Primordial Ocean, East Coast.
Zhao Xing was carried ashore by the waves.
After leaping onto land, he turned back and cupped his hands toward the tidefront. "Many thanks for the ride, Daoist Lance."
"Until we meet again."
"Until we meet again."
Swish~
Zhao Xing vanished into the sea entry portal reserved exclusively for Coral-ranked members.
"I hope we really do meet again," Lance smiled. Now at the peak of the Life-and-Death Dao Domain Realm, he was already a Coral Ninth-Level member.
To step into the Reincarnation Realm, one had to truly comprehend life and death. But how easy was that?
Lance had stayed in the Primordial Ocean for three hundred thousand years, hoping to borrow a bit of courage from the boundless sea, but even now, he still didn't dare take that step.
"The closer one gets… the more reverent they become."
A barely audible sigh scattered with the tide.
Emerging from Instant Bloom and passing through the Thousand-Star Vine, Zhao Xing walked the road in a cheerful mood.
"At the Origin Realm level, if one can last ten breaths at the one million li point in the Primordial Ocean, it means they already possess an aspect of the Life-and-Death Dao Domain Realm's capabilities."
"As long as you can achieve that, your points are immediately topped up to one hundred million and two hundred twenty thousand, directly qualifying you as a Coral First-Level member."
"This rule was made specifically for geniuses among geniuses."
"If you wait until after reaching the Dao Domain Realm to attempt it, you'll still receive points according to the standard progression. Even reaching one million li would only net you a bit over nine million points. You'd still have to keep pushing forward."
An Origin Realm cultivator reaching the one million li mark and a Dao Domain cultivator doing the same were two completely different concepts. The former had a far greater future ceiling!
"That Primordial Assembly from 1,775 years ago… many of those members have already entered the Dao Domain Realm," Zhao Xing glanced at his Star Mirror. "They've already reached the end of the Origin Realm path. Even if they linger, their foundation won't deepen much more."
"People like Han Chuchen and Daoist Miaosong have already stepped into the Dao Domain Realm, giving birth to true mana and transforming their Dao Fields into Dao Domains."
"They've reached their limits. It's time I figured out mine too—break through into the Dao Domain Realm early and seize the advantage of the next version update."
"Let's spend this over one hundred million points first. Step one: fix the lingering issues in my soul."
Haizao City, Treasure Exchange Hall.
Naina had already been waiting outside the private VIP reception room.
"Lord Zhao, congratulations on becoming a respected Coral-ranked member."
Seeing the curvy figure of Naina, Zhao Xing smiled, "You're not doing bad either, Naina. After more than a thousand years, you're nearly at the Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm."
"Thank you for the praise, my lord. You're the sun and moon—I'm merely a flickering firefly," Naina replied respectfully. "Please, take a seat."
As she laid on the compliments, she ushered Zhao Xing into the lounge and invited him to sit. "Now that you've become a Coral-ranked member, your residence will also be relocated. You'll no longer reside in Haizao City, but instead be moved to Coral City, which is built at the first still layer of the Dao-Manifestation Layer and has a far higher spiritual qi index."
"Additionally, your accompanying personnel will also be changed—unless you specifically request to retain someone—"
Naina began to outline the new benefits and privileges.
Haizao City and Haicao City were only temporary dwellings. Members could only stay there for two thousand years at most. At best, they were just tenants.
Upon becoming Coral-ranked, one could move into Coral City, owning real estate and estates. Only then would they be considered true proprietors.
Otherwise, they were just passing visitors in the Primordial Realm.
The Star Mirror also underwent another upgrade, with permissions rising accordingly.
Zhao Xing even discovered that the new Star Mirror now included options like [Sparks Unit], [Imperial Military Department], and [Red Star Borderlands].
"Starting now, I'm finally a real part of the Primordial Realm—finally have a foothold," Zhao Xing murmured.
True members of the Primordial Realm had direct access to all of the Empire's core institutions—like Sparks, the borderlands, and the military.
Previously, if Zhao Xing wanted to contact Sparks, he'd have to first send a clone out of the Primordial Realm, then rely on personal connections. Now, he could connect directly.
These permissions were meant to foster a sense of ownership among Coral-ranked members, boosting their sense of belonging.
"My lord, here are two storage rings. One contains the standard welfare package for Coral-ranked members, and the other contains the treasures you ordered."
"Mm."
Zhao Xing opened the smaller ring first.
Inside were a few pills, seven identity seals, and twenty-four one-click deployment formations.
Some were keys to open specific safehouses, others were emergency rescue orders. In extreme scenarios where the Star Mirror was blocked, these items could save one's life.
This matched what Zhao Xing remembered from his previous life, so he gave it only a cursory glance before setting it aside.
The second ring contained the items he had personally purchased with over one hundred million points.
