, merging with it to become the True Martial Realm itself—so how did that fit?

In the end, superior power dictates all; might earns respect!

Ning Qi kept his reflections hidden, bowing with cupped hands to the Mountain and Sea Realm Will: "I feel greatly honored by your attention, Realm Venerable, but I grasp this truth: becoming your disciple or that of the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor must come with certain terms, right?"

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will shot back: "You're quite wise beyond your years, very pragmatic. Yes, you need to endure the war domains and claim sufficient ones for us!"

"And what counts as sufficient?"

"The Nine Great War Realms—conquer at least one completely, and you'll qualify as our disciple!"

Ning Qi mulled it over briefly, then replied: "I'll push myself even more from here on."

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently.

Ning Qi floated mid-air, scanning the surroundings; radiant glows erupted across the war domain, with spiritual qi spreading like fog in every direction, far beyond sight.

Sensing a shift, he promptly pulled out the Soul-Searching Plate and looked it over.

Sure enough, his three armies had captured every node in this war domain.

"Realm Venerable, might this transformation stem from fully securing all the nodes?"

Still, Ning Qi turned to the Mountain and Sea Realm Will for confirmation.

A trace of delight appeared in the Mountain and Sea Realm Will as he affirmed: "Yes, exactly."

His gaze settled on Ning Qi, and Ning Qi distinctly noticed the keen interest in the Soul-Searching Plate he held.

Ning Qi volunteered, "Realm Venerable, I crafted this tool while capturing each node—please examine it."

He passed the compass to the Mountain and Sea Realm Will.

At that instant, thanks to the alterations in the area, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will's ethereal presence grew more tangible.

With his intangible grasp, he took the compass from Ning Qi and grasped its function right away.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will, thrilled:

"Remarkable work, creating such a device! It's no surprise that among the Nine Great War Realms and Twenty-seven Domains, only your forces have seized a domain this rapidly."

Ning Qi then produced a jade scroll, offering it to the Mountain and Sea Realm Will.

"Since you approve of this creation, Realm Venerable, I'll also present the recipe for crafting it to you."

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will seized it without delay.

"Splendid! With this spreading widely, the war against the Spirit Realm will conclude sooner!"

"Having fully claimed this domain and shared this invention, you've earned immense merits. Accept my lavish rewards!"

No sooner had he spoken than the nearby void parted like an opened chest, spilling forth a multitude of treasures.

"Claim them all—with this device, I must depart; we need to distribute it across every war domain without delay!"

Ning Qi bowed with cupped hands: "I, your junior, bid farewell to the Realm Venerable!"

The silhouette before him disappeared in a flash; though Ning Qi searched carefully, he could no longer detect the Mountain and Sea Realm Will.

His eyes sparkled faintly as he eyed the heap of prizes piled on the ground ahead.

This time, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will's gifts proved extraordinarily bountiful.

Hundred bucket-sized rule fragments lay there in total!

These rule fragments far surpassed the earlier ones from the Mountain and Sea Realm Will.

Before, they ranged from tiny, small, medium, to large rule fragments.

Large ones matched the size of a person's head; these new ones, bucket-like from a farmer, qualified as extra-large.

Ning Qi extended his hand, lifting one for closer inspection.

Inside, it appeared to hold a vast galaxy, shimmering with endless starlights—each pinpoint a rule.

This extra-large fragment dwarfed all prior ones, packed with far more rules within!

Apparently, a single piece like this could slightly boost the cultivation across his entire Profound Truth Realm army.

Ning Qi turned his attention elsewhere.

Elsewhere in the void, a hundred beams of Mountain and Sea Realm Power coiled like light strands, each stretching a meter.

These represented the Mountain and Sea Realm Will's grants to him as domain master; upon his appointment, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will noted domain masters could claim ten such threads yearly.

This batch of a hundred threads equaled a decade's worth for any domain master!

Ning Qi hurriedly stored all the loot in his spatial ring, a faint grin tugging at his lips.

The Soul-Searching Plate he gave the Mountain and Sea Realm Will lacked the full features; it only included a map and basic node detection nearby.

To map an entire domain's nodes fully, one needed to scout every one first.

Ning Qi shared the crafting method with the Mountain and Sea Realm Will to ramp up clashes between the realms, accelerating the grand conflict and hastening the Harmonization's arrival.

It remained unclear if the Mountain and Sea Realm Will could, upon receiving the compass, unravel and forge an advanced variant.

Ning Qi held back key secrets, figuring that without the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor stepping into the war domain, none could match it.

The supreme edge belonged to him and the Profound Truth Realm army he led.

Moreover, Ning Qi intended to "unwittingly" let Vast Realm cultivators acquire the compass too.

If only Mountain and Sea Realm forces possessed it, wouldn't the realms' clash just benefit the Mountain and Sea Realm Will?

The faster the realms merged and the fiercer the battles raged, the more chances for Ning Qi's True Martial Realm to advance.

The moment after, Ning Qi drew out his primary compass again, checked the three armies' locations on it, and ripped through space to enter.

In a blink, Ning Qi materialized next to Sword Ancestor amid the Profound Truth Realm army.

His abrupt arrival no longer startled anyone; they had adjusted to it.

"Sect Leader! "

"Domain Master!"

The cultivators called out in greeting, their tones booming like rolling thunder with excitement.

Sword Ancestor chuckled and commented, "Youngster, we've fully taken this war domain, and for each node captured, the Mountain and Sea Realm generously granted us plenty of fragments—why not take yours."

Ning Qi dismissed it with a wave, smiling at the group:

"We're all family here; since you've joined me, I won't claim your rewards any longer—consider it my gift to you all."

Joy flooded their expressions upon hearing that.

Yet Sword Ancestor added, "As our Infinite Sword Sect's sect leader and the Profound Truth Realm's Alliance Hierarch, you lead what feels like a grand sect now; it's fitting to receive from the leader and hierarch, but..."

He hesitated, then continued, "We all know our successes depend on your prowess; I believe you should take them to bolster your strength quickly. Remember, Unity Realm powerhouses will emerge in the war domain eventually!"

Sword Ancestor always prioritized Ning Qi's welfare, touching him deeply.

Ning Qi sent a private message: "Sword Ancestor, it's fine—after claiming the whole war domain, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will bestowed special prizes on me as domain master, and I've got them all!"

"Why hold back earlier!" Sword Ancestor transmitted back with mock exasperation, "Was I just undermining everyone's gain?"

"Rest easy, I'll compensate you properly!"