Starting with Proficiency Panel-Chapter 478 - 475: The Path Ahead

"It’s roughly the size of the Southwest Region, which is acceptable."

After carefully sensing it, Lu Ren nodded slightly. It was within the acceptable range; being able to activate this somewhat damaged Nine Cauldron was already quite ideal, as no mishaps had occurred in the process.

"We need someone to guard this place!"

Ji Quanzhen sat cross-legged, his iron rod laid across his lap, lazily saying, "Alright, you all go ahead and take care of business. Later, we can have someone come and build around here. I’ll stand guard for now."

Upon hearing Ji Quanzhen volunteering, Lu Ren sized him up thoroughly before expressing his surprise: "Taoist Ji, on regular days you’re always complaining. I didn’t expect you to be so diligent today."

Ji Quanzhen sprang up with discontent, "Hey, hey, hey, Lu the Kid, what are you saying? Old me can take up responsibilities; not like you, finishing the big task and then tossing it aside, leaving the rest for us to do."

Lu Ren chuckled, thought for a moment, and said, "We should quickly have people return to the surface. The underground city is ultimately no more than a temporary solution."

Ji Quanzhen nodded slightly and then said, "Some might not want to go back. Once the underground city opens up, it will best connect with the surface, forming a circulation."

He sighed with emotion: "Only Huaxia has such power. With the innovation of energy equipment, we can afford to dig out such a large place subterranean."

Beside him, Zhang Tongxuan remarked, "Now I really want to see how the sects in the Kunlun Exotic Realm are doing."

Lu Ren responded, "Fear you might be disappointed. The other few Sacred Lands have True Immortals overseeing them, they..."

His words were interrupted as Ji Quanzhen shouted in surprise.

"True Immortals? Are you kidding? Why are they quietly hiding away without any movement? So zen-like?"

"It’s not zen-like; these True Immortals aren’t like Shakyamuni who completely fell off. They spend immense resources to maintain their true self."

Lu Ren pondered for a moment and then added, "You all know I once took a nuclear weapon with Wen Lianggong to Jade Capital Mountain to detonate it. Inside was the Jade Capital Secret Realm, where the ancestors of the Shangjing Sect lie dormant, many of whom have attained True Immortal Path Fruits. Awakening any one of them would be quite troublesome."

Zhang Tongxuan looked astonished: "Are you saying the other three Sacred Lands also have Secret Realms like Shangjing Sect, with countless ancestors lying dormant within?"

"To avoid the dissipation of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, intending to wait for its resurgence, but now the world has already mutated. Once the Taoism Fruit is congealed, it risks complete pollution. To awaken, they can only dispel the Taoism Fruit forcibly to survive in this world. Otherwise, forceful condensation leads only to pollution, becoming monsters."

After discussing with Zhang Tongxuan and Ji Quanzhen, Zhang Tongxuan continued to preside over the situation, while Ji Quanzhen led the Security Bureau to clear internal threats in Huaxia, always vigilant about foreign affairs.

Meanwhile, Lu Ren decided to continue looking for the other Nine Cauldrons. Once they gathered, the Divine Land’s formation would solidify, and the resonation of the Nine Cauldrons would repair their damages.

Lu Ren switched course, heading directly to an overseas deserted island, entering the cave where Sun Wukong was imprisoned, an unyielding descent to the Lock of the Sealed Heaven, where Sun Wukong was held.

He saw Sun Wukong still tightly strapped by chains, suspended in mid-air in a large character shape, eyes slightly closed, seemingly resting.

Sun Wukong’s eyelids fluttered slightly, slowly opening and closing, showing surprise upon seeing Lu Ren standing before him.

"I didn’t expect that in just a few years you dare to attain the Human Immortal Path Fruit?!"

Ready to mock Lu Ren, his expression suddenly stiffened, with surprise and uncertainty: "Where is your Taoism Fruit?"

"No, how could it be? How did you accomplish this? Without attaining the Human Immortal Path Fruit, to advance to the Human Immortal Realm... No, no, no, this isn’t the Human Immortal Realm, yet you possess True Immortal Power, it doesn’t add up, doesn’t add up!!"

Lu Ren serenely replied, "In this world, the Immortal Path isn’t the only path of cultivation."

Sun Wukong was initially stunned, then burst into loud laughter: "You chose another path to break through, attain True Immortal?! Hahahahaha!"

Sun Wukong’s laughter was piercing, causing Lu Ren to instinctively reach for his ears.

"Is it that funny?"

"Your path is severed; do you know how many insane experiments those maniacal ones conducted during the Mythical Era before confirming the Immortal Path Cultivation System of Taoism Fruit?"

Sun Wukong snorted, seemingly seeing the world’s funniest thing: "Only the Taoism Fruit path can climb to the zenith of all heaven and earth, to touch the other shore!!"

Lu Ren kept his face calm: "Even the Supreme doesn’t dare to arrogantly claim he’s touched the other shore. You, an Earth Immortal, who hasn’t even touched the threshold of Celestial Immortal, how could you know the Immortal Path reaches the other shore."

Sun Wukong glared, his sharp-featured, monkey-faced appearance was terrifying.

"What do you understand, mere child of less than a century, how much foundation, how much time have you had to comprehend the mysteries of the cosmos, you don’t understand, you don’t understand!"

"Understand?" Lu Ren smirked coldly: "If Taoism Fruit were effective, after all these ages of cultivators striving for ranks, thousands of Immortal Gods would have gathered in the nine skies, what a magnificent scene!

Now? Dead are dead, run are run, the dormant are dug up and shredded by us, the once Immortal Path, nowadays doesn’t even dare to show its head.

Great Saint, let me ask you one thing, dare you congeal Taoism Fruit, reclaim the Human Immortal rank?"

Sun Wukong remained silent for a long time before softly saying: "Even if Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism is polluted, as long as one’s true self is maintained, one can still prove the path."

Lu Ren shook his head faintly, inwardly finding it absurd to argue with such a demon over these matters. These are mere ideological disputes. Anyone who attains Taoism Fruit has a firm nature, and won’t be swayed by external forces.

If one’s will succumbs to external perturbation, the Taoism Fruit will collapse instantly, and no further advancement will be possible.

"How about making a deal?" Lu Ren proposed.

Sun Wukong showed a hint of a smile, slightly shaking his head, causing the runes on his neck ring to light up, wrapping his entire body in lightning.

He showed delight: "These thousands of years, I’ve held on, even this lightning, from initially unbearable pain to now just tickling, do you know how I survived this?"

Madly putting on airs! This damn old monkey!

Lu Ren inwardly cursed but didn’t let it show externally. With automatic mental shielding from the system, the outside couldn’t sense any of Lu Ren’s emotional fluctuations.