Form Refinement Abiding in the World, Life-and-Death Trial

The Yu Tunzhou, piercing through the clouds and soaring straight to the heavens. It hovered at the edge of the azure sky, its wings outstretched, obscuring the sunlight.

His body was mangled beyond recognition, half of his flesh and blood still dripping blood mixed with broken scales and feathers, yet his posture was more upright than any other being in this world.

He looked down, and the boundless ocean that had once trapped him for so long now appeared to be nothing more than a shallow puddle.

However, just as he was preparing to continue climbing upwards and break through the shackles of this world, the eternal sky suddenly froze in that instant.

The movement of the Yu Tunzhou and flapping its wings was forcibly stopped by an irresistible force. The pair of sky-covering wings remained in an upward posture, each feather clearly visible, yet they did not move an inch.

Even the drops of blood on his body hovered in mid-air, solidifying into crimson crystals.

It's like a frozen frame in a painting.

At the edge of the azure sky, Yu Tunzhou saw a portal, stretching between the azure sky and the void above.

The color of the portal seems to flow from the origin of the Great Dao, a color that carries the weight of time and destiny.

This gateway has stood here for countless millennia, as if it had been there since the beginning of time. It has witnessed the rise and fall of countless eras and the reincarnation of countless beings, yet it has remained silent and majestic.

Dragon Gate.

This is the true Eternal Dragon Gate.

At this moment, Yu Tunzhou's Primordial Spirit was clearer than ever before, no longer subject to the suppression of Dao Bewilderment.

In that fraction of a second, his primordial Primordial Spirit body was no longer a burden. On the contrary, thanks to the strength of his Primordial Spirit and the speed of his thoughts, he gained almost frozen time in that instant.

In the brief moment between moments of time, he coldly observed the golden Dragon Gate and discerned certain truths.

His current "immenseness" is secretly in harmony with some invisible rule of this world, a state that is close to the Dao.

If it weren't for the secret blessing of the Kunpeng Divine Intent, he wouldn't have been able to regain his senses.

Because only beings at least above the Dharma Aspect level can control such a massive Primordial Spirit.

Ultimately, success and failure both stemmed from divine will.

This first trial shouldn't have ended so quickly, but because of its own "breakthrough" and the arrival of Kunpeng's will, the very existence of this Primordial Spirit Sea was jeopardized.

In the fleeting moment of his thoughts, his mind fell upon the Great Sage Huntian.

When Fuyao earlier, he sensed Huntian's location. With a single flap of his wings, he crushed the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird into dust, and then pulled Huntian back onto his back.

"Xuandu Daoist Xuandu?" Huntian asked tentatively, "Or... Northern Dark Sea Ancestor?"

Does the Northern Dark Sea Ancestor refer to the entity behind the Kunpeng Divine Intent?

"Fellow Daoist, I have regained consciousness." Yu Tunzhou contacted me via his Primordial Spirit.

Huntian breathed a sigh of relief, then solemnly replied, "Fellow Daoist, divine will itself is a symbol of the Great Dao, without its own will, neither good nor evil. However, the existence behind divine will is not entirely so!"

Yu Tunzhou calmly said, "Fellow Daoist is right. Although the Kunpeng Divine Intent is good, it is ultimately just an external force. External forces can be borrowed but not relied upon. I have learned my lesson today."

Huntian asked curiously, "What is your current state, fellow Daoist? Is it possible for you to ascend that Dragon Gate?"

"Impossible. My primordial Primordial Spirit body is in harmony with some rule of this world, and this world is all a manifestation of the Dragon Gate. Now that the Dragon Gate has appeared, the world is about to shatter, and my Dao body is merely a fleeting glimpse."

Having benefited from the Dao Primordial Spirit surged, but now that heaven and earth are no more, this power has naturally vanished.

Yu Tunzhou's thoughts swirled through his entire Primordial Spirit body, filled with regret and sorrow, yet he also knew that the source of this power was ultimately just external force, just like the Kunpeng Divine Intent.

You can borrow from it but not rely on it; you can use it as a reference but never regard it as your foundation.

There are no shortcuts on the great path.

Huntian sighed, "It's good that you can distinguish between them, fellow Daoist. This is the drawback of merging with the Dao and the world. Although it allows for rapid rise," almost a shortcut, it is ultimately just borrowing power and is ultimately limited by the world itself.

