The third checkpoint appeared on a vast, lush grassland, where countless mirrors scattered across the landscape.
The mirrors were placed haphazardly—some lay flat on the ground, others stood upright, while a few floated in the air, drifting aimlessly.
They varied in size, but their design remained uniform, adorned with flowing cloud four-leaf patterns and twelve zodiac engravings. The only distinction lay in the color of their borders—yellow, blue, and red.
"I can't tell what this checkpoint is about. Everyone, be careful." Du Qing looked ahead with uncertainty.
The two scholars couldn't discern any clues.
Zhao Xing furrowed his brows. He also couldn't make sense of it.
"If we can't figure it out, then let's just charge through." You Yitian put everyone down and took the lead.
Qi Sect Martial Artists were known for their sheer toughness—high defense, immense vitality, and incredible resilience. At You Yitian's level, unless his soul was completely obliterated from his body, even if he were torn apart, the physicians could still piece him back together.
Once You Yitian activated his power, his imposing aura surged, making onlookers tremble.
But in an instant, he withdrew his energy.
Zhao Xing remained at the back of the team, observing.
He still maintained his Divine Fire Turtle Transformation form. If the third checkpoint proved problematic, he would instantly undo the transformation and allow himself to be expelled by the Expulsion Order.
You Yitian stepped into the Mirror Trial and quickly vanished from everyone's sight.
Two months later, he reappeared.
"Brother You, how did it go?" Fan Yu asked.
"I didn't reach the end of the checkpoint, but I didn't encounter any danger either." You Yitian replied.
"No trials at all?" Du Qing questioned.
"None." You Yitian shook his head.
"Did you notice anything strange?" The black-robed scholar asked.
"Something strange..." You Yitian thought for a moment. "If I had to say, it would be the reflections in the mirrors. They felt... odd."
"Be specific." Du Qing urged.
"It was as if the reflections in the mirrors were staring at me," You Yitian explained.
The black-robed scholar pondered before asking, "Brother You, the mirrors that made you feel uneasy—did their borders have three carved statues?"
"Huh? How did you know?" You Yitian looked surprised. "Yes, they did."
"I just guessed." The black-robed scholar replied.
"Peng Yuan, what are you thinking?" Du Qing asked.
"The historical records unearthed from Moonfall Ancient Kingdom mentioned a rumored mystical formation called the Three Essence God Transformation Array."
"This formation could replicate another person's divine abilities and techniques, gathering the cultivation and skills of all those within the formation and concentrating them into a single individual." Peng Yuan explained.
"I remember now." Du Qing's expression cleared. "It was said that this was part of the Scholars' Deification Project from that era."
"Yes." Peng Yuan nodded. "A large number of Reincarnation Realm scholars would collectively channel their power into another Reincarnation Realm cultivator."
"In the end, they would create an incredibly powerful Godhood Realm entity."
"Did it succeed?" You Yitian asked curiously.
"There's no recorded success, nor any indication of failure." Du Qing shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing silently scoffed.
If reaching Godhood Realm was that easy, why were there so few of them?
The Scholars' Deification Project wasn't unique to the Moonfall Ancient Kingdom era. Even in the present age, similar attempts never ceased. They had just evolved with better methodologies.
And soon enough, a new version of it would emerge, known as Scholars' Divine Advent.
Zhao Xing mentally calculated the timeline.
At this very moment, those insane scholars within the Xuanling Star Domain were probably already gathering materials in secret, preparing for their grand experiment.
Before the Scholars' Divine Advent version, any player who reached Life-and-Death Dao Domain Realm had a chance to receive the scholars' Divine Selection Task, becoming one of their candidates.
The more talented the player, the higher the chance of being chosen!
This task was highly deceptive. The scholars would disguise themselves as benevolent benefactors, setting up seemingly simple trials—most of which were entirely orchestrated by them.
They would use nearly free resources to push the candidates into the Reincarnation Realm!
And then, they would be placed on the chopping block, ready to be sacrificed for the scholars' experiment.
Among the earliest seven players to reach Life-and-Death Dao Domain Realm, five participated in the God's Preliminary Selection, and Zhao Xing was one of them.
But midway through the task, Zhao Xing sensed something was off, so he took the rewards and found a way to escape.
Among the remaining four, three also managed to flee during the second phase.
The first wave of high-level players were all extremely cunning, and those three even managed to reap greater benefits than Zhao Xing.
Only one fool believed it to be a great fortune and completely immersed himself in the project, ignoring all warnings.
Eventually, his cultivation was completely stripped away, and upon resurrection, he became a mere mortal.
