Chapter 264: Contemplating Top-Level Underground Palace Techniques, Recruitment at Kunyuan Academy

"Crash!" Zhao Xing kicked over a box filled with Origin Crystals, then distributed them to his thirty Myriad Law Avatars for absorption.

Maintaining avatars required Origin Qi. While his main body had expended little during the elimination of Li Tao, the three others, and their twelve beasts, the Origin Qi within his Myriad Law Avatars had decreased.

With abundant supplies now, he naturally restored all his avatars to peak condition.

During this time, the sense of being watched persisted until a quarter of an hour later. "The feeling of being watched is gone," Zhao Xing murmured, looking thoughtfully at the sky.

"It seems my deterrent worked."

Zhao Xing, however, had completely misunderstood. Ming Dan was not a contestant, but a judge.

Nevertheless, Ming Dan was indeed astonished by Zhao Xing. "Thirty avatars, all possessing late-Fifth Rank strength, and all capable of casting high-tier spells. Their power level is extremely high." "And it's not just one type of high-tier spell. He's definitely not a Beastmaster."

It was a joke. If a Beastmaster was that strong themselves, why would they bother controlling beasts? Most who chose the path of Beastmasters did so because they lacked talent in other areas.

"Ling Zhu, compare this with the database in the Earth Mirror. Confirm what kind of spell this is, especially his avatar. What profession does that ability belong to?" The automaton assistant quickly replied: "Confirmed. Zhao Xing, Registrar of the Gemini Dragon-Horse Directorate, is registered as a Beastmaster. However, he is actually a Bureau of Agriculture official." "The spell just cast includes a high-tier spell exclusive to the Bureau of Agriculture: 'Season Shift Art'."

Spellcasting professions were diverse, with subtle differences arising from the various secret tomes cultivated. The higher the strength, the more pronounced these differences became. The distinction between common Five Element, Wind, and Thunder Sorcerers and Bureau of Agriculture officials lay in the three major secret tomes cultivated by the latter. Among these, the 'Season Shift Art' could only be learned by Bureau of Agriculture officials who cultivated the 'Solar Term Edict'. It was based on this point that the automaton assistant immediately determined Zhao Xing was actually a Bureau of Agriculture official.

"A Bureau of Agriculture official?" Ming Dan was startled. "What about those avatars? Are they Straw Effigy Arts?" "No, Straw Effigy Arts aren't this powerful." He had encountered Bureau of Agriculture officials before and seen those who could use Straw Effigy Arts. However, the Straw Effigy Arts he knew were only mid-tier, and the straw effigies themselves contained no 'Life Soul Power'. Yet, in the avatars he just witnessed, he felt the presence of 'souls'. In Ming Dan's understanding, only the 'Battle Souls' of mechanical automatons gave the impression of possessing a soul in avatar-type spells. Other spells like Talisman Avatars or Five Element Illusory Bodies could not be so nimble or persist for long periods. How could they be like Zhao Xing's? Ming Dan even saw his avatars absorbing Origin Crystals!

"According to the Earth Mirror database comparison, this is the Self-Cultivation School's Myriad Law Straw Effigy, also known as the Self-Effigy. It has been cultivated to a high tier, also known as Myriad Law Avatar. This is an ultimate art, with distinctions of Hundred Avatars, Thousand Avatars, and Myriad Avatars."

Upon hearing the assistant's explanation, Ming Dan's eyes cleared. He was a Fourth-Rank official himself; what hadn't he seen? But a Self-Cultivation School Bureau of Agriculture official who had cultivated the Myriad Law Avatars? He truly had never encountered one, nor had he even heard of such a thing!

This was because Straw Effigy Arts were not particularly famous among Bureau of Agriculture spells. Liu Tianning was renowned, but at this stage, his fame had not yet reached everyone; it was limited to small circles in the upper echelons. It wouldn't be until he succeeded as the Grand Bureau of Agriculture Official that the Straw Effigy Arts would become widely known.

Ming Dan didn't understand, but he was profoundly shocked. "I've been on this island for over thirty years. I didn't realize the outside world had changed so much; Bureau of Agriculture officials are actually this powerful now," Ming Dan muttered to himself.

A moment later, Ming Dan remembered he was there to investigate if Zhao Xing had broken any rules. The question arose: was it a violation for a Self-Cultivation School Bureau of Agriculture official, capable of Myriad Law Avatars, to participate in the Myriad Beast Grand Arena? Ming Dan was unsure, and the automaton assistant couldn't provide an answer either. The historical data in the Earth Mirror contained no such record. When in doubt, report it.

So, Ming Dan did not reveal himself and quietly returned to the warship in the sky, submitting the recorded combat footage and the automaton assistant's analysis to Inspector Lin Zhengfeng.

