It was the 157th year since entering the Primordial Realm.
In Huailiu Courtyard, within the dueling grounds—
"Boom! Boom!"
A warrior in the Dao Domain Realm, Bager, extended four muscular arms, each wielding a different weapon, engaging in battle against three bronze-skinned giants.
These giants were featureless, their upper bodies bare, clad only in grass garments woven from green leaves.
Bager wielded three types of weapons, dodging the relentless assaults of the giants with nimble movements. Their attacks struggled to reach him, yet he remained cautious, holding back from launching an all-out counterattack.
Because he knew—facing three Juyang Straw Puppets, especially ones that had mastered Five Finger Mountain and Treasure Mountain Divine Abilities, he only had one chance to strike.
After exchanging thousands of blows, Bager could no longer hold back. His body suddenly swelled, sprouting four additional arms once more.
Like a beast undergoing metamorphosis, he lunged at the Juyang Straw Puppets.
However, in that split second—the three giants suddenly vanished, shrinking to the size of a grain of rice.
"What?! The Void Ancestor Divine Ability—Grain-Heaven Technique!" Bager was momentarily stunned before feeling sharp stings on his abdomen, knee joints, and palms.
"Boom!"
Though he managed to shatter the puppets with his Eight-Armed Divine Ability, the momentary lapse caused him to falter, blood trickling from a fresh wound.
The battle ended. The Juyang Straw Puppets crumbled into ashen dust.
"Milord, when did you learn the Grain-Heaven Technique? Isn't that a divine ability exclusive to warriors?" Bager questioned.
"Just now."
A wisp of consciousness rose from the scattered ashes, spiraling like a breeze before dissipating into the distance.
"Bager, that's enough sparring for today."
"Yes, Milord." Bager refrained from pressing further.
"This is unbelievable."
From the side, Sinda watched as Bager stepped off the stage.
"Milord only sent out three avatars, and yet he forced you to use Eight-Armed Divine Ability?"
The Eight-Armed Divine Ability was a physical divine ability unique to warriors—each additional arm granted an additional ability, and their power stacked exponentially.
Typically, warriors could only awaken their fourth arm at most. Any further breakthroughs were nearly impossible.
But after reaching the Dao Domain Realm, Bager excavated the full potential of his physique, unlocking all eight arms.
It was precisely this divine ability that had earned him a spot in the Primordial Realm as a sparring warrior.
Although he defeated Zhao Xing's Juyang Straw Puppets, Bager was an actual warrior—Zhao Xing was a Shennong.
Yet somehow, his straw puppets could perform warrior-exclusive divine abilities like Five Finger Mountain and Grain-Heaven Technique.
This was utterly shocking.
"Sinda, I've been cultivating for years, yet I never knew a Shennong's Straw Puppet Techniques could integrate warrior divine abilities."
"If that's the case… then what does that make me?"
Bager's confidence wavered.
Sinda hesitated before replying, "A… waste?"
"Thanks, you could have just stayed quiet."
"…Hmph."
In the Hundred-Fathom Void, Zhao Xing retracted his straw puppet soul imprint, carefully analyzing the battle experience gained today.
"Bager and Sinda's understanding is still limited. They've seen straw puppet techniques, but they've never encountered Void Ancestor Straw Puppet Techniques."
The Juyang Straw Puppet Technique was part of the Void Ancestor's lineage.
Traditional straw puppet techniques could only integrate spells—they could not assimilate warrior secret arts or divine abilities.
But the Void Ancestor's lineage was different.
Ever since the Great Zhou Incident, Zhao Xing had thrown himself into insane cultivation.
Nearly a century had passed.
The biggest breakthrough during this period was his Juyang Straw Puppet Technique, which had reached Perfection in Minor Divine Abilities.
Moreover, he had begun integrating spells and divine abilities.
"At its core, the Juyang Straw Puppet Technique is still a spell."
"By incorporating materials from the Void Ancestor Star System, I fused it with two divine abilities—Five Finger Mountain and Grain-Heaven Technique."
The Five Finger Mountain Divine Ability was something Zhao Xing had mastered through years of cultivation.
Meanwhile, the Grain-Heaven Technique was an inherent divine ability of the Void Ancestor's lineage—he had seen Yu Yitian, a Daoist martial artist in the Demon Path, unleash it during his research into scholarly Dao techniques.
