Chapter 414: Breakthrough and Conference Conclusion

With a few days of rest before the finals, the match list was released early, allowing everyone to know their opponents in advance.

Zhao Xing reviewed Wu Chuanlan's performance in multiple rounds. "Wu Chuanlan from the Haya Galaxy practices both Life Array Flow and Extreme Dao Flow! In the fourth round's chaotic arena battle in the Primordial Realm, Wu Chuanlan demonstrated powerful dominance. He is a combination of Lu Nansong and Ruan Xingluo, and in the first three rounds, his mental fortitude, Dao Field, and even physical defense were not weak. Based on a comprehensive assessment, Wu Chuanlan is definitely a powerful reincarnation at the Reincarnation Realm, and his previous life was a Siniang. He didn't choose other professions just to enhance his True Spirit."

A clear characteristic of Reincarnation Realm reincarnations is that they are both powerful and well-rounded. While ordinary geniuses mastering one style in the Origin Realm is impressive, reincarnations often excel in multiple styles. This is because they have already walked their current path in a previous life, so they can naturally reach a high level without spending much time.

"Wu Chuanlan is only over 600 years old, but he has achieved great mastery in both Life Array Flow and Extreme Dao Flow. In the 75-person arena melee, his tactics were identical to Lu Nansong's: using plant constructs to set up teleportation arrays in deep void, instantly sending away a large number of competitors upon landing. In the quarterfinals and semifinals' round-robin, he was undefeated and displayed formidable offensive power, using the 'Star Ripple Treasure Tree' as his primary mother tree to create two Yin-Yang Dao Domain realm plant constructs." In fact, Wu Chuanlan's other aspects were also strong, but his Life Array and Extreme Dao techniques were the most dazzling.

"Being able to control two mother trees, he might even temporarily possess a life-and-death Dao Domain realm mother tree..."

Sweat began to trickle down Zhao Xing's forehead, not from fear, but from mentally simulating his impending duel with Wu Chuanlan. Having frequently interacted with scholars, Zhao Xing had also learned their spiritual techniques for mental training. The stronger the soul and the more complete the collected data, the more realistic the mental simulation. Zhao Xing's Three Divine Fate Palaces, fragmented into billions, could fully support the immense calculations. He himself was very knowledgeable about various styles and spells, so the simulations were very realistic and thus consumed a great deal of energy.

Boom! The simulated scene in his Sea of Consciousness burst, and Zhao Xing was once again suppressed by Wu Chuanlan's Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree. Zhao Xing panted slightly.

"After simulating over ten thousand times in three days, I have a four-to-six chance against him, and that's without considering Wu Chuanlan's other trump cards. Clearly, he hasn't revealed all his trump cards, so my simulation is incomplete. To increase my chances of winning, my World Law, 'Three Realms Void,' must break through further, mastering the subsequent great divine ability, 'Yin-Yang Division.'"

"Three Realms Void" was taught by Qiao Song and Yang Zhuo, subordinates of the North River Lord, with its advanced technique being "Yin-Yang Division." "During the special training in North River, I cultivated 'Three Realms Void' to perfection. In the Hundred Ren Void, a treasured land in the Primordial Realm, both my Void Dao and Origin World have made breakthroughs, but I'm still a bit short of a World Law breakthrough." World Law is formed by combining Origin Projection, Dao Field, and insights from different Great Daos. All three must break through to master "Yin-Yang Division."

"If I master 'Yin-Yang Division,' I can use Origin Projection to lay out my field and defend against Life Array Flow." Life Array Flow has an advantage in World Law, like Lu Nansong's method of silently deploying constructs through deep void directly beneath the enemy's feet, giving opponents no time to react. They can even easily invade the territory projected by opponents.

With more time, Zhao Xing was confident he could break through, but unfortunately, the finals were single-elimination matches, and the ultimate tests came one after another with little rest.

"The final match is about to begin. The countdown is now twelve hours. Zhao Xing of the North River Galaxy, your opponent is Wu Chuanlan of the Haya Galaxy. Please prepare yourself." Inside the teleportation room, a mechanical voice announced. Zhao Xing quickly adjusted his state, awaiting the start of the battle.

