Wayne Shen and the others felt crushed, and even Serena Yunxiang was a bit unconvinced.
Quinn Shepherd, however, thought it wasn't that they were too dull, but that the Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire was simply too brilliant.
A genius like this, who appears only once every five centuries, can grasp any principle as soon as it's spoken, and even without guidance, can naturally comprehend countless truths.
But others simply don't possess such defiant insight.
Even among geniuses, there are vast differences. Wayne Shen and the others may be the cream of the crop from the Academy, whether in talent or comprehension, but compared to a once-in-five-centuries prodigy whose aptitude and insight are both peerless, they fall far short.
Things the Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire finds perfectly normal and simple require them to calm their minds and slowly ponder.
The gap in talent between them and the Imperial Preceptor is like a chasm!
"When it comes to Azure Dragon qi, do you really think it's just a wood attribute?"
The Imperial Preceptor continued patiently, "Have you ever seen a true Azure Dragon? I have. The one I saw commanded wind and thunder, controlled water and fire—it was far more than just wood. And what is wood, anyway? If you gnaw on a piece of timber, does that make it wood attribute? Just because there's an 'azure' character in Azure Dragon, does that mean its qi is wood? If you think that way, your head really is made of wood."
The group was struck down once more, and even Quinn Shepherd felt a sense of defeat.
Even someone as 'steeped in family tradition' as he was had always assumed Azure Dragon qi was wood attribute by default. But thinking back now, when Grandpa Mark unleashed Azure Dragon qi, there was no sign of wood—only wind and thunder.
Clearly, his previous understanding was flawed. Without someone like the Imperial Preceptor to guide him, he might have fallen into a major misconception.
"There are actually many techniques worth learning for the Five Luminaries Treasury—some are specifically designed to develop combat power for this treasury."
The Imperial Preceptor said, "The combat power of the Five Luminaries Treasury is truly astonishing. Of course, if you can't master it, that's fine—it won't stop you from breaking through other treasuries. But you'll be a bit weaker down the line. This difference will only grow as you open more treasuries; the more you cultivate, the wider the gap."
He drew two triangles in the air, one with a narrow angle at the top, the other with a wide angle, then sketched six parallel lines inside each. "These seven lines represent the power of each realm. The second line is the Five Luminaries Realm. If you don't train this realm well, your second line will be a bit shorter than others, and your third line will be even shorter. By the time you reach the base—the Divine Bridge Realm—you'll be far behind, nearly half as strong as your peers. At that point, it would only take a move or two for someone to kill you."
His analogy was vivid and striking.
Two people may be nearly equal in the Spirit Embryo and Five Luminaries Realms, but after cultivating to the Divine Bridge Realm, the gap can become enormous. Few ever consider this, focusing only on quickly boosting their realm.
Serena Yunxiang suddenly asked, "Preceptor, what does your line look like? Compared to other Divine Bridge-level sect masters, how steep is yours?"
The Imperial Preceptor casually traced a single straight line in the air and said calmly, "Mine is like this. No matter how strong anyone else is, their angle is always less than mine."
He dared to say this because his talent and insight were truly extraordinary.
He had almost no weaknesses.
Others have seven parallel lines, but his are seven stacked lines—making him far stronger than anyone else.
"You can consult the Five Luminaries Treasury techniques in the Heavenly Records Tower: Old Lady Xuanqin's Guarding Star Essentials, Monk Yuankong's Five Elements Dipper Treatise, State Duke Wei's Five Year-Star Methods, and the Heavenly Tactics Grand General's Five Essentials of War. Study these, and you'll build a solid Five Luminaries foundation."
These people he mentioned are all top officials of the current dynasty. Old Lady Xuanqin is a woman serving as Crown Prince's tutor, Monk Yuankong is the Grand Commandant, State Duke Wei needs no introduction, and the Heavenly Tactics Grand General is the famous head of the Qin family.
Some are born into noble families, some are renowned elders—all are sect master-level figures who have reached the Divine Bridge Realm.
Everyone hurried to jot down the names of these techniques.
Wayne Shen felt conflicted. He had planned to break into the Six Directions Realm during this training, but after hearing the Preceptor, he steeled himself to keep suppressing his realm until he returned to the Academy and could solidify his foundation before breaking the Six Directions Wall.
Quinn Shepherd was stunned, suddenly recalling that the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra contained some techniques seemingly tailored for the Five Luminaries Treasury.
The Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra holds a vast array of techniques, many of which seem ordinary and not particularly refined. These are often passed down to Cult of the Heavenly Demon disciples.
Almost every divine art and technique in the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra is openly taught—never hoarded. Yet some arts are obscure and difficult to master, making it easy to go astray, which is why the cult has such a notorious reputation.
Quinn Shepherd hadn't studied these techniques in depth before, but after the Imperial Preceptor's guidance, he suddenly realized that those seemingly isolated methods in the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra might actually be the key to cultivation.
These scattered, seemingly unimpressive techniques not only cover the Five Luminaries Treasury, but likely also include methods for the Six Directions Realm, Seven Stars Realm, even Heaven-Man, Life-and-Death, and Divine Bridge realms!
