First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

Xu Mu is currently comprehending the Dao.

He was always reflecting on the mountains, the water, the clouds, and the people.

Unfortunately, he lacks comprehension and is always confused, unable to see things clearly.

The reason why we must go to the center of the secret realm is the same as the principle that alchemy requires the right time, place, and people.

The right time is when the secret realm is destroyed, and the right place is when you find a suitable location to more easily comprehend the Dao or increase the success rate of refining Foundation Establishment Pills.

The center of the secret realm is recognized as the best place to comprehend the Dao. When the secret realm is destroyed, one can witness the manifestation of the Dao and thus comprehend its essence.

So everyone headed towards the center of the secret realm.

But in reality, many people have put the cart before the horse.

They weren't going to the center of the secret realm, but to seek enlightenment.

People who only focus on the finish line are easily drawn to it and forget why they started in the first place.

Xu Mu had not forgotten, so he remained calm in the pouring rain and carefully sensed the destructive aura of the world.

Liu Yan, Wu Yang, and Xia Shixi were fortunate; influenced by him, they all calmed down and began to comprehend the Great Dao together.

……

Ye Chen and his group were advancing through the thunderstorm.

The harsh environment scattered their ranks, turning them into small groups of two or three.

They were all striving to reach the central area of ​​the secret realm, feeling that only by overcoming all difficulties could they attain the Great Dao and lay the foundation for it.

Everything that appears on this road is an annoying obstacle, so how can one have the mind to appreciate it?

Finally, the rain stopped, and even the oppressive dark clouds began to disperse.

They reached their desired location, as if after overcoming numerous difficulties, the storm had passed and the sun had come out.

The thunderstorm zone that had covered hundreds of miles gradually dissipated, and some cultivators on the outskirts, seeing the spectacle, hurriedly rushed deeper into the area, trying to seize this opportunity.

The dark clouds dispersed, and the sun came out.

The sunlight was dim, as if it had lost its strength.

The whole world began to change visibly; all the plants withered and gradually turned yellow.

The land, which had been washed away by rain, began to dry up.

The tall trees aged from their prime to old age, their withered yellow leaves falling like bald heads, their bark like the wrinkles on the face of a centenarian, dry and withered, until they snapped in half with a crack.

Plants that are not harvested, whether common weeds or medicinal herbs, are all approaching the end of their lives.

No, it is this world that is approaching the end of its life.

"It's coming!"

Everyone was excited; this was the shattering of the illusion of a world.

Just as the moon waxes and wanes, so too do flowers bloom and fade.

This world, like a flower, blooms and then withers; this is the Tao.

Xu Mu stood atop the hill, quietly closing his eyes, entering a profound and mysterious state.

An aura of destruction permeated the entire world; all the lush greenery turned to withered yellow, and all the jungles and grasslands turned to yellow earth.

Fireworks fade quickly, beauty withers easily, former friends turn into a handful of dust, and beauty turns into a skeleton.

Time only knows how to make people grow old, and it doesn't believe in affection.

At this moment, after the plants have decayed, the entire earth is dry and cracked.

The sky was once again filled with swirling clouds, the light distorted and bursting into a kaleidoscope of colors, like a shattered mirror.

The Tao is revealed at this very moment.

Xu Mu opened his eyes, sighed, and his aura instantly surged.

The spirit enters the body to open the source, and the nine cycles of the heavens build the foundation of the Dao.

When the Qi Sea transforms into liquid, it will be the Foundation Establishment and Inquiry Stage!

At the same time, strange phenomena occurred: red fire lotuses appeared and disappeared around him, just like the laws of nature. There was no magnificent scene, only ordinary birth and ordinary death.

This is the manifestation of the Dao, the Dao of Xu Mu.

Liu Yan, Wu Yang, and Xia Shixi, who were standing nearby, did not notice and were all immersed in their own insights.

……

Azure Sky City, Star-Picking Plaza.

Initially, no one cared about the outcome of this secret realm, because every once in a while, a world bubble would be born, and many cultivators would enter to break through their limits.

There are always a few geniuses, but that's all.

