Sage Monarch

Yang Qi was already relatively familiar with the overall structure of the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect. The central palace was like the capital city, filled with its civil and military officials. The prime elders, elder kings, council of chief elders, and the empress formed the core leadership.

It was almost like a country.

Then came the fifty mountain peaks, which were like feudal government officials. Beneath them were the courtyards, which were like prefectures or armies. Even further down in the rankings were the countless other organizations that existed, filled with the outer sect disciples, who were like the common people.

It was like a pyramid, and in the grand scheme of things, Yang Qi was already like one of the leaders. Although Memory Peak wasn't part of the capital city, it was actually much more powerful than some of the minor figures who were in the capital city.

And Yang Qi was currently famous enough that even low-ranking elders in the palace knew who he was and viewed him as an important person.

He currently had a good position in the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect, and had no desire to abandon it. The world in general was a chaotic place, and this seemed like the perfect place to remain hidden. Until he reached the Terrifying level, it would be difficult to stay safe on his own merits alone.

Besides, just about everyone was after the God Legion Seal, and he couldn't very well hide out in the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart for the rest of his life. Everything was changing nowadays; destiny was expanding and the dao of heaven was growing stronger. Without seizing control of his path now, it would be hard to reach the level of the legion of gods. And that was especially true considering that he bore the God Legion Seal. It was a big responsibility, so if he closed himself off to the outside world, he would never make significant progress.

Therefore, his hope was to stay in the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect for as long as possible.

"Hey, what does Master think about everything that happened?" Yang Qi asked.

"After I returned, I asked her about you and inquired whether she would take steps to ensure your safety. After all, you're a top genius of Memory Peak, and we can't have anything happen to you. You're the main reason our mountain peak is rising to new heights. Anyway, Master said that virtuous people will naturally receive the help of heaven, so there was no need to worry about you. Seems to me she knew you were safe."

"I see," Yang Qi said with a nod. The more he learned about the peaklord, the more he found her to be enigmatic and impossible to predict.

However, he was convinced that although she knew he harbored secrets, she didn't know the specifics of his various energy arts, or that he could now hold his own against a Terrifying expert.

Normally speaking, it didn't matter how high one's power index got, someone weaker than the Terrifying level would be smashed to bits by an opponent who was in that level. In fact, they wouldn't even have a chance to use any energy arts or daoist techniques. Yang Qi was a bit different, though. Not even the four powerful enemies he had just recently fought were able to harm his sea of consciousness.

"Now that you're back on Memory Peak, Junior Brother, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you about some daoist techniques," An Yiru said. "The fact that you fought to a draw with Emperor Heart-Celestial shows that you're far, far above my level."

"That's fine," Yang Qi said. Actually, he was very impressed with An Yiru's cultivation base. She had been born into this enormous sect, and had risen her way through the ranks, experiencing all sorts of cultivation systems in the process. It was a very different path from his. His had involved random chance, bitter training, fortunate acquisitions, and deadly slaughter.

Disciples from huge sects like this could build very solid foundations, as opposed to him, who had experienced deadly crises and killed many opponents.

Yang Qi and An Yiru went to one of the daoist rite centers in Memory Peak to do some training. As they did, other disciples gathered to watch and compare notes.

She demonstrated a whole host of energy arts, while he merely sat there and waved his finger a bit to defend against whatever she threw at him. Afterward, he would explain the weaknesses he had noticed. Not only did this help An Yiru to dramatically improve herself, but it also gave him a good idea of the ultimate meaning of the energy arts cultivated in the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect.

The cultivation system in the sect was derived from the name of the sect, and the words "will manifestation." In other words, they involved causing one's will to be made manifest, and were unconstrained, fluid, and natural. They could be hard or soft, rigid or flexible. But at the same time, they could deliver piercing blows, and when cultivated to the ultimate level, were like a reflection of nature.

They would provoke dramatic transformations to true energy, making one both agile and powerful.