"The finals are about to begin." Inside the Primordial Realm, at the very top of the Thousand Star Vine, there was a golden green leaf supporting a city. In the city, there were seventy-two figures dressed in Siniang robes. The lowest-ranked among them were Reincarnation Emperor Lords, representing the top seventy-two individuals in the Primordial Realm. On average, only twelve people from Siniang's six divisions would take on disciples. Of course, these seventy-two individuals typically selected from the 160 participants and didn't necessarily fill all available spots.

"Five Poisons, who do you plan to take as a disciple?"

"Me. I only want one, that Zhao Xing from the North River Galaxy. I won't compete with you all for those peerless geniuses." As everyone gathered in small groups to chat, Emperor Lord Five Poisons expressed his intention.

"Please do me a favor, don't compete with me for him," Emperor Lord Five Poisons said. "It's rare for me to even consider taking a disciple."

"Of course, of course," many responded. Emperor Lord Five Poisons' combat prowess might not be the strongest among the seventy-two, but he specialized in cultivating poisonous plants. When traversing dangerous lands, Emperor Lord Five Poisons possessed formidable abilities in identifying native toxic species and also in neutralizing them. Even Zuo Qiyu valued Emperor Lord Five Poisons' rare items.

At the Boundary Star Arena, two satellites slowly descended. On one side was Zhao Xing from the North River Galaxy, rapidly absorbing the match constructs, which swiftly disappeared into his body. On the other side was Wu Chuanlan from the Haya Galaxy, whose movements were much grander. A storm of spiritual energy enveloped him, and a massive tree shone brightly; the formation of the Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree was never a subtle process. However, neither of them could see the other's situation during the preparation phase.

"I hope Wu Chuanlan underestimates me and doesn't take me seriously." Zhao Xing gazed at the Boundary Star, as if trying to see through it to the scene on the other side.

A month later, the satellites descended. The match began with an explosion as both landed simultaneously on the Boundary Star.

Whoosh! Plants resembling bamboo shoots erupted from the ground, but they were golden and covered in tiny, dense thorns.

"A thorny plant construct, 'Holly,' combined with the bamboo-type 'Golden Sun Bamboo'? A fusion variant technique? What kind of Life Array can be cast using the characteristics of Holly and Golden Sun Bamboo?" Zhao Xing's mind raced, and at the same time, his heart sank. He quickly slapped his hand down, destroying the plant constructs on the ground beneath him.

He instantly received two pieces of news:Bad news: Wu Chuanlan didn't seem to underestimate him; he used a spell never seen before.Worse news: He only sensed one of Wu Chuanlan's plant constructs.

"Going all out right from the start? Revealing your trump card immediately, not even giving me a chance to land, Wu Chuanlan, you really think highly of me." Zhao Xing attempted to land three times, but each time he found a foothold, thorny bamboo shoots erupted from the ground. Wu Chuanlan's Life Array had two effects: one for teleportation, and one for breaking barriers. He aimed to catch Zhao Xing off balance.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Zhao Xing was unable to land three times in a row, so he had no choice but to activate the "Three Realms Void," deploying his Origin Projection in mid-air. An aerial fortress formed, but his constructs were not all Void-type, meaning he couldn't unleash the full power of his "swarm tactics" style.

"Mushroom King, you have great strength. If you hadn't met me, you might have made it into the top fifty. Unfortunately, you met me, and your journey ends here."

A voice emanated from the ground's array, and bamboo began to grow unstoppably. This was the advantage of taking the initiative; Wu Chuanlan could absorb the remaining spiritual energy from the Boundary Star Arena for his own use.

"Wu Chuanlan, it's too early to talk about victory or defeat!"

