In the Tianguan Star System, a warm palace echoed with clear voices reciting texts. A young man wearing a Grand Historian's crown stood on the platform, looking refined and gentle. Rivers of historical records flowed around the great hall, and countless ancient characters floated above a miniature bronze gate.
Next to him stood many Emperors, and below them were countless cultivators at the Dao Domain Realm.
"Using history as a mirror sharpens your mind; using people as a mirror teaches gains and losses."
"The natural disasters in the Chaotic Sea didn't come from nowhere—they were triggered by evil gods. You must read our empire's history books often and recite them daily. Also, everyone must carry a copy of the Xuanling historical texts at all times."
His voice rolled through the hall like thunder.
"If you ever feel like you've forgotten something or notice something strange around you, read more books and observe those around you."
"But most importantly, you must train your mind and contemplate the Dao diligently."
"Our Tianguan Star is close to the Origin Heaven Palace, but you can't slack off. Continue your cultivation. A Zhe, you will take over the lecture."
Halfway through, Venerable Tianguan stopped and handed teaching duties to his eldest disciple. He then walked to a side hall.
"God General Beihai just sent a secret message—someone is challenging the Earth Core Blood Core trial?" Venerable Tianguan looked at the message on the Star Mirror, his expression turning odd. "Zhao Xing, so it's him—"
Venerable Zhang He had waited 350,000 years for this material, the longest wait of anyone. Venerable Tianguan was second in line, having waited 330,000 years.
For Tianguan, the Earth Core Blood Core was a tool to study a certain historical period in the Virtual Ancestor Reincarnation. By analyzing the geological layers, he could uncover historical information, possibly letting his Chronicle Avatar gain tremendous power.
But Tianguan knew he couldn't get it anytime soon—Zhang He was still ahead of him in line.
If no one succeeded in the challenge, he'd have to wait another 350,000 star-realm years to receive it himself.
Of course, that amount of time wasn't really long for a demigod—just 350 solar years. By then, even the Third Epoch of the Barren Domain wouldn't be a quarter over.
"Zhao Xing created the Zhao Clan's Theory of Earth Changes and Six Treatises on Star Annihilation during his Origin and Dao Domain stages. Both are classic works recorded on the Ten Thousand Dao Tree."
"In the Reincarnation Realm, he even developed the Ancient Path of Star Annihilation."
"He has both mastery of theory and hands-on experience. Who knows how powerful he is now?" Tianguan thought.
He knew Zhao Xing well. Back when historians like him were incorporated by Bowe and unified into a single group, writing on the Dao Tree was the highest honor.
Those who authored books on the Dao Tree gained an invisible advantage: their true souls were resistant to confusion, and their memories remained stable.
This didn't matter under normal circumstances, but in chaotic time-space flows, it became invaluable.
"If he gets the Earth Core Blood Core, I won't mind waiting another 350,000 years," Tianguan thought.
He wasn't jealous—he actually hoped Zhao Xing would get it. Maybe he could even borrow the Earth Core Blood Core through Feng Chen's connections.
On a green star continent, a demon beast with a human head, dragon body, a line of red feathers along its back, and thick, dark-red muscles was cultivating.
Under the crushing weight of heavy earth veins, this demon moved rapidly, enduring pressure 1,000 times stronger than normal.
"Shua shua shua—"
He moved like refracted light, practicing his movement techniques under intense force.
"Beimeng."
Suddenly, the ground split open, revealing a giant beast's eye.
"Master." Beimeng immediately stopped, looking at his god-realm teacher with confusion.
"The First Virtual Ancestor Star System has birthed a new Blood Core, but it will take several hundred years to fully emerge. You have a karmic link there."
"Go retrieve it. Think of it as a test from me."
"If you fail, our teachings end here."
With those words, the earth closed, flinging Beimeng far away.
'I have a karmic link there, and it's also my master's test,' Beimeng thought.
He quickly checked the situation—if he couldn't get the item, he'd lose his chance to continue learning.
"Zhao Xing—him?" Beimeng realized.
He knew the name but wasn't particularly familiar with him. Their only contact had been during the Transmission Tower expedition.