"The day that heaven and earth begin to decay," no matter what level you are at, you will be overthrown, powerless to control your own destiny. Countless beings have proven that only [Forming a Heaven of One's Own] is the eternal and free way!

Huntian couldn't help but think of the ancient times, the ancestor of the Earth Immortal who was known as "the one who ruled the world".

How majestic he was in the past! He did not worship the Three Pure Ones, nor did he pay homage to the Heavenly Emperor; he only revered Heaven and Earth.

But in the end, heaven and earth shattered, and this person's cultivation was diminished again and again, forcing him to seek refuge with an old friend.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know the truth about this level?" Huntian asked, regaining his senses.

From Peng Fei, Huntian learned about the "extra care" the Dragon Race received and discovered part of the truth behind the first trial.

Those who enter the Dragon Gate will have their Primordial Spirit completely stripped away and implanted into a "newborn body" formed from the pure power of the Primordial Spirit and the flow of water.

After that, one must devour native aquatic beasts until the original limitations of race and cultivation are completely broken, at which point one can ascend and break through the barrier.

This puzzled Huntian.

It seems that the Ancestral Dragon had long foreseen that those who would enter the Dragon Gate in later generations would not only be descendants of the Dragon Race race.

More importantly, this old guy didn't seem to care about this at all, and even believed that anyone who found their own "dragon form" was a dragon descendant.

According to Peng Fei's knowledge, before Xuandu broke through the limitations of the Primordial Spirit Sea, some people simply relied on devouring native aquatic creatures to reach several thousand feet in height and eventually ascended to break through the barrier, while others had a body less than a hundred feet in height but comprehended a certain rule, thus ascending to break through the barrier.

"This first test will probably test not only the Primordial Spirit, but also the Dao heart," Huntian pondered, finally understanding the implications.

Yu Tunzhou explained, "I broke through this world," thus ending the first trial prematurely, so the truth behind this trial is no longer important.

Huntian fell silent.

Yu Tunzhou gazed at the Dragon Gate, and with the help of his current Dao body, he could indeed discern some mysteries. After all, the Dao he had merged with originated from the Dragon Gate, so they were of the same root and origin.

"The key to the next level is— 'Form Refinement Abiding in the World '?"

In silence, Yu Tunzhou observed his own Primordial Spirit, recording every single detail in his final moments.

When the Dragon Gate revealed its true form, the entire Primordial Spirit Sea began to collapse, the heavens and earth trembled, and countless spiderweb-like patterns spread out.

The Yu Tunzhou vanished like dust at that moment, as if it had all been an illusion.

Only the will of the Kunpeng, which spans countless ages, still shrouds the entire sea like an abyss, yet it makes no move, merely watching the figure soaring through the heavens slowly disappear.

Throughout history, countless brilliant and talented individuals have attempted to inherit His teachings and become His successors, yet none have ever dared to consider themselves "obstacles."

After a casual glance, He began to re-examine this future being who dared to reject Him and ultimately even went beyond the path He had set.

This world needs no second Kunpeng.

A stone staircase situated deep within nothingness, its destination unknown.

Ao Kun suddenly opened his eyes, breathing heavily. The last image in his memory was of a bloodied and mangled fish breaking free of some kind of shackles and spreading its pitch-black giant wings amidst a rain of blood and broken scales!

The moment it spread its wings and soared into the sky, the world spun, mountains and seas collapsed, and the entire world seemed to become dust beneath its wings. That freedom from all constraints made everyone, including Ao Kun, feel a tremor deep in their souls.

In the end, those exquisitely beautiful and breathtaking wings, with a mere flap, crushed him and all the sea beasts into Liaochen.

At this moment.

Ao Kun looked to his left and right and found himself standing on a stone staircase.

All around was a dark, starry Void, but in the distance, one could see stone steps climbing towards the infinite heights.

On each stone step, one can vaguely see a figure.

It is also worth mentioning that each person's position on the stone steps is at different heights.

Before Ao Kun could investigate further, an unprecedented feeling of weakness suddenly surged from the depths of his Primordial Spirit, causing him to kneel down and take a while to recover.

Ao Kun, being a member of the Dragon Race, quickly figured out what had happened.

The moment everyone stepped through the Dragon Gate, their Primordial Spirit was forcibly extracted and sent into the Primordial Spirit Sea of the first level.

Now, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, they have returned to their physical bodies, their Primordial Spirit falling from a level hundreds or thousands of feet long back to their original level, which makes it difficult for them to adapt for a while.

