A Strange Sight

March 6th, 1:15 AM.

Zhao Xing was running around in the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard.

Sudden--

"Buzz~"

A ball of flame erupted from his body, forming a mysterious pattern. Through the flame, Zhao Xing could see a Golden Body within it.

"It is the Establish Dao Dharma Body of the Li Fire True Lord!"

Zhao Xing quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Thank you, True Lord, for allowing me passage."

"The journey of 20,083 li has been completed, and the cause and effect have been settled."

As soon as he finished speaking, the flames vanished into thin air.

Zhao Xing also let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finally, it's all paid off."

Because he ran for at least four hours every day carrying heavy loads, his Returning the Dao line was earlier than expected.

In just over six days, the Dao of Li Fire True Lord had been repaid.

Zhao Xing felt exhausted during the process of returning to his Returning the Dao; he was extremely tired.

After all, this training pushes the body to its limits every day.

"But being tired has its advantages."

"I'm now more than halfway through the fifteenth level of the Essence Gathering."

Before entering the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, Zhao Xing had only reached the fifteenth level of the Essence Gathering, and there was still a long way to go, but now the distance has been greatly reduced.

The six-day extreme training pushed the body's potential to its limits more than ever before; these six days were conducted entirely according to the training volume of martial artists.

Don't underestimate running with weights. As the saying goes, the simplest way is the best. It's a way to exercise your whole body and mobilize all your strength.

"My understanding of the Dao is sufficient. Every ten stages of the Essence Gathering will advance me one rank. I've long since reached that level. I'm currently at the fifteenth level, and I'm still five minor ranks away from the Eighth Grade," Zhao Xing pondered.

Essence Gathering is the enhancement of physical strength, the condensation of vital energy, and the process of developing the physical body.

The vast majority of magic-based professions rely on the understanding that the physical body lags behind the Dao.

Because a lot of time is spent on enlightenment (cultivating magic) every day, this enlightenment cannot improve the Seven Po of the physical body.

But for martial artists, their martial arts training itself tempers their Seven Po.

"Martial artists are relatively weak in the early stages, but they are more likely to enter the Fourth-Rank Yuan Soul realm later. However, they are slower than other professions when they reach the Third Grade. The Yuan Soul Realm requires a very high level of comprehension of the Dao."

"However, the Military Sima Nong also values physical health. I wonder if there are any training programs here to improve physical fitness."

Based on Zhao Xing's previous life, many Military Sima Nong began training their Seven Po very early on.

Because the environment Era of Natural Disasters was too harsh and too extreme.

In many cases, the Time Law and Earthly Advantage Method become completely ineffective!

In order to save their lives and cope with such extreme situations, they all chose to train their physical bodies and Seven Po early on.

At least in extreme situations, they won't be completely defenseless. They carry a large cleaver, so even the Military Sima Nong can wield it and fight if necessary.

"The Rolling Ground Thunder has already completed its Fourth-Turn, and the Dao of Li Fire True Lord has also been repaid."

"Basic training is complete; we can begin advanced training."

Zhao Xing washed up, opened the courtyard gate, and flew out on auspicious Auspicious Cloud.

Basic training involves purchasing inexpensive spellbooks from the Arsenal and, through one's own comprehension, progressing to the basics.

Advanced training involves utilizing the precious sites throughout the Agricultural Supervisorate to gain insights and further improve one's skills.

Zhao Xing is now heading to the Earthly Advantage Institute.

"There are three precious places in Earthly Advantage Institute where you can study for free."

"First is the Earth Vein Hall, which contains nineteen Earth Vein Maps, depicting tens of thousands of Earth Vein across the Nineteen Provinces."

"Understanding it is like viewing a Preaching Painting that can be viewed an infinite number of times."

"The second place is called the Seventy-Two Earth Palaces."

"Seventy-two Earth Palace, full of endless mysteries, built on exposed Earth Vein. Even observing them from afar offers a chance to gain enlightenment."

"The third place is the Mystic Earth Prison."

"The Mystic Earth Prison holds various subterranean creatures, all kinds of strange beasts captured during the development of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven."

"The Magic Array of the Mystic Earth Prison will stimulate the strange beasts inside to go berserk every hour. Once they go berserk, they will involuntarily use their innate techniques. Observing these underground strange beasts use their talents can also help one comprehend the Dao."

Zhao Xing first went to the Seventy-Two Earth Palaces.

Because there were relatively few people in the Seventy-Two Earth Palaces, while there were many people in other places, he planned to wait until it got dark and fewer people before going to the other two places.

