I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The day after leaving Xuan Yuan Sect, the flying boat cut through the clouds and sped off in the northwest.

The flying boat is the sect leader's vehicle, made entirely of black iron wood and engraved with intricate flight formations. Its speed is comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator flying at full speed.

The ship had three decks, and Qin Yuan and the others were arranged in quiet rooms on the second deck, one room for each person.

In the quiet room, Qin Yuan sat cross-legged.

Outside the flying boat, clouds and mist churned, and mountains and rivers receded rapidly below.

But he had no interest in watching; his mind was completely absorbed in cultivation.

The system panel floated deep within my consciousness:

[System that Increases Cultivation by Forty Years in a Single Day]

Current level: 3 (0/10000)

[Cultivation Points Storage: 0/200 years]

[Cultivation points not extracted today]

Since defeating Chu Wuyue and becoming the number one disciple, Qin Yuan has never stopped cultivating.

His cultivation, accumulated over forty years, was extracted daily and, combined with the rich spiritual energy of Crimson Flame Peak, allowed him to continuously solidify his cultivation at the peak of the Golden Core realm.

However, the bottlenecks are becoming increasingly apparent.

The transition from Golden Core to Nascent Soul is the first true chasm on the path of cultivation.

If Foundation Establishment is "Vacuum Transformation into Liquid," and Golden Elixir is "Liquid Condensation into Elixir," then Nascent Soul is "Emerging Spirit from Elixir"—the nascent form of the primordial spirit is conceived within the Golden Elixir, and from then on, the soul merges with the Golden Elixir, lifespan increases to a thousand years, and one truly enters the gate of immortality.

This requires not only the accumulation of spiritual power, but also an understanding of the Great Dao and a touch of the laws of heaven and earth.

Qin Yuan could sense that the Nine-Turn Golden Core within his body had reached perfection, its spiritual power as vast as the sea, and its divine sense as powerful as an abyss. However, the seed of "divine" deep within the Golden Core still could not sprout.

"It seems that advancing to the Nascent Soul stage requires not only the passage of time but also a stroke of luck," Qin Yuan muttered to himself as he opened his eyes.

But he wasn't impatient.

A day is like forty years, five days is like two hundred years. Time is the one thing he has in abundance.

Moreover, although his cultivation over the past few days has not broken through the bottleneck, it has made his foundation more and more solid.

The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir became more solid, its spiritual energy circulation became more harmonious, and its sensitivity to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became more acute.

He even vaguely touched upon something deeper—such as the essence of spiritual energy, or the patterns of laws.

These insights will become the capital for future attempts to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

The airship flew for four consecutive days.

On the fourth day at dusk, the outline of a city appeared on the horizon.

It was a city with a bizarre style.

The city wall was entirely black, made of some unknown type of stone, and its surface was covered with dark red patterns, like dried bloodstains.

The city wall was about thirty feet high, with no city gate, only a distorted light curtain as the entrance.

The entire city was shrouded in a layer of gray mist, obscuring the interior and only vaguely revealing the silhouettes of some pointed buildings.

"We've arrived," came the voice of Sect Master Lu Xuanfeng. "The City of Darkness."

The flying boat landed three miles outside the city.

As the five people disembarked from the flying boat and looked up, they all felt a cold and eerie aura emanating from the city.

"The City of Darkness is a neutral territory created by the 'Old Man of Darkness'," Lu Xuanfeng explained as they walked. "This senior's cultivation is unfathomable; it is said that he has already entered the Nascent Soul stage. He established a rule: fighting is forbidden in the city, and violators will be killed without exception."

Nascent Soul stage!

The five men were shocked.

In the Xuan Yuan Sect, the Nascent Soul stage is already a legend. As for the Deity Transformation stage, it's something they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

"The entrance to the ancient battlefield is located within the City of Darkness," Lu Xuanfeng continued. "Every ten years, the battlefield opens for three months. During this time, disciples from various sects can enter to search for treasures and undergo training, but it is fraught with danger. Once you enter, please remember to be careful."

As they spoke, the group had already reached the light screen beneath the city wall.

The light screen rippled like water, and through it, one could see the city's interior—wide streets, towering buildings, and bustling pedestrians, making it a rather prosperous city.

Lu Xuanfeng took out a black token and waved it at the light screen. The light screen cracked open, and everyone filed in.

The moment Qin Yuan stepped into the city, he felt as if he had passed through a curtain of icy water, and the temperature around him plummeted. The air inside the city carried a faint stench of decay and blood, completely different from that outside.

The streets were lined with all sorts of shops selling all sorts of strange things: materials for monsters, broken magical artifacts, bizarre talismans, and even "living things" in cages—things with strange shapes, some resembling humans and beasts, and some simply wriggling black shadows.

Most of the pedestrians were dressed in black robes, their faces hidden under hoods, and they hurried along. Occasionally, a glance would sweep over Qin Yuan and his group, but it was always with scrutiny and wariness.

"The ancient battlefield is currently open, so there are many people in the city," Lu Xuanfeng said in a low voice. "Stay close to me and don't look around."

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the street ahead.

A group of people were gathered in front of a three-story building with a sign hanging at the entrance that read "Netherworld Auction House".

"There's an auction today!"

"I heard they brought back a lot of good stuff from the battlefield this time!"

"Go check it out!"

The crowd surged into the pavilion, discussing amongst themselves.

Chu Wuyue's white pupils lit up: "Sect Master, how about...?"

"Business is important." Lu Xuanfeng shook his head. "Let's settle in first, we'll be going to the battlefield tonight."

He led the five men through the bustling streets to the city lord's mansion in the center of the city.

The city lord's mansion was taller than the surrounding buildings, and was made entirely of black jade. Two rows of guards in black robes stood at the entrance, their auras deep and profound, all of them at the Golden Core stage.

Lu Xuanfeng stepped forward to announce the news, and a moment later, an old man in black robes came out to greet him.

"Sect Master Lu, it's been a long time." The old man's voice was hoarse, his face covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were as clear as a young boy's. "Are these your sect's disciples who have entered the battlefield this time?"

"Indeed." Lu Xuanfeng cupped his hands in greeting. "Thank you for your help, Senior You'an."

The Dark Old Man—this Nascent Soul stage expert looks like an ordinary old man.

His gaze swept over the five people, lingering on Qin Yuan for a moment longer. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "Come in, the other two families have also arrived."

The group entered the mansion and arrived at a grand hall.

Two groups of people were already waiting inside the hall.

On the left was a group of five cultivators dressed in purple robes, three men and two women, each exuding a sharp aura. The leader was a girl who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate features like a porcelain doll, but cold eyes, and she was playing with a small dagger in her hand.

To the right was a group of five bald monks dressed in grey robes—four men and one woman—all chanting scriptures with their eyes closed, their expressions serene. The young monk at the head of the group was handsome, with a dot of cinnabar between his brows, and held a string of black prayer beads in his hand.

"The Purple Cloud Sect and the Liaochen Temple," Lu Xuanfeng said in a low voice. "Among the hundred sects of Qingzhou, these two are ranked in the top thirty, and their strength far surpasses that of my Xuanyuan Sect."

Qin Yuan's gaze swept over the two groups of people.

The girl from the Zixiao Sect possessed an aura that clearly indicated she was at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and her spiritual energy fluctuations were extremely sharp, clearly demonstrating her decisive and ruthless nature.

The young monks of Liaochen Temple also possessed unfathomable cultivation, with a faint Buddhist light flowing around them, clearly indicating that they had cultivated some profound Buddhist teachings.

Both groups also noticed the Xuan Yuan Sect members.