A Demigod's Trial; Lord Zhao Is Far Too Eager to Improve
"Grand Minister of Agriculture, according to the Celestial Master Mansion's speculation, the three cave dwellings discovered so far are classified as two martial arts cave dwellings and one music master's inheritance cave dwelling."
When Zhao Xing arrived at Qi Tian Mountain, he first met up with Ji Si and Jing Yue.
Since taking over the development of the Annihilating Star Ancient Road, the two have remained in the Annihilating Star Corridor, spending most of their time by Zhao Xing's side. They are either with the Great Beginning Clone Avatar or with the main body.
The three cave dwellings opened by the War God Hall were also occupied by the Celestial Master Mansion, which was tasked with calculating relevant information about the cave dwellings.
Determining one's exact rank and possessions during their lifetime might be difficult, but knowing their career path is quite simple.
Professional information is also very important for exploring caves and secret realms. If you don't understand this, sending a martial artist to explore a musician's cave will not only be a waste of time, but could also result in death.
"It's quite rare to find a musician's cave dwelling."
Zhao Xing became interested. Demigod warriors were not uncommon in the Desolate Territory Era, but Demigod were rare.
Of the more than three thousand inherited residences, the vast majority are martial Dancer Master ' cave dwellings, with very few musicians or dancers.
"Grand Minister of Agriculture, the War God Hall has been urging you for years to send someone over as soon as possible," Ji Si said. "The quota needs to be finalized quickly."
"Ji Si, what suggestions do you have?" Zhao Xing asked.
"The War God Hall sells exploration slots internally. Each ticket is a High-Grade Reincarnation Dao Soldier, with a limit of fifty available. The remaining thirty have already been allocated by Meng Wu."
"We can do the same here," Ji Si said. "If none of the partners want to go, we can sell the spots."
Zhao Xing nodded. Years ago, the Five Poisons Emperor Lord and the Emperor Meng Wu had discussed the seven Demigod Cave, tentatively allocating 100 exploration slots.
One. 20/80 split, 80% for the War God Hall, 20% for our side. The number of slots may be increased depending on the situation, but this ratio will not change.
The first three cave dwellings have all broken through the outer inter-domain boundary Realm Ship Magic Array, and are just waiting for people to enter and undergo the inheritance test. There is no danger or trouble in between.
Zhao Xing got 20 spots, while the War God Hall got 80. They've already distributed or sold some of their spots, leaving half in reserve.
As long as Zhao Xing's side is in place, exploration and excavation can begin at any time.
"To safely explore a cave, one must possess at least the strength of Emperor Lord Level being. Those who can afford a spot are basically at the Emperor Lord Level."
"Among the partners, there's no need to think twice; the only qualified ones are my master, Zuo Qiyu, Emperor Hongshan, and Lord Lushan. However, two of them are in seclusion, and the other two aren't interested, so let's sell half of the spots for now."
"Okay, I'll contact them right away." Ji Si nodded.
According to the contract, when selling a spot, priority is given to the War God Hall.
The War God Hall is full of powerful and wealthy people. When Ji Si made the contact, all ten spots were snapped up within three days. Some people even wanted more, but Zhao Xing ignored them all.
There's a possibility that the other four cave dwellings Agricultural Official professions or spiritual lineages. If the quota isn't increased, he'll have to reserve half of them for his own people.
"I'll take one spot myself, so there are nine left." Zhao Xing and Ji Si discussed the principles for handling the remaining nine spots. "If our own people don't need these nine spots, we'll use them; if they don't, we'll just exchange them for favors, not for money."
"Ji Si, you've reached the Reincarnation Realm too, haven't you?"
"I was lucky; I broke through 150 years ago," Ji Si said modestly.
"Suppose there's a Fate Master's cave dwelling, you'll occupy one," Zhao Xing said.
"Yes." Ji Si nodded, then paused and asked, "Does the Grand Minister of Agriculture wish to go in and take a look now?"
"Well, I'd like to go check out the musician's cave first," Zhao Xing said, revealing his plan.
The musician profession either doesn't stand out, or the prominent ones are ridiculously strong and usually very wealthy.
