Chapter 412: Hundreds of Thousands of Emptiness, Three Thousand Dao Seeds, Primordial Dao Repository

The third round concluded, and Zhao Xing was personally welcomed by senior administrative officials of the North River Galaxy, including Qiao Song and General Yang Zhuo.

"Mr. Qiao, General Yang," Zhao Xing bowed respectfully.

Qiao Song had helped him significantly, and Yang Zhuo was the Chief Agronomist of the Self-Nature Sect among the 158 Dao Domain realm cultivators who had taught him the World Law.

"Hahahaha," Qiao Song chuckled. "Our North River Galaxy's genius has emerged."

"Mr. Qiao, you flatter me. I am no genius," Zhao Xing replied instinctively, with modesty.

"You are," Qiao Song immediately asserted. "If not you, then who? Only 105 individuals from the entire North River Galaxy participated in the third round, and merely twelve of them were Agronomists. Among the Agronomists who successfully passed, there were only you and Jin Manyun, an Agronomist from the Time Division's combat zone."

Jin Manyun's third-round assessment in the Time Division required a ranking within the top 500,000 to pass, and Jin Manyun ranked 380,000. Zhao Xing, however, competed in the Self-Nature combat division, ranking over 5,000, clearly on a different level. For other professions, only seven Grand Divine Ability users from the North River Galaxy passed, including four martial artists and three mechanists. In total, only nine individuals from the North River Galaxy would proceed to the final trial. Zhao Xing, by securing a rank over 5,000 in the third round, was the closest to ultimate success!

General Yang Zhuo also remarked, "Zhao Xing, I never imagined you could cultivate such formidable mushroom species in such a short period—your nickname truly isn't for show." He had observed Zhao Xing's third-round assessment in its entirety.

In the latter half of the assessment, low-grade star continent demon races became scarce, making it difficult for contestants to widen their point gaps. Only the high-grade star continent Dao Domain realm demon races offered substantial points, making them the key to gaining a significant lead. Over thirty years, a large portion of Zhao Xing's points came from the contributions of his mushroom soldiers. The performance of the Green Poison Empress, in particular, deeply impressed Yang Zhuo. The Green Poison Empress was not limited to aquatic combat; the gas it emitted, if inhaled, could also replicate by consuming the water essence within living beings as nutrients. It was this lethal ability of the Green Poison Empress that propelled Zhao Xing's score to nearly rank 3,000 at its peak in the third round, ultimately finishing at 5,214. Without Zhao Xing's talent for modifying mushroom species, his rank might have fallen to 60,000 or 70,000.

"Many thanks to Mr. Qiao and General Yang for your cultivation," Zhao Xing expressed his gratitude. It was Qiao Song's arrangements and Yang Zhuo's sparring that enabled him to master two traces of the Great Dao of Life within a century, leading to his comprehension of the Secret Art of Life Rhythm and mastery of the Green Poison Empress's life structure diagram.

"Alright, we can reminisce later," Qiao Song stated. "After the third round of the Primordial Assembly, all contestants must immediately depart for the Primordial Realm. Before the final trial begins, there will still be one hundred years of preparation time. The Primordial Realm will briefly open some invaluable cultivation grounds for you; their worth is immeasurable."

"Understood," Zhao Xing nodded. Aside from the first round, passing each subsequent round of the Primordial Assembly offered significant benefits. Passing the second round allowed observation of a small world's collapse, providing insight into the manifestation of the Great Dao during its Annihilation stage. Passing the third round granted entry to the Primordial Realm for a century of cultivation. Success in the final fourth round would bring the ultimate reward: apprenticeship.

The journey from Manya Galaxy to the Primordial Realm would take half a month. After the third-round assessment, Zhao Xing boarded the official inter-realm vessel, still under the command of Emperor Chen Jiu and Zuo Qiyu. Once on board, Zhao Xing met the other eight participants from the North River Galaxy.

"The Mushroom King is here."

"Brother Zhao, I'm Mu Jingfeng, from the Gengzi Constellation."

"Wei Wangchuan. Brother Zhao, you're amazing."

"I am Ma Shuyuan, greetings, fellow Daoist."

The eight individuals greeted Zhao Xing. While they all held the title of North River Galaxy's genius, Zhao Xing's achievement carried far greater weight. Achieving a top 10,000 rank in the third round was an unparalleled feat among the nine of them.

"Greetings to you all," Zhao Xing returned the salutation.

"Brother Zhao, over here." Jin Manyun patted the seat next to him, inviting Zhao Xing.

"Thank you, Brother Jin," Zhao Xing nodded and took the seat beside Jin Manyun.

"Brother Zhao, in the resting manor assigned to us by the inter-realm vessel, the largest 'Heaven-ranked' manor is reserved for you. It's located north of the public resting area..." Jin Manyun, typically aloof, now appeared remarkably enthusiastic. This was primarily due to Zhao Xing's exceptionally high ranking. It was known that across the twenty-eight examination venues of the Self-Nature Sect's combat division, including the Manya Galaxy, only 150,000 individuals passed in total. Averaged across each super-first-rate galaxy, that meant only 5,357 individuals. Zhao Xing was ranked 5,214! If the Manya Galaxy were likened to an ancient kingdom, then Zhao Xing would be the foremost genius of the Self-Nature combat type in that realm, a figure Jin Manyun looked up to.

"This century of cultivation in the Primordial Realm is an immense boon for everyone," Jin Manyun revealed mysteriously. "I've heard that even an Imperial-level Botanical Garden will be opened."

"Oh," Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised. Imperial-level signified a guaranteed path to the Reincarnation Realm. The Primordial Realm would actually open an Imperial-level Botanical Garden?

