Chapter 333: Two and a Half Years of Cultivation Results, The First Breakthrough Achiever

Cold wind howled, ocean waves surged.

Towering waves crashed against an iceberg. On a distant wave crest, a sword cultivator stood proudly, dressed in a white robe, his posture as straight as a pine tree.

On the iceberg, a burly martial artist with muscles like steel, Chunyu Yan, looked up and gazed at the tide.

Amidst the sound of the waves, a clear, cold voice resonated."Yi Feng of Qingyang Sword Sect, requests guidance from Marquis Tianwu."

Yi Feng's long hair fluttered in the wind, his eyes revealing a sharp glint. He tightly gripped a gleaming treasured sword, its mysterious patterns resonating with the surging waves. His domain condensed within the three-foot-long blade; his sword energy was the domain.

"Late Stage Life Palace, Domain Tier Six, yet you dare to challenge?" Marquis Tianwu, Chunyu Yan, rose from his kneeling position. "How do you compare to my defeated subordinate, Xiao Jian of Heaven Sword Sect?" Yi Feng laughed heartily, "I consider Xiao Jian to be nothing but a worthless chicken!"

Chunyu Yan said flatly, "That's quite a boast."

He leaped from the glacier, like a meteorite falling onto the sea surface.

The towering waves were violently suppressed, becoming calm and waveless, as if the sea had turned into flat ground.

Chunyu Yan walked forward with steady steps, his fists clenched, a faint glow shimmering on them. Each step caused the sea surface to tremble slightly. Their gazes met, and the air seemed to hum with tension.

Chunyu Yan walked faster and faster, soon breaking into a run. As he ran across the sea, the wave-mountains ahead seemed to collapse, continuously receding.

Yi Feng's eyes subtly shifted. With a gentle flick of his treasured sword, he launched from the wave crest. A fierce sword energy traversed a thousand meters, instantly striking towards Marquis Tianwu's throat. "Clang!" The sword tip, however, landed on Marquis Tianwu's chest, emitting a metallic screech as it sharply bent.

A divine sword of treasured grade was astonishingly unable to pierce Marquis Tianwu's body, which was clad only in plain cloth. "Whoosh, whoosh!"

"Hiss, hiss!"

Yi Feng wielded his sword from a thousand meters away, yet its tip appeared right in front of Marquis Tianwu, as if an invisible figure was wielding the sword, engaging Chunyu Yan in close combat. After thrusting a dozen consecutive times, even the most effective strike only slightly reduced Marquis Tianwu's running speed.

"A Qi-Sect master with perfected martial physique, truly lives up to his reputation."

Yi Feng immediately changed swords. He drew a second sword from his belt, as if pulling out a sun. "Qingyang Sword?" Chunyu Yan's eyes slightly narrowed, and he halted his steps.

The Qingyang Sword was a top-grade treasure, much stronger than the previous sword. Seeing Chunyu Yan stop, Yi Feng's confidence greatly increased.

Marquis Tianwu had been guarding this sea eye for a month, and eighteen sect masters had already been defeated by him. To defeat Chunyu Yan would grant one exploration qualifications.

"Soul Extinguishing Style!"

Yi Feng wielded his treasured sword again, its tip tracing an arcane trajectory, abruptly appearing three meters from Chunyu Yan. It was like a scorching sun descending, crashing towards Chunyu Yan.

"Boom!"

Chunyu Yan blocked with his right hand, shifting sideways by over ten meters. His lower legs were submerged in the seawater, but he still fended off the sword strike.

"What a formidable martial physique. He must have cultivated it to the point of soul-body unity, where flesh and soul are completely integrated, making himself an indestructible rule."

For martial artists with powerful physical bodies, the life soul is usually a weakness. Yi Feng used the Soul Extinguishing Sword precisely to attack Chunyu Yan's life soul. However, under the observation of the Heavenly Eye, the opponent's life soul was completely invisible, meaning it was unshakeable.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, this sword strike would have shown the opponent's life soul shaking within their body.

"With such formidable strength, yet only a Marquis? It seems he rarely handles military or political affairs, focusing solely on cultivation," Yi Feng mused. Some powerful individuals are simply not adept at governance, but their individual strength is immense. Official rank doesn't always reflect true power.

"Boom!"

Chunyu Yan dashed towards Yi Feng like lightning, unleashing a powerful punch with his right fist. A potent fist energy, like a cannonball, hurtled towards Yi Feng. Where the fist energy passed, the air was compressed, emitting explosive roars.

Yi Feng's eyes narrowed. With a gentle flick of his treasured sword, a sharp sword energy shot out, colliding with the fist energy in mid-air. With a colossal "boom," powerful energy fluctuations spread outwards, instantly shattering the surrounding glaciers. Chunyu Yan showed no fear. He punched again, sending a barrage of fist shadows raining down on Yi Feng like a storm.