There might be more than one Demigod artifact; acquiring just one could be far more profitable than selling tickets. Who would complain about having too much money?
Now that Zhao Xing has broken through to the Reincarnation Realm, his Great Beginning Clone has undergone another round of material replacement and has mastered Second Seven-Colored Mana.
I believe I have a strong ability to protect myself.
Taking off from Qi Tian Base, we flew over the mountains and arrived at Azure Jade Star Region.
At this moment, six monsters resembling Kun beasts were swimming in the void in the Azure Jade Star Region. In reality, they were all mechanical Realm Ship sent by the War God Hall, the Kun Void Wanderer God.
The Kun Void Wanderer God is one of the Twelve Wanderer God Soldiers and one of the strongest Divine Soldier in the mechanical Divine Soldier series. With all twelve heads appearing, it possesses god-level power.
Only six have arrived so far, but that's enough to keep things in check, because it's controlled by Emperor Lord Zi Fang, one of the spirits of the Great Derivation Divine Weapon Sub-body.
The Great Emperor is Mechanism Master, and the most powerful professional system belongs to Mechanism Master. No force can possibly bypass the protection of the Kun Void Wanderer God and sneak in.
"Whoosh~~"
"Greetings, Emperor Lord Zi Fang."
"Zhao Xing, the people from the War God Hall have been waiting for you for a long time. Come in."
"Yes."
Zhao Xing stepped onto the back of a Kun Void Wanderer God and entered a pure white cube.
The cube sank into the Void Dao Ancient Layer along a canyon-like pattern on its back. This was because the seven Cyan Jade Stone Slab containing the Demigod's residence were all suspended within the Dao Ancient Layer.
The cube quickly landed in a spacious hall, with floor-to-ceiling windows directly in front, revealing an abstract view of the Dao Ancient Layer.
There were many seats around, and sixty-three people were already waiting.
"Swish, swish~"
As Zhao Xing landed in the cube-shaped Emperor Lord Zi Fang's vehicle, all eyes immediately turned to him.
There was no one below the Emperor Lord Level; each of them possessed an aura as deep and unfathomable as a prison, and their invisible auras intertwined, causing Zhao Xing to feel a sense of pressure.
"Zhao Xing, you came alone?" The three crystal chairs of Emperor Meng Wu Emperor Mo Shu, and Emperor Xuan Ying were arranged side by side. "Where are your masters?"
"Reporting to Emperor Meng Wu, my teacher has already gone into seclusion, and the others are also tied up with important matters. I will take full charge of the exploration." Zhao Xing said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Alright, since you're here, let's begin." Emperor Meng Wu looked at Emperor Mo Shu beside him.
Enveloped in a black and white robe, Emperor Mo Shu opened the mechanism box, and a beam of red light shot towards the French windows.
The blurry, linear scenery outside suddenly became clear, revealing three parallel jade walls.
Different colored swirls rotate on the surface of the block wall, seemingly containing a world behind it.
"I have solidified a safe passage through the outer space of the three interdimensional Realm Ship, namely the twenty-seventh level of the Dao Ancient Layer."
"Follow this passage, and you can enter the interior of the inter- Realm Ship."
"The two pieces on the left contain the cave dwellings of martial artists, and the piece on the right contains the cave dwelling of musicians. This is the speculation of the Celestial Master Mansion."
"More information is contained in this jade slip. Please check it yourselves; I will not go into details."
With a wave of his hand, Emperor Mo Shu sent sixty-two jade slips flying to the front of everyone.
"Thank you, Brother Mo Shu. I'll take my leave now." Immediately, a burly man with light red eyebrows and hair, carrying two chains-like Dao soldiers on his back, rushed into the passage.
Zhao Xing also had some impression of him. This person was named Red Eyebrow Emperor Lord, a Qi Sect Martial Practitioner in the War God Hall.
"Brother Meng Wu, Brother Moshu, Brother Xuanying, I'll go first." Two more sword Emperor Lord Realm, carrying long swords and standing tall and shining like the Solar Yang, rushed into the passage.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~
One after another, streaks of red light disappeared into the hall.
The crowd had been waiting for a long time, and now that the passage was open, most of them quickly left.
