"Your Majesty Yi, you flatter us. How could our humble spiritual teas of the Qingshan Immortal Sect ever compare to the splendor of the Great Yi Dynasty? In truth, Great Yi is a land of a hundred blooming flowers, with rare treasures beyond count. Even this communication wristwatch is enough to leave one amazed. Not only can it transmit sound with ease, it even allows for visual communication—no different than speaking face-to-face. Compared to it, the cultivation world's message talismans or image-recording pearls pale in comparison."
Qing Yunzi spoke with a warm smile and sincere expression.
The Immortal Sects may boast some unique specialties, but compared to the creative genius of the Great Yi Dynasty, they were clearly lagging behind. It was the collision of different ideas that sparked this brilliance—a fusion of techniques and innovations, pushing the use of runes to new heights. And that wasn't even mentioning the other items: Yunjin and Wujin fabrics, uniquely crafted goods, the immortal wine brewed by the Wine Ancestor Dukang, the delicious chocolate made from cacao beans...
These products were leagues beyond what the Immortal Sects could offer. One couldn't deny that, even if they wanted to.
Qing Yunzi had learned all this from Jia Xu.
The more he knew, the more he felt the Great Yi Dynasty's astounding vitality—a land reviving all that had withered, renewing itself by the day. Every single day saw new inventions and creations. In contrast, the Immortal Sects felt as if they were falling out of step with the times, no longer superior in any sense.
"All things in this world move forward. As long as the people are given a stable life, countless innovations will naturally arise. The clash of thoughts breeds new sparks. In my Great Yi Dynasty, we have the Immortal Academy, embracing all scholarly schools of thought, and the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, gathering countless artisans. If even with such talents we couldn't create things that benefit the people, that would indeed be incompetence."
Yi Tianxing responded calmly with a smile.
In truth, the very heart of Great Yi was the StarNet. Thanks to its existence, resources could be allocated at the fastest possible rate. The StarNet was even now developing a virtual world, which in the future could give rise to a whole new array of functions and technologies built upon it.
Its potential was limitless.
"All of this is thanks to Your Majesty. If not for your rise from nothing—cutting through thorns and brambles—we wouldn't have the first Destiny Dynasty of the human race, sheltering billions. Your merit, for the human race, is boundless."
Qing Yunzi didn't hide his admiration.
Regardless of one's background, none could deny the Great Yi Dynasty's contributions. To the human race, it was a brilliant jewel, a beacon of hope, a pillar of faith, preventing people from collapsing into despair.
"By the way, Daoist Qing Yunzi, would you be willing to tell me more about the Immortal Sects? To be frank, I rose from obscurity, and my understanding of them is limited. Especially the human race's Immortal Sects—they will be a cornerstone of our future. The more I understand, the easier it will be to find common ground going forward."
Yi Tianxing smiled sincerely.
The true Immortal Sects weren't the minor sects of the secular world. These were sealed by the Heavenly Dao, carrying profound heritage, capable of dominating a region. In the wake of the Myriad Worlds' convergence, these sects must have gained tremendous benefits. Before, they may not have possessed Innate Spiritual Treasures, but now—those treasures did exist.
That spoke volumes.
"I am honored to assist Your Majesty."
Qing Yunzi's expression turned solemn.
Though he didn't completely believe Yi Tianxing's intentions, since the question had been asked, he had no reason to hide it. After all, Great Yi would learn of these things eventually when interacting with other sects.
"Our Immortal Sects differ from Destiny Dynasties, but not entirely. Dynasties cultivate national fate (Qi Luck) by governing the people and accumulating merit. This merges with destiny to form a nation's fortune—the more powerful the fortune, the longer the dynasty can endure. Not even powerful cultivators can interfere directly with such fate. They must rely on indirect methods to damage it. Only war between Destiny Dynasties or direct confrontations can attempt such interference, but even then, they face great karmic backlash."
Qing Yunzi spoke with deep understanding of Destiny Dynasties.
"Indeed," Yi Tianxing nodded. As the ruler of a Destiny Dynasty, no one understood fate cultivation better than he.
