One Month of Seclusion, World-Shaking Transformation

When that "reward ceremony," which could be called the most extravagant and dreamlike in Cloud Creek Academy's history, slowly concluded amidst the complex emotions of endless excitement and fervor from all the "Rebel Mortal" class members, a crazy period of seclusion, destined to be recorded in Cloud Creek Academy's annals, officially began within this secluded blessed land—Tingzhu Pavilion!

Time flowed by quietly like the clear stream water meandering through the bamboo forest.

One day.

Five days.

Ten days.

Half a month...

For a full month, the exquisite, ancient-style bamboo building stood silently like an ancient god isolated from the world within the purple bamboo sea, not emitting the slightest sound.

It was as if the thirty young men and women who had stirred up the entire outer courtyard's atmosphere not long ago had completely vanished from this world.

However, only the academy's higher-ups, who truly had the qualifications to approach this sacred cultivation ground designated as a "forbidden area," knew.

Within that seemingly peaceful bamboo building, what kind of crazy, unbelievable, terrifying transformation was unfolding!

First floor of the bamboo building, Gravity Training Room.

This was one of Tingzhu Pavilion's unique cultivation facilities. The gravity formation inscribed within was far more advanced and profound than the public training tower in the outer courtyard! Not only could it stably increase the gravity multiplier to a terrifying fifteen times, enough to make any Body Refinement Realm cultivator despair!

It could also freely switch the way gravity acted according to the cultivator's needs!

Sometimes like Mount Tai pressing down, irresistible!

Sometimes like mercury flowing everywhere, inescapable!

At this moment, in the center of this terrifying training room, capable of instantly crushing a thousand-pound boulder into powder, a burly figure, clad only in a loincloth made of animal hide, with muscles coiled and bulging like ancient tree roots beneath his bronze skin, was enduring the terrifying crushing force from all directions with blood-red eyes!

It was Shi Lei!

"Roar—!"

He let out a wild, beast-like roar that was not human!

His body, already thoroughly soaked in sweat and blood, suddenly erupted with a soil-yellow spiritual energy glow, filled with an aura of endless weight and dominance!

Within the light, the phantom of an ancient savage bull, condensed from pure spiritual energy, slowly appeared behind him!

Letting out a silent roar that could shatter the heavens!

—Great Earth Savage Bull Strength!

With the boost from this top-tier Body Refinement divine skill, tailor-made for him by Lin Xiao, which was infinitely close to Profound Grade Middle Rank!

And with the insane accumulation of a massive amount of Third-Order pills and mid-grade spirit stones over the past month, regardless of cost!

Shi Lei's cultivation had already soared like a rocket, breaking through all obstacles from the early Body Refinement Fifth Level to the current peak of Body Refinement Seventh Level!

His physical strength had reached a terrifying realm that even ordinary Body Refinement Ninth Level cultivators could only gaze at from afar!

"Open... for me!"

Shi Lei's eyes were instantly filled with a fearless, blood-red hue!

Under the twelve times gravity, which could instantly crush an ordinary Body Refinement Eighth Level cultivator into meat paste, he slowly straightened his steel spine that was already unable to bear the load!

Then, with a posture filled with endless rebellion and unyielding will, he fiercely lifted the Profound Grade Middle Rank magic treasure—the "Savage Bull" tower shield, which had long since become one with his will—above his head!

As if to forcefully pierce a huge hole in the invisible heavens pressing down on him!

Second floor of the bamboo building, Sword Intent Contemplation Room.

The walls were inscribed with an extremely crude, yet infinitely sharp and elegant, mysterious sword mark diagram filled with Sword Intent!

It was said that this was the supreme calligraphy left behind by the first generation master of Tingzhu Pavilion, the legendary dean who had already ascended to the upper realm, in a moment of drunkenness!

Ordinary people who glanced at it would, at the very least, lose their composure and suffer qi deviation; at the most, they would be instantly shredded into a bloody mist by the invisible, terrifying Sword Intent!

However, at this moment, beneath the sword mark diagram, which would drive any sword cultivator mad, a stunningly beautiful figure in a blue dress, with a graceful and slender figure, sat cross-legged with her eyes closed.