"Zhao Xing, I heard you're going too. Which cave are you planning to visit?" Emperor Meng Wu asked casually, fiddling with the ring on his finger.
"I want to go and see the musician's cave."
"What a coincidence." Emperor Meng Wu smiled. "Scholar Feng Chen, Emperor Lord Fuzhi, and Emperor Lord Qianyin have also chosen this place. Why don't you join them?"
Zhao Xing's gaze fell on Meng Wu's side, where Emperor Lord Qianyin was an Emperor Lord Realm from the War God Hall who was skilled in both dance and music.
Feng Chen was Six Realms Scholar of the Academy City, so he was no stranger to him. Emperor Lord Fuzhi also came from the Academy City.
Upon seeing Emperor Lord Fuzhi, Zhao Xing's gaze wavered slightly. "My strength is meager, so please take good care of me, all three of you."
Emperor Lord Qianyin is a woman with an outstanding temperament, which is quite unique among the Emperor Lord Realm, making it difficult to look away once you see her.
Emperor Lord Qianyin knew that Zhao Xing held a significant position in this collaboration, so his attitude was quite good; he responded with a smile, indicating his welcome.
Feng Chen was an old acquaintance. The Six Realms Scholar was equivalent to the Emperor Lord Level. He was the one who took him to treat the True Spirit Heavenly Poison and participated in the entire Star Law Association.
Emperor Lord Fuzhi's temperament is equally outstanding. He has a neutral appearance, making it difficult to distinguish between men and women, but the beauty of the Qi formed by the six Qi of the human body is even more outstanding than that of Emperor Lord Qianyin.
Emperor Lord Fuzhi was also looking at Zhao Xing, his eyes filled with keen interest.
"It's not a matter of taking care of me; you might even have to take care of me. I'm not good at fighting," Feng Chen said with a smile.
"No need for you to Guest Qi, Zhao Shennong. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to come here."
All three expressed their welcome, but Emperor Lord Fuzhi showed extra enthusiasm than the other two, even though it was their first meeting.
Zhao Xing exchanged a few polite words, but a sense of unease crept into his mind.
Because Emperor Lord Fuzhi is the core figure in Bowei's God Creation Project, she, or rather he, has reached the final link in the God Creation Project.
In Zhao Xing's memory, Emperor Lord Fuzhi and two other mysterious figures had entered the final stage and were all qualified to receive a collective enlightenment from the scholars.
However, after Bowei's God Creation Project failed, only Emperor Lord Fuzhi was exposed, while the other two disappeared without a trace.
Although Emperor Lord Fuzhi belongs to the Academy City faction, he is not a scholar.
Next, the four of them went in through the emergency exit.
Zhao Xing secretly checked the other party's information using the control panel.
Name: Wu Fuzhi
[Realm Level: Late Emperor Lord Level]
[True Spirit: Late-stage Emperor Lord Level]
[Occupations: Agricultural Official, Warrior, Priest, Fate Master, Physician, Mechanism Master, Beast Tamer, Musician, Dancer Master, Historical Scholar]
[Mana Points: 801]
[Internal World: 7000 World Yuan Unit]
[Golden Body: 108,000 Extremes; Seven-Life Fate Palace; Nine-Turn Zither Heart; Limitless Sword Gall; Eight-Turn Spirit Ditch; Boundless Wandering Spirit Palace; Nurtured Mother Core; Azure History River; Green Pouch Medical Book.]
[Reincarnation-level Secret Technique: Northwind Hundred Rivers Formation, Fate Tribulation Method, Eight-String Divine Technique, Heaven and Earth Heavenly Sword Art, Reincarnation Altar (Spirit Void Version), Beast Spirit Transformation, Supreme Unity Heavenly Poison Pill Method]
[..]
[Status: General Knowledge Mirror. Disguised using divine power, displaying only one or two core class skills and spells.]
"Damn it, Bowei so much stronger in this life. Emperor Lord Fuzhi is already at the late stage of Emperor Lord Level, and he has almost mastered all the professions."
Emperor Fuzhi possesses the core skills for almost every profession, including the inner world of the Minister of Agriculture of the Primordial School!
