Carefree Daoist! Ascending the Stairs! Eighth-grade Soul Palace!

Among the many cultivators present, few knew what the Center of the Continent was, because they had basically never left the Great Marsh of Cloud Dream.

"Great Elder, what kind of place is the Center of the Continent?"

The disciples asked Fang Tong curiously.

"This old man does not know either. I have only heard that it is the most prosperous region in the entire Desolate Continent, a sacred land for cultivation where countless favored sons of heaven compete on the same stage. There is no one who does not yearn for it, but it is simply too far from us," Fang Tong said with a sigh.

Not only the Blood Soul Island disciples, but also the Cloud Dream Water Mansion disciples grew curious upon hearing the elder's words. They asked their own elders and received the same answer.

"Miss, this senior's background is truly astonishing. The Center of the Continent... I can only dream of it. But Miss, you are still young. You will certainly have the chance," Zhong Li said to Zhong Yu with a wistful sigh.

"Uncle Li, there is no need to comfort me. I am still far from it. I should cultivate properly first; aiming too high will not do."

Zhong Yu smiled. It would be a lie to say she did not yearn for it, but she knew her current situation well. Merely possessing eighty-six thousand jin of strength in the Blood Bone Realm was still far from enough.

Half a year ago, she had followed Taishu Jing and obtained two Dragon Elephant Fruits. Over the past half year, she had absorbed the remaining Dragon Elephant Fruit as well, eventually gaining eighty-six thousand jin of strength. It could be said that her improvement was enormous. Moreover, with the Dragon Elephant Fruit's medicinal power, her physique had risen by an entire major stage, comparable to the Greater Accomplishment of the Spirit Vein Realm.

She felt that she had already reached her limit in the Blood Bone Realm. If not for the Dragon Elephant Fruit, sixty thousand jin would have been her limit. It was time for her to advance to the Spirit Vein Realm. She planned to break through after returning this time.

"Miss, believe in yourself. Zhong Shan and I both believe in you," Zhong Hu and Zhong Shan encouraged her from the side.

"Thank you. Don't worry, I will," Zhong Yu said with a smile.

On the high platform.

"Alright. If you wish to obtain what this old man left behind, you must undergo this old man's test. Little girl, do you dare give it a try?"

Carefree Daoist asked with a smile.

"What is there to fear? Then this junior will go up and try."

With that, Jing Yu stepped onto the first stair. The instant she set foot on it, she felt an inexplicable pressure descend upon her, though it was not yet too strong.

She continued onto the second, third... all the way to the thirty-sixth stair. Only then did Jing Yu feel a trace of heaviness, forcing her to slow down.

"Oh, not bad. Your talent is passable," Carefree Daoist said, nodding almost imperceptibly as he watched her.

The moment she stepped onto the thirty-seventh stair, that heavy pressure increased by fifty percent. Sweat had begun to bead on Jing Yu's face. She understood very clearly that this pressure was the senior's aura. It targeted not only the body, but also the mind—or rather, Divine Sense.

The first thirty-six stairs had only targeted the body. But from the thirty-seventh stair onward, the aura contained something else, directly targeting her mind and her Divine Sense. She also knew clearly that it was momentum, just like her imperial father's imperial momentum, forcing pressure upon one's mind.

And this Carefree Daoist's momentum was more complete, and even more terrifying. He had grasped at least seventy percent of it, reaching Greater Accomplishment. Even her imperial father had only grasped forty percent of momentum, merely reaching Lesser Accomplishment.

"So strong!"

By the time Jing Yu stepped onto the forty-third stair, she was drenched in fragrant sweat. Panting heavily, she looked as though she might collapse at any moment, showing just how powerful the aura on these stairs was—or rather, how powerful Carefree Daoist's momentum was.

As she continued upward, only six stairs remained. No matter what, Jing Yu did not want to give up. This was her only chance to obtain the Heart of Law.

Boom!

Spiritual power erupted from her entire body, and her glabella shimmered with light. The faint shadow of a multi-tiered tower could be seen emerging, while an invisible ripple enveloped her body and allowed her to continue upward.

"Not bad. An eighth-grade Soul Palace is quite rare as well."

Carefree Daoist nodded. Others could not see it, but he saw it clearly. The multi-tiered tower at this little girl's Divine Court was her Soul Palace, the place where Divine Sense resided. Her tower had eight levels in total, making it an eighth-grade Soul Palace. Though it was not among the very best, it was still considered superior.

