From what Cain can gather, those Supreme direct disciples must have those Primal Sovereign grandmasters as their teachers. An unfathomable expert on this level would inevitably breed fantastic quality disciples.
Cain continued to ask, "So what about those above the Core disciples? How do they fare?"
At this point, a genuine look of respect crossed Jiang Ling's face. He proudly admitted, "The Supreme direct disciples. Yes, those geniuses are only second to the Divine Decree Lords. Each of them is actually Divine Ruler experts!"
"Oh?" This time, Cain's and Amber's eyes lit up in intrigue.
The duo finally reached a level where they can actually resist the might of Divine Rulers. In battle, neither of them thought they were that inferior, if not all, to Divine Ruler experts.
Of course, neither Cain nor Amber had yet to fight a Divine Ruler. But with their arsenal, the duo knew they can overcome the chasm that is Supreme Divine Laws and whatever other power within their Inner World.
Cain felt as if he needs a battle with a Divine Ruler to truly exert himself. While Amber simply wished for the power to fend off Divine Rulers from bothering them anymore.
"Just how many direct disciples are there?" Cain suddenly asked.
Taking a moment to think, a slightly weird expression crossed Jiang Ling's face. "Originally, there were only six of them. But for some reason...another one has joined. And, apparently, well, what's important is there are six confirmed direct disciples. As for the others, it's best to wait until the Elders officially confirm them."
Amber, who stayed quiet for nearly everything, decided to ask, "Say, the number of half-step Divine Rulers you have is quite considerable. How come there aren't more young Divine Rulers besides the 8 you already have?"
Jiang Ling's face showed slight pain at this question. He could only release a helpless sigh. "Breaching half-step Divine Ruler is not only a dream we have, but many others across the God Galaxy have. The step from half-step Divine Ruler to full Divine Rulers is even larger than the half-step Divine Star to fully Divine Star. Grasping a Dao Source Core is hard, but not totally impossible. But wanting to comprehend Supreme Divine Laws and form the Dao Origin, then you might as well forget about it if your talent and potential aren't enough. There's a higher chance of dying here than in the Divine Origin realm."
Cain and Amber calmly took in this news. They were a bit surprised at having to experience another tribulation but didn't intimidate them in the slightest.
Cain asked, "I see. The books we read didn't yet mention a Divine Ruler tribulation. Is it that frightening?"
"More terrifying than you can possibly imagine. Its official name is the Dao Origin tribulation, and it claimed the lives of many extreme geniuses. Even past extreme geniuses of our Holy Land lost their lives to the Dao Origin tribulation." Jiang Ling once again sighed.
If a genius were to perish to a Dao Origin tribulation, it would be a grievous event no matter the person.
Cloudsea Holy Land is a massive organization. But even they treat their Divine Rulers with immense respect. These were people who overcame the boundary of near certain death and gained unrivaled power.
Cain faintly smiled as he said, "No wonder there are many half-steps or peak Divine Star warriors. Any Divine Star warriors can live up to a hundred thousand years. Better to live lavishly than die in regret. But, to those who do surpass the Dao Origin tribulation, their status takes unprecedented leaps forwards, right?"
Jiang Ling lightly laughed. "That's right. Even the weakest of Divine Rulers can still be revered. Not a single one of them are jokes we can look down upon. It could be said a Divine Ruler is a true step into the high-class life of the God Galaxy. That's why you don't see any Divine Star experts on the Divine Decree Lord ranking. The Divine Ruler realm is the true separation of the special and extreme."
With all that said, it really isn't a wonder why just the direct disciples are so greatly revered. So? Just how much influence do Divine Decree Lords have in general? I'm starting to believe they are nearly equal to the high Elders here."
Jiang Ling thought for a moment and his eyes then flashed. He smiled, saying, "Ah, since we're here, I can speak much more freely. Truthfully, even with all that I said, Divine Decree Lords are much more terrifying than you think. As I said before, in the absence of Divine Mortal powerhouses, Emperor Tier geniuses, and Divine Decree Lord's reign supreme. Even the lowest-ranking Divine Decree Lord can absolutely crush an ancient Elder one minor boundary realm above them. There's a saying that goes around our society. If a Divine Decree Lord fights anyone else but themselves, they will never lose."