The Academy City is a sacred place for Human Race. Almost everyone leaves a copy of their laws and theories there. The Dao Academy City Dao Tree Writing Books will be passed down for eternity. This is the place where humanity passes on the torch and preserves the flame.
If this were his previous life, all of his magical skills would have been at the "Golden Legend" level, because the Eighth Law Realm of the Academy City encompasses everything.
Zhao Xing judged that Bowei was stronger than in his previous life mainly because of the "Status" in the last column of Emperor Lord Fuzhi.
[Mirror Image General Knowledge]
The Academy City possesses a divine artifact called the General Knowledge Mirror, one of its abilities being to disguise a person's cultivation system.
If Zhao Xing didn't look at the character panel, Emperor Lord Fuzhi would just appear to be an ordinary sword-wielding Emperor Lord Realm. His role was simply to protect Feng Chen, the Six Realms Scholar.
With the death of Zhi Xin and Bowei becoming the Grand Elder, there are no new Seven Realms scholars among the new generation of scholars in the Academy City.
Feng Chen is the most promising candidate to cross this threshold. Some even say he will be the next scholar in the field of literature after Bowei.
"I hope he doesn't actually do it," Zhao Xing thought with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
Bowei opened the World Transfer Tower World Transfer Tower the Second Era of the Desolate Territory, a much better Qidian than opening it in the Third Era. This was because the Desolate Territory had become even more desolate in the Third Era, with many Void River in the Xuanling Star Domain freezing over; the Third Era was also known as the beginning of the Ice Age. The cultivation environment deteriorated further, and internal strife and external threats became more severe.
Whether it's the cultivation environment, manpower, resources, or power, Bowei is much better off than in his previous life.
During his trip to the World Transfer Tower, Bowei may have lost a lot of Realm Spirit Points, but he also gained experience in fighting against the Divine Realm experts.
"If this really happens, who knows what kind of trouble it will cause? I need to stay away from this person." Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel a chill.
Bowei opened the World Transfer Tower, drawing power from it, and recruited the Starry Sky Historian, declaring that from then on there would only be Historical Scholar, and the names on the panel were changed accordingly.
Without a doubt, Bowei is the undisputed chosen one of the versions, and we should still treat him with reverence.
If Bowei actually succeeds, what impact will it have?
Zhao Xing was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn't even realize when he had entered the cave.
It wasn't until a "whoosh" sounded and the environment changed noticeably that the four of them realized they had passed through the safe passage created by Emperor Mo Shu and arrived in another world.
"Whoosh~~"
The sky was overcast, and the wind howled as if playing a mournful tune. Zhao Xing's mood unconsciously darkened.
A snowflake drifted down in front of me, and suddenly it lit up for a moment, as if a figure was dancing on it, but then it vanished in an instant.
Zhao Xing looked up at the sky and saw that the moon was partially obscured by Dark Clouds.
He, Feng Chen, Emperor Lord Qianyin, and Emperor Lord Fuzhi landed on a Gao Shan, surrounded by a desolate world.
"Is Zhao Shennong well?"
Feng Chen asked with concern, Zhao Xing had already achieved the accomplishment of Dao Tree Writing Books, and Feng Chen felt closer to him.
"Thank you for your concern, Elder Feng. I'm fine, but I'm feeling a bit down for some reason," Zhao Xing sighed. "I feel like the wind is playing a mournful tune, like funeral music."
"The Feather Tone are deep and subtle, symbolizing the return of all things to their origin." Emperor Lord Qianyin closed his eyes and sensed it. "What you say is not wrong. This world is indeed playing a mournful melody, and it has been for a long time."
Feng Chen chimed in, "My judgment is the same as Emperor Lord Qianyin's. What we heard was the Feather Tone Scale among the Five Divine Sounds, which lasted the longest."
"As the saying goes, the lingering sound of the Yu note has been heard for three decades, which refers to the Feather Tone in the Five Divine Sounds."
"This is good news," Emperor Lord Qianyin happily. "At least it hasn't strayed from the scope of our understanding."
"Not bad." Feng Chen nodded as well.
Zhao Xing could understand what the two were saying. Since he dared to come to the Music Office to explore, he must have done some research.