In her hand, she tightly gripped the Profound Grade Middle Rank magic treasure—the "Flowing Wind" spirit sword, as thin as a cicada's wing and incomparably sharp.

Her entire being seemed to have completely merged with the surrounding air, entering a profound state of enlightenment where the self and the external world were forgotten!

It was Su Yue!

"Buzz—!"

After an unknown amount of time.

A very faint, clear sword hum, filled with boundless joy, inexplicably rang out from the "Flowing Wind" spirit sword in her hand!

Immediately after, unseen by anyone, a very faint, yet infinitely sharp and penetrating, silver sword-shaped mark slowly appeared on Su Yue's fair, jade-like smooth forehead!

—Clear Sword Heart!

This was the legendary supreme sword dao talent that all sword cultivators dreamed of!

Once awakened, it meant that her future sword dao path would be smooth sailing, with no bottlenecks whatsoever!

"Whoosh!"

Su Yue suddenly opened her bright eyes, which sparkled as if billions of stars were being born and dying within them!

She didn't even get up!

With just a slight flick of her wrist!

A flash of azure sword light, too fast to even see a blur, tore through the void before her like a meteor from the heavens!

It left a terrifying, bottomless, mirror-smooth sword mark on the incredibly hard obsidian wall!

Body Refinement Eighth Level, early stage!

--Star Mark Phantom Sword Initial Mastery!

Meanwhile.

Within Tingzhu Pavilion, in the illusion formation trial ground filled with endless mystery and killing intent.

Within the Earth Fire Alchemy Room, where the spiritual energy was so abundant it would drive any alchemist mad.

Within the scripture room filled with countless ancient tales and strange anecdotes.

Scenes of earth-shattering transformations, filled with boundless shock and fantasy, were unfolding simultaneously!

The Monkey, using the elusive Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and the unpredictable illusion formation, had honed his movement and assassination techniques to a terrifying level that would make even true ghosts and gods tremble! His cultivation had also soared to the middle stage of Body Refinement Seventh Level!

And the other "Rebel Mortal" class members, empowered by the immense resources that anyone would envy and top-tier divine skills tailor-made for them, had undergone earth-shattering transformations as if they had taken a ten-ingredient tonic!

The lowest cultivation among all team members had reached the peak of Body Refinement Sixth Level!

They were just one step away from the Body Refinement Seventh Level, which would make them pillars of the academy!

If this were to get out, it would drive the entire Cloud Creek Academy into a frenzy!

However, just as all the "Rebel Mortal" class members were undergoing hellish, frantic training for the final assessment a month later.

Lin Xiao, their Chief Instructor, was not in a hurry to increase his own cultivation.

He sat alone on the Star Gazing Platform atop the bamboo building, completely immersing his mind and spirit in the two Profound Grade High-Rank ultimate skills that would make any outer court disciple fight tooth and nail for them!

--Great Sun Burning Heaven Art!

--Rushing Thunder Swordplay!

He wasn't trying to cultivate them.

Instead, like the most rigorous and demanding scholar, he used the System's heaven-defying analytical and deductive abilities to dissect and deconstruct these top-tier ultimate skills, which would be called "mythical" on Earth in his previous life, word by word. He forcefully "absorbed" their most core and essential True Meaning of Martial Dao!

"So... that's how it is..."

Lin Xiao's eyes were closed, but in his vast sea of consciousness, as immense as a starry sky, a terrifying deduction was unfolding that would shame any martial arts grandmaster!

In the center of his sea of consciousness, two golden figures, condensed entirely from mental power, were practicing the two profound and esoteric ultimate divine skills at a speed that surpassed light!

One golden figure was engulfed in domineering golden flames capable of burning mountains and boiling seas! Every punch and kick was filled with an unparalleled Imperial Dao might of being the sole sovereign, sweeping across the six directions!

This was the Great Sun Burning Heaven Art!

The other golden figure tightly gripped a judgment sword condensed from purple lightning! Every move and stance was filled with a destructive Sword Intent that was both extremely fast and extremely violent!

This was the Rushing Thunder Swordplay!

Lin Xiao was like an absolute God, observing from the outside.

He calmly observed and analyzed these two martial truths, each representing a different but equally powerful path to the extreme!

