A New Account's First Draw-Seeking Blessings (Extra-Long Chapter in Thanks to the Alliance Leader)

Just as Gu Bai was left stunned by the boundless ambition of his disciple, a sharp rebuke suddenly rang out nearby.

"Where'd this wild brat come from? How dare he make such a boast at an occasion like this!"

Someone immediately chimed in.

"Heh, just look at the elder beside him. Ragged clothes, the air of a cripple about him—there probably isn't a second person like him anywhere in Wu Prefecture... True Person Gu Bai, it's been a long time."

As he spoke, a middle-aged Daoist strode over with his hands clasped in greeting. He wore an Azure Daoist Robe, woven with gold and trimmed with jade. His hair and beard were black as ink, his thick brows swept toward his temples, and his eyes sparkled like stars. His appearance and bearing were truly extraordinary.

Seeing him, Gu Bai furrowed his brow slightly and sighed. He bowed in return. "Greetings, True Person Liu Xi..."

Liu Xi's companions also turned their eyes toward Gu Bai, each looking astonished.

"So he's Gu Bai?!"

"Wasn't he supposed to be at the Nascent Soul Realm? Why does he look..."

Liu Xi spoke loudly. "True Person Gu Bai was exceptionally gifted in his youth. He truly did reach the Nascent Soul Realm for a time. Unfortunately, he later suffered a grievous injury by accident and damaged his Dao foundation. His divine abilities have never returned, his vital energy is depleted, and he's now like a candle guttering in the wind..."

When he finished, a plainly gloating smile spread across Liu Xi's face. Looking at Gu Bai, he said, "Heh, when we parted last time, I thought we'd never meet again. I never imagined that, though your path to immortality is utterly ruined, you'd become even more skilled at clinging to life... You haven't secretly been cultivating some demonic heresy, have you?"

"True Person Liu must be joking," Gu Bai murmured, preparing to step aside and leave.

But Liu Xi refused to let it go. With a flash, he blocked Gu Bai's path and asked, "What happened to those two disciples you taught before? Why didn't you bring them along to let everyone have a look? Are you hiding them away like precious treasures because you can't bear to share? Hahaha!"

That last remark was downright lewd. Even Gu Bai, who had been willing to endure the insults, couldn't stop his expression from changing. But in the end, he suppressed his anger, sighed softly, and stepped aside again, determined not to argue with Liu Xi.

Liu Xi frowned and was about to block him again, but someone beside him tugged at his sleeve, reminding him that this was a festive occasion and he shouldn't cause trouble. So Liu Xi could only grit his teeth, spit to one side, and let Gu Bai go.

Gu Bai breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then looked down at his disciple Wu Ming with a wry smile.

He didn't particularly care about being humiliated by Liu Xi in public. He'd only grown angry when Liu Xi insulted his two disciples. Now he feared that his newly accepted disciple had too fierce a temperament to tolerate such commonplace injustice.

Instead, Wu Ming was studying him with a doubtful look. He hesitated several times, then finally couldn't help asking, "Master, did you used to be stronger than him?"

Gu Bai's vision went dark. He nearly choked on his breath. Though he didn't understand the exact meaning of the phrase, he knew Wu Ming hadn't meant it as a compliment... And others among the guests understood it just as well. Several snickers immediately broke out around them.

Gu Bai hurriedly pulled Wu Ming along and walked some distance away before the remark could reach the ears of the man it was about. Then, half exasperated and half amused, he cautioned him, "Don't say things like that! The important thing today is to receive the Human Dao Seal. Whatever you do, don't cause trouble!"

Wu Ming nodded. "Don't worry, Master. We'll get the event rewards first, then pick a fight with him afterward."

"You... Forget it. Youthful high spirits are only natural. The path of cultivation requires one to overcome the obstacles of limited knowledge and leap out of the well before one can see one's true nature. The Human Emperor Scroll is the first hurdle in cultivation. Completing one layer isn't difficult, but to gain several Human Dao Seals on your first attempt takes exceptional talent and pure blood."

At that, Gu Bai took the opportunity to give Wu Ming a thorough introduction to the Human Emperor Post, so he wouldn't keep dwelling on Liu Xi.