"Heh, the Primordial Assembly is held every three thousand years, and its screening is so rigorous. If they don't offer something truly enticing, how would they attract participants?" Jin Manyun chuckled. "Not all the geniuses who passed the third round can enter the Primordial Realm now, but having witnessed the benefits, they will undoubtedly aspire to return once they break through to the Dao Domain Realm. At that point, the sole avenue to enter the Primordial Realm will be to serve in the army and accumulate merits. The war merits required for exchange are incredibly valuable. They must reveal a glimpse of the Primordial Realm to everyone, otherwise, who would be willing to trade the merits they fought so hard for?"

"Oh, by the way, Brother Jin, how was your third-round assessment? Was it difficult?" Idling, Zhao Xing struck up a conversation with Jin Manyun. He still didn't know the specifics of the Time Division's third-round assessment.

"Me?" Jin Manyun waved his hand. "It was difficult, but the combat division isn't much to talk about; it was just like yours—killing monsters and rescuing hostages. The only difference was that we didn't have preparation time upon descending to the initial star continent; we appeared directly in the demon race area from the start. The Time Auxiliary Division, however, was quite interesting," Jin Manyun laughed. "Over thirty-three years, you had to bring about a 'spiritual energy recovery' for a small galaxy, increasing its spiritual energy index from 5 to 500 to pass."

"What were the challenges?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Spiritual energy was hidden within natural disasters, realm stars, star continents, and even inside living beings," Jin Manyun explained. "And the central sun star of the galaxy was entering its old age, while the lunar star had already been split in half. There were a total of 100 million people, carrying varying amounts of spiritual energy essence. You needed to carefully identify and extract the six qi from living beings, and no one could die. Deaths incurred point deductions. Some people had less than 33 years of total lifespan, yet you still had to keep them alive. Was that difficult or not?"

"Truly difficult," Zhao Xing shook his head.

"The assessment for the Geographic Auxiliary Division was also abnormal. You had to transform a belt of shattered stars into a high-grade ring continent."

"Isn't that directly copying a test question from a certain year of the Primordial Hill?" Zhao Xing was momentarily taken aback; he remembered this very clearly.

"How can something concerning Agronomists be called copying?" Jin Manyun smiled. "There are a myriad of chaotic forms, but order is mostly similar."

"Hahaha, that's true," Zhao Xing also burst into laughter. Jin Manyun was different from the impression Zhao Xing had of Time Division Agronomists; he seemed very talkative. The two quickly became familiar.

"Brother Zhao, with your exceptional talent, you're definitely entering the Primordial Realm this time," Jin Manyun said with a hint of envy. "Perhaps Brother Zhao can even become one of this session's Primordial Six Saints. In the future, Brother Zhao, please remember to look out for this junior."

"Brother Jin, you exaggerate too much," Zhao Xing smiled.

What were the Primordial Six Saints? They referred to the top-ranked individuals in each of the six divisions across the three Agronomist sects: Auxiliary and Combat for each. The Primordial Realm was the sacred land of Agronomists. The top-ranked individuals in other professions did not possess the same level of prestige. Only the top-ranked individuals in the six divisions of the three Agronomist sects were highly revered. Thus, these six top-ranked individuals were known as the Primordial Six Saints, a title bestowed in every session. Among these, the top ranks in the Self-Nature Sect's Auxiliary and Combat Divisions held the highest prestige. However, achieving first place was far from simple.

Given Zhao Xing's current achievements, Jin Manyun was indeed exaggerating. But with Jin Manyun's praise, Zhao Xing's attention was drawn to the rankings of each division in the Agronomist's third round. He hadn't realized until he looked, and when he did, he was astonished.

"Self-Nature Sect Combat Division first place, Tuoshen, I've never even heard that name before."

"Self-Nature Sect Auxiliary Division first place, Ji Jingzhu, also not the first place I knew."

"Time Sect Auxiliary Division first place, Cai Lan, who is this?"

"Time Sect Combat Division first place, Yu Qing, I don't recognize them."

Looking at the first-place winners of the Geographic Sect's Combat and Auxiliary Divisions, they were also unfamiliar. "Those who can achieve first place in the third round won't have poor results in the final trial. But now, I don't recognize a single one. The first-place cultivators I knew weren't even in the top ten of the third round, nor even in the top hundred. It seems this discrepancy is related to that incident, or rather, to me," Zhao Xing mused inwardly.

The Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom's Spirit Domain Conference, which he hadn't participated in during his previous life, he had in this life, and with considerable impact. The number and specifics of Reincarnation Realm reincarnations must have deviated. Zhao Xing speculated that it was natural for the Red Star Empire's current Primordial Assembly to have such variables.

"Counting the time, after the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom concluded, I was imprisoned in Erliangpo for five hundred years. After returning to Great Zhou, the Primordial Assembly only commenced after another 125 years. If they are Reincarnation Realm reincarnations, the stronger ones would directly possess memories from their previous lives from the outset, including cultivation methods and secret arts. Six hundred years is more than enough time to cultivate to the third realm. I wonder how many Reincarnation Realm true spirits the Empire's Divine Realm powerhouses divided and brought over?" Zhao Xing quickly drew some conclusions, as the Empire's Divine Realm powerhouses wouldn't randomly appear in the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom just for amusement. They must have come for their own benefit.

"While my coming to the Red Star Empire was at Old Qing's request, the Red Star Empire likely also desired to accommodate this group of individuals. Hmm, the final assessment might undergo some changes," Zhao Xing pondered. "With so many external Reincarnation Realm cultivators, will they be included in the 'Inquire Heart' trial?" Zhao Xing thought it highly probable. If they did not identify with the Empire, even if they passed the first three rounds of the Primordial Assembly, they might still be secretly eliminated. The reasoning was simple: no one wants to raise an ungrateful individual.

