Chapter 122: The Tide of the World Is in My Hands, Why Fear Anything?

"What you say is true, fellow Daoist. Life is full of unexpected turns that no one can foresee."

Realizer Liuguang sighed with deep emotion. He was reminded of his days before he set foot on the path of immortality. Back then, he was nothing more than a pampered playboy who knew only how to gallivant through the city, throwing his weight around and stirring up trouble by relying on his royal status. He had spent his time hawking falcons and walking birds, bullying others into unfair trades, and competing in wealth, literature, and martial arts—arrogant, willful, and reckless. He had committed every folly a spoiled aristocrat could possibly commit.

Yet, who could have imagined that a good-for-nothing royal wastrel like him would transform into the sect leader of a supreme sect like the Pure Yang Temple? Not even the most far-fetched folk tales dared to write such a story. But reality was indeed a successful counter-attack, and today, he stood at the pinnacle of this world. Reflecting on his life, one could not help but lament the impermanence of it all.

"Sect Leader, what is your view on this world?" Wang Li asked.

Realizer Liuguang replied, "It is a cycle that repeats itself. If one never jumps out, one will never know how vast the heavens and earth truly are. We are merely crouching here, no different from frogs at the bottom of a well."

"Is the place you hail from similar to this Tianxuan World?"

Wang Li asked, "Why do you ask, Sect Leader?"

"Stop pretending. I just want to hear what the outside world is like." Realizer Liuguang winked at Wang Li, his expression implying, *You know what I mean!*

Wang Li smiled but remained silent. How could he possibly know what lay beyond the Tianxuan World? Master Sheng had never told him! When in doubt, one simply had to affect an air of profundity.

Seeing that Wang Li did not wish to discuss the outside world, Realizer Liuguang realized that pressing further would only be self-defeating. He laughed it off and said, "Indeed, hearsay can never compare to seeing for oneself. It’s just that once one leaves, there is no coming back, which makes it hard to let go."

Wang Li raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem like the type to cling to power, Sect Leader. When the time comes to leave, you should leave."

These words were not his own, but rather what Master Sheng had instructed him to say. Master Sheng had claimed he could not probe the conditions of the outside world and wanted Realizer Liuguang to go out and scout the path.

"The power ceiling of the Tianxuan World is capped at the limit of a True Immortal, and because of this, the lifespans of cultivators cannot break through," Wang Li continued. "You must have come into contact with the World Will. Its growth rate is sluggish—so slow that the lifespan of a True Immortal cannot possibly last until it raises the power ceiling of this world."

"In other words, the lifespans and cultivation realms of the practitioners in the Tianxuan World are locked. Xujing is talented and hopes to forcibly raise the world's power ceiling through his own breakthrough. His idea is sound, but his path is misguided. I can say with certainty that he will fail, and in the end, he will have to go to other worlds to break through. In my view, all of you are simply wasting time."

"Sect Leader, do you know how many True Immortals there are in this world?"

Realizer Liuguang shook his head. "The Tianxuan World is vast. Over these hundreds of thousands of years, many True Immortals have accumulated, though most have left. Those who remain live in seclusion; I doubt anyone knows the exact number."

"No, the number is quite certain. There are only seventy-two, and there can only ever be seventy-two," Wang Li laughed.

Realizer Liuguang asked in confusion, "Fellow Daoist, your cultivation is profound, and I am not surprised you can detect the number of True Immortals, but why do you say this world can only host seventy-two?"

"The power ceiling does not only target the individual cultivation of practitioners; it also targets the total power of the cultivation world," Wang Li explained. "The total power ceiling of this world can only accommodate seventy-two True Immortals."

"Sect Leader, it has been five thousand years without a single new True Immortal appearing. Aren't you curious as to why?"

Realizer Liuguang’s eyes lit up. "Fellow Daoist, are you saying that the lack of new True Immortals for the past five thousand years is because the total power ceiling is restricting others from breaking through?"

"Sect Leader, you are only one lightning tribulation away from the True Immortal realm, yet you have been unable to reach it, have you not?" Wang Li stood with his hands behind his back, walking to the edge of the cliff and pointing at the sea of clouds below. "The old do not leave, so the new cannot arrive. The True Immortals do not wish to leave simply out of fear and attachment. They fear the dangers of the outside world, and they are attached to their status, power, kin, and sect in this world, unaware that while the outside world holds danger, it also holds opportunities that this world lacks."

"But look at those people below. Like you and the hundreds of peak Earth Immortals, they have no path for ascension, no future."

"You can tell those True Immortals that this world belongs to them, but it also belongs to all living beings. If they do not leave, the world’s cycle remains sluggish and its growth slows. They are squeezing the living space of their juniors. Let them think about it: do they want to wait until their lifespans are nearly exhausted to leave, or would they rather clear the way for the younger generation and accelerate the growth of the world?"

Wang Li flipped his hand, took out a jade slip from his storage bracelet, and tossed it to Realizer Liuguang. "These are some of my collections from the outside world. I gift them to you as the price for settling our karma. I am off; may we meet again if fate allows!"

With that, he tore through the space and vanished.

Looking at the jade slip in his hand, Realizer Liuguang’s heart was in turmoil. He felt as though he had just heard an incredible secret! What should he do?

"I had better consult with Master."

He pondered for a long time beneath the Heaven-Proud Ranking, eventually deciding to seek Xujing’s opinion. This secret was too massive for him to carry alone. He did not doubt that Wang Li was lying, for there was no reason to. Moreover, he had vaguely felt the suppression of the World Will upon himself. He had originally thought he had hit a bottleneck and had been looking for reasons within himself, never expecting that the problem lay within the Tianxuan World itself.

Having made up his mind, he did not hesitate and transformed into a streak of light, flying toward the Pure Yang Secret Realm.

"I envy Wang Li so much. He can tear through space with such ease even as a Divine Transformation realm cultivator, while I have to rely on the Pure Yang Alarm Bell to do the same. Sigh, big shots from the outside world really are different. I’m sure he must be a top-tier existence out there!"

The consumption required to use the Pure Yang Alarm Bell was immense, and Realizer Liuguang was reluctant to use it for travel, especially since his flight speed was not significantly slower than tearing through space.

Soon, he met with Xujing and saw his fellow disciples once again. Xujing listened to Realizer Liuguang’s account and remained with his eyes closed for a long time.

Realizer Liuguang could not wait any longer. "Master, what should we do?"

"What do you want to do?" Xujing did not even lift his eyelids.

"Shall we give it a try?" Realizer Liuguang suggested tentatively.

"How do you intend to try?"

"Persuade those Grandmasters in the sect. They are nearing their own limits... leaving would be a good choice."

"Bah!" Xujing opened his eyes and scolded, "You believe whatever he says? Have you no brain?"

Realizer Liuguang shrank his neck. "This disciple believes he had no reason to deceive us."

"He had no need to deceive you, and he wouldn't!" Xujing kicked Realizer Liuguang on the shoulder and roared, "But you actually dared to scheme against your own kin... you deserve a beating!"