One breath of true energy from those energy arts could go a long way. In fact, many enemies who fought disciples from the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect would be flummoxed by how long their true energy would last. At the same time, Will Manifestation Heaven Sect disciples were adept at biding their time until they found a weakness, whereupon they would strike like lightning.

The true energy operations were very eye-opening to Yang Qi. The Will Manifestation Heaven Sect really lived up to its reputation of having been a superpower sect for hundreds of millions or even billions of years. They had obviously refined their energy arts to the ultimate level. Those who cultivated such techniques could, by their mere breathing, absorb the quintessence of the dao of gods and make their own bodies reflections of the god world.

Right now, Yang Qi's cultivation was based on treasures that had been passed down by the legion of gods and the horde of devils. Although he hadn't cultivated them to the absolute peak of perfection, he was still able to use them to seek enlightenment of the secrets of gods and devils.

The disciples of Memory Peak watched An Yiru training with her energy arts, and they benefited greatly as a result. The chief disciples of the various mountain peaks were responsible for instructing the other disciples, but in this case, the chief disciple actually didn't match up to Yang Qi, who had recently advanced by leaps and bounds.

When Emperor Heart-Celestial and Yang Qi fought, they had ended in a draw. But if they had a rematch now, Emperor Heart-Celestial would only last for three moves before being defeated.

Furthermore, he now had a much deeper understanding of his daoist techniques and energy arts. Thanks to perusing the sheepskin scroll, and cultivating his Unspoiled Body, he had experienced countless tribulations, refining his techniques and constitution. That experience had been a big wakeup call, focusing his enlightenment and pushing him closer to godly ascension.

Normally speaking, he wouldn't have been able to reach this state even with direct instruction from the peaklord.

Several months passed, during which more and more disciples of Memory Peak were learning from the training sessions held by An Yiru and Yang Qi. Of course, in the mortal world, several months could be considered a long time, but to people who pursued the dao of immortals, it was like the snap of a finger. After all, many experts would think nothing about spending millions, or even hundreds of millions of years in seclusion.

There were even stories of some experts who spent billions of years in meditation before running out of longevity, having failed to achieve a breakthrough.

Therefore, the disciples of Memory Peak were more than happy to spend months learning from Yang Qi. And all of them had experienced advancement in their energy arts as a result.

Most of the disciples in the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect would have resources and energy built up for use when they found an opportunity for a breakthrough. For some, it would only happen when some monster began causing problems, and they had no option other than to deal with it. But in this case, their help came from Yang Qi.

Meanwhile, Yang Qi's cultivation was going well. Helping others to pass their own tribulations was like doing so himself, and his energy arts benefited as a result.

He was slowly making progress with the Unspoiled Body. And in order to make sure that it didn't end up being overwhelmed by the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he was doing his best to further both techniques at the same rate.

The way the two techniques were always at odds with each other was actually a benefit to his cultivation base.

From what he could tell, his power index was now beyond four thousand, although he was suppressing it to seem like it was three thousand lest he attract unwanted attention.

Because of Yang Qi's instruction, and because of their solid foundations, the disciples of Memory Peak were all improving and growing stronger. Soon, word began spreading through the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect.

"Did you hear about what's going on? Yang Qi has been giving sermons to the disciples on Memory Peak and helping them train in their energy arts. Everything he says provides major benefits, and all the disciples from there are improving."

"Yeah, I know. You know that female disciple Qiu Muhua? Not long ago, she couldn't possibly have been a match for me. But we had a duel a few days ago, and her energy arts have advanced beyond belief. She used our sect's signature Megaplexus-Heaven Thirty-Six God-Thread Enwrapping Energy Art, and I could hardly keep up. Her progress is unbelievable."

"Same here. It seems like all the disciples from Memory Peak are progressing, and can beat their opponents in only three or so moves."

"Who is this Yang Qi? Not even the peaklords can do what he's doing. With one word, he reaches the hearts of his audience and enlightens them with perfect wisdom!"

"It's too bad we can't go to Memory Peak ourselves. Otherwise, our cultivation and energy arts would also improve."

"Well, there's nothing you can do about it. The rules are clear. Only people from Memory Peak can study there."