"I wonder how they'll test it," Zhao Xing closed his eyes in contemplation. He wasn't particularly worried about this aspect. He felt a strong sense of identification with the Red Star Empire. In his previous life, it was his second home, and his combat strength was forged within the Empire.

After the inter-realm vessel launched, Zhao Xing and Jin Manyun chatted for a while before going their separate ways. Zhao Xing's resting area in the North River Galaxy also welcomed two familiar faces: Jing Yan and Yu Tianqing. The North River Galaxy and the Northern Wild Galaxy were neighbors, and both the second and third rounds were held in the Manya Galaxy. Thus, Jing Yan and Yu Tianqing were also aboard this flying vessel.

"Jing Yan, Tianqing." Zhao Xing appeared in the reception room. After nearly three centuries, the trio finally reunited for the fourth round.

"Brother, your North River Galaxy is quite dismal. The public area is so small, you can't even comfortably sit," Jing Yan complained as soon as he sat down.

"That's enough from you," Zhao Xing retorted, annoyed. "Small abilities, but a big ego." Only nine people from the North River Galaxy had qualified; how much more space did they need?

"And *glug glug glug*," Jing Yan grabbed the liquor pot and took a long swig. "Hah, it's really not easy. Brother, I barely scraped into the third round; I'm afraid I'll stop at the final round. Old Yu actually ranked over 500, truly incredible! Who would have thought you almost rotted in prison back then?" Yu Tianqing, meanwhile, smiled and took a small sip.

Zhao Xing's ranking over 5,000 surprised Jing Yan but not excessively. He had spent considerable time with Zhao Xing in Yu Luo Cemetery and had witnessed Zhao Xing's capabilities and talent. Yu Tianqing, in Jing Yan's eyes, was like a salted fish that had unexpectedly turned over! Back then, he had been locked up and left to rot in prison by the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom's army because he couldn't afford the 2 billion Tianyou currency medical fees. He never expected to be rescued by Zhao Xing and Le Yao. Later, when performing the Spark mission, even his equipment was bought with money borrowed by Zhao Xing! As a result, after arriving at the Red Star Empire, he became unstoppable. He broke through all obstacles, easily passing the third round of the Primordial Assembly, and even ranked over 500!

"What are you saying? Who are you looking down on?" Zhao Xing laughed. "Even worse than us two scoundrels, and you're a prince. Old Yu, teach him a lesson!"

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Yu Tianqing hesitated.

Jing Yan exclaimed in horror, "Why are you putting the Mechanical Spirit Pliers on my neck if it's 'inappropriate'?"

"Hahahaha."

*Rumble~*

Half a month later, the sky gradually became transparent, revealing the outside world. The Manya Inter-realm Vessel, carrying Zhao Xing and the others, gradually docked on a large star continent.

"Brother Zhao, look quickly! The other twenty-seven inter-realm vessels have arrived too! Next to us is the Imperial Capital's Nine-Star Inter-realm Vessel, from the Jing God Galaxy! And that one, it's the Hongwu Inter-realm Vessel from the Yue God Galaxy!" Jin Manyun pointed around.

Zhao Xing also looked. Besides the Manya Inter-realm Vessel he was on, a total of twenty-seven other inter-realm vessels had appeared on the star continent. Strangely, the ground was green, smooth, and flat. Inter-realm vessels from different galaxies varied in shape but maintained roughly the same size. The Manya Inter-realm Vessel he was on looked like a crescent moon, while the Hongwu Inter-realm Vessel resembled a sun.

"Swish!" Emperor Chen Jiu and Zuo Qiyu immediately gathered the geniuses from the Manya Inter-realm Vessel.

"Everyone, you have arrived at the Primordial Realm."

"Next, you will follow the instructions and cultivate in the designated areas of the Primordial Realm."

"Remember, you have only gained 100 years of temporary access."

"Many places in the Primordial Realm are unauthorized. Once you trespass and violate taboos, your participation qualification will be directly revoked. So, before disembarking, be sure to carefully read the cultivation instructions in your star mirror."

After Emperor Chen Jiu finished speaking, a wealth of information was sent to the contestants' private star mirrors. Zhao Xing also retrieved his star mirror to check; it indeed contained a large block of text.

"North River Galaxy Zhao Xing, you have entered the 'Green Leaf Port' of the Primordial Realm."

"Green Leaf Port? So that's the port," Zhao Xing suddenly understood. The so-called Green Leaf Port was actually a single leaf of an Imperial-level peak vine, the 'Thousand Star Vine'. A Thousand Star Vine in its peak period was undoubtedly comparable to a 'Reincarnation Emperor' among humans. In terms of essential strength, the plant life Thousand Star Vine was hundreds or even thousands of times stronger than a human Emperor. Since the Thousand Star Vine was a void species, Zhao Xing and the others could only see a single green leaf; the rest of its body was entirely hidden in the deep void.

"So that's it. My 'Three Realms Void' usually only delves into three layers of the void, while the Thousand Star Vine can fold eighteen layers of the void. Not only can I not see it, if it intentionally hides, even an Emperor-level cultivator would find it hard to see its true body unless they are an Agronomist. And by docking at Green Leaf Port, one can travel to any part of the Primordial Realm via the Thousand Star Vine," Zhao Xing continued reading the instructions.

All contestants, from the moment they entered Green Leaf Port, would have precious hundred years of cultivation time.

