Chapter 435: Nine Sequences

Li Hao was stunned, filled with surprise and unexpected joy.

Although he knew that comprehending his Art to the eleventh level would allow him to become a True Immortal, he wasn't sure if it involved the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal.

Challenging the second level of the True Venerable Tower was only the second step of the test, so the difficulty of the third step was unimaginable.

"Thank you, Senior."

Li Hao repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

The projection, or rather, the Tower Soul of the True Venerable Tower, casually waved his hand at Li Hao, speaking as if muttering to himself: "Wang Shanhe has already taught you the Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture, right? Do you know the meaning of 'Following' and the meaning of 'Heaven'?"

Li Hao honestly shook his head.

"Remember this: 'Following' is Time, and 'Heaven' is Space!"

A sharp glint flashed in the Tower Soul's eyes as he fixed them on Li Hao for a moment. Then, his gaze returned to calmness, and he said, "When you reach a bottleneck in your comprehension, you will understand. I will send you out now. If you need to challenge again, you can come anytime. If you want sparring partners, I can also give you projections from the first and second levels to help you refine your skills."

Li Hao's heart trembled slightly, his mind still echoing with the other party's words.

Following is Time, Heaven is Space?

Time-Space Ancestral Scripture?

He immediately understood that this was a huge revelation for comprehending the Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture.

At this moment, the Tower Soul casually waved his hand, and Li Hao returned to the True Venerable Tower.

Dark and gloomy darkness surrounded him, with a beam of light opening behind him – the tower door.

"Go."

The Tower Soul's voice echoed, but compared to the projection's voice that Li Hao had heard earlier, it now carried more depth and weight, as if coming from distant spacetime.

Li Hao felt a moment of disorientation, then slowly walked out of the True Venerable Tower.

Outside the tower, on the futon in the distance.

Everyone saw Li Hao's figure appear and immediately began whispering amongst themselves.

Compared to the last time, Li Hao had stayed inside for a slightly shorter duration.

Although Li Hao had passed the second level, this time it wasn't like the first level where the Returning Void Extreme Realm constantly pulled and tore, so the battle ended more quickly.

"It was about half a zhuxiang of incense faster than last time. It seems these two years haven't been spent well, and he's regressing if he's not advancing."

"Perhaps his state of mind was disturbed, and he had extraneous thoughts during the battle, lacking purity."

"Most likely."

Among the crowd, Flower Saint and Wandering Saint's expressions subtly changed, a hint of worry showing as they looked at Li Hao, intending to subtly remind him when he came over.

However, Bright Saint and Shepherd Saint, sitting in the front row of futons, exchanged a look, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Hearing the whispers around him, Shepherd Saint suddenly felt a flush of shame. Li Hao being distracted by his challenge and affecting his mentality? Impossible! Others might not know, but this young man had already passed the first level test of the True Venerable Tower! This time, he was challenging the second level! The shortened time now was understandable. After all, the difficulty of the second level was doubled. Being able to last for two zhuxiang of incense was already incredibly terrifying.

A gentle breeze stirred. Old Wang, who had been in front of the distant cottage, had appeared before the futons at some point. His eyes were fixed on the True Venerable Tower. After a moment, his pupils slightly constricted, revealing a trace of shock.

Even with his vast experience and knowledge, such a thing was rare.

Back in the True World's heyday, those few monstrous direct disciples had displayed such exaggerated talent. But now, this young man who played chess with him every day was also reaching this level?

In just five short years, two challenges, passing the second level of the True Venerable Tower…

He felt that he had still underestimated this young man's talent somewhat.

His body trembled slightly, like a withered old man shivering in the cold wind. No one knew the excitement within him.

Bright Saint and Shepherd Saint in front of the futons noticed Old Wang's arrival, both momentarily stunned. Then, their expressions drastically changed, and an unbelievable thought surged in their minds.

At this moment, Li Hao had already arrived before the futons.

Seeing several pairs of eyes staring intently at him from the crowd, specifically Bright Saint and the other two, he smiled slightly. Then, he looked towards Flower Saint and Wandering Saint, noticing their worried expressions and feeling puzzled.

"Hao-tian…"

Flower Saint had just started to transmit her voice to Li Hao, wanting to offer some advice, when suddenly, Forest Saint stood up and spoke to Li Hao:

"To persist for so long on your first challenge of the second level, it seems this Immortal Emperor's Dao lineage is destined for you."

These words silenced the futons.

Flower Saint, in the middle of transmitting her voice, froze, then stared blankly at Li Hao.

Wandering Saint was also incredulous. Her face, as beautiful and noble as a princess, was filled with disbelief.

The other Saints were also stunned, not immediately reacting to Forest Saint's words.

Only after a few seconds did an uproar of exclamations erupt.

"Second level? What second level?"

"The True Venerable Tower has a second level?"

"What level is this second level? I've never heard of it."