The Scholars' Deification Project recorded in the Moonfall Ancient Kingdom was likely no different in nature from what would occur in future updates.
The scholars' obsession never wavered. Their methods may have changed, whether through the Three Essence God Transformation Array or other formations, but the core remained the same.
It all revolved around the two abilities scholars specialized in—Replication and Dao Transmission.
Still, Zhao Xing doubted that a Dao Domain Realm Scholar Preacher's Dao Repository would contain such a formation.
"I don't think we'll run into something like that," Fan Yu shook her head.
"Yeah, this kind of thing is obviously illegal." You Yitian added. "No major faction would tolerate such madness."
Peng Yuan nodded. "It was just a historical speculation that suddenly came to mind."
Du Qing continued, "Regardless, the current situation is clear—one person can't pass through alone since You Yitian didn't trigger any trials."
"I think all fifty-three of us should go together."
You Yitian asked, "Why not split into smaller groups?"
Fan Yu said, "Regardless of whether this formation is just a legend, it ultimately revolves around a scholar's core ability—Replication."
"If the third checkpoint creates a copy of you, and we split into groups, what happens if another 'you' appears to block our way? How would everyone pass?"
You Yitian felt like Fan Yu's words were indirectly praising his strength, so he couldn't help but grin and nod. "That makes sense."
"Alright then, everyone get on."
"You'll never learn to swim if you just stand by the shore. Let's test the waters."
You Yitian clapped his hands, and immediately, everyone boarded.
However, this time, instead of carrying them in his ears, You Yitian swallowed them all into his stomach, including Fan Yu.
"Hiss~"
After enlarging himself, You Yitian took a deep breath, then patted his stomach, signaling for everyone inside to settle down.
For Zhao Xing, this was the first time he had ever ridden on a "flesh-ship."
Inside You Yitian's stomach world, red and green hues intertwined, with occasional flames drifting by. They stood atop a mound of flesh.
"Bang! Bang!"
Suddenly, a strong vibration shook their surroundings.
You Yitian was patting his stomach.
"Zhao Xing, can you tell what kind of cultivation technique You Yitian practices?" The speaker was Huangfu Yun, who had taken an interest in Zhao Xing ever since both had encountered difficulties in the second trial.
"I'm not sure. Please enlighten me, Brother Huangfu." Zhao Xing replied humbly.
"You Yitian's stomach walls emanate four red auras and one green aura. His five internal organs and four divine energies all originate from fire, except his liver, which generates wood energy."
"Wood generates fire, so Heavenly Kitchen first transforms into Fire Kitchen. This follows the path of the Five Qi Furnace Technique, which protects the internal space from harm. It can even use devouring techniques to kill enemies."
"But his furnace hasn't fully formed. The Five Qi only shows fire and wood, making it seem..."
"As if he's cooking without a lid, with a furnace that has no top? Meaning, anything he eats burns—it's filling but not refined?" Zhao Xing made an analogy.
"Exactly." Huangfu Yun laughed. "Well said, Brother Zhao."
In the vast cosmos, Self School cultivators were rare. Huangfu Yun was actually the first Self School Shennong Zhao Xing had met in over a thousand years.
Since Huangfu Yun had taken the initiative to talk, Zhao Xing didn't act distant. They began discussing privately.
"I noticed Brother Zhao seems to have cultivated Self School techniques as well?" Huangfu Yun asked.
"I haven't demonstrated any. How did you tell?"
"Forgive my rudeness, but when you answered the trial's question earlier, I took a closer look. I could sense that your Inner World is particularly vast. It's different from the typical Shennong who just casually cultivates it as a storage space."
"Brother Huangfu has keen eyes. I did put some effort into it," Zhao Xing admitted. "Though, it's still rather rough."
In truth, Zhao Xing's Self School Dao already had two divine abilities—Juyang Straw Puppet at Sixth Tier and Essence Extraction at Fourth Tier.
But Zhao Xing had high standards. His Origin World cultivation had hit a dead-end in the third stage, leaving him with only massive spiritual energy reserves and a large internal space—not much else. By his standards, that was barely passable.
His King-tier Mo Yun Vine, however, was worth mentioning. It was already approaching the level of Grand Divine Ability.
Thanks to this vine, Zhao Xing could suppress the chaotic Illusory Star Mushrooms in his body.
Otherwise, his internal space would have exploded.
"The Yuanhai Realm isn't particularly good at Self School techniques, but learning them usually requires joining a sect."
"If you truly want to walk the Self School path, why not join Thousand Wood Island in Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom?" Huangfu Yun suggested.
Thousand Wood Island was a top-tier Self School sect within Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, known for cultivating economic-type plants rather than combat abilities.
