Inside the Mystic Sect.
When Jiang Chen entered, he found that Gai Shi and the other experts had already gathered.
All the experts who had come from the Eastern Continent were now in the Mystic Sect. Even the eight Emperor Realm masters who hadn't been seen outside were now gathered here.
The moment they saw Jiang Chen, everyone's eyes unconsciously turned toward him.
The gazes of the Dragon Emperor, the Celestial Secret Elder, the Asura Blood Emperor, and the other Emperor Realm masters landed on Jiang Chen, all of them revealing a look of shock.
The Asura Blood Emperor asked in surprise, "How in the world do you cultivate, kid? It's only been a few days, yet you've already reached the Seventh Stage of the Human Emperor Realm?"
"A few days?"
Jiang Chen paused, confused. "Senior, I was clearly in the Kun Realm for a whole year!"
"A year?"
The Asura Blood Emperor was taken aback. He frowned and said, "That's impossible. I was only in that Kun Realm for three days!"
Emperor Feixue frowned and said, "I was there for half a month!"
"I was there for half a year!"
"Three months for me!"
"I was also there for three days..."
Everyone stated how long they had spent in the Kun Realm, only to discover that the amount of time was different for each of them.
This left them staring at one another, utterly bewildered.
Only the Celestial Secret Elder chuckled and said, "There's no need to be confused. Your perceptions aren't wrong. In the respective Kun Realms you were in, you did indeed stay for that long, but in the outside world, only a single day has passed."
"One day?"
"That's impossible!"
"I remember being in the Kun Realm for a full six months! How could only one day have passed?" Gai Shi and the others said, their faces etched with disbelief.
Only a few of the Emperor Realm masters looked thoughtful.
Jiang Chen frowned, then his eyes lit up. "Does this mean that time in the Kun Realm is different from time outside?"
"It does!"
The Celestial Secret Elder waved his Feather Fan, speaking with a sigh of emotion. "The Kun Realm is a very special space. The flow of time within it is different from that of the Qiankun Continent."
"Senior, you truly are knowledgeable!" Jiang Chen said with a smile.
THWACK!
The Celestial Secret Elder rapped Jiang Chen on the head, looking annoyed. "You still have the nerve to show your face in front of this old man? What did I tell you before you entered the Kun Realm?"
Jiang Chen rubbed his head, his face a picture of embarrassment.
'Before entering the Kun Realm, the Celestial Secret Elder had performed a second divination for him: "Do not enter the Mystic Sect, do not reach the Human Emperor Realm." But he had ended up breaking through to the Human Emperor Realm inside the Kun Realm. This triggered a cataclysm in the entire Kun Realm. If he hadn't comprehended the Past Form of the Three Lives Technique at the last moment, he would have died there.'
'The dangers he'd faced were too numerous to count!'
Jiang Chen gave an awkward laugh. "Senior, I'm fine now, aren't I?"
"Hmph!"
The Celestial Secret Elder snorted, but the hint of relief in his eyes showed that he wasn't truly angry.
Jiang Chen chuckled slyly and asked, "Senior, why don't you tell us why the time in each Kun Realm is different?"
All eyes turned to the Celestial Secret Elder.
Among the eight Emperor Realm masters present, the Celestial Secret Elder might not be the strongest, but he was undeniably the most knowledgeable!
"You little rascal..."
The Celestial Secret Elder gave a helpless smile. "This old man doesn't know all the details, but I have seen some records in an ancient text. It's said that once one steps into the Demigod Realm, one can open up the Dao Origin Void into a Small World. Because these Small Worlds are created from the Dao Origin Void, they exist as independent micro-worlds between heaven and earth. Therefore, the flow of time and the stability of space within each Small World will be different! In short, the stronger the Demigod, the more stable the Small World they create. It is even said that the legendary Divine Spirits can freely control the flow of time!"
HISS!
"Control the flow of time?"
Everyone couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Such an ability was simply god-like!
Jiang Chen was also inwardly stunned. He asked, "Senior, you said a Demigod can create a Small World. If we manage to advance to the Demigod Realm in the future, does that mean we can also create a Small World like the Kun Realm inside our bodies?"