Soul tree branches swayed as Zhao Xing began to arrange his forces in the air, preparing to counter attacks emerging from underground. At this moment, Zhao Xing was still floating in the air, but Wu Chuanlan had seized control of the ground, forming eighteen blue-glowing arrays. Mutated plants supported the arrays, with the underground layers drawing immense life force. However, the center of the upper arrays was filled with destructive power. It was the aura emanating from the Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree, like a giant blue maw, poised to devour the botanical fortress in the sky.

**Star Ripple Treasure Tree (Derived Mutant Species)**Realm: Life-and-Death Dao Domain (Early Stage)State: Peak Aberration (Duration: 12 ke)Talents: Demonic Needle Hell, Illusory Dream Rosemary, Void Water Lily, Karma Threads, Ice Soul Demonic Vine, Nine-Yang Kui Water, Three Tribulation Heavenly Lightning, Demonic Eye Tree Heart—Lifespan: 12 ke

Terrifying. Zhao Xing looked at Wu Chuanlan's Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree below; it had eighteen talents. Among them were two particularly prominent great divine abilities: Demonic Eye Tree Heart, great divine ability Tier 3; and Three Tribulation Heavenly Lightning, great divine ability Tier 4.

"The only drawback is its short duration; it can only exist for 12 ke (units of time)." Extreme Dao Flow only had a month for preparation, and a mother tree integrating numerous constructs couldn't possibly survive for very long. Grafting talents from other plant life always had a time limit. Normally, stabilizing a mother tree's talents completely required tens of thousands of years of cultivation, and with each additional talent, the time required increased. The Sun Treasure Tree and Blue Enchantress within the Three Thousand Dao Seeds were cultivated by Reincarnation Emperor Lords, taking several millennia and special environmental factors to stabilize over a thousand talents and achieve a long lifespan. Wu Chuanlan naturally couldn't make a temporarily cultivated mother tree stably live for long.

"Twelve ke is enough. How could Zhao Xing possibly endure 12 ke under the attack of a life-and-death Dao Domain realm mother tree? He doesn't even know what talents my mother tree has mutated into—" Wu Chuanlan was very confident that Zhao Xing couldn't even last a single ke.

Like a lion hunting a rabbit, putting in full effort, Wu Chuanlan immediately activated the mother tree's two strongest great divine abilities. He wanted to end the battle quickly and eliminate Zhao Xing!

Clang! The moment Zhao Xing finished viewing the mother tree's attributes on his interface, a grandfather clock appeared in his mind. The hands moved, pointing to midnight, but quickly deviated, unable to reset his mind. This was Wu Chuanlan's first activated great divine ability, Demonic Eye Tree Heart. Zhao Xing realized that one second he was dealing with Wu Chuanlan's attack, and the next, he suddenly appeared in the Time Cabin of the Ancient Yuanhai Kingdom. The Grand Elder of the Dongyan Ancient Clan, also the Yuanhai Kingdom Lord, pushed open the door and appeared before Zhao Xing.

"I never thought it would be you. I've been looking for you for so long." Dongyan Hai's gaze fixed on Zhao Xing in the main seat, a flicker of hatred in his eyes. He enunciated each word: "Qing! Yu! Zi!"

Hit by an illusion! Zhao Xing immediately understood. He scanned his surroundings and saw all nine Emperor Lords present: Emperor Lord Hongshan, Meng Wu, Emperor Lord Lingyuan, Wang Zhiyong...

Just as Zhao Xing was trying to escape the illusion, the next second, after Dongyan Hai uttered the three words "Qing Yu Zi," the illusion automatically shattered.

Clang! "The Bell of Mind," which he had purchased and learned from Ten Thousand Heart Island, rang again. The hands reset, and Zhao Xing broke free from control.

Zhao Xing: "Huh??"Wu Chuanlan: "???"

The moment the illusion shattered, Wu Chuanlan was also somewhat bewildered. His second great divine ability, "Three Tribulation Heavenly Lightning," had even descended upon Zhao Xing, but his opponent had already broken free?

"Could this Mushroom King actually possess a great divine ability of the mind? Is he hiding it so deeply?"

