I cleaned the room until it was spotless.
Once I was done, Luo Zhou let out a long breath.
The work gave him a chance to familiarize himself with his body and adapt to the Devil Lord Saint Body.
Actually, whether it was strength, agility, constitution, or perception, none of them seemed to have changed much.
And yet everything was different.
Now, it was simply: If I want to, I can.
He clenched his fist gently. His original strength of fourteen thousand jin could be pushed to eighteen thousand in one go, without the slightest strain.
He could hold a teacup without crushing it, or push a door open with the lightest touch. Every ounce of strength was under his control.
His body was the same: incredibly flexible, resilient, and nimble—many times more so than before.
His five senses had expanded imperceptibly, allowing him to sense the world around him more perfectly.
He would need time to study and make sense of it all, but Luo Zhou knew he was worlds apart from his former self. He was completely different.
Before, he had been a pupa. Now, he had emerged as a butterfly!
He could soar through the heavens and traverse the cosmos. At last, he had his first bit of capital!
For one thing, the range of Dragon-Slaying Thrust had silently expanded from two zhang and five chi to four zhang and three chi.
Weak Water Three Thousand and the Flying Pounce ability had also expanded to a range of four zhang and three chi.
His strength had skyrocketed!
What was more, if he wanted to, he could easily advance to Body Tempering Eighth or Ninth Layer, or even reach the Great Perfection of Body Tempering.
But Luo Zhou wouldn't do that. He would maintain his cultivation at the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering.
This was only the tip of the iceberg for the Devil Lord Saint Body. He needed to adapt to it gradually and gain even greater power.
Luo Zhou tried to examine the Primal Golden Chapter on his chest.
The golden seal was imprinted on his chest, invisible to anyone but him—not even the other Devilish Sons could see it.
As he stared at it, the Primal Golden Chapter shifted without form, turning into the shape of a book.
He slowly opened the book. Two large characters appeared: All-Knowing!
But as Luo Zhou watched, the strokes of All-Knowing gradually faded, until only a single gleaming stroke remained.
An explanation appeared of its own accord!
"True All-Knowing can be activated, granting knowledge of everything. But you cannot withstand such an enormous influx of information and will die instantly. Would you like to spend one Fate Point to activate All-Knowing?"
That made sense. To know everything, he needed a body capable of withstanding all knowledge.
Spend a life to gain All-Knowing? Was he crazy? Wasn't being alive good enough?
Luo Zhou shook his head. "No!"
At once, All-Knowing changed, branching into two forms.
"Glimpse the mysteries beyond knowledge!"
"Explore truth through knowledge!"
One option would let Luo Zhou peer into the secrets of all things from the void beyond his perception.
The other would use his body to understand and explore the truths of the universe.
Luo Zhou immediately chose the second option: knowledge.
Peering from beyond knowledge could attract inexplicable oddities and the void of the cosmos. He was only at the Body Tempering stage—choosing that would be asking for death.
The words changed again.
"Primal Golden Chapter activated. Using your knowledge and understanding, analyze the world and explore the universe."
"This mode relies on your own knowledge and understanding. To some degree, All-Knowing may produce errors. Please judge for yourself.
"This is Pseudo-All-Knowing, an auxiliary tool for your cultivation. It cannot guide your cultivation, predict danger, complete cultivation techniques, or provide other auxiliary abilities. Keep this clearly in mind, and do not rely too heavily on All-Knowing.
"Accumulate knowledge and understanding to expand the scope of All-Knowing. The abilities mentioned above may emerge as you fill in the gaps.
"When your knowledge reaches a certain level, All-Knowing will automatically unlock other ways to explore and perceive.
"Heavenly Knowledge, Earthly Knowledge, Living Knowledge, Dead Knowledge, Divine Knowledge, Spiritual Knowledge, Heart Knowledge, Sensory Knowledge, Cognitive Knowledge, Perceptive Knowledge, and other paths can be used to obtain All-Knowing.
"Heavenly Knowledge is what the world knows. Earthly Knowledge is the traces that exist upon the land. Living Knowledge is what all living beings know. Dead Knowledge is what the dead and the netherworld know..."
Luo Zhou nodded repeatedly. He'd finished the job, so it was time to find Headmaster Zhao and claim his reward.
He headed to the headmaster's office. Along the way, he gradually noticed words appearing over the things around him.
"Mop, mundane object, cleaning tool."
"Potted plant, mundane object, decorative item."
It was like an automatic appraisal.
Words like these appeared over everything around him.
Luo Zhou shook his head. At this rate, it would wear him out.
He tried blocking out mundane objects so they wouldn't be labeled, while keeping alerts for anything unusual.
The instant he had the thought, the display changed.
The labels on mundane objects vanished.
It was as though the Primal Golden Chapter's All-Knowing had gained a new eye. He would have to adjust to it and master it bit by bit.
Luo Zhou arrived at the headmaster's office and knocked.
"Come in!"
Luo Zhou entered the office, only to find two other people inside.
He knew them both. They were students from Xianya Class One.
A man and a woman!
The man was Tang Moli, and the woman was Yuan Qiuyun.
