Chapter 322: Five Years
Since his battle with Purple Qi Immortal, Xiao Tian began a period of seclusion. However, it wasn't for cultivation. At his level, regular cultivation was too slow to yield significant progress. With the extraordinary "Burning Technique" at his disposal, Xiao Tian needed to seek out various flames and refine them.
Relying on himself alone to find these flames would be too slow, considering the vastness of the Great Thousand World with countless dimensions, each potentially harboring unique flames. Fortunately, Xiao Tian now had the Xiao Alliance. He ordered the Xiao Alliance to search for and buy these exotic flames wherever possible. If some owners were unwilling to sell, he was prepared to take them by force if necessary.
While the Xiao Alliance searched for these flames, Xiao Tian focused on improving his alchemy skills during his seclusion. Xiao Tian's alchemy skills were at the level of a ninth-grade Xuan Dan master, which, in the context of the Dou Qi Continent, was impressive but only considered a mid-level alchemist in the Great Thousand World. In the Great Thousand World, a master alchemist, like a master in artifact crafting or array formation, corresponded to the level of an Earthly Supreme, equivalent to a Dou Di in the Dou Qi Continent.
Only after reaching the Imperial grade in alchemy could one be truly called a master. Xiao Tian's current cultivation and soul strength were vastly superior to before, making alchemy much simpler. With the abundant medicinal resources from the Tian Luo Continent, his alchemy skills improved rapidly. Within a few months, Xiao Tian had successfully refined Imperial grade pills, finally earning the title of a true master alchemist.
After refining these pills, he sent all the ninth-grade and Imperial grade pills he had crafted back to the Tian Di Continent, which was the merged Tian Xuan and Dou Qi continents. Though the name Tian Dou Continent might have been more fitting, it was called Tian Di Continent because both realms were under the rule of Xiao Tian's Heavenly Court, and both revered him as the Heavenly Emperor.
The Tian Di Continent now had two main factions: the Dou Qi faction led by Xun'er, Zi Yan, Medusa, and others, and the Tian Xuan faction led by Ling Qingzhu, Ying Huanhuan, and Qing Tan. Despite their internal struggles, both factions were part of Xiao Tian's harem and restrained themselves from large-scale conflicts. Smaller conflicts among their respective kingdoms and forces were not restricted, as moderate competition could drive development.
Xiao Tian's alchemical seclusion led to significant growth on the Tian Di Continent. The merger of the two realms benefited strong cultivators like Zhu Kun and Gu Yuan, who broke through to the Quasi-Emperor level earlier than expected. Before leaving the Dou Qi Continent, Xiao Tian had opened the passage between the Sky Tomb and the outside world, making it a special retreat where cultivators could break through their limits. He altered the time flow within the Sky Tomb to 1:20, meaning one day outside was twenty days inside. Using this time dilation, Zhu Kun was the first to break through to the Dou Di level, becoming the second Dou Di after Xiao Tian.
This gave the Dou Qi faction an edge in top-tier strength over the Tian Xuan faction. Xiao Tian, as the ruler of both realms, ensured fairness by opening the Ancestral Palace left by the Symbol Ancestor for the Tian Xuan faction, also altering its time flow to 1:20. This allowed Ling Qingzhu and Ying Huanhuan to make significant breakthroughs, with Ling Qingzhu reaching the Ancestor level and Ying Huanhuan becoming a half-Ancestor. Ling Qingzhu's earlier breakthrough was due to extended training with Xiao Tian in the dimensional womb.
Thus, the Tian Xuan faction caught up with the Dou Qi faction in top-tier strength. As Xiao Tian continued to produce large quantities of pills, strong cultivators from both factions made rapid progress. While most of Xiao Tian's pills went to the Tian Di Continent, some were left in the northern region to benefit his local forces. Rewarding meritorious individuals was crucial for maintaining loyalty and morale.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye, and the Tian Di Continent's strength increased significantly. There were now eighteen Earthly Supremes (Dou Di or Ancestor level): Zhu Kun, Gu Yuan, Xun'er, Zi Yan, Medusa, Xiao Yixian, Qing Lin, Lei Ying, and Yan Jin from the Dou Qi faction; Ling Qingzhu, Ying Huanhuan, Qing Tan, Lord of Darkness, Lord of Desolation, Lord of Flames, Lord of Thunder, Lord of Space, and Lin Dong from the Tian Xuan faction. Their progress was due to their exceptional talents, training in time-dilated areas, and Xiao Tian's alchemical support.
Xiao Tian's alchemy skills had reached the level of a Spirit grade Grandmaster, allowing him to create pills beneficial for Spirit grade Celestial Supremes. In the latter part of these five years, Xiao Tian not only refined pills but also absorbed various exotic flames, advancing from an early Spirit grade Celestial Supreme to a late Spirit grade Celestial Supreme at the peak level. When fully unleashed, his power could rival that of a peak Immortal grade Celestial Supreme. Xiao Tian was nearing the pinnacle of the Great Thousand World's power hierarchy.
"It's time to end my seclusion," Xiao Tian decided, rising from his retreat. He immediately sought out Mandala.
"Xiao Tian, you're finally out," Mandala said, kicking her short legs in frustration from her seat on the throne. "You've left all the mess of the Xiao Alliance to me. It's inhumane!"
"I know it's been tough for you," Xiao Tian said, pinching her cheek with a smile. "If you're worried about losing control, I can arrange for some help."
"Hurry up and do it. You think I enjoy this?" Mandala retorted, slapping his hand away. "I'm more interested in how to quickly break through to the Celestial Supreme level!"
"Your ancient Mandala Flower race is innately gifted. With time, you'll naturally become a Celestial Supreme. Rushing won't help," Xiao Tian replied, spreading his hands.
Mandala propped her chin on her hand. "Sometimes, I really envy you humans. Your cultivation speed is insane!"
"Humans may cultivate quickly, but we face many bottlenecks. The Heavenly Barrier alone has stopped countless prodigies. Unlike your race, which reaches the Celestial Supreme level upon maturity," Xiao Tian explained.
(Chapter end)
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