Longevity by Grinding Skills

Her face was celestial, so beautiful it was hard to believe it belonged to a stone statue. Perhaps it was due to the so-called "divinity" of this world, but the statue’s face possessed a sublime beauty that transcended the limits of mortal imagination.

Her features were deep-set yet harmonious, carrying a distinct, exotic charm different from the mainstream aesthetics of this continent. Her forehead was smooth and full, her nose bridge was straight as if carved by a blade, and her lips were slightly pursed, the corners hinting at a faint, ethereal smile that seemed to waver between sorrow and joy.

This beauty did not belong to the mortal world. It carried a sense of aloofness and purity—the very embodiment of the perfect divinity in the hearts of believers.

Her head was slightly turned, her gaze lowered, yet her eyes seemed to pierce through the cold stone, watching every believer who entered the church—or perhaps, listening to the silent confessions whispered in the unseen world.

Her hands, and their posture, were especially eye-catching.

She held an exquisitely constructed instrument. It had the main frame of a harp, but its strings were not distinct. Instead, they flowed upward like water into the air, converging to form a sculptural Imagery resembling a "listening horn" or a "sonic vortex." It cleverly combined the "expression of song" with the "capture of listening," perfectly condensing her dual Divine Offices into this single, static form.

Xu Yunfan stopped a few paces before the altar.

He narrowed his eyes, studying the statue with great interest. It was a masterpiece of art that would be hailed as such anywhere.

His was not a look of reverence, but one of pure, slightly critical appreciation.

’The person who carved this thing has some decent skill, managing to give stone this kind of rhythm...’

He mused to himself as his gaze swept over the statue’s fluid, graceful lines.

’Hmm, they really knew how to capture the important parts of the form. Slender where it should be, full where it should be... For a mortal, these proportions would be top-tier.’

He had to admit, the statue was ridiculously beautiful, especially with its deep, mysterious, and exotic air, which added a novel charm.

Coming all this way just for a look wasn’t so boring after all.

Most importantly, it seemed to be imbued with a kind of immortal nature. Although it was similar to the Immortal Golden Nature condensed at Foundation Establishment Perfection, this one seemed to be bestowed by this world’s Celestial Dao, not cultivated by oneself.

This made the stone statue akin to a Spiritualization from the Incense Fire Divine Dao.

"This realm is rather interesting."

Zhang Ziyang, who had been silent inside the Star Spirit Banner, chose this moment to speak up.

Xu Yunfan’s expression flickered.

"Sect Leader, do you find this realm to be to your liking?"

Zhang Ziyang said, "This Great World Heaven is marvelous. Incense Fire Wish Power has gathered on this statue, and its Cultivation System is quite profound."

Zhang Ziyang hadn’t been idle these past few years. Using Xu Yunfan’s massive amount of Contribution Points, he had exchanged for numerous scriptures within the Primordial Sect. Combined with everything Xu Yunfan had ’picked up’ on his excursions, Zhang Ziyang could now be considered an incredibly knowledgeable scholar.

He had continuously refined and innovated his Divine Traveling Dharma Body and Mystic Spirit Divinity Transformation Path, and had developed profound insights into the Incense Fire Divine Dao.

Zhang Ziyang continued, "Judging from this statue alone, this realm’s Cultivation System is truly unique. After Foundation Establishment, one can rely on Faith Desire Force to condense the Immortal Golden Nature and ascend to a so-called divine position."

A thought stirred in Xu Yunfan’s mind. "Sect Leader, would you like to conduct some research in this realm?"

Zhang Ziyang did not deny it, nodding slightly. "I believe this realm suits me well."

Xu Yunfan said, "Then I will find an opportunity later to reconstruct a physical body for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ziyang’s expression filled with emotion and gratitude.

"Yunfan, to be able to maintain your integrity in an environment like the Primordial Sect is truly not easy."

Xu Yunfan smiled. "The Sect Leader has helped me greatly over the years. What’s the harm in me lending our Ancestral Master a hand?"

To be honest, while Xu Yunfan spoke with confidence, he felt a little guilty.

After all, when Zhang Ziyang had first entered the banner, Xu Yunfan hadn’t placed any restrictions on him. However, the Eight Sceneries Cloud Qi he cultivated, as shown on his Attribute Panel, granted him an unbelievably strong control over Magical Treasures.

Having become a Banner Spirit, Zhang Ziyang’s subconscious had long been altered by the intangible Power of Enlightenment.

Although Zhang Ziyang was unaware, if he ever had any thought of harming him, Xu Yunfan would know instantly.

Otherwise, Xu Yunfan would not have agreed so readily.

Surviving in the Primordial Sect these past years, he had spent most of his time in closed-door cultivation on Divine Sky Peak. But a person couldn’t just be a shut-in; one had to go out and procure things now and then.

He couldn’t easily trust anyone.

The path of immortal cultivation was, by its very nature, a solitary one.

It was just that Zhang Ziyang didn’t know.

In the very instant that his casual and somewhat playful gaze lingered on the flawlessly sculpted stone face, the corners of the statue’s half-lowered, frozen eyes lifted by an imperceptible sliver.

The sensation was utterly bizarre, like a person in an exquisite painting whose eyes had just shifted their gaze.

Xu Yunfan’s eyes sharpened instantly.

It was no illusion.

The light above the altar had subtly shifted at some point, and the movement of a shadow line happened to cross the statue’s pupils, creating the illusion of them "constricting."

But he could clearly feel an extremely faint yet incredibly solid gaze, like a tangible, ice-cold needle, shooting out from the statue’s bottomless eyes. It was unerringly precise, crossing the distance in an instant to fix upon him.

A jolt went through Xu Yunfan, but he felt no fear.

In that instant, the sandalwood smoke swirling through the church stopped drifting, and the flickering flames on the corner candelabras faltered for half a finger-snap.

The statue was looking at him.

A cold, rebuking gaze pierced through the church’s unique tranquility of dust and incense, plunging into Xu Yunfan’s eyes.

The statue’s eyes, originally carved to be deep and captivating, now shone with a strange crystalline luster. It was no illusion. They were locked onto him, filled with the indifference and anger of a Deity scrutinizing an ant.

She had felt his invasive gaze.

But the playful curve on Xu Yunfan’s lips didn’t waver. If anything, it deepened slightly.

He didn’t immediately raise his head to meet those now-demonic eyes. His gaze seemed to remain on the exquisitely carved instrument in the statue’s hands—a creation that resembled a combination of a lute and a harp.

Aitira. According to the legends of this realm, it was an ancient and vast world of magic.

Beneath its sky, Deities were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

This world had ancient and vast pantheons, like the Divine Court of Light, which presided over glorious order and the hymns of life, its radiance covering thousands of nations.

There were also the Dark Divine Teachings, lurking in the shadows of the abyss, weaving conspiracies and feeding on fear.

The Heart of Nature Pantheon, which revered primal Life Force and the balance of all things, made its temples in the forests and wilds.

Besides these three prominent pantheons, there were countless other Divine Spirits, unaffiliated and strange in nature.

Some presided over dreams and misfortune, some governed specific crafts, and some even favored only the growth of a certain rare fungus...

Aitira’s authority was fragmented yet immense. It was said that tens of thousands of them jointly managed the Rules of this world and the paths of its living beings.