"The Juyang Straw Puppet Technique has reached Perfection in Minor Divine Abilities. It's ready for fusion."
"But fusing two divine abilities is already the limit."
"It's not because of my talent or comprehension—it's because the Juyang Straw Puppet Technique itself is no longer suitable as a foundation for integration."
If the Juyang Straw Puppet Technique were a foundation, then fusing divine abilities was like constructing a building.
The first level was Five Finger Mountain.
The second level was Grain-Heaven Technique.
But adding any more would crush the foundation entirely.
"This technique has reached its limit. It needs to be replaced."
"And there's only one person who can teach me the successor technique—Zuo Qiyu."
"The Primordial Emissary, Zuo Qiyu… How do I convince him to teach me?"
"His personal techniques aren't listed in the Imperial Treasure Exchange."
The Red Star Empire never forced cultivators to donate their exclusive secret arts. Those who voluntarily contributed were rewarded handsomely.
But those who refused were left alone.
Many powerful divine abilities required luck or personal encounters to acquire.
For example, Wu Tian's Treasure Mountain Divine Ability was available for purchase, but Five Finger Mountain was not.
Similarly, Zuo Qiyu's Primordial Straw Puppet Technique was a secret art not meant for outsiders.
He might only consider passing it on when he neared his final years.
"His Primordial Straw Puppet Technique is even less likely. Even if I learned it, I wouldn't have access to the necessary resources—those materials are non-renewable, as rare as top-tier Reincarnation Dao Weapons."
Zhao Xing sighed, deep in thought.
Now, the biggest challenge wasn't mastering divine abilities.
It was finding a way to acquire Zuo Qiyu's teachings.
"But the higher-tier straw puppet techniques—Void, Primordial, and Silent Extinction—I have to find a way to get at least one from him."
"Otherwise, my Juyang Straw Puppet will never advance. It will always remain at the level of Minor Divine Ability."
"Convincing Zuo Qiyu… that's tough." Zhao Xing sighed. "It's been almost a hundred years, and I still haven't even seen him."
In Zhao Xing's past life memories, Zuo Qiyu had never taken disciples.
The fact that he appeared in this cycle and even considered recruiting Zhao Xing was a complete anomaly. But after Gu Luohou's intervention, Zuo Qiyu ultimately did not take a disciple, while the Five Venom Emperor accepted two.
"The reason Zuo Qiyu refuses to take disciples is because he was betrayed by one before. If I don't seek apprenticeship and only ask to learn his techniques, would that work?"
In the Three Thousand Dao Seeds Region, Zhao Xing's other avatar was deep in contemplation before the Solar Treasure Tree.
"The Stem-Struggle Divine Ability has already reached Perfection. Now, the only thing missing from the Four-Type Variant Method is mastering the primary life structure of the Tree Type."
Mushrooms, vines, trees, and bamboo—these four variant cultivation methods each had three primary life structures to comprehend.
Although they were labeled as "primary", once fully grasped, one could attain the embryonic form of the Dao of Life, advancing Stem-Struggle Divine Ability to the Major Divine Ability realm.
"This avatar has already hit a bottleneck. Now, it's up to my main body to send new insights."
The avatar closed its eyes again.
Each of Zhao Xing's avatars cultivated in different locations, gathering insights and transmitting them back to the main body at specific intervals.
Within Gu Luohou's internal world, Zhao Xing sat in silence before a towering Emperor-tier Tenacious Vine.
Beside him, there were also two young Tenacious Vines, but they were still at ordinary rank.
One was robust, sprawling across the grasslands, clinging firmly to the earth.
The other was far weaker but persistently stretched upward, striving to stand tall.
The surrounding grasslands mirrored this contrast—on the left, the vegetation wilted; on the right, it flourished.
But at a specific moment, the two sides switched—the left became lush, while the right withered.
Zhao Xing ignored these natural fluctuations. His gaze remained fixed solely on the Emperor-tier Tenacious Vine.
"For a hundred years, I've been watching this vine every single day."
"Gu Luohou arranged twelve cultivation sites for me, all centered around the Dao of Life. This first training ground is dedicated to understanding the Tenacious Vine."
"In reality, it's meant to help me observe how the Dao of Life flows within the Tenacious Vine."
Zhao Xing focused his vision, and suddenly, the vine's darkened roots vanished from sight. Its leaves turned translucent.