Zhao Xing was also somewhat puzzled. What, even in an illusion, Old Qing's name couldn't be mentioned? Could others not trigger this? Is the Divine Realm really that abnormal? But he didn't have time to think further, because the Three Tribulation Heavenly Lightning had already descended.

The Three Tribulation Heavenly Lightning great divine ability was very subtle, and its power wasn't overwhelming. It appeared in three colors: purple, red, and black, symbolizing the Great Daos of Yin-Yang and Mind, respectively.

"Treasure Mountain Divine Ability!" Even though the illusion quickly dissipated, Zhao Xing didn't have time to cast the Five Finger Mountain to block it. He could only use the Treasure Mountain Divine Ability to resist.

"This—" The nine layers of precious light emanating from the Treasure Mountain Divine Ability instantly extinguished. It failed to block, but it did cause the Heavenly Lightning to shift course. The Heavenly Lightning was originally aimed directly at Zhao Xing's head. In the path of spells, if the Heavenly Spirit Sea of Consciousness was breached or destroyed, it counted as a defeat. But now it merely pierced Zhao Xing's right chest, which was only a moderate injury. It did cause Zhao Xing a brief stun, with the spiritual energy cyclone in his dantian almost halting its rotation.

"Hiss~" Zhao Xing gasped, clutching his chest with difficulty. "Damn, that hurts." Wu Chuanlan, meanwhile, widened his eyes. Both great divine abilities had hit. Zhao Xing shook off the first great divine ability's effect, endured the Three Tribulation Heavenly Lightning, and still had the energy to swear?

"How tough are you—" Zhao Xing was stunned, and so was Wu Chuanlan. This was the first time he'd seen a Siniang with such a tough physical body at the Primordial Assembly. "Such a powerful physical body, could it be another Gui Boyang?" Gui Boyang was a top ten competitor in the previous round, known for his defense. Every time he fought, he would first scrape dozens of layers of bark and leaves from his cultivated plant constructs and put them on himself. Known as the "Ultimate Tree Armor," no one had ever breached his defense to this day. However, everyone called him "Turtle Boyang" or "Old Turtle." The Ultimate Tree Armor was also dubbed the Turtle Shell.

"Big! Big! Big!" The dazed Wu Chuanlan was startled awake by Zhao Xing's voice. This was followed by the booming sound of something hitting the ground. Zhao Xing, after enduring the two great divine abilities, quickly fled the center of the array and rooted himself nearby. If Wu Chuanlan wanted to attack again, it wouldn't be so simple.

After the Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree's great divine abilities were cast, two parts of its resin withered, and its leaves turned dull yellow, appearing listless. Clearly, it had entered a cooldown period. Wu Chuanlan teleported with his mother tree in pursuit, intending to capitalize on Zhao Xing's injury and clinch victory in one blow.

"Even if he endured it, he's on the verge of elimination," Wu Chuanlan regrouped, because he found invading Zhao Xing's projected territory to be very easy.

Bang! However, as soon as he entered the lush forest, he was hit by an explosion. The mother tree's swaying slowed, as if frozen, and he himself was also affected.

"Void-planted mushrooms?" Wu Chuanlan looked around and found himself in a mushroom forest. Looking down, there were mushrooms. Looking up, mushrooms were crashing down like Mount Tai. Mushrooms emerged from the void all around him—front, back, left, and right—colliding into his area. They were neatly ordered, as if queuing up to bombard him.

"You—Bang!" Wu Chuanlan was about to teleport out, but a violent explosion had already occurred. Fluctuations twisted in the void, and both Wu Chuanlan and his mother tree were momentarily immobilized.

"Tracking means getting blown up." Emperor Lord Five Poisons, watching from Thousand Star City, smiled. He seemed to foresee the fate of Battle Puppet Bing Jiu.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Amidst a barrage of explosions, Wu Chuanlan was like a small boat in stormy seas. Moving forward meant an explosion, retreating meant an explosion, and teleporting also triggered an explosion. Zhao Xing's mushrooms seemed to be everywhere!