"I'm used to being free," Zhao Xing casually deflected.
Right now, the Dongyan Ancient Clan's revival project was in full swing. He was already planning to escape—joining a Yuanhai faction was out of the question.
Boom!
Just then, a loud noise rang out.
Everyone turned to see the blood-qi barrier of You Yitian's stomach walls suddenly collapsing inward, leaving behind a deep imprint shaped like a fist.
"What's happening?"
"There's a fight going on outside."
"Wait… Why are there two You Yitians?"
"Hiss, did the formation actually replicate You Yitian?"
A mechanist took out a remote-viewing mirror and threw it above the flesh mound.
The projection showed the outside world.
Two identical You Yitians were engaged in a fierce battle.
"As expected, it's a mirror copy!"
"Amazing, truly incredible. The copy is actually matching You Yitian's strength!"
Peng Yuan and Du Qing were completely fascinated.
Zhao Xing also observed the battle.
The mirror image punched You Yitian's stomach, while the real You Yitian grabbed the copy's neck, attempting to crush it.
Their fight lasted over two months, yet there was no clear victor.
Both used the exact same techniques and had identical power, leading to a complete stalemate.
"Scholars who set up these formations after death are truly terrifying," Huangfu Yun sighed. "It even replicated You Yitian's accessories and enchanted items."
"Indeed, it's impressive," Zhao Xing nodded.
For a moment, it seemed like they had reached an impasse.
But then, Fan Yu suddenly flew out.
Fan Yu was a Grand Divine Ability Realm Mental Illusionist—a profession that countered Qi Sect Martial Artists.
With her assistance, the mirror image quickly fell into disadvantage.
Even so, it still took six whole months before the copy was completely destroyed.
"The mirror image perfectly replicated Qi Sect traits. Even after being forced into full defense mode for the last three months, it still managed to last that long before exploding."
Zhao Xing watched intently.
Afterwards, You Yitian continued flying east.
After defeating the first mirror image, it wasn't long before they encountered the second mirror image—this time, it was Fan Yu.
The real and fake Fan Yu fought each other, but neither could break through the other's techniques.
The mirror image even perfectly replicated Fan Yu's Lunar Dao Soldiers.
You Yitian tried to help, but his interference wasn't very effective.
In the end, both Fan Yus exhausted their soul power, giving You Yitian an opening to end the fight.
"It seems that this checkpoint is complex, but not too difficult," Du Qing analyzed.
"As long as the challengers cooperate, they can pass."
"If it's a split team, then things get tricky," Peng Yuan said. "Or, if unfamiliar teams enter together, the enemies might be randomly generated, making it even more difficult."
After the mirror images of Fan Yu and You Yitian were defeated, the enemies that appeared next were replications of the remaining fifty-three cultivators.
However, there was a change this time. When it was the turn of other professions, the number of mirror images increased.
For instance, there was a poison physician named Fang Gang. The third wave of enemies consisted of ten mirror images of Fang Gang.
"Ssss~"
As soon as the mirror images of Fang Gang appeared, a thick green poison mist spread out, desperately trying to invade You Yitian's body.
You Yitian's strategy was simple. He opened his mouth wide, took a deep breath, his cheeks puffed up, and then he spewed out a poison mist arrow, instantly killing the mirror images of Fang Gang.
"Hahaha! Fang brother, you died so miserably!"
"His mirror images are quite smart, though. They set up an ambush and prepared the poison beforehand?"
"Tsk tsk, impressive!"
Inside You Yitian's stomach world, the team watching their companions' mirror images get destroyed couldn't help but joke around.
Fang Gang sighed and shook his head. "Qi Sect Grand Divine Ability Realm, a body as strong as a fortress, completely immune to poison mist. There's nothing I can do."
"Music? Whose mirror image is this?"
"It's Yao Feng's! Haha, Yao Feng's mirror image is here!"
"Yao Feng, why does this melody sound like 'Star Ripple Triple Layers' battle tune?"
"Wait… on closer listen, it doesn't seem quite right?"
"Eh? Why did it suddenly change to 'Radiant Cloud Dream Tune'? Two tracks in one fight? Impressive, impressive!"
"Brother Yao, say something! Give Captain You some advice. How do we deal with this duet performance?" Someone teased.
Yao Feng's face turned red. "Shut up! Stop talking!"
Huangfu Yun was puzzled. "Brother Zhao, what are they laughing about?"
Zhao Xing chuckled. "An inside joke among musicians."
"Yao Feng once learned a pirated version of a song. The first half of the tune is a Grand Divine Ability, but the second half suddenly weakens and turns into a void-based technique."
