One hundred and seventeen years old: As both sides began to send signals of peace, and thoughts of temporary compromise began to emerge, regardless of the final outcome, or whether an agreement for reconciliation could truly be reached, peace was still achievable in the end.
At least for now, the ongoing war in this part of the world, which had lasted for several years, finally experienced a lull. This was the case for both the disciples of the Immortal Sects and the ordinary mortals.
Pei Xuanjing's Eternal Divine Dynasty also temporarily halted its steady expansion. Even if the Immortal Sects could not prevent his expansion in the future, he chose to pause actively.
During those brief years, despite continuous resistance from various Immortal Sects, the territory of the Eternal Divine Dynasty continued to expand. It had nearly increased tenfold from its original state, with the population of its subjects growing more than thirtyfold.
Faced with the rapid expansion of territory and population, even the well-prepared Pei Xuanjing felt the speed of the Dynasty's growth was a bit too fast. He needed time to restructure the Dynasty's systems and consolidate its foundation.
Pei Xuanjing knew that such rapid expansion must entail the intervention of certain Immortal Sects. After failing to stop Pei Xuanjing's actions, these sects certainly planted spies within the Eternal Divine Dynasty. Their double intentions were to gain a clear picture of the internal conditions of the Dynasty and to wait for the appropriate opportunity.
Pei Xuanjing had anticipated this situation and had thus prepared accordingly. He was not worried, for as long as the Divine Dynasty continued to demonstrate its extraordinary superiority, it would invariably serve as a deterrence to those Immortal Sects.
What Pei Xuanjing needed to do now was not to purge these internal traitors in the Dynasty. As long as their existence did not affect the development of the Dynasty, he could allow their existence. These very people would inevitably strive for higher positions and acquire more information for Pei Xuanjing to use, aiding him in strengthening the Dynasty.
One hundred and nineteen years old: Three years passed swiftly. For the cultivators of the Immortal Sects, especially the powerful ones, three years was less than one period of retreat. However, for ordinary mortals, three years were unquestionably not short.
During these three years, the negotiations between Pei Xuanjing and many Immortal Sects continued to be delayed. A proper agreement seemed far off.
In those three years within the Eternal Divine Dynasty, Pei Xuanjing was not idle. After many of his decrees were implemented, the entire Dynasty underwent changes so drastic that they were practically unrecognizable.
As the Eternal Divine Dynasty became stronger day by day, Pei Xuanjing was naturally not in a hurry to reach an agreement with these Immortal Sects. After all, his agreement to negotiate had only been a delay tactic from the start.
One hundred and twenty-three years old: Pei Xuanjing reached an agreement for peaceful coexistence with some of the Immortal Sects. As for the other Immortal Sects that were repulsed by the existence of the Dynasty, they could only choose to stand by and watch, coldly, as they were unable to take action.
Pei Xuanjing didn't mind this situation. He too maintained a cold war attitude, taking the opportunity to rapidly enhance his own strength as well as the power of the Eternal Divine Dynasty.
The Taoist Academy, with such a model, was transplanted by Pei Xuanjing into this part of the world. Under the name of the Eternal Divine Dynasty's sovereign, Pei Xuanjing enforced martial arts training amongst all his subjects, mobilizing the entire populace.
Apart from the Taoist Academy, Pei Xuanjing also established other research institutions specializing in areas such as grain varieties, cultivation of spiritual materials, elixirs, heavenly craftsmanship, and other areas beneficial to the development of the Dynasty.
In this world, cultivators were respected and revered. They had tremendous power and mystifying skills, but they did not use these assets to benefit ordinary mortals. To them, mortals were beneath their notice — as insignificant as ants.
Pei Xuanjing, however, was different. Having established the Divine Dynasty, he was not disposed to tolerate such an arrogant attitude from the cultivators. Although he could not immediately implement equality among all his subjects, he would not allow the human race to become two distinct species.
Even if martial artists reached advanced realms and possessed powers far beyond ordinary humans, they still had to comply with the rules of the Dynasty. They could not consider themselves above everyone else.
With the help of these martial artists, and the divine positions decreed by Pei Xuanjing, including using the power of gods to do many things, the Eternal Divine Dynasty began to enjoy a period of smooth sailing and abundant harvests, propelling it into an era of rapid development.
One hundred and thirty-five years old: Over a decade flew by, a generation's time for mortals. For this new generation, the environment they were born into and their perception of the world was starkly different from that of their elders.
At least for the newborn generation of the Eternal Divine Dynasty, the practice of Martial Arts is commonplace, and the Dynasty is seen as the most formidable entity. As for the Immortal Sects, they are out of reach.