Back then, the Red Star Empire used a "karmic trap" to lure demon emperors into the tower. They got nothing and, after losing the Virtual Ancestor Molting Bone, several demon emperors were badly wounded.
They'd formed an alliance, paid money, entered the Transmission Tower, but left empty-handed. They had to swallow their loss silently, as the alliance hadn't disbanded.
At the time, Zhao Xing was just a small Dao Domain cultivator. None of the demon emperors would have targeted someone so insignificant.
If they wanted revenge, they'd aim at the Origin Heaven Palace or Red Star Empire's top experts. But things were different now.
"Now, this Zhao Xing is finally strong enough to be worth bullying."
"Good. They took the Virtual Ancestor's Molting Bone back then, and now this treasure is also related to the Virtual Ancestor. I'll openly snatch it back."
Beimeng immediately used a special ally teleportation passage to travel to the Origin Heaven Palace.
Just like Zhao Xing once reported Venerable Hujue to earn contribution points, Beimeng also had the qualifications to enter the Origin Heaven Palace for exchanges.
The sky was red, with mist drifting like thin threads.
The temperature kept rising, like being inside a furnace.
After being teleported by God General Beihai, Zhao Xing found himself in this strange space.
"So this is the core of the First Virtual Ancestor Star."
"It's my first time entering such a unique subterranean world," Zhao Xing thought as he looked around curiously.
Normally, the power of the earth veins in the First Virtual Ancestor Star's core should be immense, with crushing pressure. But what Zhao Xing sensed was surprisingly gentle.
In the drifting red mist, floating layers of small soil patches gave off earth vein power that felt no different from ordinary dirt.
"Shua~" Zhao Xing landed on a soil layer with a radius of less than 30 meters. He stuck his hands into the ground and scooped up a handful of soil. The soil was dark red, and each grain of sand trembled ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly without close observation.
"The Virtual Ancestor turned into a star system upon death, essentially 'returning to the source.'"
"But unlike Venerable Bing, who was annihilated by the True Spirit Tribulation and scattered across the universe, the Virtual Ancestor's origin condensed without dispersing, forming the Virtual Ancestor Star System and all its stars."
The Virtual Ancestor's level was incredibly high. Even though he was only in the Reincarnation Realm back then, he later reached God Emperor level. His Dao affected endless timelines, so the Virtual Ancestor Star System always remained mysterious.
For example, despite countless years of humans mining treasures from these stars, new treasures kept appearing without end.
The Earth Core Blood Core was said to originate from a part of the Virtual Ancestor's heart.
"Extreme Land Mustard Seed Domain, open!"
After studying for a while, Zhao Xing activated his Extreme Land Mustard Seed Domain.
"Hummm~"
A large amount of red mist was blown away. Floating rocks and soil fragments started gathering together. His vision cleared up, and his sense of the earth veins grew sharper.
"Amazing. These layers of stones and red mist are woven together, canceling out the powerful earth vein waves, making them seem hidden."
Zhao Xing expanded his domain, pushing aside more stones and sharpening his senses.
"Thump~ thump~"
He heard earth vein pulses like a heartbeat.
"The earth vein is pulsing like a human heart?"
"It's in that direction!"
With a clear sense of direction regardless of the space's shifting nature, Zhao Xing locked onto his target and flew toward it.
In Beihai Palace.
The artifact spirit Chen Jiu and God General Beihai watched Zhao Xing confidently moving forward as they spoke.
"He found it."
"Mmm, finding direction is nothing for a Shennong," God General Beihai nodded. "But whether he can actually get the Earth Core Blood Core depends on whether he can pass the Blood Core Palace that Primordial Hill and my Origin Heaven Palace jointly set up."
The Virtual Ancestor Star System was a shared asset of humanity. Although the Origin Heaven Palace mainly managed it, Primordial Hill, the Academy, the Reincarnation Divine Palace, and the Ancient Kingdom Alliance all had stakes in it.
The Earth Core Blood Core was protected by several layers of defenses.
Among them were Primordial Hill's Life Palace techniques and the Origin Heaven Palace's life formations crafted by the Realm Luo God General.
The Blood Core Palace combined these two superpowers' arts and formations, merged with the terrain of the Virtual Ancestor Star, to both protect and accelerate the core's gestation.
