Zhao Xing wasn't surprised when he heard the first trial was one of willpower.
Plant lives cultivated from seedling or sprout stages naturally became attached to their master's aura. Achieving mental resonance and emotional connection was easy in such cases.
But to subdue plant soldiers already in their mature or peak stage required withstanding the mental impact of their spiritual intelligence.
If one tried to forcibly subdue them without meeting the standard, either the Shennong or the plant would inevitably suffer damage.
Of course, there were exceptions. If a plant life possessed high enough intelligence and knew how to endure for the greater good, then with the aid of external forces—such as the Water Origin Soul Contract Zhao Xing used to tame the Thousand Illusion Tree back then—it was possible to forcibly command them.
In all other situations, without a strong enough mind, one couldn't tame wild soldier species. Bringing them into the internal world would only result in destruction.
Back during the Original Assembly's assessment, willpower and soul strength were both key criteria.
Zhao Xing wasn't very confident about the willpower trial. After all, the artifact spirit Xuanyue had said one needed Emperor-tier willpower to pass.
His true soul was only at the Late Lord stage. While mental will wasn't directly tied to soul strength, it likely still hadn't reached the Emperor tier.
He'd cultivated willpower through killing the turtle back then, and now had some mental techniques, but neither came close to Emperor standards.
"It's possible the standard mentioned by the artifact spirit is lower than the Empire's," Zhao Xing thought. "But to be safe, I should still first cultivate a Reincarnation-tier secret technique for willpower."
Where could he find one?
Zhao Xing's eyes fell on Feng Chen.
A scholar was a walking vault of secret techniques. A Six Realms Scholar matched a Emperor-level cultivator. Feng Chen was bound to have willpower-related techniques.
"Elder, I just broke through to Reincarnation Realm and haven't yet acquired a suitable willpower-type secret technique. Might I purchase one from you?" Zhao Xing asked straightforwardly.
"Thinking of sharpening your blade right at the battlefield, huh?" Feng Chen laughed. "Zhao Xing, it's not that I won't sell it to you, but I'm afraid it's already too late."
"You just broke through to Reincarnation Realm. Your true soul isn't strong enough. Even if I teach you a Reincarnation-tier willpower secret art, you won't be able to cultivate it to Emperor level in one go."
The scholar's enlightenment gift wasn't omnipotent—it had to follow basic laws.
In Feng Chen's eyes, Zhao Xing was still far from the artifact spirit's standards. Even if he used his enlightenment method, there was no way he could elevate Zhao Xing's willpower to the Emperor level.
"Elder, how would I know if I don't try? We're just sitting around anyway. You name your price!" Zhao Xing was full of confidence—he had money now and wasn't afraid to spend it.
Feng Chen had a soft heart. Seeing that Zhao Xing couldn't be dissuaded, he opened his Enlightenment Domain and let Zhao Xing in.
"I have three Reincarnation-tier willpower secret arts."
"The first is [Mirror Heart Method]. The heart is like a mirror, reflecting all illusions. This technique is a secret art derived from the Scholar City's divine item—the General Knowledge Mirror. It's primarily defensive."
"The second is [Mystic Soul Divine Mantra], created by Xuan Zhuo, the God of Souls from the Reincarnation Temple. It balances offense and defense. But to learn it, you must start with the Yin-Yang Soul Chant, recite it thirteen million times, and gain a response from that deity before you can proceed."
"The third is [Great Dark Heaven], focused on tempering the heart through slaughter. I copied this technique from the Emperor Ming Tablet. It's said to have been created by a Shura semi-divine being, drawing upon their racial gifts. It's offensive by nature."
"All three are difficult to master. The second technique can't be used with enlightenment—progress must be earned through your own efforts."
Zhao Xing asked, "Elder Feng, I once received a willpower divine ability from the Shura race, taught to me by a scholar as well. It's called Slaughter Thought Blade. Is that technique related to [Great Dark Heaven]?"
