The Cloud Palace was immaculate, appearing as though a powerful being had casually shaped the white clouds into a soft-looking residence. However, in reality, it contained the astonishing craftsmanship of the Xuanzhou Immortal Dynasty and the Refining Sect, with power perhaps comparable to a Third Grade Magical Treasure, boasting not just an interior spatial capacity but also extremely strong defense and various profound mysteries.
Liang Yi had just arrived at the huge gate when he already sensed many familiar presences from inside the palace. A smile flickered in Liang Yi's heart. Though often hearing news of others on the battlefield, since the outbreak of the war, it had been quite some time since he had seen them.
Next to him, Su Youyi also felt a long-missed sense of anticipation rising in her heart. It had been a long time since she had seen her senior sister Yu Gejing and Liu Rouxin as well.
As they pushed the door open, the noise inside suddenly rose but vanished just as quickly when everyone's gaze fell upon the two figures at the entrance.
"Liang Junior Brother!"
Amidst a moment of silence, a voice as smooth and refined as jade could be heard, its joy barely concealed.
Almost everyone followed the voice to set their eyes on Liang Yi and Su Youyi at the door, curiously sizing them up.
Despite hardly appearing on the battlefield, meaning there wasn't much World Origin to utilize...
Still, the Chief of the Taoist Sect had once again surged ahead, just like when he first left his peers behind to become the youngest cultivator to advance to the Seventh Realm, and now, blossoming anew, directly becoming the first to step into the Eighth Realm.
Among the other Chiefs, only He Zhiqing of the Complete Heaven Sect, with his eyes that could peer into the future, managed to break through in a do-or-die battle against an Eighth Realm Great Cultivator from the Abyss; the rest all remained at the Great Perfection of the Seventh Realm.
"He Senior Brother, long time no see, you still look as impressive as ever!"
Ignoring the curious gazes of everyone, Liang Yi beamed a smile and walked towards He Zhiqing with his junior sister.
"Yu Senior Sister!"
Su Youyi's eyes lit up when she saw the elegant figure next to He Zhiqing, and she lifted her hand in greeting.
Yu Gejing, upon seeing Su Youyi, also revealed a radiant smile and approached along with He Zhiqing to greet Liang Yi and her.
A year's time on the battlefield had matured He Zhiqing significantly, adding a measure of firmness and sternness to his gaze.
But when facing Liang Yi and Su Youyi, he was still the same modest and warm-hearted Chief of the Complete Heaven Sect.
"A year ago, you were ahead of me; unexpectedly, a year later, you are still ahead. You're pretty amazing."
He Zhiqing's smile carried a tinge of frustration as he firmly patted Liang Yi's shoulder.
During this past year, he had indeed struggled to the brink, almost constantly engaged in relentless cultivation.
Part of it was the uncertainty of when this miraculous opportunity would end, but more so, it was due to the pride deeply rooted in his heart.
"When your Junior Brother emerged from his retreat, he was so full of pride and eager to flaunt his progress in front of you. But then, to his dismay, he learned from the Banished Immortal that you had already broken through to the Eighth Realm — that hit him quite hard."
Yu Gejing, standing beside He Zhiqing, teased him good-humoredly about his past ambitions, eliciting an awkward scratch of the head from He Zhiqing.
He had thought that one year would be enough to close the gap between him and Liang Yi. Throughout this time since he entered the battlefield, he had been continuously cultivating, using rare real battle opportunities as a whetstone to refine his accumulations, and ultimately promoting his cultivation with the help of World Origin.
Furthermore, as the intensity of the battles increased, the Sects behind these Chiefs, keen to ensure their progress, continually offered previously hoarded rare resources for their cultivation.
In normal times, blindly piling up resources in cultivation would harm their potential, but with the World Origin, the consequences of forceful growth were no longer a concern.
Hence, this was truly an extraordinary opportunity that comes once in a millennium — any person encountering such an opportunity would race against time to improve themselves.
Only a few, like the Abnormal People, would periodically enter the battlefield, and those like Liang Yi who hardly ever appeared were indeed outliers among outliers.
Yet, it was this outlier who had surpassed everyone, reaching the Eighth Realm first once again — an achievement completely beyond comprehension for all.
Upon entering the grand hall, all the probing gazes cast towards Liang Yi carried a similar curiosity, wondering just how the Chief of the Taoist Sect cultivated.
He Zhiqing himself understood that if not for his desperate struggle against an Eighth Realm Cultivator from the Abyss, pushing his Star Eyes to a new Realm, he would not have been able to advance to the Eighth Realm so soon.
Even though his eyes had become so divine that he could easily see through a regular Eighth Realm Cultivator, just a glance at Liang Yi revealed that his past and future still shrouded in thick mist, as murky as looking at flowers in the fog, completely unclear.
"I just had a bit more luck than others, that's all. You surely understand that sometimes, luck is even more important than strength when it comes to advancing to the Eighth Realm, right?"
Liang Yi said with a smile as he waved his hand, not denying that luck did play some part in his success.
"That's pretty accurate. Yu Senior Sister, Su Junior Sister, and the other Chiefs all have sufficient strength; the only thing missing is that elusive epiphany."
He Zhiqing nodded in wholehearted agreement, understanding that sometimes a flash of inspiration could bring breakthroughs, while at other times, one could be trapped in a Realm for hundreds or even thousands of years without making any progress.