After reviewing it, Lin Zhengfeng also found himself in a dilemma. As a Third-Rank martial artist, he had heard of the Myriad Law Avatars, but that was the extent of his knowledge. Thus, he did not immediately make a decision but instead sought out Shangguan Hong Yuanba.

"General, the guard at 'Cangzhu Lake' in the Grand Arena has reported an unusual situation." "Your subordinate is unsure if this constitutes a violation. Please, General, make a ruling."

Hong Yuanba opened his eyes and quickly scanned the surveillance footage submitted by Lin Zhengfeng. "Since he is a Bureau of Agriculture official, submit this to the esteemed official of the Junior Bureau of Agriculture for a decision." "Yes."

Outside the Vast Sea Grotto-Heaven, within the layer of fierce winds, two warships floated motionlessly ten thousand meters up. One was the Wind-Whisper Cloud Ship, carrying nine Third-Rank Temporal School Bureau of Agriculture officials. The other was the Genchuan Fubo Ship, with fifteen Third-Rank Terrestrial School Bureau of Agriculture officials. The reason for their large numbers was primarily that various stages within the Vast Sea Grotto-Heaven required Bureau of Agriculture officials to alter the environment.

For instance, the 'Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace' in the first stage was a collaborative spell cast by Terrestrial School Bureau of Agriculture officials, its magical influence spanning the entire continent. The continuously shrinking wall of poisonous mist, stretching across the sky, was the work of Temporal School Bureau of Agriculture officials. As for the Self-Cultivation School? They were merely providing delicious food from the rear.

Wang Tianzhi, the Junior Bureau of Agriculture Official, was not on the Wind-Whisper Cloud Ship at this time, but on the Golden Dragon Warship. He, along with Ji Shuchang and Bai Yunwu, had been invited by Princess Youruo to a banquet on the ship, bringing their subordinates. As for why Hong Yuanba wasn't present, it was mainly because he was responsible for maintaining order, not just within and outside the Vast Sea Grotto-Heaven, but also the maritime order beyond the island.

Such a grand event absolutely could not be disrupted by external forces, so Hong Yuanba, the Second-Rank Grand General of the Eastern Sea, had to personally oversee it.

The turmoil in the Eastern Sea over the past few years hadn't affected Hong Yuanba's position, as the scale wasn't too large and the disturbances were quelled promptly. However, if this grand event were also attacked, Hong Yuanba would have no choice but to resign in disgrace.

The message reached the Wind-Whisper Cloud Ship, where only three junior officials remained on duty.

"Is it a violation for a Self-Cultivation School Bureau of Agriculture official, capable of Myriad Law Avatars, to participate in the Myriad Beast Grand Arena?" Geng Shouchang read the submitted information with interest. "Participating certainly isn't a violation, but his use of Myriad Law Avatars is," said another white-bearded Bureau of Agriculture official. "How are Myriad Law Avatars different from divine weapons or sharp implements? This Zhao Xing should be immediately ruled in violation and disqualified from the competition."

"Brother Yunhai, such a judgment would be unfair," said Heng Yuan, another Third-Rank Bureau of Agriculture official. "Myriad Law Avatars are fundamentally about the spell itself. How can they be considered divine weapons? The rules do not explicitly forbid them." "But they don't allow them either!" Sima Yunhai retorted excitedly. "Furthermore, how is this spell different from an evil art? Soul trapping and soul devouring are the foundations of its avatars! I recommend a thorough investigation of this person!"

Heng Yuan fell silent, knowing it was useless to argue with Sima Yunhai, who harbored a deep hatred for anyone capable of Myriad Law Avatars.

The year before last, Sima Yunhai had a junior disciple named Pang Xianyun, who fought Liu Tianning at a dojo in Daoyuan Continent. Liu Tianning himself had a goal for his disciples, which he also needed to achieve. To become the Vice Dean of Shangluo Academy, he needed an impressive combat record. So, Liu Tianning challenged Pang Xianyun, a Temporal School Bureau of Agriculture official with a relatively high ranking at the dojo.

Pang was a Third-Rank official, and Liu Tianning was Fourth-Rank. Liu Tianning allowed Pang Xianyun to cast all his spells first, then defeated him with a single move.

Originally, few knew about this, but after his defeat, Pang Xianyun was completely captivated by Liu Tianning. He actually switched allegiance directly from the Temporal School to the Self-Cultivation School!

He gave up his current high-ranking official position and, during this year's administrative reshuffle, went to Shangluo Academy to become a Doctor of Classics. He highly praised Liu Tianning, publicly stating, "The Myriad Laws evolve to their ultimate, and Master Liu is truly my enlightened teacher in the Dao."

This turn of events was rather unexpected; originally, few knew, but now it quickly spread throughout the Bureau of Agriculture circles in Daoyuan Continent.

