Chapter 2286: Sensing Celestial Qi(2) Once he confirmed that his senses were properly linked with Tian Yang’s, Kulas began attempting to sense Celestial Qi. However, even though he had managed to sense it before, it wasn’t something he could replicate immediately. When he first successfully sensed Celestial Qi, it took him nearly ten years of straight cultivation. Fortunately, he has gotten a lot better these days, and the last time it only took him a month. Days passed in the blink of an eye, yet Tian Yang still couldn’t sense anything different. Kulas hadn’t sensed it either, of course, but Tian Yang didn’t know that—and speaking might disrupt their concentration. So he stayed silent. A little over a month later, Kulas finally began to sense the Celestial Qi around them. However, he stayed silent, allowing Tian Yang the chance to perceive it on his own. Tian Yang, not knowing when—or if—he would sense anything, maintained his focus throughout the entire month. He could tell that something had changed through Kulas’s senses, yet he still couldn’t grasp it clearly himself. ’This feels just like when I was inside Han Zexian’s cavern...’ Tian Yang thought to himself, recognizing a familiar sensation in the struggle to comprehend the unknown. Naturally, this was nothing like attempting to comprehend the forbidden knowledge that devoured his longevity. Compared to that ordeal, his current situation was considerably more comfortable. Minutes turned into hours, and hours into days. In the blink of an eye, another month had passed, yet Tian Yang still made no progress. After yet another month, Kulas opened his eyes and said, "Alright, that’s enough for me. I can only stay in this state for so long before I’m mentally exhausted." Tian Yang opened his eyes as well and let out a defeated sigh. "I wasn’t able to sense it. Or rather... I sensed something, yet couldn’t grasp it at all. Sorry for wasting your time." Kulas let out a hearty laugh. "Did you truly expect to sense Celestial Qi so quickly? I certainly didn’t think you would succeed on the first attempt. You may excel in comprehension, but Celestial Qi is something else altogether. It will be an obstacle even you will struggle with." "Also, while I may be helping you sense Celestial Qi, I am also improving my own comprehension, so it’s not like I am wasting any time." "How often will we do this?" Tian Yang then asked. "If every session takes around three months, we can do it two times a year. Once a year is fine if you want to take it slower." "Let’s do it twice a year then." "Very well." Although he would only attempt to sense Celestial Qi with Kulas’s assistance twice a year, Tian Yang continued to practice on his own whenever he had the time. "Any progress?" Ren Xia asked Tian Yang after he returned from his tenth attempt to sense Celestial Qi. "Nope." A hundred attempts later— "Any progress?" Tian Yang could only silently shake his head. In the end, it took Tian Yang over one thousand attempts and 250 years to finally sense Celestial Qi, albeit only a glimpse. "I can sense it! I can sense Celestial Qi!" Tian Yang exclaimed with excitement the moment he sensed it. It had been a long time since he experienced such excitement, and it made him feel like a child again. "Good, now this is where the true trial begins..." Kulas remarked with a smile. "Right..." Tian Yang’s excitement quickly died down after he remembered that it would take more than just sensing Celestial Qi to reach the next cultivation realm. "How’s your progress?" Tian Yang then asked. "As slow as a snail," Kulas shook his head. While Tian Yang had at last succeeded in sensing Celestial Qi, Kulas had shown almost no improvement, and his progress was barely any different from what it had been 250 years earlier when Tian Yang first started. "At this rate, we probably won’t see what’s beyond the Immortal Realm for several more thousand years," Kulas sighed. "That’s a generous estimate," said Tian Yang. "Not only do we need to fully comprehend it, but we also need the proper technique to cultivate it. I have a feeling that we won’t see any real progress for at least tens of thousands of years." Kulas replied, "It sucks, but what can we do about it? With that said, it’s not like it’s a race—at least not for me—so I will be taking things nice and slowly." Now that he’s managed to sense Celestial Qi, Tian Yang decided to continue cultivating to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. A year later, Tian Yang returned to Ren Xia with the results. "Seeing how it took you much longer to return this time, I guess you’ve finally managed to