Chapter 356: Chapter 293: Nine Heavens of the Spirit

Realm, Ascending to Heaven with Each Step

Translator: 549690339

It was still the same loft in the Pei Mansion among the clouds.

Pei Xuanjing stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the clouds rolling and unrolling in the sky above, indifferent to the rumors about himself circulating outside.

Mr. Pei Laozhu ascended the stairs to the loft, looking at the tranquil young man before him, unable to conceal his smile.

A Heavenly Rank powerhouse!

Even though he had once held great expectations for Pei Min, thinking that with Pei Min’s talent, he could reach the Heavenly Rank Realm, he had thought it would take at least two more decades.

A fifteen-year-old Heavenly Rank powerhouse was practically unprecedented and might even remain unparalleled for generations to come.

How could he not feel proud?

“His Majesty has conferred upon you the title of Cloud Commander and appointed you as the Left Jinwu General,” Mr. Pei Laozhu said with a smile.

The Cloud Commander is a martial official of third-grade, and the Left Jinwu General is also a third-grade position. Although neither are actual positions, they represent the highest honors.

Moreover, it was privately mentioned by the palace eunuch who read the decree, it seemed the Emperor intended to grant Pei Min a noble title, but due to temporary uncertainty about which title was appropriate, the matter was temporarily shelved.

Pei Xuanjing remained calm, not bothered by this.

What he did on the grassland, although narrowly causing a war between the two empires, was undoubtedly meritorious to the empire, and these rewards were naturally to be expected.

Seeing Pei Xuanjing unmoved, Mr. Pei Laozhu placed the divine sword on the table, “This is a gift from the crown prince.”

“Oh?” Pei Xuanjing turned around, his eyes falling on the sword. He gripped the hilt, the divine sword resting in his hand.

Clang!

Unsheathing the sword, Pei Xuanjing examined the incredibly sharp divine weapon, his eyebrows slightly raised, in silent admiration.

It was a Ten Thousand-Forged Divine Weapon!

As expected of the Crown Prince, extravagant to an extreme, to send such a weapon as a gift.

Seeing Pei Xuanjing’s reaction, Mr. Pei Laozhu casually stated, “The Crown Prince is hoping to invite you to the East Palace as a guest, and also the instructor of swordsmanship, to teach the Crown Prince the art of the sword.”

Pei Xuanjing understood that teaching the Crown Prince swordsmanship was merely a cover, the core reason was that the Crown Prince wanted to win him over.

He looked up at Mr. Pei Laozhu, saying calmly, “It seems that you’ve decided to support the crown prince?”

Since ancient times, succession disputes have been the most terrifying. For Mr. Pei Laozhu, a veteran who has served three dynasties, as long as he decides not to get involved in the succession dispute, naturally, no one will pick a fight with him.

But if he willingly engages in it, should anything change in the future, he will inevitably be affected.

Moreover, the current Mr. Pei Laozhu has resigned from his official post, even if the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, it is impossible for him to return to court again.

Pei Xuanjing genuinely couldn’t understand why he would involve himself in such matters.

Mr. Pei Laozhu had no cause or necessity to mask his motives from Pei Xuanjing.

Assuming earlier that Pei Xuanjing had not yet broken through to the Heavenly Rank, then perhaps due to their relationship as grandfather and grandson, he could hold the dominant position.

But when Pei Xuanjing ascended to the Heavenly Rank, having done such a thing, he had completely lost his dominance.

After all, even without the Pei Mansion, Pei Xuanjing remained independent, whereas, the Pei Mansion without him, though would still stand firm, would undoubtedly lose its light and luster.

Of course, this was merely Mr. Pei Laozhu’s assumption—that he once held the initiative—when in Pei Xuanjing’s view, the initiative has always been in his hands and has never changed.

“While I may not hold personal ambitions, I have to consider for the future generations,” Mr. Pei Laozhu sighed, “Moreover, as a member of the Pei Family, even if I retire, how can I shake off my duties.”

Coming from the influential Pei Family of Hedong, he had received the support of the family all along his way. If it weren’t for the assistance of his family, he wouldn’t have achieved his current status today, despite his numerous achievements.

To reach his current status, he owed it not only to his significant contributions but also to the protection of his family. Many have fought alongside him in the battlefield, but only a handful has reached such a status today.

Pei Xuanjing’s expression remained calm, understanding the reasons.

This was the norm for members of noble families—they received unparalleled support during their growth, but when the family needed help, they were also required to bear the necessary responsibilities.

As for whether this was good or bad, Pei Xuanjing did not comment, choosing to believe that there were gains and losses in all matters.

After Mr. Pei Laozhu explained his intentions, he turned and left without further discussion.

He too was a martial artist and, though he hadn’t been fortunate enough to reach the Heavenly Rank, he knew full well how strong-willed these powerhouses were. They acted according to their hearts and were not easily influenced by others.

Once again, Pei Xuanjing sat cross-legged in the loft. But unlike before, a nondescript, humble divine weapon was placed across his knees.

His focus gradually fell onto the divine weapon, blending into it, and felt the spirit of the divine weapon.

Simultaneously, he was also contemplating his next steps.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit, he had reached the Spirit Realm in all three areas, also known in this world as the Heavenly Rank. Up next, if he advanced in all three areas, he would need to continue refining his Primordial Qi in the Path of Qi Refinement, striving for unlimited Inner Qi; the Way of Essence Refinement would refine the body’s apertures and eventually open up all the body’s apertures, integrating the body as a whole, allowing the body to decay with Heaven and Earth while remaining immortal; As for the Path of Spirit Refinement, it would mean continually tempering the Yin Spirit until it could withstand the fiercest sun rays and fire, eventually becoming separable from the body, thereby making the Yin Spirit immortal.

“To become immortal!” Pei Xuanjing sighed inwardly.

Immortality, to live forever in this world. What an alluring prospect it has been for so many outstanding talents throughout history!

The closer one got to it, the more distant it appeared.

As Pei Xuanjing’s strength grew, he suddenly felt that the road to immortality was not an easy one.

“I need to reach the pinnacle of the Nine Realms of Spirit, step by step, ascending to heaven. Only by reaching the perfect state of Spirit Realm can I begin to uncover the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, in pursuit of eternal life and immortality,” Pei Xuanjing reflected.

The Nine Realms of Spirit was his description of the Spirit Realm cultivation path.

The Great Ming world no longer had specific books to verify the Spirit Realm

cultivation ranks. The information was drawn from Pei Xuanjing’s findings from Dragon Tiger Mountain, Baiyun Temple, and royal archives.

Based on his cultivation, Pei Xuanjing tentatively established the ranks of the Spirit Realm in accordance with the three realms and nine grades of the Mortal Realm.

He saw immortality as ascending to Heaven, calling realms on the way to immortality as the steps to Heaven. He divided it into nine, creating the concept of the Nine Heavenly Ascension Steps as his targets.

When he reaches the pinnacle of the Nine Realms, also attaining perfection in the Spirit Realm, he could take a peek into the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao.

A true man should aim to feast from the Five Ding while living, and be cooked in the Five Ding when he dies!

Since he was here in this world, he got this opportunity, and even if he faced a million deaths, he would have no regrets, but would rather meet challenges head on.

One day, I will definitely reach the pinnacle of the Nine Realms, stepping into the Immortal Dao Realm!