After dinner only Wu Long and his women remained to discuss the recent progression of events.
Xue Bing joined them for the first time, as she was now part of the Dao Family, even if she had yet to share bed with Wu Long.
Meanwhile Song Lingfei was the only person who was still in seclusion, unaware of the massive changes that happened outside while she was focused on restructuring her cultivation behind closed doors.
"... so that's the gist of it"
Wu Long finished speaking as the others nodded with thoughtful expressions.
"Say, that Azure Eagle called himself and others 'Transcendents', is that the way to call someone in the Seven Profound Realms?"
Feng Yi suddenly remembered the Azure eagle refer to himself in this way, and Wu Long nodded.
"Mm, to be precise, it is a way that people in Great Realms higher than the Nine Mortal Realms, but who are yet to reach immortality refer to themselves.
It appeared as a way for them to distinguish themselves from Mortals"
"But... aren't they still mortal as well?"
Gong Cui asked with wide eyes and the others chuckled as they vaguely felt that were she to say that in front of a Transcendent that would have likely caused sdrama.
"Hahaha, yes, they are still bound by a limited lifespan.
But scan be quite sensitive about that, so it is usually not mentioned in public.
It is recorded in history that at first the term 'Mortal' referred only to people who did not have any cultivation base at all, meaning those we call 'common mortal' these days..."
Ye Ling lightly laughed, starting to explain so that Gong Cui or Wu Mengqi did not accidentally create any conflicts later on because of this.
"...But as the cultivation worlds matured and higher Cultivation Realms were reached, there started to appear a distinction between the practitioners.
Especially, when the forerunners of the Cultivation World reached the first Major Realm that granted immortality.
They started using the term 'Mortal' to refer to everyone who had a limited lifespan..."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe continued, as a curious light appeared in the eyes of the beauties around, which was a common reaction whenever knowledge from outside of this Fractured World was brought up.
"...This of course did not sit well with some, especially those in Cultivation Realms only slightly below the first immortals, so they cup with a trick.
Back then, although there was a distinction between Great Realms because of the obvious differences in the way of cultivating and prowess, there was no nto each of them, as they were simply referred to by numbers.
Those above the then First Great Realm as it was called, decided to attach the term Mortal to it, calling it the Nine Mortal Realms by the number of Major Realms it had, explaining the decision with a simple fact that for the most part of the Realm its practitioners were still bound by most mortal needs like hunger and sleep.
Thus the rest of the Great Realms with limited lifespan gradually started calling themselves 'Transcendents' to create a distinction"
Ye Long finished explaining with a smile, knowing how silly it all sounded.
"Eh? Is that how the Great Realms got their names?!"
Wu Mengqi exclaimed with a shocked expression, never having heard of it as someone who never left the boundaries of one small mortal empire in her past life.
"Haha, not only that, but Major Realms did not have individual names either.
So the practitioners in the then so-called 9th Major Realm of the newly named Nine Mortal Realms cried foul as they were already free of those mortal needs and burdens.
In defiance of the 'unfair treatment', they renamed their Major Realm into 'Mortal Transcendence Realm', thus being the first step toward the current era where all Major Realms have individual names, though they still could not get the others to stop calling them 'Mortals' anyway"
Wu Long laughed as he added, his ladies slowly realizing that maybe not everything about the outside world was grand and meaningful, as the origin of names for Great and Major Realms of cultivation turned out to be a lot more petty and childish than one might think.
"But... didn't that happen a long tago? Why would anyone be sensitive about that now?"
Shen Min asked with a bit of confusion as Wu Long and Ye Ling chuckled, exchanging a look with a wry smile.
"The world doesn't change that much in terms of human nature, Min'er.
You may think this is a petty matter, but to swhose pride is high and whose ego is fragile it is a meaningful distinction.
Besides, it is convenient to use those terms so those who don't really care like us still go along with it"
Wu Long chuckled, and then shrugged at the end as they truly were convenient terms to use in day-to-day conversations."Is there anything else you want to know about that confrontation?"
He then asked to Feng Yi after seeing Shen Min's nod, and the red-haired beauty put her hand up to trace he chin in thought.
"Hmm, there is, but I don't know if this question will sound stupid"
She then slightly hesitantly said, causing Wu Long to chuckle.
"Don't worry about it.
If we don't voice stupid questions the answer to which we genuinely do not know we would never progress"
"...then, is it possible to someone to disappear in one place and then appear in the other?
It... it just seemed like that Azure Eagle suddenly moved without passing in between the two spots, but it was different from the feeling of high speed..."
She spoke as if trying to process it as she was speaking, as Ye Ling widened her eyes.
"Y-you saw that?"
She asked before Wu Long could answer Feng Yi's questions.
"Mm, vaguely, as it was all blurry from how fast they moved, but I just felt that one movement was out of place"
Feng Yi nodded as Ye Ling turned a shocked gaze to Wu Long who chuckled.
"It seems you have made good progress with the Divine Marksman Mantra that I gave you"
He said, at the stgiving Ye Ling her answer, as there technically should have been no way for Feng Yi to see all that, let alone distinguish that movement, with how fast Wu Long and the Azure Eagle moved.
"What you saw was a spatial power.
There are different aspects to it, but one of them is indeed the power to move from one place to another without having to physically cross that distance.
And though it sounds surreal, it is just a problem of perception, as you cinto contact with another aspect of spatial power all the time.
It sits right there on your finger.
The links between the worlds are also a manifestation of spatial power, Ziyan and Bing'er have even experienced that when we went to the Secret Realm"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe spoke with a chuckle, pointing to the Spatial Ring on Feng Yi's hand as a sudden realization hit not only her but the other ladies as well.
"Then, why don't you use techniques like that as well?"
She first widened her eyes, turning them to the ring on her finger, and then turned them back to him with a new question.
"Haha, well, the answer is a bit complicated, but I do.
First of all, what you saw was not a technique, Spiritual Beasts, unlike us human cultivators and sother races do not use techniques for the most part, but Innate Abilities unique to their species.
Very much like Demonic Beasts, but with a lot more versatility and variation.
That specific one is the power that cfrom the distant ancestor of their race, the Great Void Eagle, which, if we believe ancient texts has great control over the Law of Space"
Wu Long answered with a light laugh, dividing his answer into several parts.
"Humans like us, however, mostly cinto contact with that power through perceiving the Concept of Space.
I have yet to have met or heard of any cultivator who attained insight into the Law of Space.
And while spatial power is in theory immensely potent, it is equally immensely mysterious, extremely difficult to learn and harness.
Even these Spatial Rings we wear, are actually an ancient technology which we know how to use and recreate, but cannot improve on or even understand its principles.
But once you gain a certain level of comprehension of the Concept of Space, you can use techniques to channel it, created by predecessors who pioneered the study and understanding of it.
The most I can do in terms of movement though, is shrinking space betweenand the target place.
You have probably seenuse Void Piercing Step which is precisely the technique I am talking about.
Of course, back when I first started using it in front of you I was only able to use the bare minimum of its power due to limitations of my cultivation base, and even now I can only bring out just a little more"
He made a smile that expressed how little of that powerful technique he was actually able to use.
"Is that why you didn't try to teach it to Sister Ling or anyone else?"
Luo Mingyu asked as the requirement for learning that technique was comprehension of the Concept of Space.
"Mm"
He nodded, confirming her words, as it finally made sense to the others why he always used the Illustrious Stride when traveling with them in movement formation instead of teaching them the Void Piercing Step which was far superior instead.