Feng Chen nodded. "Yes. During the first four eras of the Barren Domain, Scholar City excavated many Shura relics. Many scholars entered them to preserve Shura knowledge. Slaughter Thought Blade is a derivative of [Great Dark Heaven]. Back then, forty-seven thousand eight hundred twenty-five scholars mastered it."
Feng Chen was meticulous—he even knew how many scholars had studied which techniques.
This meticulousness made him trustworthy. Whether escorting Zhao Xing for treatment or working through the entire Star Technique Assembly, Bowe had entrusted everything to him.
After hearing the explanation, Zhao Xing fell into contemplation.
Without a doubt, [Mirror Heart Method] was the one Feng Chen specialized in. It also had the highest grade. If he asked for that one, he'd probably receive a higher-grade spell from enlightenment.
He dismissed Mystic Soul Divine Mantra immediately. He'd heard of it before, and hadn't wanted to be entangled with the Reincarnation Temple's divine beings then—and still didn't now.
His main principle: loyal to the Empire!
"Elder, I choose [Great Dark Heaven]," Zhao Xing declared. "What kind of price must I pay?"
"If you're just learning it, I'll give it to you for free. Without you, Emperor Fuzhi and I wouldn't have uncovered those boundary stones. Just don't pass it along."
"If you want me to use enlightenment and teach you the technique directly, I'll have to expend one hundred thousand years of cultivation power. That would cost—would cost..." Feng Chen looked troubled, seemingly reluctant to quote a high price.
"Elder, don't hesitate—just say it." Zhao Xing said.
"Eight thousand Xuanling ancient coins," Feng Chen finally said, holding up eight fingers.
...
Zhao Xing froze.
He had expected some astronomical price, but it was only eight thousand Xuanling ancient coins?
After his last revenue distribution, he'd gotten four million twenty thousand Xuanling coins from the treasury. He kept three million for himself, the rest went to the treasury.
Just selling ten entrance spots to the semi-divine estates brought in another two hundred thousand, and those boundary stones netted another fifteen thousand.
Feng Chen was going to burn one hundred thousand years of cultivation power and only asked for eight thousand? That was practically charity—and he was even embarrassed to ask for that!
What a good man.
Zhao Xing was moved. He held Feng Chen's hand and sincerely said, "Elder Feng, I'll pay ten thousand. Please accept it."
"This... that's really too much," Feng Chen said awkwardly.
"It's not. Let's settle it at that."
"Sigh... alright," Feng Chen relented. "I'll do my best, but how much you learn depends on yourself."
"Thank you, Elder Feng."
The two of them no longer spoke. One cast the spell to transmit the technique, the other quietly received it and entered deep contemplation.
As the transmission began, the Enlightenment Domain also began to change.
Above the bright, fragrant garden filled with birdsong and sunshine, a black speck appeared in the sky. As it drew near, the daylight quickly dimmed, and all things began to wither.
At first, Zhao Xing only felt the light fade, but soon everything went pitch black.
The black speck came closer and formed a humanoid figure.
It had three heads and six arms, a tall and massive form, its skin a dark bluish-black.
Each of its six arms was in a different position—one hand pressed in prayer, the second held fire, the third on the left held a blade and a staff, while the three on the right each held a halberd.
Among the three faces, one was furious and imposing, one cold and emotionless, and one full of contempt for all life.
When it appeared, all life in the surroundings ceased. It was as if the Dao of Life had moved far away from Zhao Xing, even the Six Qi halted their flow.
It raised its blade and slashed toward Zhao Xing. The terrifying killing intent sparked a primal fear, forcing him to instinctively flee in panic.
Then came the flames—born not of matter but from the heart—a wrath so intense it seemed the anger of the four seas couldn't extinguish it.
"Ah—!"
Zhao Xing let out a loud cry and abruptly awakened.
He was still within Feng Chen's Enlightenment Domain, surrounded again by birdsong and warm sunlight, but his limbs were cold, and he lay stiff on the ground, his heart still trembling.
The illusion had vanished, but the scene lingered in his mind like a stain, its aftertaste still frightening.
Feng Chen had gone all-out, showing him a near-perfect reconstruction of the original power of that Ashura semi-divine being.
