Chapter 389: What Exactly Is It?

Hearing him ramble on, Mi Li was speechless, her face darkening.

After a while, Mi Li couldn't listen anymore and directly interrupted him, saying, "We cultivators strive to pursue the Dao of Heaven and attain immortality. How can you choose a path with a sealed upper limit from the very beginning?"

Mi Li's Rage +999!

Clearly, she was genuinely angry.

Zu An dismissed her words, saying, "The Dao of Heaven is elusive and ethereal. Throughout history, cultivators have been as numerous as fish in a river, yet how many have truly attained the Dao of Heaven? Few even manage to reach the Grandmaster realm."

He had to admit, Old Man Mi was truly impressive, having actually reached the Grandmaster realm. Zu An had initially thought he was only at the ninth rank.

Mi Li, infuriated by his lack of ambition, retorted, "That's the fate of the common masses. Are you the same as them? You possess legendary transcendent talent, you're young, you wield two powerful divine skills, and you've acquired various skills from fortuitous encounters. Moreover, you have my personal guidance. How could your future achievements be the same as an ordinary person's?"

"Are you content with merely becoming a Grandmaster? In my opinion, given your potential, if you only manage to cultivate to the Grandmaster realm, it would be the greatest waste of natural talent in human history."

Mi Li's Rage +66+66+66...

Seeing the series of rage values appearing in the background, Zu An could clearly sense her resentment. "It's not that exaggerated. Isn't a Grandmaster still incredibly impressive? Why do you make it sound like something worthless?"

He mused that if he cultivated the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture step by step, the elemental fruits required for each subsequent formation would be astronomical. Forget reaching the Grandmaster realm; even reaching the ninth rank felt like an impossible task.

Mi Li snorted coldly, "That's because your current perspective isn't high enough. Once you stand where I stand, you'll understand that a mere Grandmaster realm truly amounts to nothing."

"Empress Sister, what realm are you actually in?" Zu An asked curiously. Her tone was so arrogant; could she be a Great Grandmaster? Surely not an Earth Immortal, right?

Mi Li hummed, "Knowing this much now won't help you."

Zu An pouted and mumbled, "Anyone can boast. You clearly said you couldn't defeat Old Man Mi before."

Mi Li's graceful eyebrows shot up. "What did you say?"

Zu An immediately offered a conciliatory smile. "Nothing, nothing. I just meant that I'm content with modest achievements. I don't have such high aspirations. Let me just enjoy being a Grandmaster first."

"No, choose the second option!" Perhaps due to her past as a high and mighty empress, Mi Li's tone brooked no questioning.

Zu An looked dejected. "Since you've already decided, why did you even ask me in the first place?"

Mi Li snorted, "I was merely testing your character."

"So, how did the test turn out? Do you think I'm particularly open-minded and easygoing?" Zu An asked with a grin.

"You're a rotten piece of wood that cannot be carved!" Mi Li glared at him fiercely.

Seeing his lazy demeanor, Mi Li grew exasperated. "Focus your mind and calm your spirit. I will seal Old Man Mi's cultivation for you."

"Can we not seal it?" Zu An was a bit reluctant, making a final effort.

Mi Li sneered, "What do you think?"

Having said that, she couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on him. Her slender fingers directly pinpointed the acupoints on his body.

Then, a cool sensation entered his body. Unlike the chilling cold brought by Old Man Mi before, this coolness was surprisingly comfortable.

Unconsciously, Zu An relaxed completely...

"It's done!"

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but then Mi Li's cool voice echoed beside him, though it carried a hint of fatigue.

Zu An opened his eyes and looked at her. "Empress Sister, are you alright?"

Mi Li snorted, "I'm not dead yet."

Zu An was speechless.

"Now, carefully sense your body and your cultivation status," Mi Li asked urgently.

Zu An nodded, then entered an introspective state. He felt no discomfort in his body; in fact, he felt better than before.

Next, he observed the formations within his body. Suddenly, he was stunned. Among the nine formations of his fourth rank, even the first one was still far from being activated. Yet now, all nine formations had miraculously lit up.

Immediately after, nine new formations subtly formed on his bones, and the first four of these had already completely lit up!