When Sima Yunhai learned of it, he was furious! His junior disciple, a Third-Rank official, had not only lost to the Fourth-Rank Liu Tianning but had also switched allegiances? What utter humiliation!

Sima Yunhai rushed to persuade him, only to discover his junior disciple had even changed his name. He was originally called Pang Xianyun, but later changed it to 'Pang Yuanzhen'.

When Sima Yunhai went to him, Pang Yuanzhen, in turn, urged Sima Yunhai to abandon the Temporal Dao and instead delve into the Self-Cultivation Dao.

Sima Yunhai tried to persuade Pang Yuanzhen for three days and three nights, but Pang Yuanzhen simply pulled him along, lecturing him about Straw Effigy Arts for three days and three nights. This left Sima Yunhai utterly disheartened.

From then on, he and his junior disciple went their separate ways. He developed a deep abhorrence for the Self-Cultivation School, and particularly viewed Myriad Law Straw Effigies as an evil art, primarily by vehemently criticizing the 'Soul-Devouring Straw Effigy Art'.

Now, seeing Zhao Xing, who cultivated Myriad Law Straw Effigies, Sima Yunhai was naturally agitated.

Geng Shouchang said, "Brother Yunhai, calm down. Let the elder decide this matter." "This is an evil art, it's an evil art..." Sima Yunhai muttered.

Geng Shouchang and Heng Yuan exchanged a glance, then quietly left and reported the matter to Wang Tianzhi.

As a candidate for the Temporal School's leadership, Wang Tianzhi possessed a broad perspective. He quickly responded to his subordinates: "No, at least for this session, it doesn't count as a violation."

"Not this session, but the next one?" Heng Yuan and Geng Shouchang exchanged glances upon receiving the news. They then forwarded the decision to Hong Yuanba.

Hong Yuanba conveyed the decision to Lin Zhengfeng. Lin Zhengfeng then notified all the guards within the Vast Sea Grotto-Heaven to prevent them from repeatedly asking: "From now on, if you encounter this Bureau of Agriculture official-beastmaster named Zhao Xing, or similar situations, do not report it as abnormal. The Bureau of Agriculture official's Myriad Law Avatars are not considered a violation."

The guards were bewildered but nodded, seemingly understanding. They then went back to hastily study up on Bureau of Agriculture-related knowledge. Nevertheless, they all remembered Zhao Xing's name, knowing that a Bureau of Agriculture official-beastmaster was participating in the Myriad Beast Grand Arena.

Zhao Xing was unaware that his Myriad Law Avatars had been discussed by so many high-ranking figures on the very first day. He was currently in Palace No. 42, checking the rankings.

Name: Zhao XingStage: Grand Arena (Day 1)Points: 78000Rank: 23818

"Seventy-eight thousand points. It seems they haven't encountered anyone else yet, with no additional points on them." "True, it's not intense yet. The highest-ranked person doesn't even have two or three hundred thousand points."

On the first day, everyone was looking for supplies to ensure their continued mobility. The competition wasn't very fierce yet. Even those who couldn't secure supplies wouldn't starve within two or three days.

"With two months, I estimate the competition will only get intense after the first month." Zhao Xing closed the Earth Mirror ranking. The current rankings held little reference value.

"In half a day, I've already scoured forty-one of the forty-six supply points near Cangzhu Lake." "Five of them were empty, clearly taken by others."

"The supplies from forty-one points are enough for me and my battle beasts to survive for four or five months without fighting. If there's combat, it's uncertain, but it's certainly enough to sustain me through several major battles."

Zhao Xing jumped onto the top of the palace and looked into the distance. "The ten-thousand-meter poisonous mist is spreading, but it's shrinking relatively slowly. There's no rush to move towards the center."

The later it got, the more points those eliminated would yield.

"With abundant supplies and no immediate need to act, I'll first study the supreme art, 'Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace'." Zhao Xing left the supply palace with his civet, azure lion, and spirit illusion goat, arriving at a valley.

"Even a superficial understanding of a supreme art yields immense benefits. If I can reduce the absorption rate of the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace, it will be an advantage for me."

"Aotian, Xiaotian, Huantian, you three take turns standing guard." After finding the valley, Zhao Xing put away all his Myriad Law Avatars. He wanted to focus on studying the Underworld Palace Art, and his avatars wouldn't be very effective outside. Having the battle beasts stand guard would be more beneficial.

"Xiaotian, if they get hungry, give them food." "Don't call me unless it's important." Zhao Xing took out several boxes. "Woof!" Xiaotian barked, then spat out a stream of flames, neatly stacking the boxes. "Eat sparingly, understand?" Xiaotian the dog twitched its nose. "Leave it to me, Master, go on and don't worry!"

Zhao Xing immediately cast Divine Mobility Guard and burrowed underground. The moment he cast the spell and vanished beneath the surface, he sensed the marvel of the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace.