sense Celestial Qi." Ren Xia said, reading him like an open book. He nodded, "Now that I can sense Celestial Qi, I can help you sense it, too." However, Ren Xia shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I want to try sensing it myself." "Why?" Tian Yang asked, genuinely puzzled. "Because of my pride," she replied calmly. "I still don’t understand." Ren Xia took a breath before elaborating, "Kulas managed to sense Celestial Qi on his own. I... don’t want to lose to him, so I’m going to do it myself. Of course, I’m not belittling your achievement. This is just my own stubborn pride. Moreover, it’s not like I have anything else to do." "If that’s what you really want to do." Tian Yang nodded. "If you ever change your mind, I’ll be here." Ren Xia chuckled and said, "Who knows? Maybe I will even surpass you." He smiled and said, "If you can truly comprehend Celestial Qi by yourself, then that is only a given. Hell, if it weren’t for the Heaven Defying Ascension Pill, you would’ve already surpassed me in cultivation." "Then how about a wager?" Ren Xia suddenly said. "Let’s bet on whether I can sense Celestial Qi within five thousand years." "What are we betting on?" "If I win, you must listen to one of my demands. If I lose, I’ll listen to one of yours," she said. "That’s it?" Tian Yang raised his eyebrows. "If there’s something you want from me, you can just ask me, you know?" "I know, but I cannot think of anything else." "I guess..." "Then I’m going to start now!" Ren Xia wasted no time and immediately started her cultivation session. ’I should probably set a goal for myself, too.’ Tian Yang thought to himself as his gaze lingered on Ren Xia for a minute before he also started his own cultivation. Now that he could sense Celestial Qi, Tian Yang found himself spending more and more time in cultivation. At his current cultivation level, time moved beyond recognition, especially when cultivating, and what he perceived as minutes often slipped into years without him noticing. One thousand years... two thousand years... four thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. Although so much time had passed, little had changed in the cultivation world. However, more and more cultivators were now reaching the True Immortal realm and had begun attempting to sense Celestial Qi. Then, another seven hundred years passed. "Dear! I’ve done it!" Tian Yang was in the middle of cultivation when he suddenly heard Ren Xia’s excited voice coming from the room beside his. When he opened his eyes, he could see her standing outside his open room with an exhilarated smile on her face. "I can sense Celestial Qi!" she declared with a proud smile. "Oh? How long has it been?" he asked. "Four thousand seven hundred and fifty-two years!" she immediately answered. "To be honest, I was close to giving up," she suddenly continued. "However, in the end, I had an enlightenment." "An enlightenment? How did it feel?" Tian Yang asked, his interest piqued. Ren Xia closed her eyes to recall the feeling and replied, "It’s hard to explain... one moment I couldn’t sense anything, and the next, I could suddenly feel Celestial Qi as if it had always been there." She paused for a moment before adding, "To be honest, it feels unreal. I can sense Celestial Qi, yet it doesn’t feel like something I accomplished. It feels as though it was given to me." "What are you talking about? It’s definitely your own achievement. Or what? Are you saying that Heaven took pity on you and directly helped you? Like the Enlightened One from the Three Pillars of Heaven?" "If you put it like that..." Ren Xia muttered with a stiff smile. "Anyway, this means I won the bet." "Bet?" Tian Yang wore a puzzled face. "Don’t tell me you forgot?" Tian Yang’s expression froze for a moment before he suddenly recalled the bet. "Ah, I remember now. Sorry, I actually forgot about it," he said. "So, what do you want me to do for you?" "I’ll let you know once I think of something," she replied quickly. "You had almost five thousand years to think..." "Nonsense," she shot back. "I was completely focused on my goal. I didn’t have any room left to think about anything else." "If you say so." "And you? How close are you to understanding Celestial Qi?" she then asked. Tian Yang offered a faint, bitter smile. "There were moments when I thought I was close. But the deeper I delve, the clearer it becomes that I’ve only touched the surface." "I see... What about Kulas?" "Actually, I haven’t seen or spoken to him in a while now," he admitted. "Then let’s go see him now. I can’t wait to gloat," Ren Xia chuckled. "Alright." He nodded.