Jiang Ling explained with genuine awe in his tone. It seemed as if he put the Divine Decree Lords on a separate plane of existence compared to everyone else.
Cain and even Amber curled their brows. Instead of trepidation or respect, only a vague curiosity filled his tone as he said, "Is that right? All of this is quite impressive. That Divine ranking list has been around for not just years, but eras, right?"
Nodding and noting how unchanging the duo's expressions were, Jiang Ling said, "That's right. Not entirely sure when this ranking list was created. Either close to the end of the Primal Vaiser Era or the Emperor Spirit Era. In any case, the Divine Decree List is something the legendary Heavenly Venerates treats seriously. All Divine Decree Lords have an incredibly bright future. They not only show how far their cultivation will improve in the future but are also very helpful no matter how low their cultivation is. It's also not an exaggeration to say that every Divine Decree Lord has many willing to work under them and great ties with numerous ancient Elders."
At this point, Jiang Ling's tone turned serious. "This is why you must still be careful, even while with Lord Wen Dao. Lord Wen Shao is incredibly crafty and quite vicious to us. If he can, he would take a chance to get one of you."
Cain and Amber didn't need to be told this. They were still wary of Wen Dao, despite their partnership.
With what they needed to know out of the way, Cain and Amber exchanged glances, and an idea spawned within Cain's mind.
He quickly infused soul energy into his house badge, causing the royal house to gain a unique aura only belonging to him.
Afterward, Cain continued to ask Jiang Ling, "You know what? Since we're all here, can you show us how things are run here, Martial brother? We wouldn't get into any unnecessary troubles."
"Mn. I was just thinking the same thing." Jiang Ling nodded. He turned over to set his sight on a specific house and said, "This won't take long. In my house, there's a transmission array we can use to go directly to Lord Wen Dao."
Wordlessly agreeing, Cain and Amber followed behind Jiang Ling.
The trio flew towards Jiang Ling's royal house within a few moments.
For a brief moment, Cian and Amber scanned the Divine Aura of his royal house.
Compared to all other royal houses, Jiang Ling is a noticeable grade above all others, whether it's in terms of density of energy or complexity of Law principles.
It indeed surpasses the standards of the Divine Star realm completely. Just a line away would it fully enter the realm of Supreme Divine Laws.
While on the same side, the duo could admit Jiang Ling could be a potentially powerful ally.
Cain had a vague interest in one day fighting Jiang Ling in the future. But by that time, Cain also knows their differences would only grow as wide as a chasm.
Jiang Ling was unaware of the duo's thoughts as he directly led them to his courtyard. His house ring released streams of lights that covered Cain and Amber, allowing them to safely enter inside.
Landing inside the luxurious courtyard, Jiang Ling led the duo toward the center.
Cain and Amber narrowed their sights at a small transmission array inscribed on the ground.
Strange runes that the duo has never seen before and other exotic patterns were engraved all across the transmission array.
A mysterious aura faintly pulsated from the transmission array. It felt as the space around the transmission array had lost all meaning.
All transmission arrays Cain and Amber saw in the past were always highly mysterious to their Spiritual Sea. Neither of them could have understood even the slightest of its Law principles.
Now, however, with their current perception abilities, Cain and Amber had a greater understanding of its Law disrupting principles.
The aura it rippled out could smoothly fuse into the atmosphere, as natural as breathing. It was at a standard no Divine Star experts or even Early Divine Rulers could match up to.
By simply scanning the transmission array, Cain and Amber felt their Spiritual Sea perception abilities slowly broadened.
Similar to filling in the blanks, the duo could identify a tiny portion of the energy principles by drawing on their previous knowledge. This amplifies their pre-existing knowledge and adds new knowledge.
At the same time, Jiang Ling had taken out Wen Dao's briefly contacted him. A moment later, he smiled, and the transmission array illuminated a luminous shine.
The Law principles of the transmission array suddenly turned far too intense and complex. What Cain and Amber could slightly perceive now turned into an impenetrable fog.
Though their expressions were calm, Cain develop a particular interest in transmission arrays. It could come out as greatly beneficial to his mental cultivation.