The Primordial Realm will open six treasure lands for Agronomists. You can only cultivate in these six locations. If you trespass into other areas and disturb the experiments or research of powerful cultivators, you will be punished. For your future and life safety, never trespass!

After one hundred years, regardless of which treasure land you are cultivating in, you will be immediately transported out for the final trial. Please plan your cultivation time accordingly to avoid unnecessary trouble.

The six treasure lands for Agronomists are described as follows:1. Hundred Ren Void (partial areas; treasure land for comprehending the Great Dao of Space)2. Three Thousand Dao Seeds (partial areas; including seven Imperial-level qualities, thirty-eight Royal-level qualities)3. Twenty-Four Qi Galaxy (entire area)4. Primordial Dao Repository (partial areas; limited to divine abilities and secret arts)5. Thirty-Six Ring Continents (public cultivation area, private areas are strictly forbidden to disturb!)6. Spirit Abyss (outer areas)

"Agronomists opened up six treasure lands, amazing!"

"Damn it, why only one hundred years? One hundred years is too short!"

"Every single one is a treasure land I've heard about since childhood. Now I finally have the chance to see it with my own eyes and even cultivate within it? *Sob sob*..."

"Tears in my eyes. We martial artists only have two treasure lands: the Ancestor of Void's Foot Galaxy and the Myriad Star Sword Tomb."

"The mechanists' treasure land is only 'Heart of the World'. What is that?"

"Never heard of it."

"Imperial Realm, Five Emperors' Tombs? This... this is real?"

"Forty-eight auspicious stars, thirty-six ominous stars, wow! Lived long enough to see this. After entering, luck temporarily rises to the thirty-eighth derivative, the experience is going to be maxed out!"

"Primordial Realm, this is our Empire's Primordial Realm!!"

When the information in the star mirror was sent to the hands of each genius, all of them, regardless of their previous aloofness, were now collectively exhilarated. Was there a better cultivation ground than this in the Xuanling Star Domain? For the Agronomist profession, probably not. Other professions might list a few, but they wouldn't be places they could find or enter. Everything here now was free! The only regret was that time was too short. Just one hundred years, making all the geniuses wish they could rush out of the inter-realm vessel immediately and start cultivating. Even Zhao Xing felt such an impulse, because the Primordial Realm was a treasure land even for Reincarnation Realm cultivators!

However, facing the anxious geniuses, Emperor Chen Jiu remained unhurried, still introducing the rules, not rushing to open the inter-realm vessel. Only after repeating the rules three times did he open the vessel's door.

*Rumble~*

Thirty-six vortices appeared in the sky; these were the portals of the inter-realm vessel.

"Brother Zhao, where are you going?" Jin Manyun asked.

"Of course, I'm going to the Three Thousand Dao Seeds," Zhao Xing said.

"I'm going to the Twenty-Four Qi Galaxy." Jin Manyun hurriedly bade farewell, "Brother Zhao, farewell!"

"Brother Jin, take care!"

"Fellow Daoists, I'll go first!"

*Swish, swish, swish~*

Everyone instantly transformed into streaks of light, flying out of the realm star and heading towards the treasure lands.

After Zhao Xing flew out of the inter-realm vessel, he landed on the ground. *Whoosh~* Immediately, a pale yellow straw man emerged from the green ground.

"North River Galaxy Zhao Xing, I am guide number 89757."

"Take me to the Three Thousand Dao Seeds area," Zhao Xing instructed.

"Please place your hand on my shoulder."

Zhao Xing did as instructed. Then the two sank into the green ground. It was called ground, but it was actually the internal network of veins of the Thousand Star Vine leaf. The veins were not hollow; they contained circulating sap that enveloped Zhao Xing and immediately performed hyperspace acceleration. In just eighteen breaths, they resurfaced on the leaf.

"We're here," the guide's voice rang out. Zhao Xing looked closely and found that the twenty-eight inter-realm vessels were no longer there, and only a few Agronomists appeared in this area.

"This is the Three Thousand Dao Seeds area. You can only enter the designated areas for comprehension."

The leaf floated in space, with no other plants visible around. But Zhao Xing wasn't in a hurry. Sensing the time, he sat quietly at the edge of the leaf, gazing at the distant starry sky. About an hour later, the sky suddenly broke dawn. A ray of light rose from the east. Like many Agronomists, Zhao Xing looked up towards the light source. A 'morning glow' appeared, but there was a hint of green in its color. Zhao Xing activated his Soul Heavenly Vision, and the 'morning glow' gradually became real. What was rising was not the sun; it was clearly the canopy of a tree!

At this point, some people began to voice their doubts, which quickly turned into exclamations. As the tree canopy rose, it revealed the fiery red trunk and branches below, as if something was supporting it. The ascent speed became faster and faster, and the height became greater and greater, quickly filling Zhao Xing's entire field of vision. He stood at the edge of the Thousand Star Vine leaf. The speed of the trunk's ascent quickly blurred, exceeding the speed of light, rising from the ground.

Finally, after waiting for seven days, the trunk completely towered above the leaf's surface. It was fully exposed to everyone's eyes.

"Oh my god~"

"Such terrifying pressure!"

"Beautiful, too perfect!"

"Imperial-level Sun Treasure Tree? Amazing~"

At this moment, the Sun Treasure Tree was fully revealed. Its roots intertwined, shrouding the periphery of a top-tier sun star. Each root strand was black and gold, appearing incredibly brilliant under the sunlight. The roots moved slowly on the sun's surface, as if ropes were untying, and the sun's light began to leak through the roots, shining on everyone's faces. Zhao Xing had seen this Sun Treasure Tree many times in his previous life, but each time he saw it, he still felt extremely shocked.