Yi Feng moved nimbly, continuously wielding the Qingyang Sword. Streaks of sword energy wove into an impenetrable sword net, deflecting each fist shadow.

He consistently maintained a certain distance from Marquis Tianwu, though this distance gradually closed during their battle. The key to a duel between a sword cultivator and a Qi-Sect master lay in distance.

A Qi-Sect master's Qi-Blood domain had a very small range, not exceeding ten meters at its maximum.

And once influenced by Marquis Tianwu's Qi-Blood domain, Yi Feng would undoubtedly be defeated in close combat.

The battle grew fiercer. Chunyu Yan's boxing was incredibly powerful, each punch containing immense force, his small body unleashing enough might to shatter a hundred meters of ice. Yi Feng's Qingyang Sword Arts were exquisitely refined, his sword movements flowing like clouds and water, at times sharp as lightning, at others graceful as a gentle breeze.

He consistently maintained a safe distance. As the distance closed to five hundred meters—

"Mountain Fist!" Chunyu Yan roared, his entire body's power converging into his right fist. A colossal fist shadow, like a small mountain, smashed towards Yi Feng. "You're not a Qi-Sect master—" Yi Feng's eyes flashed with horror at the sight.

He wielded the Yang Sword in his hand so rapidly it created an impenetrable barrier. "Sun Illuminates Xuanhuang!"

A dazzling sword light shot skyward. "Break for me!"

Yi Feng bellowed, and the brilliant sword light, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved towards the fist shadow. "Boom!"

Another colossal boom echoed, powerful energy fluctuations causing the entire sea to tremble. Waves surged dozens of meters high, and the sky became overcast with dark clouds, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. When everything gradually settled, Yi Feng and Chunyu Yan were only a hundred meters apart.

The light from the Yang Sword in Yi Feng's hand rapidly faded and it plummeted into the sea, because a metal arm was plunged into his chest, and this hand had crushed his heart. "You, you are actually a mechanical warrior... a heretic!"

Yi Feng painstakingly uttered these words, then his body shattered inch by inch. Chunyu Yan, now with only his left hand, beckoned, and his right hand immediately flew back. "I never said I was a Qi-Sect master; that's what you assumed." "The court set this rule precisely to send you all to your deaths."

"You were decent; you forced me to use the Jinyou Mechanical Bones." Chunyu Yan retrieved the Qingyang Sword that had fallen into the sea and weighed it in his hand. With just two casual tosses, the artifact spirit within the Qingyang Divine Sword was shattered by him.

"Just in time, the Jinyou Mechanical Bones have been damaged after so many battles. I can use the Qingyang Sword as a sword bone." "I wonder how much it will yield from the Fuming Furnace."

Just then, Chunyu Yan suddenly glared furiously in a certain direction. "Where did that scoundrel come from?!" Boom!

A burst of red blood-qi erupted beneath his feet, and Chunyu Yan swiftly rushed towards the iceberg. However, the shadow arrived too quickly; it only made its move precisely at the moment Yi Feng died and Chunyu Yan retrieved the Qingyang Divine Sword.

"Plop!"

The dark shadow instantly plunged into the sea eye. Chunyu Yan was ultimately a step too late. "Damn it! Thief! Scoundrel!"

Chunyu Yan roared in rage, causing the iceberg beneath his feet to explode.

He had guarded for over a month without a single slip-up, and nineteen powerful individuals had died by his hand. Yet today, an unknown rogue had slipped in.

"Reporting to King Rahu, an unknown individual has slipped into Glacier Sea Eye Number Seventy-Eight..."

Inside the Micius Palace.

Zhao Xing's soul clone watched the enraged Chunyu Yan in the Earth Realm, finally understanding the general situation.

"Three months have passed. The four Southern Barbarian Royal Courts, along with the Sect World and the Eastern Yan, have formed a powerful alliance, strong enough to contend with Great Zhou." "However, it's difficult for either side to gain an absolute advantage."

"Great Zhou cannot completely drive away these covetous wolves, and the Outerworld Alliance cannot break through Great Zhou's vital defenses, let alone stably occupy an entrance."

"The area Great Zhou needs to defend is too vast to guard entirely. Instead of blocking, it's better to guide. So, they set a rule: Outerworld forces wanting to enter the ruins can only do so through these sea eyes." "This way, they can specifically target and kill masters from the Outerworld Alliance."

"Of course, both sides suffer casualties."

"If this pattern continues, it's a matter of who collapses first."

Great Zhou needed to send many powerful individuals to explore, which meant there weren't enough strong guards outside.

In this way, whether some of the Outerworld Alliance's strong individuals died or entered, it could alleviate pressure on the ground battlefield.