Ao Kun felt a sense of loss. Was everything in his Primordial Spirit Sea just an illusion?

Could it be that because I failed to complete the first trial, as a loser, all the gains in my Primordial Spirit Sea were stripped away?

Just thinking about that enormous creature that transformed from a fish into a roc filled Ao Kun with a deep-seated fear.

Faced with such a being, no one can retreat safely unless they decipher the mystery of this challenge before it transforms into a roc.

I don't know why such a segment was included in Dragon Gate.

Even now, Ao Kun never imagined that the enormous creature might be a participant in the Dragon Gate.

After all, according to its understanding, the highest level of each race was only a few thousand feet, while that thing would probably eventually reach tens of thousands of miles.

No one could control such a massive Primordial Spirit, and it was even more impossible for anyone to complete the transformation from Kun Fish to Peng under such circumstances!

also----

There are no pure-blooded Kun Fish left in this world. The last mixed-blood one is said to be hidden in the Northern Sea, near the Central Plains.

Ao Kun took a deep breath, composed himself, and began to explore his surroundings.

Soon, the current rules echoed in his ears.

Those who wish to enter the Dragon Gate must first pass through three checkpoints before climbing the stone steps to the top, where they will finally see the Eternal Dragon Gate.

Now, due to certain special reasons, the first stage has ended prematurely, and the place they are in is the stairway to the Dragon Gate.

The reason they are in different positions now is because of their performance in the first round.

The three challenges represent three aspects of the test, and each performance will elevate their initial position on the stone steps.

After passing all three challenges and merging the stone steps into one, everyone can rely on their own abilities, with no limit on the number of attempts, to see who can reach the top first.

This is the "Dragon Gate Contest".

Just then, a second, resounding voice echoed in Ao Kun's mind.

"The first stage [All Things Return to the Flow, Transformation and Inquiry] ended prematurely. The figure was a hundred feet tall, but the true form of the Dao Heart was not deciphered. The rating is C+, and the reward is a wisp of Primordial Spirit power and a wisp of water-based energy----"

Ao Kun's heart skipped a beat; it turned out to be the reward for the first level.

Just then, a wisp of pale golden light descended from the Void and silently entered Ao Kun's brow.

The moment it entered his body, it soothed the discomfort deep within his Primordial Spirit, like spring rain seeping into parched land, causing Ao Kun's Primordial Spirit to double in size in a short period of time!

Although it was far inferior to what he had achieved in his Primordial Spirit Sea, Ao Kun was already content.

Immediately afterwards, a second ray of light fell.

This wisp is a deep blue, carrying the coolness of water vapor and the rhythm of the tides—it is water transport.

It did not enter the Primordial Spirit, but instead merged into Ao Kun's bloodline, causing a faint ripple deep within his bloodline, as if some ancient memory had been gently touched, before quickly subsiding.

Ao Kun took a deep breath, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

Even though he transformed into a hundred-zhang-long dragon body in his Primordial Spirit Sea, he could only reach the upper-grade level. To obtain the first-grade level, probably only those beings with bodies over a thousand zhang in length could achieve it.

Unfortunately, it couldn't last much longer. Why did the first stage end so early?

Furthermore, what is meant by the true form of the Dao mind?

Just as it was pondering, a domineering and scorching wave suddenly erupted from another stone step not far away.

The fluctuation came without warning, as if someone had suddenly ignited a sun in the void.

Ao Kun looked up and saw a ball of golden fire, which turned white when it was extremely golden, and almost transparent when it was extremely white.

In the firelight, a three-legged divine bird slowly spread its wings and stood tall.

This is... Spirit Aspect?!

No, there's still one step missing----

Ao Kun quickly discovered that the opponent's Inner Form was still lacking the integration of legal principles. At present, it was only the external manifestation of the Primordial Spirit Inner Form, but it was not far from the Spirit Aspect transformed from the External Scenery!

Ao Kun glanced at the other party's position; they were far above him.

Therefore, it seems to be a reward from Dragon Gate.

His own Primordial Spirit power doubled, while his opponent, with the blessing of the Dragon Gate, was almost able to condense a true Spirit Aspect form!

Ao Kun's heart sank; this was the pattern of the strong getting stronger!

A series of fluctuations emanated from the top of the stone steps, as if the "awakening" of the Golden Crow was a signal.

