Chapter 25: Five Niyamas of Space and Time
After the passage of couple days, Ximen Wei alongside He Weizhe finally reached the Immortal Devil Sect. When Ximen Wei reached his destination, his eyes widened to an unbelievable level and he let out a gasp that he never let out in his entire life.
What lay in front of him were countless pagodas that littered the mountain path, each one of them emitted an archaic ancient aura that made it impossible for anyone to tell how many years has passed since their establishment.
Occasionally, there were large four-story pagodas that stood out from the rest, they had a certain threatening aura to them, and countless cultivators went in and out of these four-story pagodas.
And finally, on top of the tallest mountain in the Tang Mountain-chain lay the headquarters of one of the most evil and wicked sects of the Divine Star Continent, the Immortal Devil Sect.
It was a grand, majestic archaic castle that instilled awe and fear into whoever saw, the castle walls were made out of some sort of rocks that constantly emitted a dark green fog, obscuring the surroundings and giving the atmosphere a mysterious feeling.
Atop the castle, there was a giant hovering platform that was constantly obscured and shrouded by pitch black fog, making it impossible for anyone below the Rank 4 realm to peer into it and see what lay behind the fog.
Ximen Wei found it inconceivable for a human being to build this kind of place with this architecture, after all, this was built atop the Tang Mountains, the level of pressure here was something Ximen Wei couldn't even handle with his Level 1 Qi Trainee cultivation base, he even found breathing hard because the oxygen levels here were low.
Plus there were some unexplainable buildings such as the hovering platform atop the main castle, a place like this could only be built by cultivators!
Upon seeing the expression on Ximen Wei's face, He Weizhe chuckled.
"Haha, what do you think about my Immortal Devil Sect, junior brother? You see these shinning runes and magical symbols over there? These are high-grade protective formation diagrams laid down by grandmasters of the formation path, even the Qi Lords and Qi Paragons of the various righteous path sects wouldn't dare to barge into this place."
Ximen Wei was yet again surprised, Qi Lords? Qi Paragons? These are figures of legend that he read about in the World Encyclopedia, they were Rank 4 and Rank 5 Qi Experts that command an inconceivable level of power, such figures can even scorn at the Heavens. Ximen Wei wasn't even a Rank 1 Qi Expert, he was still a lowly Level 1 Qi Trainee who is on the verge of breakingthrough to the second level, still far away from Qi Ascension. Such figures were out of his leagues so if he dared to make trouble here, a fate worse than death would await him.
But Ximen Wei was the careful type, he would think at least three times before doing something, he wouldn't dare to make trouble in such a giant sect like the Immortal Devil Sect.
"Since you've accompanied me on my journey junior brother, let me do you a small favor and tell you about the Immortal Devil Sect!" Upon hearing what He Weizhe has to say, Ximen Wei's ears perked as he listened carefully.
"The sect's hierarchy is divided into five parts, first are the outer disciples like you, people who has yet to achieve Qi Ascension, outer disciples live in these one-story pagodas in the peripherals of the Immortal Devil Sect, to gain Qi Condensation Manuals, Cultivation, Combat, Qi and other Techniques, outer disciples has to perform tasks for the sect!"
"Second are inner disciples, they live in the main building of the sect and are Rank 1 Qi Experts."
"Third are legacy disciples, they are Rank 2 Qi Experts."
"Fourth are the sect's elders, they are Qi Masters, basically Rank 3 cultivators."
"And finally, is the one and only Sect Leader, the esteemed and illustrous Qi Lord of the Immortal Devil Sect, a Rank 4 Qi Expert capable of shaking the Divine Star Continent."
"You see the four-story pagoda buildings over there? These are sect-property, upon completing tasks, outer disciples usually go over there to claim their rewards. Such rewards come in the form of cultivation pills, Qi Artifacts and Weapons, etc..."
"Oh, one more thing.. That hovering platform over there." Said He Weizhe as he pointed towards the giant black-fog obscured platform that lay atop the main castle.