Trapped within the swarm tactics' plant army, Wu Chuanlan's mother tree was tottering. He wanted to retreat, to teleport out first, but Zhao Xing was still very close. It seemed victory could be achieved in the next second. However, after several attempts, Wu Chuanlan found that he was still just barely short of reaching Zhao Xing, always being pushed back by mushroom explosions.

"I've been thoroughly tricked by this guy!" Wu Chuanlan realized it, but there was nothing he could do, as he had already been poisoned. The Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree, having broken its branches four times, could no longer fully defend against the poison's erosion. He could only try to defeat Zhao Xing before the poison took full effect. Flee? That would just let the "swarm tactics" style set up even more, making victory even less likely!

"You bastard, die!" Wu Chuanlan was furious. It was hard not to be angry when being toyed with by a Siniang who used swarm tactics.

"He seems angry." Zhao Xing kept track of time, constantly shifting his position. The enraged Wu Chuanlan was indeed terrifying. Amidst his furious barrage, Wu Chuanlan could still counterattack and destroy his soul tree.

"But this Spiritual Genesis Heavenly Tree was meant to be destroyed by him. In my projections, once Wu Chuanlan moved to destroy the Spiritual Genesis Heavenly Tree, the scales of victory would tip in my favor." Zhao Xing had prepared four sets of plans for him; the other three were designed for quick decisive battles. However, Wu Chuanlan chose the most torturous one, because he lost his composure. This was something Zhao Xing had never expected.

"Could he have been driven mad by the poison gas? Had the Five Elements Soul-Piercing Needle already entered his mind?" Of course, the mushroom constructs included Green Poison Queens, but Zhao Xing wasn't sure of the extent of Wu Chuanlan's poisoning. The Star Ripple Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree also had strong defenses, unlike the Nine Infant Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree, whose defenses were not comprehensive.

Boom, boom, boom, boom! As time passed, ten ke quickly went by. Wu Chuanlan's attack intensity grew weaker and weaker because he was poisoned. Zhao Xing, meanwhile, rapidly recovered from his injuries and could now unleash a Tier 3 great divine ability, the Five Finger Mountain. Out of caution regarding Wu Chuanlan's mastery of Life Arrays, he didn't cast it lightly, as it might not hit.

Boom! In the eleventh ke, Wu Chuanlan burst forth again, casting the Three Tribulation Heavenly Lightning. It destroyed all mushroom attacks, clearing a completely scorched earth. However, his Ten Thousand Techniques Mother Tree also crumbled, becoming less than half its original height.

In the center of the scorched earth, Wu Chuanlan clutched his purpling mouth and nose. Above an oasis, Zhao Xing showed a bewildered expression.

"You, you—" Wu Chuanlan held his breath, determined not to be eliminated by the protective golden light, and forced out a sentence: "You truly are a beast!" Then, the poison gas overwhelmed his mind, and he was instantly teleported away by the protective golden light.

Finals Match One: Zhao Xing wins, Wu Chuanlan loses! Zhao Xing advanced to the top 80!

Upon returning to the teleportation room, the toxins in Wu Chuanlan's body were completely purged, and he instantly sobered up. Reviewing the battle he had just fought, he was left speechless. After a long moment, he shook his head. "What a beastly fighting style, this person is too insidious!"

Even after sobering up, Wu Chuanlan couldn't help but curse. In his understanding, Zhao Xing must have been holding back a lot earlier. Because he had also watched Zhao Xing's previous performances and had never expected him to withstand the combined attack of two great divine abilities. Two great divine abilities unleashed, and he still lost! Hiding so deeply, and then eliminating him in such a torturous manner? Just thinking about it made him angry!

"Hmm? Zhao Xing from the North River Galaxy won against Wu Chuanlan?" Inside the green leaf city on the Thousand Star Vine, the seventy-two great beings of the Primordial Realm quickly noticed Zhao Xing's performance. "The great divine ability, Demonic Eye Tree Heart, which is a stolen talent from the Demonic Eye Tree, he was actually able to withstand it. His mental fortitude is truly strong. He could also withstand the Three Tribulation Heavenly Lightning. His spiritual body strength is also unexpected. A promising talent."

