As the storm dissipated, the disheveled figure of Duobao emerged. By rights, the Ancestor of Nether River only had the cultivation of Peak of One Corpse Cutting, but combining a technique akin to the Blood Burning Technique and the twisted insights in his mind, he managed to seriously injure Duobao, who had Second Corpse cultivation.

It defies science but aligns with metaphysics.

The Ancestor of Nether River's self-sacrificing strike was not easy to withstand. Never mind the fact that Duobao lost several Magical Treasures, even one corner of his prized Righteous Treasure, the Duo Bao Tower, was severed. For him, this was already an immense loss. However, there was no other option—if he forcefully took the Ancestor of Nether River's blow, his own state would deteriorate further. At that point, not only would continuing his lecture on Dao be impossible, who knows how many years it would take for him to recover?

This band of ancient Great Experts, though repeatedly battered, could not be underestimated. Even if their chances of advancing further had been crushed, their might was still not to be dismissed.

Despite such a wretched state, Duobao's mentality didn't collapse. "I'll lecture! I'll continue lecturing!"

Suffice it to say, anyone who had come this far could not be looked down upon.

Suppressing his injuries and negative emotions, Duobao turned back to Golden Turtle Island. He remained the strongest disciple of the Jie Sect, the senior master of the Inner Sect, Duobao Daoist. The trash fish immortals couldn't discern the details of Duobao and Nether River's battle, but one thing was certain: Duobao had won.

The others knew Duobao's condition must be poor, but the exact degree was difficult to define. Fearful of losing face in front of the Tongtian Sect Master, none dared to kick him while he was down.

Returning to the Cloud Platform where he previously lectured, Duobao resumed his speech in a tone both steady and resonant, as if the legendary sword strike from the Ancestor of Nether River had been inconsequential.

"In five years, the lecture will continue. For now, each of you should immerse yourselves in contemplation."

With these words, he closed his eyes and began to meditate, restoring his state. The Ancestor of Nether River's self-sacrificing strike was truly hard to endure. Although Duobao seemed calm and unperturbed on the surface, inside, he was metaphorically swallowing his broken teeth. Were it not for the Ancestor of Nether River's Mana fluctuations being vastly inferior to a Second Corpse Quasi-Saint, Duobao might have suspected the Ancestor was closer to crossing that crucial threshold.

How could you be this strong? This makes no sense!

In the end, knowledge is simply knowledge—its origins don't matter. As one of the earliest Great Experts, the Ancestor of Nether River certainly lived up to his name with his ability to transform and absorb knowledge.

Regardless of the questions weighing heavy on his mind, now was not the time to delve into them. For Duobao, the most critical task was to properly deliver his upcoming lectures. In the Primordial realm, all the metaphysical happenings must be taken seriously; a simple principle worth believing in was the rule of three.

If you earnestly dedicated yourself to accomplishing something and were unintentionally interrupted three times, this could be seen as Heaven's Will being against you.

Should this explanation seem too mystical, then let it be reframed: The Daoist Ancestor divided his lecture into three sections—if you divided yours into four, would you dare claim to surpass the Daoist Ancestor?

Such is reality.

If Duobao's next lecture were to be interrupted again, then to him, the act of lecturing would have lost all meaning. Success was binary: either succeed or fail, without excuses or justification.

Five years passed in a flash. Duobao had once again adjusted his state to a relatively decent level, but this time, he wasn't planning to tackle it alone. His gaze fell on Jin Ling Saint Mother.

"Junior Sis, would you assist me?"

Jin Ling Saint Mother remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"I will."

With those words, she left her seat and stationed herself outside Golden Turtle Island.

The Saint Position was singular—in a gathering like this, claiming not to covet it would be sheer deceit. But Jin Ling and Duobao had been among the earliest disciples under Tongtian's tutelage, their bond as senior and junior deeply entrenched and beyond question.

Now, Jin Ling Saint Mother was willing to assist Duobao purely out of their shared camaraderie. In the Chan Sect, one could only see similar solidarity between Chi Jingzi and Guang Chengzi—and even then, Chi Jingzi might eventually defer to Guang Chengzi. Compared to the Jie Sect's disciples, the fraternal ties in Chan Sect fell far short.

Duobao knew that this move was a gamble. To have Jin Ling sacrifice her chance this time meant he could never, nor dare to, ask the same of his junior sister again in the future. Because of this, he must succeed!

As Jin Ling stationed herself outside, Duobao deployed his Good Corpse and Evil Corpse avatars to remain concealed nearby. With Jin Ling Saint Mother as a Quasi-Saint at the Peak of One Corpse Cutting, and two avatars newly advanced into Quasi-Saint rank, anyone who wasn't a Saint would be unequivocally kept outside the Array.

Fire Spirit Saint Mother, understanding the crucial moment her master faced, took no hesitation in rallying a group of Duobao's confidants and stationed them to guard the Array. She didn't even bother attending the ongoing lecture to ensure no unruly interference.

Nezha had no objections to Jin Ling's departure. Jin Ling wasn't his subordinate—she possessed her own logic, emotions, and pursuit of Dao. It wouldn't make sense for Nezha to deliberately obstruct Duobao by using their shared sentiments to constrain Jin Ling.

Such a move would make even Nezha look down upon himself—what's the point of contending for the Saint Position then? Better off going home to farm sweet potatoes.

To win, Nezha wanted to win fair and square—to earn a victory that compelled admiration and genuine acceptance. Otherwise, on what basis could he claim the Saint Fruit Position that assured respect from all within the Primordial realm?

Duobao resumed his lecture, this time directly addressing the subject of the Golden Immortal Dao. He had genuine talent—not just one or two tricks up his sleeve. Nezha listened for a while, comparing Duobao's explanations with his own understanding of the Golden Immortal Dao, and occasionally gained insights.

As for Yang Jian and the others, they too listened with rapt attention.

With a blink, ten years elapsed. The Golden Immortal realm was already formidable, and Duobao systematically unraveling and lecturing on it took considerable effort. Now, he was prepared to delve into what he had set as the final stage—Daluo Golden Immortal.

When Duobao reached this point, even Nezha gave him due regard. More perspectives always meant broadened horizons, and there was no harm in absorbing diverse viewpoints. Duobao himself was pleased; no disruptive individuals had caused trouble thus far.

For the Daluo Dao Fruit, Duobao planned to spend a full thirty years covering it in depth.

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