"Judging from their conversation, it sounds like Yao Feng got scammed before."
"This checkpoint really destroys one's dignity," Huangfu Yun couldn't help but laugh.
With You Yitian leading the charge and Fan Yu providing support, the mirror images of other cultivators—who were only at Minor Divine Ability Realm—were easily defeated in various ridiculous ways.
To familiar faces, this checkpoint was nothing short of a social death sentence.
The mechanists even started recording everything. Now that there was no danger, everyone turned into spectators enjoying the show.
The highlight was Yao Feng's pirated battle tune, which led to his mirror image being instantly obliterated by You Yitian.
As the laughter continued, Zhao Xing suddenly pointed ahead.
"Yo, Brother Huangfu, looks like it's your turn."
Huangfu Yun curiously looked ahead.
A dense forest had appeared, with countless mirrors embedded among the trees.
Standing at the entrance of the forest were three identical Huangfu Yuns.
"Not bad, Brother Huangfu. The mirror formation actually judged that three copies of you are enough to be a threat to You Yitian?" Zhao Xing was surprised.
According to Du Qing and Peng Yuan, the number of mirror images represented the level of danger they posed.
Did this mean that three Huangfu Yuns were enough to threaten You Yitian?
"There's still a big gap between me and a Grand Divine Ability Realm expert," Huangfu Yun humbly said. "Du and Peng's theories shouldn't be taken too seriously."
"Huangfu Yun, what's this unit type of yours? There are so many!" someone asked.
As You Yitian approached, the forest behind the three mirror images suddenly came to life—an entire army of tree warriors emerged.
These tree warriors wore silver crowns, but their trunks and limbs shone in a radiant golden hue.
Each of them held a long spear, and their bodies were covered in spell talismans.
"Not only did it replicate your unit type, but even the spell talismans were copied?" Someone was shocked.
"These are Colossal Tree Spirits. Their tree core essence allows them to manifest second-stage Colossal Treants as warriors," Huangfu Yun explained. "It's not much, just a little trick of mine."
"Brother Huangfu, these aren't just warrior-class units. There are also quite a few commander-level treants," Zhao Xing observed.
The three forests merged, forming a massive army of thirty thousand tree warriors!
The mirror formation only replicated one unit type, but its combat strength was formidable.
There were twenty-nine thousand nine hundred soldiers, all at the peak of the second stage, each enhanced by 'Green Wood' talismans and wielding high-grade Realm Star Dao Weapons!
This meant that Huangfu Yun himself actually possessed at least ten thousand top-tier Realm Star Dao Weapons and ten thousand Green Wood talismans!
Additionally, there were one hundred tree commanders, their crowns and bodies glowing like miniature suns.
All one hundred commanders had already reached the third stage!
Among them, three tree generals wielded low-grade Lunar Dao Weapons, with Five Elements Talismans embedded on their chest and back.
"Huangfu Yun, when did you secretly get rich?" You Yitian frowned as he watched the scene unfold. "You even have Lunar Dao Weapons now?"
If the mirror formation replicated three, then Huangfu Yun himself must own at least one.
A low-grade Lunar Dao Weapon was worth at least twenty million Scarlet Star Coins. That wasn't cheap.
Among the fifty-three people, only Fan Yu and You Yitian, the two Grand Divine Ability Realm experts, had personal Lunar Dao Weapons.
The rest either couldn't afford them or couldn't use them properly.
After all, Lunar Dao Weapons were meant for Five Elements Dao Domain Realm cultivators or Grand Divine Ability Realm experts.
But if Huangfu Yun bought one, that meant he was capable of using it.
"Brother Huangfu, are all Self School Shennong this wealthy?"
"Impressive~"
"You have to treat us when we get back!"
"... …"
"Captain You, everyone... I only recently bought it," Huangfu Yun forced a smile. "It cost me a billion Scarlet Star Coins. I had to sell everything I owned..."
Huangfu Yun had originally planned to show off his skills at Moonfall Mausoleum, but before he even got the chance to use his newly purchased weapon, it ended up being displayed here in an entirely unexpected manner.
Though he wore an expression of helplessness, he couldn't help but feel a hint of pride.
However, You Yitian was not pleased at all.
The three mirror images of Huangfu Yun, along with thirty thousand Colossal Treant warriors, launched an all-out assault, making You Yitian howl in frustration.
Huangfu Yun's mirror images were actually causing him real pain!
Particularly, the three commander-level Treants wielding Lunar Dao Weapons had absurdly thick skin and incredible endurance. Their innate abilities were all defensive-type.
The Colossal Treant race had immense vitality, rendering minor injuries completely meaningless. If You Yitian were only at the Minor Divine Ability Realm, he would have been completely overpowered by Huangfu Yun.
