Since she had been given a second chance at life, she was determined not just to become an immortal!

A thousand thoughts surged in Grace Bennett's mind. The crisis of her family's destruction had passed; now she needed to plan a new life.

William Harper had no idea what she was thinking—he was fully focused on the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra.

Once Grace Bennett finished explaining all the principles of the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra, William Harper felt as if his mind exploded and his vision blurred.

The next second, he found himself inside the Celestial Palace. When he opened his eyes and saw his surroundings clearly, he immediately threw a punch and raised his arms in triumph.

“I did it!”

William Harper was ecstatic. As long as he could enter the Celestial Palace, it meant he could master the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra!

Although the Celestial Palace could only help him comprehend supreme techniques, if he could cultivate the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra to perfection and then begin absorbing spiritual energy, his progress would be twice as fast with half the effort.

This was a technique even Grace Bennett had failed to master before her ascension!

William Harper sat down on the spot and immediately began cultivating the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra.

The Xuan Yang Divine Sutra had nine levels in total. Upon reaching the third level, spiritual power would contain the Xuan Yang Fire, capable of burning souls; at the sixth level, he would become immune to all flames; at the ninth level, he could condense the True Xuan Yang Fire, which could incinerate everything!

William Harper started cultivating from the most basic Qi-absorbing method. The Celestial Palace began to change, producing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth needed by cultivators. This energy was illusory, meant to aid his cultivation. So-called spiritual energy of heaven and earth was born from the world itself, nurturing all living things. However, there were many types of energy in the world; cultivation was the process of extracting spiritual energy and tempering oneself.

However, just cultivating the first level of the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra felt like ten years had passed for William Harper. Ten years just to master the first level?

Could it be that my aptitude for cultivation is terrible?

William Harper refused to accept this and continued cultivating. To keep track of his cultivation time, he willed a great clock to appear in the Celestial Palace—resembling a modern artifact from Earth, though its surface looked ancient, and the base recorded the years, making it easy to track time.

Yet the second level took twice as long as the first. William Harper had no choice but to set aside his worries about his own aptitude and focus on his training.

And so, William Harper kept cultivating the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra. Gradually, his mind grew numb, and he forgot everything outside.

It was as if ages flowed by and the stars shifted in the sky.

When he finally cultivated the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra to perfection, flames ignited out of thin air behind his head, condensing into fireballs like little suns—a ring of small suns floating behind him, the very manifestation of the True Xuan Yang Fire.

The True Xuan Yang Fire looked much like ordinary flames, but it could absorb sunlight, and the longer it burned during the day, the more terrifying its power became.

William Harper opened his eyes, which now held a world-weary look—not the weariness of worldly experience, but the exhaustion of the heart.

He turned his head and discovered that he had spent a total of two hundred and thirteen years cultivating the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra!

Damn, that was almost as long as the lifespan of a dynasty!

William Harper felt depressed and could only blame the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra for being too difficult.

Yes, rather than worry about himself, he might as well blame the goal.

No wonder Grace Bennett could never master it before her ascension—who could spend two hundred years cultivating a single technique?

William Harper composed himself, willed his mind, and exited the Celestial Palace.

His eyes regained their clarity, and before him appeared the face of Grace Bennett, lying on the bed, looking pale and weak.

He had experienced two centuries, but in reality, only an instant had passed.

“This month, you should focus on cultivating the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra. Once I recover, we’ll set out. The Taiyuan Sect only recruits disciples once every five years—if we miss this year, we’ll have to wait another five.” Grace Bennett said softly, her gaze a bit strange.

For some reason, after she finished explaining the Xuan Yang Divine Sutra, she felt that William Harper had changed. She couldn’t say exactly how, but the feeling was subtle.

“You’re a reincarnated Immortal Lord—why not establish your own sect?” William Harper asked in confusion.

Grace Bennett gave a helpless smile and said, “Cultivation isn’t that simple. All the blessed lands and resources in Great Qi have long been divided among the nine great sects. Besides, after my rebirth, I have to walk the cultivation path all over again. Joining a sect not only grants access to resources, but also provides protection.”

William Harper nodded. Seeing her face grow even paler, he said, “Focus on recovering. We’ll talk more once you’re better.”

With that, he stood up, preparing to leave.

“By the way, the cultivator from last night left behind two magical artifacts. Since you killed him, they rightfully belong to you. Once I’m healed, I’ll give them to you and teach you how to use them, so your starting point in cultivation will be higher than others.” Grace Bennett said.

William Harper didn’t look back. He just waved his hand and said, “You keep them. You’ve led me onto the path of cultivation—consider this my thanks. Just teach me some more spells in the future.”

He didn’t stop and quickly left the room.

After the door closed, a smile appeared on Grace Bennett’s face. She murmured to herself, “Taking him as a disciple isn’t a bad idea. But since we’re family, why fuss over titles?”

Having returned through reincarnation, she decided not only to cultivate herself, but also to lead the Fang family in cultivation. The betrayal in her previous life had made her realize that no matter how strong she became, without a trustworthy force, she would still end up dead and her soul scattered.

Setting aside the Fang family’s kindness in raising her, the fact that the family had a genius like William Harper made them worth nurturing.

Grace Bennett closed her eyes. While she recovered from her injuries, she needed to carefully organize her thoughts.