"Chen Jiu, what's your calculation?" God General Beihai asked.
"I can't tell," Chen Jiu shook his head. "This body has only one billionth of the main body's computing power. And after Zhao Xing entered the Reincarnation Realm, he's barely made any moves, so there's very little data in our records."
Since Zhao Xing returned, the only time he fought was against the Carlos family. Other times, he sent his avatars to hunt star pirates and criminals during evil god missions. But he had never used his full power.
Even a Great Yan Divine Weapon needs data for its calculations—it's not like it can magically predict outcomes. It needs references more than Fate Masters do.
"But his Sacred Body has reached level thirteen, and his mastery of Heaven's Timing, Earth's Advantage, and True Self power is perfectly balanced. That's incredibly rare in this era," Chen Jiu observed.
"The chances of passing the Earth Core Blood Core trial are high. But for the Soul Tree Core trial, we'll have to see."
God General Beihai nodded slightly. Though he wasn't a Shennong, he knew that for a Shennong to simultaneously reach demigod level in Heaven's Timing, Earth's Advantage, and True Self in the Barren Domain Epoch was extremely difficult.
Mainly, the Heaven's Timing path was very hard to train. If any one path was missing, there would be no balance.
Most demigod Shennongs ended up abandoning two of the three paths, specializing in one and supplementing with the others. Otherwise, it didn't help with tribulation crossing or godhood—it actually hurt.
Just then, a divine guard walked into Beihai Palace.
"Reporting, Great God Official, Demon Beimeng requests an audience. He's spending 1.6 million contribution points to challenge the Earth Core Blood Core trial."
"Understood, let him in," God General Beihai nodded.
"He couldn't have come earlier or later—right at this moment," Chen Jiu chuckled. "Looks like that demon still remembers the events from back then."
"Beimeng's innate divine ability gives him a very high chance of success," God General Beihai said, reading Beimeng's data. "He picked the perfect timing."
"Beimeng is also a level twelve demigod. After his bloodline awakened an innate divine skill, he gained the power to fight above his level. If he tries to steal it, he might actually succeed."
As usual, God General Beihai sent out a notification to those waiting in line, announcing that the demon Beimeng, a level twelve demigod, was challenging the Earth Core Blood Core trial.
Upon seeing the message, Venerable Zhang He was immediately frustrated.
"Another one?!"
"Why is it so hard just to wait for a Blood Core?"
If Zhao Xing hadn't revealed his combat abilities and was only famous for his theories, then Beimeng was the opposite. Beimeng had shown terrifying combat strength at the end of the Second Epoch of the Barren Domain, destroying many evil god altars. His power was clearly on par with a level fourteen demigod.
"If Zhao Xing succeeds, fine. But please, don't let that demon Beimeng succeed," Zhang He prayed.
Of course, best case: neither succeeds, and he gets his turn.
"Beimeng went in. That demon is definitely doing this on purpose," Venerable Tianguan muttered as he watched the Star Mirror, shaking his head.
"If Beimeng gets it, I won't even have a chance to study it. I don't have any connections with the demon forces."
Tianguan also didn't want Beimeng to win.
Inside the Virtual Ancestor Star's core.
Zhao Xing followed his senses and arrived at the entrance of the Blood Core Palace.
In front of him were countless fragmented earth veins, floating and shifting according to some unknown pattern.
Each one stretched about 800 million kilometers long, with countless tiny soil blocks that had green plants growing on them.
Some sections were carved into square, diamond, or flat shapes, resembling formation bases.
"Yuuuu~"
A swirl of red mist appeared ahead, condensing into a figure—it was a projection of God General Beihai.
"Original Emissary Zhao Xing, what you see now is the Blood Core Palace, crafted jointly by Primordial Hill and Origin Heaven Palace," the projection said. "It has three layers. The outermost is the Eight-Ring Fragmented Vein Layer, with 7.38 billion vein stones, each set with a Sovereign-grade formation."
"When you enter, this fragmented vein layer will exert the peak power of a twelve-stage demigod, continuously crushing your body and tearing at your true spirit."