In the Void, an extremely thin and long crack silently spread out, as if even space itself had been neatly sliced open, and at the end of the crack, the phantom of a sword slowly emerged;

A five-colored peacock slowly spread its feathers, its Five-Colored Divine Light sweeping across everything;

On the other side, a five-clawed golden dragon was almost locked in combat, revealing its true dragon form;

With a deep cry, a pair of golden wings suddenly unfurled across the sky, startling Ao Kun and many others. After recognizing it as a Golden-Winged Great Peng, they breathed a sigh of relief.

One after another, almost Spirit Aspect figures emerged from within the Primordial Spirit Inner Form, confronting each other and vying for supremacy, none yielding to the other.

Everyone was digesting the rewards from the first level, and it was obvious that those at the top had already taken a significant lead over those below.

If they cannot turn the tide in the next two rounds, the outcome of this Dragon Gate Contest will gradually solidify.

Just as everyone was confirming the martial artists represented by these Spirit Aspect to identify the formidable opponents in this Dragon Gate Contest, an aura familiar to many present wafted from the top of the stone steps.

Ao Kun's heart seemed to stop abruptly, and a thought suddenly exploded in his mind, so absurd that he himself found it laughable, but that thought seemed to have taken root and he couldn't shake it off no matter what he did.

That colossal creature, which transformed from a fish into a roc in the Primordial Spirit Sea, nearly ten thousand miles long, and moved against the natural order—

Is it someone who has ascended to the Dragon Gate?

Impossible—impossible!

How could that person be a participant?!

Who can control such a massive Primordial Spirit without losing their way?!

At this moment, many martial artists, including Ao Kun, who witnessed the final scene of the Primordial Spirit Sea, changed their expressions drastically, as if they had returned to the Primordial Spirit Sea and were facing that terrifying behemoth once again.

Even if they were unwilling to believe it, that intense, unruly aura, as if it would set the entire world ablaze, grew stronger and stronger.

Ao Kun's throat went dry. He looked up to find the source of the aura and finally saw a figure with its back to everyone on the highest stone steps, closer to the Dragon Gate than any other living being.

Around him, shadows that blotted out the sky seemed to overflow from the Void, slowly outlining a silhouette.

The outline was blurred and broken, yet it involuntarily reminded everyone of a certain scene: amidst a rain of blood and broken scales, a pair of sky-covering, jet-black wings unfolded, their flapping seemingly lamenting the lowliness of the heavens.

Peng Fei suddenly looked up, his expression shaken. This aura—

The first thing it recalled when it saw the last scene was not that the Kunpeng was actually a fellow ascendant of the Dragon Gate, but that its ancestor had been taken away by him!

After confirming the figure's identity, Lin Yueheng was momentarily stunned, then his lips twitched.

So, that giant fish that propelled him for tens of thousands of miles was actually this Yu Tunzhou?!

The Jiese, clasped his hands together and murmured a Buddhist chant, "So it's you, young friend Yu—"

Behind him, the phantom image of a Buddha holding a flower slowly dissipated into the Void.

Deng Canglan looked at Yu Tunzhou's position with suspicion. How could this guy be taller than him?

He broke through the first barrier long ago, the key to which was nothing more than the true form of the Dao heart, a point he had already grasped when he joined the sect.

Could it be that I cleared the level too quickly, and there are still hidden key points I haven't discovered?

No wonder my rating was only A-level!

A figure in fiery Hongyi, Feng Yanleng Qing, removed her straw hat, revealing cascading black hair. She looked at Yu Tunzhou, who was taller than her, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

This is the first time in her generation that someone has so clearly surpassed her.

Less than a year later, Young Hero Yu gave her a surprise.

Sensing the aura emanating from Yu Tunzhou, An Ruyu's expression turned thoughtful.

Has the Kun Fish transformed into a Peng bird?

She smiled, her eyes crinkling. As expected of the Young Hero Yu she had chosen, he had even managed to accomplish this step through the Dragon Gate expedition, surpassing countless other brilliant talents High Antiquity.

Like Deng Canglan, she had already passed the first test and did not witness the final scene. After all, Yu Tunzhou's early period of depravity and confusion, as well as the time he spent traveling around the vast ocean at the end, was not short.

At that moment, she vaguely sensed something from the horrified and fearful gazes of the others.

There seem to be other changes in the first level?

Just then...

A cold, majestic voice echoed from the depths of the Void: "The second trial, 'Abandoning the Spirit for the Body, the Form Refinement Abiding in the World,' begins. This trial forbids the Primordial Spirit and Divine Ability; one must break through solely with the physical body. This is the Life-and-Death Trial."