The Human Emperor Post was said to be the source of the myriad immortal lineages. Before cultivating immortality, everyone had to study it. Conversely, if someone stepped onto the Immortal Path and practiced Immortal Arts without first studying the Human Emperor Post, then no matter how great their achievements, they would be considered a demonic heretic and rejected by the Sanqing Immortal Alliance.

With that comparison in mind, Wu Ming more or less understood: the Human Emperor Post could be seen as an employee handbook, a piece of corporate culture—something abstract and impractical... Of course, in Qiongzhou, it had a very real purpose. Most cultivators here were Desolate People, with impure bloodlines, and five hundred years ago, the Desolate Barbarian Rebellion had left behind the seeds of ethnic conflict. Naturally, the Human Emperor Post, which exalted the Human Dao above all else, had to be widely promoted.

Gu Bai first nodded at Wu Ming's interpretation, then corrected him with a wry smile. "The Human Emperor Post itself contains no divine might, so compared with ordinary cultivation manuals, it does have an abstract side. But how could the Heavenly Book, which the Celestial Master Sanqing derived with the power of an Immortal Mansion, be useless? Studying and cultivating according to the Post, and condensing the Human Dao Seal, truly brings one closer to the origin of the Immortal Path. Breathing exercises, gathering energy, practicing martial arts, and training techniques all become twice as effective. It's just..."

Before he could finish, a familiar voice abruptly cut in.

"Still, for mere nonhumans, cultivating the Human Dao is already an uphill struggle. To imagine they could compete with the children of Aristocratic Clans is pure delusion!"

It was Liu Xi again, but his expression was darker and more vicious than before. His gaze, especially when fixed on Wu Ming, seemed ready to devour him whole. Clearly, he had finally heard Wu Ming's odd remark. But he couldn't very well lose face in public by tearing apart a child, so he'd come to make a few barbed comments instead, venting his resentment.

Yet Liu Xi's words, delivered after he'd worked himself into a fury, only left Wu Ming—who had weathered countless internet flame wars—completely baffled. They felt like a mere HP -1... and Wu Ming couldn't help looking at him with a hint of sympathy.

That sympathy struck like a critical hit with bonus damage, burning away the last scraps of Liu Xi's reason. He stepped forward and shouted, "You little bastard, what are you looking at?!"

Wu Ming was delighted and ready to fire back, but Gu Bai hurriedly shielded him. The old man sighed. "Why make things difficult for a child, True Person Liu?"

That sigh borrowed a trace of the surrounding spiritual energy. Like Kong Zhang's clear voice, it immediately drew everyone's attention.

Liu Xi was still ready to lash out, but his companions managed to hold him back.

"Today is a joyous occasion for the host family. Don't steal the spotlight and ruin things... Whatever grudge you have, can't it wait until later?!"

Liu Xi gritted his teeth, but in the end he was dragged back into the crowd. His gaze, however, never left the master and disciple of Gujian Sect.

Meanwhile, Gu Bai was troubled too. With these petty Liu Family members watching them, he wanted to simply leave and return a few days later, once the heat had died down. But he couldn't bear to disappoint his disciple, who was eager to make progress... Besides, the old man was curious himself. Just how many layers of the Human Dao Seal could this strange disciple from Wuyang Village cultivate on his first attempt?

So he gritted his teeth and stayed put. He let the various stares sweep over him and focused on explaining what mattered to Wu Ming.

"Back to the main point. The Human Emperor Post is the doctrine of the Sanqing Immortal Sect, which exalts the Human Dao above all else. The closer your state of mind is to the Human Dao when you study and cultivate it, the more effective you'll be... That's why disciples from prestigious families wait until their temperaments and understanding have matured before formally studying the Human Emperor Post and setting foot on the Immortal Path. Of course, bloodline does have an influence too!"

Wu Ming immediately understood: Liu Xi hadn't been wrong. The Desolate People were naturally at a disadvantage when cultivating the Human Emperor Post, and the Sanqing Immortal Sect's vigorous promotion of it in the border prefectures made its intentions plain. If they wanted the Great Dao, they had to become human step by step, in both ideology and bloodline.