"Supreme arts truly are wondrous. Within the range of the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace, my Profound Earth Art and Underworld Palace Art are completely unaffected?" Divine Mobility Guard was a high-tier spell created by the master of the Myriad Forms Underworld Palace, combining the Profound Earth Art and the Underworld Palace Art. It integrated the mysteries of both the Divine Mobility Underworld Palace and the Profound Earth Guard.

Normally, if an Underworld Palace already existed in a certain area, a second one could not appear. The earth veins had already been utilized by the 'Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace,' becoming the foundation for the 'Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace Art,' preventing others from using it.

For example, if Zhao Xing cast the Boundless Underworld Palace, and Chen Shijie then cast the Fire Prison Underworld Palace, there would only be one outcome: either the Boundless Underworld Palace would collapse, or the Fire Prison Underworld Palace would collapse. As for Profound Earth Arts, they would not be repelled.

Dual underworld palaces could be compatible unless their tiers differed too greatly. For instance, if a mid-tier 'Ice Underworld Palace' appeared above Zhao Xing's Boundless Underworld Palace Art, that would be permissible. Of course, both underworld palace arts would be affected. The portions of the Boundless Underworld Palace covered by the Ice Underworld Palace would lose their restrictive force. And the Ice Underworld Palace, not being directly established on the earth veins, would have its spell power greatly diminished.

The Divine Mobility Guard Zhao Xing was now casting also contained Underworld Palace Arts. Yet, its spell effects remained unaffected. Similarly, the spell effects of the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace were also unaffected.

This was because Zhao Xing didn't feel any reduction in the rate of Origin Qi loss. "Embracing all, it truly lives up to being a supreme Underworld Palace Art," Zhao Xing mused. "This Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace, no matter how high I fly or how deep I burrow, its absorption efficiency remains constant."

Thanks to the existence of the Pure Origin Space, Zhao Xing's Origin Qi reserves were more abundant than a Fourth-Rank official's, allowing him to sustain for six days. However, no matter how deep he burrowed or how high he flew, the rate of Origin Qi loss became constant at the six-day mark, which was the most terrifying aspect.

Zhao Xing continued downwards, burrowing for an unknown duration, only to find the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace always remained that far from him. "The potential difference in the earth veins is constantly shifting. Unless I also cultivate a supreme Underworld Palace Art, I simply cannot destroy this palace," Zhao Xing halted his descent and began observing the enormous palace below.

It resembled a square box, but with many winding tunnels, like a labyrinth. Its structure was at times transparent, at times emitting a kaleidoscopic glow. Zhao Xing felt that this Underworld Palace was utterly perfect.

Supreme arts were rarely seen, and their learning channels were limited, with numerous thresholds set. This was because supreme arts were state secrets, impossible for just anyone to learn. If they could be easily learned, spies would steal them without effort.

To learn a specific supreme art, one had to become an official in a particular government institution or department; wealth alone was not enough.

Zhao Xing's current mastery of the three major secret tomes and his comprehension of the Dao had already reached the threshold for learning supreme arts. Now, seeing a perfect spell-casting Underworld Palace, he became completely engrossed.

"The perfect Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace, its utilization of the earth veins is truly ingenious," Zhao Xing murmured, spellbound.

He even voluntarily deactivated his Origin Convergence Seal, allowing the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace to absorb his Origin Qi. What originally sustained his Origin Qi for six days now only lasted three. Zhao Xing meticulously felt the difference.

Immersed in comprehending the supreme art, a wonderful sensation, Zhao Xing completely lost track of time. When hungry or tired, he would unfold his Pure Origin Projection in the underground cavern, retrieve supplies, and recover.

After an unknown period, Zhao Xing suddenly heard a dog's bark in his mind. "Woof!"

Zhao Xing immediately awoke from his contemplation. It wasn't Xiaotian's bark, but Aotian's; the silly civet had learned to bark like a dog again.

"Aotian, why are you barking like a dog?" "What? Hungry? Didn't I prepare six days' worth of food for you?" "Meow!!" "What did you say? It's the seventh day? This... my apologies."

Zhao Xing quickly cast a spell to surface.

At this moment, Xiaotian, the Azure Lion Hound, was still standing alert on the hill. As for the Spirit Illusion Goat and the civet, they were listlessly sprawled beside three empty boxes.

"Come, it's time to eat. Xiaotian, you come eat too." Seeing Zhao Xing announce mealtime, the civet and the Spirit Illusion Goat immediately perked up, wagging their tails and opening their mouths. Xiaotian, meanwhile, descended from the hill with graceful steps.

Zhao Xing cast Pure Origin Projection, and three supply boxes appeared. "Eat." The civet master impatiently swiped its paw to unlock a box, and then the three battle beasts began to feast heartily.

