686 What is a Supreme?

Jun Mo Xie paused for a moment, then spoke up. "Ever since I became aware of the existence of Xuan Qi in this world, I was introduced to the known cultivation levels. Namingly, the Nine Levels of Xuan Qi, followed by Silver Xuan, Golden Xuan, Jade Xuan, Sky Xuan, Spirit Xuan and further! At that time, the Spirit Xuan realm also known as Supreme Spirit Xuan was considered the peak of martial cultivation! It was almost a publicly acknowledged fact that the Eight Great Masters were at the peak of the world, and that they were the strongest experts of the human race!"

Mei Xue Yan plucked a stalk of dried grass off the ground and twirled it around her fingers absentmindedly as she smiled and nodded. "You're right; from the perspective of the common people, the Eight Great Masters are indeed peak level experts! That is not an unfounded notion."

"But, as I progressed and I came to know old Eagle, I learnt from his mouth that Spirit Xuan and Supremes were actually different things. In fact, there were even higher levels above the Superior Supreme realm! It was from that day that I came to understand the words, the twelve levels of Spirit Xuan, each level scaling to the sky."

Jun Mo Xie raised his eyes and looked at Solitary Eagle. Solitary Eagle rubbed his nose in response, somewhat embarrassed. Boasting about his knowledge in front of Jun Mo Xie and boasting in front of Mei Xue Yan were two completely different feelings. Solitary Eagle even felt as if he'd been sold out by a crafty someone…

"The twelve levels of Spirit Xuan, each level scaling to the sky! There is indeed such a saying. Furthermore, it's completely reasonable to put it like that! Some Supreme realm experts are stuck at the fifth level of Spirit Xuan, unable to advance even if they spent their entire lives trying! Firstly, every step of advancement through each level of the Spirit Xuan realm requires the support and accumulation of an ocean of Xuan Qi. On top of that, one needs to have special luck and gain insights into their cultivation! Not everybody can be like you, leaping forward like a monster." Mei Xue Yan answered lightly, with her head lowered in thought. It was as if she were considering the best way to explain everything to Jun Mo Xie.

"After that, the Xue Hun Manor appeared, and I came to learn about the three Holy Lands as well. Only then did I find out that there was actually a Superior Supreme realm. And it turns out that the 'Eight Great Masters' that were considered the peak experts of this world were in truth, still very far away from being at the top of the martial world… After that, you appeared, and I discovered that there's even a higher level: Venerable! And the Supreme realm experts from the three Holy Lands that appeared after are actually counted by the hundreds! That seems really odd to me! Even if it's for the sake of the War for Seizing the Heavens, these experts shouldn't be so unknown right? Then, in such turbulent times, what is the worth of the Eight Great Masters who are so highly revered by the world?"

Jun Mo Xie furrowed his brows lightly and continued, "Apart from that, are there any other realms above the Venerable realm? Or even above that? And if such levels of cultivation truly exist, what is the true peak of martial cultivation in this world?"

To this question, even the Solitary Eagle and Feng Juan Yun sat up as their curiosity surged up intensely. How could these two cultivation maniacs not be interested in this kind of question?

The true peak of cultivation in this world?

Mei Xue Yan sucked in a deep breath, raised her head and smiled lightly. "It looks like everyone is very curious about this. Originally, this kind of information was jointly restricted by the three Holy Lands and our Tian Fa Forest. But now… since our four powers are already at odds, there's no harm in me telling you."

She fell silent for a moment and continued. "The Nine Levels of Xuan Qi were actually just a kind of initiation testing stage for young cultivators long ago. It was created by an immensely powerful figure long ago to test the cultivation talent of his disciples. The true starting point of cultivation is from Silver Xuan onwards! This is why there's the saying, 'the Ninth Level and below are ants'. This saying is quite close to its origins and is actually quite meaningful. Because if one could not breakthrough the Ninth Level of Xuan Qi within a certain amount of time, even if they managed to breakthrough in the future, their cultivation would definitely not reach a high level in their lives! As for the time one took, it would naturally be better the shorter it is. The quicker one took to go through the nine levels, the higher their cultivation talent. That means that their achievements in the future will be higher!

"Although the path from Silver Xuan to the different layers of Spirit Xuan are tough, it's actually doable and can be accomplished by almost anyone. As long as one puts in an equivalent amount of hard work and time, it's actually not very difficult. Because although there are obstacles and bottlenecks, everything can be slowly worn through with just the patient accumulation of Xuan Qi. Only hard work and time is required. Thus, this entire process can only be considered as a period of cultivating one's mind and temperament. Or perhaps, one could say it's the foundational building stage. Even at the Fourth level of Spirit Xuan, one would not be considered as a true expert!"

Mei Xue Yan explained carefully.

Solitary Eagle and Feng Juan Yun smiled bitterly at each other at this. The two of them had fought and clawed desperately all their life, reaching the Fourth level of Spirit Xuan after so much struggle and breaking through to the Supreme realm with great effort… They'd practically spent their entire life's strength on this task! But in Mei Xue Yan's mouth, they were not considered true experts yet, and were still in the foundational stage of cultivation!"

It was such a drastic realization; if they said that they were not disappointed, it wouldn't be deceiving the world—they would be deceiving themselves!

"Only at the Supreme realm can one truly be considered to have stepped into the gates of Xuan Qi experts! Because only at this level, one will develop a sensitivity toward the Heaven and Earth, allowing one to consider their path and even form their own unique battle techniques. Solitary Eagle and Feng Juan Yun, we'll take your battle styles as an example. One of you is like a reincarnation of an eagle, and the other is a sword fanatic! But the true change, should have appeared only after you broke through the Fifth level of Spirit Xuan, right?" Mei Xue Yan looked at Solitary Eagle and Feng Juan Yun, smiling.