The Five Divine Sounds that Feng Chen and Emperor Lord Qianyin mentioned are Gong, Shang, Jiao, Wei, and Yu. These are also the five basic musical scales for musicians. The common saying of being tone-deaf refers to these five tones.
It is called the Five Divine Sounds because five Divine Emperor in history, namely the Emperor Rui, the Emperor Yu, the Emperor Luo, the Ancestor Emperor, and the Li Emperor, once traversed three void layers of the universe, collecting the sounds of the Great Dao of the universe and mixing them together to form the Great Dao syllables.
The Tao itself is abstract, but when it is concretized into sound, it can be understood by hundreds of millions of people, and some of them embark on the path of cultivation.
The five tones gave rise to the twelve musical pitches, and all musical pieces are derived from the five tones and twelve musical pitches. They were used not only for cultivation but also for sacrificial rites.
Accompanying it are five Dao Divine Artifact of the Great Dao: the Auspicious God Bell, the Feather God Zither, the Zu Shen, the Luo God Drum, and the Glazed God, which are the first of the five tones, as well as twelve musical artifacts.
The reason why Feng Chen and Emperor Lord Qianyin were happy was that although the owner of this cave was of unknown origin, the music played here still followed the Great Dao of the Five Tones and was quite orthodox, which meant it was within their knowledge.
If you encounter something strange or unusual, it will actually be more difficult to explore.
"The musical scale increases from south to north. If there is a cave dwelling, we should head north. Does Emperor Lord Qianyin agree?" Feng Chen asked.
"Agreed." Emperor Lord Qianyin nodded.
Zhao Xing had no objections, because that was also the case in the Celestial Master Mansion's speculation report.
The four men protected Feng Chen and flew slowly northward.
The wind and snow intensified, and the clouds grew thicker, but the moon remained intermittently visible, seemingly unchanging.
Zhao Xing did not attempt to change the celestial phenomena, because according to Feng Chen and Emperor Lord Qianyin, unless the source of the five tones was severed, even if the Dark Clouds and snow were temporarily dispelled, they would quickly return to their original state.
To avoid encountering uncontrollable factors, it's better not to do anything, since no one is afraid of the environment here anyway.
After flying at low altitude for about half a day, the Heavy Snow reached its peak, turning the world into a completely silver-clad landscape.
At this point, the harsh low temperatures alone would be enough to freeze many Lord Level to death.
His mana was being drained in large quantities, and Zhao Xing's mana value decreased by about 0.5 levels.
With no idea how long the road ahead would be, he had no choice but to take out the Solar Star Lamps from his Internal World.
The Solar Star Lamps is a mid-grade Reincarnation Dao Soldier, and its only function is to ward off the cold.
Feng Chen and Emperor Lord Qianyin both smiled slightly. Only Zhao Xing could be so extravagant; they were both reluctant to use such a treasure.
"In terms of wealth, Zhao Xing is probably the richest among the four of us. We've benefited from his wealth," Emperor Lord Qianyin joked.
"Haha, yes, it's much warmer now." Feng Chen exhaled a breath of cold air, and a burst of laughter echoed through the wind and snow.
After flying for another two and a half days, the Great Cold turned into the Minor Cold.
The snowflakes in the sky began to change shape, hanging in the air like silk threads, just like musical notes floating.
The sound of the wind that Zhao Xing heard also changed from a simple chirping sound. The long note "mi" appeared.
"The sounds of heaven and earth resonate, life flourishes, and the wood element grows." Feng Chen held a wine pot, listening intently, partly to keep warm, and partly out of habit.
"We'll soon see flowers, trees, and shrubs. Zhao Shennong, you'd better look carefully; you might find some valuable Original Seed that could make up for the loss of your Solar Star Lamps."
The Solar Star Lamps in Zhao Xing's hand had dimmed considerably. Its grade, once that of a mid-grade Reincarnation Dao Soldier, had dropped to low grade. "If it's just a common Original Seed, there's no need to waste time," Zhao Xing said with a smile as he put the Solar Star Lamps away. He didn't care about such a small amount of money now. He could make or discard one Solar Star Lamps as needed.
"My main purpose in coming here this time is to broaden my horizons; finding treasure is secondary."
