Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Upper Yuan Palace! Prodigies and the Ancient Masters

However, Zhu Ge had miscalculated how long it would take his body to recover this time.

Even with a physique perfected by Wind Refining, it still took him two full days and a night to completely heal.

The core issue was a surge of cold, yin energy.

This energy hadn’t caused any damage. Instead, after integrating with his body, it had added a degree of resilience.

Not hardness, but resilience.

Anything too rigid is easily broken.

Previously, Zhu Ge’s physical strength was more about head-on clashes and brute force.

But resilience was different.

Increased resilience gave his body properties akin to elasticity and ductility.

It didn’t, however, do much to increase his raw physical strength.

This led Zhu Ge to speculate that the Water Refining portion of the Great Sun Glaze Body must primarily focus on enhancing this resilience.

This was a good thing, though.

After he recovered, Zhu Ge went to find Tongzhen to ask him some questions.

Information about the Third Realm!

When Zhu Ge found Tongzhen, he was inspecting the city walls.

The walls of Mengzi City had been severely damaged in the previous siege, and Artisans were working hard to repair them.

Leaning on his Bone Staff, Tongzhen’s gaze swept over every breach, and he would occasionally stop to offer a few words of guidance.

"City Lord Tong." Zhu Ge walked up onto the wall.

Tongzhen turned, and upon seeing Zhu Ge, he chuckled, his voice hoarse. "Palace Master Zhu, you’ve recovered? I heard from Miss Liu that you sustained a minor injury during your cultivation."

"Just a flesh wound, nothing serious." Zhu Ge walked over to stand beside him. "City Lord Tong, I have a question for you."

"Please, ask away," Tongzhen said with an encouraging smile.

"When it comes to the Third Realm, what exactly are the classifications? Geniuses, paragons, the ancient sages—what’s the difference between them?" Zhu Ge asked bluntly.

Tongzhen was silent for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the distant mountains. "Palace Master Zhu, do you know what the Upper Yuan Palace is?"

"The Mud Ball Palace, the seat of Divine Sense," Zhu Ge replied.

"Correct." Tongzhen nodded. "But the size of the Upper Yuan Palace determines the strength of one’s Divine Sense, and also one’s future potential."

He took a stone from his sleeve and drew a simple diagram on it.

"When an ordinary person breaks through to the Third Realm, their Upper Yuan Palace is only about the size of a house."

"Their Divine Sense can only cover a few hundred yards, and the amount of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi they can command is limited."

"A genius is different."

Tongzhen drew another box on the diagram, several times larger than the first. "A genius’s Upper Yuan Palace is as large as a typical courtyard home. Their Divine Sense can cover several miles, and they can command much more Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi."

"Then what about paragons?" Zhu Ge asked.

Tongzhen didn’t answer directly. Instead, he drew an even larger box on the diagram, one that took up almost the entire stone.

"A paragon’s Upper Yuan Palace is like a small city. Their Divine Sense can cover tens, or even hundreds, of miles."

"Their Divine Sense is far stronger. Someone who has just broken through might have Divine Sense comparable to someone like me, who has languished in the Third Realm for decades."

"I see..." Zhu Ge nodded thoughtfully. "Then what about the ancient sages?"

"The ancient sages?" Tongzhen put down the stone and turned to face him, a hint of awe in his eyes.

"Legend says the Upper Yuan Palace of an ancient sage is like a continuous mountain range. Their Divine Sense can span thousands, even tens of thousands, of miles. Such a person is born only once in a millennium."

"Every single one of them was a pillar of the Human Race, and each has left a brilliant mark in the Historical Records."

Zhu Ge smiled. "City Lord Tong, in that case... how large do you think my Upper Yuan Palace will be?"

Tongzhen glanced at him and smiled as well.

"Palace Master Zhu, you haven’t even reached the Third Realm yet, so how could I know how large your Upper Yuan Palace will be? However..." he mused, "with your ability to kill a Third Realm Demon Beast while still in the Second Realm, you’re at least at the paragon level."

