52. The world.

Noah felt strange about himself.

He unexpectedly traveled to this world. What greeted him was a storm, the wind and rain howling as if it were the end of the world. The things he had gone through still frightened him whenever he thought about them.

Afterward, he gained a manor and an all-powerful supporting system. A perfect system. Although, the first task was nothing to be proud of!

But in the end, he managed to complete it.

Following that, he took in a golden core stage expert and a group of mortals, both young and old, all handsome men and beautiful women of distinguished appearances, as household servants. A promising start.

A journey to conquer the heights was about to begin. But then, he suddenly discovered that this group of mortals was, in fact, princes, princesses, national advisors, and generals from all five kingdoms.

From Lalatina's words, he learned that this place was Strong Bull Mountain of the Moonlight Empire. And more importantly, Luna Hart was the beloved princess of the emperor. I have the princess of this Empire, as my maid, so why would the mission to conquer Wolfspire City be of any significance anymore? Wait... Something's not right. What is it?

Ah, the mission said I needed to break through to the golden core stage and become the top expert of Wolfspire City... Could it be that this Moonlight Empire, is not just a mortal Empire,...?

"Lalatina, I haven't been outside in a long time. How are the cultivation realms divided nowadays? And what stage have you reached?"

Lalatina, though slightly puzzled by this question, still responded honestly and seriously.

"Master, there are many cultivation methods in the world today. In our region, we mainly focus on Confucianism and martial arts. I practice Confucianism. Confucianism is divided into seven levels: apprentice, scholar, master, grand master, Confucian scholar, great Confucian scholar, and sage. I am currently a Confucian scholar."

"Martial arts are also divided into seven levels: warrior apprentice, warrior, master warrior, grand warrior, martial sect, martial general, and martial emperor."

"In addition to these, there are immortal cultivators. They also have seven levels, which are: qi refining, foundation establishment, golden core, nascent soul, soul formation, void return, and tribulation transcendence."

"The world allow humans to cultivate to seven levels, with each cultivation path corresponding to these stages."

Noah listened to this and looked at the girl in front of him. Beautiful, a princess, with high cultivation—this was truly a model of heaven's favored daughter.

An image appeared in his mind of Lalatina standing on a high platform, waving, while countless men, including himself, collapsed at her feet. A sense of insignificance and weakness rose in his heart. The person in front of him was not a girl he could easily reach.

Shaking his head... He steadied his thoughts...

What's wrong with me? In this world, I am the protagonist, even a reincarnated emperor. How can I have such lowly thoughts?

Yes.

In the future, I will have many more outstanding women like this by my side.

"Lalatina, come over here and massage my shoulders."

Feeling the comfortable sensations coursing through him, her soft, slender, white hands tenderly applied pressure. The fragrance that wafted over was as delicate as rose petals. Having a noble princess like her massage him... Thinking about the intimacy they shared this morning... he felt a bit excited.

"By the way, earlier you mentioned a heavenly omen. What was that about?"

Lalatina, still without any trace of doubt, earnestly replied.

"Before the night I was to be married, a celestial phenomenon appeared. A nebula formed, and then ten stars fell, causing the dragon veins of the capital to shake in fear. Similar occurrences were reported everywhere. It seemed like all of them were paying tribute to this place. At the time, I hadn't fully left for my marriage, so according to tradition, I led a group here to investigate. Those people all came for the same reason."

Noah silently called out, "System, what was the scene like when I activated the 'Heavenly Gathering' function?"

The system responded.

A video of the event played out.

...

Lying back in his chair, he smiled to himself.

This system was something else.

If the cause of all this was me, then I accept the consequences.

And earlier, I conveniently solved the conflict between the five great dynasties. Countless lives were saved, an act of great merit and blessing.

Lalatina noticed Noah deep in thought. She didn't disturb him, simply continuing to massage him quietly.

The atmosphere was peaceful... Relaxing...

She mustered the courage to ask, her soft voice gentle yet tinged with a desire to learn.

"Master, do you think the current cultivation levels differ from the past?"

Noah, feeling cheerful, answered without much thought.

"I remember the realms were divided into nine levels, and with good cultivation, one could even reach twelve levels.

But now there are only three methods: Confucianism, martial arts, and immortal cultivation, right?"

Lalatina, standing beside him, pondered for a moment. The realms had long been divided like this. But the master said there were nine levels in the past. She had to inquire further about this.

"Yes, as far as I know, there are only these three methods now. And it's been a long time since anyone has ascended to the immortal realm. The elders say that the path to ascension has become much more difficult."

"Master, I have an impertinent request. Could you share your insight on this matter with me?"

Seeing her kneel down solemnly, Noah sighed and gently lifted her up.

"I've told you many times that you don't need to do that."

Looking into her expectant eyes, Noah felt uneasy. His careless words had trapped him. He was just a mortal who hadn't even begun cultivating—what did he know about realms or the Great Dao...

But if he refused, it would hurt her feelings... Ah well, I'll just make something up. Who's going to check anyway?

"Every era is different; in my time, it was different from yours. You can only take it as a reference, alright?"

"As I recall, the Great Dao is divided into 3,000 minor paths. Among them are Confucianism, martial arts, swordsmanship, alchemy, talisman arts, and so on...

As for the immortal path, it's not really a path in itself. The world are divided into three realms: immortal, mortal, and demonic. The immortal realm is a place where light and essence gather, and the beings there are called immortals. The demonic realm is where heavy, dark materials gather, and the beings there are called demons. The mortal realm lies between the two, where balance exists. When one side becomes dominant, beings are drawn to that realm. For example, if one's demonic nature becomes too strong, they will naturally be drawn to the demonic realm. The same goes for the immortal realm.

Each realm has barriers preventing beings from different realms from crossing over. To enter the immortal realm, one must shed everything unrelated to that realm and retain only their essence. The same applies in reverse."