Zhao Xing's receptivity was also incredibly high—the divine empowerment, the hidden meaning, the imbued spirit—this transmission had thoroughly shaken him.
"Zhao Xing, are you alright?" Feng Chen asked with concern.
"Elder, I... I'm fine."
The fear, the killing intent, and the rage receded like a tide. As Zhao Xing gathered his thoughts, the figure of an Ashura appeared within his heart.
Feng Chen looked at Zhao Xing's twisted expression. Traces of lines flickered across his face, forming a faint silhouette of that Ashura semi-divine being, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "You absorbed over eighty percent of the Ashura visualization in one try?!"
"You're the most efficient disciple I've ever taught."
The willpower secret technique [Great Dark Heaven] consisted of three forms.
Great Dark Heaven, One-Thought Ashura, and Unmoving Bright Lord.
Great Dark Heaven was a mental domain formed from negative emotions and darkness.
One-Thought Ashura was a killing intent manifestation born from that mental domain.
Unmoving Bright Lord represented supreme willpower, reaching semi-divine levels of resolve.
Zhao Xing had just received the technique through divine empowerment and shattered all of Feng Chen's previous records. No one before had ever directly learned One-Thought Ashura while receiving [Great Dark Heaven].
"You're really okay?" Feng Chen asked again, seeing Zhao Xing still lying on the ground.
Zhao Xing sat up. "I feel a bit off, but I can't quite say what's wrong."
He checked his panel and saw that he had indeed learned a new spell.
[Great Dark Heaven: Reincarnation-Tier Secret Technique]
[Progress: Sixth Tier (12/1000)]
"I showed you the original Dao resonance of the Emperor Ming Tablet. Maybe I frightened you a bit," Feng Chen said.
"I've made a fool of myself, Elder." Zhao Xing shook his head to clear it and didn't think too much more about it.
After resting for about three months, Zhao Xing had become proficient in casting both [Great Dark Heaven] and [One-Thought Ashura]. With newfound confidence, he stepped onto the eastern staircase.
Feng Chen followed closely behind, and the artifact spirit Xuanyue said something to Zhao Xing.
Feng Chen translated: the spirit warned him to take full responsibility for his own life and death.
"Be careful."
"Understood." Zhao Xing took a deep breath and looked down.
The stairs were carved of white jade, twelve steps in total, aligning with the Twelve Tones of the Dao of Music.
As soon as Zhao Xing stepped onto the first step, he heard a faint sound of flowing water near his ears. It was faint at first, but once he stood firmly, the sound rapidly grew louder, like a surging flood echoing around him.
Before his eyes, a flood seemed to rush down from the top of the staircase, crashing toward him.
"The tactile sensation is real? Is the water also real? That's impossible."
The flood rose past his knees, as though trying to sweep him away.
The realistic soul-level sensation made Zhao Xing wary—this Five-Tone Illusion Realm was no joke.
At the same time, one of his soul fragments stood outside the staircase and could clearly see that no water was flowing.
Clearly, this "reality" stemmed from the way his conscious mind was being manipulated by the illusion.
Zhao Xing lifted his foot again and took two more steps.
"Splash—"
The flood rose instantly, engulfing his waist, then his head.
Zhao Xing enlarged his body, but the flood rose higher in turn.
It always stayed one step ahead.
Realizing it was deception, he returned to his normal size—and the flood instantly shrank.
"A false flood cannot harm me. Illusion is still illusion."
Zhao Xing unleashed his mental domain, and the pressure sharply dropped. He firmly planted his feet on the third step.
Seeing he still had strength to spare, he took the next step upward.
"Woooo—"
A deep horn echoed beside the river. Zhao Xing saw the palace above the staircase suddenly disappear, replaced by a sky full of divine soldiers and generals.
Banners fluttered, clouds churned, and a solemn aura of death and battle spread in all directions, making one afraid to approach.
Zhao Xing looked back. The scene behind him had also changed. He now stood on a riverbank, with black clouds looming in the distance—like the prelude to war.
"Keep going!"
Zhao Xing stared straight at the pressure and climbed two more steps.