"Without the Purple Light Divine Token, most people only get one chance."

Only then did Zhao Xing understand why there were so many people in the square. "They were deliberately allowed in."

"This also provides a good opportunity to identify the new generation of talented powerhouses within the Outerworld forces."

However, this also carried a risk: there was a certain probability that the Outerworld forces could obtain the inheritance of Qingyuzi and the other two. "Everyone is gambling on national destiny."

Each talented powerhouse sent by the Outerworld Alliance first had to pass Great Zhou's challenge. Secondly, if they gained no insight during their contemplation and were teleported out of the barrier, it was highly probable they would be killed by Great Zhou's patrolling forces outside.

The Outerworld Alliance was gambling that at least one person could obtain the inheritance. If someone did, there was a high chance they could successfully escape the encirclement under the glacier! It was a "raising gu" style deployment; if 99 died but one acquired the inheritance, it was considered a win!

The Outerworld Alliance was gambling, and so was Great Zhou.

If someone from Great Zhou could obtain the inheritance first, this wave would significantly weaken the enemy's high-tier combat power. The effect would be greater than Emperor Jing's low-grade troop training on the Barbarian Plains battlefield back then.

Cultivating high-grade individuals was much more difficult.

"What's the result?" Zhao Xing looked up at Liu Tianning. "Currently, Great Zhou's powerful individuals are all stuck at the first trial."

"Through the divination of the Fate Officials, we can roughly deduce that the hostile forces are also in the first trial."

"However, it has now been concluded that there are three types of inheritance trials. Practitioners of different professions encounter different inheritance trials upon entering."

Liu Tianning picked up a scroll. "For example, King Shenluo and Chen Ju encountered the 'Puta' inheritance trial. Although the first stage is largely similar—creating a new method to pass—the specific methods for cultivation and the paths of insight differ."

Zhao Xing nodded.

Qingyuzi, Fairy Su, and Puta: one an agriculturist, one a soul master, and one a mechanist.

The trial contents varied slightly, but in the first stage, all required self-creation of new methods, or formations, or soul secret techniques. The commonality was that the difficulty was extremely high!

So far, after more than three months, no one had passed the first stage of any of the three inheritance paths.

Great Zhou's advantage lay in having the 'Purple Light Divine Token,' which allowed repeated attempts even if one failed the first trial.

As for the Outerworld forces, once the time limit expired for their first attempt, they would forget the experience, and it would be easy for Great Zhou's forces to intercept and kill them after they were teleported out.

"With such immense difficulty, I don't know how you managed to obtain some treasures," Liu Tianning said, looking at Zhao Xing.

Only after truly beginning to explore the ruins and accumulating more information did they realize the extent of Zhao Xing's gains! Treasures stored elsewhere were at most precious artifacts, and while challenging, their difficulty was significantly lower.

Most were inheritance trials left by disciples taken in by Qingyuzi and the other two during the Yu Dynasty.

The relatively weaker disciples left fewer and less powerful treasures, and their trials were naturally easier. Great Zhou had already harvested a batch of treasures, but the Three Divine Halls' difficulty was beyond imagination!

"Existing spells cannot shake that stage." "One must create new methods based on the insights gained."

"On Qingyuzi's inheritance path, someone has already created a top-tier, perfected new method. Even combined with a Tier Seven domain, they couldn't pass the first stage," Ji Si introduced.

The Dao's level could amplify the method's power. A Tier Seven domain, amplifying a top-tier, perfected method—such power would be enough to dominate the Xuanhuang Realm, yet it couldn't pass the first stage. The difficulty completely exceeded everyone's imagination.

"Given such immense difficulty, it is extremely rare for Duke Zhao to have obtained numerous wondrous artifacts," Ji Si said, looking at Zhao Xing.

"When I passed through the corridor, Qingyuzi's Dao Manifestation suddenly appeared, rattled on about a lot of things, and then gave me some treasures. Sir Ji, could you tell me why that was?"

The usual tactic: throw the question out and let others speculate.

Zhao Xing hadn't lied; every word he spoke was true.

"Perhaps Qingyuzi saw your talent was exceptional?" Liu Tianning mused, "It's not important. Who knows the nature of an extraterrestrial visitor? In any case, you've gained benefits, and your hope of acquiring the inheritance is still significant."

Seeing this, Ji Si asked no further questions.

How Zhao Xing obtained them wasn't important. The key was that he was willing to present these items to the six ministry heads and to Ji Che.

The Sun and Moon Palace was given to the Ministry of Works for research, the Grand View Realm to Liu Tianning for contemplation. The Heavenly Qi Soul Artifact, however, Zhao Xing kept for himself, though he also contributed many precious-grade elixirs and spiritual liquids.

