Open up and break into another world

Although the gray-clothed figure was somewhat hunched, the aura emanating from him gave the feeling of transcending even the Heavenly Dao.

However, Xu Ming could sense that this gray-clothed figure was just an image without any combat power.

An ancient cultivator?

A guide?

Xu Ming looked at the gray-clothed figure, lost in thought.

He had heard of the "Ancient Cultivator Faction," said to be a very ancient and mysterious cultivation school. And now, he was about to receive the inheritance of the "Ancient Cultivator" lineage?

"Senior, may I ask, what is a guide?"

This gray-clothed figure was clearly a super powerhouse from the Divine Domain, likely much stronger than City Lord Naihe and Elder Mo Fang; he deserved Xu Ming addressing him as "Senior."

The gray-clothed figure smiled inscrutably and said, "Before I answer you, let me first ask about your understanding of the path of martial arts!"

Understanding of the path of martial arts?

Xu Ming thought for a moment and said, "The path of martial arts is about constantly comprehending the Heavenly Dao, making one's body, soul, and mind more in tune with the natural world! The higher the degree of harmony with the natural world, the more power of the natural world one can borrow, and the stronger one's strength will be!"

After listening, the gray-clothed figure shook his head with a smile, "I knew you would say that! You come from a microcosm, and you have seen too little; there is nothing wrong with having such a view! However, what you have described is not the 'path of martial arts,' but only the 'path of the Heavenly Dao.'"

"The path of the Heavenly Dao?" Xu Ming asked, puzzled.

The gray-clothed figure continued, "The path of martial arts is not just about 'comprehending the Heavenly Dao.' The path of the Heavenly Dao is just one school on the path of martial arts!"

"Just one school?" Xu Ming was even more surprised, but also somewhat enlightened—he originally thought that to go further on the path of martial arts, one must constantly comprehend the Heavenly Dao; but now it seemed that this was not the case.

The hunched gray-clothed figure added, "The path of martial arts has various schools; however, all cultivation schools can be categorized into two types: those that comply with Heaven and those that defy Heaven!"

"What is complying with Heaven? What is defying Heaven?—Those who comply with Heaven will be favored by the natural world during their cultivation; the stronger they become, the more favor they will receive from the natural world! But those who defy Heaven will be rejected by the natural world during cultivation; during major breakthroughs, the natural world may even send down tribulations as punishment!"

Heaven cannot be defied!

To defy Heaven, one must pay the price!

"Among those who comply with Heaven, there are mainly three types: the Heavenly Dao School, the Luck School, and the Faith School! These three have all been proven to be able to climb to the pinnacle of martial arts! As for other minor schools, although there are many types, no one has ever reached the pinnacle, so they are not worth mentioning!"

"Among those who defy Heaven, there are only two types: Ancient Cultivators and Mind Cultivators!"

"Ancient Cultivators modify their bodies and souls from the particle level; the entry requirement for Ancient Cultivators is to make their bodies stronger than the 'Divine Body' of the Heavenly Dao School! Therefore… the weakest Ancient Cultivators are all Gods! And to walk the path of Ancient Cultivators, one must have a 'guide'; and I am your guide!"

Xu Ming was stunned: "The weakest Ancient Cultivators are all Gods?"

"Yes!" The gray-clothed figure said very assertively.

"Then am I an Ancient Cultivator?" Xu Ming asked a very silly question.

"I have already introduced you to the Ancient Cultivator school, do you think you are an Ancient Cultivator or not?"

"Then… am I already a God?" Xu Ming looked bewildered—could it be that he had accidentally become a God?

"Nonsense!" The gray-clothed figure said unhappily, "A God of my Ancient Cultivator lineage!"

"But…" Xu Ming asked again, "I haven't condensed the 'Heart of the Heavenly Dao' yet, how did I become a God?"

Xu Ming was also muddleheaded to ask such a question.

"I have said so much, why don't you understand?" The gray-clothed figure began to suspect whether choosing Xu Ming was a mistake, "Condensing the Heart of the Heavenly Dao, forming the 'Dao Fruit,' and transforming the Divine Body are the paths to becoming a God for the Heavenly Dao School. And you are now becoming a God in the Ancient Cultivator school, so of course you won't have these!"

"Oh, oh…" Xu Ming then accepted—he really was already a God!

He had become a God, but he didn't even know it himself… Xu Ming was really a freak!

At the same time, Xu Ming felt a little bitter in his heart: "Why did this black iron piece only emerge now! If it had helped me become a God earlier, then would I have needed so much trouble to kill Earlke?"

However, Xu Ming did not know that to activate the black iron piece, it had to absorb a large amount of invisible energy! And where did this invisible energy come from?—It was when Xu Ming killed Earlke that the black particles annihilated, that this invisible energy appeared!

That is to say: Xu Ming had to kill Earlke for the black iron piece to be activated, and for Xu Ming to obtain the inheritance of the Ancient Cultivator lineage. And if Xu Ming could not kill Earlke, the black iron piece would never be activated!

Xu Ming asked in confusion again: "Why did my willow tree clone turn into a human form?"

The gray-clothed figure said, "No matter what race a powerhouse is, as long as they become a God, they will definitely be humanoid; even plant life is no exception!"

"Ah?" Xu Ming was stunned—he could not take the Heavenly Dao School, so wouldn't his "Ten-Star" Heavenly Dao Harmony be useless?

The gray-clothed figure saw Xu Ming's thoughts and added, "It's just that this clone cannot take the Heavenly Dao School! Your other bodies are not affected!—However, I suggest that you specialize in the Ancient Cultivator lineage! Your talent in the Ancient Cultivator lineage is very good, even better than your Heavenly Dao talent; moreover, splitting your attention to cultivate two schools will definitely not achieve as much as focusing on one path!"

"Oh…" Xu Ming fell into deep thought—should he split his attention between two paths, or should he focus on one path?

However, there was no need to rush to make a choice, so Xu Ming was not in a hurry.

What Xu Ming was more curious about was the identity of this gray-clothed figure: "Senior, may I ask who you are…?"