The crowd became agitated, discussing animatedly. Then, they noticed Old Wang overhead, all looking at him with confusion, wanting him to provide an explanation.

Amidst the clamorous exclamations, Old Wang had already suppressed the excitement in his heart. A kind smile appeared on his face, his eyes seeming to only see Li Hao. He softly repeated "Good, good, good" three times, then said, "Come with me."

Li Hao nodded, then looked towards Flower Saint, puzzledly transmitting his voice: "Were you looking for me just now?"

Flower Saint was taken aback, then couldn't help but ask: "What Forest Saint said… is it true?"

"Mm."

Li Hao nodded. He saw her still in a daze, unresponsive, and decided to follow Old Wang first.

As Old Wang and Li Hao headed towards the cottage, the people on the futons immediately swarmed around Forest Saint, peppering him with questions. Soon, they learned from Forest Saint that Li Hao had already passed the first level of the True Venerable Tower last time, having already experienced it once.

Furthermore, they learned that the True Venerable Tower had three levels, corresponding to direct disciples, formal disciples, and honorary disciples respectively.

What they had struggled through for tens of thousands of years was just the honorary disciple test.

Upon hearing this, the futon area fell into deathly silence.

"Didn't Old Wang say he wouldn't give special treatment? How come he's making an exception for him?"

After a long while, a Saint spoke in a low voice. Flower Saint and Wandering Saint looked over to see an old Saint with a long, wispy beard, his face gloomy.

Forest Saint glanced at the man, and said, "Who said his passing is special treatment? Couldn't it be based on his own ability?"

"But just three years ago…"

The Saint frowned, staring back at him fearlessly.

Forest Saint sneered slightly and said, "So what about three years? True prodigies break conventions. You all pride yourselves on being prodigies, but who among us wasn't a genius in their time? But there are still gaps even among geniuses! Besides, he triggered the Nine Heavenly Echoes, already breaking convention. What else is there to be unconvinced about?"

He had stood up and spoken out because he had already seen Li Hao's potential. This Immortal Emperor's Dao lineage was most likely going to fall into Li Hao's hands, so he wanted to build a connection beforehand, leaving himself a way out, and also relinquishing any thoughts of competing with him.

Now, his loud rebuttal, speaking up for Li Hao, could be heard even in front of the cottage.

Hearing about the Nine Heavenly Echoes, the old Saint with the long, wispy beard faltered, and then fell silent.

The other Saints also recalled Li Hao's stunning entrance when he first arrived, and they all fell silent.

Meanwhile, in front of the cottage, Old Wang led Li Hao back. Hearing Forest Saint's voice, Old Wang didn't even turn his head, chuckling, "Looks like those little fellows are jealous of you again."

Li Hao shook his head and smiled, not taking it to heart.

Old Wang habitually sat down in his usual spot. Turning around and seeing Li Hao's composed expression, unaffected, his mood improved even more. He sized up Li Hao, sighing softly, "Don't blame them either. This time, you really scared even me."

Hearing this, Li Hao asked, "Senior, you already know I just passed the second level?"

"Venerable God has already indicated your situation to me."

Old Wang said with a smile, his eyes full of admiration and fondness as he looked at Li Hao. "Although you passed the first level of the True Venerable Tower before, I thought you had mostly broken through due to some epiphany. I didn't expect you to pass the second level as well. The difficulty isn't just five times higher. You know, in the past, there were at least a million people who could pass the first level of the True Venerable Tower, but fewer than ten thousand who could pass the second level."

"Some people even instantly killed the projections on the first level, but were stopped at the second level, unable to cross it their entire lives."

As he spoke, his eyes were filled with smiles in addition to emotion.

Earlier, when Li Hao had only passed the first level, he hadn't dared to think about the second level. But now, Li Hao had given him a huge surprise.

"However…"

Thinking about the third step of the test, the smile on Old Wang's face slowly receded, and his expression became complex.

The formal disciple test required the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal, and it had to be completed within ten thousand years of lifespan, with a time limit.

This was hundreds of times more difficult than the Three-Petal Immortal Seal!

The Three-Petal Immortal Seal – generally, after thoroughly comprehending a technique, one could understand one type, forming a One-Petal Immortal Seal, which was the most ordinary True Immortal.

Next, the Two-Petal Immortal Seal was considered a genius level in small to medium-sized sects.

And the Three-Petal Immortal Seal was considered a highly cultivated prodigy in many top forces.

"The Nine-Petal Immortal Seal requires comprehending nine types of Great Dao origins. You cultivate swordsmanship, and if you cultivate swordsmanship to its peak, that's one type."

"The Yuan Shen, also known as the Dao of Command, that's the second type!"

Old Wang gazed at Li Hao, saying, "But that's only two types. You still need to comprehend seven more!"

Li Hao's expression subtly changed. Hearing him say this, he immediately felt the difficulty of the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal.

In that case, his Dao of Command and Body Dao advancements only counted as two types?

That would only be a Two-Petal Immortal Seal?