"A total of 805 million root strands, following specific growth trajectories, rooting in the outer void of the sun star, completely absorbing the energy emitted by the sun's essence... a perfect plant version of a Dyson sphere."

Zhao Xing sat cross-legged, savoring this magnificent moment. High-grade sun stars could burn a Dao Domain realm cultivator to death. Top-tier sun stars could only be approached by elite martial artists in the Reincarnation Realm. For cultivators of the magic path, only Emperor-level cultivators could go there to cultivate. The Sun Treasure Tree was just a broad term, referring to all plant life that could grow on a sun star, such as 'Blazing Sun Ganoderma', 'Sunflower', or the Fusang Divine Tree.

"Plant life roots are often fragile, but this Sun Treasure Tree in the Primordial Realm can root in the periphery of a top-tier sun star, absorbing primordial energy. It can not only accelerate growth but also give birth to many unimaginable divine abilities," Zhao Xing said with some emotion. Everyone knew that the most beneficial essence for plant life was the sun's essence. If it could be perfectly absorbed, the benefits would be infinite. However, achieving this was extremely difficult.

"In five thousand eight hundred and sixty years, this tree became a mid-stage Reincarnation Realm cultivator in just over five thousand years." By absorbing the essence of a top-tier sun star, it reached the Reincarnation Realm in just over five thousand years. And in Zhao Xing's detection panel, this derivative species named 'Gengzi Number Thirty-Eight' had three or four pages of talent skills. "Accelerated growth, maxed out talent skills, rooted in a top-tier sun star... Gengzi Number Thirty-Eight, anywhere else, each of these would be a world record, and only the Primordial Realm can break its own records."

Zhao Xing didn't stay too long in front of Gengzi Number Thirty-Eight. After admiring it for a few days, he left to continue searching within the Three Thousand Dao Seeds area. "Time is short. The Primordial Realm only gives a hundred years for cultivation. To stand out among the geniuses, I can't be greedy for everything or learn everything." In competitions among peerless geniuses, divine abilities of the third or fourth rank were almost useless. Learning ten thousand divine abilities to an introductory level was not as good as mastering one or two to a profound level.

Zhao Xing came to Three Thousand Dao Seeds first with the goal of finding mushroom species and studying their life structure. Every Self-Nature Sect Agronomist had to choose a primary combat species as a hidden trump card. Zhao Xing now wanted to strengthen his primary combat species. "Currently, the probability of me cultivating a Green Poison Empress is still too low, and it's time-consuming and labor-intensive. In a real battlefield, where would I have so much preparation time? The reason it's so slow is that I haven't truly mastered the life structure of the Green Poison Empress. To increase the success rate, enhance its power, and comprehend the Great Dao of Life contained within mushroom species is most suitable."

*Swish, swish, swish.* Zhao Xing transformed into light, following the guidance to search for mushroom species in the Three Thousand Dao Seeds area.

"Here!"

Under the guidance of straw man number 89757, Zhao Xing arrived at an area filled with pale blue stardust. Within the pale blue nebula, a 'star' was emitting light.

"Number Wu Xu Nine, also known as 'Blue Enchantress'..." the straw man introduced.

Zhao Xing looked up. He didn't need the guide straw man to introduce further. "I don't need guidance. You may leave on your own." The straw man said nothing more, nodded, and stood still.

Zhao Xing's figure transformed into a streak of aura and rushed into the dusty nebula.

Wu Xu Nine (Derivative Species)Quality: Imperial-levelStatus: PeakTalents: Void Rupture, Void Stealth, Void Cage, Void Storm, Void Shockwave, Void Solidification, Void Strangulation; Parasitic Spores, Vision Parasitism, Mana Rune Seed, Psychic Burst...

"A total of one thousand and eight talents, truly a miracle." Even though he had seen it many times, Zhao Xing still felt shocked. Over a thousand talents appeared on one mushroom, most of which were grand divine abilities, with only about ten minor divine abilities.

"There are also some talents that the panel can't display," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "Those would be Reincarnation-level talents." After all, this was a peak Imperial-level species, comparable to the combat power of an Emperor in the human Reincarnation Realm, so it naturally possessed Reincarnation-level talent secret arts. Agronomists at each stage would observe different things and gain different insights. Around Wu Xu Nine, there were Reincarnation-level powerhouses comprehending, and many areas were marked as 'private cultivation spaces', forbidden to disturb.

"Truly a perfect life structure." Zhao Xing first observed from a distance. Just one glance completely captivated him, and he couldn't tear his eyes away. Wu Xu Nine was entirely blue. With over a thousand talents, it had long since moved beyond a single category. It should be called a compound Dao seed! "Just from what I see on the panel, it has Void talents, Parasitic talents, Psychic talents, Fire talents... However, it mainly focuses on Void, Parasitic, Poison, and Life categories." A single life form with multiple talents – from a biological perspective, it was a monstrosity; it couldn't possibly be a 'life form'. Because more talents weren't necessarily better; life's nutrients could only concentrate on supporting a few. For example, the Phantom Tree combat species Zhao Xing obtained, already at the Dao Domain Realm of Life and Death, only had two talents. But here, it was perfectly integrated. This was due to the special environment of the Primordial Realm. The Three Thousand Dao Seeds were specially cultivated, and the blue nebula dust was a special nutrient. "The Three Thousand Dao Seeds are theoretical combat species, solely for comprehension. If these Three Thousand Dao Seeds were placed in a different environment, probably half would collapse, and the other half would undergo unpredictable changes." Theory and reality have many differences. The Three Thousand Dao Seeds were excellent for comprehension but not for actual combat.