Zhao Xing wasn't hungry yet, so he took out his Earth Mirror to check the activity of the past few days. Firstly, the supreme art 'Poison Mist Miasma' cast by the Temporal School had already shrunk to the vicinity of Cangzhu Lake.

Seven supply palaces had already been engulfed. Zhao Xing looked back and saw they were only about three kilometers away from him. Since it was now the seventh day, the mist's speed had accelerated significantly; in another day, it would shrink from three kilometers away to his current location.

Next, regarding points. Zhao Xing's points had reached 148,000. His rank had dropped from twenty-three thousand to thirty-three thousand, a fall of ten thousand places.

The point total didn't add up, which caught Zhao Xing's attention. "Logically, with the seventh day not yet over, I should only have 60,000 survival points and 78,000 points from eliminating others, totaling 138,000. Why is it 148,000?" Zhao Xing checked carefully and finally found a clue in the Earth Mirror notifications.

There was a notification sent at noon two days ago. "Beastmaster Liu Zhong, unable to obtain supplies and on the verge of death, triggered the Vast Sea Token's protection and has been eliminated. Liu Zhong and his battle beasts' elimination also generated points, which were evenly distributed among the individuals in Liu Zhong's area. You gained 10,000 points."

"Oh? So that's what happened," Zhao Xing realized. All contestants carried a Vast Sea Token. Once they entered, they couldn't voluntarily leave unless they were near death, triggering the protection mechanism to exit.

Those who were eliminated due to starvation without entering combat also generated points, which were distributed to others.

The main theme of the Grand Arena was survival, as the environment of the Dragon Court Ancient Land was perilous. If one understood how to survive, even without participating in a single battle, they could still gain benefits within the secret realm.

"This Liu Zhong was quite unlucky too. With no supplies and continuously losing Origin Qi, he was practically starving to death before being eliminated. That's truly rough." Zhao Xing put away his Earth Mirror, looked at the distant poisonous mist, and then at the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace beneath his feet.

"In such an environment, if one is unlucky and fails to secure supplies, they probably won't be able to exert their true strength." If Origin Qi dropped below fifty percent, the power of spells and martial arts would be affected. The reason was simple: fighting on an empty stomach naturally reduced combat effectiveness.

If Origin Qi dropped below thirty percent, the power of spells and martial arts would be less than half of their original strength. Below twenty percent, one would transition from weakness to severe injury. Below ten percent, life would be in danger.

"The Bureau of Agriculture officials created this extreme environment with supreme arts, where not a single bit of Origin Qi could be absorbed; instead, it was being absorbed from them." "And this is still with the spell's power restrained. If its full power were unleashed, it would be a terrifying natural disaster. Without being a high-rank cultivator, probably no one could survive."

Reflecting on this, Zhao Xing's desire to master a supreme art grew even stronger. He needed to master at least one supreme art before King Liang's rebellion, because by then, Pinghai Prefecture and the Eastern Sea would be riddled with natural disasters.

Although Li Boqian quickly restored stability, "quickly" was a relative term. From historical records, King Liang's rebellion was suppressed in two and a half years, which indeed seemed brief in the long river of history.

Two and a half years was indeed not long for high-ranking officials who often lived for hundreds of years. However, for common folk, even one day of such disaster was long.

"King Liang's rebellion would involve many high-ranking military Bureau of Agriculture officials under his command. If caught in the crossfire, it would be a disaster."

Zhao Xing sighed, then decided to move to another location to continue his contemplation. The three battle beasts had finished eating and were licking their paws.

"It's fine if the dog licks its paws, but what are you doing licking?" Zhao Xing walked over and picked up the Spirit Illusion Goat. "Maa," the Spirit Illusion Goat bleated, its eyes squinted, and Zhao Xing actually saw fawning on its face.

"Alright, let's go." Such minor habits were harmless, and Zhao Xing couldn't be bothered to correct them. In any case, the three battle beasts now obeyed commands strictly, and he no longer demanded perfection in other areas.

*Swish, swish, swish* One man and three beasts swiftly flew towards the central area, quickly leaving the Cangzhu Lake region.

Two hours later, Zhao Xing stopped and landed on a barren rocky mountain. "The Stone Rock Mountains. Staying here, it will take at least twenty days for the poisonous circle to shrink to this point," Zhao Xing said, opening his map and estimating.

He planned to wait until the poisonous circle started shrinking faster, about a month later, before taking action. Searching for people to eliminate for points now was inefficient and might even lead to setbacks.

Zhao Xing considered himself invincible among his peers, but he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was invincible even against Fourth-Rank cultivators. Without mastering a supreme art, who would dare claim invincibility at the Fourth Rank? Only a Fourth-Rank genius like Liu Tianning could make such a claim. Such an unparalleled genius, having cultivated at the Fifth Rank for over a hundred years, possessed unfathomably deep foundations. His seven supreme avatars alone made old Liu undefeated!

