The Yin-Yang and Five Elements laws coiled around him, while the law of space stood guard!
As Qi Ping's god-like figure emerged from the radiance, a vast pressure swept through the world.
'Is this the power a Nascent Soul cultivator should possess?'
Qi Ping felt the surging power within him and was filled with surprise. Based on the strength of his realm alone, he could now easily crush the previous Ling Qianjue! This power was arguably a bit too much!
By his estimation, an average Soul Transformation cultivator might not even be his match. But he needed more tests to determine his true strength. He was now certain that he had walked a path different from ordinary cultivators—a grand synthesis of the Path of Immortality and the Earth Immortal Druid's way.
'It's a pity my knowledge of cultivation is so limited; I don't know if there are similar records.'
He had a feeling that such a path was not unique in the wider cultivation world, but the Star-Sea Continent currently didn't have the status to access such information. "Knowledge is still too scarce!" he lamented.
Regardless, this was a good thing. His Nascent Soul was perfectly rounded and incredibly strong, and his foundation was unshakable. "Furthermore, no matter what this path is, it is the one most suited for me!" This was a path forged from every technique and bit of knowledge he possessed; there could be no error in his compatibility with it.
"Everyone, I have successfully broken through. Thank you for standing guard. I still need to go into seclusion to stabilize and contemplate. I will not stay here any longer!"
"We respectfully send off the Principal!" Everyone present looked at Qi Ping with eyes full of worship and fervor.
With that, Qi Ping tore open a spatial rift and returned to his seclusion spot in the Qingtian Mountain Range. Before leaving, he glanced at the Azure Lightning Bamboo and a faint smile touched his lips.
Having absorbed the lightning essence he provided, the bamboo had turned entirely purple. Its body carried a thick, terrifying lightning aura, and its presence was steadily rising. Qi Ping judged that it wasn't far from breaking through to Rank 3.
Sure enough, not long after he left, before even half of the crowd had dispersed, a lightning tribulation similar to a Gold Core tribulation began to manifest.
"A Miraculous Wood Tribulation?"
"That looks like the bamboo the Principal planted!"
"Wasn't it only planted a few years ago? It has already evolved into a Miraculous Wood?"
In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to the rapidly forming tribulation and the Azure Lightning Bamboo beneath it. A Miraculous Wood Tribulation only occurred when a spirit tree surpassed its limits to become something legendary. Once it passed, the tree would reach an inconceivable level!
"According to the records, the probability of a Miraculous Wood Tribulation appearing is extremely rare, right?"
"The Principal raised it in just a few years? That's too strong!"
"I noticed the Principal gathering lightning essence earlier and sending it into a hidden formation. I thought it was just his way of dissipating the tribulation, but he was actually using it to nurture a Miraculous Wood! What a massive move!"
"Is this the purpose of the Principal's tree-planting? To create legendary trees?"
"As expected of the Principal!"
The sight of the Azure Lightning Bamboo evolving into a Miraculous Wood coiling with lightning was too shocking. Every piece of Miraculous Wood was worth more than a city!
With the birth of this legendary tree, the purpose of Qi Ping's massive spirit wood industry was partially revealed. But to most, this was just an answer to a puzzle; it had little practical value. Qi Ping had bought so many seeds; who could say which one would become a Miraculous Wood? And even if they could, who had the resources to nurture it? Who could replicate Qi Ping's method of gathering lightning essence? Only he had the qualifications to 'freely' absorb lightning near the breakthrough sanctuary.
But after the initial realization, some grew even more confused. Was he doing all this just to cultivate Miraculous Wood? Given the staggering cost of his buyout, cultivating a few legendary trees might not even match the expense.
"There must be a deeper reason!" But until the answer was revealed, no one knew the truth.
Back at the Qingtian Mountain Range, Qi Ping entered seclusion again, leaving his Treant clone to watch the bamboo. Having absorbed so much essence, the bamboo's life essence was incredible and its foundation was deep; there was no way it would fail the tribulation.
When Qi Ping woke again, two months had passed. He had thoroughly digested the insights from his breakthrough, and his strength had grown again! The greatest benefit he had gained was that he could now use a portion of the Qingtian Domain's power even when he was outside of it!
To be more accurate, his 'All Life Under Heaven' domain could simulate a part of the Qingtian Domain's might! This power came from his own comprehension and his immortal foundation; it was entirely his own. Thus, no matter where he was, he could use it!