That also explained why a certain someone was baring his claws. Not only was victory all but assured, but all the vanity of the Aristocratic Clans had been staked on this. How could they allow anyone to provoke them? If a Cantonese person went to the Hunan-Jiangxi region and shouted, "The food here is bland and tasteless," the locals would probably boil over with anger.

But the more things were like that, the more Wu Ming's fighting spirit soared.

"Master, is there a trick to studying the Human Emperor Post?"

Gu Bai hesitated, then said, "When studying the Human Emperor Post, you must avoid preconceived notions. Your first attempt will determine the chapters you can grasp in the future. Unless your understanding and acceptance come from the heart, they may become an obstacle later on... But if you want to compete for first prize today, you'll have to be a little more concerned with quick results. You're clever by nature, so I won't give you too many instructions. Just remember one thing: focus on what's before you and let your imagination run wild."

His voice had barely faded when a burst of cheers rang out in the distance. Kong Zhang had climbed onto the platform again and was praising someone loudly. "Heh, Young Lady Zhang truly deserves to be called a prodigy worthy of studying under Luohuang Mountain. On her first attempt, she memorized four hundred characters of the Heavenly Book and gained four layers of the Human Dao Seal! It seems the winner of the Ranxiang Workshop Dharma Sword is still anyone's guess! Hahaha!"

Amid the laughter, a young woman in red was invited onto the platform by Kong Zhang. She was tall and graceful, with soft features and a rather shy air. She stood there without saying a word, awkwardly bowing again and again to the elders of the various families who cheered below... After a moment, she fled in embarrassment, drawing another wave of laughter.

After the young woman in red, several more disciples of prominent Aristocratic Clans were invited onto the platform one by one. Their results were announced to great fanfare—most had memorized more than three hundred characters of the Heavenly Book, reaching three layers of the Human Dao Seal. Judging by the guests' reactions, that was already quite impressive.

By now, Wu Ming had a general idea. Studying the Human Emperor Post essentially meant memorizing the Heavenly Book: every hundred characters earned one layer of the Human Dao Seal, and then everyone competed to see who had the most layers. The highest score won.

Meanwhile, the talented disciples of the various Aristocratic Clans had gathered here today and were putting on a display of stars surrounding the moon. With results of three or four layers, they were all there to bolster and set off the still-unseen Third Young Master Liu... It made Wu Ming think of a spectacular five-black-one-white team.

As he pondered this, he heard the crowd erupt into another commotion. Clearly another expert was about to take the platform and steal the show. Wu Ming hurriedly pulled his master along. While everyone's attention was on the platform, they circled around to the tower entrance and squeezed past a few people, finally reaching a long table.

Two Daoists sat behind it, dressed much like Kong Zhang, though their ornaments were somewhat plainer. On the table sat a basin of clear water, a writing set, a blue book, and an open register filled with many names and their respective results.

This was the testing station Dinghuang Prefecture had set up for the newcomers.

While there were few people around, Wu Ming picked up the brush and carefully wrote his name in the register. Then, following Gu Bai's instructions, he dipped a finger into the basin of clear water. This was the Heart-Cleansing Blood Test.

Five hundred years ago, just after the Desolate Barbarian Rebellion ended, any Desolate People in Qiongzhou who wanted to cultivate first had to wash their bodies in a proper Spirit Pool. Only after repeated checks confirmed they had a sufficiently strong human bloodline could they study the Human Emperor Post, and only then could they properly cultivate the Immortal Path. But hundreds of years had passed, and as order in Qiongzhou stabilized and the people pledged their allegiance, many procedures were gradually simplified until almost no one paid them any mind.

Wu Ming was clearly not the main attraction today. After checking his blood in the water, the Daoists behind the table couldn't even be bothered to examine the result closely. They simply nodded to indicate that he could go study the Human Emperor Post. But just as Wu Ming reached out and touched the cover of the blue book, the hubbub behind him suddenly surged. The two lazy Daoists behind the table hurriedly stood up.

Wu Ming turned around. A young nobleman in white stood behind him, about fifteen or sixteen years old, already tall and imposing, handsome and extraordinary. His clothes were elegant and luxurious, glittering with immortal light and precious treasures. Wu Ming couldn't help sighing inwardly: What a five-star male card!

If he showed a little skin, he'd have the makings of a Limited Five!