For the majority of the new generation of martial artists, Immortal Sects are merely terrifying enemies spoken of by their ancestors and the foes they've been prepared to face since birth.
Twenty years is enough time for many things to happen. Even though Pei Xuanjing did not deliberately attempt to expand the Dynasty's territory and population during this time, everything the Dynasty had consistently attracted those living under the rule of the Immortal Sects.
Even if the rise of the Dynasty led the Immortal Sects to realize that they could no longer continuously exploit and oppress the ordinary mortals, their attempts to reduce the burdens on the mortals paled in comparison to what the Dynasty had offered. Given the opportunity and ability, ordinary mortals would want to join the Dynasty and become part of it. As for those who did not join, they were always looking forward to the day they could join the Dynasty.
The Divine Root, a natural gift, was originally the biggest trump card of the Immortal Sects. It was their reliance for monopolizing the cultivation path, the foundation for their establishment of power, and the biggest difference between them and the ordinary mortals.
But now, many powerful Immortal Sects and wise men have realized that due to the Divine Root, even if they reduce their requirements for joining the sects, the number of disciples that join every year is not large. Compared to those without the Divine Root, who cannot enter the Immortal Sects for Martial Arts cultivation, their number is negligible, a grain of sand in the ocean.
One hundred and thirty-six years old: Pei Xuanjing steadily sits on Mount Tai, calmly developing the Divine Dynasty, but the wise ones of the Immortal Sect are restless, as the number of disciples who are eligible to join the sect each year and the number of Martial Artists cultivating simply cannot be compared.
Even though the Immortal Sect holds a much higher probability of strong individuals emerging due to the spiritual roots compared to martial arts, all of this seems extremely feeble against the large base of martial arts.
They are fully aware that if this continues, issues will inevitably arise. But, facing such a predicament, they are completely helpless.
It is at this moment that some wise men from the Immortal Sect propose a solution, reckoning that if they can't block the spread of martial arts and stop people from taking up martial arts cultivation, then the only way to strengthen the influence of the Immortal Sect would be to increase the number of cultivators. They suggest making the sect more accessible, encouraging more people to pursue cultivation and step onto the path of Immortality. Only then could they truly suppress martial arts.
Some even argue that Pei Xuanjing's incredible strength is a result of him pioneering martial arts. Martial Arts is the foundation of his existence. If they could weaken the influence of martial arts, perhaps, they could balance out his power.
However, if the Immortal Sect truly opened its gates to allow common mortals to cultivate, could the sect still maintain its transcendental standing?
Moreover, spiritual roots are heaven-given. If one does not possess a spiritual root, how is he supposed to cultivate?
Challenging issues such as these are posed one after another before the strong practitioners of the Immortal Sect. Even for those as wise as them, the decision is not easy.
Because they are all clear that the choice they make will have an enormous impact and if they make a wrong step, they will inevitably pay a hefty price in the future.
One hundred and thirty-nine years old: The decision regarding whether to expand their influence like martial arts and open the gates of the sect is quickly made by the powerful practitioners in the Immortal Sect after a brief discussion.
Considering the unstoppable encroachment of martial arts, if they didn't act now and allowed the Martial Arts to continue growing, there would soon be someone reaching the pinnacle of martial arts cultivation and entirely replacing the existence of immortal sect cultivation. They would become the mainstream of this world, and the immortal path would fade away.
Under such a threat, survival is of utmost importance. Anything else pales in comparison.
Therefore, they decide to abandon their aloof attitudes, openly recruit disciples, promote the path of Immortal cultivation and encourage more people to join the Immortal Sect. Only then could they guarantee the existence and standing of the Immortal Sect.
Next comes another challenge, making the heaven-given spiritual roots accessible to those who don't have them.
Regarding this issue, some cultivators had proposed a solution long before, which wasn't given much attention. After all, cultivators who are already benefiting would not want to share their blessings unless it ensures the future of their offspring.
However, when faced with life and death, no difficulties can hinder them, and when these top Immortal Sects unite, there isn't any problem that they can't solve, at least not the issue of the spiritual root.
The thought of creating artificial spiritual roots is soon proposed, although the Immortal Sect claims it as their original idea. But according to the news Pei Xuanjing got from some Immortal Sects, this artificial spiritual root is actually a reference from martial arts cultivation.
However, Pei Xuanjing doesn't mind this, in fact, he's happy for it.
