After his conversation with Tan Songyun, Yuan was reunited with the others. "Congratulations on your breakthrough to Spirit Enlightenment, Young Master!" Feng Yuxiang said after seeing his growth. Yuan smiled and said, "You’ve also grown much stronger yourself, Feng Feng." In just a little over two months, Feng Yuxiang’s cultivation had soared to the peak of Spirit Enlightenment. Naturally, this wasn’t the result of any training but just her sealed cultivation returning over time. "Yingzi, here you go." Yuan handed the cultivation technique Shadow Extraction to Yingzi after seeing her. "What is this?" she asked with a nonchalant expression on her face. "It’s a cultivation technique meant for humans, but given your nature, there’s a small chance you might be compatible with it. If you can cultivate it, you’ll be able to create a Dantian and have a second cultivation like myself." "A second cultivation… I will try. Thank you." Yingzi accepted the cultivation technique. "Now then, let’s head to the Sixth Heaven." Yuan declared shortly later. "Wait a minute." Tian’er suddenly stopped them. "Master, before you head to the Sixth Heaven, there’s something you should know. While you were in the middle of your trial, the Celestial Emperor sealed the entrance to the Seventh Heaven." Tian’er revealed this unexpected news to him. Your adventure continues at empire "What?" Yuan frowned, wondering if the Celestial Emperor had somehow learned about his existence. "Does this mean I won’t be able to enter the Seventh Heaven until he removes this seal?" "As the Master of the Stairway to Heaven, you can naturally remove the seal and enter the Seventh Heaven. However, that would alert the Celestial Emperor." "So I will have to either wait for the Celestial Emperor to remove the seal himself or find another way to reach the Seventh Heaven, huh? No… I have to enter the Seventh Heaven through the Stairway to Heaven because I have to do the trials… How troublesome." "Master can still take the trials even if you already ascended through another method," she revealed. "I see. What about those who went to the lower heavens? How will they get back to the upper heavens?" Yuan looked at Tan Songyun as he asked. "The seal only affects those who wish to ascend, so it won’t affect those who came from the Seventh Heaven." "This isn’t the first time it’s happened, so it’s not too weird." Tan Songyun suddenly joined the conversation. "Huh? What do you mean?" Yuan inquired. "How much do you even know about the Nine Heavens?" "Honestly, probably not as much as I should." She sighed and said, "The Nine Heavens is split into three levels—lower, middle, and upper. The First Heaven to the Third Heaven is considered ’lower,’ and the Fourth Heaven to the Sixth Heaven is considered ’middle’. While the first six heavens are relatively similar to each other, everything is vastly different in the Seventh Heaven and above." "Many people consider the ’upper’ heavens to be the true cultivation world—the Immortal Realm—while anything below that is the Mortal Realm, and in order to not overpopulate the Seventh Heaven, the Celestial Emperor often places restrictions on it. The seal is one such restriction." "How long do these restrictions typically last?" Yuan then asked. "It varies. Some last only a few years, while others have lasted for decades—even centuries. The situation in the upper heavens is also an important factor." "Anyway, one primary reason the Celestial Emperor enforces these restrictions is because of resources. To ensure resources remain abundant, he limits the number of people who can access them. After all, what truly differentiates the upper heavens from the lower heavens is the quality and quantity of their resources." "I see…" "Are you in a hurry to reach the Seventh Heaven?" Tan Songyun asked. Yuan paused for a moment, contemplating her question before responding. "While it won’t kill me to delay my journey there, it’ll definitely become more risky the longer I wait." "In any case, even if the Seventh Heaven wasn’t sealed, I still need to take a look around the Sixth Heaven before I ascend. After all, there’s a good chance I might find something related to my past lives there. I can figure things out when I intend to ascend. Since you came from the upper heavens, do you have any information on the Sixth Heaven? Any big events happening soon?" "Big events, huh?" Tan Songyun began pondering seriously. A few moments later, she spoke with a serious face, "Actually, there is one thing. Before I descended to the lower heavens to find you, rumors of a Hidden Domain being discovered in the Sixth Heaven were spreading. The rumors also say this Hidden Domain is very ancient and likely dates back to the Primordial Era." "Hidden Domain?" Yuan repeated in a mumble. Hidden Domains are essentially secret realms, concealed for a multitude of reasons. Unlike Legacy Tombs, which are intentionally left behind to be discovered, Hidden Domains were never meant to be found. They are often remnants of real places that once existed in the Nine Heavens but were deliberately hidden away, sealed, or forgotten for reasons unknown. "Alright, then it’s decided. I will take a look at this Hidden Domain," he declared a moment later. Tan Songyun had no objections, as she was also interested in the Hidden Domain and would’ve likely visited it if she hadn’t had to find Yuan. "Good luck, Master." Tian’er bid them farewell before teleporting them out of the Stairway to Heaven. Once they entered the Sixth Heaven, Yuan and his group made their way to the nearest city to gather more information on the Hidden Domain. It didn’t take long for them to gather information about the Hidden Domain, as it was the talk of the streets. Nearly every passerby and group they overheard were discussing it with excitement, speculation, and even caution. "Did you hear? The recently discovered Hidden Domain turned out to be a sect from the Primordial Era." "What was the name again?" "The Immortal Monastery!" "What? Immortal Monastery?" Yuan’s eyes widened with disbelief after hearing this familiar name.