The primary goal: repairing the lingering trauma to his soul.
"Last time, to pass Zuo Qiyu's checkpoint, I downed five hundred Soul Spirit Pills in one go. It pushed my soul to the Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm, but it also left some side effects."
"These three Soul-Cleansing Jades, and two 'Rice Soul Worms' should be enough," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
"Next is the materials needed for cultivating the Hunyuan Diagram—the Five Element Source Stones, Yin-Yang Stones, and an Intermediate Boundary-Setting Tower."
The Hunyuan cultivation method was the biggest resource sink. The limit of his Origin Space determined the ceiling for his troop-spamming strategy.
"I need to go into closed-door cultivation."
With a wave of his hand, Zhao Xing dismissed Naina, who immediately took her leave.
Inside the cultivation chamber, three palm-sized Soul-Cleansing Jades, their color a deep shade of purple, floated silently around Zhao Xing.
Three pieces of Soul-Cleansing Jade glowed softly, their rays piercing straight into Zhao Xing's soul.
Warm. Comforting.
The swelling and strange bubbles lingering within his soul all began to ease.
"Next up are the Rice Soul Worms."
He opened the two silver metal boxes. Inside, two grain-sized worms burst out and instantly drilled into Zhao Xing's skull.
These Rice Soul Worms weren't actual lifeforms but rather medical-type Dao Soldiers crafted by the Mechanist sub-profession known as Mechanist Physicians.
The two worms, under the illumination of the purple glow, dove into his Sea of Consciousness.
They rapidly split—one into two, two into four—and in the blink of an eye, a hundred thousand of them filled the space.
They swarmed toward his Life Soul.
"The aftereffects of soul overexertion are actually centered on the Life Soul. The other two souls only appear weak because the Life Soul is damaged."
Zhao Xing remained perfectly still, watching with open eyes as the wave of Rice Soul Worms surged toward him.
He was about to witness a highly organized, shockingly efficient "defense of health" battle unfold.
Masses of Rice Soul Worms burrowed into his soul body, slicing apart and devouring the cysts and swelling. They also yanked out parasitic soul-worms—nearly invisible yet undeniably real.
The entire procedure took only two and a half months. Aside from a bit of itchiness, there was almost no discomfort at all.
Once the treatment ended, the purple light guided the Rice Soul Worms back out.
Plop~
Both worms had grown to four or five times their original size and returned to their silver boxes. Once the lids closed, a flash of intense fire and light erupted inside.
When it faded, only ashes remained.
"Ahh… that's better."
Zhao Xing stretched his limbs, then turned his gaze inward to inspect his Sea of Consciousness again.
His soul body was now glowing with a clean, rounded brilliance, solemn and divine, fully restored to its former vigor.
"The Empire really is incredible. No wonder it's home to Mechanists who've reached the Godhood Realm."
In many ancient nations, devouring five hundred Soul Spirit Pills in one go would be deemed a severe and complicated soul disorder.
But here in the Primordial Realm of the Empire, Zhao Xing hadn't even needed to consult a physician.
It saved him from the risk of someone snooping into his soul.
"Still… that was expensive."
"Out of over one hundred million points, sixty million went just to repair the soul. The other forty million went into techniques. And now it's all gone."
"This much resource wouldn't even fill the gap between my teeth." Zhao Xing clapped his hands, pulled up his Star Mirror, and accepted over a thousand missions in one breath.
"Time to send out the Void Straw Puppet for a major point sweep."
The 1,775th year since entering the Primordial Realm, month of July.
Zhao Xing dispatched his Void Straw Puppet and began a full sweep through the listed point-earning missions across the Primordial Realm.
"Wind and Thunder Canyon. It's a fusion of the Wind Path and Thunder Path. The canyon's only ten thousand li long. Every li traveled earns one hundred points. That's just a total of one million points—but hey, even mosquito meat is still meat."
"Hmm? There's also a record reward? If I break the clearance time and enter the current top ten rankings, I'll get a multiplier bonus. And if I set a new record for first place, I'll get a tenfold bonus—ten million points."
"Now that's more like it."
The Void Straw Puppet stood at the entrance of Wind and Thunder Canyon, looking at the stone tablet at the mouth of the valley. It listed only ten names.
"First place: Tuo Sen—three quarters and two breaths."
"Second: Pu Tianrui—three quarters and eight breaths."
"Third: Wu Yanlin—three quarters and twelve breaths."
"Fourth: A Heavenly Timing School Shennong named Fang Hongyu—three quarters and nineteen breaths."
"Fifth: Fairy Youling."
"Sixth: Han Qianye."
"Seventh: Daoist Miaosong."
"Eighth: Su Jiudao."
"Ninth: Wei Lan."
"Tenth: Carlos."