Given Zhao Xing's status, he didn't need to explain himself to others. As long as Ji Che, Liu Tianning, and King Rahu trusted him, that was enough. If they trusted Zhao Xing, a few words would suffice as an explanation. If not, no amount of reasonable explanation would be useful.

Ji Si's question was purely out of professional habit.

"How are your insights progressing now?"

"Not bad," Zhao Xing replied.

He was currently only Tier Three in domains, and his strongest was only Tier Four, so "not bad" was indeed the most he could say. Wang Tianzhi and Ling Tianchen, for example, had already reached Tier Seven domains.

At the Dao level, many were stronger than Zhao Xing. At the method level, Wang and Ling had also long mastered ultimate methods.

"The first stage is very difficult, but you have hope of catching up and surpassing others, thanks to the Heavenly Qi Soul Artifact," Liu Tianning said with a smile. "Since the extraterrestrial visitor valued you, perhaps you can obtain Qingyuzi's inheritance."

"I'll take your auspicious words, Teacher," Zhao Xing chuckled, also feeling hopeful.

After all, in just three months, he had already reached Domain Tier Four. With the help of the Ascension Soul Artifact, he had great hope of catching up to the top powerhouses. It simply depended on how high the passing threshold for this first stage was.

"A Tier Seven domain, a perfected top-tier method, yet still unable to pass. I truly don't know how difficult it is." Ultimate methods are not easily created; otherwise, there would be piles of them by now.

Only three months had passed. Even with the insights from the murals inside the ruins, it was difficult to create such methods in a short time.

Even after creating an ultimate method, one might need to advance several more steps, continuously increasing its power, to possibly break through the first stage. One can imagine the immense difficulty.

"However, Wang Tianzhi and Ling Tianchen are probably very close."

"Li Baiqian created Yuan Feng only after he came out, and Yuan Feng is a sealing spell, not an offensive one."

"A Tier Seven domain, a Tier Three ultimate method—that should be enough, no matter what." Zhao Xing's soul clone returned to the underground ruins, pondering. The Dao's level could amplify the method's power, and Qingyuzi couldn't have set the difficulty too outrageously.

In the current era, Qi tides had begun to appear, and spiritual energy was slowly recovering from outside the Xuanhuang Realm. The rules of heaven and earth were no longer as unbreakable as before, which was why Life Palace realm cultivators capable of comprehending Rule Domains appeared on a large scale.

If set too outrageously, probably no one would be able to pass.

"Heavenly Venerable Zhao!" As his soul clone drifted back underground, Zhao Xing heard the Mist Walker's call again. "Heavenly Venerable Zhao, please wait." "Why don't you just call me Divine Venerable?" Zhao Xing was speechless; why did this person always give him sect titles?

"Divine Venerable is the title for the Sect Master, but if Heavenly Venerable Zhao is willing to join the Xuanmen Sect and return to his ancestral roots, it wouldn't be impossible," the Mist Walker said with a grin.

"I have also read your 'Three Yin, Three Yang, Six Qi Great Circulation Theory,' as well as 'Annotations on Two Classics' and 'Theory of Material Laws.' If Heavenly Venerable comes, I will resolutely support Heavenly Venerable Zhao's ascension, even overthrowing the current Sect Master wouldn't be impossible."

The Mist Walker's old face was wreathed in a smile like a chrysanthemum, as he uttered rebellious words.

Zhao Xing ignored the babbling man, merely seeking information. "Is your status in Xuanmen very high?" "So-so, I occupy three mountains and five lakes alone," the Mist Walker chuckled.

Zhao Xing nodded slightly. This meant that within the Divine Sect, this person held a status equivalent to a Great Zhou branch academy head, similar to Ling Tianchen. However, the Mist Walker's authority was certainly far greater than Ling Tianchen's.

This was because Ling Tianchen could not arbitrarily execute people from the Xuantian Academy, whereas the Mist Walker, within the sect system, held the power of life and death.

"Do you know who Venerable Blood Spirit is? Is he alive or dead?" Zhao Xing's heart stirred as he recalled his old adversary.

He had always been curious about Venerable Blood Spirit's strength.

Major events like detonating grotto-heavens were handled by Venerable Blood Spirit. Minor tasks like capturing servants in Gucheng were also managed by Venerable Blood Spirit.

"Venerable Blood Spirit? By seniority, he's my grand-nephew. He's an agent for the mortal realm forces."

"In terms of sect factions, he belongs to the Heavenly River branch of the Houbian Sect. Ever since he was severely wounded by Heavenly Venerable Zhao and King Tianyan, he returned to the Blood Lake to recuperate." "Is his true form a spiritual lake?" Zhao Xing asked with interest.

"That's right. The branch of the Divine Sect that entered Great Zhou back then only learned incomplete secret methods. They don't have this Great Heavenly River Houbian technique." "How can Houbian only involve life transformation and not phenological or climatic changes?"