"There are thousands of Great Daos in the world, but to comprehend nine types to the origin level, and within ten thousand years, the difficulty is just too high, too high."

Old Wang gazed deeply at Li Hao, saying, "Although I really want to help you, I cannot betray Lord Immortal Emperor's expectations. This matter can only be resolved by you yourself. If you haven't completed the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal after ten thousand years…"

He paused, then said in a low voice, "I will make an exception and help you comprehend the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal. But by then, even if you condense it, you will not be able to become a formal disciple of the Immortal Emperor. But it doesn't matter, at least you yourself will possess the power of the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal, and I can rest assured when you go outside."

Li Hao was slightly stunned, looking up at Old Wang. He only saw kindness in the old man's eyes. Clearly, once the rules were broken, the other party would also be sacrificing something.

But this old man seemed to have already prepared himself for it.

Li Hao slightly shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "I'll try first!"

Seeing the firmness in Li Hao's eyes, that gaze similar to his determination when playing chess, Old Wang's expression softened. He softly and gently said, "There are thousands of Great Daos in the world, but in the past, the Immortal Emperors recorded them, creating the Myriad Dao Record, collecting Great Daos from myriad worlds. Take it and have a look. See which Great Daos you've come into contact with, and have some comprehension of. You can continue to delve into those."

With a flip of his palm, he handed Li Hao an ancient book with black pages and golden characters.

He could see that Li Hao's lifespan was too short. Even if he was a monstrous genius with extremely high comprehension in his areas of focus, he hadn't mastered enough things.

And the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal had to be nine types of Great Dao origin truths.

Li Hao didn't refuse or stand on ceremony. He took the ancient book with both hands and began to flip through it.

Streams of ancient characters, like wishes fulfilled, golden and radiant, shot into his eyes.

Then, ancient primordial sounds of heaven and earth reverberated in his mind.

Destiny… Time-Space… Five Origins… Form Command…

One type of Great Dao after another flooded into his mind. The Great Daos collected here were actually categorized into high and low, with Destiny as the most venerable, Time-Space as king, and Five Origins as generals…

Destiny Great Dao, Time Great Dao, Space Great Dao.

These Five Origins were Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

And Form Command were Form Dao and Command Dao respectively.

According to the descriptions above, Form Dao was his own Body Dao.

All things have form, and the physical body is the form of everything external.

Destiny was unique, and the other nine together made up the Nine Sequences!

Being able to comprehend even one of them, and condense it into an Immortal Seal, would make one a genius among equals. If one could grasp two of them, they could be invincible in the same realm!

Li Hao suddenly thought of what the Tower Soul had said.

Following is Time, Heaven is Space.

The Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture, could it contain the mysteries of Time and Space Daos?

Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly. If that were the case, it wouldn't be surprising that mastering the Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture could overwhelm others in the same realm.

Besides the Nine Sequence Daos, the rest, such as Gun Dao, Sword Dao, etc., were common Great Daos.

"If that's the case, wanting to comprehend the Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture, just raising my Body Dao and Command Dao to the eleventh level might not be enough."

Thoughtfulness appeared in Li Hao's eyes. This technique had corresponding Great Dao comprehension. And the Command Dao and Body Dao corresponded to the Form and Command comprehension in the Nine Sequences.

But in his own panel, there didn't seem to be attributes for Time and Space Daos.

Could it be that this time, he couldn't rely on adding points to improve, and could only rely on his own comprehension?

Li Hao's eyes shimmered.

Old Wang sat quietly, seeing Li Hao fall into deep thought, not saying anything. He couldn't give Li Hao any direct instruction, not even hints, and could only rely on Li Hao to comprehend on his own.

After a long while, the frown on Li Hao's brows slowly relaxed. He said to Old Wang:

"Old Wang, where's the chessboard?"

"Hmm?"

Old Wang was slightly taken aback, a wry smile appearing in his eyes. "Are you really not tempted?"

Li Hao slightly shook his head, looking up at him, saying, "Even if it's for Senior, I will work hard. Moreover, I want to go out!"

Looking into the young man's clear eyes, Old Wang's heart trembled slightly. He turned his head to look at the herb garden swaying in the wind in the distance, saying, "Then…"

"I want to see the chessboard."

Li Hao said.

Although Old Wang didn't understand Li Hao's intention, he didn't refuse, and with a wave of his sleeve, he took out the chessboard.

Li Hao gazed at the chessboard, the horizontal and vertical lines, 361 squares. Not many, not few. Yet, this small chessboard, small enough for Li Hao to shatter with a raise of his hand, carried a world within the game.

When one made a move, deeply immersed in it, this chessboard was as vast as boundless heaven and earth.

Li Hao stared intently, the chessboard seeming to constantly expand, expand in front of him, until it enveloped him, his whole being like a chess piece, standing on the chessboard.

Li Hao suddenly had an epiphany.

Within this chessboard, lies boundless space.

(End of Chapter)