Zhao Xing's victory surprised many great beings, as Wu Chuanlan's strength was evident to all. In the great beings' projections, Wu Chuanlan was expected to make it into the top twenty, but he was surprisingly defeated by Zhao Xing.

In a palace deep within the void of the Primordial Realm, Emperor Chixing and Gu Luohe also watched the match.

"Wu Chuanlan's defeat was a bit unfair.""Wu Chuanlan triggered Zhao Xing's honorific, and also the matter of Yuanhai, causing the illusion to be directly broken," Gu Luohe said."Nothing to be done. He can only be considered unlucky." Emperor Chixing shook his head slightly. "We can try to compensate him when we take disciples.""Mhm." Gu Luohe nodded.

To them, Wu Chuanlan's situation was a minor matter. Zhao Xing's situation couldn't be helped either; they couldn't prevent someone from experiencing such an illusion. This wasn't something Zhao Xing could control.

Gu Luohe said, "His situation is a bit unexpected. Zhao Xing hasn't shown any signs of possessing reincarnation memories in nearly four hundred years. All the techniques he uses are existing ones; their origins can be traced. And his potential has been continuously tapped over four hundred years without any sign of slowing down, completely unlike...""Unlike a Reincarnator?" Emperor Chixing looked up, voicing the doubt in Gu Luohe's mind.The latter nodded; he indeed had some doubts. Gu Luohe naturally knew the inside story of the disaster in the Ancient Yuanhai Kingdom. Zhao Xing had claimed to be 'Emperor Lord Tianning,' indicating he was a powerful Reincarnation Realm reincarnation, and had even attracted so many Reincarnation Realm individuals. Initially, everyone, including the Empire, thought so. But now, it overturned their previous understanding. If he were a Reincarnation Realm expert, Zhao Xing should have unleashed his potential from the Origin Realm long ago. Other Reincarnation Realm individuals, thanks to their multi-life experiences, often explode with potential in a very short time, experiencing a period of rapid growth. Zhao Xing, however, seemed to have only just begun to tap into his potential, not at all like a Reincarnation Emperor Lord. In this regard, he wasn't even considered experienced.

Gu Luohe was a Demigod, and Emperor Chixing was a Divine Realm expert. He asked Emperor Chixing, but the latter shook his head. "I don't know either. Perhaps only Qing Yuzi and the Old Ancestor know."

"Wu Chuanlan put enough pressure on me, but my World Law still didn't break through." The battle ended, and Zhao Xing was also reviewing the match. "However, breakthroughs during combat are relatively rare. They usually happen accidentally after reaching a critical point under multiple intense battles and pressure. It's also normal that I didn't master 'Yin-Yang Division.'" If he could master a World Law great divine ability, even a Tier 1 one, and apply it to all his constructs, it would be a significant improvement. After all, for a "swarm tactics" style, any small breakthrough, when magnified to the whole picture, results in a huge increase.

"Now there are only 80 people left out of 160. My next opponent is Fairy Youling." When Zhao Xing saw this name, he relaxed instead, because he absolutely could not defeat Fairy Youling.

"Fairy Youling was ranked fifth in the previous round, possessing eight great divine abilities. The most terrifying ones are her parasitic great divine ability, 'Profound Spirit Seed Borrowing Technique,' and 'Vision Parasitism.' I think I know who her previous life was: the Grand Elder of the Three Treasures Dao Sect." Zhao Xing casually opened Fairy Youling's performance in the third round, which was a test of killing and saving lives on the Myriad Demon Continent. After Fairy Youling descended upon the starting continent, she wove a set of Ten Thousand Blossom Robes from plant materials. She set off with some young seeds hidden within the robes. Then, wherever she went, countless great demons were all parasitized. Their flesh and blood were drained, turning into nutrients. Fairy Youling started alone, but by the end of the third round, she had billions of constructs. The more she fought, the more constructs she gained!