"I've actually reached fifth rank, fourth stage?" Zu An murmured to himself.

Mi Li snorted, "Old Man Mi's actual cultivation was, after all, Grandmaster level. Although most of his cultivation has been sealed by me, it's not surprising that the scattered remnants helped you advance by one realm."

Zu An gave an awkward laugh. "It's mainly because of how you spoke earlier; you made me think I'd only get benefits much later."

Mi Li rolled her eyes. "Right, since you've reached the fifth rank, quickly check what elemental ability you've awakened."

"Which elemental ability is the strongest?" Zu An asked curiously.

Mi Li stated plainly, "All abilities have their strengths and weaknesses, complementing and countering each other. There's no such thing as 'the strongest'."

"Generally speaking, lightning and fire elements possess the greatest offensive power, ice excels at control, water and wood are skilled in healing, wind is good for speed, and earth and metal are strong in defense. However, this isn't absolute. Each element also has its own dominant offensive techniques, as well as defensive and restorative abilities. Ultimately, it still depends on the cultivator's own proficiency."

Zu An couldn't help but ask, "Are these the only types of elemental abilities?"

Mi Li shook her head. "Not at all. Most people fall into these categories, but there are also some rare ones, such as psychic, light, and dark. It's also rumored that there are space and time elements, but these have always been legends; no one has ever truly witnessed them."

Zu An clicked his tongue. "Those latter ones sound even more formidable."

"Not necessarily. It mainly depends on the individual, though those latter elements certainly offer certain advantages." Mi Li grew impatient as she spoke. "Stop asking so many questions. Just tell me what element you are."

Zu An was a bit bewildered. "I don't know. How do I check?"

Mi Li frowned. "Focus your mind and calm your spirit. Sense which element around you feels most familiar?"

The academy had taught methods for sensing elements. Zu An closed his eyes and tried. After a long moment, he opened them, looking bewildered. "I don't feel any element is more familiar than the others. They all feel about the same."

"No element? How is that possible?" Mi Li frowned deeply.

Zu An tried again, but it was indeed difficult to discern which element in his surroundings stood out the most.

Just as he was feeling disappointed, he suddenly recalled that whenever his cultivation advanced a major rank, a strange bird would appear, granting him a new skill.

He quickly looked towards the formations of the fourth rank. Sure enough, the lines of those formations connected, forming a new, strange bird.

The strange bird was shaped like a titmouse, but the size of a peacock, and its color was a striking, brilliant red.

Next to it, in small seal script, were the characters "Hundred Melodies."

What was the use of these Hundred Melodies?

Zu An was curious and subconsciously summoned it. A vibrant, dazzling strange bird flew out, emitting a series of melodious sounds from its beak.

It was more beautiful than any song in the world, and upon hearing it, one truly felt refreshed and uplifted.

But what exactly was the purpose of this strange bird?

Does it just sing when summoned?

I might as well carry a recording device then!

He quickly looked at Mi Li beside him. "Empress Sister, did you hear anything?"

Mi Li, however, didn't reply. Just as he was about to press her again, he suddenly noticed a hint of blankness in her eyes.

What was going on?

He couldn't help but wave his hand in front of her.

At that moment, Mi Li's eyes regained their clarity. She gave him a complex look and said, "You actually awakened a psychic ability."

"Psychic?" Zu An was taken aback. It took him a moment to realize she was referring to the elemental ability awakened after reaching the fifth rank of cultivation.

The psychic element was one of them, and a relatively rare one at that.

Mi Li exhaled slowly. "Just now, I felt a surge of mental power invade my mind. If my cultivation hadn't been high enough, I might truly have lost control of my consciousness."

Zu An was overjoyed to hear this. "Is this ability that powerful?"

Given Mi Li's level, the Hundred Melodies' song had actually managed to control even her. Although it was only for a fleeting moment, that moment was enough to do many things.

Mi Li snorted coldly, "Don't get too happy too soon. It's mainly because I don't have a physical body, my spirit is exposed, and I was completely unprepared, which made me sensitive to this kind of attack. If it were someone else of the same level, your psychic attack wouldn't be able to control them."