Now standing on the sixth step, the heavy atmosphere and killing aura nearly suffocated him. As the staircase ascended, he saw more details—those divine generals and soldiers appeared even more solid, with blades and armor glinting coldly, impossible to look at directly.
"Boom... Boom... Boom..."
Stepping onto the seventh step, the drumbeat hit first. Then a massive war drum, made from hide spanning ten thousand li, appeared. The soundwaves spread across the heavens and the earth, as if trying to shake his very heart loose. Even his Heart Domain, the Great Dark Heaven, started to waver.
By the time he reached the ninth step, the drumbeats were deafening. Thunder and lightning cracked across the sky. With every accelerating beat, it felt like a full-blown war was about to erupt. On the far side of the riverbank, a terrifying presence loomed. Zhao Xing's whole body stung with pain, and his mind filled with thoughts of fleeing.
"Yuu~"
In the Heart Domain, a three-headed, six-armed Asura appeared. One thought infected the next, and the impulse to flee was defeated, becoming nourishment for the Asura.
Zhao Xing steadied himself on the ninth step.
Using the power of his mind cultivation technique, he managed to hold firm on the eleventh step too.
Now he stood at the final step of the Five-Tone Illusion Realm.
There, a giant clad in golden half-divine armor pounded a war drum with bone mallets. Each strike felt like it landed directly on Zhao Xing's heart.
Every inch of his muscles quivered, completely out of his control.
Zhao Xing had no choice but to use both techniques at once—activating his Heart Domain and unleashing One Thought Asura to their limits—before daring to take that final step.
"My Heart Domain is formed by weaving dark emotions together. If I fall deep enough into that darkness, the illusion can't shake my mind. From that darkness, the Asura emerges, killing with intent and feeding on all evil emotions. Together, they can break through any illusion!"
"Boom!"
As Zhao Xing stepped onto the twelfth step, the final drumbeat landed, and all sound stopped.
He found a brief moment of peace. The world itself fell into silence.
Then—
"Kill!!!"
A tsunami of murderous intent exploded from the military formation. The flood surged even fiercer than before. Zhao Xing's army charged across the river, and the black mist on the other side loomed near.
In an instant, Zhao Xing was overwhelmed by the surging will to battle and kill. Caught up in the army's momentum, he charged toward the opposite bank.
"Boom!"
The intertwining storm of killing intent, battle spirit, and drums knocked Zhao Xing off the twelfth step.
Out of the illusion, he instantly regained clarity.
"Did I fail?"
Clutching his chest, Zhao Xing felt a tightness that lingered.
But next to him, Feng Chen looked on in shock.
Zhao Xing looked up—and saw himself still standing on the twelfth step. His head turned slightly, revealing half his face and a wicked grin.
"What? That's—"
Zhao Xing immediately realized what had happened.
He really had fallen. But what fell was his soul—his physical body had stayed on the step.
At that final step, the illusion had shaken his soul out of his body!
But he had still passed.
His physical body remained on the twelfth step, and by pushing his Heart Domain and One Thought Asura too far, he had accidentally triggered the 101st Great Soul Tear!
This time, it was different from before. It wasn't intentional, and the link was incredibly faint—like a primordial avatar separating long ago.
And it felt… disturbingly dark.
It was like another version of himself. A wicked one.
"Crap… did I just create a Avatar?"
His original soul had been ejected by the Five-Tone Illusion Realm.
Without those dark emotions as fuel, his soul alone couldn't maintain Great Dark Heaven—it was impossible to clear the twelfth step on its own.
Would he now have to watch his dark Avatar take over his physical body?
"Zhao Xing, this soul split has a serious side effect," Feng Chen noted grimly.
The dark soul ignored the fallen original and went straight toward the large tree outside the eastern palace gates.
"Yeah, this one's serious." Zhao Xing forced a bitter smile. "Now I get what that weird feeling was earlier—it was the 101st Soul Split coming. And because of Great Dark Heaven, this Avatar is a dark version of myself."
"You mean… you went berserk?" Feng Chen's expression changed drastically.