"The middle layer is the Blood Mist Layer. Once you enter it, it will attack with the power of a thirteen-stage demigod. It's sentient, adapts its formation, and targets your weaknesses."
"The innermost layer, the Blood Core Palace, will be adjusted to the defensive standard of a fourteen-stage demigod's golden body, based on the martial body standards of Qi Sect warriors. If you can break through and grab the Earth Core Blood Core, it will be yours."
After saying this, God General Beihai's projection disappeared.
Zhao Xing cupped his hands respectfully, then shot forward like lightning, charging through the spot where the projection had been.
"Boom~"
As he got close, he noticed the rotating rings of fragmented veins suddenly seemed still.
"They're not actually still. They're moving so fast they've gone beyond what the naked eye can track, making them look frozen," Zhao Xing thought. "This trial truly is at the peak difficulty of a twelve-tribulation demigod."
Without being able to see the rotational paths, there was no way to slip through the gaps. For anyone with only twelve-tribulation power, just looking would be enough to make them give up. Forcing their way through would mean instant destruction.
"I need to slow them down. If I rush it, even with my thirteen-stage Sacred Body, I'll get hurt."
Though his thirteen-stage Qiankun Hunyuan Sacred Body could survive the damage, he'd get batted around inside the eight rings like a rag doll. It would be like a Qi Sect warrior who couldn't die, but also couldn't cross the formation, since his flesh wasn't strong enough to stop the entire mechanism.
"The only way to get through unscathed is to slow them down enough to find the gaps."
Zhao Xing took a deep breath and released eight Primordial Avatars. Each avatar corresponded to one of his self-created Eight Earth Cataclysm Techniques. His main body also knew many spells from Primordial Hill beyond the Eight Earth Cataclysm Techniques.
Below the level of divine techniques, a demigod's power determined whether their arts were considered Reincarnation Mysteries or divine abilities—it made no practical difference.
His eight avatars began casting spells.
"Dengchao."
The avatars channeled pure Earth Advantage Mustard Seed power. Their mana cyavatars instantly flared like they were igniting.
Dengchao was the first move, burning mana to boost the power of following spells.
"Zhupo!"
Golden light burst forward like a raging torrent, slamming into the eight rings, forcing vibrations throughout the star-ring structure.
"Zhili!"
Fractures spread through the edges of the stones, with deep cracks burrowing into the rock layers.
"Kaibi!"
With a crisp crack, all 7.38 billion fragmented stones rang out at once.
"Qimai!"
All eight avatars pointed at the fragmented vein rings. At the edges of some stones, gasification began, spreading along the cracks and consuming the fragments.
Using his [Earth Sense], Zhao Xing carefully analyzed everything. At first, he didn't plan to use Tongxu or Huashui, thinking he'd already done enough to clear the trial. But just as he prepared to advance, the eight-layer fragmented rings rotated once and returned to their original speed.
"The cracked stones I split apart re-merged, forming a new vein layer, with the formations rebuilding themselves."
"The total mass didn't change; it was still the same eight-layer ring, with crushing force just as strong as before."
Zhao Xing immediately deployed all his avatars, sending them to observe every part of the eight layers, then recalled them all.
"Interesting," he muttered.
After careful analysis, Zhao Xing realized the eight-layer fragmented ring worked like a controllable 'Stacked Realm Mountain.'
He had seen the hardest Stacked Realm Mountain before—a triple-layer one. But here, there were eight stacked layers!
What did that mean? The difficulty increased by eight exponential levels.
"No wonder this formation is a joint work of two superpowers," Zhao Xing marveled.
His earlier efforts had essentially tried to dismantle the formation at its core, but the creator from Primordial Hill silently declared: You might pass, but don't dream of destroying this trial.
After observing for a long time, Zhao Xing abandoned his plan of trying to outsmart the formation.
Why? Because he saw the truth: the entire eight-layer fragmented ring was based on his own "Stacked Realm Mountain Theory," which Primordial Hill's experts had used as a foundation to push the concept eight steps further.
Simply put, it was an advanced version of his own Zhao's Eight Techniques.
"My theory has been around for almost 5,000 years now."
"I never knew how far Primordial Hill's experts had taken it."
"But now I see a glimpse," Zhao Xing thought, feeling a mix of pride and resignation.