They had awakened their divine abilities when they were young and entered the academy straight into Xianya Class One.
When they saw Luo Zhou, neither of them paid him much attention.
Headmaster Zhao spoke slowly:
"You are all my most promising disciples. Get to know one another and help each other at the Ascension Ceremony in the future."
At that, Tang Moli and Yuan Qiuyun looked at Luo Zhou with curiosity.
Anyone accepted as Headmaster Zhao's personal disciple was sure to be extraordinary.
Luo Zhou smiled. "Luo Zhou, Fifth Layer of Body Tempering..."
Headmaster Zhao cut him off. "Tell the truth!"
Luo Zhou had always concealed his cultivation from others. With his teacher putting it that way, he could only tell the truth.
"Seventh Layer of Body Tempering. Divine ability: Overturning Rivers and Seas. Divine ability: Nine Oxen and Two Tigers. Strongman, Curse Master."
He had used Overturning Rivers and Seas in front of the Dragon Tooth Gang's disciples, so anyone paying attention could have found out.
There was no need to keep it secret, so he said it outright.
Tang Moli introduced himself as well:
"Tang Moli, Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, Innate Five Elements Spiritual Root. Ability: Vast Sea Transformation. Ability: Subtle Knowledge. Alchemist, Gold Sculptor, Soulslayer."
Luo Zhou looked at him with a smile.
That bastard was lying!
As Tang Moli introduced himself, Luo Zhou found that he could gradually sense information about him.
Tang Moli, Great Perfection of the Tenth Layer of Body Tempering, divine ability: All Heavens Decree, divine ability...
Teacher Headmaster Zhao hadn't rebuked him or told him to be honest. That meant Tang Moli had even fooled their teacher.
Tang Moli had hidden his cultivation, along with two divine abilities: All Heavens Decree and another one Luo Zhou couldn't sense.
That guy wasn't honest at all. He'd even lied to his own master.
Yuan Qiuyun introduced herself too:
"Yuan Qiuyun, Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, Innate Wood Water Earth Spiritual Root, talent: Azure Cloud Elegance, Sun Crown Master, Diviner."
She, at least, hadn't hidden anything or lied.
Luo Zhou smiled. He could feel his All-Knowing gradually adapting to its surroundings and growing stronger.
He still couldn't see through his teacher, though. He would take his time.
Headmaster Zhao spoke slowly. "You are all my disciples, and I have high hopes for you..."
Though everyone at the academy was his student, these three were the ones closest to him, his personal disciples.
He was introducing his disciples to one another.
They could look out for each other in the future.
Once the introductions were over, Headmaster Zhao waved them away, but called Luo Zhou to stay.
"Luo Zhou, did you finish the job I gave you?"
"Teacher, the task is complete!"
"Good. The emperor doesn't send soldiers out on an empty stomach. Here are five Spirit Yang Pills. Go back and cultivate well."
So the whole point of cleaning the room had been to give him an excuse to hand over the pills.
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Luo Zhou took the Spirit Yang Pills and left.
When he returned to the classroom, everyone was training in the practice field.
Luo Zhou went there too. The moment he stepped onto the field, All-Knowing advanced again.
Every situation on the practice field was as clear as a mirror in Luo Zhou's mind. Everything was laid bare, with nowhere to hide.
In that instant, all things became quantifiable, as if he had a measuring rod for the heavens and a ruler for the earth in his mind. Everything about his classmates was quantified. Their strength, their cultivation—every detail was clear to him.
But there was so much data that Luo Zhou would need time to digest it all and get used to it.
"Great Hero Luo, what brings you here today?"
Naturally, it was Cui Jian who came running over.
As the senior student in charge of Xianya Hall's Third Class, he never missed a day. He had to come to the academy to cultivate every day.
"Hey, you—you've reached the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering!"
After leaving the headmaster's office, Luo Zhou had stopped hiding his cultivation.
Before, he hadn't been strong enough. With the Woodworm Devil battle looming, he'd needed to conceal his strength to protect himself.
Now he had emerged as a butterfly, and his strength would only keep growing. It was time to start showing what he could do.
Luo Zhou smiled. "Senior Brother, you really do have a discerning eye. You deserve a reward!"
Cui Jian burst out laughing. He knew Luo Zhou was offering to treat him.
"Only fifteen people showed up today. How about buying me an extra bowl of porridge?"
That bastard certainly wasn't shy!
"Done!"
Luo Zhou took out a Broken Spirit and handed it to Cui Jian.
Cui Jian was delighted. He took the Broken Spirit, and their hands touched.
Luo Zhou paused, then grabbed Cui Jian's hand and rubbed it vigorously.
"Hey, hey! Bro, I'm not into that!"
Cui Jian struggled with all his might.
As Luo Zhou rubbed his hand, he suddenly discovered:
Cui Jian, Seventh Layer of Body Tempering, divine ability: Light-Twisting Engraving (sealed), ability: Swift Movement.
That bastard actually had the Light-Twisting Engraving divine ability? And it was somehow sealed. What was going on?
Could Senior Brother really be a holy son of the Jellyfish Celestial Palace?
Before you continue