"If I were to see the cave dwelling, I would likely fail the test of its master. I would still need the three of you to help me."
Zhao Xing behaved calmly and unassumingly, and the atmosphere among the four was quite pleasant. However, Emperor Lord Fuzhi kept trying to chat with him, asking about the treatment for the True Spirit Heavenly Poison and some things that happened in the Academy City. Emperor Lord Fuzhi's curiosity about him was extraordinary.
We flew north for about two more months.
The Earth Fruit became vibrant again, and the Dark Clouds and snowflakes gradually dispersed.
Zhao Xing saw many flowers, plants and trees, and soon encountered a Lord Level Original Seed blocking his way.
Swoosh~
Zhao Xing offered up the Seven Realms True Spirit Bamboo.
"Mouth~"
The purple aura of the True Spirit Bamboo trembled, and a huge vine in front of it, which relied on gear-like mouthparts, was instantly pulverized.
Zhao Xing separated his Great Beginning Clone and began digging in the soil.
He didn't care about the plant life; he cared more about the soil.
"Earth Vein Era from the soil, the earliest age of this ancient little world can be traced back to the Early Triassic Era period."
"However, the power of the Earth Vein is already very weak. This is probably the last Lord Level plant life."
Zhao Xing left behind a Great Beginning Clone for research, while his main body continued on its journey with the three of them without delay.
Soon, wisps of fiery red clouds appeared in the sky, hanging upside down like musical notes. The Realm Transformation brightened, volcanoes and great rivers began to appear frequently, and the spiritual energy index greatly increased.
"The lingering sound of the celestial music is growing stronger, and a large number of fire-element boundary stones have appeared here." Emperor Lord Qianyin's eyes lit up.
Below, they saw numerous veins of boundary stone, exposed directly on the surface. The sheer number of these veins caused them to stop in their tracks.
"Zhao Shennong, this task will have to be done by you." Emperor Lord Qianyin looked at Zhao Xing. Emperor Lord Qianyin could also split mountains and Earth Split.
However, only Agricultural Official can do a good job of excavating the ore vein intact without damaging its quality.
"Leave it to me." Zhao Xing immediately landed. The Earth Core Rifting Soil Art was combined with the Disintegration Art and Wall Opening Art.
After a barrage of spells, a large number of boundary stone veins automatically surfaced and were extracted by Zhao Xing.
"The whole operation Cloudcalling, it was a feast for the eyes," Emperor Lord Fuzhi praised. "If it were someone else, the earth would probably be unrecognizable."
"As expected of Zhao Shennong, Dao Tree Writing Books and could establish a school of thought," Emperor Lord Qianyin also admired him greatly.
After about a month, the boundary stones of the Huīyin Region were completely removed.
Zhao Xing roughly estimated that these boundary stone veins were worth around 60,000 Profound Spirit Ancient Coin.
The four of them split the money equally, each receiving 15,000. This alone makes it worth the ticket price and even profitable. After all, the threshold for becoming Emperor Lord Level being is only 10,000 Profound Spirit Ancient Coin. A High-Grade Reincarnation Dao Soldier costs around 5,000 to 50,000 Profound Spirit Ancient Coin.
As usual, Zhao Xing left behind a Great Beginning Clone here, while his true self set off with the three of them.
After passing through the Shang Sound Metal Region, the terrain became increasingly higher, and life became relatively rare.
Numerous ancient buildings have been discovered, but they are now ruins, with only broken walls and rubble revealing a glorious past. A replica was left behind for research.
After flying for half a year, the main body and the three of them finally arrived at the Palace Sound Region.
"The palace tone is the first of the five tones, representing the ruler and commander."
"His voice was slow and deliberate, solemn and dignified."
"We should have arrived at the place where the cave master usually resides."
Zhao Xing looked up and saw that the sky ahead was filled with musical notes, which caused strange phenomena such as Wind, Rain, Thunder, Cloud, and clouds, and even mountains were floating in the sky.
However, at this moment, these notes were completely random, as if they had lost their order and were piled up haphazardly in front of us.
It also emitted bursts of noise, making it impossible for Zhao Xing to concentrate.