"I'll comprehend from this distance first." Zhao Xing immediately chose a distance, landed on the gravel, and fixed his position. "I'll first observe the overall life structure diagram. Whichever direction resonates with me, I'll move closer and activate a microscopic view for in-depth comprehension." Each plant in the Three Thousand Dao Seeds was a thick Dao book. To comprehend one Dao seed took hundreds of thousands of years. Zhao Xing only had a hundred years for comprehension. Of course, he would directly scan the table of contents and go straight to the content that interested him. In his hundred-year cultivation plan, Three Thousand Dao Seeds accounted for thirty years of cultivation time. Primordial Dao Repository and Hundred Ren Void would also each be comprehended for thirty years. The last ten years would be reserved for practical combat drills.

Zhao Xing was observing the Wu Xu Nine mushroom species, while the accompanying guide, straw man number 89757, was quietly observing Zhao Xing. Its pupils were one yellow and one green, containing two figures: a trace of will from Primordial Emissary Zuo Qiyu and the Five Poisons Emperor. According to the rules and regulations of the Primordial Realm, they would not interfere with the contestants' comprehension process, but they could use their positions to observe the contestants up close without problems. Gu Luohe had sent Zuo Qiyu and the Five Poisons Emperor to teach students. The Five Poisons Emperor immediately chose Zhao Xing. After all, Zhao Xing had killed a Yin-Yang Dao Domain realm great demon in the third stage.

"Did you see anything special?" Zuo Qiyu asked.

"Nothing, just average," the Five Poisons Emperor said indifferently.

"Ha, it seems you're really interested," Zuo Qiyu chuckled. Zhao Xing was far from 'average', but the Five Poisons Emperor said so, clearly afraid that Zuo Qiyu would try to snatch him.

"Old Poison, if you don't admit it, you might not be able to take this disciple," Zuo Qiyu said with a half-smile. "This kid is good at straw man techniques. If I were to compete with you, who do you think he'd choose?"

The Five Poisons Emperor's face darkened. "Can you not bother me with such trivial matters? I didn't say I wouldn't give him to you." Zuo Qiyu was indeed very powerful. As a Primordial Emissary, he was the only one in the entire Primordial Realm who could create a Primeval clone. No Emperor-level cultivator could surpass Zuo Qiyu in control over the art of cloning. If he wanted to snatch, the Five Poisons Emperor might not be able to win.

"Bothering? Are you even human?"

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed. On the Wu Xu Nine mushroom star, Zhao Xing stood on a thin root, which seemed like a mountain range. "Truly a perfect life structure. Every part is perfect, flawless whether viewed up close or from afar. My Core Sifting divine needle, condensed by the Core Sifting divine ability, wouldn't even know where to start piercing." The Wu Xu Nine Dao seed was too high-level; even Reincarnation Realm cultivators came here to comprehend. For him, a Great Divine Ability realm cultivator, it was even more profound. Every part was perfect, which was equivalent to a book full of highlights. Zhao Xing had to scrutinize every inch of this mushroom. Observing it at a macroscopic level was fine; ten years were enough to get a general idea. Comprehending it at a microscopic level was no different from exploring a new universe.

"Coming to Three Thousand Dao Seeds before reaching the Reincarnation Realm is pretty much a gamble. It's not about comprehension; it's completely up to luck." During his time as a player, it was just about watching loading bars. Now, the feeling was completely different. "Then I'll just look around casually and learn whatever I can." Zhao Xing no longer fretted and started heading towards the areas on the Wu Xu Nine mushroom star that had the most Dao Domain realm cultivators.

The Three Thousand Dao Seeds area usually had many members of the Primordial Realm comprehending. Areas occupied by Reincarnation Realm cultivators could not be approached, but there was no such restriction for Dao Domain realm areas. After all, the Primordial Realm had a rule: accumulating merits by serving in the Empire's army could also be exchanged for a study opportunity.

*Whoosh~* Zhao Xing took flight, and the guide straw man followed suit. Soon, they arrived at a poisonous miasma area on the Wu Xu Nine mushroom star. A tiny pore on the mushroom, to a comprehending cultivator standing on it, was like a volcano. However, this volcano was dormant, only shrouded in pale blue mist at the mouth, but it did not spread outwards.

"Essence Projection!" Zhao Xing occupied an empty spot, then cast a projection, releasing his mushroom experimental specimen. This specimen had seven traces of the Great Dao. One of them represented the life essence of poison. Fine magic needles emerged from his fingertips. Zhao Xing worked on two things at once: half his mind observed the Wu Xu Nine's poison, and the other half modified the experimental subject. Verifying each other, he made the experimental subject's poison talent align with the Wu Xu Nine's poison talent!

"Green Poison Empress's 'Tri-Unity Water Essence Dispersal' and 'Five Elements Soul Piercing Needle' correspond to Wu Xu Nine's poison talents, most resembling the grand divine ability 'Wu Xu Spiritual Poison'. Once infected with this poison, even the spiritual energy in space fuels its growth, no longer limited to water. It's a bit like the 'Taiyi Heavenly Poison Origin Body' I told Gu Yi Tianchen about." The Taiyi Heavenly Poison Origin Body was a legendary poison, whose spread was no longer limited to water or spiritual energy; it could even spread through the void. Of course, it was still not the most venomous. Zhao Xing had heard of a 'True Spirit Heavenly Poison', which even Reincarnation Realm cultivators using 'Reincarnation Secret Arts' could not escape. Even after reincarnation, the true spirit remained poisoned and the poison spread throughout the body. This led to some people being born with 'congenital diseases'. Zhao Xing had only heard of the 'True Spirit Heavenly Poison' of the Physician profession. It was said that only one 'Emperor' managed to escape this poison. Even those called 'half-gods' died completely. And even resurrection could not solve it, because the True Spirit Heavenly Poison would revive along with them, resulting in death again.

