The Void Straw Puppet took a single step forward and instantly appeared a hundred meters away from the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain. Zhao Xing began searching for protruding rocks.
"Excavation missions for the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain say you can dig anywhere. The more boundary mountain stones you excavate within the time limit, the more points you earn."
"But for most Dao Domain cultivators, the only spots they can actually work on are the protruding corners of the mountain."
"Everywhere else is completely fused, the boundary mountain stones have merged with the void for countless years. Totally impossible to dig through."
"Only the parts that jut out still hold some hope."
Zhao Xing searched carefully. He didn't land on the mountain directly—once he did, the timer would begin.
"Hm?"
His light projection swept past a figure.
It was an elderly man in an earthy-yellow robe, with five faint earth veins coiled around him like colored ribbons. He was standing before a smooth cliff wall at the mountain's base, shaking his head with a sigh.
"The peak has no edges. That's because the void and the mountain body have completely fused. Even after a few lifetimes of reincarnation, it might still be impossible to finish digging..."
"…Even with the help of the Treasure Hoe, I still couldn't complete it. I've really embarrassed my master."
Snippets of muttering drifted into the Void Straw Puppet's ears.
Zhao Xing felt that back silhouette looked familiar. "That's a Primordial Hill uniform… could that be Emperor Hongshan's eldest disciple—Tao Yangzi?"
"This guy's not even going for the mountain edges, but staring at the completely fused cliff wall like he's thinking through some method. Clearly not an ordinary Earth Element Shennong."
"The straw puppet can't access interface panels, so I can't confirm if it's him."
Zhao Xing had a strong hunch this was likely the very same Tao Yangzi that the Five Venom Emperor had mocked.
"Tao Yangzi had the resources to command great manpower and supplies. I even used to call him Senior Brother in my past life..." Zhao Xing grew nostalgic.
Unfortunately, that back figure appeared in his vision for only a brief moment, then vanished completely, his voice gone as well.
"Forget it. Focus on the task at hand."
After searching for two hours, Zhao Xing soon locked onto the area he would work on—a sharp corner of the mountain, stretching a thousand li long, skewering through two layers of void like a sewing needle.
"You're the one."
The Void Straw Puppet moved in close. As soon as it touched the barrier, the timer began.
"Five Finger Mountain!"
The Void Straw Puppet raised its hand and launched an attack. The powerful divine ability, Five Finger Mountain, reached out toward the mountain's edge.
The five fingers, thick as mountain pillars, grabbed the thinnest tip of the edge and began applying pressure, trying to snap it off.
Boom boom boom!
The edge began to bend and twist. The distortion triggered tremors in the surrounding void, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
After ten breaths of time, it had already bent more than ten degrees.
The noise was loud, but the mountain's edge still wouldn't snap.
Only fragments and chips fell away, some of which were boundary mountain stones.
"Not great results," Zhao Xing muttered. "It's still not enough to snap it."
The Void Straw Puppet, using the Five Finger Mountain divine ability at the fifth-grade level, could crush even Yin-type Dao Soldiers.
Yet a thousand-li mountain edge from the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain still couldn't be broken.
"The void energy keeps repairing the boundary mountain edge endlessly. Its toughness is just too much. I need to think of another way."
Zhao Xing observed closely, then continued applying pressure.
"Bigger, bigger, bigger!"
The Void Straw Puppet rapidly expanded in size, while absorbing surrounding void energy to increase its own mass.
On one hand, this slowed the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain's self-repair. On the other, it boosted the puppet's own weight, increasing brute force.
The combination of Five Finger Mountain with the puppet's enhanced mass pushed against the thousand-li mountain edge with overwhelming force.
Fifteen days later.
Boom.
The mountain edge finally snapped and shattered completely.
Whoosh—
With a flip of his hand, Zhao Xing stowed the broken segment away.
One month later, Zhao Xing had harvested two mountain edges, each a thousand li in length.
At that moment, he received a notification from the Primordial Realm.
[Coral-rank member Zhao Xing, you have completed the excavation task for the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain.]
[Within the allotted one-month period, you have collected two mountain edges, each a thousand li in length, totaling the equivalent of 12,540,000 boundary mountain stones.]
[You've earned 12,540,000 points. You have not entered the leaderboard rankings.]
"Twelve million five hundred forty thousand points." Zhao Xing was a little surprised. "Even with that, I didn't make it into the leaderboard?"
The leaderboard for the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain, like Wind and Thunder Gorge, was used to rank the current cohort of members.
He didn't even crack the top ten? Just how many stones did those in the top ten dig out in a single month?
He opened the ranking board.
[First place: Li Chuan, 54,160,000 stones.]
[Second place: Wan Qinghan, 42,250,000 stones.]
[Third place: Daoist Qianchi, 40,120,000 stones.]
[Fourth place: Lan Yue, 38,500,000 stones.]
[Ninth place: Pu Tianrui, 35,010,000 stones.]
[Tenth place: Wu Yanlin, 32,100,000 stones.]