'Finally, I am no longer a 'weakling' the moment I step outside the domain!'
Thinking of this, his mood was excellent. The hostile cultivators outside were surely planning around that specific weakness. This would be a great surprise for them. 'The only pity is that the power I can wield outside is still much weaker than what I have inside. I need to comprehend more.'
He felt he needed to truly understand the nature of heaven, earth, and the world itself to fully unleash this power. Without grasping the essence, one could never truly be the master of their own strength. But once the essence was mastered, any system of power could be understood.
Qi Ping had begun to grasp this essence through the synthesis of his systems. For example, even if he were to cripple his cultivation now, he could rebuild his foundation with a single thought. He understood every detail from Qi-Refining to Gold Core perfectly. Those once-mysterious insights were now basic knowledge etched into his soul.
To him, this was true 'Cultivation.' Those who relied only on luck and treasures would eventually hit a bottleneck or face backlash. But Qi Ping would not. Even if he were reborn as a mortal, he could use this knowledge to break any limit of technique or talent and rebuild his Yin-Yang Five Elements foundation!
This was why he felt no panic even though he had walked a different path. As long as he lived, he could restart at any time! This was his greatest achievement through the Earth Immortal Druid's convenience.
'Next, I must gradually complete the 'All Life Under Heaven' domain into a real world.'
'As for cultivation knowledge, I'll ignore other continents for now and focus on getting the secret knowledge and techniques of the Star-Sea Continent!'
'Furthermore, the development of the domain is far from its limit. Until we hit a bottleneck, it's best not to provoke places with powerful cultivators.'
Qi Ping preferred to be steady. Instead of walking a tightrope or relying on luck, he preferred to use all his resources to reach the limit first.
He checked his transmission talismans. As the master of the domain, many things required his attention—matters that even Lin Yue and Wang He didn't dare decide.
"Spirit wood industry development report..."
"Commercial trade totals and tax records..."
He handled them one by one without any emotional fluctuation. He was used to this. Though he didn't like tedious affairs, he understood he had to learn the art of management. Over the years, his management level had soared. Learning and growing was what he did best.
But as he worked, one piece of information made his brow jump. "Heavenly Dragon cultivators? A plan against the Earth Immortal?"
"Someone has defected?"
Qi Ping never expected this. Even without him offering an olive branch, someone had chosen his side. He wouldn't believe them easily, but they had high utility value. Looking closer, his amused expression turned solemn.
"The true history of the Star-Sea Continent..."
Seeing this historical puzzle pieced together from various sources, Qi Ping felt a strange emotion. Based on his own knowledge, he could tell the information was likely accurate.
Even more shocking were the countless rare techniques, spells, and secret knowledge provided without reservation. They even promised to send the originals and resources without conditions. 'If the history was a setup, this 'gift' is a bit too generous...'
The list was long and filled with precious resources. Even at a low exchange rate, it would have taken him a long time to gather all this. To gain his trust, they even offered various cooperation methods that favored him. 'Do they know I'm someone who responds to kindness but not force?'
It wasn't strange for his style to be figured out. The conditions were so good he didn't want to refuse. Specifically, the list included rare Nether-attribute and Space-attribute insect corpses, some at the Soul Transformation stage and even Void Refinement stage!
His bees were about to begin their evolution. Although he had materials like the Void Mantis and Sun-God Locust, one could never have too many high-level corpses, especially for attributes with low success rates like Nether and Space. Having more options meant a higher chance of a rare mutation.
He didn't agree immediately. He had to keep a clear mind to avoid falling into a trap. 'I can't find any issues... strange!'
He summoned Wang He and Lin Yue to analyze the details. Even they, with their sharp minds and keen intuition, could find no trap. Only then did he lower his guard and decide to take the benefits. If they wanted to give, he would take!
Furthermore, the mention of 'Demons' at the end of the message made him uneasy. He felt a pressing need to increase his strength faster. 'Just to be safe, I'll let the bees evolve with the current elixirs first. Once they successfully mutate and I have an army, I'll receive this windfall. It won't take long.'
'Now that I have significant combat power outside the domain, and with a Soul Transformation bee swarm, I can break any scheme with pure force!'
He returned to the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range to begin the swarm's evolution.