Chapter Thirty-Nine: Leaving the Small World

At dawn, the first light pierced the darkness. The sun of this small world had just risen in the east, illuminating the land below. At the summit in the center of this miniature world, Chen Yi had already been cultivating for some time, meditating as he awaited the elders from the outside to open a spatial exit, through which he could leave this pocket realm.

Though Chen Yi could have left directly by using the Heart of the World, returning to the outside realm at will, he chose not to do so. He wanted to avoid letting the elders discover the existence of the Heart of the World within him. Thus, like the other disciples, he waited atop the central mountain for the appearance of the spatial gate.

What Chen Yi did not know was that the elders were already aware of the Heart of the World's presence within the small world. In fact, they had cast certain spells upon their eyes, allowing them to pierce the world's veil and observe every disciple within the small world.

When Chen Yi first noticed the small world trembling, he realized the elders were watching through their magic. He instantly used the Heart of the World to conceal his presence. Yet, by the time he had finished refining the Heart, the elders had long since discovered both him and the artifact. However, they made no move to seize it.

To a cultivator at the Qi Refinement stage like Chen Yi, the Heart of the World was invaluable. But to the elders at the Integration stage, it was little more than a useless trinket. Though it rivaled the finest magical treasures, its power was a mere shadow of a true supreme artifact. The elders wielded spiritual weapons, far superior to magical artifacts—a difference as vast as heaven and earth. Thus, they had no intention of coveting Chen Yi's Heart of the World.

Unaware of these facts, Chen Yi, his cultivation still too shallow, could only wait foolishly atop the central peak for the appearance of the spatial gate.

After cultivating for a while, Chen Yi saw other disciples arrive at the summit—those who had been training within the small world. The first to come was Lü Tian of the Heavenly Sword Sect, arriving on his sword, lightning flickering about him and sword energy swirling in the air.

As Lü Tian approached, Chen Yi sensed the aura he radiated and knew instantly that Lü Tian had broken through from the Qi Refinement stage to the Foundation Establishment stage. Compared to their last encounter, Lü Tian’s strength had multiplied several times over.

Chen Yi was not, however, inferior. With his current strength and the Heart of the World, he could control the very essence of this small world. Crushing Lü Tian would be effortless; there was nothing to fear.

Lü Tian landed atop the peak, leaping down from his Thunder Sword. He summoned the sword back into his dantian with a surge of spiritual energy before walking forward. Upon seeing Chen Yi cultivating at the summit, Lü Tian snorted coldly, still clearly resentful over their previous struggle for the Heart of the World. Chen Yi, hearing this, paid him no mind. After all, a dragon does not concern itself with the opinions of ants.

Lü Tian did not attack Chen Yi, for he understood that within this small world, he was no match for him. Since Chen Yi had refined the Heart of the World, he was now its master—an invincible presence within these bounds. To avoid humiliating himself, Lü Tian refrained from any provocation.

Finding a clean spot on the summit, Lü Tian sat cross-legged and began to cultivate as well. Shortly after he started, another disciple arrived—Dongfang Tian of the Five Elements Sect. He came riding the wind, an ancient bronze sword slung across his back, sword energy soaring around him. Not a single cloud remained in his wake, a testament to his formidable aura.

Dongfang Tian’s presence was as sharp as a blade, in some ways more befitting of the Heavenly Sword Sect than his own. Observing his bearing, one could tell he, too, had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Cool and reserved by nature, Dongfang Tian said little. Upon reaching the summit, he nodded to Chen Yi and Lü Tian, who returned the greeting. With that, he settled down to cultivate, sitting cross-legged in silence.

Within less than an hour, all the disciples from the Five Elements Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect who had been training in the small world gathered atop the central peak. Altogether, the two sects had twenty disciples—the same number who had entered. None had perished, a stroke of considerable fortune.

Of the twenty, only Lü Tian and Dongfang Tian had successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, but all the rest had reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refinement. They needed only the right opportunity to make their own breakthroughs.

Clearly, every disciple who entered the small world had reaped great rewards—this journey had not been in vain. Once all were assembled, they waited a short while, until a spatial gate appeared in the sky. One by one, Chen Yi and the others rose into the air, passing through the gate and returning to the outside world.

Upon emerging from the gate, Chen Yi saw the two elders from the Five Elements Sect and the two from the Heavenly Sword Sect regarding him with meaningful smiles—smiles that made Chen Yi feel somewhat uneasy. He quickly averted his gaze, pretending to admire the mountain scenery around him.

“Haha! Brother Lin, Brother Chu, it seems the Five Elements Sect claims victory this time,” Elder Li Jian said to the two Heavenly Sword Sect elders after watching Chen Yi for a moment.

“Brother Li, Brother Ma, this time the Heavenly Sword Sect has lost. But next time, you may not be so lucky. There are matters awaiting us back at the sect, so we’ll take our leave for now,” Elder Lin of the Heavenly Sword Sect replied, casting a glance at Chen Yi before bidding farewell.

With a thought, Elder Chu summoned his spiritual power and a massive sword appeared, floating in the air. The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect mounted the sword, and the two elders guided it away into the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

“Let’s depart as well,” Elder Li Jian said, tossing out a flying boat artifact for Chen Yi and the others.

Chen Yi stepped onto the flying boat, which Elder Li Jian directed toward the direction of the Tianlong Mountains. Even during the journey, none wasted a moment; they all sat cross-legged, cultivating, absorbing spiritual energy to enhance their strength.

Chen Yi, for his part, divided his focus—circulating the Five Elements Technique to absorb spiritual power while also reflecting on the gains he had made in the small world. Aside from the Heart of the World, he had obtained two precious Vermilion Fruits and two leaves of Golden Leaf Grass, all tucked safely in his spatial ring.

His own cultivation had advanced from the seventh to the ninth level of Qi Refinement, and the first layer of the Dragon Elephant Body Refinement Technique had reached great completion. His strength had soared, progressing by leaps and bounds.