Fan Yu's mind-based illusions had little effect on the Treants, and even though You Yitian could sweep away large swaths of tree warriors in a single attack, they quickly reassembled themselves!
Limbs regenerated, and broken bodies fused back together—it was downright annoying!
"At this rate, how long is this fight going to last?"
"Don't drain You Yitian's stamina too much. Huangfu Yun, go assist the captain."
The two scholars gave the command.
"Understood." Huangfu Yun immediately flew forward.
"Damn it! Why can your soldiers absorb my blood? I can't even recover the lost life force!"
"Captain You, that's because I had my Colossal Treants modified. All my commander-level units have a parasitic ability… I'll clear them out for you!"
"And what's the deal with these weapons?"
"I custom-ordered them. They're called Extinction Spears. Though they're called spears, they also have a cannon mode. The last shot that hit you was in Parasitic Cannon mode—it fired a wave of Colossal Parasite Seeds, which are mainly used to break through a martial artist's golden body."
"Argh! This is so damn frustrating!"
It took You Yitian an enormous amount of effort to clear this stage.
Before this, he had been fighting continuously without stopping.
But after defeating the three Huangfu Yuns, he finally took a break.
Zhao Xing had been amused at first. Seeing Huangfu Yun push You Yitian to such a miserable state gave him a sense of pride by association.
But after taking a closer look at Huangfu Yun's situation, Zhao Xing suddenly had a realization.
"Wait… The reason Huangfu Yun and I appeared so late in the mirror stage—is it because the formation takes longer to replicate our army units?"
Zhao Xing's heart sank. He conducted a quick internal assessment, then made an estimate.
"Will You Yitian's team be able to handle this?"
Zhao Xing began praying that his Mushrooms and Moyun Vine wouldn't appear. The Juyang Straw Puppet clone wouldn't be a problem, but the Nine Yin Demon Vine and Tianyin Bamboo—both at the pinnacle of the Second Stage—could still be a nuisance.
Still, he warned them just in case.
"Ahem, Captain You, I'd suggest not resting for too long. You should pass this stage as quickly as possible."
Receiving Zhao Xing's transmission, You Yitian, who had just sat down to rest, was baffled.
"Brother Zhao, I just sat down—what's the rush?"
After fighting through everything so far, his stamina had dropped below half.
"I suspect the longer we stay here, the more time the mirror formation has to prepare. My mirror image hasn't even been generated yet, which might mean trouble… So I suggest that Captain You use a fast-recovery method and move on quickly."
You Yitian was stunned for a moment. He almost wanted to say, You're just at the Minor Divine Ability Realm, how could you be more troublesome than Huangfu Yun?
However, out of consideration for Zhao Xing's feelings, he refrained from saying it outright.
Instead, he turned to Fan Yu for consultation.
"What do you think?"
Fan Yu pondered for a moment. "It's clear that Zhao Xing is valued by the Prefecture Lord. Otherwise, Mr. Du wouldn't have told us to wait for him."
"His advice is worth considering. You should recover quickly."
"Alright, everyone inside, move away. I'm going to initiate rapid replenishment."
You Yitian wasn't stubborn—he immediately accelerated his recovery.
Inside his stomach world, a massive amount of food suddenly dropped from the sky, resembling a meteor shower.
However, it was swiftly devoured by the Four Internal Flames, dissolving into pure essence energy and spreading throughout his body.
With the fast recovery method, You Yitian fully replenished himself in just seven days.
Then, he continued moving forward.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xing nervously watched through the observation lens.
Soon, a familiar figure appeared.
It was his own mirror image.
Good news: Moyun Vine and Juyang Straw Puppet Clone didn't appear.
Bad news: There was only one Zhao Xing mirror image, and it was crazily unleashing Severing Essence Divine Ability on a transparent mushroom.
Zhao Xing activated Heavenly Sight of the Soul and examined the area ahead.
A mushroom forest spread across the landscape, extending beyond the visible horizon.
"Captain, be careful." Zhao Xing transmitted a warning.
"How the hell am I supposed to be careful? You literally just threw a mushroom at me!" You Yitian screamed as he dodged backward at full speed.
"Buzz—"
With a cold, emotionless expression, the mirror image Zhao Xing stood atop a gigantic mushroom, casting spells with both hands, ceaselessly manipulating Origin Projections to hurl mushrooms.
Visible and invisible mushrooms shot toward You Yitian like an endless barrage!
"Ooooh~"
"Screeeech—"
"Roooar—"
"Hoooh—"
You Yitian was completely confused.