These techniques are cultivated by the various Hall Masters of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon and passed down to their disciples, forming all three hundred and sixty halls.
Quinn had previously dismissed these techniques as useless and hadn't woven them into his Grand Unification Art, but now, thanks to the Preceptor's casual remark, he saw a clear path forward.
"The Overlord Three-Core Art has its flaws, but if I combine it with the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra, maybe I'll have a perfect system."
Excited, Quinn immediately began to study the Five Luminaries cultivation methods: Guarding Star Earth Marquis True Art, Year Star Wood Marquis True Art, Time Star Water Marquis True Art, Fiery Disaster Star Fire Marquis True Art, and Great White Star Metal Marquis True Art.
Soon after, he started trying to fuse these five True Arts into the Overlord Three-Core Art's Five Luminaries layer.
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Claire Yue and the others asked the Preceptor for sword guidance. The Imperial Preceptor explained as they walked, answering everything, but before they could fully grasp one point, he'd already moved on, leaving them frustrated.
The Preceptor wasn't actually speaking fast; they just couldn't keep up and needed time to digest. But no one dared admit it, afraid of being labeled the worst cohort again.
After Claire Yue asked about swordsmanship, Elias Yun inquired about Buddhist teachings. The Imperial Preceptor was deeply versed in Buddhism, having once studied at Great Thunderclap Temple with the Old Tathagata, and his explanations were dazzling.
After Elias Yun finished, Wayne Shen asked about combining swordsmanship and martial skills. He'd trained under the Bashan Wine Master, who taught him the Seven Overlord Forms and guided his sword cultivation, so Wayne pursued mastery in both blade and sword.
Serena Yunxiang also sought advice on cultivation from the Imperial Preceptor, who treated her with special care, explaining everything in detail—more so than he did for the others.
Serena had met the Young Patriarch a few times while cultivating under him and had received his guidance before.
The Wolf Thrall hesitated, then bravely asked for advice on blade techniques.
The Imperial Preceptor glanced at him. "A warrior from Wolf Juxu Kingdom?"
The Wolf Thrall nodded, nervous inside.
The Imperial Preceptor was unconcerned. "I teach all without discrimination, regardless of your race." With that, he explained blade techniques thoroughly and without reservation.
Soon, everyone fell silent, each pondering his words in their own way.
Though the Preceptor's explanations weren't lengthy, they were enough to keep everyone busy comprehending for quite some time.
"Preceptor, have you ever studied demon cultivation?" Lina the Spirit Fox broke the silence, sitting atop the Dragon-Qilin's forehead as she asked.
The Imperial Preceptor shook his head. "I've never studied it."
Lina's eyes lit up, her voice crisp: "I'll teach you!" She was completely serious.
The Imperial Preceptor replied just as earnestly, "May I ask for your guidance?"
Lina then shared her own cultivation insights, describing what she'd learned from the Yong River Dragon Palace's library, including the Creation Spirit Art, and mixing in her own realizations.
The Imperial Preceptor listened quietly, and when Lina finished, he suddenly asked, "The demon race doesn't have Divine Treasuries, right? I noticed your cultivation insights didn't mention Divine Treasuries at all."
Lina shook her head. "No, we don't. That's why we work hard to cultivate a human form—once we succeed, we become demon kings! Super powerful!"
"I've met a few demon kings myself. They do have some rather unique skills."
The Imperial Preceptor said, "That spirit art you mentioned for transformation is fascinating—it seems endlessly versatile."
He explained the Creation Spirit Art in detail. Lina listened with growing fascination, and when he finished, she exclaimed, "Wait, I was supposed to teach you—how did it end up with you teaching me instead?"
"Let's be teachers to each other," said the Imperial Preceptor.
"Okay!" Lina nodded vigorously.
The Dragon-Qilin beneath her snorted, rolling its eyes upward.
At that moment, tiny lights suddenly appeared in the sky and flew toward them. The Imperial Preceptor glanced at Quinn Shepherd.
The lights converged and entered Quinn's crown, flowing into his body. More and more lights merged, gradually forming a fiery red stream.
Lina reached out to touch it, but a tuft of fur on her paw was singed off, so she quickly pulled her paw back.
Soon, Quinn's aura surged, flames whirled around him like clouds, swirling about his body.
Lina was amazed, then heard two popping sounds as two bull horns sprouted from Quinn's head, his nostrils bulged, flaring outward and emitting two streams of white smoke tinged with fire.
Lina gasped again as Quinn's bones crackled and transformed; his thighs grew thicker, his body taller, muscles bulged, fire patterns spread across his skin, and a bull's eye popped open in the center of his forehead.
Then Lina saw a bull's tail droop behind Quinn, his rear end swelling to resemble a fat bull's rump. The tail whipped twice against his backside, probably hurting a lot!
"Preceptor…"
Lina stared, then turned to the Imperial Preceptor: "My young master has revealed his true form! He's not a fox spirit, but a bull spirit!"