Seeing this, Feng Chen took out a talisman from his pocket and stuck it on Zhao Xing's chest.
The noise immediately decreased, and the feeling of annoyance quickly dissipated.
"Clang!"
Emperor Lord Qianyin produced a yellow bell in his hand and gently struck it.
The sound waves spread out in a way that was visible to the naked eye, and Zhao Xing saw the musical notes floating in the sky ahead being dispersed.
A passage was cleared by the sound of bells, and soon a magnificent golden palace appeared in the sky. It was suspended in the air by four silk threads that looked like harp strings, one end of which was connected to the base of the palace, and the other end disappeared into the void.
The palace seemed to be hanging on a spider web, yet it was rotating.
Snowflakes were falling, wind was blowing, and moonlight was shining down. Zhao Xing saw a large tree to the east of the palace. Its heart-shaped leaves swayed in the wind, making countless sounds.
A vine grows on the south side, its tendrils swaying in the air as if dancing.
Four black-edged, red-flowered plants were planted on the west side, but three of them had withered and died, and the remaining one was closed.
To the north stands a bare golden bamboo pole, as if its branches and leaves have been cut off, and it has charred marks on it, as if it had been struck by lightning.
Zhao Xing's focus was on the plants, but the other three were focused on the palace itself.
Feng Chen read aloud the couplet on the palace gate:
"The wind whispers and the snow weeps, a thousand strings tell of parting sorrow; the moon hides and the flowers wither, five-character quatrains bury the last notes."
"The music of the five notes of the pentatonic scale has faded into oblivion."
"Elder Feng, this couplet doesn't sound very auspicious," Emperor Lord Fuzhi, narrowing his eyes.
Zhao Xing noticed that his palm was tucked under his sleeve and then stretched out again, a habitual action of Fate Master.
It seems that Emperor Lord Fuzhi is secretly deducing and observing something.
"Elder Feng, is it possible to discern the origin of this palace?" Emperor Lord Qianyin did not act rashly. "I cannot." Feng Chen shook his head. "I can only determine that it is in the style of the Emperor Rui or Luo Emperor Era."
Just then, several musical notes suddenly merged into one on the steps outside the palace gate, forming a long-haired fairy in flowing white robes.
Her gaze fell on the four people below the steps, first ignoring Zhao Xing and Feng Chen, then she said something to Emperor Lord Qianyin and Emperor Lord Fuzhi. However, Zhao Xing couldn't hear her.
"Fuzhi, what is she saying?" Feng Chen hadn't heard her either, so he had to ask.
"It says this palace is called Spirit Luo Palace, its master is called Spirit Luo Venerable, and it is the spirit of the Spirit Luo Palace," Emperor Lord Fuzhi replied.
"The Spirit Luo Venerable left behind a test of inheritance, but only Emperor Lord Qianyin and I are allowed to go and accept the test."
A hint of surprise flashed in Emperor Lord Qianyin's eyes. If only those of corresponding professions were allowed to undergo the test, then she should be the only one who met the requirements. Why Emperor Lord Fuzhi, a sword cultivator, also eligible?
However, there was no time to think about it anymore, because Feng Chen nodded, Emperor Lord Fuzhi had already entered the palace gate.
Emperor Lord Qianyin had no choice but to hurry up and follow. Since Spirit Luo Venerable was called a Venerable, he must be at the level of Demigod. She could not miss this opportunity.
"Elder Feng, what should we do? Just wait around?" Zhao Xing looked at the four kinds of plants around the palace, his heart itching with desire.
Since other professions are not allowed to enter the palace to retrieve its treasures, that's fine.
But these four plants are all good things!
According to Zhao Xing's panel observation, apart from the bamboo pole which was already dead, the other three were all Emperor Lord Level plants, and all of them were still alive.
The key point is that these are all rare "Derived Seed" that, after being trained in music by Spirit Luo Venerable, possess the skills of musicians and Dancer Master.
Plant Soldier of the Emperor Lord Level who understands the Great Dao of Music? That's extremely rare! After Zhao Xing opened up his Internal World, he was in dire need of troops. The Black Heaven Moon Tree was an auxiliary, the Spirit-Devouring Grass was still being trained, and the only usable one was the Seven Realms True Spirit Bamboo. How could this be considered Explosive Soldier Stream?