Why the hell are mushrooms making these noises?!
After the previous ordeal with the Self School, You Yitian had developed a trauma toward Self School cultivators.
He completely forgot that he was supposed to be clearing the stage. Instead, he kept running, which only gave the mirror formation more time to prepare.
"You Yitian, stop running!" Fan Yu shouted. "Test the strength of the mushrooms first!"
"Fine!" You Yitian stopped abruptly, turned around, and punched the nearest transparent mushroom.
Zhao Xing watched closely.
To his surprise, there was no explosion.
"Squelch!"
You Yitian's fist sank into the mushroom, as if punching into a rotten fruit, his entire arm piercing through.
"Huh?"
The sensation was completely different.
You Yitian felt like his hand had been plunged into the fiery core of the Sun Star.
His arm rapidly heated up, turning bright red, resembling a Kirin Arm!
"What the hell kind of sorcery is this?!"
You Yitian was completely caught off guard because the transparent mushroom instantly turned fiery red, and only then did it explode.
Since obtaining Severing Origin Divine Ability, Zhao Xing's original space mushrooms had evolved into countless versions.
Naturally, a simple airburst wouldn't do much damage—but if the mushroom wrapped around its target before detonating, the power would be significantly amplified!
"Boom!"
You Yitian was blasted three steps backward.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!"
He frantically shook his arm, trying to shake off the burning pain.
"Oh my god, You Yitian actually lost one ten-thousandth of his blood essence?!"
One of the physicians monitoring You Yitian's golden body immediately noticed the anomaly and was shocked beyond words.
"Whose mushrooms are these?!"
Huangfu Yun's expression stiffened, his gaze locking onto Zhao Xing.
"Brother, you…?"
Zhao Xing sighed helplessly and nodded. "Yeah, it's mine."
"Hiss… This is what you call 'nothing special'?" Huangfu Yun took a deep breath. "What kind of mushrooms are these?!"
"Don't ask. I have no idea either." Zhao Xing shook his head. He truly didn't know.
The same question was running through You Yitian's and Fan Yu's minds.
But Zhao Xing was genuinely clueless.
If he had known exactly what was happening, would he still be worried?
"Brother Zhao, are you part of the Demonic Path?" Huangfu Yun instinctively took a step back.
Calling it "Demonic Path" was actually putting it nicely.
He almost blurted out that Zhao Xing was a lunatic cultivator.
Anyone who recklessly delved into the origins of life and broke the taboos of living matter, as Self School's Shennong often did, was basically considered a madman—even a villain.
In the eyes of the world, they were nothing less than crazy cultivators who were one step away from turning into the ultimate antagonists.
Of course, every profession had its fair share of fanatics who went to extreme lengths in pursuit of their Dao. There were scholars like that, and naturally, Shennong cultivators as well.
"I'm not! I didn't! Don't accuse me!" Zhao Xing denied three times in a row. "All my techniques are legitimate Divine Abilities. This was just an accident."
Huangfu Yun nodded subconsciously but still stepped back again.
He did not believe Zhao Xing at all!
Even the other Shennong cultivators started looking at Zhao Xing with somewhat strange expressions.
"Boom!"
Another explosion sent You Yitian flying again.
"Take down the leader first! Old You, use your Ancestral Divine Ability and charge through!" Fan Yu reminded him.
Ancestral Divine Abilities were the collective term for all inherited innate and acquired Divine Abilities of the Virtual Ancestral Sect.
Since You Yitian was still a Grand Divine Ability Realm cultivator of Qi Sect, losing ten percent of his blood essence made him immediately activate his Ancestral Divine Ability—Grain-Sized Chaos Technique!
In an instant, You Yitian shrunk down to the size of a grain of rice, and his defensive power skyrocketed.
The teammates inside his body also felt a strong compression force, making them very uncomfortable.
However, the effect wasn't too severe, as the internal spatial structure had also changed—this technique was already touching upon the mysteries of space-related Divine Abilities!
As his Qi fluctuations surged, everyone could feel an immense gravitational pull emanating from him—like that of a small Realm Star, drawing in all surrounding energy sources.
The first to be affected was Zhao Xing's mirror image.
"Grand Divine Ability Qi Sect techniques really are something else."
Zhao Xing watched intently, seeing his mirror image's Qi force forcibly pulled away, as if sucked into You Yitian's body!
Across a distance of millions of miles, half of the mirror image's energy was instantly drawn away!
"You Yitian has a Seventh-Tier Lunar Gold Body. Normally, it's weaker than Chen Xuan's Gold Body. But with this technique activated, his temporary state reaches Fourth-Tier Solar Body—surpassing Chen Xuan completely."