His identity was obvious: the star of the day in Dinghuang Prefecture, the Third Young Master Liu whom everyone was fawning over—Liu Qi of the Liu Family!

When Third Young Master Liu saw Wu Ming standing in front of him, he merely nodded and smiled, acknowledging him. His manner was friendly and easygoing, without the slightest hint of impatience. Then he even took half a step back and gestured for Wu Ming to go first.

Third Young Master Liu might have been gracious, but those fawning over him couldn't pass up the chance to curry favor. Immediately, someone in the outer ring of guests began shouting.

"Where'd this wild brat come from? Hurry up and get lost!"

"Even a good dog knows not to block the road. Do you hear me?!"

With the crowd growing restless, the two Dinghuang Prefecture Daoists overseeing the test proved quick-witted. They didn't tell Wu Ming to leave. Instead, they beckoned over two little white-robed servants nearby, clearly low-ranking drudges of the prefecture, to attend to him. They themselves shifted to the other end of the long table, took out another blue book, and set it down... then greeted Third Young Master Liu with a smile so warm it could have been used in an advertisement.

"Third Young Master, please come this way."

Third Young Master Liu returned the greeting with clasped hands. "Thank you both for your kind consideration, Daoists. Then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll go up and make a fool of myself."

With that, he ignored Wu Ming and stepped up to the book. He took a deep breath, adjusted his entire state of mind, and solemnly opened the first page of the Human Emperor Post. His eyes immediately grew distant as he sank into its contents.

Wu Ming watched curiously from the side, but a sharp shout interrupted him.

"Hey, what are you looking at?! Do you still want to study or not?!"

A little white-robed drudge impatiently shoved Wu Ming, dragging his attention back to the table.

Wu Ming didn't take offense, nor did he look at Third Young Master Liu again. He gathered his thoughts and opened the Human Emperor Post in front of him.

The page before him contained roughly a hundred characters. It declared plainly that all the laws of heaven and earth led to the Immortal Path, that the Immortal Path was the Human Dao, and that heaven and earth gave rise to all things, while all things revered the Human Emperor... The argument was clear and simple, nothing particularly unusual.

Puzzled, Wu Ming turned to the second page. It began with the birth of chaos and the opening of heaven and earth. A sage divided yin and yang and brought order to all things, after which the various Great Daos came into being... It established a view of history centered on the sages.

The third page described how, after the Nine Provinces took shape, the sages divided off a fragment of their spiritual essence and opened the cycle of life and death. Only then did the myriad living beings and countless races arise... It established a common ancestor for all living things under heaven.

The fourth page spoke of how all living things were ignorant and established deviant heresies amid the spread of civilization, causing the Nine Provinces to remain in endless chaos and obscuring the Great Dao. Only the human race struggled to endure amid the turmoil... It gave the ancient era, when the hundred races stood side by side, an extremely derogatory framing.

Wu Ming stopped turning the pages when he reached the fifth. For right then, he suddenly realized he couldn't remember what the first page had said!

The feeling was incredibly strange. The page's outline remained clear in his mind; he remembered its general content and central idea, and could almost see its afterimage lingering on his retinas... Yet he couldn't recite a single character of the actual text!

He couldn't even tell whether the very first character had been "heaven" or "great"!

He was astonished.

He wasn't one of those photographic-memory geniuses who never forgot anything they'd seen, but he'd undergone rigorous exam training and had an excellent memory. He could usually read a poem of a hundred or so characters once and recite eight or nine tenths of it. Yet after only a quick glance through five pages, he'd completely forgotten the contents of the first...

The Human Emperor Post really did have something to it. No wonder Master had reminded him to focus on what was before him.

Thinking this, Wu Ming turned back to the first page. Instead of viewing it all at once, he savored it carefully, character by character, and imprinted it in his mind in the most direct way. He silently recited each sentence as he took it in. When he'd finished the hundred or so characters on the page, he started over... only to find that he'd forgotten the first sentence again.

After two consecutive lapses in memory, Wu Ming didn't lose heart. Instead, he was even more excited. In his eyes, the Human Emperor Post was no simple memorization exercise. It was a riddle with profound meaning.

And solving riddles was one of his strong suits.

