A deep, gentle voice issued from the virtual figure.

"Emperor Yu? It is Emperor Yu!" Teng Qingshan’s body jolted, his breath catching completely.

Emperor Yu's influence across the Nine Provinces was immense!

He was the very first Supreme Being in history!

He was the first to unify the entire realm, universally hailed as 'Emperor Yu,' and now he was worshipped annually by the people of the Nine Provinces as a deity!

He unified the world, established the Nine Cauldrons, and divided it into the Nine Provinces! It was only after him that this vast world came to be known as the Nine Provinces!

It was also after Emperor Yu that the entire land of the Nine Provinces gained true cohesion; every person considered themselves a subject of the Nine Provinces, worshipping Emperor Yu and the Nine Cauldrons during the annual rites! In the hearts of all the people of the Nine Provinces, in terms of status... even the later Qinling Heavenly Emperor, Sage Shakya, and the Sword Immortal poet could not compare to Emperor Yu.

Emperor Yu had been deified!

Becoming the foundation of faith for generation after generation of subjects!

"By the time you find this, I can no longer guess how many years have passed," the tall virtual figure sighed slightly. "In the flow of time, nothing can exist eternally. I cannot even speculate... whether your generation still knows of my existence, Yu!"

Teng Qingshan listened silently, understanding that this was a recording left by Emperor Yu. "Emperor Yu says I am the owner of the Nine Cauldrons? Could it be..." Teng Qingshan gently touched the small cauldron on his chest, "Is this one of the Nine Cauldrons?"

The tall virtual figure continued speaking.

"Owner of the Nine Cauldrons, I leave behind the Azure Flood Dragon Palace with a request for future visitors. Of course, while I have a request for you, I will also leave some treasures for you." The deep, gentle voice echoed continuously within the light barrier; Emperor Yu’s voice was incredibly comforting to hear.

Even though he hadn't seen the real Emperor Yu, only an image, Teng Qingshan was already developing a favorable impression of him.

"A request for me? Treasures left for me?" Teng Qingshan listened intently.

Emperor Yu smiled faintly. "In my youth, there were countless tribes fighting each other across the land. Moreover, the continent was rife with towering mountains and devastating floods. I wished to change all of this... but to achieve it required unparalleled martial might. I communed with heaven and earth, cultivating relentlessly while leading my tribe in constant expansion... Naturally, I experienced much before finally breaking through to the Void Realm, reaching the state of Supreme Perfection, unifying the entire realm, cleaving through mountains, dredging rivers, and ultimately establishing the Nine Cauldrons, dividing the world into the Nine Provinces... Having said this much, you should have some understanding of me by now."

Teng Qingshan chuckled inwardly.

Emperor Yu was certainly interesting... perhaps worried that if too much time passed, no record of Emperor Yu’s deeds would remain in the world, so he gave a brief summary. Yet, one couldn't entirely blame Emperor Yu for thinking that way.

After all—

Before Emperor Yu, numerous tribes were annihilated, and many heroic figures left not a single trace in history. Emperor Yu could not predict the future.

"Do you know why I established the Nine Cauldrons, and why I divided the Nine Provinces?" the tall virtual figure inquired.

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan looked puzzled.

Dividing the Nine Provinces? That must be for better notification; establishing the Nine Cauldrons? Mere symbolism, perhaps.

"Establishing the Nine Cauldrons and dividing the Nine Provinces! This involves a secret concerning the entire world... You will likely understand once you reach Great Completion in the Void Realm," the tall virtual figure stated.

Teng Qingshan’s eyes lit up.

He hadn't even set foot in the Void Realm, let alone achieved Great Completion: "So, establishing the Nine Cauldrons and dividing the Nine Provinces involves a great secret?" Teng Qingshan listened carefully.

"The path of cultivation involves absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, refining essence into Qi—this is the Acquired state! Following that is nurturing the spirit, achieving harmony between spirit and Qi, which allows one to 'Refine Qi into Spirit' and reach the Innate Realm. This Innate Realm is essentially spirit nurturing, making the 'Spirit' powerful, continuously integrating it into the Dantian, which strengthens the Innate True Essence. Reaching the 'Innate Golden Core' means the physical body has nearly reached its zenith," Emperor Yu explained.

Teng Qingshan felt a sudden enlightenment.

Various secret manuals always mentioned different realms. In reality, these were abstract; they were fundamentally about 'nurturing the spirit' and strengthening it.

Teng Qingshan rejoiced: "Yes, the Innate Golden Core allows one to use the 'Spirit' to negate air resistance. Right, the three major Innate realms are essentially the process of the 'Spirit' strengthening."

"After reaching the Innate Golden Core, the 'Spirit' is sufficiently powerful, and one can begin to comprehend Heaven and Earth, grasping the Way of Heaven and Earth," Emperor Yu continued. "Simply put... it’s like getting to know a person. The Void Realm is knowing Heaven and Earth! The deeper your knowledge, the more you can begin to harness the power of Heaven and Earth—that's when you step into the Void Realm! This is 'Refining Spirit into Void'!" the tall virtual figure went on.

Teng Qingshan nodded inwardly, listening intently.

"The Void Realm can be divided into two tiers: 'Entering the Void' and 'Penetrating the Void,'" Emperor Yu’s virtual image stated. "'Entering the Void' means letting one’s self resonate with and merge into Heaven and Earth. Reaching the ultimate state allows complete integration, even achieving invisibility... In the three hundred years I lived, I found only three others besides myself who could reach 'Entering the Void.' The 'Penetrating the Void' realm was never achieved by anyone."