Even among geniuses, there are differences.

Suddenly someone shouted, "It's moving! The Daoist Stele is moving!"

This sound instantly drew everyone's attention.

"There's actually a genius qualified to make the list this time?" Many people immediately gathered in the square to watch the excitement.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Dao Asking Stele has three hundred names; those are the names of all the geniuses recorded since the stele was erected. To be listed, you have to compare yourself with geniuses from all the past generations.

The name on the Daowen Stele hasn't been changed in a long time, making one sigh that each generation is worse than the last.

"Where is it? I don't see any change."

"Below, more than two hundred."

"Oh, no wonder I didn't notice. But it's not bad, at least it ranks over two hundredth among all the geniuses of all time."

"Xue Yi... seems to be a genius from the Qinglan Sect. The Qinglan Sect has produced geniuses generation after generation."

"Huh? There's someone above him, Sun Mengyang... Which sect is he from?"

"A new generation of geniuses from the Guihe Sect."

"Hehe, the Qinglan Sect and the Guihe Sect are such sworn enemies, neither of them will give an inch."

The discussion quickly lost its enthusiasm.

Although making the list is already quite an achievement, the ranking is still too low to generate much discussion.

"How long has it been since the top 100 of the Dao Inquiry Stele were updated? It feels like it was exactly the same when I watched it as a child, and it hasn't changed at all."

"The top 100 is fine; things can change every 30 or 40 years."

"Those top ten are truly a once-in-a-century phenomenon, and the top three haven't changed for hundreds of years. Until they fall, all geniuses will be overshadowed by them."

"This is truly a genius who can suppress an entire era," everyone exclaimed.

Just then, a golden light flashed, radiating brilliant light at the very top of the Inquiry Stele.

Everyone was stunned: "What happened?"

"It's changed!" someone suddenly shouted.

"Holy crap! It really changed! It's in the top three! No, it's number one!"

"First place! The first place has changed! Quickly! Report to the head of the family!"

The scene instantly erupted in chaos. Everyone was caught off guard and in a flurry of activity, unsure of what to do next.

When they realized what was happening, everyone rushed out of the square and spread the news.

The news spread quickly throughout Sky City, and countless people flocked to the city. Even though flying was prohibited in the city, many streaks of light still shot over.

"Witness the birth of a new era of genius!"

"Let's seize this opportunity! Maybe we can give birth to a genius too."

"catch!"

"catch!"

The crowd in the square erupted into a strange frenzy, comparable to the appearance of a celebrity.

They idolize geniuses, the number one, and the strongest!

However, they could no longer get close to the Dao Inquiry Stele; the people from the Taixu Immortal Sect had arrived.

An elderly man with a refined and otherworldly air, his hair and beard all white, stood there smiling, waiting for the people from the secret realm to emerge.

A middle-aged man in white robes flew over, smiled faintly, and cupped his hands, saying, "Congratulations, True Lord. Such a genius has been accepted into the upper sect. In a few hundred years, he will become a Nascent Soul True Lord, and may even be promoted to God Lord."

Danyang Zhenjun laughed heartily: "It should be said that Heaven blesses the righteous path of our human race. This is a righteous genius, a blessing for the righteous path, not just for our immortal sect."

"What the True Lord says is true." The middle-aged man nodded and said nothing more, waiting for the genius to emerge from the secret realm.

Many people come here to take the opportunity to chat with True Lord Danyang; he was just one of them.

A young girl was with him, asking curiously in a low voice, "Dad, what's the difference between this kind of genius and others?"

The head of the Nangong family chuckled: "Do you think they have three heads and six arms? Basically, there's not much difference; they're all people with two eyes and one nose."

A genius's talent lies in the realm of the "Tao," ranking first at least in terms of innate extraordinary phenomena during the Foundation Establishment stage, thus laying the foundation for the Great Tao.

"Foundation Establishment can produce extraordinary phenomena? Isn't that something only Core Formation cultivators have?" The girl was immediately surprised.

"Hehehe, it's right to be surprised. That's why these kinds of people are peerless geniuses. Breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage is only a matter of time."