The two of them nodded hurriedly. These two were formidable masters in the eyes of the martial world… but before Mei Xue Yan, they were like obedient primary school students listening to their teacher.

Because the other party indeed had the capabilities and the experience they lacked!

"This is why, only at the Supreme realm, does one have the ability to start a sect and become the lord of an area. However… they would only be able to lord over a small area."

Mei Xue Yan laughed disdainfully, "As for the so called 'Supreme', that's just a misinterpretation of the true term. The original term for that realm was actually 'Knowledge Supremacy'; thousands of years ago, a person would only be considered to have 'known' when they reached that stage and came into contact with a bit of the Supremacy realm, taking the first step on the path of true experts! At that point, one would have a proper direction to focus their cultivation on. It's nothing but a starting point! But as generations passed, the Knowledge Supremacy realm somehow became thought of as the peak of cultivation. Slowly, the term changed to what you now know as Supremes! Haha, isn't that the biggest joke? Supreme! That's a term for those who reign unrivalled under the heavens! How would it be so easy to be a 'Supreme'?"

Solitary Eagle and Feng Juan Yun could not stop their ears from turning red with shame at this. Although Mei Xue Yan was not talking about them, they still felt their faces turning hot, as if they had been slapped ruthlessly across the face.

"Every time I come out, I hear the words 'Xuan cultivator' this, the 'martial world' that. In my heart, I always find those words extremely funny. Can mere Silver Xuan and Jade Xuan be worthy enough to mention the words 'Xuan cultivator'? What a ludicrous joke!"

Mei Xue Yan laughed and continued, "From ancient times till now, the experts of Xuan cultivation were defined by the word 'cultivator'! I've mentioned earlier that only those who reached the Supreme realm can be considered as having begun their journey in cultivation. Not just today—I've said the same thing many times in the past. These words did not come from me; they were truths that people from millenia ago practiced, to demarcate the cultivation realm of the experts among them! Only those at the Supreme realm and above were referred to as 'Xuan cultivators'! Powerful experts of Xuan Qi! That's a Xuan cultivator!"

Mei Xue Yan smiled lightly, "For the 12 levels of Spirit Xuan, only those from the fifth level and above had the qualifications to call themselves Xuan cultivators. The eighth level is the first real step after that. That level is basically the same, but has some differences. Thus, there wasn't a clear name for it, and people in that realm were simply called 'Superior Knowledge Supremacies'. In other words, they 'knew' more than they did before, and went one step forward! The real improvement in strength begins from the twelfth level, and only those who'd broken through the 12 levels of Spirit Xuan would be 'Venerables'!"

"Then, how does one differentiate the levels between Venerables?" This question was not asked by Jun Mo Xie. It was asked by Feng Juan Yun. Venerable Mei's words today had dispelled many queries in their hearts!

"Venerables are split into four different levels as well! Every breakthrough in level will be accompanied with a round of body and marrow cleansing, as well the risk of the dreadful Devil's Bite. If one was slightly careless, their bodies would disintegrate and turn into smoke, leaving one to die without a corpse! The dangers in each breakthrough are truly difficult to describe with words. Each level would also attract a different Heaven Earth tribulation! For example, advancing from the first to second level would cause one to suffer from the Devil's Bite—and that's already the easiest tribulation to pass! As long as one could guard their hearts against their biggest temptation, they would be able to transcend with ease! Even if they failed, they would only suffer from cultivation deviation and lose all their cultivation. Their lives would be at no risk!"

Solitary Eagle and Feng Juan Yun both sucked in a breath of cold air at the same time!

The first tribulation that a Venerable would have to first breakthrough was actually to face their most dreaded Heart's Demon! This was a huge matter that could cause all their cultivation to turn to dust! Moreover, Mei Xue Yan actually said that it was the simplest, most relaxing, and the easiest trial to pass!

"As for breaking through from the second level to the third level, one would face the tempering trial of the seven emotions, the Burning Heart Flame! At that time, one's heart would experience the seven emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and lust. The corresponding emotions would form a series of realistic illusions in the heart, one after another, without pause. The moment it descends, one will feel a strange fire burning within themselves. The fire is seemingly illusory, but cannot be said to be false either. This kind of fire can be said to be both real and not. But once it begins burning, it can turn the entire person into ashes! This fire will not stop burning until the seven emotions are over!"

Mei Xue Yan looked at Jun Mo Xie with a complicated look and stopped.

Everyone only felt their hearts beating rapidly at this point and they practically did not dare to even breathe. Even the Young Master Jun was no exception.

Jun Mo Xie who was in a partial state of shock still noticed Mei Xue Yan's strange expression. Cocking his head slightly, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Mei Xue Yan smiled lightly and hid her slightly reddened face. "That year I was injured, it was at the point where I was breaking through from the second level to the third level! Back then, my brother was encircled by the people from the Elusive World of Immortals and viciously killed. At that time, I was at the critical point of my cultivation; I had passed through six of the seven emotions, and the Burning Heart Flame had also been successfully controlled. But ultimately, the last emotion was not passed, and I couldn't make a full breakthrough! Thus, I was forcefully held back at the peak of the second level and couldn't advance any further!"

"Which emotion?" Jun Mo Xie asked quizzically. Then, as if realizing something, he immediately blurted out, "Right! It's love! You've never loved before! Without having been in love, how could you talk of the seven emotions!"