"Aotian, Xiaotian, dig a cave here." "Huantian, don't bother. You're a master of illusions; what can you do with your head?" "Woof!"

The civet and the Azure Lion Hound, one using fire and the other lightning, quickly blasted a cave into the rocky mountain.

Zhao Xing remained vigilant, scanning his surroundings. Seeing no one appear despite such a large commotion, he estimated that the area was truly deserted. He then sent the three battle beasts inside to rest while he continued to delve underground to observe the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace.

"Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace." After burrowing underground, Zhao Xing was instinctively drawn to the phantom image of the palace.

Although he had diligently observed it for over six days, each viewing brought a different sensation. The perfect structure of the Underworld Palace, built upon the earth veins, flowed in a continuous cycle. Every brick and tile, upon closer inspection, seemed like flowing water, circulating ceaselessly, each appearing as a fleeting vortex within a current.

However, these vortices were extremely short-lived, appearing and vanishing in a flash. They seemed to disappear, only to become perfectly smooth again, then re-emerge from elsewhere.

"Compared to the Boundless Underworld Palace, it has no sense of restraint or oppression." "Yet, it seems to tug at my Dantian, causing my Origin Qi to naturally dissipate in its direction."

"Even with my Origin Convergence Art tightly locked, I can only delay its dispersion by double the time, but not completely stop it, because its pull on Origin Qi is simply too profound."

Zhao Xing extended a finger, and above this Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace, he cast the Boundless Underworld Palace Art. *Hum*

The Boundless Underworld Palace was established on the earth veins, while the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace seemed to be within the earth veins itself. If the earth veins were viewed as a river, the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace was beneath the river, and the Boundless Underworld Palace was on its surface. Their utilization of the earth veins was not on the same level.

"The Boundless Underworld Palace is vast and heavy, while the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace has no large concept, seeming to be omnipresent." "The restrictive force of the Boundless Underworld Palace clearly shows fluctuations in the earth veins and is affected by the environment; in places where the earth veins are strong, the Boundless Underworld Palace's power is greater, and where it is weak, its power is weaker."

"Regarding distance, when my Boundless Underworld Palace is cast, its influence on enemies a thousand meters high becomes extremely weak. Below a thousand meters, the closer to the ground, the stronger its restrictive force." "The Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace, whether on the ground or ten thousand meters up, maintains a consistently powerful effect in absorbing Origin Qi, almost like a fundamental principle of heaven and earth."

Zhao Xing wanted to comprehend this Underworld Palace Art, but he didn't expect to actually learn 'Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace'. This was because, in its current state, the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace was not meant for people to learn or cultivate spells from. It was impossible to master a supreme Underworld Palace Art just by observing how others used it.

Zhao Xing used his own learned Boundless Underworld Palace Art as a reference, attempting to improve it.

The supreme art Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace had similarities to the Boundless Underworld Palace. After Zhao Xing cultivated the Boundless Underworld Palace's domain, he could also prevent others from absorbing any Origin Qi, but he couldn't absorb others' Origin Qi.

The Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace had no oppressive force, yet it could absorb Origin Qi. Without a specific method, he could only observe it, unable to practice the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace Art, but Zhao Xing could use it to improve his own Boundless Underworld Palace Art.

Just like Feng Qiu back then, who cultivated his Wind Art to 'Mid-tier Eleventh Turn,' although it wasn't a high-tier spell, it possessed some of the power of a high-tier spell.

Or like Old Bureau of Agriculture Official Xue Wenzhong, merely a Ninth-Rank official, yet capable of three-foot heavenly thunder and cloud manipulation in his palm. His Dao had not fundamentally broken through, but his 'technique' showed a higher manifestation.

"Transform!" Zhao Xing pointed a finger, and every brick and tile of the Boundless Underworld Palace began to collapse anew. The earth veins became fluid again, and the palace disintegrated.

Then, Zhao Xing began to emulate the insights he had gained over the past few days, reconstructing the fundamental structure of the Boundless Underworld Palace from a deeper level. *Hum*

Soon, a new Boundless Underworld Palace appeared, a tenth smaller in volume than before. Zhao Xing felt it; the power of this Boundless Underworld Palace was now only seventy percent of its original. His modification had inadvertently lowered the spell's potential.

"Separate!" Zhao Xing once again dissolved the Underworld Palace spell and tried again. He mimicked the vortex structure of the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace within the fundamental elements of his tiles and beams.

With each attempt, sometimes the Boundless Underworld Palace Art wouldn't materialize, sometimes its power would diminish, and sometimes, even as its restrictive force weakened, it would produce a new effect, spewing forth a geofire.