"If Heavenly Venerable Zhao is interested, I can..." "Not interested." Zhao Xing drifted away nonchalantly.

This old man was trying to tempt him with secret methods?

Which Saint Child could resist temptation?

"Hmph, as if I haven't seen the world."

Zhao Xing felt that the Mist Walker was likely from a branch of the Houbian Sect. His physical state was very peculiar, as if he were condensed mist, yet Zhao Xing could still sense his life core. "The Path of the Agriculturist is vast and profound. When the Xuantian Divine Sect split back then, the branch that entered Great Zhou indeed lacked some secret methods."

"Dao Body Mistification—this must be from cultivating the 'Divine Mist Transformation'."

"To be able to decompose one's Dao Body into a mist-like state means that most attacks against such a state would be greatly weakened, or even miss entirely." "Now that the ruins of these three unfortunate souls—Qingyuzi and his companions—have suddenly appeared, it's likely attracted many reclusive prodigies to emerge from their hidden abodes."

The Mist Walker was also no older than 400. That he could cultivate the Divine Mist Transformation, pass through the Great Zhou powerhouses' defenses, and teleport into the ruins via the sea eye, amply demonstrated the Divine Sect's profound heritage.

"What a pity," the Mist Walker sighed, watching Zhao Xing's soul clone drift into the hall. "Such a talent should return to the Divine Sect, yet he's bound by Great Zhou." "However, spiritual energy is about to recover. The Central Earth Dynasty will either ascend or collapse. There will be opportunities to interact again, sooner or later."

The impending recovery of spiritual energy had become the mainstream view in the sect world.

The sect forces of the Slumbering Realm weren't cooperating solely due to Witch Moon God's command. The crucial reason was their judgment based on the ongoing changes in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Returning to the Three Divine Halls, Zhao Xing's soul clone sat down and continued to contemplate. "As time passes, more and more people will come in."

"I may not be the strongest Agriculturist, nor do I have 100% certainty of acquiring Qingyuzi's inheritance."

"Currently, a major battle has suddenly erupted in Xiji Province. This has deviated significantly from history. I wonder if it's a blessing or a curse for Great Zhou." There were too many variables. With Qingyuzi's lesson as a precedent, Zhao Xing also became somewhat apprehensive.

The faster Zhao Xing progressed after mastering the Heavenly Qi Soul Artifact, the more he realized that manually restoring spiritual energy was more difficult than imagined.

Qingyuzi and the other two possessed many wondrous treasures like the Sun and Moon Palace and the Grand View Realm of Heavenly Timing, and possibly even stronger artifacts. Two companions who had once been in the Origin Realm... yet they still couldn't complete the manual spiritual energy restoration.

Indeed, Puta died early, but Fairy Su and Qingyuzi persevered for another two hundred thousand years before their deaths. Two hundred thousand years—was there no chance at all to complete manual spiritual energy restoration?

"Hmph."

Zhao Xing took a deep breath, dispelling distracting thoughts.

"A path is forged by walking. First, do what's in front of you."

Without further thought, he focused on comprehending the "Purple Moon Origin."

In Zhao Xing's plan, within the five-year time limit for breaking through the stage, the first two and a half years would be dedicated to comprehending the Dao and raising his Dao realm. The latter two and a half years would be the stage of combining with the "Purple Moon Origin" to comprehend and create new methods.

Sitting before the Purple Moon stele, Zhao Xing was completely immersed in his contemplation.

Time swiftly passed, and soon it was a year later, the early spring of Yuanshou Year Four. At this time, Zhao Xing's talents in different paths showed clear discrepancies.

The fastest to improve was the Water Element domain, with the Three Light Divine Water domain reaching Tier Six. The worst were the Metal and Wood Elements.

The Solar Geng Metal domain had just reached Tier Four, and the Wood Element's Cangwu domain was only approaching Tier Four, not yet having truly broken through that threshold.

"I'm not inherently skilled in the Dao of Metal. Among the spells I've learned, only the four foundations of 'Yuan Feng' were diligently studied for several years while researching the 'Two New Divine Talismans' and the 'Heaven-Burning Lock Yuan Great Array'."

"As for the Dao of Wood, the Cangwu domain leans towards the Dao of Life rather than pure Wood Origin. It receives very little amplification from the Heavenly Qi Soul Artifact, thus its progress is relatively slower." Earth, Fire, Wind, Thunder.

Their progress was nearly identical, all having reached Tier Five domains.

If one had to differentiate: the Earth and Fire origins were slightly faster because the five-element true intent was already inscribed within his Dao Body when it condensed. Wind and Thunder, however, required the inter-generation of the five-element true intent, meaning there was an extra layer of connection.

Of course, since his foundation in wind and thunder spells was already established, his comprehension speed was not slow.