"After the first decade, there were already a thousand Dao Domain realm parasitic puppet demons alone. It was practically a sweep," Zhao Xing remarked with emotion. The Siniang of the True Self School had numerous styles: swarm tactics, extreme mother tree, extreme variant, world Dao Field, life array, poison, clone... Among them, the most bizarre was the parasitic style.

After learning that he would face Fairy Youling in the next round, Zhao Xing no longer hoped to win. "I hope she can help me break through and master 'Yin-Yang Division.'"

Seven days later, the second match of the finals began. This time, before entering the arena, Zhao Xing didn't bring many constructs, only one group, numbering around three thousand, and all of them were defensive-type constructs.

Rumble! The satellites collided with the Boundary Star, sending dust flying. Zhao Xing landed on the ground. As the World Law unfolded, Fairy Youling and Zhao Xing quickly detected each other.

"Zhao Xing, I heard you specialize in swarm tactics, so why did you only bring so few constructs?" Fairy Youling stood on a mountain peak, clad in a white Ten Thousand Blossom Robe, looking like a wisp of moonlight draped over her. Fairy Youling naturally knew Zhao Xing. His void mushrooms had tortured opponents in more than just one or two matches, and his victory over Wu Chuanlan had made his popularity skyrocket. Watching others' battles often felt inexplicable, with victories and defeats decided quickly. But watching Zhao Xing's matches was very interesting. His battles in the quarterfinals and semifinals had a distinct characteristic: tormenting his opponents.

"I've heard of the Fairy's renown, so naturally, I won't overestimate myself." Zhao Xing candidly admitted his inferiority. "Therefore, I will only defend, not attack, hoping to experience the Fairy's exquisite Dao techniques before my defeat."

Fairy Youling smiled sweetly, and then Zhao Xing felt his own cheeks crack open, as if two green leaves were growing out. Swish! Zhao Xing extended a finger, and a sharp blade of qi sliced off the flesh from both his cheeks. Plop! The two lumps of flesh fell to the ground and surprisingly began to root and sprout. Looking back at Fairy Youling, it wasn't her cheeks that had cracked open; it was his own!

"Vision Parasitism, so strong!" Zhao Xing's mind instantly became highly tense, because he hadn't detected anything entering his body, nor had he felt his Origin Projection being invaded. Even with masters of World Law like Lu Nansong and Wu Chuanlan, Zhao Xing could vaguely sense traces of their spells when they invaded. But against Fairy Youling, he noticed nothing! Yet this was not an illusion; it had truly happened. A seed had appeared out of thin air within his spiritual body, and it had grown wildly without even triggering the protective light of the Treasure Mountain Divine Ability.

"The strangeness of the parasitic style truly lives up to its reputation." Zhao Xing couldn't help but recall the time he explored a tomb with Jing Yan, and Jing Yan was parasitized. The tomb owner had been dead for countless ages, and no one was controlling it, yet Jing Yan was still silently parasitized.

"Your vigilance is pretty good," Fairy Youling said, as if instructing a junior. "But it's not enough." The moment she finished speaking, Zhao Xing found that he had grown hair without realizing it. Dense "hairs" appeared on his legs and hands. In an instant, Zhao Xing lost control of his body!

"Circulating your vital energy or spiritual power will be useless," Fairy Youling floated closer. "Other people's great parasitic divine abilities project miniature exploding seeds onto the enemy, but my great parasitic divine ability directly transforms your body's flesh and blood into plants."

Zhao Xing looked at Fairy Youling, who was very close, and did not struggle, as his entire body was controlled by parasitic seeds. Fairy Youling could detonate the seeds at any moment, causing his body to completely disintegrate.

"Similar to the Metamorphosis Technique?" Zhao Xing no longer cared about winning or losing; he only wanted to wholeheartedly experience the profound mysteries of her divine ability.

"You could say that," Fairy Youling calmly transmitted. "The Dao of Siniang, with its Heavenly Timing, True Self, and Earthly Advantage, is inherently of the same origin. For parasitic great divine abilities, a spell seed isn't necessarily required as a medium. Even if I don't have seeds on me, I can still use the principles of transformation to mutate plant constructs within a flesh-and-blood living body."