"Getting close to You Yitian is like approaching a low-tier Solar Star."
"For Minor Divine Ability Realm cultivators, getting within one billion kilometers of him means needing at least ten times the speed of light to escape."
"He has no established Dao Field, but he doesn't even need one."
Body as small as a grain of rice, light as bright as a sun—Grand Divine Ability Martial Art: Grain-Sized Chaos Technique!
Against this strange mushroom forest, You Yitian had to reveal his trump card!
"Now it actually feels peaceful. I don't sense any vibrations at all." Zhao Xing noted internally.
Within just three seconds, his mirror image was completely shattered, breaking apart inch by inch.
As the mirror image dissipated, the surrounding mushrooms also froze mid-explosion, then vanished entirely.
"Phew~"
You Yitian returned to his normal size, his face flushed red, before quickly turning ashen gray.
His internal Yin-Yang balance had temporarily collapsed, but he quickly spat out a physician, coordinating with them to start adjustments.
"Half of my blood essence is gone, and I was poisoned too."
"What kind of toxin is this? Brother Wang, I've never seen anything like it."
"Me neither, this is beyond bizarre."
"How should we deal with it?"
"Just cut it off. He's a Qi Sect martial artist—his regeneration is fast anyway."
"Why not try using the Origin Blood Needle first?"
"That could work."
The two physicians quickly formulated a treatment plan.
Seven days later, You Yitian finally expelled all the residual toxins and internal injuries.
It wasn't entirely Zhao Xing's fault—rather, his previous injuries had accumulated and only fully erupted at Zhao Xing's checkpoint.
"I lost sixty percent of my blood essence and got poisoned—just who the hell is Zhao Xing?!"
As You Yitian looked at Zhao Xing's guilt-ridden expression, he couldn't help but feel curious.
"Brother You, I sincerely apologize." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in apology.
"No worries, no worries." You Yitian waved it off. "Honestly, it was my fault for not asking about Brother Zhao's background beforehand."
Originally, he had intended for Zhao Xing to just lie low—he never even considered having him put in real effort.
He had overheard Lord Prefecture Master Du Yun telling Guest Supervisor Du Wen:
"Zhao Xing is my guest. Make sure to take good care of him."
You Yitian wasn't blind—why would he make Zhao Xing do any heavy lifting?
"I didn't get beaten up by any other teammates, but I sure got wrecked by Brother Zhao's mirror image."
"Hahaha, what an experience!"
You Yitian laughed heartily, his voice booming.
Hearing this, Zhao Xing smiled as well.
Anyone who called You Yitian dumb—Zhao Xing would never agree with them!
Blaming someone or getting angry after the fact was pointless. Instead, taking a broader perspective and using the situation to praise oneself could actually bring people closer.
You Yitian was truly a hidden genius beneath his carefree demeanor!
"As long as Brother You doesn't hold a grudge against me, that's all that matters."
"How could I?" You Yitian waved his hand indifferently, then suddenly transmitted a message in a low voice. "Brother Zhao, you're from the Demonic Path branch of Shennong, right? Don't worry, I'll issue a gag order for you. No one will spread it around."
"I…" Zhao Xing opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing, only cupping his hands in gratitude.
The label of madness was stuck on him for good. The impression left by his mutated mushrooms was too strong. In a way, You Yitian wasn't wrong.
"True practitioners of the Demonic Path completely merge their consciousness with plant-based troops, reversing the master-servant relationship and devoting themselves to serving plant life. That is true madness." Zhao Xing thought to himself.
—
After defeating Zhao Xing's mirror image, they finally reached the end of the third trial.
An ancient academy appeared before them.
Built along the mountains, surrounded by flowing rivers, it was nestled among rare flowers and exotic plants. Birds and beasts moved about in the sky and on the ground, their figures flickering in and out of sight.
"Splash—"
As they approached a great river, the water suddenly arched upward, and a Divine Fire Turtle emerged from below.
It spoke in a human voice, "You have all passed the trials left by my master. You may now enter the Dao Academy to seek your fated opportunities."
"Step onto my back, and I shall carry you across the Heavy Water River."
The Divine Fire Turtle swept its gaze across the group, making You Yitian's heart tighten.
This was a true Divine Fire Turtle. Whether it was a scholar or a mechanist, none could see through its nature.
They had no idea whether it was a puppet construct or a living beast of the demon race.
"Should we go?" You Yitian asked for the group's opinion.
"The Divine Fire Turtle is a national treasure of the Moonfall Ancient Kingdom, a sacred beast. There shouldn't be any further trials at this point."
"Exactly. Out of respect for a national treasure, they wouldn't use its image for deception."