"The Dao of Life holds infinite possibilities. But the growth limit of the Tenacious Vine doesn't even reach the Origin Realm. Which universal law is restricting its evolution?"
"How did Gu Luohou override these natural restrictions?"
Gradually, in Zhao Xing's vision, the entire vine disappeared—leaves, branches, roots—all gone.
Only the laws of Gu Luohou's internal world remained.
Countless laws intertwined chaotically, yet beneath the disorder, a hidden pattern emerged.
As these chaotic laws intertwined, they gradually coalesced into a perfect carving blade—
A blade forged from the Dao of Life itself.
This blade was what had modified the Tenacious Vine's core essence, allowing it to break past its natural growth limits.
Zhao Xing's mind trembled with realization. The grassland's shifting state froze.
He reached out, preparing to alter the Emperor-tier Tenacious Vine.
Elsewhere, in the Hundred-Fathom Void, within the Dao-Ancient Layer, Gu Luohou, who had been immersed in his own contemplation, suddenly sensed a shift in his internal world.
His eyes snapped open.
"He's finally taken his first step into the Dao of Life."
Among the many Grand Daos of the cosmos, there were countless branches—the Dao of the Five Elements, the Dao of Yin-Yang...
But for those who followed the Self School, the Dao of Life was supreme.
So far, Zhao Xing had not shown enough potential for Gu Luohou to truly take notice.
But after 157 years, Zhao Xing had finally reached a milestone that made Gu Luohou glance at him twice.
Because today—
For the first time, Zhao Xing had used a spell to influence the internal life force of the Emperor-tier Tenacious Vine.
Even though it was like chiseling a single grain of sand from a vast mountain, the impact was undeniable.
And so—
For the first time, Gu Luohou took the initiative to appear before Zhao Xing.
"Teacher."
Zhao Xing stood up immediately.
Gu Luohou had never officially accepted him as a disciple, but Zhao Xing always addressed him as "Teacher" anyway.
Even though Gu Luohou had never once responded, Zhao Xing had never stopped calling him that.
After all—
Who knew? Maybe one day, Gu Luohou would respond.
"You cultivate spells with your avatars while your main body seeks the Dao, suffering through self-inflicted hardship like some kind of ascetic."
"That's not a good approach."
Gu Luohou got straight to the problem.
"You rely too much on Straw Puppet Techniques, yet you lack a matching soul technique."
"Forcing your way through with sheer willpower—sooner or later, that will lead to problems."
Zhao Xing listened quietly.
Gu Luohou was a demigod—one glance, and he immediately spotted Zhao Xing's flaws.
Back in the Xuanhuang Realm, Straw Puppet Techniques had already shown limitations. Even now, in this cosmic cultivation era, the same issues persisted.
Straw Puppet Techniques always needed a powerful soul technique and Willpower Divine Ability to balance them.
And Zhao Xing's Three Divinities Destiny Palace, a Minor Divine Ability, was already insufficient for his needs.
After all—
His Juyang Straw Puppet Technique alone had already reached Perfection in Minor Divine Abilities.
And Zhao Xing was still digging deeper, even attempting to advance Straw Puppet Techniques into Major Divine Abilities.
The only reason he hadn't collapsed yet was because his foundation was solid, and his comprehension and potential were monstrous.
"You are right, Teacher." Zhao Xing respectfully nodded. "I would like to ask for your guidance."
Gu Luohou shook his head. "When it comes to mastery of Straw Puppet Techniques, no one surpasses Zuo Qiyu. You should seek him instead."
Zhao Xing had been planning to continue pushing the conversation in his favor, but Gu Luohou interrupted him. "Since Zuo Qiyu's Straw Puppet Techniques are not on the treasure list, it means they are not something that can be obtained casually. Whether it is for public or private reasons, I will not persuade him to teach you."
Gu Luohou made it clear once again—he would not use his personal connections to get Zuo Qiyu to teach Zhao Xing.
This was expected, so Zhao Xing was not too disappointed.
However, Gu Luohou then added, "But you can try challenging his Tai Shi City. To avoid being constantly pestered by those seeking his techniques, Zuo Qiyu has set up a trial in Tai Shi City. He has declared that anyone who can pass may choose one of his Straw Puppet Techniques to learn."
"Understood. I will give it a try," Zhao Xing cupped his hands.
After asking a few more questions about cultivation, he left Gu Luohou's internal world.
Most people unfamiliar with Zuo Qiyu had long forgotten about this particular rule.