After flying for a while, Zhao Xing landed in front of a city wall.

The Seventy-Two Earth Palaces are enclosed by a city wall Magic Array.

How dangerous it is for the Earth Vein to be exposed on the surface.

Like the Earth Fire Plain, it was because the Earth Vein rose too much that Zhao Xing casually cast a spell, causing the Earth Fire Plain to become Fifth Level Rampage.

Therefore, all Seventy-Two Earth Palaces are surrounded and protected by multiple Magic Array.

There are also regulations for visitors to the Earth Palace.

"To enter the Earth Palace for enlightenment, you must wear this Essence-Locking Ring. Aside from using a wisp of Yuan Qi to power your Cloud Stepping Boots for travel, you cannot cast any other spells," the guard at the city gate explained the rules to those entering.

"No one may approach within 100 meters of any of the Earth Palace; they may only view them from the outside. Anyone who violates this rule will be permanently disqualified from visiting."

"No one is allowed to throw fruit pits, pills, or anything of higher rank than three into the Earth Palace. Violators will be punished according to military law."

"Urinating or defecating inside is prohibited."

"..."

The rules are very strict, some even outrageous.

But behind every outrageous rule lies a real-life case.

For example, the one where fruit pits were thrown into the underground Earth Palace, Zhao Xing guessed that someone had thrown them there before.

He was also very familiar with this rule.

Because in the previous life, some players didn't believe in the superstition and insisted on throwing things in, and they even threw them in secretly.

Beyond the third stage, the kernel itself possesses vigorous vitality.

By sheer coincidence, the seedling sprouted from the fruit pit and began to absorb the power of the Earth Vein, causing a riot in the Earth Palace and resulting in extremely serious consequences.

The line moved in quickly, and it was soon Zhao Xing's turn.

"Please show the secret seal."

Zhao Xing handed over his personal seal.

"Please read the rules on the notice board to confirm whether you understand the rules for comprehending the Earth Palace."

Zhao Xing paused for ten seconds, then nodded. "Confirmed."

The guard handed over a device that resembled handcuffs. "Please put on the Essence-Locking Ring."

Zhao Xing extended his right hand expressionlessly.

Click~

The mechanism activated, and nine needles protruded from the heavy handcuffs, piercing Zhao Xing's skin.

Looking at the panel, my Vitality value has temporarily dropped to 1 point.

Aside from using the Cloud Stepping Boots, they can't do anything else.

"Alright, let's go in."

Thank you.

As Zhao Xing passed through the city gate passage, he felt a burning sensation.

The first thing that catches the eye is a dark red palace with a roof covered with glazed tiles. At the center is a flaming pearl-shaped finial, and waterfalls flow down from the eaves around the finial.

Zhao Xing looked closely and realized that this was not a waterfall at all, but rather the Fire Attribute Earth Veins had become so concentrated that it resembled a river!

"Old Chen's Fire Hell Earth Palace is somewhat similar in appearance to this palace."

"However, his Fire Hell Earth Palace is not even one percent as real as this Earth Palace."

The more realistic the Earth Palace Art is, the greater its power!

Looking at this Fire Hell Earth Palace, Zhao Xing couldn't discern any illusory Earth Vein power except for the waterfall.

"Every brick and tile looks so real, it's amazing."

Zhao Xing did not linger in front of the Earth Palace.

The "Boundless Earth Palace" he studied was completely different from this Earth Palace. However, they were similar in principle and their understanding of it also required a similar overall direction.

Following the side path for the tour, Zhao Xing observed the palaces in the distance one by one.

There's the "Fire Hell Earth Palace," engulfed in flames as if surrounded by fire; the "Crystal Earth Palace," almost entirely transparent and composed of water-based energy; and the "Wind and Wind Thunder Earth Palace," shimmering with tornadoes and lightning...

Seventy-two types of the Earth Palace contain the mysteries of the Earth Vein and the five elements.

Zhao Xing kept walking and never stopped.

Until we turned a corner—

"Hmm? This Earth Palace..."

After turning the corner, Zhao Xing was moved, and his gaze was involuntarily drawn to a building in front of him.

"Is this a temporary palace?"

Zhao Xing didn't stop walking because he found that the palace was very small, and could not even be called a palace, as it was only the size of a room.

Its shape is more like an octagonal cage, and it is constantly moving.

Zhao Xing quickened his pace.

Because the Jiao Palace may appear to move only a short distance, but it actually moves very fast.