"Not exactly," Zhao Xing shook his head. "There's still a way to fix it."
That old Primordial Strawman Split Technique was finally proving useful.
Zhao Xing's original soul quickly dove into the Primordial Avatar that had been waiting near the steps.
Then, he activated Formless Teleportation.
"Yuu~"
The next instant, his soul returned to his original body atop the steps.
Inside his Fate Palace's Mind Sea, Zhao Xing saw an Asura devouring the remaining ninety soul fragments.
Its face now looked exactly like him, growing stronger with every bite.
Zhao Xing's expression darkened, and he shouted, "Stop!"
The dark soul Avatar said nothing—just kept devouring.
It was like one voice was eating all others in his mind. The rest of his soul fragments were slowly being corrupted by this evil counterpart.
Even Zhao Xing's original soul started to feel it—he couldn't stop murderous thoughts from surfacing.
"Boom!"
His original soul struck back. Inside the Mind Sea, a golden, radiant Five-Finger Mountain came crashing down, trying to suppress the dark Avatar.
The original soul was stronger than any split fragment. In a direct fight, he should've been able to wipe it out easily.
But under the dark Avatar's control, Great Dark Heaven was even more powerful. The suppression didn't work.
"Reincarnation!"
Finally, Zhao Xing remembered the soul secret art gifted by Qing Yuzi—Reincarnation.
A black vortex opened in his chest, instantly shifting the tide. The dark Avatar was forcibly absorbed.
"Thank heavens I cultivated Reincarnation. With Heaven, Earth, and Fate Souls combined, my true soul outranks all splits. Plus, my soul splits were memory-partitioned. This dark Avatar only had memories related to Blue Flower magic power—not Red Lotus."
After the absorption, Zhao Xing let out a long sigh of relief.
The flaws of the Primordial Strawman Split Technique were well known. So when he'd split back then, he had prioritized his true soul, just in case something like this ever happened.
"Good, good. Looks like I really need to avoid using both Scholar Enlightenment and Great Dark Heaven-type secret techniques in the future."
If not for the Scholar's Enlightenment, the Great Dark Heaven secret technique wouldn't have become so powerful all at once. If he'd just cultivated it slowly, Zhao Xing would've never split off a dark soul Avatar.
"Zhao Xing, how are you?" Feng Chen called from below.
"I'm fine," Zhao Xing replied.
"Why don't you come down and let me check you over?"
"Elder Feng! I said I'm fine!" Zhao Xing was a bit irritated by the nagging and walked straight toward the large tree.
Below, Feng Chen stared at Zhao Xing's back with a worried look.
"The Primordial Straw Puppet's great soul split tore open his dark side… How can you call that fine? Sigh. It's my fault. I never should've passed him that technique."
"Boom boom boom~" The tree's curled leaves rustled in the wind, beating like war drums, as if thousands of troops were charging forward to stop Zhao Xing from getting closer.
Zhao Xing wasn't fazed in the slightest. He stared directly at the tree and received its data.
[Li Yin Tree (Mutated Type)]
[Status: Peak Stage]
[Grade: Emperor-Tier]
[True Spirit: Emperor-Tier Peak]
[Secret Techniques: Dian Jiang Immortal, Li Yin Sigil, Myriad Sound Domain]
[Description: After long exposure to the celestial music of a half-divine musician, its intelligence awakened. Over time, it merged its acquired learning with innate secret techniques, greatly boosting its power.]
[Remaining Lifespan: 4.3 Eras]
"Jiji—"
The Li Yin Tree's bark shifted, forming a human-like face that seemed to be saying something.
Even without Feng Chen to translate, Zhao Xing could tell—it didn't want to follow him.
High-intelligence lifeforms with awakened sentience always had a strong sense of free will. Who would willingly become someone else's slave?
But Zhao Ye wasn't going to just let it go—not after coming all this way.
Better to capture it first and talk later.
"World Projection!"
His internal world unfolded. The projection surged forward, instantly enveloping the entire Li Yin Tree.
The tree's leaves unfurled, glowing like sigils.
But before they could fully activate, everything froze.