One hundred and forty-nine years old: Ten years, a short span of ten years, under the joint efforts of the top practitioners and wise men of the Immortal Sect, the concept of man-made spiritual roots becomes a reality and begins to spread.
After Pei Xuanjing received the information related to these artificial spiritual roots, he soon understood the principle behind it. It's a method that draws from martial arts cultivation, where a Tao Seed is planted in the Dantian to enhance the affinity of common mortals to spiritual energy, making cultivation more convenient.
Whether it's martial arts or Immortal cultivation, both rely on absorbing spiritual energy to strengthen themselves in this world. The latter just requires a more stringent perception of spiritual energy.
As such, if the artificial spiritual roots can assist mortals without spiritual roots to step into the path of Immortal cultivation, Pei Xuanjing starts to experiment whether martial artists can also make use of this method to accelerate their cultivation.
When Pei Xuanjing discovers that the artificial spiritual roots also serve a purpose for martial artists, he naturally doesn't mind and starts to promote them in the Divine Dynasty, leading to more Martial Artists utilizing it for their cultivation.
Compared to the Immortal Sect's narrow-minded view, Pei Xuanjing, despite being the pioneer of martial arts cultivation in this world, doesn't believe that one must follow the path of martial arts for cultivation. Unlike those Immortal Sects, he doesn't have an intolerance for martial arts.
For Pei Xuanjing, having reached this realm in cultivation, he is only pursuing Immortality. As for the path to it, there are thousands, and any of them will suffice as long as one attains enlightenment.
One hundred and fifty-one years old: With the promotion of artificial spiritual roots, the number of disciples recruited by the Immortal Sect begins to increase rapidly, but the powerful practitioners of these sects are not as happy as expected.
They've found that even after the widespread promotion of artificial spiritual roots, while many common people chose to step onto the immortal path because of the long-standing reputation of the Immortal Sect, more people chose to cultivate martial arts instead.
At its core, the reason is simple – the cost of artificial spiritual roots is too high. Even though the strong practitioners of the Immortal Sect considered this and attempted to lower the cost of creating artificial spiritual roots, it still remains unaffordable for most common people, especially for those under their rule.
If there was no choice before, with their lack of spiritual roots relegating them to a life of common people, and the only path for advancement being cultivation, these common people would grasp this opportunity like a lifesaving straw and strive regardless of its cost.
But the reality is, even without the existence of artificial spiritual roots, they can alternatively cultivate martial arts. There is no need to exhaust all their efforts and resources in pursuing artificial spiritual roots.
As for the common people under the Divine Dynasty, even though they have the ability, there's no necessity to join the Immortal Sect. After all, though artificial spiritual roots can assist in cultivation, they are still a tier lower than the natural ones. It's not worth the effort.
For them, it is better to cultivate freely within the Divine Dynasty than to bow down in the Immortal Sects. After all, no one willingly puts themselves beneath others.
At the age of 155: The emergence of man-made spiritual roots strengthened the power of the immortal sects, but it even more significantly increased the power of Martial Arts. The number of followers added to both sides each year did not decrease because of the appearance of man-made spiritual roots but was expanded. This undoubtedly disappointed many powerful cultivators in the immortal sects.
Just at this time, Pei Xuanjing secretly extended an olive branch to some immortal sects, inviting them to cooperate and explore the cultivation path of Unity of Immortal and Martial Ways.
The strong always have their uniqueness. If someone dared to rank Martial Arts and Immortal Path equally before, they would definitely be scoffed at by the immortal sects. However, now, almost everyone considers the invitation from Pei Xuanjing, who can be regarded as the unparalleled lord of the Divine Dynasty, a tempting offer. These invited members of the immortal sects, although having complex thoughts and different views, surprisingly agreed without refusing.
At the age of 157: The top-level strong cultivators and wise men from many immortal sects gathered in the Capital of the Eternal Divine Dynasty. When Pei Xuanjing showed a modest attitude of respecting scholars, their initial displeasure quickly dissipated.
Pei Xuanjing unreservedly expressed his views. He wanted to join hands with these people, to jointly cultivate both Martial Arts and Immortal Path, in hopes of finding a clue to explore the Immortal Dao Realm.
The Immortal Path, for these top-level strong cultivators of the immortal sects, is also a great temptation. Such a grand goal can naturally give them a reason to put aside their previous prejudices.
At least for now, both sides have temporarily set aside their disputes, choosing to cooperate again.
At the age of 158: Unity of Immortal and Martial Ways, was an idea Pei Xuanjing had conceived for a long time. In his mind, he thought not only about the Unity of Immortal and Martial Ways.