Upon hearing this voice, the powerful members of the Demon Race were invigorated, and many burst into laughter.

In terms of physical strength, the Demon Race race has an innate advantage!

However, some people noticed the last three words.

"Life-and-Death Trial?"

"Interesting. Is this a situation where one can determine both superiority and defeat, and even life and death?"

In an instant, everyone looked at each other, searching for allies and identifying formidable enemies.

This level is destined to be far more brutal than the first!

Among them, the young powerhouses occupying the high positions on the stone steps all subtly locked their Yu Tunzhou at the very top, their expressions a mixture of awe, apprehension, confusion, and even murderous intent.

Just like Peng Fei, at this moment its eyes were fixed on Yu Tunzhou's back, and it had only one thought in its mind: it must take back its ancestor!

The first stage, "[All Things Return to the Flow, Transformation and Inquiry]", ended prematurely.

Body shape----

The True Form of the Dao Heart----

Evaluation ---- No reward ---- None.

Yu Tunzhou opened his eyes and looked up in bewilderment.

Why is the sound so intermittent? Is the battery dead?

And what's with the "no evaluation, no reward" thing?

Is this some kind of targeted attack?

Is it fair, just, and transparent?

When did the Dragon Race and Kunpeng become so close that they were practically inseparable, with the Dragon Clan helping Kunpeng suppress them?

An aged voice suddenly echoed within his Primordial Spirit:

[In this world, a second, seemingly identical "Kunpeng" has actually been born. We are delighted to see any seed that challenges the old rules take root and sprout, especially those from the Kunpeng Lineage.]

[Young Kunpeng, you have already taken the most precious thing from the Primordial Spirit Sea, so do not expect any further rewards.]

[If you make it to the end and stand Dragon Gate, we will bestow upon you an extra gift, unrelated to any karmic connection, as our support for you. After all—we would be quite pleased to see internal strife within the Kunpeng Lineage.]

Yu Tunzhou's expression turned solemn. Could that voice belong to the Ancestral Dragon?

Have I already obtained the most precious item in my Primordial Spirit Sea?

His mind immediately sank into the Primordial Spirit Heaven and Earth.

The landscape remains one of azure waves merging with the azure sky.

But the enormous figure that once lay submerged in the sea has vanished.

Yu Tunzhou looked up.

A mournful cry descended from the heavens, vast and mighty, accompanied by a figure traversing the universe, swooping down with the winds of ninety thousand miles and soaring across the seas!

As it swept across the sea with its wings, the seawater parted silently, revealing a bottomless trench. Then it raised its head and soared into the sky again, finally crashing down with a gust of wind that stretched for ninety thousand miles. The sea surface was compressed into a huge depression, and the waves fled in all directions.

This is Kunpeng.

Its back rises like a mountain range, and even when its wings are folded, they still block out half the sky. Its neck is long and powerful, and every line exudes an ancient and solemn charm.

Yu Tunzhou could sense that after the blessing of Kunpeng Divine Intent was severed, Little Black's "intelligence" had weakened considerably, but it had also become purer.

With a wave of his hand, the enormous creature before him suddenly began to shrink, eventually becoming the size of an osprey, which obediently landed on Yu Tunzhou's shoulder.

Yu Tunzhou pondered, realizing that the Kunpeng Divine Intent was indeed a double-edged sword.

Now, Little Black only needs to complete the fusion of legal principles to become Spirit Aspect.

But Yu Tunzhou had already made up his mind.

His Spirit Aspect is fine, but his future Dharma Aspect will need some changes; it won't be entirely based on the Kunpeng.

He suddenly looked up, still wondering what the greatest gift in the Primordial Spirit Sea was, as described by the Ancestral Dragon, but his gaze was suddenly drawn to the waves beneath his feet.

The sea breeze lapped against his face.

Although his Primordial Spirit Heaven and Earth was somewhat strange from the beginning, being unusually large and starting with a pattern of blue waves connecting to the azure sky, it was more like a "portrait" or an inanimate object, with the seawater frozen and no wind in the world.

It wasn't until he drew upon the water that this primordial Primordial Spirit Sea underwent some changes.

But at this moment----

He looked up and saw the sea breeze blowing in his face, and the tide rising and falling.

This place seemed to be full of life.

Just then, a swordfish swept past his feet, tracing a perfect arc in the air.

Yu Tunzhou stares in astonishment.

This is me----

Did you bring your Primordial Spirit Sea back?