Twenty years later, Zhao Xing stood up, ending his comprehension of Wu Xu Nine. Before him were many mushrooms, all uniformly resembling Green Poison Empress.

"Collect!" Waving his hand, Zhao Xing prepared to head to his next destination, the Primordial Dao Repository.

Inside the guide straw man, the consciousness of the Five Poisons Emperor glanced at him, a hint of surprise appearing. "Only thirty years, and his mushroom species' poison talent is already completely stable?" The Green Poison Empress, which Zhao Xing developed himself, showed unstable probability when demonstrated in the second stage. He needed to prepare many mushroom species beforehand for mutation. The Core Sifting divine ability was actually a mutation art, a 'tool art', but its performance was unstable. The Five Poisons Emperor remembered that Zhao Xing originally had a one in ten thousand chance of creating a Green Poison Empress. Now, after only thirty years, he had actually increased the probability to one in ten. One in ten – this could already be called stable! Whether in a competition or actual combat, the time taken to use the tool art ten times for mutation was very brief. Before, it was measured in years; now, it only took an hour at most, almost negligible.

"This child has made great progress in poison talent modification, perfectly suited to my path." The Five Poisons Emperor was ecstatic. Originally, he wasn't set on taking Zhao Xing, more out of curiosity. Now, however, he had a strong desire and truly intended to take action.

"Quickly take me to the Primordial Dao Repository area." Zhao Xing, however, did not know that there were two powerful beings' consciousnesses inside the guide straw man, treating the straw man like a subordinate, commanding it around. He needed to seize every second; after all, with only one hundred years, he had to make full use of it.

"Please follow me." The Five Poisons Emperor controlled the straw man, immediately taking Zhao Xing out of the Three Thousand Dao Seeds area. Then, through the Thousand Star Vine's leaf, they performed 'void shuttling'. In less than an hour, they traversed hundreds of millions of miles and arrived in front of a pure white city wall.

"This is the Root Art area of the Primordial Dao Repository," the Five Poisons Emperor spoke through the straw man. "You can..."

"Alright, you may withdraw." Zhao Xing, just like before, interrupted the straw man. He didn't need service; he just needed guidance. The Five Poisons Emperor, being interrupted, felt very uncomfortable. But he also understood that Zhao Xing didn't know he was inside the straw man. Zuo Qiyu, meanwhile, laughed heartily, happy to see the Five Poisons Emperor suffer.

"Looks like he's done his homework well. Five Poisons, you're casting pearls before swine."

"Hmph, I like them like that. What are you going to do about it?"

"Shameless rogue!"

"Gender-confused commoner!"

Zhao Xing waved off the straw man and began searching for the entrance. The pure white city wall before him was not a real wall but a Myriad Dao Tree. During the Xuanhuang Realm period, he had seen one in the Shangluo Academy. However, that one was only fifty thousand years old. The one in the Primordial Realm, Zhao Xing's panel couldn't even detect, because only a section of it was exposed to the outside space, but it was at least over 1 billion years old.

"The Myriad Dao Tree planted by Agronomists is a derivative species cultivated to mimic the Dao Tree within scholars. Its only function is inheritance. The Primordial Realm only opened the Root Art area to contestants, meaning they can only learn up to divine abilities." The Myriad Dao Tree in the Primordial Realm was the largest Myriad Dao Tree in the entire Xuanling Star Domain. Legend had it that the canopy area of the Primordial Realm's Myriad Dao Tree contained divine methods for becoming a god. However, Zhao Xing had never entered it in his previous life, so he couldn't verify it.

*Swish!* Zhao Xing aimed at the patterns on the white city wall and plunged in. The white city wall had green root veins. When a cultivator touched them, they immediately recessed, enveloping and drawing the person in. Then, they flowed rapidly, transporting the cultivator to the designated area. How to designate? Just say it.

"I want to go to the 'Mutation Art' area," Zhao Xing muttered.

*Grumble* The surrounding space seemed to transmit a liquid sensation, quickly taking Zhao Xing to a green root space.

"Pop~" As if being spat out, Zhao Xing found the guide straw man already waiting for him. Still ignoring the guide straw man, Zhao Xing immediately made a request. "I want to learn the 'Mutation Art' common to four types: mushrooms, vines, trees, and bamboos." Precise targeting immediately saved time in selection. Because the four types of combat species Zhao Xing was most familiar with were these four. Switching mutations within these four major categories of plant combat species was most suitable. Core Sifting divine ability had limitations, only suitable for mushroom families. Now Zhao Xing wanted to expand his scope of ability.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.* Even with the precise request, tens of thousands of white roots, like tentacles, extended towards Zhao Xing. The tips of the tentacles gleamed with white light, which were the stored 'Dao arts'. After Zhao Xing touched them one by one with his fingertips, brief introductions to various secret arts quickly appeared in his mind.

"Four-system Mutation Art, most of them have the same strength." Emphasizing four-system Mutation Art meant sacrificing some spell power to improve adaptability. If stronger power was desired, single-system Mutation Art was naturally better. "Tool arts have convergences. I have the Core Sifting divine ability, so I must choose a method that can complement it." Core Sifting divine ability was already at minor divine ability rank nine. Giving it up to cultivate a completely new one was not advisable; there wasn't enough time. Zhao Xing spent a year experimenting, searching for a method that could combine with Core Sifting divine ability to achieve a greater than two effect. Finally, he settled on one divine ability.