Zhao Xing had chosen to forcefully subdue it, using the Hunyuan Dao Tower to suppress it.
If even the legendary Soul-Devouring Grass could be suppressed, what chance did the Li Yin Tree have?
Even if it matched peak Emperor-level strength, it couldn't withstand the might of a divine artifact forged by a Grand Emperor.
"Whoosh—"
The Li Yin Tree was uprooted in one swift motion.
Zhao Xing leapt down afterward.
Feng Chen rushed over, eyes fixed on him. "You need to leave immediately and have someone examine you."
"Elder Feng, you think I've gone insane?"
"I don't know—but something's definitely not right."
"And why's that?"
"The tree said that since you passed the test authorized by the artifact spirit, it was willing to follow you and demonstrate its abilities. So why did you suppress it without a word?"
Zhao Xing was at a loss for words.
It had already been ready to pledge loyalty, and he'd beaten it up anyway.
That was… kind of overkill.
"Elder Feng, why didn't you say something earlier?" Zhao Xing sounded annoyed.
"How was I supposed to know you'd act that fast?"
"Forget it," Zhao Xing said lightly. "Maybe roughing it up left a stronger impression."
"Elder Feng, what's the second trial?"
Feng Chen didn't answer.
Clearly, he thought Zhao Xing should be seeing a doctor, not continuing with the trials.
Zhao Xing now realized just how stubborn Feng Chen was. No amount of reasoning would convince him to serve as a translator anymore.
"Fine. If Elder Feng won't help, I'll do it myself." Zhao Xing cupped his hands. "Still, thank you for all your help so far."
With that, he dispatched dozens of Primordial Avatars to scour the ruins for written language samples. Better to rely on yourself than others—he refused to believe he couldn't master one language.
Watching Zhao Xing act alone, Feng Chen shook his head.
Three years passed.
Zhao Xing mastered the language.
As soon as he did, he tried communicating directly with the artifact spirit, Xuan Yue.
"Fairy Xuan Yue, I've passed the first trial. May I ask what the second test is?"
Xuan Yue, who had been standing like a statue at the palace gate, didn't react to Zhao Xing and Feng Chen's earlier squabble, nor to Zhao Xing's unexpected episode.
But now, hearing Zhao Xing speak in her language, she responded.
"The World Trial." Xuan Yue pointed to the south. "If your internal world can withstand the pressure of the Realm Staircase, then you have the power to take the Sun and Moon Vine."
World Trial? Zhao Xing laughed.
He immediately flew south and ascended the staircase.
The southern path also had twelve steps. Each one emitted intense spatial pressure.
Zhao Xing had to push open his internal world while withstanding that pressure. If he could reach the top, he passed.
Sounds simple enough—but the starting pressure was already equivalent to early-stage Emperor level, and each step increased it.
By the time he reached the twelfth step, his world projection had been compressed to a radius of only about one hundred meters.
"This pressure now equals peak Emperor level, yet I can still hold a projection radius of about one hundred meters."
"Two divine artifacts creating my internal world really makes all the difference."
[Sun-Moon Vine (Mutated Type)]
[Status: Peak Stage]
[Grade: Emperor-Tier]
[True Spirit: Late Emperor-Tier]
[Secret Techniques: Eight-Mi Sun Wheel, Moonlight Feather Radiance Formation, Merchant Domain]
[Description: After years of listening to the celestial music of a half-divine musician, its intelligence awakened. It combined acquired learning with innate secret techniques, greatly enhancing its power.]
[Remaining Lifespan: 7.6 Eras]
Vine-type innate techniques were mostly of the entrapment category. The Sun-Moon Vine fed on sunlight and moonlight, had innate ties to the Dao of Yin and Yang, and was also fused with the Five Divine Tones, further boosting its trapping power—and it even knew formations!
A plant-type soldier capable of formations? That was rare and unconventional. In this era, even Emperor-tier cultivators caught in such a trap would have a hard time breaking out.
"Fairy Xuan Yue, may I ask what the third trial is?"
