The Thousand-Fold Illusion Heart Realm was indeed extraordinarily profound. Each layer of illusion struck directly at the heart. Some conjured regrets and pain from his past and present lives; others created terrifying scenes of him dying far from home in the universe; still others wove the ultimate temptation of him ascending to the pinnacle of the universe and enjoying every glory and power... Layer upon layer, they relentlessly battered his mind.
Qin Zhao held fast to his heart, relying on the strength of his soul as a transmigrator, his Midgod realm, and his own formidable willpower to break through one layer after another. During the process, he felt his will becoming like steel tempered by a thousand blows, growing ever tougher and more solid. He also began to faintly grasp certain principles behind how the illusions were constructed: how to use fluctuations in laws and guide them with will to influence and distort other people's perceptions.
Time flew. Nine more years passed in the blink of an eye after Qin Zhao began studying the Illusion Warrior path and tempering his will.
Over those nine years, Qin Zhao's life became extremely disciplined and focused. His Cultivation Residence on the Thick Earth Continent in reality and the Thousand-Fold Illusion Heart Realm in the Virtual Universe became the two pillars of his training.
The Thousand-Fold Illusion Heart Realm became a required part of his daily routine. At first, he had needed to concentrate just to break through the lower-level illusions. Later, even when facing layers of terrifying inner demons and temptations that struck at the very core of his Dao Heart, he could keep his mind clear. Qin Zhao's willpower was growing at a visibly rapid pace.
Qin Zhao no longer merely passively "cleared stages." He began actively analyzing the structure of each layer of illusion, sensing the fluctuations in laws and the techniques for wielding will that imperceptibly influenced the mind and distorted perception. King Lanchen would occasionally appear to guide him when he hit a bottleneck. A few brief words from him often dispelled the clouds and revealed the sun, deepening Qin Zhao's understanding of the nature of illusions.
As his willpower grew and his understanding of illusions deepened, Qin Zhao began formally cultivating the techniques of the Illusion Warrior. King Lanchen taught him a basic Guidance Technique called Heart Trace. It was not a specific move, but a method of fusing and harmonizing his will, Law Comprehension, and intent with the blade and battle intent.
Qin Zhao used the life rhythm contained within the Vitality profundity of the Law of Earth, along with the spatial dislocation brought on by his Phantom Body from the Origin Law of Space, as guides, and tried to incorporate the essence of Heart Trace into his swordsmanship.
At first, it was extremely difficult. The blade was a material attack, while illusions affected the soul; the two were as difficult to mix as oil and water. The sword beams he unleashed either had purely physical destructive power or gave off only faint mental fluctuations, unable to form an effective illusion attack.
But after countless failures and feedback from the Thousand-Fold Illusion Heart Realm, he gradually found the trick. He did not force the two powers together. Instead, he used will as a bridge and laws as paint. At the instant he swung his blade, he turned his comprehension of the Pulse of the Earth and his understanding of spatial dislocation into an invisible mental shockwave, unleashing it together with his sword intent!
Ten years of arduous cultivation had worn away the stone.
Qin Zhao's willpower had surpassed that of the vast majority of Domain Lords and was closing in on the World Lord threshold. He had finally mastered the Illusion Warrior path. Though he still could not weave grand, intricate illusions like experts who specialized in this way, he could now make an illusion arise wherever his blade flashed!
And as he grew stronger on the path of the Illusion Warrior, he finally achieved a decisive breakthrough in perfecting the Black Stone Prison.
The Thick Earth Continent, private training ground.
Qin Zhao hovered in midair, his gaze calm. He slowly raised his right hand and pressed it toward the space ahead.
"Black Stone Prison!"
There was no earth-shaking display of power. A deep, dark-yellow domain silently expanded, instantly enveloping a hard meteorite mountain below, built for testing. Within the domain, gravity increased ten thousandfold, and surged in a strange, powerful rhythm. Countless cracks instantly appeared across the meteorite mountain's surface. Then, at the edge of the domain, black crystal walls materialized from thin air, Mystic Patterns flowing across them as they sealed the space within completely.
This was the power of restraint he had spent ten years honing to perfection.
However, the next moment—
A strange, invisible fluctuation containing the rhythm of the Pulse of the Earth and a sense of spatial distortion swept through the entire Black Stone Prison like liquid mercury. This was no physical attack; it acted directly on the soul! It magnified the captive's fears, distorted their perception of space and time, and even threw their own Origin Force and mind into disarray!
"Vmm..."
The Metal Puppet trapped at the heart of the prison had the mental resistance of a ninth-rank Star Level being. The light in its eyes flickered violently, and its movements grew stiff and erratic, as if it were trapped in immense pain and struggle. The energy core within it also began to operate with obvious difficulty and instability.
Material Binding, suppression by laws, Soul Assault! All three in one!
Qin Zhao could clearly sense that the perfected Black Stone Prison was worlds apart from the mere shell of a technique it had been ten years ago. It was no longer just a sturdy cage, but a Death Domain capable of weakening and destroying enemies on every level, from the material to the soul!
"It's done..." Qin Zhao let out a long breath, unable to hide his excitement.
After nearly twenty years—ten years to create the initial version, then ten more to perfect it—he had finally fully recreated and innovated his own Black Stone Prison. The move perfectly combined the three profundities of his Law of Earth, his comprehension of the Origin Law of Space, and his newly mastered Illusion Warrior techniques. Its potential was immense, and it would continue to evolve and grow stronger as Qin Zhao's cultivation advanced and his comprehension of the laws deepened!
Once the secret technique was perfected, the data on the panel before Qin Zhao began to update.
[Secret Techniques: 128 Martial Arts Secret Techniques (Perfected), Shockwave (Mastered 78%), Earth Pulse Guard (Mastered 91%), Ten Thousand Line Flow (Proficient 55%), Black Stone Prison (Mastered 55%)] [Comprehension: Earth-style Laws (Earth Element 100%, Pulse of the Earth 100%, Gravity Space 100%, Vitality 12%), Law of Space (Teleportation 4.1%)]
Just as Qin Zhao was immersed in the joy of successfully creating a secret technique, a majestic voice rang out in the ears of every Star Level member:
"All Star Level members of the Noah Secret Realm, pay attention!"
"To prepare for the upcoming Universe Human Peak Genius Battle, the Secret Realm has decided to hold a special Peak Ranking Battle—a series of one-on-one duels to determine everyone's ranking!"
"This ranking battle will last three days! Your final ranks will be decided by your points. Points can be earned by defeating other participants!"
"Those who rank in the top ten thousand will receive a large number of points, which can be used to exchange for secret techniques and resources."
"Those who rank in the top thousand will receive the opportunity to be personally instructed by an Immortal of the Secret Realm!"
"Those who rank in the top hundred will receive, in addition to the rewards above, one Hunyuan Unit!"
"Those who rank in the top ten will receive the Secret Realm's full support, the highest level of resources, and an additional ten Hunyuan Units!"
"This ranking will be a key factor in the Secret Realm's internal selection of candidates to compete in the Genius Tournament! I hope all Star Level members give it their all!"
The news sent the entire Noah Secret Realm into an uproar! Personal instruction from an Immortal! And Hunyuan Units as rewards!
Countless powerful Star Level geniuses rubbed their hands together, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit. This was an opportunity, but also a challenge! To stand out among the human geniuses across the vast universe, they first had to prove their strength on the stage of the Noah Secret Realm! The geniuses selected by the Noah Secret Realm were all top talents chosen from across the Noah Universe Kingdom. Every one of them had their own pride, and none believed they were inferior to the others!
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