"It's called the Forbidden Graveyard, even I don't know what's the purpose of that place, or what sort of terrifying secrets it holds, but let me give you an advice, stay far away from that place!"
Ximen Wei nodded in understanding, he finally got a general idea about the hierarchy and structure of the Immortal Devil Sect, he now knows what to do and where to go to.
He Weizhe looked at Ximen Wei again and said. "Kiddo, you've got some good potential. When you achieve Qi Ascension and become a Rank 1 Qi Expert, come look for me in the main sect. Unfortunately we have to part now, I wish you the best of luck!"
With that, He Weizhe sat atop his horse and headed towards the giant castle in the distance while Ximen Wei went to the closest four-story pagoda to give his Immortal Devil Sect Medallion and officially join the sect as an outer-sect disciple.
In the Immortal Devil Sect, one-story pagodas are residences for the various outer-sect disciples, with the strongest outer-sect disciples living closer to the main building and the weakest outer-sect living in the peripherals while four-story pagodas are sect-properties, they are hubs and offices erected by the sect to hand out various tasks and rewards to the outer disciples, basically an adminstration office, naturally Ximen Wei would head towards one of those four-story pagodas to hand his medallion and be officially admitted into the sect as one of their disciples.
When Ximen Wei entered the four-story pagoda, he was met with a spacious hall filled with all sorts of cultivators, some were human, some were demihuman and some were straight-up fiends such as winged-devils or one-horned demons. Just entering this one building opened Ximen Wei's eyes to the wide world, he saw so many lifeforms he wouldn't normally see in the outside world.
Each one of these cultivators emitted a Level 2 Qi Trainee aura or a Level 3 Qi Trainee aura, however, their auras were so astonishingly powerful it made Ximen Wei's scalp numb, Ximen Wei had no confidence whatsoever in being able to block a single strike from them.
One thing that made Ximen Wei pretty confused tho was the absence of any cultivator below the age of 16, almost everyone here was either in their twenties or thirties, there were even some old men with white hair moving around.
'Where did all my peers go? Back in Green Lotus City, Long Gen was recruiting children and children only... I thought this place is a grooming ground to make children serial killers and killing machines.. Almost all the outer-sect disciples here are adults.'
Little did Ximen Wei know that the path of cultivation is harsh and filled with many hurdles, it is quite rare for people to start cultivating at a young age, they usually begin their cultivation journey when they become adults or when their body finished fully developing.
Children, or basically people whom bodies are still in development, who possess the aptitude to start cultivating are talents rarely found, they are unlimited potential and their path to Qi Ascension is basically guaranteed, usually they are nurtured by the higher-ups of the sect and are protected carefully.. After all, these people will become the higher-ups and leaders of the sect in the future.
Ximen Wei could be said to possess monstrous talents, he's only ten years old and has already opened seven Extraordinary Meridians, he's guaranteed to open 8 Extraordinary Meridians the moment he reaches the second level of Qi Trainee, or even 9 or 10 when he becomes a Rank 1 Qi Expert!
It must be stated that people with 8 Extraordinary Meridians are the dear Chosen of Heaven and Earth, the Dao-Children of the various sects and powerhouses, they are jewels protected heavily by their respective organization because they are guaranteed to make great achievements in the path of Qi Cultivation!
Nine Extraordinary Meridians is the stuff of legend, something like that is almost never heard of, even with the precious resources of Heaven and Earth, one may be able to open the Eigth Extraordinary Meridians but the Ninth? It's practically impossible!
That's why when Long Gen saw Ximen Wei's potential, he went as far as providing him with a Qi Condensation Manual and even helping him open couple of his Extraordinary Meridians.
At first, Ximen Wei was pretty inconspicuous but when he started heading towards the counter, more and more people started looking at him with wide eyes.
"Wait what, who's this kid? He's only 10 years old and is already a Level 1 Qi Trainee?"
"A child who embarked on the journey of cultivation at the age of ten? What sort of monstrous talent is this?"
"Hmph, I bet he only got one Extraordinary Meridian opened, at most two, his future potential is not that great compared to us."
