Is Ten Years of Self-Cultivation Enough

"Exactly who is it?!"

The gaze of the Heaven-Patrolling Immortal Envoy suddenly became incomparably sharp, piercing through the immortal hall and locking dead onto the direction of the Xuanhuang Great World.

The transcendent aura that originally surrounded him gradually converged, replaced by a cold scrutiny and a trace of dread.

Trouble.

This time, what appeared in the Xuanhuang Great World was not a simple rebel, but a genuine, unknown trouble.

"To be able to break the origin grand array and sever the ley lines, very good, very good..."

He slowly stood up. The pure qi around him was no longer ethereal but began to condense, exuding a heart-palpitating sense of oppression.

"This immortal shall see for himself exactly what kind of divine being you are!"

Gu Changge stood quietly in the void, feeling the ignorant yet sincere closeness transmitted from this heaven and earth.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he slightly raised his eyes.

Those eyes, as profound as a sea of stars, seemed to pierce through the newly healed and still fragile world barrier, looking accurately into the endless chaotic void at that bronze immortal hall that was exuding cold scrutiny and majestic oppression.

He clearly felt a gaze, a gaze full of suspicion, scrutiny, dread, and a trace of offended anger, locking dead onto the Xuanhuang Great World—or more accurately, locking onto him.

The owner of this gaze had an ethereal and powerful aura, far surpassing the Great Emperors of this world; their life level had already transcended the mortal realm.

"An immortal..."

Gu Changge understood in his heart, calmly bringing forth this word.

So this is the existence sitting outside, maintaining that evil array that steals the origin?

Gu Changge's gaze met the gaze from the immortal hall across the endless void.

Gu Changge could clearly feel the condescending sense of oppression contained in the other party's gaze, as well as a cold scrutiny as if looking at an ant.

However, Gu Changge's expression did not change in the slightest. He maintained his breezy appearance, and not even a ripple appeared deep in his eyes.

Trouble had come after all.

What he disliked the most was this kind of unexpected trouble.

If one could cultivate peacefully and accumulate silently, why fight and kill?

But right now, the other party obviously would not let it go.

"An immortal is indeed much stronger than a Great Emperor."

Gu Changge calmly evaluated.

"Even separated by the world barrier, he can bring me a trace of oppression.

"If we clash head-on in the outside chaos, with my peak Great Emperor cultivation, although I am not afraid, taking him down might not be possible in a single move. It might take two moves, which will inevitably cause quite a commotion and attract more attention..."

"However..."

Gu Changge's mind looked at his attribute panel.

Behind the cultivation column, that eight-digit, brilliantly golden number, which seemed to contain the power of the universe's birth and destruction, quietly floated there.

A full twenty million, eight hundred and fifty thousand, three hundred and sixty-seven years of pure cultivation!

This was the massive foundation he had steadily accumulated day after day, yet to be used!

Seeing this number, the last trace of weighing the pros and cons in Gu Changge's heart instantly dissipated.

Confidence instantly filled his entire body.

"Forget it."

The corners of his mouth imperceptibly curled upward into an arc, and a cold smile flashed past.

"Since he has taken the initiative to come knocking, it's a good time to weigh exactly how much this so-called 'immortal' is truly worth."

His gaze remained calm, but when cast toward the extraterrestrial immortal hall, it carried an undisguised playfulness and scrutiny.

As his thoughts raced, he no longer hesitated and sent a confirmation to the system in his mind.

"System, if I step out of this world, can I raise my cultivation to the immortal level?

"Furthermore, after becoming an immortal, if I want to return to the Xuanhuang Great World, will this world collapse because it cannot withstand immortal-level energy?"

"Ding! The host does not need to worry."

The system's pleasant prompt sounded in immediate response.

"Upon detection, the external environment can bear a True Immortal level existence.

"After the host achieves True Immortal, you only need to actively suppress your energy level and perfectly conceal it below the immortal level to return safely. The Xuanhuang Great World will not collapse because of this."

"But a warning must be given: once immortal-level power exceeding the limits of this world is used within the realm, it will still trigger the collapse of the world."

Receiving the system's affirmative reply, Gu Changge felt reassured.

True Immortal? He sharply caught this key word.

"System, where does True Immortal rank among the realms of the Immortal Dao?"

"Replying to the host: True Immortal is above the Great Emperor realm, the first major realm at the beginning of the Immortal Dao cultivation path."

So that's how it is, the beginning of the immortal path. Gu Changge nodded slightly.

"System, how many years of cultivation reserves do I need to consume to break through from peak Great Emperor to the immortal realm?"

"Ding! Calculating... Calculation complete. The host's foundation is perfect and has reached the limit of this world. The energy required to break through the True Immortal bottleneck is approximately: ten years of pure cultivation."

"Ten years?"

Gu Changge was slightly taken aback. Looking at the terrifying number of over twenty million years on the system panel, his tone carried a trace of astonishment.

"Ten years? So little? Is it enough? Will it lead to an unstable foundation?"

He had read all kinds of web novels in his past life, and he remembered that several protagonists went through thousands of tribulations and dangers to become immortals, living lifetime after lifetime, spending hundreds of thousands of years before finally becoming immortals in the mortal world.

For him, ten years of cultivation was enough?

"System, how about I infuse a bit more? For example, one million years to solidify the foundation? That would be safer."

He couldn't help but suggest, feeling that this cost of ten years was so light it seemed like child's play.

"Ding! Prompting the host: Ten years of cultivation is enough to perfectly break through to the True Immortal realm. The host has lingered in the peak Great Emperor realm for a long time, and your own foundation has long accumulated to an overflowing state.

"What is currently lacking is not energy accumulation, but merely that sliver of opportunity to break the shackles of heaven and earth. This breakthrough is truly a matter of course."

Gu Changge: "..."

Although the system's reasoning made sense, he still felt that spending only ten years of cultivation to become an immortal lacked a sense of security.

He just felt a bit uneasy about it.

Pondering for a moment, he suddenly raised his right hand, formed his fingers like a knife, and lightly slashed at his left fingertip.

Sizzle!

Ten drops of emperor blood, resembling pure gold glaze and containing majestic vitality and immortal dao charm, were forcefully squeezed out from his fingertips. They floated in the air, exuding heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.

Beside him, Little Black and Little White were instantly stunned, their faces full of bewilderment.

"Your Honor, what are you...?"

Little White couldn't help but ask softly, her tone full of confusion.

With a great battle imminent, why damage his own essence blood first?

Gu Changge did not answer, his gaze simply heavy and focused.

He flicked his finger, and these ten drops of natal emperor blood instantly turned into ten imperceptible golden lights, piercing through the void and silently sinking into extremely hidden corners throughout the Xuanhuang Great World, places where he had laid down heavy restrictions.

"It's always better to be cautious."

Gu Changge then thought silently in his heart.

"The Immortal Dao is unpredictable, vastly different from the mortal realm. Who knows whether the chaos outside the realm still hides methods even I haven't noticed, or more sinister traps?"

His thoughts flowed, deducing all kinds of possibilities.

"Beyond this world is a place the other party has managed for eons. If they have left other backup plans that could launch a fatal strike the moment I leave the realm, that would be too dangerous."

"This is my lifeblood essence, containing the mark of my life and a portion of my divine soul's origin.

If that immortal outside possesses some bizarre methods that cause me to unexpectedly perish, I can rely on this essence blood to instantly resurrect within the Xuanhuang Realm.

Hmm, safety factor +10."