Monarch of Time

Facing the old man who had a mischievous smile on his face as he looked at him, Shun Long cupped his hands before he responded

''Senior praises me too much. Even for me, that last trial was a challenge.''

''Hahaha! You little brat, do you think I'm blind? How can I not tell that you were merely toying with Luoyang back there? If you really wanted to escape, could he even catch you?''

Shun Long's lips curved upwards without offering a retort. After all, the old man's words had indeed pointed at the crux of the matter

Although Shun Long didn't lie by saying that the fifth trial had been a challenge, the old man understood what he meant by the words 'challenge'.

The so-called challenge was going toe-to-toe with the most talented outer-court disciple of the 'Imperial Mandate sect', and someone who was one major realm stronger than him!

Shaking his head, the old man pointed at an empty spot behind him and said with a smile

''Enough about that. Since you've already passed the trial, that's the end of it. The more talented you are, the better it is for my 'Imperial Mandate sect', after all. For now, have a seat and chat with this old man for a while.''

It was only after the old man pointed behind him that Shun Long finally paid attention to the rest of the figures situated at the peak of the mountain.

Other than him and the purple-robed old man, eleven more people were present at this mountain peak, all of them sitting down and forming a semi-circle around the bald elder.

However, unlike the old man, Shun Long quickly noticed that each of those eleven figures looked hazy and obscured, as if some kind of mysterious power had enveloped them, preventing anyone from peering through its mysterious veil.

Nevertheless, Shun Long could still make out one important detail; Every single one of those figures seemed to have fallen into deep meditation, not disturbed at all by his conversation with the purple-robed elder.

Noticing Shun Long's gaze falling on the eleven figures behind him, the old man waved his hand and said in a dismissive manner

''Don't worry about them. They are already undertaking the sixth trial. No matter how loud you are, they won't be able to hear you, so speak freely.''

Then, the old man's playful smile gradually vanished, his expression turning solemn as he continued

''Since you've already passed the fifth trial, you can nominally be considered an inner court disciple of my 'Imperial Mandate sect', so it's time for you to learn a few things. Otherwise, breaking through to the Sovereign realm in the future may be a catastrophe for you!

Of course, whether you truly ascend in the 'Immortal Dimension' and successfully pass the sect's test to become an inner court disciple is a different topic, but at the very least, you have earned the qualifications to take that test and learn this information!''

The old man's gaze examined Shun Long for a brief while before he spoke again, this time his voice even more serious than before

''First, I'll start by explaining the Dao. Pay attention because I'll only explain this once.

From your fight with Luoyang, I can tell that you've comprehended more than one supreme Dao, but do you truly know what supreme Daos are? What difference do these Daos have from 'Unique-grade' Daos or the rare and common ones?''

The old man didn't wait for Shun Long to answer, his ancient voice reverberating throughout the mountain peak as he continued

''Most people in your mortal world would think that common-grade Daos are useless or weak, while supreme Daos are the strongest. Well, they are not exactly wrong but they are not right either. Things are slightly more complicated than that.

In reality, supreme-grade Daos can be considered as the origin of all Daos. They are the oldest, most ancient Daos in existence and the ones that form the laws of this world. As for unique-grade Daos, they are simpler, less refined versions of them to be exact.

As for rare-grade Daos like the 'Dao of Ice' or the 'Dao of Lightning' for example, those are both evolved versions of common Daos like the 'Dao of Water' and the 'Dao of Wind'.''

Shun Long nodded his head at the old man's explanation without saying a word.

Naturally, he already knew these secrets regarding the origin of the Daos and the purpose they served, but the old man's explanation was slightly different from what he knew from his memories.

Indeed, common-grade Daos were generally considered weak by powerful cultivators due to their lack of complexity and possible usage, whereas unique and even supreme-level Daos possessed many more advantages in comparison.

However, the heavens were always fair, and for every overwhelming advantage, there was always one major disadvantage to accompany it.

Unaware of what Shun Long was thinking, the old man continued freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

''Of course, thinking that supreme-grade Daos are stronger than common Daos is wrong by itself. They are more complex and can be used in many more different ways, but they are not necessarily stronger. Besides, supreme Daos have their own disadvantages as well. Ultimately, it's not impossible for someone who has comprehended a common Dao to kill a cultivator who possesses a supreme Dao.''

Shun Long nodded in agreement with the old man's words, and for some reason, Yang Hui's figure appeared in his mind at that moment.

The previous number one genius of the Holy sect was someone who had comprehended just a common Dao, the 'Dao of Fire', but he was, without a doubt, the undisputed number one outer court disciple of the sect. All of that stemmed from his high affinity to the 'Dao of Fire', all thanks to his eyes of the 'Fire Qilin'.

In the end, it wouldn't be impossible for someone like Yang Hui to defeat cultivators with unique-grade Daos using his 'Dao of Fire'.

Seeing that Shun Long appeared to have grasped the point he was making, the old man nodded in satisfaction and continued once more, his hoary voice even more solemn than before

''Naturally, there is an important reason why I'm explaining these things to you. But first, tell me. Do you know why my 'Imperial Mandate sect' only accepts Dao Kings and Dao Emperor realm disciples from your mortal world? Why don't we allow Sovereign realm cultivators and Earth Immortals to take this test?''

As the old man finished his question, he waved his right hand, before a thick, wooden gourd appeared in his palm. The fragrant, intoxicating scent of the wine inside the gourd permeated the peak of the mountain as the old man took a large sip, his beady eyes focused on Shun Long as he waited for his answer.

After a brief moment of pondering, Shun Long finally nodded his head and answered the old man's question

''It's because Sovereign realm cultivators have already formed their 'Dao seed'.''