'Jiang Chen wasn't too concerned about controlling the flow of time.'
'He had already grasped the Secrets of Time and condensed the Flower of Time, allowing him to use Time Freeze and Time Reversal.'
'As his understanding of the Secrets of Time deepened, these two abilities would surely grow stronger!'
'He was, however, curious about the Small World one needed to condense to break through to the Demigod Realm!'
'One has to condense a Small World to become a Demigod.'
'This secret knowledge was a huge eye-opener for Jiang Chen, opening a brand-new window on his path of the Martial Dao!'
The Celestial Secret Elder scolded him with a laugh, "Are you dreaming, kid? Condensing a Small World as large as the Kun Realm? You've got some nerve to even think it! You should know that even in the Ancient Era, when an ordinary Demigod first broke through, their Small World would only have a radius of a hundred li. Some geniuses could reach a thousand li, and ten thousand li was reserved for peerless prodigies."
"A radius of ten thousand li? Then why is the Kun Realm so large? And it seemed like we went to more than one Kun Realm, right?" Gai Shi asked.
Jiang Chen and the others all nodded.
'The territory of a single city in the Kun Realm Jiang Chen had been in was millions of square kilometers alone!'
The Celestial Secret Elder said, "That's because the owner of the Kun Realm is the Kun! Who knows how immense the Kun's true body is; it can naturally support such a massive Kun Realm. As for us human Martial Artists, our Small Worlds are divided into radii of a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, and a hundred thousand li. Based on their size, they are also referred to by four levels: Yellow, Profound, Earth, and Heaven. However, even in the Ancient Era, which was filled with powerful experts, the strongest member of the Human Race only ever condensed a Small World with a ninety-thousand-li radius. None have been larger!"
The Asura Blood Emperor nodded and added, "Back when I followed my Sect Leader, I also heard him speak of Small Worlds. The Sect Leader's own Small World had a radius of ninety thousand li. He once said that in Zhongzhou, the Martial Arts Holy Land, some Small Worlds with a radius of one hundred thousand li might appear, but those who could create them were peerless prodigies, as rare as a phoenix feather."
"You youngsters have a long road ahead on your Martial Dao. Let's talk about this again when you've advanced to the Emperor Realm!" the Celestial Secret Elder said with a laugh.
A confident look flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "A Celestial Level Small World has a radius of a hundred thousand li? I refuse to believe that's the so-called limit. If the Kun's Small World can be that large, I refuse to believe mine can't!"
The Dragon Emperor snorted coldly, looking at Jiang Chen with disdain. "You think you can condense a Small World and become a Demigod? I'm afraid you won't even live long enough to attempt a breakthrough to the Emperor Realm!"
"Dragon Emperor, I recall you've lived for over a hundred thousand years. Your lifespan must be nearly depleted, right? You'd better take care of yourself so you can stick around and watch the day I step into the Demigod Realm!" Jiang Chen retorted, baring his teeth at the Dragon Emperor without a hint of weakness.
"Hmph!"
The Dragon Emperor's face darkened, a vicious light glinting in his eyes.
If he didn't know that fighting was forbidden within the Mystic Sect, he would have already been unable to resist striking Jiang Chen down.
Beside him, Emperor Ping Shan laughed. "Dragon Emperor, why bother with a man who's already dead?"
The Witch Emperor let out a sinister laugh. "Dragon Emperor, after we kill this little brat, give his corpse to me! His physical body is powerful, the perfect material for refining a Witch Demon Puppet!"
"Done!"
The Dragon Emperor nodded.
Jiang Chen's icy gaze swept over them, a cold glint in his eyes. "You want to kill me? And refine me into a Witch Demon Puppet? I'm afraid you won't live long enough to try!"
Just then, a melodious bell chimed once more. A vast, ancient voice echoed from the sky above the Mystic Sect: "The Mystic Sect has a Ninth Stage, and each stage is a world of its own. Today, the Mystic Sect reopens. I hope none of you will disappoint me!"