Teng Qingshan marveled quietly.

Comprehending all of Heaven and Earth to the utmost degree was inherently difficult: "I estimate that most of the Void Realm experts in our current Eight Great Sects of the Nine Provinces are likely only at 'Entering the Void.'"

"What is Penetrating the Void? Penetrating the Void is to see through and comprehend the Void Realm! Void, meaning empty space—this vast Heaven and Earth! What does seeing through empty space mean? It is seeing through the essence of Heaven and Earth, and even, based on that understood essence, creating one’s own void!" Emperor Yu explained. "This is incredibly difficult. I estimate that out of ten Void Realm experts, perhaps one could reach Penetrating the Void."

Teng Qingshan was sharp and completely grasped Emperor Yu’s meaning.

Entering the Void meant they could merge with Heaven and Earth, borrowing its power. It was like an auto mechanic; they understood the car's structure and could fix it when something went wrong.

But Penetrating the Void was akin to understanding the structure of every single component of the car, even knowing how steel is manufactured... They could, on their own, build a new car from scratch.

"Penetrating the Void is actually understanding the essence of Heaven and Earth and creating one's own void based on that fundamental structure?" Teng Qingshan was utterly shaken.

"'Entering the Void' is merely integrating with Heaven and Earth. 'Penetrating the Void' is creating a void of one's own—that is, creating one's own 'Heaven and Earth,'" the tall virtual figure mused. "Of course, 'Penetrating the Void' is not significantly stronger than 'Entering the Void.'"

Teng Qingshan was somewhat confused.

Penetrating the Void is not much stronger than Entering the Void?

"Because experts in Penetrating the Void refine the energy of Heaven and Earth to create their own world! This is suppressed by Heaven and Earth," the tall figure explained. "Furthermore, because of this suppression and the limited amount of energy they can refine, the world they create is small. Generally, they can only construct this world within their own body."

Teng Qingshan understood after a brief thought.

The boundless land of the Nine Provinces was one world!

An expert in Penetrating the Void could see through the world's essence and create a world belonging to themselves... Since they were both 'worlds,' the Nine Provinces would naturally reject it!

However, the Nine Provinces were a vast, boundless ocean, while the world of a Penetrating the Void expert was but a single drop of water—the difference in power was immense. They could even only create this world within their own bodies.

"Of course, the small world carved out by an expert in Penetrating the Void differs greatly from the Nine Provinces," the tall figure sighed in contemplation.

Teng Qingshan nodded.

The small world opened up by an expert in Penetrating the Void was like a thatched hut, while the Nine Provinces was a skyscraper.

"Although the world within the body is small, as one perceives more of the essence of Heaven and Earth, this inner world becomes increasingly perfected. Until one day... the inner world becomes strong enough to resist the suppression of the Nine Provinces world, that is when one reaches my current realm," the tall figure stated. "At that point, your world expands outward... and within your world, you are absolutely invincible!"

Teng Qingshan suddenly realized!

No wonder... the Supreme Beings dared to claim they could unify the world single-handedly.

It turned out the Supreme Beings possessed their own world! When this world expanded, within its boundaries, the Supreme Being was the master. Whether it was a Void Realm expert or anyone else, they would be utterly subdued.

"I was the first in history to reach this stage," Emperor Yu expressed with emotion. "Having reached this state, I completely penetrated the essence of the Nine Provinces! I discovered that the energy of the Nine Provinces was chaotic, leading to disordered mountains and overflowing rivers... So, I expended great effort to forge the Nine Great Cauldrons and the Mountain-Cleaving Divine Axe, placing the nine Cauldrons at the nine primary energy sources of the entire world!"

Teng Qingshan’s heart shook.

This world had nine major energy sources?

"After anchoring them, the severity of the river flooding was reduced, and natural disasters were diminished," Emperor Yu explained. "But I knew... this would only hold for a time, so I wielded the Mountain-Cleaving Divine Axe, chopping down mountain after mountain, while simultaneously clearing the continental rivers and water systems, dividing the world into nine great regions—hence the Nine Provinces."

"Once everything was settled, Heaven and Earth returned to tranquility. The Nine Cauldrons no longer needed to suppress the energy sources, but these Cauldrons had fused with the world's original energy source, acquiring many mysterious abilities, though these abilities are entirely beyond the control of their owner," Emperor Yu stated. "These Nine Cauldrons were forged alongside my Mountain-Cleaving Divine Axe... Only the owner of the Nine Cauldrons could safely reach this place."

Teng Qingshan finally understood completely and admired Emperor Yu’s accomplishments; Emperor Yu’s earlier description was quite condensed... the fierce wars among the major tribes, the constant slaughter across the land, and continuous natural calamities.

Emperor Yu's contribution was indelible.

"Having spoken so much, the truth is I need you to do two things for me," the virtual figure revealed a faint smile. "These two matters are actually simple. I don't know what the Emperor Yu Sect I left behind has become after countless years. If it has vanished, I hope you can find my descendants and offer them some care... I do not wish for my bloodline to be severed."

Teng Qingshan smiled. Emperor Yu seemed to place great importance on his lineage.

However, the Emperor Yu Sect was thriving, clearly not in need of his assistance.

Emperor Yu continued, "The second matter—this is, I didn't just leave behind the Emperor Yu Sect lineage; there is another branch!"