"All things can be parasitized. Truly worthy of being a genuine divine ability," Zhao Xing praised.

"What else do you wish to ask?" Fairy Youling's red lips parted slightly.

"Might I be allowed to witness the Profound Spirit Seed Borrowing Technique?"

"Usually not," Fairy Youling smiled gently. "However, I'm very interested in the life structure of your mushrooms."

Zhao Xing immediately understood: "After this, I am willing to draw the life templates of the mushroom family that I know onto a Dao tablet for the Fairy to review." Hearing this, Fairy Youling snapped her fingers. The parasitic seeds on Zhao Xing immediately fell off, and he was released from control. He then witnessed Fairy Youling's ultimate technique.

Whoosh! Earth Core Ironwood, Heavenly Bamboo Cradle, Emerald Gold Thunder Bamboo—plant constructs, one by one, instantly "betrayed." All fell under Fairy Youling's control.

Profound Spirit Seed Borrowing Technique! Ranked seventh among the Three Thousand Great Divine Abilities! Touted as the Siniang's unsolvable spell! Civil War Illusion God!

Bang! Mushrooms exploded, continuously assaulting Zhao Xing. Buzz! Zhao Xing resisted with all his might, while also comprehending the subtleties of this great divine ability. Four ke later, he was sent away by his own mushroom constructs. The protective golden light flashed, and Zhao Xing was teleported back to the transmission room.

"Zhao Xing of the North River Galaxy, you have been eliminated in the second round of the finals. Please wait patiently for all matches to conclude and for the apprenticeship selection phase to begin." Lines of text flickered on the star mirror, but Zhao Xing paid them no mind.

Under Fairy Youling's intense pressure, he had finally achieved a breakthrough, mastering his second great divine ability, the World Law's 'Yin-Yang Division.'

"Many thanks." Zhao Xing lost, but he lost happily. Each additional great divine ability spell mastered in the Great Divine Ability realm was a development of his potential and a consolidation of his fundamental origin. His Great Dao would be continuously broadened. This was why Du Yun had remained in the Origin Realm for so long. Such opportunities were rare. Teachers in the Primordial Realm might help people break through to the Dao Domain, but they couldn't necessarily help them go further on the Origin Dao, as the Great Divine Ability realm itself was quite unique.

"It seems Fairy Youling will be the top contender in this year's True Self Combat Division," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "I can't even imagine what technique at this realm could break her methods; even resisting is difficult."

In the 80-to-40 round, Zhao Xing was eliminated. For him, the Primordial Assembly had concluded. He didn't idle during the waiting period; instead, he consolidated his realm.

A month later, the final rankings of the Primordial Realm appeared. The top ten were: Tuosen, Han Qianye, Fairy Youling, Wu Yanlin, Herbis, Wei Lan, Daoist Su Jiu, Daoist Miao Song, Carlo, Pu Tianrui.

To Zhao Xing's surprise, Fairy Youling was not in the final match. It took place between Tuosen and Pu Tianrui. Youling, on the other hand, lost to Tuosen in the second-to-last match.

"The top person in my memory didn't even make it into the top 80 this time. The first place was Tuosen, and the second place became Pu Tianrui. The Yuanhai incident had far-reaching effects. I wonder if the future will still be the version I remember." Numerous thoughts surged in Zhao Xing's mind, but they were quickly interrupted by a voice.

It was Emperor Lord Chen Jiu, who had descended into the residential area.

"This Primordial Assembly has concluded. Congratulations to all the geniuses who entered the Primordial Realm. The Primordial Realm will provide abundant cultivation resources. Perhaps among you, powerhouses renowned throughout the star domain will emerge in the future. The 2,000 participants from the Siniang True Self Combat Division will be taken in four groups shortly to meet different teachers. After selecting your teachers, you will undergo 2,486 years of cultivation in the Primordial Realm. Besides the previously opened treasured lands, the Primordial Realm will also have more resources and secret realms. How much you gain will depend on your own efforts!"