Chapter 22 Classification of Group Members by Cultivation Level (2nd Update)_1
Naruto World, Mount Myoboku.
Jiraiya, with graying hair, had a grave expression. Sage Shenzuo and Tsunade Sage were perched on his shoulders. After peering through the screen for some time, Jiraiya had almost come to believe in the existence of Divine Spirits, but he wanted to be more cautious. Therefore, he returned to Mount Myoboku to consult the two Sages.
"Old man, have you noticed anything amiss?" Tsunade Sage carefully checked Jiraiya from head to toe, then turned to Sage Shenzuo with a frown.
"I haven't found any problems." Sage Shenzuo shook his head, his expression somber. "Little Jiraiya's Chakra flows very normally within his body, and he hasn't been disturbed by any genjutsu."
"Even you two Sages can't find anything? Then let me recite that prayer and see," Jiraiya said.
"Little Jiraiya, your situation is somewhat mysterious. We should go see the Giant Toad Sage," Sage Shenzuo advised solemnly.
"Alright then!"
Jiraiya and the two Sages came before the Giant Toad Sage, and Jiraiya thoroughly explained his condition.
"Myriad of Realms, endless worlds?"
"The supreme God of Hongmeng?"
"With a breath, capable of creating boundless worlds, and with a mere touch, transforming ordinary livestock into terrifying Divine Beasts?"
"..."
If the Giant Toad Sage hadn't been able to detect that the Chakra within Jiraiya was flowing normally and without fault, it would have suspected Jiraiya had gone mad. How could such a Divine Spirit exist in this world? Even the legendary Six Paths Sage couldn't compare, or rather, couldn't even be mentioned in the same breath.
However, as the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire. Jiraiya himself couldn't possibly have thought of such things for no reason; even with all his imagination, he couldn't have conjured them up.
"You can receive divine favor through prayer? Pray once and try. I'm here; your safety won't be an issue!" the Giant Toad Sage said confidently. It didn't dare to claim to be The Number One Under Heaven, but it didn't believe any Ninja could injure Jiraiya in its presence through just a prayer. Even the legendary Six Paths Sage couldn't possibly do that.
"Okay."
Jiraiya recalled the "Meditation Method" he had downloaded earlier and began to recite slowly under the watchful eye of the Giant Toad Sage. The Giant Toad Sage's white eyebrows twitched as it used its abilities to observe Jiraiya.
"Open Up Chaos, who dictates the rise and fall?"
...
"Your radiance shines upon the earth."
"Your Divine Fire never extinguishes."
"The supreme God of Hongmeng."
As Jiraiya uttered the last word, the Chakra within him surged violently. At that moment, his consciousness seemed to traverse distant time and space, glimpsing a vast, indescribably grand entity. It stood there, the center of Chaos, the center of the universe.
It is One.
It is All.
It is the origin of everything.
It stood quietly there. Around it, the universe of Chaos naturally evolved: worlds were created, life was born, universes collapsed...
It suddenly opened its eyes—the left eye, the sun; the right eye, the moon. Jiraiya's mind went blank, his thoughts instantly frozen. The next moment, Jiraiya regained consciousness, but that great entity had already vanished without a trace.
He opened his eyes, feeling the explosive increase in Chakra within him, sensing the surging power, his mind trembling. Indeed, prayer brings divine favor!
I wonder if the Giant Toad Sage saw anything?
Jiraiya turned to look at the Giant Toad Sage, only to see it shudder and spew out fresh blood, its aura rapidly weakening.
"Sage!"
"Great Sage!"
Jiraiya, Sage Shenzuo, and Tsunade Sage were all shocked. The two Sages rushed forward instantly, supporting the Giant Toad Sage from each side.
"I'm fine... COUGH COUGH..." The Giant Toad Sage wanted to say it was fine, but it kept coughing up blood, and its life force was swiftly declining.
"I'm sorry!" Jiraiya felt extremely guilty. If it weren't for him, the Giant Toad Sage wouldn't have been seriously injured and might even have died.
"There's nothing to apologize for!" The Giant Toad Sage struggled to say, "Divine Spirits are inscrutable. Congratulations on encountering such a tremendous opportunity!"
