During this great age of strife, extraordinary figures would take the stage one after another. This was exactly what made this era so legendary. Lu Yuan was well aware that barring any surprises, many prodigies from the great clans and races would soon descend.

Their potential and their talent remained radiant even across the universe. Each one of them was like a star in their own right. Among their people, they were the protagonists in the truest sense of the world. No one could overshadow them.

However, Lu Yuan wanted to suppress every prodigy and claim the title of number one. He wanted to reach the apex. If he couldn't even reach the apex, would he truly be able to say that his path of evolution was spectacular?

"First of all, let's reach the Lesser Sage Realm."

He cleared his mind and set aside all other thoughts. He steadied himself, then drew upon the power inside him. The final step to his next breakthrough was all that remained, and for Lu Yuan, it was simply a matter of time.

While he was in seclusion, Jiang Haokong ascended Mount Tai under the guidance of the Peacock King and the Spirit Monkey. He carefully took in the unique aura of this sacred site of imperial sacrifices.

The more time he spent in Mount Tai, the more astonished he became. He could keenly feel the unfathomable depth of the ancient era's sages. It was harder to fathom than even the Desolate Flame Starfield, where the Jiang Clan resided.

When he reached the Jade Emperor Peak and laid eyes on the ruins, he couldn't help but ask, "Are those the ruins of the legendary Celestial Court in ancient times?"

"We're not sure about that," the Peacock King replied beside him with a smile. "But King Lu and the rest of us have already started rebuilding the Celestial Court."

The Peacock King and the Spirit Monkey were essentially serving as guides, so they naturally talked about the Celestial Court, which was growing stronger by the day.

"Lu Yuan is rebuilding the Celestial Court?"

Jiang Haokong had been looking around with idle curiosity, but those words stopped him cold. He had heard of the Celestial Court. The Jiang Clan's ancestor was a Human Sovereign, the Celestial Emperor, and the Lord of the Celestial Court.

Too much time had passed for the records to remain fully clear, but no one in the universe would deny that fact. Hence, it wasn't strange for him to be surprised upon hearing that Lu Yuan was rebuilding it.

My sister evaluated that man to be resolute, highly talented, and meticulous. She rated him highly, but rebuilding the Celestial Court is just... Jiang Haokong's thoughts grew complicated.

He had met Lu Yuan only once, but he was already certain that the man would claim a place for himself among the stars. Rebuilding the Celestial Court, though? It seemed like a pipe dream, especially when considering the weight behind it.

Then again, it wasn't really any of his business, so Jiang Haokong simply went on with his tour of Mount Tai. When nothing new caught his eye, he descended with the Peacock King and the others. Then, he reunited with his sister to attend to the real matter at hand.

He had descended ahead of the rest of his clan, and naturally, he hadn't come here empty-handed. One of his tasks was to deliver certain things to the government of Huaxia, which was now essentially the Celestial Court.

Previously, Jiang Ningxian represented the clan and had already reached an alliance with Lu Yuan. When Lu Yuan shattered the plans of those Immortals, the Jiang Clan provided him with even greater support. After all, they didn't want Earth to suffer massive damage. At the time, they had used special ways to send resources down, but the distance between the two starfields was too vast.

The Jiang Clan was powerful, but even they couldn't provide complete and sustainable support across such a massive distance. In the end, Jiang Haokong became a proxy between the two.

This time, he brought the Celestial Court a massive supply of spiritual fruits and exotic herbs, along with a huge variety of breathing techniques and visualization methods. These were what Jiang Ningxian had promised, and the Jiang Clan was making good on that promise.

None of it could be called extremely rare, but the sheer amount was just staggering. The breathing techniques and visualization methods were also carefully curated.

Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others were the ones managing the overall affairs of the Celestial Court. When they saw what had been delivered, they couldn't hide their astonishment. When the alliance was formed, the goal was to gain a better understanding of the starfields while recruiting more allies.

The promised resources weren't really taken seriously at the time. None of them had actually expected to receive such resources, and so many of them to boot. It was more than enough to grow a new generation of formidable Awakened.

They expressed their gratitude to Jiang Ningxian and her brother.

Jiang Ningxian waved it off. This had been agreed upon from the very beginning, and she was merely honoring their agreement. At the same time, she told them that, although the Jiang Clan had long since settled down on a different starfield, Earth was still their ancestral homeland.

The Jiang Clan cared about it and did not want to see it get ravaged during the Great Age.

In truth, if any other being from the Outer Cosmos had told them such things, Elder Ji and Elder Yun would never believe a word of it, but they had grown relatively familiar with Jiang Ningxian by now. She had also genuinely helped them on many occasions.

Once again, they expressed their sincere gratitude toward her.

At this point, Earth had become a powder keg, and those invaders from the Outer Cosmos could become the spark to ignite it. No one could say whether the coming wars would affect Earth's inhabitants. The officials had been worrying about it and had been working hard to prevent it, all the while knowing it was inevitable.

Under these circumstances, the only path forward was to continue growing stronger. What the Jiang Clan had done was nothing short of a pillow when they were feeling sleepy.

The resources were quickly distributed. Certain individuals were designated as priorities and were given a larger share of the pie. If they wanted to secure a future, they had to grow more powerhouses.

Someone like King Lu could resolve an enormous number of problems on his own, but if they could produce even a few Sages, it'd ease the burden on King Lu and change everything.

Of course, Lu Yuan knew nothing of this, as he was still in seclusion. He was inside his cultivation room and the Yongzhou Cauldron was suppressing him. Even so, a devastatingly powerful aura seeped out of him.

His golden vital qi churned and roiled, interweaving with the Great Sun's Furnace to create a terrifying combination. Fortunately, it was being contained. Otherwise, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

Rumble!

An unknown amount of time later, waves of energy rushed out of Lu Yuan in an endless tide, crashing and rolling like an ocean without end. His power had grown even more formidable than before, and his aura as a Sage became denser, too.

Before long, the Great Sun's Furnace faded away. The golden vital qi slowly receded into him until the final vestiges of his power were contained and suppressed.

At last, Lu Yuan opened his eyes. A streak of light flashed across his eyes. His skin had taken on a brilliant golden sheen, and his every pore exuded Heaven-Earth energy that enveloped him in bright streams, making him look like he had a pair of golden wings.

At the same time, a mysterious domain spanning three feet around him manifested. Inside it, space and every type of force could be manipulated according to his will.

Lu Yuan was the one and only ruler of that domain.

"The Lesser Sage Realm... I'm finally here," he murmured the words, his eyes shining in delight. After all the time he had spent in seclusion, he had finally taken another step forward, and it was all thanks to his accumulated strength.

Every aspect of his being had transformed greatly, and he was no longer a newcomer to the Sage Realm, as evidenced by the domain around him that he could command at will, which was also known as the Sage Domain.