"The top five all cleared it in under four quarters. The bottom five went slightly over—but the differences aren't that big."
Zhao Xing gave the mental command, and the Void Straw Puppet began its first attempt.
Boom~
Thunder exploded across flat ground.
The moment it entered the canyon, continuous lightning bolts lashed toward the Void Straw Puppet.
Its body flickered as it darted forward, and the cascade of thunder slammed into the air behind it.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh~
The Void Puppet moved swiftly, its doppelgangers weaving through the air.
"Compared to the comprehensive trial of the Primordial Ocean, Wind and Thunder Canyon is purely a magical assault trial. Two grand formations enshroud the canyon, and their power ramps up the further you go."
"If you get struck by a single lightning bolt or hit by a gust of gale-force wind, you'll be thrown into a loop and have your progress stalled."
"Hiding underground won't help either. The undercurrents of Yin Wind and Yin Thunder are just as intense."
The entire Wind and Thunder Canyon could be seen as an intricately designed Yin-Yang Wind-Thunder Formation.
A ten thousand li journey—under normal circumstances, it wouldn't even take a blink to travel.
But now Zhao Xing's movement slowed noticeably, because the Wind and Thunder Daos constantly interfered with the Void Straw Puppet's control over the Dao of the Void.
They couldn't knock him down—but they sure could slow him down.
In the end, Zhao Xing's first completion time stopped at three quarters and sixteen breaths.
Zhao Xing stood amidst the whirling arcs of electricity sparking off the shoulder of his straw puppet.
Several areas were charred and scorched.
"Two quarters and fifteen breaths," Zhao Xing patted off the flickering arcs with satisfaction. "That's ten million points earned. Only shame is... not a no-damage clear."
In the first two runs, he focused on completing it flawlessly, so the pace was naturally slower.
This last time, he didn't even bother dodging—just went all out for speed. That naturally made it much faster.
"My Void Straw Puppet is still made from practice-grade materials. There's still room to improve. But even so, I've already beaten Tuo Sen's five-hundred-year-old record."
"I wonder… between us now, who's stronger?"
Zhao Xing saw his name listed above Tuo Sen's on the stone stele, then casually brushed it aside and headed off to the next area to keep harvesting points.
The moment he left, a large crowd appeared outside Wind and Thunder Gorge.
"Is Zhao Xing here? Coral-ranked member Haibo seeks guidance!"
"Mushroom King, how about a glorious battle with me, Hong Yue?"
"Daoist Zhao, why won't you respond to challenge invites through the Star Mirror?"
So many people had gathered that even Shi Qianye and Daoist Miaosong didn't get the chance to speak—they were quickly drowned out by others.
"Looks like we're all here for the same reason." The two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but shake their heads with bitter smiles.
There were plenty of strong contenders here, including old Coral Seventh and Eighth-Level Dao Domain cultivators. Whether they'd even get a turn was uncertain.
But after scanning the area, they realized Zhao Xing wasn't anywhere to be found in Wind and Thunder Gorge. Only his name remained etched on the stone stele—along with that striking record: two quarters and fifteen breaths.
Primordial Realm, Layered Boundary Mountain.
"Layered Boundary Mountain is one of the most unique natural landscapes in the universe—its peaks stacked in layers within the void," Zhao Xing stood on a large green vine leaf, gazing into the distance.
Standing from the outside, he could see both the outer and inner layers of the peaks, from both a macro and micro perspective.
The reason for this was simple: Layered Boundary Mountains often pierced through multiple layers of the void.
If it pierced through the Manifestation Layer, the Dao Manifestation Layer, and the Ancient Dao Layer, it was called a "Triple-Layered Boundary Mountain."
This mountain before him was just that—a textbook example of a Triple-Layered Boundary Mountain.
The related task here was called the "Mountain Relocation Task."
"The more mountain stones you excavate from the Layered Boundary Mountain within the allotted time, the more points you earn," Zhao Xing looked at the mission description and smiled faintly.
"Well then, even the Primordial Realm is copying ideas now. This is clearly taken straight from the Primordial Hill's training exercises."
Excavating a complete Triple-Layered Boundary Mountain was incredibly difficult.
This was because the Layered Boundary Mountains constantly shifted their void essence, continuously forming new mountain stone layers.
The Five Venom Emperor had once complained about this. He said that the Grand Disciple of Emperor Hongshan from Primordial Hill, a cultivator named Yanwu, had spent over three hundred years excavating a single Triple-Layered Boundary Mountain.
Even that was already considered quite impressive, yet it still failed to meet the expectations of the upper echelon.
"If Foolish Old Man Moves the Mountain relied on infinite descendants… then what do you do when the mountain itself is infinite?" Zhao Xing muttered under his breath, then dove straight into the Triple-Layered Boundary Mountain without hesitation.