"This is it, 'Stem Combat Divine Ability'." Zhao Xing unhesitatingly grabbed one of the white tentacles, and the other numerous tentacles retracted and dispersed. Stem Combat Divine Ability, like Core Sifting divine ability, first distinguished 'Life Essence Divisions' before carrying out modifications. The difference was that the 'tool' condensed by this method was not needle-shaped but funnel-shaped.

"Compared to Core Sifting divine ability, this secret art has the function of star-seeking and positioning, and its stability is higher. Basic life structure is like a pile of mud. Core Sifting divine ability uses a needle to pick out a new life structure. Stem Combat Divine Ability is like directly feeding in on the left and spitting out on the right. The mold is ready-made, and efficiency is much higher." Plant combat species mutated by Core Sifting divine ability would undoubtedly have stronger talents, but they required more time and mental effort. The formation of the combat species would be slower. Stem Combat Divine Ability, on the other hand, rapidly mass-produced new combat species. Combined, the two could meet Zhao Xing's combat needs for a "troop-spamming" style. "Once I learn it, I can produce elite soldiers if I want them, or spread out troops if I want to, applying them to different combat scenarios."

After deciding, Zhao Xing began a thirty-year period of complementary cultivation.

You comprehended at the Myriad Dao Tree, Stem Combat Divine Ability has reached divine ability rank three!You comprehended at the Myriad Dao Tree, Stem Combat Divine Ability has reached divine ability rank four!You comprehended at the Myriad Dao Tree, Stem Combat Divine Ability has reached divine ability rank five!

In the twenty-fifth year of studying at the Primordial Dao Repository, Zhao Xing had already cultivated Stem Combat Divine Ability to divine ability rank six. The difficulty of this method was not great in the early stages; it was mainly that the secret art itself was complex, requiring mastery of many life structures. Up to divine ability rank six, there was no bottleneck. Only divine ability rank seven was considered a threshold. Because at this stage, it began to involve the birth of void talents and certain powerful talent combat species, a breakthrough from quantity to quality.

"He truly has patience and potential," Five Poisons Emperor admired. Stem Combat Divine Ability was not difficult, but its content was too vast, involving billions of life structures across four plant types. Even if some were convergent and could be simplified, it was still immense. Cultivating it was extremely monotonous, even leading to the illusion of 'have I practiced this move before?'. And then, because of this convergence, one might misinterpret the cultivation direction or even make fatal errors. Zhao Xing could clearly make progress, thanks to his panel, but in the Five Poisons Emperor's view, that required immense perseverance and strong mental fortitude for repeated checking and correction, which was remarkable.

"Indeed good," Zuo Qiyu rarely agreed. But no sooner had they finished talking than Zhao Xing stopped. After reaching the bottleneck, he began to consolidate. At the same time, he checked his star mirror to understand external developments. He hadn't realized until he looked, and when he did, he was startled. His star mirror actually had thousands of unread messages.

"Most of them are from Jing Yan, that guy..."

His friends and family in Great Zhou knew that during important critical moments, they wouldn't easily disturb him, only reporting the family situation every ten years. For example, Emperor Wu and Ji Si had returned to the country and were planning for war. For example, Ji Si had already chosen her 'World Inheritor'. Liu Tianning had completed the first stage of practice with Lord Qianhua of Shenhua Dao Academy and became the first Dao Domain realm cultivator in Great Zhou. Ji Mengjun and King Luohou also progressed rapidly after becoming disciples, not far from the Dao Domain realm.

"Jing Yan sent nothing but gossip, that kid..." Zhao Xing couldn't help but shake his head. Jing Yan and Yu Tianqing both entered the Primordial Realm treasure land 'Small Thousand Array Realm' for cultivation. Yu Tianqing only had three letters, while Jing Yan had over a thousand messages. But he wasn't entirely gossip. One message caught Zhao Xing's attention.

"Zhao Xing, today I saw seven contestants being taken away by Imperial-level cultivators from the Primordial Realm. It's said they violated the rules. This is already the three hundred and eighty-fifth person taken away in the past fifty years. I heard they were reincarnated individuals from the Reincarnation Realm, who were extremely evil in their previous lives and violated the Empire's taboos. There was even a reincarnated Reincarnation Realm demon from the Myriad River Demon Race... Heh, even after reincarnation, they didn't stop, actually devouring millions of Imperial citizens. Truly audacious!"

"The Red Star Empire's screening has begun?" Zhao Xing was momentarily stunned. Undoubtedly, this was a spiritual "political review." The Red Star Empire couldn't possibly accept all Reincarnation Realm cultivators. Some who had committed too many atrocities in their previous lives, or had harmed the Empire's interests, couldn't simply be forgiven just because they reincarnated. Not to mention those who were demon race powerhouses. It was clearly an attempt to act as 'spies' through reincarnation. "Dirt Reincarnation, it's not that easy. The Empire isn't making a move, just being low-key. Do they really think the Empire is easy to bully?"

Zhao Xing wasn't worried about himself. With Qing Yuzi's endorsement, he had long passed this imperial hurdle and wouldn't be expelled or punished. Of course, having passed this imperial hurdle, he also had to pass the Primordial Realm hurdle. It was fine to just be a citizen in the Empire, but to enter the Primordial Realm, one's identification with the Empire had to be tested.

"Also, many people, because they cultivated too selflessly upon their first entry into the treasure land, broke through their realm and became Dao Domain realm cultivators, and were also eliminated. That's what they get. If they can't even control their own cultivation, they should be eliminated."

"Take me