The Great Jing Dynasty had only been established for just over five hundred years.
Before the Great Jing Dynasty, there had actually been countless dynasties that rose and fell.
Such as Great Qin, Great Han, Great Tang…
As for what was called the inside and outside of the circle, the time should be traced back ten thousand years.
Ten thousand years ago, demons ran rampant across the land, and the human race was weak.
In the face of countless demons, even the strongest among humans could only become their prey.
Then, one day, an immortal descended from beyond the heavens.
The immortal saw the pitiable state of humanity and, unable to bear it, casually drew a circle in the sky and lowered it, allowing many humans to enter and seek refuge.
Within the circle, there were significant restrictions. Outside cultivators of Golden Core stage and above, whether demons or humans, were forbidden from entering.
Thus, the weak human race gained a place to recuperate and recover.
However, there was a price to pay for those within the circle.
For instance, the laws of heaven and earth within the circle imposed great suppression.
Body tempering and Foundation Establishment were still manageable.
But if a Foundation Establishment cultivator wished to break through to Golden Core, they would face immense limitations, hundreds or even thousands of times more difficult than outside the circle.
Any who succeeded in breaking through were inevitably unparalleled prodigies, rarely seen in a millennium.
According to the historical records in Jing Qian'an's words, from ten thousand years ago until now, the number of cultivators within the circle who successfully broke through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core could be counted on two hands.
Besides those few who broke through to Golden Core within the circle, countless beings at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, feeling that breaking through to Golden Core within the circle was hopeless, had, since ancient times, chosen to leave the circle, either alone or in groups, attempting to venture into the outside world in search of opportunities to break through to Golden Core.
However, those who left either vanished without a trace, or returned in a sorry state, gravely injured, missing limbs, and ultimately perishing soon after.
Speaking of this, Jing Qian'an sighed.
“Hearing your explanation, National Preceptor, it seems the true identity of the Demon Master Pudu was indeed a demon from outside the circle. That’s why the Demon Slaying Division cultivators kept reporting that unfamiliar demons were frequently appearing in Great Jing and causing trouble; it turns out that Demon Master Pudu was bringing them in from outside.”
“And the reason Demon Master Pudu chose to break through to Golden Core within the circle back then was likely to gain greater potential by breaking through in such an extreme environment.”
As he spoke, Jing Qian'an glanced at Li Qi again.
If it weren't for Li Qi, Demon Master Pudu, after breaking through to Golden Core, would have truly been able to do as he pleased in Great Jing.
Instead, he encountered Li Qi, an even greater anomaly, who, with only the cultivation of Foundation Establishment, managed to kill a Golden Core cultivator.
Hearing Jing Qian'an's explanation, Li Qi gained a deeper understanding of this world and immediately felt more at ease.
Since those powerful beings couldn't enter, he would simply hide within the circle. With an infinite lifespan, he could hide for several hundred or even tens of thousands of years. By then, he would become a great power at the Tribulation Crossing or Mahayana stage, or even break through to become an immortal before venturing out. Those outside demons would then be at his mercy.
Li Qi directly voiced this thought.
“National Preceptor, things are not as simple as you think.”
However, Jing Qian'an shook his head and smiled bitterly. He looked at Li Qi and asked.
“With your strength, it should not be difficult for you to break through to Golden Core within the circle, correct?”
Li Qi nodded. He was quite confident about this. Although breaking through within the circle seemed difficult, for him, it was merely a matter of enduring for a longer period.
Jing Qian'an's words then resounded again.
“Exactly. Even if you break through to Golden Core within the circle, the moment you reach the Golden Core stage, there will be an invisible law of heaven and earth within the circle restricting and suppressing you, forcing you to leave.”
Historical records stated that among those few who had broken through to Golden Core within the circle, the longest one remained inside was only four years. After that, they were so heavily pressured by the laws of heaven and earth that they were on the verge of exploding and had to hastily leave the circle.
After asking about matters concerning the inside and outside of the circle, Li Qi declined Jing Qian'an's invitation to gather all the famous chefs in the capital to cook for him at the palace.
When Li Qi learned that he would be forcibly compelled to leave the circle upon breaking through to Golden Core, he couldn't help but frown.
He wondered how powerful the clan leader of the Sky Centipede clan, who had referred to himself as such, was outside the circle.
If he were to leave, and that being were waiting for him outside the circle, his Golden Core stage strength would be utterly insufficient, akin to sending a lamb to the slaughter.
In reality, Li Qi's guess was correct.
…
Outside the circle, an enraged roar echoed from the territory of the Sky Centipede clan, followed by a terrifying aura that permeated the surroundings.
“Damn it, an ant from within the circle dares to kill my young son and destroy my projection! When you break through to Golden Core and leave the circle, I will surely tear you to shreds.”
“Where are the members of the Sky Centipede clan?”
“Present! What are your orders, Clan Leader?”
Giant centipedes, thousands of meters long, slithered from various directions, a sight that sent shivers down one's spine.
“Rumble.”
A colossal centipede, nearly ten thousand meters in length, crawled out from a mountain.
This ten-thousand-meter centipede exhaled a breath of black mist, from which a figure identical to Li Qi gradually condensed.
“From today onwards, arrange for our clan members to blockade all exits from the circle. If anyone is seen emerging from within the circle, kill them without mercy!”
“Yes! Clan Leader!”
“Rumble…”
The thousand-meter-long centipedes, arriving swiftly, departed just as quickly, leaving the clan territory in haste.
…
“No! I must cultivate slowly. What’s the point of cultivating so quickly? Since I’m immortal, it’s better to cultivate for a few hundred more years before breaking through to Golden Core.” Li Qi thought to himself.
If he could then break through his other attribute points to a thousand, gaining new talents, he would have a greater chance of survival upon leaving the circle.
With this thought, from this moment on, Li Qi's cultivation speed gradually slowed down.
However, this was not a complete halt to his cultivation.
Instead, from this point forward, Li Qi began to refine every trace of spiritual energy within his body with far greater meticulousness.
Through such refined polishing, Li Qi actually discovered some hitherto negligible flaws within his body.
He then began to repair and correct them.
In the blink of an eye, several more years passed.
Li Qi’s cultivation level remained at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.
However, his current cultivation was flawless, without the slightest imperfection.
Within Ning Caichen's residence, a quiet space had been specially created for Li Qi's cultivation.
At this moment, Li Qi was meditating and cultivating with his eyes closed.
Then, at a certain moment, it seemed as though some form of destiny was bestowed upon Li Qi’s head.
The next moment, with a soft ‘poof,’ Li Qi’s eyes snapped open. He let out a curse and then muttered to himself with a hint of frustration.
“Damn it, I shouldn’t have let Jing Qian’an erect a monument and statue for me.”
Li Qi's cultivation had actually long since reached the peak of the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, and beyond.
But Li Qi had been deliberately suppressing it, wanting to further refine his skills.
However, at this moment, the faith and reverence that the people of Great Jing had offered to the statue erected for Li Qi years ago unexpectedly provided a boost of destiny.
And so… Li Qi, as if riding a downhill current, smoothly advanced to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.
Sighing and shaking his head helplessly, Li Qi finally accepted the fact that he had been forcibly propelled to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.
He stretched his limbs.
He had already been in the capital for several years.
It was time to leave. He should bid farewell to his brother Ning.
This thought appeared in Li Qi's mind.
Li Qi slowly stood up and walked out of his cultivation area.
Outside the cultivation area, two servants arranged by Ning Caichen had been on guard.
Seeing Li Qi emerge, they immediately stepped forward.
“National Preceptor Li, do you have any instructions?”
“Is Brother Ning currently at the residence?”