Pride because this trial was built upon his own theory; frustration because it meant he couldn't take any shortcuts.
"Big! Big! Big!!!"
Since tricks wouldn't work, he decided to use his true power.
Zhao Xing's Qiankun Hunyuan Sacred Body instantly expanded.
But at the same time, the eight-layer fragmented ring also started expanding.
This formation had the Stacked Realm Mountain trait: however big Zhao Xing got, it would match him.
"Boom!"
Just as he grew to 1,000 times his size, Zhao Xing suddenly shrank down like a slingshot.
"Whoosh!"
Zhao Xing's thirteen-stage Sacred Body instantly shrank down to the size of a grain of rice and shot straight into the eight-layer fragmented ring.
Grain-Sized Heaven Technique—size-shifting at will!
That sudden change from huge to tiny caused a brief delay in the formation's adjustment, slowing it down just enough for Zhao Xing to find the gaps. He seized the opportunity, slipping through the first seven layers.
But when he reached the eighth layer—"Bang!"
A shard of stone, shrunk down like him, suddenly snapped together like a magnetic whip, smacking him hard.
"Crack! Crack!"
He took two direct hits.
"Whirr~"
Zhao Xing returned to his normal size, landing in the open space between the first and second trials.
"Got a cut on my arm and a gash across my waist. Not too serious, but still took some damage," he thought. "Incredible."
Even a thirteen-stage Sacred Body wasn't immune to injuries from the peak power of a twelve-tribulation assault. Zhao Xing could tell the formation's power could theoretically scale infinitely, even reaching god-level, but it was capped at twelve-stage for the challenge. He couldn't help but admire its design.
"I really need to visit Primordial Hill someday and get my avatars' memories back. My own theories have fallen behind," he sighed.
Activating his Azure Flower Mana, he covered his wounds. Superficial injuries healed almost instantly. When it came to healing, even his three main types of mana couldn't match the medical mastery of Physician Fan Qianrou's Azure Flower Mana.
Just as Zhao Xing was about to study the second trial—"Boom!"
The eight-layer fragmented ring behind him gave off a sudden, strange sound.
"Hmm?"
He sensed someone else arriving on the other side—a figure with a human head and dragon body, red fur along its back, and muscular dark-red scales. A yao race challenger had entered the middle level.
"Another challenger?"
Bermon also felt Zhao Xing's soul presence. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he deliberately released a thin strand of karmic thread.
"Whirr~"
Zhao Xing immediately recognized Bermon's identity. "Bermon, the emperor who got scammed into the Realm Transmission Tower back then?"
"So he's a demigod now."
Back then, Zhao Xing had just broken into Dao Domain Realm, and Bermon was already a strong emperor-level figure. But Bermon wasn't as powerful as Zuo Qiyu or the Five Venoms at the time.
Still, he was a top-tier genius nurtured by the yao race—being among the first batch into the Realm Transmission Tower proved that.
Later, Bermon awakened his ancestral yao bloodline, becoming a divine-blooded descendant, and was taken as a disciple by a powerful innate yao deity.
"He's releasing a karmic thread… what's he trying to say? A provocation?" Zhao Xing wondered as he watched the thread dim rather than brighten. That meant Bermon wasn't coming specifically to settle a personal score—at least, there was no direct grudge.
So was Bermon just here to show off? Trying to reclaim his pride?
Here, in the Origin Heaven Palace's Xuanzu Star System, with Zhao Xing as an Imperial citizen and one of the key figures from the past incident—it was a fitting stage.
It would be fair competition. If Bermon succeeded, no one on the human side could complain.
Bermon flashed a confident smile, then charged straight into the blood mist.
"You want to show off with me as your backdrop? Dream on!"
Zhao Xing narrowed his eyes and followed right after him into the blood mist.
Bermon's silent smile only made Zhao Xing's competitive fire burn brighter.
'A man must hold his pride like a tree seeks the light.'
He didn't care about a flawless run anymore—he'd fight head-on!
"Transform!"
The moment Zhao Xing entered the blood mist, he unleashed the divine-level Hou Transformation Technique, morphing into the descendant form of the Nine Marsh God.