Then, he discarded the dross and retained the essence, integrating the most brilliant and fundamental aspects bit by bit into his own unique martial arts system, which had already formed its own school!

--All paths lead to one!

He intended to create an unparalleled divine scripture that truly surpassed all the cultivation techniques in this world, belonging only to him, Lin Xiao!

After an unknown amount of time.

When Lin Xiao had completely grasped all the profound meanings of "power burst" and "aura suppression" from the Great Sun Burning Heaven Art and perfectly integrated them into his improved Heaven-Turning Seal.

When he had completely absorbed all the essence of "speed" and "penetration" from the Rushing Thunder Swordplay and perfectly combined them with his already masterful One Finger Annihilation.

He finally slowly opened his tired eyes, which were now filled with frightening bloodshot veins due to excessive mental power consumption.

"Hoo..."

He let out a long sigh of turbid air, and a genuine smile of satisfaction finally appeared on his face, which had always been somewhat pale.

Although this half-month of closed-door deduction had not improved his cultivation in the slightest.

His understanding of "combat" and his actual combat power had already undergone a transformation more terrifying than directly entering the Spiritual Movement Realm!

He had absolute confidence!

If he were to face Wu Tianxiong again in his prime!

He could even defeat him head-on within a hundred moves without resorting to forbidden killing moves like "Reversing the Mortal World"!

This is the power of knowledge!

After finishing all that, Lin Xiao finally withdrew his already exhausted mind from the vast, sea-like world of martial arts.

He turned his gaze to the two strange items, long treasured in the deepest part of his storage bag, filled with endless mystery and the unknown!

--The Profound Iron Token!

--And the blood-red map discovered in Zhao Wuji's storage ring!

He first picked up the Profound Iron Token, which felt cool to the touch and was filled with an endless aura of iron, blood, and killing intent.

He attempted to slowly inject his spiritual energy, which had already become incredibly condensed, into it.

However, the seemingly ordinary token acted like a bottomless black hole; no matter how much spiritual energy he poured in, it showed no reaction.

"Strange..."

Lin Xiao frowned slightly. He then tried biting his fingertip and letting a drop of bright red blood, filled with immense vitality, fall onto the token.

Yet, the result was the same as casting a stone into the sea, with no news in return.

"It seems my current strength is not enough to glimpse the secrets hidden behind it."

Lin Xiao shook his head helplessly and could only temporarily put away the token, filled with the unknown.

Then, he slowly unfolded the strange map, drawn on some kind of unknown, pale white beast hide.

His gaze fell once more on the three peculiar locations heavily marked with blood-red cinnabar.

Black Wind Mountain Range...

Repentance Cliff...

And the Black Stone Great Desert...

"What secrets do these three places hide?"

"Why would that mysterious organization, with its strange actions and cruel methods, care so much about these three seemingly unrelated places?"

"What inextricable link do they have to the deaths of my parents?!"

Giant mysteries, shrouded in endless fog, pressed down on Lin Xiao's heart like immense, invisible mountains.

He felt an unprecedented pressure!

He knew.

Although his current strength was enough to dominate the outer court of this small Cloud Creek Academy.

In the vast and boundless cultivation world, he was still as insignificant as an ant!

That terrifying, mysterious organization that could reduce his parents, whose strength was not to be underestimated, into dried corpses overnight!

The power and influence hidden behind it were definitely far beyond his imagination!

He wanted to avenge his parents!

He wanted to unravel the layers of mist shrouding his origins!

To do that, he had to become stronger!

Stronger than anyone else!

"Strength..."

"I need more powerful strength!"

An unprecedented, brilliant light burst forth from Lin Xiao's eyes!

Without any further hesitation, he took out the supreme treasure he had been coveting from the mountain of cultivation resources!

--The Third-Order Lower Grade Ironback Wolf King's Beast Core!

And the only ancient, exotic pill of the Fourth-Order grade discovered in Wu Tianxiong's storage ring!

--The Dragon Blood Body Tempering Pill!

He intended to use these two supreme treasures, enough to drive any Spiritual Movement Realm expert into madness!

To push his physical body and cultivation to an unprecedented peak in one go!

And then, in the most perfect state, he would welcome the upcoming...

--Bloody Trial!