First, the trial was too harsh—almost no one had ever passed. The most they could gain from attempting it were techniques similar in quality to those already available in the treasure repository, which could be exchanged using contribution points. There was no need to suffer through the trial's torment for something they could acquire more easily.
Second, it had been too long since anyone succeeded, so people had gradually forgotten about it.
With every Era Assembly, the rule would be briefly remembered, but then it would be forgotten again.
However, this time—
Things were different.
Because of the sheer number of individuals undergoing reincarnation, the number of extraordinary prodigies had reached unprecedented levels.
Each one believed themselves to be one in a billion, a peerless existence.
Thus, Zuo Qiyu's rule was quickly dug up again.
When Zhao Xing arrived at Tai Shi City, using his Thousand Star Vine, he found many people already gathered outside the city gate.
"The Mushroom King is here."
"Gu Luohou's student?"
"Yeah, that's Zhao Xing from the Northern River Star System."
Because of his connection to Gu Luohou, Zhao Xing's reputation was massive. Among this era's Shennongs, almost no one did not know of him.
But Zhao Xing was a cultivation maniac, barely interacting with others. Thus, while many recognized him, few actually greeted him.
"Brother Zhao, over here!" Han Chuchen called from a pavilion just outside the city walls.
With a whoosh, Zhao Xing descended and landed beside him.
"Brother Han."
Inside the pavilion, Zhao Xing noticed four others sitting behind a curtain—Fairy Youling, Yuan Qiusheng, Daoist Miaosong, and Han Qianye.
"Greetings, Dao friends," Zhao Xing cupped his hands.
Unlike Zhao Xing, who focused solely on cultivation, Han Chuchen had always been skilled at networking in his past life. Now, in this life—his Calamity Era—he was even more inclined to form connections.
The four in the pavilion were no ordinary people—Yuan Qiusheng ranked first among support-type Shennongs, while the other three were in the top ten of the combat-type Shennongs.
Clearly, Han Chuchen's social skills were impressive.
"Brother Zhao," the four politely returned his greeting.
Fairy Youling teased, "Mushroom King, you've been in seclusion for over a hundred years. Have you gained any new insights? When will you spar with me again?"
Zhao Xing smiled. "I am not yet strong enough to challenge Fairy. I'll need to train for a few more centuries before I dare to seek your guidance."
He was not being humble.
In terms of Dao Fields, Zhao Xing was still at the Lunar Dao Field stage.
Meanwhile, Fairy Youling had already advanced to the Fifth Level of the Solar Dao Field.
In other aspects, Zhao Xing believed he was not far behind, but in Self School duels, Dao Field differences determined absolute victory or defeat since they involved World Laws.
When he sparred with Fairy Youling, it was not about winning or losing, but about improving his techniques. Using techniques from other factions would defeat the purpose of the match.
"Only a few hundred years more?" Fairy Youling's eyes gleamed as she raised an eyebrow. "I'll be waiting, then."
Once their conversation ended, Han Chuchen gestured for Zhao Xing to sit and got straight to the point.
"Brother Zhao, you're here to challenge Tai Shi City, right?"
"That's right. I just came out of seclusion and decided to take a look," Zhao Xing nodded. "But what exactly are the rules inside?"
"Brother Zhao, you may not know this, but the Era Envoy Zuo Qiyu actually possesses the legendary Void Ancestor Straw Puppet Technique!" Han Chuchen said with admiration. "And he even has the Primordial Straw Puppet Technique!"
"The Tai Shi Gold Seal was originally a top-secret Martial Technique, but using Straw Puppet Techniques to glimpse the mysteries of the Void Ancestor is even rarer. This is the first time I've heard that Void Ancestor Straw Puppetry even exists!"
"As for the trials inside Tai Shi City, I don't know much. I didn't even get past the city gate."
"However, Qiusheng and Qianye both made it inside. If you want details, you should ask them."
Han Chuchen smoothly shifted the spotlight onto Yuan Qiusheng and Han Qianye, subtly praising them.
Zhao Xing was a little surprised.
Han Qianye's success was understandable—he was ranked in the top ten among combat-type Shennongs, so clearing the first trial was reasonable.
But Yuan Qiusheng?
He was a support-type Shennong—how had he gotten through the first checkpoint?
"Dao brothers, your mastery must be profound. Would you be willing to share some insights?" Zhao Xing asked.