If it weren't for the fact that this Jiao Palace is a circular walkway around the side road, and that he was more than a hundred meters away, Zhao Xing might not have been able to keep up.

"What kind of Earth Palace Art is this? I've never seen anything like it before, it's so strange..."

Zhao Xing ran while observing.

Fortunately, he had become familiar with this method of enlightenment over the past few days. He activated his Bright Eyes and kept staring at the Jiao Palace.

The pale gold Jiao Palace, after circling Zhao Xing once, suddenly sank into the ground.

"Disappeared?"

As Zhao Xing was looking at it, he suddenly turned his head sharply and discovered that the Octagonal Underground Palace had reappeared in another place.

"Hmm? This isn't just an ordinary Earth Palace Art; it's a combination of the Mystic Earth Art and the Earth Palace Art?!"

Zhao Xing's eyes lit up.

He wished he could fly into the air, or run to the vicinity of the Earth Palace to take a closer look.

Attracted by this magical Earth Palace, he subconsciously tried to use magic to fly there, but his Cloud Stepping Boots failed to take off, and he felt a sharp pain in his wrist.

"Hiss~"

Zhao Xing gasped.

"It actually made me want to cast a spell; I was irresistibly drawn in."

"We must seize this opportunity!"

Zhao Xing didn't know the origin of this Earth Palace, but he had never seen anything like it among the Seventy-Two Earth Palaces.

An intuition told him that he absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity.

"Tap tap tap~" Footsteps sounded.

Zhao Xing was not the only one to discover the wonders of the Jiao Palace. At this time, there were seven or eight other people who also discovered the Jiao Palace and were searching for the Octagonal Underground Palace together.

"Bang!"

Because they were so focused, three people in front of them bumped into each other.

"Excuse me."

"Fine."

The other person completely ignored the person who hit him, his expression indifferent, not even glancing at the two of them, and continued his pursuit.

Fifteen minutes later.

Of the eight pursuers, six have already given up.

Because it is too difficult to comprehend. First of all, they are not used to comprehending it while running. Secondly, this Octagonal Underground Palace is too mysterious and keeps suddenly disappearing.

Zhao Xing was also a bit annoyed. Just as he was about to grasp the basics, he disappeared immediately, as if his comprehension had been interrupted. This Octagonal Underground Palace was just a place for people to play the "inch-stop challenge"!

However, he persevered and continued his search.

The more difficult it is, the more it proves that this Octagonal Underground Palace is not simple, and it is somewhat related to the Boundless Earth Palace he has learned about, so Zhao Xing will naturally not let it go easily.

Time flies, and Heavenly Timing have passed in the blink of an eye.

For Heavenly Timing, without eating or drinking, and with almost no rest, Zhao Xing relentlessly pursued this small Octagonal Underground Palace.

Participants came and went repeatedly during this period.

There are still quite a few people following along, but they are no longer the same group of people as before.

Only the boy who was initially hit and had a cold expression, like Zhao Xing, still did not give up.

"Bang!"

The Earth Palace suddenly turned a corner, and the two people, who were not far apart and had noticed something amiss, bumped into each other.

Zhao Xing reacted quickly and was not seriously injured in the collision.

But the person opposite, perhaps too focused, bumped their head directly against the edge of the hard stone.

His eye was split open, and a gash appeared on his forehead, from which blood gushed out immediately.

"Brother, are you alright?" Zhao Xing finally turned his attention back to what was in front of him, and he was startled when he saw what was happening.

"It's nothing." Han Bing shook her sleeve, wiped the wound, and stood up after a quick wipe.

Is this guy really that stubborn?

Even after all this, why should I continue to try to understand?

"Maybe we should stop the bleeding," Zhao Xing tugged at the other person. "You're affecting your comprehension too. In the blink of an eye, if you're not careful, you won't be able to see anything."

Han Bing thought for a moment and said, "That works too."

He took out a white plaster from his pocket, tore it open, and slapped it on his head.

Zhao Xing recognized it as a military-grade healing plaster, made by a pharmacist and used to treat external injuries.

Zhao Xing found his actions rather strange.

How skilled are you at getting injured?

You came to seek enlightenment, and you even brought military-grade healing plasters?

Seeing that he seemed genuinely alright and didn't seem inclined to speak, Zhao Xing cupped his hands in greeting and prepared to Keep Moving. Unexpectedly, Han Bing spoke up, asking, "You've been looking at this for three days now, have you recognized what kind of magic it is?"