There were nine grades of Soul Palaces. With every additional grade came another level of the Soul Palace. Generally, being able to construct a Soul Palace above the seventh grade already meant one had excellent talent. Beyond the ninth grade, there was also the supreme grade: a ten-level Soul Palace, flawless and perfect. He had once seen such a prodigy at the Center of the Continent, a hegemonic figure among the younger generation.

Tap!

Stepping onto the forty-ninth stair, Jing Yu stood firmly upon it. Though her face was somewhat pale and she looked rather disheveled, she had finally passed the test.

"Haha, what an excellent little girl. In the future, you will at least become a great mighty figure. If you can encounter an opportunity, perhaps you may climb another level and surpass this old man," Carefree Daoist said, looking at her approvingly.

"Senior Carefree, you overpraise me. This little woman is still far from that," Jing Yu said after calming herself, then bowed to Carefree Daoist before her.

"Mm, not bad. Tell me, which treasure do you want?" Carefree Daoist was very pleased.

"Senior Carefree, this little woman wants this treasure." Jing Yu pointed decisively at the glowing sphere.

Carefree Daoist looked at her in surprise. From the look of it, she knew what it was. It seemed this little girl's identity was not so simple either.

"Little girl, have you thought it through?" Carefree Daoist asked once more.

"Mm. I ask Senior Carefree to grant my wish." Jing Yu nodded without hesitation.

"Good. You truly recognize a treasure when you see one. Since you know what it is, I will not say more. Take it." With a sweep of his sleeve, Carefree Daoist sent the sphere flying toward Jing Yu, where it landed in her hands.

"Thank you, Senior." Jing Yu bowed again in gratitude.

"Mm, go." Carefree Daoist swept his sleeve again and sent Jing Yu back down.

Watching this, all the cultivators became eager to make a move. As long as they could climb those forty-nine stairs, they could obtain the treasures above. Two of the four treasures had already been taken, and they wanted to try for the remaining ones as well.

"You all want to try as well? This old man advises you: that little girl just now had Soul Palace Realm cultivation, yet she only barely managed to climb those forty-nine stairs. Do you think you can compare to her?"

Carefree Daoist said with a smile, his voice echoing throughout the entire hall.

At Carefree Daoist's words, many cultivators immediately lost their nerve. Most of them were in the Spirit Vein Realm or Blood Bone Realm, while Soul Palace Realm cultivators were figures at the elder level. Compared to that woman, they were nothing.

"This fat old man is right. None of you here can do it. Looks like my brother and I will be accepting the final two treasures with a smile."

A crisp voice rang through the hall. Everyone followed the sound and saw two children, one of whom was striding with the swagger of someone who recognized neither kin nor kinship, looking utterly peculiar.

"It's them!"

"Little monsters!"

Many people here recognized the two brothers. The incident in the Cloud Dream Mountain Range half a year ago was something almost no one who had seen it could forget. Slapping a Spirit Vein Realm cultivator away with one palm and frightening off a Soul Palace Realm cultivator was not something just anyone could do.

"Young Master Jing is here too. The one beside him must be his brother," Zhong Yu and the other three said with smiles when they saw the brothers.

"So it really is them. It seems the final two treasures have owners now," Fang Tong murmured.

"It's you!"

Liu Ruying pointed at Taishu Yun, then glanced at Carefree Daoist and found him looking at them curiously as well.

"You are not Relic Incarnations at all. You deceived me!"

Liu Ruying demanded loudly.

"Well, well, you hawk-nosed bastard. If it weren't for us, could you have obtained that treasure in your hands? Compared to the treasure in your hand, your little stash is worth jack shit. And you still have the nerve to talk? You got the advantage and now act coy about it. Hmph."

Taishu Jing crossed his arms and gave Liu Ruying a thorough dressing-down, leaving him speechless.

"Th-then that still cannot hide the fact that you deceived me," Liu Ruying said, somewhat unconvinced.

"What? You got the benefits, and now you want to turn around and accuse us? Do you believe I'll tell the fat old man what happened and have him take your stuff back?"

Taishu Jing looked as though he were saying, You had better know what is good for you.

Liu Ruying's eyes flickered. It was true that they had deceived him, but if they had not, they would never have awakened Carefree Daoist, much less obtained the King-tier Great Technique in his hands. If Carefree Daoist learned the whole story, he might take back his King-tier Great Technique. That would truly be more loss than gain.

"You little brat, just you wait. Once we leave this relic, this heir will make you pay," Liu Ruying said hatefully.

"You hawk-nosed bastard, if you have the guts, come over here now. You think you can make me pay? Take a look in the mirror and see who you are, see how much you weigh. Pah."

Taishu Jing spoke disdainfully, his words dripping with contempt, making Liu Ruying so furious that his nose twisted further out of shape.