Both the Sky Wind domain and the Mixed Thunder domain had reached Tier Five.

"Now that the Three Light Divine Water domain has reached Tier Six, the speed of comprehension has slowed," Zhao Xing murmured, gazing at the enormous purple moon.

"From Tier Six to Tier Seven is a process of qualitative change. One of the most fundamental requirements to enter the Constant Rule Realm is a top-tier, Tier Seven domain." "The second condition is to master an ultimate method, engraving one's will into the world through it."

"The third condition is for the life soul and seven corporeal souls to integrate into the rules of heaven and earth through spiritual energy secret arts, influencing the world from within and without." "When all three conditions are met, that is the true Rule Realm."

"In the Qi Era of the Xuanhuang Realm, reaching this point in Dao comprehension is largely the limit. Only a very few individuals can continue to advance, but they may not even know how they achieved it, thus unable to leave behind an inheritance to guide future generations."

"Standing before this threshold, the direction of the Grand Dao is blurry. Without the guidance of the 'Purple Moon Origin,' it would be difficult to clearly see the path ahead."

Objectively speaking, the Heavenly Qi Soul Artifact's effect was still very potent; after all, it was renowned as an Ascension Soul Artifact. It was just that the rate of improvement wouldn't be as rapid as it was initially.

"A year has passed. I wonder what the situation is like outside, and if anyone has broken through the first stage."

Zhao Xing sent a soul clone out.

When he emerged again a year later, the situation was completely different from before. There were very few people in the square.

"What's going on? A year ago there were over five hundred people, but now I only see a few. Are they all cultivating inside the halls?" Zhao Xing was a bit confused. Logically, there should be more people, so why were there so few?

He swept his gaze around and immediately spotted an acquaintance: Marquis Linghuan.

Back when Zhao Xing encountered the assassination squad in Tianhe Prefecture, the support team sent by King Tianyan and King Rahu consisted of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Lord, Marquis Linghuan, the Heavenly Food Palace Master, and King Shenluo. Marquis Linghuan was also a cultivator of the Divine Derivation Art, and he was currently attempting Fairy Su's soul trial.

"Marquis Linghuan, do you know what happened outside? Why are there so many fewer people here compared to a year ago?" Zhao Xing asked.

Marquis Linghuan here was clearly also a soul clone, but his main energy was focused on his main body inside the hall. This soul clone appeared somewhat dull and robotic. "There's been another war, two months ago."

"The Dragon Abyss Prefecture Lord died, and the Heavenly Food Palace Master also died." "Many people have died."

"What was the cause?"

Marquis Linghuan said, "Over the past year, the Outerworld Alliance realized that the previous peace talks were too disadvantageous for them. So, two months ago, they tore up the agreement and launched a larger-scale war."

"Due to the war, fewer people from the Outerworld Alliance came down, and we had to resist, so many of our powerhouses were also transferred up." Zhao Xing listened quietly; it was clear they had been pushed to their limit.

War is for profit. If profits are not satisfied, then naturally, fighting must continue.

"With the support of the Sect World and the alliance with Dongying, the Southern Barbarian Royal Courts' fortifications, supplies, divine weapons, transportation, and the number of high-grade powerhouses on the front lines were almost identical to Great Zhou's, and even slightly surpassed them."

"Only the top-tier powerhouses would determine the course of the war. Thus, although the scale of this mobilization was smaller than before, its intensity was much greater." "Many people died."

Marquis Linghuan said blankly, "I don't know why we had to fight. From what I see, the trials here are too difficult, more like a scam set up by the extraterrestrial visitor. He seems to be toying with us..."

"That's enough, Marquis Linghuan, please rest." Zhao Xing frowned and interrupted him. Marquis Linghuan remained silent, merely nodding.

Zhao Xing sent his soul clone flying outwards, his mood somewhat heavy.

"The losses must be considerable. Even someone like Marquis Linghuan has had his belief in the war shaken."

If not for the deaths of too many people, watching friends and family die one by one, Marquis Linghuan would certainly not have wavered. This proved that Great Zhou's losses in the second war were also significant.

"The Outerworld Alliance's forces are strong enough to fight Great Zhou to a stalemate." Zhao Xing rapidly ascended, arriving at the Micius Palace.

Before he could find Liu Tianning, he heard Lu Ying's roar from the side hall. "What are you fighting for, I ask you, Jiang Yu, what are you fighting for?"

"Sanlian City was equipped with eight heavy equipment camps and even had an Eight Directions Mixed Yuan Formation set up for you, yet you still lost it? ... Don't explain yourself to me!"

"How dare their mechanists make repairs within bombing range? Why are the military engineers you lead so afraid of death? Didn't you tell me they were elites? Hmm?"