Xuan Yue looked toward the west, where four blossoms with red interiors and black-edged petals stood. Three had already withered, and the last remained tightly closed.
"The third trial is a musical path trial," Fairy Xuan Yue said, her voice tinged with sorrow as she gazed at the closed flower. "The Dongming Flower is a descendant of the Flower God Clan and was the master's beloved. Since the master's death, it has slumbered with them."
"Only by acquiring the Eight Tones Divine Method from within the palace and playing it on a zither can it be awakened."
A music path trial? Zhao Xing furrowed his brow.
Of the three still-living plants, the one he valued most was the Dongming Flower.
Despite its strength only being Emperor-tier, its bloodline was extremely rare.
He might even be able to extract a life template from the Flower God Clan.
One of the Self School's paths to divinity for Shennong was through extracting divine plant patterns.
Even if the chances were slim, just that possibility made the Dongming Flower more valuable than the previous two.
But a music path trial? Zhao Xing had no choice but to stand aside and wait.
"I'll have to wait for either Emperor Qianyin or Emperor Fuzhi to emerge and ask them to handle it."
With nothing else to do, Zhao Xing struck up a conversation with the artifact spirit about the golden bamboo stalk standing upright in the northern section.
But Xuan Yue quickly grew impatient. "If you're not taking the trials, then sit quietly. Why so many questions?"
Zhao Xing had no idea why she suddenly turned cold. Her words stirred a nameless anger in him, but he didn't show it. He simply cupped his hands in restraint and sat silently to wait.
Time passed slowly. Around the eighth year after entering, a second group arrived at the Lingluo Palace. Two mechanists and one martial artist came.
The martial artist was Emperor Chimei. Zhao Xing didn't recognize the two mechanists.
Listening to their conversation with Feng Chen, Zhao Xing learned that the other two half-divine estates had already entered the final contention phase.
Knowing they wouldn't get much out of those places, the three came to the musician's estate hoping to try their luck.
"Elder Feng, about the flowers outside the palace and that golden bamboo stalk—could they be taken?" Emperor Chimei asked as soon as he arrived.
Clearly, Zhao Xing wasn't the only one who noticed their value.
Even if someone didn't, a passing bird still plucks a feather—just take whatever you can, valuable or not.
"Emperor Chimei, don't act rashly," Feng Chen explained. "You'll need to wait until the Lingluo Palace's inheritance has been completed before touching any of them."
"Alright then." Emperor Chimei's eyes turned, landing on Zhao Xing. "Shennong Zhao, do you know what kind of flower that is?"
"No idea," Zhao Xing replied coldly.
Another five years passed. At last, movement came from within the Lingluo Palace.
A pure, resonant tone echoed through the heavens and earth, and a manifestation of an ancient zither appeared above the palace. It had nine strings of different colors, surrounded by the phantasms of auspicious beasts—clearly divine in nature.
Zhao Xing's expression changed. From the manifestation alone, there was no doubt: this was divine power only a divine artifact could trigger!
Who would have thought the other two martial artist estates had no divine artifacts, yet this musician's estate revealed one?
Of course—it made sense. Even Wei Tianchen had multiple divine artifacts. The chances of a half-divine musician having one were actually quite high.
Unfortunately, this was a musician's estate. Zhao Xing and the others could only watch. There was no chance of taking it.
Not that they didn't want to—but they simply couldn't.
If either Emperor Qianyin or Emperor Fuzhi inherited it and held the divine artifact, who could stand against them?
"I wonder if any of the seven estates belong to a Shennong. If this is a cross-domain migration of the entire race, surely there has to be at least one half-divine Shennong estate."
"My current strength only allows me to fight an Emperor head-on by relying on Self School techniques and powerful plant soldiers."
"I just hope that when one of them comes out, they'll owe me a favor and hand the Dongming Flower over."
The manifestation of the zither vibrated for a full half year before the divine radiance withdrew into the palace.
Then the palace doors slowly opened, and a lone figure stepped out.
"A single figure? Why only one?" Zhao Xing stared at the palace gate, watching as Emperor Fuzhi emerged—Emperor Qianyin was nowhere in sight.