Originally, he'd only mastered three layers. But after completing the Great Sun Sea and achieving perfect balance in all three schools, he'd broken through to the fourth layer.
The Nine Marsh God Transformation had nine total layers.
The first three layers corresponded to one divine bloodline, the middle three to another, each unlocking powerful innate abilities: Space-Sundering Claw, World-Burning God Eye, Abyssal Five Viscera, Calamity-Defying Golden Marrow, Eternal Wheel, Xuanming Morph, Earth Realm Sprint, Lightning Body, and Instant Eternity.
By mastering the first three layers, Zhao Xing had unlocked Space-Sundering Claw, World-Burning God Eye, and Abyssal Five Viscera. With the fourth layer now mastered, he gained a new ability: Calamity-Defying Golden Marrow.
His single horn turned purple-gold. Dense purple hair transformed into scales covering his body, still vaguely human-shaped, but now his skin and bones shone with a golden hue.
"The Nine Marsh God, a born divine spirit, can survive endless calamities, its bones and marrow forming indestructible divine essence," he thought.
"Even though his descendants can't match his full power, inheriting this one ability alone is enough for me to ignore all tribulations up to the fifteenth stage."
Zhao Xing charged into the blood mist. It began to shrink, lashing out with corrosive and invasive attacks against his body. The assault type shifted rapidly in the blink of an eye.
But Zhao Xing felt only a light tickle—only the mental attacks had any real effect, and even those were minor. Everything else was useless.
With overwhelming strength, he bulldozed forward. For the first time, Zhao Xing truly experienced the advantage of a Qi Sect warrior's path.
One word summed it up: Tough!
"The blood mist layer can simulate countless attack patterns, each targeting the challenger's weaknesses. But it won't exceed a thirteen-stage level. With my transformed body, I have no real weaknesses for it to exploit."
He tore through the second trial at breakneck speed, soon emerging into the open space before the third challenge.
"Boom!"
Zhao Xing launched straight into the final test: the Blood Core Palace.
"With my transformed power, I passed the second trial easily. My only weakness is mental defense," he noted.
"It's not easy to control such a powerful body," Bermon thought to himself as he arrived.
Mental attacks had targeted Bermon relentlessly in the blood mist layer, exploiting his weakest point.
So when he reached the third trial, Zhao Xing had already attempted to break through the Blood Core Palace seven or eight times.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Explosions rang out nonstop, startling Bermon. "How is this possible? He's faster than me?"
Through his soul sense, Bermon felt like a demon god was repeatedly smashing its head into the palace gates. "He's a Shennong, so he must be using the Hou Transformation Technique… that form—could it be one of the Nine Marsh God's descendants, 'Dige'?"
As a member of the yao race, Bermon knew many ancient divine-blooded yao lineages. But the Nine Marsh God and his first-generation descendants had long vanished from the world; Bermon had only read about them in old yao histories.
"This guy… where did he get Dige's blood and life diagram?" A surge of jealousy rose in Bermon's chest.
For a Shennong to use the Hou Transformation Technique, they usually needed the target's blood. More advanced transformations even required studying the target's life diagram.
"Damn it, if I had Dige's blood and life diagram, I could definitely make better use of it than him!"
After all, a Shennong's Hou Transformation wasn't permanent—just a temporary shift. And the original Nine Marsh descendant's power determined the upper limit; there was no further potential beyond that. But if Bermon had gotten Dige's blood, he could have fused it, evolved, and gone beyond.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
On the fifteenth strike, a hole opened in the Blood Core Palace. Even without the Celestial Transformation Needle, Zhao Xing's mastery of the fourth layer of his transformation made his Dige form just as powerful as a fourteen-stage fighter.
It happened so fast that Bermon, still stunned, could only watch as Zhao Xing broke through the third trial.
"Damn!" Even though he knew he couldn't beat him now, Bermon's unwillingness drove him to attack the Blood Core Palace.
By the time he broke through, he saw a crimson sun dimming overhead. It was shrouded in shadow and swiftly wrapped up like a solar eclipse, disappearing in an instant.
The Heartcore Blood, the prize of the trial, had been enveloped by Zhao Xing's world projection and pulled into his storage.
