Cao Ya also praised:

"Shi Hao, your aptitude and comprehension are among the best I have ever seen. You have extraordinary talent, so the key is your character... that Dao heart must be honed, tempered, and cleansed of all impurities."

Shi Hao, having learned his lesson, couldn't help but smile. Gaining Cao Ya's approval was no easy feat.

He wanted to ask who the other people with similar top-notch comprehension were, and whether he had heard of them, but a thought flashed through his mind and he gave up.

At this point, calm down and focus on listening to the teachings. Don't think about other things; what's the use of knowing them anyway?

It has nothing to do with him.

Shi Hao's aptitude, talent, and comprehension truly amazed Cao Ya. At only eleven years old, he had already entered the Spirit Transformation Realm, and moreover, he entered it at the Tenth Heavenly Cave. This made Cao Ya feel ashamed.

He was almost twenty years old when he broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm from the Ninth Heaven.

Luckily, I have a cheat code... Ugh, pshaw! What cheat code? I rely on myself, okay? The selves in other worlds aren't really me...

A series of thoughts raced through Cao Ya's mind, but he showed no emotion on his face. He believed that those few people with top-notch comprehension, like Shi Hao, were not beings from the [Perfect World] universe, but from another world.

That's why he didn't mention these people's names in detail.

"After breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, Shi Hao, you need to consolidate your Dao Fruit and deeply comprehend the mysteries of the Spirit Transformation Realm."

Cao Ya pointed out:

"The Spirit Transformation Realm, the single word 'transformation' reveals its true meaning: evolution, reshaping, and regeneration. It is a very crucial realm on the path of cultivation."

“All things have a spirit. Every blade of grass, every tree, every speck of dust, and every grain of sand has a spirit. The Buddhist saying, ‘A grain of sand contains a world, a flower contains a paradise,’ is roughly the idea.”

"The Spirit Transformation Realm is about transforming various spiritualities, shaping a true spirit, recreating the true self, and reaching the strongest state."

Cao Ya instructed Shi Hao, the future Desolate Emperor who would create the cultivation method for the world of "Covering the Sky," that he was still a little kid who had only recently begun his cultivation journey.

Such opportunities to serve as an imperial tutor are extremely rare, and Cao Ya couldn't help but feel a special sense of emotion.

Of course, it wasn't a deep connection, since he had once taught Ishimura, and Ishiho was one of his students at that time.

Cao Ya explained in detail:

"The Cave Heaven Realm is the foundation, which is unshakable. The more Cave Heavens you open, the more potential you have. You have opened ten Cave Heavens, which is the peak state."

Shi Hao hummed in agreement, then suddenly wanted to ask, "I wonder how many caves the wandering cultivator opened up to advance his cultivation level?"

Cao Ya glanced at Shi Hao with a half-smile. Shi Hao smiled awkwardly, but the question remained unasked.

“It’s nothing to tell you. I broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm by opening up nine grotto-heavens,” Cao Ya said.

"Nine Cave Heavens? That's very strong." Shi Hao exclaimed. Although he was at the Tenth Cave Heaven, he did not think that the Cave Heaven Realm of the Ninth or Eighth Cave Heaven was weak.

Cao Ya rolled her eyes. From Shi Hao's perspective as a member of the Tenth Heaven, there was something wrong with what he was saying.

He coughed and said:

"The Cave Heaven Realm contains potential, while the Spirit Transformation Realm is an evolution and reshaping on this basis, giving wings to the 'true self' to take flight."

Shi Hao couldn't help but interject:

"Sanren, those birds already have wings, so they don't need to put on a pair, right?"

Cao Ya glared:

"What are you talking about? Focus!"

Shi Hao shrank back.

"Shaping oneself and integrating spirituality into one's being involves not only the physical body but also the soul. If one can fully comprehend this, one's entire being will be elevated and one will be reborn as a divine being."

Cao Ya solemnly said:

"Anyone who achieves great success will reshape themselves at this level. Some people evolve in several great grotto heavens and nurture spiritual gods, whose combat power is no weaker than their true bodies."

“If one reaches the ultimate level of this realm, there will be various special changes and benefits, but I have not reached that ultimate level.”

He knocked on Shi Hao's ear and said:

"Shi Hao, what you need to do is transform the runes within your body and activate various spiritualities. Each divine ray will thus gain spirituality, far surpassing what it was before."

"Now you need to undergo a further transformation, not only to awaken your spirituality, but also to shape it, so that each rune is like a life, spontaneously nourishing your body and soul, and recreating your true self."

Shi Hao began to experiment. During this process, all ten of Shi Hao's cave heavens appeared simultaneously. Some of these cave heavens spewed out auspicious energy, revealing special ancient species and displaying divine power, undergoing transformation in the Spirit Transformation Realm.

This is just the beginning; some of the mysteries and wonders of the Spirit Transformation Realm have already begun to unfold.

Shi Hao cast aside everything, forgot the conflicts, and his mind was incomparably peaceful. All he felt was a sense of enlightenment, and he wandered in a wonderful state of enlightenment.

With Cao Ya by his side, Shi Hao was not worried about others disturbing his cultivation and enlightenment.

Cao Ya's gaze was strange, but he quickly shook his head and chuckled.

No wonder Shi Hao was able to create the Heaven-Covering Technique later on; his comprehension... was even more terrifying than he had imagined!

He only listened to him talk about some key points of the Spirit Transformation Realm, and I completely adjusted and immersed myself in it.

If it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to do it.

While Shi Hao was cultivating, he took the broken sword and started the ghost ship.

The Ghost Ship's power is something even a Venerable Realm expert cannot ignore. That broken sword was also the weapon of Ghost Master, the founder of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion and an outstanding successor of the Heaven-Mending Sect, a great sect in the Upper Realm.

Its realm is naturally not limited to the realm of the Venerable One.

Shi Hao sat there cross-legged, his forehead glowing, his divine sense fluctuating, and his physical body crystal clear, like glassy divine gold.

Spiritual practice is, in essence, a process of transformation.

Cao Ya didn't seize this time to cultivate, since it's difficult to make progress in the cultivation of the Venerable Realm in a short period of time, especially since he was neither a beginner nor at the peak of the Venerable Realm.

On the ghost ship, wisps of rosy light swirled around him. Shi Hao inhaled and exhaled the rosy light and auspicious energy, and dragon-shaped columns of energy entered and exited between his mouth and nose. His breathing had a special rhythm, neither too fast nor too slow, always conforming to a certain pattern.

Too fast is no good, too slow is no good either; this is his own rhythm. After the dragon-shaped column of energy flew out, it circled around his body and actually lifted him up.

While Shi Hao cultivated, Cao Ya piloted the boat and incidentally protected him on his path. As long as it didn't cause any trouble, Cao Ya didn't mind.

After all, they had known each other for a long time and had watched Shi Hao grow up.

As Cao Ya advanced, he sensed and observed his surroundings. He knew that any races with grudges who met in this sea area would inevitably fight to the death, engaging in a fierce and relentless battle.

Most of them are powerful races; weaker races are unwilling to come here.

The number of independent cultivators is relatively small; they are mostly people who think they have extraordinary opportunities and want to try their luck, and who also have some trump cards up their sleeves.

Of course, there is no doubt that marine life accounts for about 80-90% of the population and has an absolute dominant position. After all, this is their home ground. As soon as a species appears, thousands upon thousands of them will quickly flock to the area.

However, they all avoided the ghost ship.

Occasionally, there would be some unsuspecting attacks, but Cao Ya would casually swing his sword, the lightning flashing like a blade, piercing and striking, instantly wiping them all out.

He showed no mercy.