"To cultivate Qi Luck, one ascends through Village, Town, City, Royal city, Imperial city, Emperor city, Holy city, Immortal city, and finally the Heavenly Court. The Immortal Sects also cultivate fate, but what they cultivate is Heavenly Luck (Tian Yun)."
Qing Yunzi took a deep breath and said solemnly.
"Heavenly Luck? What does that mean?"
Yi Tianxing's expression sharpened, surprise flickering in his eyes.
Not just him—Cai Yan and the other women nearby all looked intrigued. This was knowledge not easily come by, and all of them were deeply curious.
"Your Majesty may not know, but Heaven and Earth fate is divided into three kinds: Human Luck (Ren Yun), Earth Luck (Di Yun), and Heavenly Luck (Tian Yun).Human Luck, also called the fate of sentient beings, arises from every living being. When combined, it forms national destiny.Earth Luck comes from the land under one's rule—rivers, mountains, terrain all generate Qi.Heavenly Luck, on the other hand, is what each lifeform possesses from birth—it is tied to one's fate star or life destiny. This life destiny determines one's potential and the heights one may reach. Essentially, life destiny is one's Heavenly Luck."
Qing Yunzi revealed what most beings—even cultivators—never knew.
"Each person's destiny is a fusion of Human and Heavenly Luck. To live is to be human; to die is to return to the heavens. Heavenly Luck is within, Human Luck is without. Their fusion determines one's fate."
He continued.
"I see… so a person's fate star determines the level of achievement they can attain, and their Human Luck is closely bound to it. Many things are already predestined from birth."
Nie Xiaoqian muttered under her breath.
"No, Your Majesty, that's too absolute," Qing Yunzi shook his head. "While life destiny comes from birth and governs one's path, stepping onto the path of cultivation offers the chance to rewrite fate.
For example, in the Divine Sea Realm, your life destiny and Qi Luck may be ordinary. But once you break through to the Life Aperture Realm, your destiny transforms—depending on your accumulation. The stronger your foundation, the greater the improvement to your fate star. Weak roots can even lead to damage in fate.
Cultivation is about defying the heavens and rewriting Heavenly Luck."
That was it—your strength becomes your fate. The stronger one's cultivation, the stronger one's Heavenly Luck. It couldn't be weaker than one's cultivation realm.
And the Immortal Sects were repositories of Heavenly Luck.
A sect's Heavenly Luck could empower its disciples, almost like giving them a false life destiny—a temporary buff from the sect's accumulated fate.
Take a disciple destined to only reach Life Aperture Realm. To break through would require incredible effort and resources. But with the sect's Heavenly Luck, they could be temporarily gifted a false fate star equivalent to the Life Chart Realm, making the breakthrough easier. The shackles on their path would be reduced.
At lower realms, this didn't mean much. But as one ascended higher, the benefits of the sect's Heavenly Luck became immense—often decisive.
Even ancient legends spoke of Saints contending for fate, establishing massive teachings to accumulate Heavenly Luck into themselves—enhancing their connection to the Dao, accelerating their cultivation, and climbing toward higher realms.
That was the true reason behind the battle for fate.
"So that's how it is... Human Luck, Earth Luck, Heavenly Luck. Life destinies truly are profound."
Yi Tianxing nodded in understanding, visibly impressed.
If not explained, it might have taken him a long time to learn such truths.
"Destiny Dynasties are blessed by heaven: they gather the people—that is Human Luck; govern the land—that is Earth Luck; and establish state structures—that attracts Heavenly Luck. They possess all three fates, making them even greater than Immortal Sects. But such power comes with inescapable karmic entanglements."
Qing Yunzi spoke with subtle meaning.
Water bears the boat but can also capsize it—an eternal truth.
"Destiny Dynasties possess Heavenly Luck too?"
Cai Yan murmured thoughtfully.
"Sister, the official titles our husband grants are also a form of artificial fate," said Cao Jie.
Indeed, a single decree from Yi Tianxing could alter someone's destiny—proof that he held sway over Heavenly Luck.
Just like Cao Cao, who, when forced, transformed the Wei Dynasty into a sect—abandoning Earth Luck and choosing another path. Such a change was surprisingly easy.