"Bermon, thanks for letting me go first," Zhao Xing said with a calm smile.
"Congratulations, Zhao Shennong," Bermon replied reluctantly, cupping his hands. As a yao demigod, he was still a big figure; he had to maintain appearances. "I didn't expect you to have the blood of our yao's Nine Marsh God descendant. Impressive."
His words were a face-saving move. Sure, Zhao Xing beat him, but it was by using the strength of a powerful yao bloodline—praising Dige's power didn't feel as humiliating.
Zhao Xing understood the implication but didn't bother to argue. The result spoke for itself: the Heartcore Blood was in his hands.
"Whish~"
Zhao Xing and Bermon were swiftly teleported out of the trial realm.
"A new genius Shennong emerges among the humans… but why can't I feel happy about it?" Elder Zhang He watched the trial's conclusion with a complicated expression. "My dao heart still isn't strong enough."
"Zhao Xing actually got the Heartcore Blood. Remarkable," Lord Tianguan praised aloud. "In the current era, only the Heaven-Timing faction can bring out the full potential of the Hou Transformation Technique. And that form—Dige of the Nine Marsh line—matches the descriptions from ancient yao histories."
Lord Tianguan sent Zhao Xing a congratulatory message, also expressing his hope to trade a treasure for a chance to examine the Heartcore Blood.
Once Zhao Xing cleared the trial, all queued challengers were notified they'd need to line up again from scratch. Even though they knew this rule was set by the human high council, many still cursed their bad luck in secret.
"Great, another 350,000 years of waiting."
"Second-tier divine weapon materials just aren't in my fate."
"What are you whining about? I've waited four or five epochs for over 300 different second-tier materials, and not once did it get to my turn."
"What can you do? The powerful get the treasures first. That's the rule set by our leaders: if there's plenty, everyone shares. If not, the strongest get priority."
"True. When new gods rise, they'll give back to the race, replenishing the Xuanspirit Treasure Pavilion."
"I remember the old days, the pavilion didn't even have a single Boundary-Piercing God Stone. Now there are 47 available for exchange!"
With the Heartcore Blood secured, Zhao Xing wasted no time. He requested Lord Beihai to teleport him straight to the third-tier divine weapon trial for the Soul Tree Core.
When Zhao Xing made this request, Bermon was shocked. "He can even challenge a third-tier divine material?"
"To clear a third-tier trial, you need to surpass three whole stages. It's a whole different league."
Bermon decided not to leave just yet; he wanted to see how Zhao Xing would do. "If Zhao Xing actually passes, that'd be perfect," he thought. "If he's about the same level as me and I fail my teacher's test, it'll be humiliating. But if he clears the third-tier trial and gets the Soul Tree Core, I'll have an excuse. My teacher will forgive me—not because I'm weak, but because my opponent was just too strong."
"Zhao Shennong, I wish you success in advance," Bermon said.
Zhao Xing looked back in surprise. 'A yao demigod this magnanimous?'
But he couldn't tell if Bermon was mocking or sincere, so he simply didn't reply and vanished on the spot.
An hour later, Zhao Xing, still unscathed, reappeared in Beihai Palace.
"Swish, swish, swish~"
Just then, a lot of new faces appeared inside Beiqi Palace. There was Elder Zhang He, Lord Tianguan, and the yao demigod Bermon. All of them stared at Zhao Xing, who returned with injuries.
Had he succeeded, or failed?
Sitting on the main seat, Lord Beiqi immediately announced:
"[Zhao Xing has successfully cleared the Soul Tree Core trial. From the tenth person onward, all queue wait times are reset to 500,000 years.]"
"Whoa—"
A buzz of astonishment swept through the hall.
"He's so badly injured I thought he failed, but he actually succeeded?"
"I'm one of the first ten in line and watched the whole thing. In the last phase of the trial, Zhao Xing had to break through the bark of the Soul Tree to grab a piece of its core."
"That was close. I'm ninth in line, so even with him taking one piece, there are still nine left. My wait time doesn't change."
"I'm ranked over 400th, so it makes no difference. I'm just queued as a precaution anyway."
"But the last layer of bark had 15th-stage demigod defense. How did he break through?"