"Among the top ten, only Pu Tianrui and Wu Yanlin are Self School Shennong, and even then, they're just barely hanging on at the bottom."
"As for Tuo Sen, who's always been dominant, he didn't even make it onto the list. The rest are all Earth School Shennong, many with auxiliary combat specialties as well." Zhao Xing glanced through the rankings.
"Each school has its own strengths. When it comes to breaking mountains and digging stones, Earth School folks are clearly more professional."
If it weren't for his Five Finger Mountain divine ability, and the brute force of the Void Straw Puppet, there was no way he could've snapped a thousand-li mountain edge.
Truth be told, there wasn't much technique involved—just pure brute strength.
Although he managed to break off a piece of the mountain, it drained a huge amount of spiritual energy from the Void Straw Puppet.
Speaking of task efficiency, he was naturally no match for Earth School Shennong who mastered Earth Palace Laws, Earth Splitting Laws, Mountain Opening Laws, or Spiritual Mountain Laws.
"Using brute force alone, I could only snap off a thousand-li mountain edge, and it cost too much time and energy. It's just not worth it," Zhao Xing analyzed to himself. "After all, Five Finger Mountain is a mountain-type divine ability, not an earth-splitting one."
"In terms of efficiency, going for a hundred-li mountain edge might be a better choice."
"Let's see if I can get on the leaderboard with that."
Zhao Xing didn't obsess over ranking too high. After all, the Void Straw Puppet wasn't meant for tasks like this.
He hadn't even started his dual cultivation path yet. From the Earth School, he only knew one divine ability—Five Finger Mountain—and from the Heavenly Timing School, he didn't know any divine abilities at all.
It was perfectly normal that he couldn't compare to full-fledged Earth School Shennong.
He planned to give it one more shot. Whether it worked or not, he would move on to the next place to sweep up points.
"Five Finger Mountain!"
After resetting the count, Zhao Xing headed straight for a hundred-li long mountain edge.
Compared to the thousand-li ones, these were much more manageable.
In less than half a day, he had already collected one.
Time passed. One month later—
Boom!
Another hundred-li long mountain edge snapped cleanly and was collected by Zhao Xing.
Time was up, and soon a message popped up on his Star Mirror from the Primordial Realm.
[Coral-rank member Zhao Xing, you have entered the record leaderboard at rank 7, and earned an extra 25,080,000 points.]
"Seventh place? That's not bad. And I just got another 25,080,000 points in the bag."
"My Void Straw Puppet has done all it could, but there's still a big gap from the top ranks. Time to go. Off to the next location."
He had already given it his all, but couldn't push further. There was no need to waste time here anymore.
Zhao Xing had always been clear about his cultivation path—he wasn't someone who would get carried away and suddenly switch directions just to learn some new Earth School technique.
"If I really want to learn Earth School methods, the best option is to find someone from Primordial Hill to teach me."
"First option is to master the first level of the 'Extreme Land'. Even though I've joined the Primordial Realm, the Empire and Primordial Hill maintain good relations. Once I complete 'Extreme Land', I can apply to go to Primordial Hill as an 'exchange student.'"
"Second option is to work some connections. If Emperor Hongshan himself comes, that'd be perfect—I can ask him directly for guidance. He definitely remembers me, and he's always been a kind person. He'd probably agree to teach me."
Forming plans in his mind, Zhao Xing vanished from the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain area.
"He went to the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain?" Han Qianye had just arrived but was a step too late. "And he casually broke a record while he was at it?"
"Tsk, is the Void Straw Puppet really that powerful?"
"He does have a divine ability related to mountains," Daoist Miaosong commented. "It probably wasn't just the puppet's strength alone."
"But that's the Tri-Layered Boundary Mountain—it pierces through three layers of the void. If it weren't the Void Straw Puppet, what other puppet could possibly use divine abilities in a place like that?" Han Qianye refuted. "That's just wishful thinking!"
Han Qianye recalled the time they had entered the City of Primordial Beginning together with Zhao Xing and felt a bit of regret. "Why didn't we hold out a bit longer back then?"
Daoist Miaosong said, "Back then, there was no hope in sight. Only Zhao Xing kept pushing through the Golden Core stage for a thousand years. His obsession and love for Straw Puppet Arts far surpassed everyone else. It makes sense that he'd be the one to master this method."
The Void Straw Puppet was making rapid progress, moving from trial to trial at lightning speed.
On the overall points leaderboard, his rank kept jumping upward.
Back when he entered the Primordial Realm in the year 1775, Zhao Xing's progress was sluggish. He was only at Coral Rank, Stage Seven. Among all the young geniuses, his speed was totally average, barely scraping the bottom of the ranks.
But after he mastered the Void Straw Puppet, it took him only a few days to advance to Coral Rank, Stage One.
After that, he began sweeping through challenges across the Primordial Realm.
By the time it was the year 1776, Zhao Xing's points started skyrocketing like a rocket.
Three months later, Coral Rank, Stage Two.
Four months later, Coral Rank, Stage Three.
One year later, Zhao Xing had already advanced to Coral Rank, Stage Five.