"You want to subdue those plants?" Feng Chen guessed Zhao Xing's intention.
"Yes." Zhao Xing nodded quickly. "I'm not allowed inside the palace. Is there anything we can discuss about things outside? I'd appreciate it if you could help me inquire."
Feng Chen could understand the couplet, but Zhao Xing couldn't. Presumably, this Six Realms Scholar could also communicate with the spirit of the artifact.
Scholars with Universal Knowledge Method can understand the laws of the world! Moreover, even if one only masters language and writing, when entering any ancient text, the translation of a scholar is indispensable. Sometimes, translating even a small rule incorrectly can lead to utter disaster.
"Let me ask." Feng Chen stepped forward, Golden Light emanating from his mouth, and spoke in an unknown language as he headed towards the spirit on the steps.
Zhao Xing waited expectantly, and then the spirit actually responded. He carefully observed their expressions, but couldn't discern anything, nor did he know whether they had reached an agreement or not.
After a while, the spirit suddenly snorted and its expression turned displeased.
Feng Chen had no choice but to shut up and come back.
"Mr. Feng, what do you mean?"
Feng Chen shook his head. "The spirit's name is Xuan Yue. When I spoke to her, she was quite Guest Qi to me at first."
Scholars are respected figures in any era, and it's only when scholars engage in communication that it doesn't provoke resentment.
"I told her that there is a genius Agricultural Official in our time who can Dao Tree Writing Books. The plants here will wither and die sooner or later if they stay here, so it's better to give them to her."
"What did she say?" Zhao Xing asked expectantly.
"She said you're too weak to keep these plants alive," Feng Chen said.
"You think I'm weak? "Old Master Zhao was displeased.
What a blind spirit!
"Whether I'm weak or not, I'll at least let you try," Feng Chen said.
"After some persuasion, she did allow you to collect those plants, but the requirements are very strict. She said you have to pass three tests under her, and you need to have the strength of Emperor Lord Level to have any hope of passing each test."
"I tried to negotiate with her, but she got upset, and in the end, nothing came of it."
"Elder, please tell her I'd like to give it a try," Zhao Xing said eagerly.
Having Internal World at least meets the standard for Emperor Lord Level being. Moreover, in the past, the cultivation system was not as perfect as it is now, so perhaps the spirit of the artifact considered the standard for Emperor Lord Level being to be lower than it is now?
With the magical powers of the Azure Flower Mana and the Red Lotus Mana, and a whole host of magical artifacts at his disposal, he was truly unwilling to give up without a try.
"You're not kidding?" Feng Chen was somewhat stunned. He didn't have a clear understanding of Zhao Xing's strength. "Didn't I make myself clear just now? It's Emperor Lord Level standard, not Lord Level."
"Elder, I can do it." Zhao Xing, eager to prove himself, waved his hand and took Feng Chen into his Internal World.
Then it was released again in a second.
"Your Internal World— " Feng Chen emerged, his expression somewhat surprised, "How can it be so vast?"
Although I only went in for a quick look, the Boundless Continent, the Primordial Sea, the Primordial Yunran, and the Yin-Yang Nine-Star System were all completely unlike what one would expect from someone who had just broken through to the Reincarnation Realm.
"No, it's too risky." Feng Chen was a good person, and he said worriedly, "Since I brought you in, I have to be responsible for you. If something happens, I won't be able to explain it."
Zhao Xing was getting anxious. Didn't Feng Chen realize how much he wanted to improve?
"Elder, let me try. If it doesn't work, I'll retreat immediately. I won't force myself!"
"Alright." Feng Chen nodded reluctantly. "In that case, I'll go and talk to them again and ask them which three levels there are."
He hadn't asked any questions earlier, and when he heard about the Emperor Lord Level standard, he started haggling, then got interrupted and had to back down. Now, of course, he had to ask for clarification.
A short while later, Feng Chen returned.
"I've found out. The First Stage is a test of willpower," Feng Chen said, pointing to the steps to the east. "If you can climb up, pass through the Five Sound Illusion Realm, and reach that big tree, you'll pass the test."