"I must have been blind to recommend you to His Majesty as Deputy Engineer! I didn't realize you were a useless coward!" "Atoning with death? Fine! I'll chop you down right now..."

"Chief Engineer, don't be impulsive." "Quickly, pull Sir Jiang away." "Calm down." "..."

A chaotic clamor came from the Ministry of Works hall, as if something was being smashed on the ground. Zhao Xing did not enter but went directly to the Ministry of Agriculture hall.

At this time, dozens of Liu Tiannings were entering and exiting various rooms within the Ministry of Agriculture hall. Seeing Zhao Xing approach, one of them waved to him.

"Chief Agriculturist," Zhao Xing addressed him by his title, seeing others around. "Hmm." Liu Tianning waved his hand, dismissing the people from the Grain Division.

"I just passed by the Ministry of Works and heard Lu Ying threatening to kill someone..."

"Are you referring to Jiang Yu?" Liu Tianning said. "He indeed made a major error. His position as Deputy Engineer cannot be kept; dismissal is certain." "It's the same on the enemy's side." Liu Tianning picked up a stack of scrolls. "Both the enemy and our dynasty have suffered losses and achieved results."

Zhao Xing took the casualty list and saw that the casualty figures for both sides were shocking. No wonder there were so few people below; everyone had gone up to fight!

Support and interception, offense and defense. One could say that the entire Western Extremity Continent was a battlefield! He even saw some familiar names on the casualty list: Yun Duo, the dean of Cloud Tower.

Feng Boping, the dean of the Windwalker Institute, the one who constantly wrote to him urging him to learn wind techniques. Geng Shouchang and Heng Yuan, these two were the Heavenly Timing Faction agriculturists who initially tried to recruit him.

Gu Changqing of Kunyuan Academy, Yu Xia, dean of the Twin Institute of Shangluo Academy. "Heavenly Eclipse Palace Master, Dragon Abyss Prefecture Lord..."

Ding Shan? She had just obtained an opportunity, merged with soul artifact fragments, and comprehended the Bright Shadow Domain, yet she died. "Tong Jin, this court warrior, once escorted me."

"Xiao Huang and Jiang Chuan, two music cultivators, are also on the casualty list." "Bai Mingchuan? Long Xiao's father-in-law, he died too?"

"Marquis Yingwu, Xia Hongyi? That's Xia Jing's father." "..."

Zhao Xing's heart grew heavy as he looked at the names on the death list.

Due to the extreme cold region, supplies could not be effectively replenished, leading to heavy casualties among many agriculturist positions, as well as supply and transport officials. Both sides continuously drew upon high-end combat power, fighting over the ruins in the Western Extremity Continent.

Great Zhou suffered considerable casualties, and the Outerworld Alliance also suffered heavy losses.

The Crown Prince of the Great Serpent Kingdom, Grand Monarch Fengxiu, Heavenly Venerable Red Bone, True Monarch Zilu of the Corpse Puppet Sect, Yan Lie of the Fiery Light Royal Court... But even with heavy losses, neither side had any thought of retreating.

Liu Tianning said, "A war is enough to expose many shortcomings."

"Zhao Xing, Shangluo Academy's supply capabilities in extreme environments are still insufficient. My mastery of Heavenly Timing arts is also far inferior to Li Baiqian's."

"If he were to use the Divine Artifacts of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Orders, perhaps many places on the Western Extremity Ice Continent could become suitable for cultivation after soil was laid down."

"But I haven't fully unleashed the power of the twenty-four Solar Terms Orders. A few days ago, I fought with a mysterious agriculturist from the Outerworld Alliance, and he exploited a loophole, causing a three-breath vacuum period in the original cultivation area. In that instant, thirty percent of the supply plants in that area froze to death. If the plants in the Wen Hua greenhouse hadn't been unaffected, eighty thousand people outside Micius Palace would be starving today."

Zhao Xing could only offer comfort, saying, "His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and the six ministry heads are still adjusting. Teacher, you shouldn't worry about it."

"The Outerworld Alliance is also adjusting; you don't need to comfort me," Liu Tianning said. "I estimate that if this fighting continues, a ceasefire will be called soon." "Now it just depends on who proposes peace talks first. The quotas for entering the ruins will certainly need to be redistributed."

Zhao Xing nodded.

"The most crucial thing now is to observe the progress of the ruins exploration below."

"Our dynasty now has fewer than fifty people remaining below."

"The main reason the Outerworld Alliance launched this war was that their Fate Officials predicted that one of our mechanists was about to break through the first stage, so they panicked. They wanted to interfere through war."

Zhao Xing was startled to hear this. "Who?"

Liu Tianning said, "It's unclear. The Fate Officials on both sides only predicted that someone was about to succeed in breaking through the stage, and once the first stage is passed, they will obtain part of the inheritance, potentially even changing the course of the war."