"Although I didn't see anything, I believe you have the potential to change this world. However, unlike the last prophecy, this time it won't be you guiding the Child of Destiny to change the world, but you yourself changing it... PUH..." The Giant Toad Sage continued, coughing up blood, seemingly on the verge of death.
"Sage, you can obtain divine favor by praying! Just pray to the Upper God, and perhaps you can recover from your injuries!" Suddenly, Jiraiya had an idea and hurriedly said.
"That might work!" The Giant Toad Sage thought for a moment and didn't refuse. It was just as curious about the great Divine Spirit Jiraiya spoke of; the being was too terrifying. It hadn't seen anything and had nearly lost its life just by attempting to glimpse.
A moment later, the Giant Toad Sage was deeply shocked. It, too, saw the magnificent, boundless divine form of the Upper God, as if it had seen the Path itself. The shock was beyond words. The injuries within its body were also greatly healed by the divine favor. With subsequent devoted prayers, it would surely return to its original state, or even grow stronger.
"Your future is now immeasurable. You may go," the Giant Toad Sage said without further ado, waving Jiraiya away.
"Sage, I shall take my leave!" Jiraiya bowed respectfully before leaving Mount Myoboku.
「He entered the chat group in his mind.」
Cloud Mist Sect Master: "Just caught Xiao Yan and Old Yao. Preparing them for the next blood sacrifice to my God."
Tushan's Second Master: "Sister Yun is mighty! I have now unified the Human-Demon Fishes and established the Hongmeng Divine Sect, but the issues between humans and demons are still troublesome. Now, trying to establish various laws and regulations is making my hair turn green!"
Dominator of the Underworld Association: "Little Fox, your hair is already green!"
Dog Son: "Rongrong, send me a dozen lollipops, and I'll send you an encyclopedia of law. Just adapt it, and you're done."
Tushan's Second Master: "Dog Son, not bad! I've decided to send you two dozen lollipops: a dozen 'stamina' lollipops and a dozen 'strength' lollipops."
Huashan Sect Master: "I feel like Rongrong is hinting at something!"
Lecherous Immortal from Toad Mountain: "Hello everyone, I am Jiraiya, the Immortal from Mount Myoboku. You can also call me the Toad Sage!"
"I am a Ninja who enjoys writing novels. I'm new here, so please take care of me!"
The Lord of Great Qin: "Finally, a newcomer has surfaced!"
Huashan Sect Master: "Welcome, welcome! A warm welcome to you!"
Little Dragon Lady Who Hangs Silk and Sleeps: "What's a Ninja?"
Dominator of the Underworld Association: "That should be the term for Martial Artists over in Japan."
Tushan's Second Master: "Lecherous Immortal, you write novels too? What kind of novels do you write? Is it possible that in some corner of the Myriad of Realms, there's a world similar to the one in your novels?"
The Descendant of the Great Yan Royal Family: "Second in Charge has sharp insight. I, too, am curious. Could these novels really describe similar worlds somewhere in the Myriad of Realms?"
Lecherous Immortal from Toad Mountain: "Although I don't understand, no worries. Anyone interested in learning more about 'Passionate Paradise'? It's my personal masterpiece—absolutely exciting and blood-pumping!"
Soul Hall Saint Girl: "'Passionate Paradise'? That name sounds a bit strange."
Dog Son: "Sister Bi, you'd better not read the novels the Lecherous Immortal writes, lest you sully your eyes!"
Lecherous Immortal from Toad Mountain: "Nonsense! This is a work of art for which I risked my life to gather materials, pouring my heart and soul into it."
Dog Son: "So 'gathering materials' means peeping in bathhouses to you?"
Lecherous Immortal from Toad Mountain: "You're talking nonsense! I haven't! I'm not like that!"
Tushan's Second Master: "So you really are the Lecherous Immortal! So that's what you're like!"
Dog Son: "Lecherous Immortal, peeping gets you beaten up. I've got some 3D high-definition videos here. Want one? They're way more exciting than peeping!"
Lecherous Immortal from Toad Mountain: "Really? Let's step aside and talk about this!"
Soul Hall Saint Girl: "Dog Son, so that's what you're like too!"
Dog Son: "I'm just helping out group members, providing them with inspiration and material."
Lecherous Immortal from Toad Mountain: "That's right. I'm pursuing inspiration and material for my writing. It's a great and sacred endeavor."
