The sweeping elder was sweeping the ground with his broom as always, seemingly following a special rhythm. His movements were very simple but also incredibly precise. Long Chen then approached and observed the meticulousness of each sweep.

As Long Chen drew near, the sweeping elder slowly stopped, lifting his gaze to meet Long Chen’s. When his turbid eyes fell on Long Chen, he paused ever so slightly, followed by a gentle smile and a nod.

“It seems that you’ve gained quite a bit from this trip. You’ve found what you lost. Congratulations!” the elder remarked, his words carrying a weight that stirred Long Chen's thoughts. His cryptic words left Long Chen pondering whether the loss referred to Dragonbone Evilmoon, his former confidence, or something else entirely.

Long Chen found that speaking to existence like the sweeping elder always left him with more questions than answers, much like his interaction with the Earth Cauldron.

“My luck wasn’t bad this time.” Long Chen smiled. “Sweeping elder, may I ask where the Dean and the others went?”

“The gate to the ninth heaven wasn't an exclusive opportunity for your generation alone,” the elder replied cryptically. “When you get the meat, others also get some soup.”

Did that mean…? The revelation struck Long Chen like thunder. The opening of the gate to the ninth heaven presented an immense opportunity not just for him and his peers, but also for the Dean, Bai Zhantang, and the academy's other experts who had mysteriously disappeared. It appeared they too were seeking whatever awaited beyond the ninth heaven's gate.

“When the gate of opportunity appears, it does not discriminate. When all the greatest heroes emerge, the Heavenly Daos undergo instantaneous change. The consequences are unpredictable. While it may seem that the rise and fall of the ten thousand spirits are dictated by the Heavenly Daos, in truth, this alternating flow and ebb is the thing that fuels the revolution of the Heavenly Daos. This world can never belong to one person. It is the collective efforts of the myriad spirits that have shaped it, and thus it shall always belong to them all. The Heavenly Daos are fair; opportunity is given to everyone. However, to grasp it is entirely up to each individual’s power.” Curiously, the sweeping elder actually gave Long Chen a long speech.

Hearing the sweeping elder say that the Heavenly Daos were always fair, despite Long Chen’s utmost respect for him, Long Chen still felt a bit unhappy and couldn’t help but retort, “At the very least, to me, the Heavenly Daos have never been fair.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?” asked the sweeping elder.

“Because I’m constantly being targeted by them. They are using despicable and shameless means to kill me no matter what,” replied Long Chen, as he thought of his last heavenly tribulation where it had gone beyond its laws to kill him.

His heavenly tribulation was simply not tribulation but a cheating way to execute him. What kind of bullshit fairness was that?

“Who are ‘they’?” asked the sweeping elder.

“The Heavenly Daos.”

“How do you know that ‘they’ are the Heavenly Daos?”

“Other than the Heavenly Daos, who else can influence the will of heavenly tribulation?” retorted Long Chen.

“Are you sure there is nothing else capable of influencing the will of heavenly tribulation other than the Heavenly Daos?” asked the sweeping elder.

“I…”

Long Chen was left speechless. That was quite a thing to say… Could someone be capable of influencing heavenly tribulation?

“Have you ever been falsely accused?” asked the sweeping elder.

Long Chen nodded.

“Has anyone ever pretended to be you?”

Long Chen nodded.

The sweeping elder smiled. “The Heavenly Daos have no start or end, no edge or core. They are so large that there is no outside, and so small that there is no inside.

“Beneath the Heavenly Daos, you and I are frogs at the bottom of a well that cannot speak of the ocean, summer flies that cannot speak of the winter.

“Even when the sun is strongest and illuminates the world, there are always dark shadows that it can’t reach.

“Water nourishes the world, producing life. But there are always deserts and wastelands that cannot be nourished.

“In this world, there are many things that we cannot see. We cannot declare they don’t exist just because we don’t see them. If you only judge the world according to what we see, your judgment of this world will be extremely biased.”

Long Chen’s heart trembled at the sweeping elder’s words. They were a profound revelation, pointing out his misconceptions. What Long Chen considered the Heavenly Daos was only a fraction of their true nature.

Perhaps every person’s Heavenly Daos were different, resulting in a Dao unique to themselves. This Dao existed within each individual, waiting to be followed but not conveyed in words. The moment they explained it, the Dao would be something different altogether.

Targeted by cruel heavenly tribulation from the moment he stepped into the world of cultivation, Long Chen had always thought that the Heavenly Daos hated him. His tribulations had pushed him to the brink of death countless times, so the belief that the Heavenly Daos were targeting him was deeply rooted in him now.

However, one speech from the sweeping elder gave Long Chen a new point of view. If the Heavenly Daos were so vast that there was no inside or outside, no start or end… if all lifeforms were tiny, ignorant existences like frogs at the bottom of a well or fleeting summer flies, then how could anyone control the Heavenly Daos?

Long Chen was certain that his heavenly tribulations had relentlessly targeted him, but now, the sweeping elder offered him a new perspective. The Heavenly Daos weren’t the source of his torment, but rather, someone or something was manipulating the heavenly tribulations for their own ends.

“Many thanks for your reminder. With my misconceptions cleared, I feel much better.” Long Chen smiled gratefully.

Constantly targeted by heavenly tribulation, Long Chen was full of resentment toward this world. This feeling was rather suffocating, but now it felt like he could breathe freely.

“You are someone who always returns favors and grievances. All the so-called grievances have someone to blame them on. Don’t mistake your targets,” said the sweeping elder.

Long Chen nodded. “I definitely won’t in the future.”

“The appearance of the gate to the ninth heaven is a sign that this world will soon enter a brilliant era where hundreds of flowers bloom at once, striving to outshine each other. Experts who were born in the wrong era will also welcome this opportunity. Soon, this world will enter an unprecedented golden age but also face an unprecedented challenge. Right now, some people have passed through some secret channels to enter the Sovereign Emperor Heaven, gaining an early advantage at the starting line. Upon your arrival, you may encounter their blockade. They'll likely attempt to hinder your growth, so be prepared for that,” cautioned the sweeping elder.

“Is it so dangerous?” Long Chen was startled. However, thinking of how his own people had entered the ninth heaven first, it seemed that there was nothing for him to worry about. Anyone who dared to mess with him in the ninth heaven would be beaten to a pulp by his women.

Thinking of that, Long Chen suddenly asked, “Did the Dean and the others go into the Sovereign Emperor Heaven first to pave the way for us?”

The sweeping elder simply smiled and remained silent. He then took up his broom once more and started sweeping like always. All of a sudden, Long Chen realized that the academy’s plans went way further and deeper than he had ever imagined.

After returning to his residence, Long Chen directly went into seclusion. He wanted to consolidate his realm as quickly as possible.