First, cultivating the Human Emperor Post clearly did involve memorization—Kong Zhang's words of praise made that easy to tell.

Second, rote memorization wasn't enough. His two lapses in memory had already proved that.

Third, his memory itself wasn't failing. He could still recite plenty of poems from before he'd crossed over. Once he returned to the mountain, he could use them to tease his senior sister... So the only possible conclusion was that something was obstructing his memory when he tried to memorize the Human Emperor Post.

Fourth, the Human Emperor Post was the Sanqing Immortal Sect's ideological weapon for enlightening Qiongzhou, and it served a very real purpose in testing people.

...Putting all of that together, a theory gradually took shape in Wu Ming's mind.

Memory depended on acceptance.

The words in the Human Emperor Post seemed plain and unadorned, but beyond the words themselves lay a crucial mystery: as long as readers didn't accept what they said, they could never remember them, no matter how hard they tried.

The Human Dao Seal wasn't so easy to obtain.

Both times, he'd regarded the Human Emperor Post's contents with indifference, treating them like a story. Naturally, he hadn't been able to remember a single character.

So those studying it couldn't treat the Human Emperor Post as some ethereal story. They had to regard it as real history and accept it sincerely.

But if he already knew the Human Emperor Post was a weapon humans used to indoctrinate the Desolate People, then as one of the Desolate People, how could he sincerely accept it?

"Heh, no wonder Master didn't think much of my chances. Even his advice was just to focus on what's in front of me... For someone naturally clever, this really is a subtle trap."

After a pause, a smile crept across Wu Ming's face.

"Fortunately, I'm not just good at being clever. I'm good at getting into character, too."

For someone who spent years neglecting food and sleep in virtual worlds, placing an ethereal world above reality had long since become a passive skill!

Falling head over heels for a beautiful girl in a virtual world, even while knowing that her exquisite character art, model, and romantic dialogue were most likely created by a bunch of greasy men, and still treating her as spiritual sustenance to savor again and again...

How difficult could it be to lose himself in a myth?

Perhaps for the Desolate People, oppressed for hundreds of years, it would be exceedingly difficult to change their beliefs and accommodate the Human Emperor Post, revering the Human Dao—especially those with unique cultural traditions and religious customs, or those whose bloodlines gave them a different way of sensing and understanding the world from humans...

But as a Blue Star transmigrator who'd eaten crispy dog, white-cut dog, Huajiang dog, dry-pot dog, and steamed dog, placing humans above all things was simply common sense!

The moment he understood this, Wu Ming felt a cool current flow through his mind. An invisible shackle shattered silently. In the next instant, the Heavenly Book's words—which he'd been unable to grasp no matter what—suddenly became clear!

Focus on what was before him... let his imagination run wild.

Silently, Wu Ming followed the words of the Human Emperor Post, slowly forming images in his mind to depict the beginning of chaos and the sages creating the world.

At the same time, the boy silently recited the original text. Surrounded by countless images, his thoughts became incredibly smooth and clear. In an instant, he recited more than a hundred characters like mercury spilling across the ground, perfectly memorizing the entire first page!

As he finished the first page, the cool feeling in his mind grew clearer and more substantial, as if it had taken shape from nothing and gained a trace of material form.

That indistinct substance was the Human Dao Seal.

The next moment, several clicks of the tongue reached his ears, full of disdain and resentment.

"Tsk, the little bastard actually managed to cultivate it..."

Heh, as expected, the depth of one's Human Dao Seal was publicly visible. He'd only just succeeded, and everyone already knew. But was it visible to both sides, or only to observers? What about the Aristocratic Clan cultivators gathered here to celebrate? How many layers had they cultivated? And Master Gu Bai—how many Human Dao Seals did he have?

All sorts of scattered thoughts flashed through Wu Ming's mind, then he sank back into the blue book... The second page, the third page. Before he knew it, he'd imagined the entire creation of the Nine Provinces and recited all four of the first pages in one go—a total of 461 characters.

By then, the astonished gasps and furious curses from those around him had become unceasing.

"F-four layers? How could he have four layers?!"

"Damn it, he cheated! That little bastard must've cheated!"

"...Is it even possible to cheat when studying the Human Emperor Post?"