Huashan Sect Master: "I see. Dog Son, let's talk privately for a moment."
Dog Son: "Elder Yue, you want to learn a thing or two? I doubt Lady Ning would agree, though. That stuff is a bit too..."
Huashan Sect Master: "What are you thinking? Am I that kind of person? I just want to study the Lecherous Immortal's materials to facilitate future discussions among us."
Little Dragon Lady Who Hangs Silk and Sleeps: "What are you all talking about? It sounds so profound and all that! I don't understand a thing."
Dog Son: "All of you, get lost! Don't defile our pure and flawless Immortal Sister!"
The Lord of Great Qin: "I have just finished morning court, and you've all gone completely off the rails! Guards, take them all away!"
...
Damn, the chat's getting wilder and wilder. The group isn't going to be banned, is it? Watching the chat's "speed" soar, Hongmeng couldn't help but complain inwardly. Indeed, the essence of humanity is repetition. Humanity's true nature is to be "seasoned drivers." They feel uneasy if they don't "drive" for a day.
Getting stronger is the fundamental driving force of living beings. It's about time to display the strength levels of everyone in the group!
After becoming the group administrator, Hongmeng gained significant authority. Naturally, the strength levels of group members could also be displayed, and the cultivation realms could be set by him. Hongmeng thought for a moment and set the realm levels to the simplest First Level, Second Level, and so on—simple, direct, and intuitive.
Those below Divine Spirit are divided into nine levels.
Lower God, Intermediate God, and Superior God constitute the Tenth Level.
True God is the Eleventh Level.
Heavenly God is the Twelfth Level.
Lord God is the Thirteenth Level.
Divine King is the Fourteenth Level.
...
The power gap between each level is vast. For instance, in the Martial World, Houtian, Innate, Grandmaster, and Great Grandmaster are all within the First Level. The Second Level already signifies reaching an extraordinary realm, equivalent to the Foundation Building phase of the Immortal Path System. The Foundation Building phase is not weak; practitioners at this stage can ride swords through the air and take an enemy's head from thousands of miles away. The Third Level is roughly equivalent to Golden Core period strength. "Swallow a Golden Core, and my fate is mine to control, not dictated by the heavens." And so on.
Once the realm levels were set, the chat group could automatically detect the members' strength. Hongmeng found that he was marked as Thirteenth Level. His True God's cultivation level should have been Eleventh Level, so it seemed his combat ability was factored in. However, even though displaying Thirteenth Level strength meant he remained the strongest in the group, his air of prestige would still diminish. Therefore, Hongmeng hid his Cultivation Level and set it to be invisible.
With everything set up, Hongmeng officially enabled the feature.
"DING! Group function updated. Members can now view their own strength levels."
The group notification echoed in the minds of all group members.
「In an instant.」
All the group members erupted with excitement.
Dog Son: "I'm only First Level?"
Tushan's Second Master: "An Eighth Level Little Fox passing through!"
Lecherous Immortal from Toad Mountain: "Worshipping the experts! I'm only Second Level."
Dominator of the Underworld Association: "I'm also Eighth Level."
Soul Hall Saint Girl: "Eighth Level."
Cloud Mist Sect Master: "Eighth Level."
Huashan Sect Master: "Worshipping the experts! A humble Fourth Level here, trembling in awe!"
The Descendant of the Great Yan Royal Family: "Worshipping the experts! A humble Fourth Level here, trembling in awe!"
Little Dragon Lady Who Hangs Silk and Sleeps: "I am also First Level."
The Lord of Great Qin: "I myself am Fourth Level. It seems those who have performed a sacrifice once are basically at Fourth Level. Those with good sacrifices have reached Eighth Level. I wonder what level my God is?"
Dominator of the Underworld Association: "Just checked. It can't be displayed in the group."
Huashan Sect Master: "What's going on here?"
Dog Son: "What else could it be? My Lord is the supremely exalted Immortal God, transcendent beyond time and Reincarnation, standing at the pinnacle of the Path, eternal alongside the heavens, coexisting with the Path. Although the chat group is powerful, how could it ever measure my Lord's strength?"
Soul Hall Saint Girl: "Exactly! My Lord's strength is not something a mere chat group can detect!"
The Lord of Great Qin: "Indeed, the mighty power of my Lord is unimaginable, unpredictable, and unfathomable!"
...