Pei Xuanjing, not only having superior realms but also proficient knowledge, integrated many accumulations of cultivation in the Daming World into his heart. Especially his many unique insights about Martial Arts, which give those top-level cultivators in this world a different understanding.
As soon as Martial Arts had appeared in this world, these top-level cultivators had paid attention to it. For strong cultivators who reach the limit in any world, they may have character problems, but their vision and Cultivation are often exceptional.
Even though initially Pei Xuanjing's method of cultivation at the Mortal Realm was criticized, due to their extraordinary vision, they realized the potential of Martial Arts and became cautious about the threat posed by Martial Arts.
As more and more strong cultivators emerged with the spread of Martial Arts, these top-level cultivators naturally paid attention and began to study Martial Arts.
However, no matter what, their understanding of Martial Arts was still far inferior to Pei Xuanjing's in such a short period. Now when Pei Xuanjing himself explains to them, they naturally have different perceptions and understandings, especially after combining them with their own knowledge.
Of course, not only they but also Pei Xuanjing obtained numerous benefits. These top-level cultivators have reached their present positions, all with their unique understanding and knowledge of cultivation. Although they have not openly and honestly taught everything due to their concerns, they have also benefited Pei Xuanjing.
At the age of 161: The communication between Pei Xuanjing and the strong cultivators of the immortal sects gradually allowed them to communicate and interact more frequently, and their impressions of Pei Xuanjing changed.
In the original descriptions of Pei Xuanjing by many immortal sects, Pei Xuanjing was an absolutely domineering person. He was a tyrant who created the Eternal Divine Dynasty to enslave these mortals, intending to overthrow the Immortal Path and bring down the cultivators of the immortal sects.
Add to this the previous battles between the immortal sects and the Divine Dynasty, wherein Pei Xuanjing forcefully suppressed many powerful forces of the immortal sects, only strengthened this belief.
But now, upon meeting and interacting, they found that wasn't the case. He seemed more like a pure cultivator, whose pursuit of the Dao surpassed everything.
Originally, those from the immortal sects who entered the Divine Dynasty country held certain trust and goodwill towards Pei Xuanjing. Now, the two sides have a very harmonious interaction, and their original bad feelings have weakened. When Pei Xuanjing took the opportunity to invite them to serve in the Divine Dynasty, they didn't refuse.
At the age of 165: Pei Xuanjing invited these cultivators from the immortal sects to serve in the Divine Dynasty. This was not just a simple act of goodwill, it seemed more like a preliminary preparation for cooperation.
For Pei Xuanjing, what he sought was never supremacy for himself alone. As long as the Divine Dynasty continued to exist day by day, he would ultimately make the power of the Divine Dynasty surpass the immortal sects. Even suppress and destroy each of the immortal sects one by one, and then unify this world.
Yet, what does it mean to rule this world? For Pei Xuanjing, the most important purpose of his life simulation was to gain various cultivation experiences and knowledge, to strengthen the foundation of his own path. Even if the Divine Dynasty ruled this world, it had no meaning to him.
The Great Tao occupies his heart. Whether it's the Divine Dynasty or the sect, they are just tools for his cultivation. Pei Xuanjing knew this very well himself.
He let these cultivators serve in the Divine Dynasty, so that they would be given Divine Positions. This would allow them to understand the advantages of the Divine Dynasty compared to the immortal sects. With the blessing of a Divine Position, for these cultivators of the immortal sects, cultivation became more facilitative.
When this situation appeared, Pei Xuanjing could proceed with the next step, which was to invite these people to truly join the Divine Dynasty.
Waste is just resources that are misplaced.
Granted these immortal sects had previously ignored the world and its beings, they were the enemies of Pei Xuanjing, the challengers, and obstacles to the establishment of the Divine Dynasty, but their positions were not unchangeable. Instead of spending a great deal of effort to destroy the other party, it is better to win them over, and align them on one's side. Tempt them with benefits, and let them strive and burn for their own interests.
At the age of 169: The method of enfeoffment of Divine Positions had been circulating within the Divine Dynasty for a long time. However, for cultivators of the immortal sects, this was an extremely unfamiliar method. They never had a chance to come into contact with it. This was a unique advantage of the Divine Dynasty, established by Pei Xuanjing.
Now, even if the only Divine Position that Pei Xuanjing provided to them was of the lowest grade, once refined, it would be extremely beneficial for the cultivators compared to their previous hard practice.
With the cultivators' spiritual roots and the blessing of a Divine Position, their cultivation seemed to be enhanced even more than that of a martial artist.