Zhao Xing also remembered that this person had persisted the longest, so he stopped. "I guess it's a combination of the Earth Palace Art and the Mystic Earth Art. I've figured out the Earth Palace Art part; it should be [Swift Travel Earth Palace]. I haven't figured out the Mystic Earth Art part yet."

Han Bing looked up in surprise. "How could it be the Swift Travel Earth Palace? It's clearly the Cold Stream Earth Palace."

Zhao Xing was also somewhat surprised, and he immediately thought of a possibility.

"What did you see?" x2

Han Bing had also thought of this, and the two of them asked the question at the same time.

"You go first." X2

"It's okay, it's okay, you go first." X2

"..."

Zhao Xing and Han Bing stared at each other, thinking, "Dude, this is too much of a coincidence!"

In the end, Zhao Xing gestured for Han Bing to speak first.

"Okay, I'll go first." Han Bing pointed to the newly emerged Earth Palace and said, "What I see is the shape of a dock, somewhat like a miniature version of Dragon Head Tower Ship. Although its pattern is hard to fathom, it always follows the pattern of earth, water, earth fire, earth, metal, earth, wood, moving through different Earth Vein."

Zhao Xing said in surprise, "What I saw was a house. The house was strangely shaped, like an octagonal cage, without even a door, as if it were sealed off. The pattern I observed was also different from yours; it followed the patterns of earth wind, earth metal, earth fire, earth thunder, and earth water."

After listening, Han Bing also fell into deep thought, "No wonder so many people bumped into each other before. I thought everyone was focused on watching and ignored what was happening around them."

"Now it seems that the problem lies entirely with this Earth Palace."

Zhao Xing smiled and nodded, "I realized it too. I'm really sorry about earlier, brother. My name is Zhao Xing, from the Divine Might Army. What's yours?"

Han Bing looked somewhat surprised. "Divine Might Army, Han Bing."

Divine Might Army's Han Bing? The tenth report, what a coincidence?

"So you're one of us after all. My apologies, Brother Han." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in greeting.

Han Bing's expression was no longer as cold as before, and became more lively. "You 'Guest Qi. I think if we both gain some insights later, we can exchange ideas again."

Zhao Xing nodded. "That makes sense, shall we continue?"

"Um."

Two days later in the blink of an eye.

Many people tried to observe the elusive Earth Palace during this period, but most chose to give up.

After all, there's only one month left, and wasting too much time trying to understand things that are uncertain is really not worth it.

However, neither Zhao Xing nor Han Bing gave up.

Zhao Xing had never seen this Earth Palace before; he had never even heard of such a thing in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven in his previous life, so naturally he was unwilling to give up.

Han Bing, on the other hand, is stubborn and persistent, with a tenacity that will not give up until she achieves her goal.

And so, the two occasionally exchanged words.

Three more days have passed.

"It's the eighth day."

Zhao Xing was feeling hungry and tired. He hadn't brought anything in to eat, mainly because he hadn't expected to stay for so long without sleep!

Han Bing gave him two fruits to eat, as if he had always had the habit of carrying things with him.

"It's been eight days already. Since the fifth day, I've had a vague feeling that I'm about to comprehend a spell, but I'm always just a little bit short of it." Zhao Xing was also a little anxious. "Am I really about to comprehend it, or is it just my imagination, or is the owner of this Earth Palace deliberately playing tricks on me?"

It's not impossible.

There are many experts in the Military Realm, and some of them are not required to teach, nor are they ordered to do so by the military.

These are usually old guys who have lived for hundreds of years, so it's normal for them to encounter someone with a strange temper.

"If you haven't figured it out by today, you'll have to leave." Zhao Xing had a training plan, but that plan had already been disrupted somewhat.

"I'll stay for three more hours. If I can understand, I will; if not, I'll leave. Do you think I need your little bit of luck?" Zhao Xing composed himself and quickly adjusted his mindset.

With a changed mindset, Zhao Xing was no longer in a hurry and walked slowly, no longer chasing after things as before.

In short, when the time comes, we'll leave whether it works out or not.

When the central Earth Palace disappeared underground, he even went to look at other places and stopped worrying about this mysterious Earth Palace.

It was with this mindset that I found myself in the dead of Rat Hour, near midnight.

Zhao Xing, on the contrary, understood.

He saw the Octagonal Underground Palace reappear.

Suddenly, a door came into view.

The Octagonal Underground Palace was originally completely closed, although the outer walls had various five elements flowing through them, forming mysterious patterns.

But at that moment, on the side facing Zhao Xing, a door suddenly opened.

It was as if a door had opened in Zhao Xing's mind.

"I see." Zhao Xing sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.