Zhao Xing suddenly understood. No wonder the Outerworld Alliance was anxious.

The profession of mechanist has a very obvious impact on war; any technological breakthrough can immediately bring significant changes to the group. Other professions are weaker; at least, their effects are not as apparent in the short term.

Even if an agriculturist makes a breakthrough, whether the food is slightly better or worse, as long as there is food, the effect won't be immediate in the short term; it will only be noticeable in prolonged warfare. As for martial artists, priests, and so on, it goes without saying.

Among the three extraterrestrial visitors, if Puta, the mechanist, left behind any epoch-making mechanical formations, it would indeed easily widen the gap between friendly and enemy forces.

"How is your progress in breaking through the stages?" Liu Tianning asked. Although breakthroughs in the Dao of Mechanics were currently more apparent, the other two paths could not be ignored.

"I'll have hope in at least another year and a half," Zhao Xing answered truthfully. In his plan, he wouldn't begin comprehending and creating methods until a year and a half later.

Of course, if his Rule Domain broke through to Tier Seven earlier, he could then attempt to create methods.

"His Majesty places great hope in you and often asks me about your progress," Liu Tianning said. "It doesn't matter if we lose this battle. As long as the Agriculturist inheritance is in our hands, with Great Zhou's nineteen provinces, our accumulation will eventually surpass the Outerworld forces."

"I understand," Zhao Xing said solemnly. "I will give my all." His soul clone did not stay above for long, and Zhao Xing descended again.

He had originally wanted to comfort Xia Jing and Long Xiao, but both were far from Micius City, fighting on the borders of Xiji Province, so he might not be able to reach them. He could only give up.

"My comprehension needs to be more focused now," Zhao Xing's main body mused, gazing at the "Purple Moon Origin." "Besides the Three Light Divine Water domain, my Sky Wind domain should also be a priority for improvement." After all, the nearby Dharma Stele was named "Wind of the Void," clearly related to wind.

Comprehending the corresponding domain first, then creating methods, would also be faster. "Combine!"

Zhao Xing merged his six main souls into one body.

Only his main body and soul clone remained before the stele, comprehending the Dao of the Wind and Water domains.

A year later.

At one point, Zhao Xing's main body suddenly twitched its brow and looked towards the purple moon. "Hum."

Zhao Xing entered the Dao comprehension realm created by the stele, flying in the sky to observe the purple moon's operation. "Whenever the Grand Yin Purple Moon begins to rotate, the wind currents on the world-star change with it."

"The stars of the Sun and Grand Yin both influence the Five Elements of heaven and earth."

"The Sky Wind domain I previously mastered, Sky Wind could only be considered a high-grade wind, not a top-grade wind." Zhao Xing flew into the sky, his body seemingly weightless, drifting with the wind, feeling the flow of different winds. "Whoosh, whoosh."

Different winds swept past Zhao Xing.

Some were leisurely breezes, some agile and gentle winds, others eerie winds. The winds that blew were sometimes fierce, instantly blowing a person to the other side of the planet; sometimes scorching hot, as if to evaporate a person; sometimes bone-chilling, as if to penetrate one's very bones.

Each time a type of wind swept past him, Zhao Xing would absorb it.

Now, his Sky Wind Rule Domain had reached Tier Six. Zhao Xing was absorbing these weaker wind True Meanings and merging them.

A top-tier, Tier Seven Rule Domain requires merging different True Meanings. This merging process is the creation of the most extreme wind! Whoosh! Rustle!

Countless types of wind drifted from Zhao Xing's main body. These winds were all colored and continuously rotated around Zhao Xing, but eventually became purer and purer, until only a faint purple wind remained.

"Hum."

When only one stream of wind remained around Zhao Xing, only one color remained as well.

"Finally..."

A purple wind swirled around Zhao Xing, and within the wind, a phantom image of a full moon unexpectedly appeared.

"Having merged over a thousand types of wind True Meanings, the resulting Wind Domain has finally reached Tier Seven." "Born from the Grand Yin Star and comprehended from the Purple Moon Origin, it shall be called Grand Yin Purple Wind."

In the second year and third month of comprehending the Origin Stele, Zhao Xing's Wind Domain unexpectedly broke through before his Water Element domain, reaching Tier Seven. However, before Zhao Xing could rejoice, Qingyuzi's Dao Manifestation suddenly appeared.

"A successor of the Agriculturist's Path has passed the first stage." Zhao Xing immediately looked over.

Someone has already passed the first stage?

After more than two years, has someone finally succeeded in creating an ultimate method? Is it someone from Great Zhou, or someone else?

Just as Zhao Xing was speculating, Qingyuzi's Dao Manifestation spoke again:

"He has left a message for all successors currently attempting the first stage."