*Boom!* Inside the cave, the Azure Lion Hound, the civet, and the Spirit Illusion Goat were buried under falling rocks and dust. "Woof! Woof!" The Azure Lion Hound sprang out of the sand, and the civet shook off the dust from its body. "Maa!" The goat looked pathetic; a patch of its fur had been singed by the sudden geofire, and then a large rock had hit its head.

"Woof! Woof!" The Azure Lion Hound walked over to the goat, signaling it to lie under its belly. The civet, meanwhile, rolled up the boxes, protecting the food supplies.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the twenty-seventh day of the Grand Arena. *Hiss, hiss, hiss* The Poison Mist Miasma had reached the Stone Rock Mountains.

Wherever the poisonous mist reached, even rocks corroded and turned into sand. Its advance speed was also much faster than on the first day.

"Awoooo!" Xiaotian, the dog, howled as it watched the cave begin to crumble. It was calling Zhao Xing, reporting the danger. The Poison Mist Miasma was less than ten meters away. If they didn't leave now, they'd have to endure it. The Azure Lion Hound's intuition told it that being enveloped by the Poison Mist Miasma would be very dangerous.

"Coming! Head east!" Zhao Xing's figure emerged from underground. The man and three beasts immediately flew out of the cave, heading eastward.

"This circle is shrinking much faster than before," Zhao Xing remarked, glancing back. The original gray mist now had a faint purplish hue.

"With the supreme art Poison Mist Miasma, I estimate I couldn't last even a minute if I entered it." This was because the difference between supreme arts and high-tier arts was immense.

Based on Zhao Xing's past life's player damage calculations, if a perfected high-tier spell could deal 100 damage, then a first-turn supreme art would exceed 10,000.

"Better stick to running in circles." Zhao Xing actually wanted to experience this supreme art firsthand. However, when he considered the consequences, he gave up. Observing this thing up close, if he became too engrossed, even a slight lapse in attention could lead to being hit, and accidentally inhaling a breath would likely result in severe injury.

"Woof! Woof!" Xiaotian barked twice towards a certain direction as it ran, then looked back at Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing wasn't the only one running circles. Many hidden beastmasters and their battle beasts from the Stone Rock Mountains had now emerged. "It's been twenty-eight days since we entered. It's time to start gaining points."

Zhao Xing looked at the dozen or so figures ahead and to his left. "Xiaotian, Aotian, Huantian, take them down!" The moment he spoke, the man and three beasts immediately changed direction.

They charged towards the two beastmasters and eight battle beasts sprinting ahead and to their left. *Whoosh!* Zhao Xing waved his hand, and a golden light flashed into the sky. The Cloud-Swallowing Domain emerged, rapidly spreading to envelop the enemies.

The Vast Sea Token in his embrace trembled slightly, resonating with the Vast Sea Tokens in the pockets of the two opponents. This indicated that both sides had entered 'combat mode'; even if these individuals were suddenly engulfed by the poisonous miasma, their elimination would be credited to Zhao Xing.

"Brother Qu, someone's chasing us!" "Huh? Only three battle beasts, and they're only Fifth-Rank?" "Is he crazy? Brother Qu is Fourth-Rank, and though I'm a Fifth-Rank Beastmaster, I have two mid-Fourth-Rank battle beasts. How can he possibly contend?"

Qu Feng and Gao Lan completely failed to understand why Zhao Xing was doing this. Had he lost his nerve, or perhaps his mind? By all appearances, Zhao Xing had no advantage, so the two immediately decided to engage.

However, Qu Feng and Gao Lan soon understood why. Zhao Xing, as if copying and pasting, released fifty Myriad Law Avatars. Then, he cast Pure Origin Projection, causing a hundred Lightning Bamboo stalks to grow from the ground.

In an instant, Qu Feng and his four battle beasts were completely surrounded by Zhao Xing. "Holy crap, what is this?!" "Pure Origin Projection, this is Pure Origin Projection! We've run into a Self-Cultivation School Bureau of Agriculture official!" "Damn, are these the legendary Myriad Law Avatars?" "Cheating! Arena guards, I'm reporting! Someone's cheating!" Qu Feng roared.

*Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle* But before he could utter a second word, he was engulfed by a sea of lightning, transforming into a blue light and being expelled from the Grotto-Heaven. The sole remaining Gao Lan was then jointly eliminated by the civet, Azure Lion Hound, and Spirit Illusion Goat.

Nine years ago, as an early Fifth-Rank, the civet could already easily defeat a Fourth-Rank Emperor Crocodile with divine-grade bloodline. Now, the civet was late Fifth-Rank. Gao Lan currently only had two mid-Fourth-Rank battle beasts, and his other two were Fifth-Rank, both merely Ninth-Grade Noble bloodlines, not even enough for the civet to fight alone. With the Azure Lion Hound and Spirit Illusion Goat assisting, Gao Lan was instantly defeated, unable to even voice his disbelief.