All sorts of conversation were made about Ximen Wei, and being under the gaze of so many powerful Qi Cultivators, Ximen Wei felt tremendous pressure on his back, yet he still moved forward until he made it to the counter.
A beautiful white-robed maiden welcomed him with a broad smile, she was a human and had long black hair that draped over her shoulders. Before the maiden could say anything, Ximen Wei handed her his Immortal Devil Sect Medallion respectfully.
After studying it for a bit, the maiden had an astonished look on her face before quickly changing into an amiable look, she looked towards Ximen Wei kindly and said.
"Since the Earth Dragon Long Gen himself is recommending you, I shall naturally treat you with hospitality, can you please move over here and put your hand atop this pearl."
With that, she brought a white-pearl and beckoned Ximen Wei to come over, on the contrary, when the nearby disciples heard the name of the 'Earth Dragon Long Gen', their expressions quickly changed into awe, fear, astonishment, veneration and all sorts of other expressions.
"Did I hear correctly? Did she just say 'Earth Dragon Long Gen'? That madman who slaughtered an entire mortal empire in a single night?"
"You mean the Earth Dragon Long Gen who escaped the pursue of three Qi Masters?"
The entire hall of the four-story pagoda was filled with the hubbub of chatter, Ximen Wei paid these people no heed as he went forward to the pearl and put his hand over it, instantly, the pearl shone with a multitude of colors then projected all sorts of information into the air, the projection included miscellaneous data about Ximen Wei such as his cultivation base, his age, his physical and spiritual aptitude, the number of his Extraordinary Meridians, etc...
This was done to naturally prevent newcomers and disciples from cheating, some people with the help of various treasures and Qi Techniques can shapeshift and appear as young as a 10 year old child, with that they'll try to sneak into sects and vie for nurture from the sect's top experts despite being 30 or even older.
When the pearl's projection appeared in the air, the entire hall went silent, no one dared to utter a single word.. Even the maiden who works as a receptionist in the four-story pagoda wore a look of surprise on her face.
Finally, after what it seemed like forever, one of the Level 3 Qi Trainees here who looked like a dwarf broke the silence.
"Monster!"
And with that, chatter erupted.
"Holy shit, seven Extraordinary Meridians at the young age of 10??? What sort of monster is this guy?"
"Peak Level 1 Qi Trainee? Can breakthrough to the second level at any time? And he's only 10 years old? I spent ten years of painstaking cultivation to reach the second level!!!"
"His aptitude is monstrous, look at that, he can cultivate any type of five elemental Qi he wants, he can even cultivate the dark path and the blood path."
"One of the elders will definitely take this kid as an apprentice, I gotta befriend him before others do!"
Many thoughts went through the nearby outer-sect disciples' minds, some were jealous, some were astonished and some wore complicated expressions, in short, to them, Ximen Wei simply had monstrous talent, the only people who can beat him in terms of talent and aptitude are perhaps the Dao-Children of the Immortal Devil Sect!
Ximen Wei was quite nervous, he looked towards the maiden with an expectant look in his face as he said.
"Madam, am I eligible to enter the Immortal Devil Sect or not?"
Naturally Ximen Wei is nervous! After all, this had to do with his lifelong goal.. Perhaps the decision by this maiden in front of him will determine whether he gets to meet up with his family and loved ones in the future or not.
If he gets to join the Immortal Devil Sect, perhaps he'll be able to return to planet Earth! If he gets rejected, who knows what'll happen to him.. The Earth-Grade Qi Condensation Manual he got from Long Gen is great and all but definitely will not allow him to walk far down the path of cultivation, in the future he will have to rely on his own abilities and skills to either look and scour the world for suitable Qi Condensation Manuals or make his own Qi Condensation techniques and methods!
How rare were Qi Condensation Manuals? Even prestigeous families such as the Song Family treat them with utmost secrecy and care, they probably have only one such Qi Condensation Manual. That's why when Song Jianyi told the Song Family's Patriarch about the matter of Ximen Wei carrying a Qi Scroll, he gave him his one and only Qi Artifact [The Bronze Lamp].