"Who cares if it's possible?! How could a little bastard like him possibly achieve four layers?!"

"Who knows? They say both of that Wasted Daoist Gu Bai's first two disciples gained four layers of the Human Dao Seal on their first attempt. The first disciple even offended the Liu Family that time..."

"Doesn't that just prove his whole Gujian Sect is rotten?!"

The noise went on for a long time. Wu Ming merely smiled and let it pass. His mind was still as clear as before, and he hadn't had his fill yet.

So he reached out and turned to the fifth page, challenging the fifth layer of the Human Emperor Post... Then his heart gave a muffled thump. His blood stagnated, and his vision suddenly went black.

It was as if his whole body had slammed into an invisible, colorless wall of unyielding solidity.

Wu Ming took a deep breath and steadied his breathing until the red tint in his vision gradually faded. Then he fixed his eyes on the Human Emperor Post again. All he saw was a distorted scene. Centered on the pages of the book, everything around them seemed to be sucked into a vast ocean whirlpool, tossed about in the raging waves. Each glance made him dizzy and sent his blood surging.

It was as if every limb, every inch of flesh and blood, was struggling in resistance, refusing to merge with the Human Emperor Post even a little! It would never allow that distorted, overwritten history to be carved into an image in his mind!

For some reason, a realization rose in Wu Ming's heart.

This was what Master had meant when he said bloodline had an influence too. No matter how earnestly the body's owner longed to join the righteous path and exalt the human race, deep in his blood, the Desolate Race's lineage—flowing for thousands upon thousands of years—still roared in defiance!

The Desolate People's bodies resisted indoctrination, rejecting human understanding at all costs!

Even so, Wu Ming persisted in plucking words from the distorted whirlpool, one after another... like piecing together a puzzle, he slowly assembled them into sentences and silently recited them in his heart.

He had no idea how much time passed before Wu Ming finally pieced together the first sentence.

"...When chaos in the world reached its height, a holy spirit took pity on the people and taught the Immortal Mansion to descend, restoring the righteous path..."

The instant the words took shape, Wu Ming felt a chill run through his body. His blood seemed to resist flowing, and all his strength drained away with it. He nearly fell on the spot.

But Wu Ming didn't care. With his eyes shut tight, he silently recited the words that followed, one by one.

"...The Immortal Ancestor received the mandate and established the Three Purities; thus the Immortal Path began to spread!"

Bang!

His heart gave a stronger beat than ever, as if he'd been struck by a heavy fist... Several blood vessels on his head burst, and blood seeped from all seven orifices.

At this moment, Wu Ming had truly reached his limit—and that limit stood a hair's breadth away from the fifth layer!

He'd memorized the Heavenly Book's four hundred ninety-ninth character!

The voices of discussion around him gradually grew blurry and distorted. But Wu Ming could still make them out clearly!

"...The fifth layer?! He's about to achieve the fifth layer? Damn, is this for real?!"

"To break through his bloodline bottleneck almost by brute force—this boy's potential is truly astonishing..."

Even among the guests who'd come to support the Liu Family, quite a few were moved at this sight and couldn't help voicing their approval.

Still, there were a few who couldn't resist making snide remarks.

"Close to five layers, but it's still not five! Even if this kind of mongrel risks his life, he'll only tie with Young Lady Zhang, who didn't give it her all. He's barely good enough to serve as a stepping-stone for Third Young Master Liu."

"He's just a Desolate-blooded wretch. If he wants to break through the fifth layer... he'd better spend a thousand years purifying his dirty blood first!"

At the same time, a tremendous burst of cheers erupted nearby.

"Five hundred and three characters! Five layers of the Human Dao Seal! He did it!!"

"Congratulations, Sanlang! This talent is no less than that of the Eldest Young Master in his day!"

"Heh, it seems that, despite a few twists and turns, the Ranxiang Workshop Dharma Sword will still end up in Third Young Master Liu's hands!"

"Prefect Kong, there's no need to wait any longer. All the Aristocratic Clan disciples have studied the Post, and no one can match Third Young Master Liu. Just award the prize already!"

In a daze, Wu Ming felt only a faint flicker of surprise... then he understood and felt relieved.

