Basically every cultivator felt it. The only difference was that those with lower realms, like Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, could sense it but didn't know what was going on.

The situation had changed…

Someone had broken through True Immortal level, but had yet to reach Venerated Immortal level; instead, this was a type of realm which approached Venerated Immortal level… According to ancient texts, this realm was known as Half-Step Venerated or True Venerated, and was a realm stronger than True Immortal but weaker than Venerated Immortal.

A True Venerated cultivator was rare, and there were very few records on this level in ancient texts, even fewer than for the Venerated Immortal level.

Because the Earth's spirit energy was growing thinner year after year, every country had signed the True Immortal Convention, which required all countries to cooperate and seal their realms so that True Immortals were not allowed to become Venerated Immortals. This was because advancing to Venerated Immortal level consumed a tremendous amount of the Earth's spirit energy. Once this spirit energy dried up, the age of cultivators might be gone forever.

The Ten Generals and the head of state were powerful enough to become Venerated Immortals, but because of the convention, they had sealed the upper limits of their realms.

All these years, the key research project which all countries had been working on together was to find a way to break through from True Immortal to Venerated Immortal level without weakening the Earth's underlying spirit energy.

But no one expected that today, someone would actually break through True Immortal level.

Although it wasn't a Venerated Immortal, it was a True Venerated, who was stronger than a True Immortal…

And most importantly, the True Venerated realm guaranteed further advancement in the future!

After reaching the True Venerated realm, the difficulty of subsequently advancing to Venerated Immortal level was greatly reduced, and the success rate was eighty to ninety percent!

At that moment, many Void Refinement, Itinerant Immortal and even True Immortal experts understood almost at once what had happened, as well as its significance.

This was perhaps the first person in the modern history of the world to break through the True Immortal realm to become a level nine True Venerated.

"But who on earth is this person?"

For one moment, a lot of cultivators asked this question in their hearts.

There hadn't even been the slightest sign that an advancement was about to happen; it was too strange!

Elsewhere, President Bai, who successfully replaced Night Ghost Spirit Emperor as the new leader of Night Chief, had an ugly expression on his face.

Someone had become a True Venerated…

This was definitely bad news for Night Chief.

And most importantly, Dao Master w.a.n.g's whereabouts were currently unknown – who knew where he was.

He said he was going to teach the thief a lesson, but there was neither hair nor hide of him after he left…

As for Ultimate King of Killers, President Bai had just received intelligence that the other man had failed in his operation, and furthermore had suffered a crus.h.i.+ng defeat.

Deep inside him, President Bai felt a little uneasy, but he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, exactly.

Who on earth had become a level nine True Venerated?

For one moment, this was the question asked all around the world.

And the answer to this riddle was right in front of all the major sect leaders, General Yi, and Marshal Jiang at the dinner banquet.

The explosion of Heavenly Dao had sounded right after Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal ate a mouthful of Heavenly Dao broccoli salad. Then, under everyone's astonished gazes, Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal turned into light!

For one moment, all the guests covered their eyes.

This was the radiance of Heavenly Dao, which burned far more fiercely than a solar flare. Neither General Yi nor Marshal Jiang could clearly see through this light to what Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal looked like now. Even Sect Leader Su Xing of Palm Sect, who had unwittingly awoken Heavenly Dao, couldn't clearly see what was happening. The number of Heavenly Dao he had awakened was limited, so he was unable to see through appearances to the essence of things.

Marshal Jiang covered his eyes, feeling like he was going to be blinded by the light. "Old Yi, can it be…"

"There's no mistake…" General Yi said, "Both of us are well aware of Senior Immortal's strength, but I never expected him to actually comprehend Heavenly Dao merely by relying on a piece of broccoli, and then climb up to True Venerated level…"

"Level nine True Venerated… Senior Immortal achieved it, just like that?" Marshal Jiang was utterly shaken. "But wouldn't this…"

"I know what you're worried about."

General Yi knew that Marshal Jiang was worried about the True Immortal Convention. The convention did say that all True Immortals weren't allowed to advance to Venerated Immortal level, the underlying reason being that it would deplete the Earth of its intrinsic spirit energy. However, the convention never said that one couldn't advance to True Venerated level! Even disregarding the fact that it was an in-between realm, it didn't violate any rules at all. The most important thing, moreover, was that Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal's advancement to True Venerated level hadn't drawn on any of the Earth's spirit energy at all!

If he had, there would definitely have been a large flood of spirit energy, and even a destructive spatial vortex; thus, cultivators about to advance to Venerated Immortal level would usually find an uninhabited place to carry out the process alone.

It seemed that Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal had truly advanced by virtue of a single piece of broccoli…

Even though a lot of people were unwilling to accept this fact.

When the light faded, a dumbstruck Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal realized that the True Venerated mark was imprinted on the back of both his hands, and he looked blankly at all the guests, who wore equally dumbstruck expressions.

"It's the True Venerated mark! On Senior Immortal's hands and his forehead! He has the mark!" someone then exclaimed.

Only then did Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal yell "d.a.m.n" in his heart…

He actually broke through!

His heart surged with all kinds of emotions for a moment, and there were even tears in the corners of his eyes.

As expected, Old Senior w.a.n.g didn't trick me!

He, a petty Soul Formation cultivator, had actually shot to the top in the blink of an eye, surpa.s.sing True Immortal to reach the True Venerated realm…

Speaking of which, it seemed no one had reached the True Venerated realm before in modern history?

Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal wiped his tears.

He was touched from the depths of his soul.

From the moment he started cultivating, Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal had in fact acknowledged the truth that he actually wasn't as gifted as the rumors made him out to be. It took him nearly two thousand years to reach the Soul Formation stage. While this might seem fast, only Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal himself knew how much effort had gone into it.

He had once even thought that he had no hope of breaking through the Soul Formation stage in his lifetime.

Until… he met his most beloved Brother Ling!

And the old seniors of the w.a.n.g family!

After his visit to the w.a.n.g family's small villa, when Old Man w.a.n.g had ladled out a bowl of tomato egg drop soup and picked up a broccoli with his chopsticks to give to Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal, the latter felt that his state of mind had changed since then… He felt that he should be more broad-minded! He should drum up enough courage to face life head-on!

What did tomato egg drop soup mean?

Old Senior w.a.n.g was telling him, only what was ordinary was real!

What did broccoli mean?

Old Senior w.a.n.g was telling him that he should have the heart to overcome difficulties like in Journey to the West, so that he could pick beautiful flowers on the other side!

At that moment, Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal finally understood the meaning of these two dishes!

Heavenly Dao broccoli was really too mystical!

"Senior Immortal, you…"

A lot of people were startled when they saw Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal wipe his tears.

Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal reined in his emotions slightly and again picked up a piece of broccoli with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. "Ay, I didn't expect to finally break through today after eating this Heavenly Dao broccoli daily! It's not a big deal, everyone, help yourself…"

The guests, who originally had no appet.i.te at all, started to gorge themselves.

Some of the sect leaders even stopped using their chopsticks… and ate with their bare hands!

After that day…

Heavenly Dao broccoli became the Office of Strategic Deception's top seller, accounting for seventy percent of the sect's profits… From "average" 平平淡淡, where 淡 and the word for egg 蛋 share the same pinyin, "dan."Broccoli in Chinese 西蘭花 literally translates to "western orchid flower."