The maiden was speechless for a while, she looked towards Ximen Wei and said.
"Of course you're eligible to enter the sect, young sir."
Eligible? Even if he wasn't eligible, because he was personally recommended by the one and only Earth Dragon Long Gen, he'll still enter the sect and be granted some sort of status, after all, not only is Long Gen a Rank 2 Qi Expert, he's also one of the very few Legacy Disciples of the Immortal Devil Sect, and he will sooner or later be an important figure of the sect, possibly a Sect Elder, naturally the sect will have to give him face for various reasons.
"Excuse me young sir, I'll have to inform the main sect about this matter."
The maiden said courteously to Ximen Wei, Ximen Wei was pretty confused as to why everyone is treating him with such courtesy and kindness, after all, this was supposed to be an evil, demonic-path sect, but he paid it no heed.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, an emissary from the main building arrived, it was a bald man with a beard, suffocating undulations were coming off of him, clearing indicating that he was a Rank 1 Qi Expert, and wherever he went, the outer-sect disciples parted way for him.
When he arrived, he studied Ximen Wei for a bit, a pleasant expression of his face, then went ahead and grabbed the white pearl, now tainted with a bit of rainbow inside, after studying the pearl, he once again looked at Ximen Wei.
"Kiddo, what's your name?" Said the bald man arrogantly.
"My name is Ximen Wei, senior." Replied Ximen Wei respectfully.
"You have pretty good talent, kiddo, work hard and join the inner sect, without hard work you'll never be able to walk far down the path of cultivation. From now on, you'll be a gold-tier outer-sect disciple of the Immortal Devil Sect."
With that, he threw a talisman to Ximen Wei.
"Take this, this is your identification talisman, bind it using your blood and you'll be able to view and look at your status, points and other miscellaneous information."
Using his finger nails, Ximen Wei slashed the tip of his pinky and let couple droplets of blood fall on the talisman, after doing so, he felt a strange, spiritual connection to the talisman, it was definitely weird and out of the ordinary, but Ximen Wei felt like he could get used to it.
When Ximen Wei focused a bit on the talisman, a surge of information appeared on his mind, it included his cultivation base, name, age, sect's status, talent and points.
Excluding the cultivation base, name and age, Ximen Wei's sect status was that of a 'gold-tier outer-sect disciple', his talent was '3th Heaven' and he had 1000 points.
Sects are basically schools and education grounds, they had to distinguish their students, or more accurately, their disciples. They would give each student their corresponding resources based on their talent and sect's status.
Outer-sect disciples could be copper-tier, silver-tier and gold-tier, because an esteemed Rank 2 Qi Expert invited Ximen Wei to the sect, he naturally got the highest status obtainable in the outer sect, the gold-tier.
And talent was also divided into three parts, Man, Earth and Heaven. Each part was sub-divided into nine tiers, from the 1th tier into the 9th tier. Naturally because of Ximen Wei's monstrous talent, he was granted the 3th Heaven in terms of talent.
It must be stated that the outer sect only have 6 people with Heaven-tier talent, the most talented was in the 6th Heaven while naturally, the lowest was in the 1st Heaven. And Ximen Wei already met two of these Heaven-tier talents, they were the two 14 years old who fought 5 Level 3 Qi Trainee simultaneously outside the Green Lotus City walls.
Ximen Wei can still remember to this day how these two kids fought savagely despite being outnumbered.
"Your identification medallion will also serve to relay you messages and notifications from the sect, keep it on you at all times, that's it for now, I shall take my leave."
After the bald cultivator left, Ximen Wei looked at the maiden in front of him and asked.
"What about my residence?"
He Weizhe told Ximen Wei that, upon joining the sect, every disciple, despite their status or cultivation base, would be granted a pagoda, the bald cultivator did not mention a residence being granted to Ximen Wei so naturally, Ximen Wei would inquire about it.
"Junior Ximen, please give me your identification medallion so I can grant you your pagoda."