Back when the Primordial Realm first recruited over 18,000 Shennong from the three schools, only seven of them had reached Coral Rank, Stage Five.
And Zhao Xing's points had surpassed Tuo Sen by more than 500 million, putting him at the very top of the Shennong occupation ranking.
Boom—
The Shennong across the Primordial Realm exploded with excitement.
"He did it! He actually made it to first place!"
"Watched him climb the ranks step by step and reach the top—it's like defying the heavens!"
"Those bonus points all came from passing the checkpoints the Primordial Realm set up. Being number one on the leaderboard practically makes him the number one Shennong of this batch!"
"Primordial Realm's Six Holy Sons? I say there's only one real Holy Son now, and that's Zhao Xing!"
"Climbing to the top in a year, understanding the secrets of every checkpoint in the Primordial Realm—no wonder he was accepted as a disciple by Gu Luohe!"
"Hmph, this guy's luck is just way too good. He hogged all the benefits. He'll probably become everyone's target!"
"There are tons of people trying to surround and challenge Zhao Xing now. Who knows if he'll actually accept any of them or just quietly go back to cultivating?"
"No idea. The people sending challenge letters aren't just this batch of Shennong—lots of other professions are jumping in just for the excitement."
"There's no escaping it. Too many people want to see the Void Straw Puppet in action—"
[World-Star Annihilation], Third Trial.
Flaming meteorites smashed into a top-tier star continent.
Boom!
The oceans were instantly vaporized. It was like some kind of signal—as if triggered, the entire star continent began boiling over.
The aura of destruction swept across part of the continent.
A flickering speck of light, no bigger than a grain of rice, was instantly teleported away.
[Trial Failed: World-Star Annihilation, Third Trial. No points awarded this time.]
Inside the cultivation chamber, Zhao Xing's true body opened his eyes.
"Failed again. That was the Void Straw Puppet's forty-eighth attempt, and still it couldn't get past the third trial of World-Star Annihilation."
"It's said that World-Star Annihilation has 108,000 manifestations of Dao to represent the Destruction Stage of the Great Dao."
"The Void Straw Puppet can't even pass the third trial."
Zhao Xing understood now. His grand point sweep had reached its conclusion.
As he went through the trials, he had already explored every aspect of the Void Straw Puppet in detail.
Now that he knew its limits, there was no point in wasting time on fruitless efforts.
"Point sweep—over."
The Void Straw Puppet dispersed instantly. Zhao Xing decisively gave up on this puppet avatar.
"For over a year now, I've been hounded by countless people—all of them wanting to challenge me in duels."
"Most just wanted to see the Void Straw Puppet in action. A few hoped to make a name for themselves by defeating me."
"After all, I've gotten a lot more famous this past year."
Zhao Xing chuckled to himself.
"Want to witness the Void Straw Puppet? No one gets to see it!"
"If I agree to one match, there'll be an endless line afterward."
"Think you can step on me to rise up? Idiots. Wasting your precious cultivation time just for some vanity."
He opened his Star Mirror. Countless messages poured in like a tidal wave. Zhao Xing cursed under his breath as he scrolled, full of disdain.
"I've already wrapped up my point sweep. I've got 3.7 billion points now. Like I've got time to play games with you people."
"Challenge duels to gamble for points? How much do you even have?"
To handle it all, Zhao Xing activated a blanket auto-reply:
All challenges will be refused. If you want to see the Void Straw Puppet, go consult the Primordial Envoy, Elder Zuo Qiyu!
"'All challenges will be refused. If you want to see the Void Straw Puppet, go consult the Primordial Envoy, Elder Zuo Qiyu'?"
At the Primordial Divine Tree in Thousand Star City, Du Yun read aloud a message on his Star Mirror.
"Looks like he didn't even read my message. Just gave the standard auto-reply."
"Du Yun, maybe your name isn't big enough yet?" The mechanist Zhan Ze teased from beside him. "Zhao Xing's basically the number one Holy Son of the Primordial Realm now. And he's even mastered the legendary Void Straw Puppet."
"Zhao Xing's not that kind of person." Du Yun smiled. "This isn't about face. Even if I weren't Du Yun of Yellow Sand Mansion, even if I were just a regular nobody—if he saw my message, he'd definitely come meet me."
"Yeah, I've spent some time with him too. Zhao Chen'an's someone with real loyalty." Zhan Ze's body, previously liquid, morphed back into human form. "Last time when we took his order in the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom, I made a nice profit off him. If he agrees to meet, we should definitely catch up."
"Let's handle business first." Du Yun put away his Star Mirror. "I heard it's not just my people from Origin Heaven Palace here. Folks from Primordial Hill, Reincarnation Divine Palace, the Ancient Kingdom Alliance of the Barren Domain, and Academy City have all arrived."
"The development of the Sihua Barren Domain is a big deal. I wonder how the upper council will decide on it." Zhan Ze also stood up. "My teacher said there's a proposal to let the young elites of each faction battle to determine how the territory gets split. If that passes, things will be much simpler. Du Yun, you alone could sweep the entire field of geniuses."