Du Qing and Peng Yuan both gave their assessment.
"Then let's go."
Zhao Xing had seen this great turtle in his past life. It was later tamed and remained stationed at the Heavy Water River, ferrying visitors across.
At this moment, his system panel activated, because this was a living creature rather than a magical construct, allowing it to be analyzed.
[Divine Fire Turtle]
[Life and Death Dao Domain Realm]
[Age: 993 Eras]
[Remaining Lifespan: 7 Eras]
…
[Innate Grand Divine Ability: Millennial Turtle Essence]
[Innate Grand Divine Ability: Divine Fire Escape Realm]
"It has lived for nearly one thousand Eras…" Zhao Xing marveled. "The longevity of the turtle race is truly astonishing."
For humans, at the Origin Realm, the third stage's maximum lifespan was only three Eras, and most didn't even live that long.
At the Dao Domain Realm, those who comprehended the Great Dao of Life and Death had a normal lifespan of about ten Eras, with an upper limit of twenty Eras.
At the Reincarnation Realm, each life cycle lasted one hundred Eras, but reincarnation itself was unpredictable. Success was never guaranteed, making it a different kind of longevity.
Legend had it that the Godhood Realm granted true eternal life.
This Divine Fire Turtle, despite being at the Life and Death Dao Domain Realm, could live for a thousand Eras thanks to its innate divine abilities—a feat far beyond what humans could achieve.
However, it was nearing its limit. In just seven more Eras, it would succumb to old age.
—
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—"
One by one, everyone leaped onto the turtle's back.
When it was Zhao Xing's turn, the Divine Fire Turtle gave him an extra glance.
Zhao Xing felt a little guilty.
But he was overthinking it. The reason was simple—he had cultivated the Divine Fire Turtle Transformation technique and was in a latent transformation state.
To the old turtle, it looked like Zhao Xing was part human, part turtle, so it instinctively took a second look.
"Splash—"
The Heavy Water River was incredibly dense, with droplets as heavy as stars. Yet, the old turtle swam effortlessly, its speed astonishingly fast.
It erected a protective barrier around the group, shielding them from the crushing effects of the Heavy Water River.
Scholar Du Qing attempted to strike up a conversation.
"Respected Divine Fire Turtle, do you have any guidance for us?"
Du Qing was just like a gamer looking for side quests, unwilling to let any opportunity slip by.
"None," the Divine Fire Turtle responded. "You are all citizens of the Moonfall Kingdom. Seek your own fated opportunities."
With that, Du Qing and Peng Yuan had no choice but to drop it.
The journey continued in silence.
After half a day, they neared the other side of the river.
Just as they were about to step onto shore, Zhao Xing's brows twitched—the Divine Fire Turtle had suddenly transmitted a message to him!
"Are you an innate human body or an innate turtle body?"
Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly calmed himself. "Senior, I am an innate turtle body."
"It is difficult for our kind to take human form. Have you cultivated the Shennong Dao and become a Shennong Officer in the ancient kingdom?"
"Senior has keen eyes. I am indeed a Shennong Officer."
"My master left behind a 'Spirit Realm' in the back mountain. Within it grows a royal-grade[Thousand Illusion Tree]. You may enter and see if it acknowledges you. Whether you succeed depends on fate."
"If you do succeed, bring it to see me."
Zhao Xing was momentarily stunned. He had never heard of this before.
"Senior, is the[Thousand Illusion Tree]from your era?"
"Yes, it is an old friend of mine. But I do not know its current state, for I have been confined here and cannot visit it."
"Thank you for informing me, Senior."
The river crossing was complete. Zhao Xing followed the group ashore, bowing in gratitude to the Divine Fire Turtle.
The Divine Fire Turtle gave a silent nod before sinking back into the river.
—
Once it disappeared beneath the surface, Zhao Xing's excitement surged.
"A royal-grade Thousand Illusion Tree! Cultivating the Divine Fire Turtle Transformation actually led to such an unexpected benefit?!"
"But I have no idea how long the tree has lived. Compared to the old turtle, its lifespan should be shorter. I wonder what state it's in now."
A royal-grade plant-based troop could naturally grow to the Life and Death Dao Domain Realm and even had a chance of reaching the Reincarnation Realm!
Meanwhile, an emperor-grade plant was guaranteed to reach the Reincarnation Realm!
Zhao Xing had never even heard of such a high-level troop existing here. This was an absolute jackpot!
"Scholars really do have deep foundations. This is an incredible surprise."
"A tree that was able to befriend the old turtle… It's definitely not in its youth or growth phase. If I can take it with me, I won't even have to cultivate it myself!"