"He must've used some kind of risky secret art. I'm a medical-path demigod, and I could see Zhao Xing's left hand, right foot, and internal organs were damaged. Even his true spirit showed some weakening—looks like a secret technique from the medical path."
"Could Zhao Xing have also trained in medicine?"
Everyone started speculating.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xing silently took pills to recover.
Their guesses weren't far off the truth. The final barrier in the Soul Tree Core trial reached the threshold of 15th-stage strength. Even after using Hou Transformation and fusing his four powers with a boost from Solar Law, Zhao Xing still couldn't break through.
He had no choice but to use two secret medical arts he learned from Wei Tianchen: [Lingzhu Nine Needles: Fate Reversal] and [Hundred Spirit Blood Exhaustion Technique].
These risky arts forcefully burn the user's vitality to release extreme power. Anyone could burn themselves for power, but secret arts with minimal side effects were rare and precious.
Ultimately, Zhao Xing paid 8,000 years of lifespan and burned seven split souls of his true spirit, reaching a 15th-stage power spike lasting only 0.00001 seconds.
That moment of peak power let him punch through the final bark, dive inside, and seize the Soul Tree Core.
"Zhao Xing, even if a demigod lives more than 10 epochs, you can't keep doing this. Don't get addicted," Elder Artifact Spirit Chenjiu sent via voice transmission. "You're a genius of the empire with a bright future. I don't need to remind you how to weigh your choices."
"Thank you for your concern, Elder Chenjiu. I'll remember."
Indeed, he couldn't do this often. Trading 8,000 years of life for 0.00001 seconds of power would quickly burn through a demigod's lifespan. If he hadn't been so close to success and already spent so much, he would never have resorted to it.
"I'll be staying at Origin Heaven Palace a while longer; my selection mission for the Disaster-Eating Law isn't finished. You can leave if you wish, or stay and return with me," Chenjiu said. "I'll be staying here in Beiqi Palace."
"Understood."
After exiting Beiqi Palace, Zhao Xing planned to rest and recover. But a flood of demigods soon approached to introduce themselves, including the yao demigod Bermon.
"Zhao Shennong, I've got great medicine. Why not come over for a chat?" Bermon offered.
"Thank you," Zhao Xing said, ready to decline—but then he remembered something.
"Bermon, you're from the Yao Divine Hall. Do you know where Puyan is?"
Bermon nodded. "Of course. He's been living on our yao territory for several epochs. I've met him a few times, but he doesn't fall under our Heavenly Yao Nation's jurisdiction."
"Do you know exactly where he is?"
"That's easy to find. But—" Bermon frowned. "Do you have a grudge against him?"
"Let's sit down at your place, Bermon. We can talk in detail."
Time passed quickly, and the fifth Star Year of the Barren Domain Epoch arrived. Zhao Xing had recovered fully from his injuries, even regaining some lifespan through restorative treasures.
He spent his days at Origin Heaven Palace trying to assemble a god-level straw puppet, while also learning about the yao's culture through Bermon—though his real interest was in gathering information on Puyan.
"The Primordial Straw Puppet technique really has reached its limit. If Jin Yan and Zuo Qiyu are still out there, even with all these materials, I can't make it work," Zhao Xing thought, gazing inward at the vast continent inside his world. On it stood a towering figure—the straw puppet's shell was complete, brimming with life force, and even circulating divine power through the Heartcore Blood's pulse. But there was no divine charm. No matter how Zhao Xing urged it on from inside the Soul Tree Core, the puppet wouldn't move at all.
In the end, he could only consider one last option. "I can't kill Zuo Qiyu, but maybe I can kill Jin Yan first. If Jin Yan dies, his power will split between me and Zuo Qiyu, freeing up space. Then maybe I can bypass Zuo Qiyu and continue forward."
In the sixth year, having become close with Bermon, Zhao Xing made a request. "Brother Bermon, I'd like to visit your homeland and experience its customs. Would you honor me with your company?"
Bermon beamed with joy. "I've been wanting to invite you for ages but worried it'd seem presumptuous in these times. Now that you're asking, of course I'd love to take you! Don't worry—once you're in my territory, I'll make sure you're treated like royalty."