"Meow," the civet cried out. It noticed that after Gao Lan was teleported away, he left behind a lot of food. "You eat. Prioritize other food, save the Origin Crystals," Zhao Xing instructed.

Then, with a wave of his hand, shadows enveloped the area, and he instantly collected all the Origin Crystals dropped by Qu Feng and Gao Lan. Any items that couldn't be instantly collected were packed into boxes for the three battle beasts to carry.

*Hum* The Earth Mirror displayed a notification: "You have eliminated Gao Lan, Qu Feng, and their battle beasts. You gained a base score of 41,000, plus half of the beastmasters' points (8,000), totaling 49,000 points."

Zhao Xing opened the Earth Mirror and checked his ranking.Name: Zhao XingStage: Grand Arena (Day 28)Points: 412000Rank: 25180

"The points for eliminating people have increased," Zhao Xing licked his lips. "The later it gets, the more points you'll get for eliminating others."

Because of survival points, even if he encountered weaker opponents, they would still have at least 280,000 points on them by now.

In the last ten days, anyone still in the arena would have at least 500,000 points! Eliminating one would add at least an extra 250,000 points. Not to mention, eliminating battle beasts also counted towards points.

So, Zhao Xing was in no hurry at all. There was no specific participant count required for the first stage; once the time limit was up, the second realm would open. As long as one wasn't eliminated, they could proceed to the next stage to accumulate points. As long as the final score was within the top five hundred, rewards would be granted.

"Food supplies are plentiful. I'll continue to lie low for a while; I feel a breakthrough is coming soon," Zhao Xing mused.

After a month of comprehending the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace and reflecting it onto his own Boundless Underworld Palace, he had reached a critical point. He now had the opportunity to grasp the 'Eleventh Turn' at any moment, thereby raising the upper limit of the Boundless Underworld Palace.

Soon, Zhao Xing arrived at a place called 'Crescent Moon Mountain' and settled down to continue his contemplation. On the thirty-fifth day of the Grand Arena, deep beneath Crescent Moon Mountain.

*Hum* A brilliant golden underworld palace emerged, its roof fanned out, every brick and tile shimmering with dazzling starlight imprints.

When the new Boundless Underworld Palace formed, Zhao Xing couldn't help but smile. "Finally done." "Go!" Zhao Xing pointed a finger, and the Boundless Underworld Palace immediately pressed downwards, embedding itself into the earth veins from above.

Although its foundation only pressed down by a foot, the effect was remarkably significant. Zhao Xing could feel the rate of Origin Qi loss within his body had greatly reduced.

"Originally, at full capacity, I could only last six days at most, but now I can last sixty days!" "The Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace's Origin Qi absorption effect has been ninety percent negated by me!" "This breakthrough move of the Boundless Underworld Palace, surpassing its original power limit, shall be called 'Boundless Starlight'."

Theoretically, the Boundless Underworld Palace was still a high-tier spell, but it had been improved and integrated with his own insights, exceeding the original spell's upper limit.

If a perfected high-tier spell could deal 100 damage, and a first-turn supreme art exceeded 10,000, then the 'Boundless Starlight' Zhao Xing had now developed reached 1,000.

This variation could be called 'High-tier Eleventh Turn,' but it wasn't a supreme art. This new change possessed the effect of blocking the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace, having been specifically created to counter it.

Being able to interfere with the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace's effects was already very impressive, and it would greatly aid Zhao Xing in learning true supreme arts in the future.

"Blocking ninety percent of the effect was beyond my expectation. This must be because the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace isn't being actively controlled by anyone," Zhao Xing mused.

At this moment, outside the Vast Sea Grotto-Heaven, on the Genchuan Fubo Ship, which was moored alongside the Wind-Whisper Cloud Ship, fifteen Terrestrial School Bureau of Agriculture officials were attending to their duties.

An Earth Mirror hung high above the main hall. Suddenly, a red light flared up on a certain part of the mirror. *Hum hum—*

Meng Kun, a Third-Rank Pingchuan Bureau of Agriculture Official, looked up. "An Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace appears to have been damaged." "The location is Crescent Moon Mountain... Who is responsible for casting the Essence-Drawing Underworld Palace there?"

As Meng Kun asked, a subordinate Third-Rank Bureau of Agriculture Official immediately looked up: "Master Meng, that would be me."

"Changqing, your spell-casting Underworld Palace is experiencing issues. Are you unaware?" Gu Changqing shook his head. "I am aware, Master Meng, but my Underworld Palace Art isn't faulty. It was merely partially blocked in a small area. I can restore it anytime, but I was concerned about harming that person."

"Hmm? What