That was only natural. Liu Sanlang was today's leading star, arriving full of ambition, so of course he would put on a display that outshone the crowd. Even the Zhang Family girl who'd been brought out to warm up the audience earlier had managed to memorize four hundred characters. Liu Sanlang had cultivated the fifth layer, so what was there to find strange?

And his result of 503 characters at the fifth layer was indeed enough to leave everyone else in the dust.

The five-hundredth character of the Human Emperor Scroll was clearly an extremely difficult bottleneck to break through. Even Liu Sanlang himself might not have been entirely confident he could do it before making the trip here... Now that he'd succeeded in one fell swoop, the congratulations coming from every direction were truly heartfelt!

Unfortunately, today simply wasn't Liu Sanlang's lucky day. This silver banquet, with him at its center and everyone else fawning over him, was destined to come to an abrupt halt.

Looking at the Human Emperor Scroll twisting and spinning before him, Wu Ming took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. He didn't try to force any more out of his body.

The boy from Wuyang Village ultimately couldn't match a son of an Aristocratic Clan in an unfair contest.

Fortunately, Wu Ming was no longer just a boy from Wuyang Village. He was now a first-clear expert, best at tackling the toughest challenges and breaking through limits. And behind the expert stood an old man whose cultivation had once reached the Nascent Soul realm.

Focus on what's before you. Imagine to the fullest.

A simple eight-character maxim, yet it plainly held the key to breaking through the limits of his bloodline.

Imagine to the fullest... and the height of imagination lay not in the splendor of a painted scroll, but in deduction.

Wu Ming closed his eyes. In his mind, the scroll depicting the ancient Nine Provinces gradually came to life. The plants and insects, birds and beasts on the scroll seemed to awaken, beginning to reproduce and thrive on their own... In an instant, the scroll where time had stood still gained the impetus to move forward.

That was right. If he couldn't see or recognize the five-hundredth character... then he would deduce it himself!

The Human Emperor Scroll had been deduced by Celestial Master Sanqing in the first place. If those who came before could deduce it, then those who came after could do the same! Besides, all he had to do was use the preceding 499 characters to deduce a mere one more.

Everything should have fallen into place!

And at the very moment Wu Ming watched all things in the scroll come to life and resolved to act, his mind gave a sudden jolt.

Then, a faint shape slowly appeared on the scroll: the five-hundredth character of the Human Emperor Scroll, the one rejected by the Desolate People's bloodline.

One left-falling stroke, one right-falling stroke, supporting each other from either side. It was the character for "person"!

As the character for "person" emerged in clear relief, the cool sensation coiled in his mind suddenly condensed, doubling in strength and transforming into a crystal-jade orb!

The orb floated directly above the Nine Provinces Scroll. Its radiance shone over the scroll like a brilliant sun, making all things bow in reverence.

The fifth layer of the Human Emperor Scroll was complete!

At the moment of completion, Wu Ming felt his heart skip a beat once more. His temples throbbed, and golden stars burst before his eyes... Clearly, this sudden insight that had broken through the bloodline bottleneck had drained him severely once again.

But the trial couldn't end here. After all, the current top-ranked contestant was Liu Sanlang, with 503 characters.

Wu Ming took a deep breath and roughly estimated his limit... Before his reason was completely exhausted and collapsed, he should still be able to squeeze out about ten more characters' worth of progress.

In other words, he could ultimately overtake Liu Sanlang by seven characters.

But that kind of lead couldn't be trusted. As a Desolate Person fighting on enemy ground, if he couldn't build an overwhelming advantage... then he had no advantage at all.

Still, winning by an overwhelming margin against Liu Sanlang, the Aristocratic Clan scion with his fifth-layer Human Dao Seal, was simply beyond Wu Ming's abilities at the moment.

Once he clearly understood that, Wu Ming felt both regretful and relieved.

"Wu Ke's pioneering run does have its limits, after all."

"So next up..."

"It's time for my first draw!"

"Six hundred Spirit Crystals for the Regional Escape Guide, one thousand Spirit Crystals for the Gujian Sect Admission Guide, for a total of sixteen hundred... System, let me draw!"

Thanks to Meng Shu for the generous alliance-leader reward! Thanks to Qingqiu Lichou for the reward! Thanks to Yuluo Lingluan for the reward!