"At least?" Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow.

"At least," Tongzhen confirmed with a nod. "If you can cultivate multiple Daos and integrate their powers when you break through, the chances of opening a larger Upper Yuan Palace will be even higher."

"Perhaps that’s why you are cultivating the Confucian Dao and Witch Dao as well?"

Tongzhen chuckled. "You must have had an expert guiding you, haven’t you?"

"Yes," Zhu Ge replied, though he didn’t elaborate on who this expert was.

But inwardly, he began to ponder.

’My Heart of Martial Arts Origin needs to incorporate a hundred schools of thought. With every new Dao I cultivate, my Dantian expands a little more.’

’For every new heart I condense, my Middle Yuan Palace grows a little stronger.’

’Many small gains make a large one. On the day I break through to the Third Realm, with the combined power of my upper and lower Dantians, perhaps I can open my Upper Yuan Palace to its absolute limit.’

Zhu Ge asked another question. "Then how does one attain the talent of an ancient sage?"

Tongzhen was silent for a long time before he finally spoke slowly.

"I have only heard tales; I have never witnessed it myself."

"It is said that when an ancient sage breaks through to the Third Realm, a heavenly phenomenon will manifest."

"A heavenly phenomenon?" Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow. "Not a phantom manifestation!"

"No, a true heavenly phenomenon." Tongzhen’s gaze upon Zhu Ge was filled with expectation.

"For some, golden lotuses descend from the sky. For others, a Spiritual Spring erupts from the earth. Some cause the sun and moon to shine together, while others attract a hundred birds to pay homage. These phenomena are all manifestations of the cultivator’s chosen path."

"It’s similar to a phantom manifestation, but it possesses a much more powerful suppressive effect."

"The ancient sages are called such not just because of their immense strength, but because they forged new paths and showed the way forward for the Human Race."

Showed the way forward... Zhu Ge was lost in thought, silent for a long while.

"Thank you for your guidance, City Lord Tong." He bowed deeply.

Tongzhen helped him up, smiling. "Palace Master Zhu, there’s no need for such formality. I’ve only told you what I know. Whether you can achieve it or not depends on your own destiny."

"I will." Zhu Ge nodded. "In that case, City Lord Tong, we will depart first thing tomorrow morning. Red River Prefecture is facing threats from both within and without. Time is of the essence."

"I know." Tongzhen sighed. "I can only remain here to guard the city. Otherwise, I would truly love to campaign across the land with you, Palace Master Zhu!"

Zhu Ge understood what Tongzhen was feeling.

Zhu Ge held great respect for a City Lord like Tongzhen, who would live or die with his city.

It was just like the lords of Eagle City and Jianshui City before.

These City Lords could have easily used their Power of the Third Realm to escape to other regions, yet they chose to defend their cities to the death, fighting against Third Realm Demon Beasts.

The common people in their cities were lucky to have such lords.

Zhu Ge bade farewell to Tongzhen and returned to his guest room, contemplating the matter of the Third Realm.

With his current strength, he was confident he could open an Upper Yuan Palace of the paragon level without any issue.

But could he trigger a heavenly phenomenon when his Upper Yuan Palace formed?

He wasn’t sure if it was possible.

Therefore, until he was completely certain, Zhu Ge had no intention of attempting to break through to the Third Realm.

Besides, with his current abilities, dealing with a normal Third Realm opponent was no problem at all.

’I should continue my studies of the Military Dao, Heroic Dao, and Thief Dao.’

Zhu Ge took out the corresponding Cultivation Techniques.

Mr. Langhao had given him a Military Dao technique, Sword Hero had given him a Heroic Dao technique, and Li Hao had given him a Thief Dao Technique.

All three of these techniques were powered by Blood Qi, which meant they were all branches of the Martial Dao.

’If I continue to study and improve, it will add more versatility to my Blood Qi and also enhance my control over it.’

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