After going though the paper work, Ximen Wei was granted a pagoda in the peripherals, he was quite happy because finally, he would enjoy a carefree life and embark on the path of cultivation, his path to Qi Ascension is almost guaranteed, all he has to do is work hard.
Plus, he can breakthrough to the second level of Qi Trainees anytime he wants, he's just delaying because senior He Weizhe informed him that he should stabilize his foundation and find better Qi Condensation Manuals in the sect before he makes his breakthrough.
Since Ximen Wei wants to become a space-path expert, naturally he should look and search for space-path Heaven-grade Qi Condensation Manuals, He Weizhe informed him that the sect possesses a space-path Earth-grade Qi Condensation Manual, but he would need points to get it, Heaven-grade Qi Condensation Manuals are considered to be top-tier techniques and the sect would not teach them to anyone casually.
Unless Ximen Wei becomes an inner-sect disciple, he should forget about Heaven-grade Qi Condensation Manuals.
However, on the other hand, Elementary-grade Qi Condensation Manuals and even Earth-grade Qi Condensation Manuals are less lax, any disciple with just a few points can learn an Elementary-grade Qi Condensation Manual, and after performing quite tasks and merits for the sect, one can get and study an Earth-grade Qi Condensation Manual.
According to He Weizhe, Ximen Wei's current Earth-grade Qi Condensation Manual is called the [Lesser Devil Awakening], it allows a person to cultivate up to the third rank of Qi Expertise and is the main cultivation technique of the Immortal Devil Sect.
Upon reaching Qi Ascension, the [Lesser Devil Awakening] allows one to walk down the fiend-path, a human would become a devil baptized by sins and evil deeds.
"Madam, can I look at the Qi Condensation Manual shop?"
Ximen Wei inquired.
"Sure thing, young sir."
With that, the maiden gave Ximen Wei a book that contained all the available Qi Condensation Manuals to Ximen Wei, since Ximen Wei is a gold-tier outer-sect disciple, he'll enjoy a selection far wider and better than those accessed by copper-tier and silver-tier disciples.
In the book given by the maiden, there was a plethora of Qi Condensation Manuals, naturally this included the price in terms of points, description, the "paragon-tree" and other information.
The paragon-tree is the potential of a Qi Condensation Manual, some Qi Condensation Manuals allow one to reach the Qi Master realm, and some Qi Condensation Manuals allow one to reach the Qi Lord realm.. Some low tier Qi Condensation Manuals only allow people to reach the first Rank of Qi Expertise.
Plus, the paragon-tree includes what path the future practitioner of the Qi Condensation Manual would walk, such paths include the wind-path, the fiend-path, the dark-path, the space-path etc...
This world is filled with many wonders, the ancestors of ancient times figured out ways to harnest this world's energy and improve upon themselves, reaching unprecedented heights of power, these Qi Condensation Manuals are naturally guides written by those ancestral figures to steer their descendants in the right direction.
Ximen Wei was baffled by the amount of collection laid upon him, since he is a gold-tier disciple, he was granted with 1000 points, a 1000 points can allow him to purchase any Qi Condensation Manual he likes.
It must be stated that copper-tier disciples are only granted with a mere 10 points upon joining the sect while silver-tier disciples are granted with 100 points.
Each task or meritious service to the sect will award them with a measly 1 to 10 points depending on the difficulty, naturally the sect priced these Qi Condensation Manuals fairly.
With a 1000 points, Ximen Wei could be considered one of the wealthiest people in the outer sect, despite joining couple minutes ago, this is the benefits and perks of being a gold-tier outer-sect disciple!
Ximen Wei stumbled upon pretty good Qi Condensation Manuals that made his heart thump.
'[First Book Adittapariyaya Sutta], an Earth-grade Qi Condensation Manual that allows one to walk down the fire-path, a supreme manual with an all-encompassing Qi Techniques and Magics, one can reach the Qi Master rank with it.'
'And there's this [Mountains and Waters Sutra], another Earth-grade Qi Condensation Manual that is comparable to a Heaven-grade Qi Condensation Manual in value, allows one to cultivate all the way to the Qi Paragon rank, with it one can become a dual-path cultivator, cultivating both the water-path and earth-path, unfortunately it's only drawbacks are the lack of Qi Techniques and Magics, one has to rely on himself to find Qi Techniques that are suitable to this manual.'
Qi Condensation Manuals that revolve around the five elements of the world such as fire, water, earth, wood and wind are quite common, the [Mountains and Waters Sutra] allow one to cultivate all the way to the fifth rank of Qi Expertise, and even allows one to become a dual-cultivator, commanding both earth and water, hard and soft, yang and yin yet it was still classified as an Earth-grade manual. Why? Mainly because of the lack of Qi Techniques and Magical Arts, but another important reason was because if revolves around the five natural elements of the world.
Let's say if it allowed one to become a dark-path and light-path dual-cultivator, despite the lack of Qi Techniques and Magical Arts, it would instantly become a supreme Heaven-grade Qi Condensation Manual.
'There's also this [Devil's Last Stand], a fiend-path Qi Condensation Manual that allows one to cultivate all the way up to the Qi Master rank..'
'Oh, there's my [Lesser Devil Awakening].'
'There's this wind-path [Pure Compassion] Qi Condensation Manual, it's Earth-grade and can probably allow me to become a figure on par with the Green Lotus City Lord.'
Ximen Wei flipped through many pages, until he finally found what he's finally been looking for.
'The [Five Niyamas of Space and Time].. This is what senior brother He Weizhe told me about... An Earth-grade QI Condensation Manual that allows one to cultivate in both space-path and time-path, however, despite being Earth-grade, it only allows me to cultivate to the first rank of Qi Expertise, and although it has Qi Techniques and Rank 1 Magical Arts, they're far and few.'
The [Five Niyamas of Space and Time] could be considered a supreme Earth-grade Qi Condensation Manual amongst supreme Earth-grade Qi Condensation Manuals, after all, it allows one to become a dual-cultivator of two unorthodox cultivation paths!
Space and Time! Any one of these two is a supreme unorthodox cultivation path that can explode forth with unprecedented power, they're very hard to comprehend and cultivate, and only heavenly geniuses such as Ximen Wei with the aptitude to cultivate all paths can pursue them.
The average cultivator can dream about cultivating space or time simply because his physical and spiritual body does not have the necessary aptitude and talent.
'The price tho...'
If [Five Niyamas of Space and Time]'s limit wasn't Rank 1 Qi Expertise, then it would definitely be considered a supreme Heaven-grade manual, despite that, the price tag on it was enormous, and an almost impossible target for many cultivators of the Immortal Devil Sect.. The price tag was a whopping 999 points, almost the entirety of Ximen Wei's current points.
If it wasn't for his gold-tier status, then Ximen Wei can forget about buying the [Five Niyamas of Space and Time], he would be stuck in the outer-sect performing tasks for points for god knows how long.
Gritting his teeth, Ximen Wei said to the maiden receptionist.
"I would like to purchase this [Five Niyamas of Space and Time]"
The maiden was naturally surprised upon hearing Ximen Wei's request.
"Young sir, are you sure about your purchase? The [Five Niyamas of Space and Time] is extremely hard to train in, it allows you to train into two mysterious unorthodox paths, although you have an amazing aptitude for all paths, it would still be extremely hard for you to make progress in this manual."
This manual represented the only hope for Ximen Wei to reunite with his beloved ones in Earth, naturally he wouldn't budge.
"Madam, I still would like to purchase this manual."
The maiden still tried to advice Ximen Wei, after all, he was a rarely seen talent.
"I would just like to inform you that, in the entirety of the Immortal Devil Sect, there is only one practitioner of time-path and no practitioners of space-path, he is Sect Elder Murong Xi, he rarely involves himself with sect affairs and is quite secluded, as a result no one would be able to provide you with guidance."
"It's okay madam, I stand by my decision."
With that, Ximen Wei purchased the [Five Niyamas of Space and Time] and went to his residence.
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