When Liu Tianning proposed his solution to breaking through, Zhao Xing felt a deep sense of admiration.
Heaven and Earth are vast, yet within the Void, all things are but one.
The Void Straw Puppet was an advanced form of the Juyang Straw Puppet, and its characteristic was evident in its name—it possessed the golden body trait of Qi Sect martial artists.
Many Qi Sect martial artists would swallow their teammates into their bodies to protect them. As an advanced version, the Void Straw Puppet took this concept further, its essence vast and all-encompassing, resembling a boundless universe.
That was why Liu Tianning had said: "The Void is formless, yet it is the essence of Qi. Its gathering and dispersal shape all transformations."
Following this reasoning, he deduced that the planets connected by the gray mist resembled the internal structure of the Void Straw Puppet.
Thus, he theorized that the second trial Zhao Xing was facing—filled with countless mystical landscapes—was actually a localized manifestation of the Void Straw Puppet's internal structure.
"My teacher truly deserves his reputation as the greatest Straw Puppet Master of the Xuanhuang Realm during his time. He never actually experienced the trial himself, yet by merely listening and thinking for three years, he unraveled so many mysteries," Zhao Xing couldn't help but marvel.
"No need to flatter me. Back in the Origin Stage, I wasn't capable of creating a Grand Divine Ability. Your Juyang Revival is truly astonishing," Liu Tianning smiled. "Unlike you, I never had such a broad range of learning. Following Lord of Thousand Flora, I focused solely on the Straw Puppet Arts for years."
"I also cultivated the Juyang Straw Puppet Art. After you gave me this technique, I became deeply fascinated by the legendary Void Ancestor series of Straw Puppet Arts and sought out every related text I could find. It's only natural that I know more about it than most."
Zhao Xing nodded. Lao Liu had always been single-minded in his focus. Even after entering the cosmic cultivation era, he remained obsessed with perfecting the Straw Puppet Arts.
To avoid making the same mistakes of the past, he even mastered spiritual and soul-related divine abilities, ensuring that controlling straw puppet clones would no longer pose any obstacles for him.
Because of Liu Tianning's breakthroughs, Great Zhou wasn't lacking in Dao Domain-level combat power, as Lao Liu alone could fight multiple Dao Domain-level opponents at once.
"Alright, enough talk. Your time in the Primordial Realm is precious. Focus on attempting the solution now."
"Understood." Zhao Xing closed his eyes.
At the same time, inside the Void Straw Puppet—
His Juyang Clone began to move through the space, recording every minute detail of the Void Realm.
"The lifeforce-filled gray mist is dynamic, constantly shifting and transforming."
"Floating within the mist are countless celestial bodies, each corresponding to the essence of a different life form."
"If I piece them together and observe them on a smaller scale—"
Zhao Xing's hands moved, channeling spiritual energy to reconstruct everything he saw within the space. Soon, he had formed a miniature life diagram.
"It resembles the acupoints and meridians of a human body, with the mist acting as a combination of lifeforce and mana flow."
After reconstructing the structure, Zhao Xing examined it from a unique perspective, barely managing to piece together a three-dimensional model of the body's internal structure.
It was only "barely" because many celestial bodies were out of position, making it impossible to directly correlate them with common acupoint-star mapping techniques.
Additionally, the constant shifting of the gray mist interfered with his calculations and deductions.
"With my current mental capacity, exhausting myself entirely still wouldn't be enough to fully compute this. A brute-force calculation method won't allow me to decipher the Void Straw Puppet's mysteries."
Even knowing the method and making a correct guess, the sheer computational workload was overwhelming—success seemed almost impossible.
Zuo Qiyu's trial was designed to break even the most talented challengers.
What Zhao Xing faced now was the deliberate obstruction of a Reincarnation Emperor.
"Step by step… First, I'll reposition the celestial bodies."
After a moment of thought, his Juyang Clone sprang into action. "Expand! Expand! Expand!"
His Juyang Straw Puppet grew to a five-extreme size, then began working like a diligent bee, relocating celestial bodies.
One by one, stars and even shattered celestial fragments were transported to their designated locations.
"Boom—"
His divine sense was suddenly attacked. The celestial bodies linked by the gray mist radiated something akin to a primal consciousness, repelling Zhao Xing's divine sense.
"Was I right? Or did I make a mistake?"
Zhao Xing's divine sense was almost forced out of the Juyang Straw Puppet's body.
Then, he saw that, under the impact of the gray mist, the celestial bodies shifted again—as if he had just built a sandcastle, only for a tidal wave to sweep it away before he could even admire it.
The carefully arranged celestial bodies once again fell into complete disorder, scattered like grains of sand.
"Again."
Zhao Xing resumed transporting the celestial bodies.
The second time, just as he was about to place them into their designated positions, his Juyang Clone extended several vines, whipping them toward multiple celestial bodies.
"Stem Funnel Divine Ability, Transform!"
The ordinary-looking vines instantly evolved into void-type tendrils, gaining the ability to extend infinitely through the void.
After their transformation, Zhao Xing named them the Locking Star Vines, using them to anchor the celestial bodies.
The Locking Star Vines became a secondary meridian system, redirecting part of the mist's energy flow, channeling it through their tendrils and between the celestial bodies.
"It worked."
The vine network resonated with the celestial orbits, and for the first time, Zhao Xing perceived the existence of a world beyond this cosmic space.
He saw Zuo Qiyu standing atop Primordial City, saw Five Venom Emperor, and even saw himself and Fairy Youling outside the city gates.
At the same time, he seemed to glimpse a massive shadow, looming in the Void Chaos of the Ancient Dao Layer.
The entire Primordial City suddenly seemed insignificant.
"That's the shadow of the Void Straw Puppet? It can even cast its reflection into the Ancient Dao Layer's void? That's terrifying—"
The moment he had that thought, Five Venom Emperor and Zuo Qiyu both turned to look at him.
"Did he succeed?" Five Venom Emperor asked in shock. This time, he was genuinely stunned, blurting out instinctively, "That little bastard… did he really pull it off?!"
Zuo Qiyu shot Five Venom Emperor a cold glare before smacking him away with a backhand slap.
The vision Zhao Xing saw lasted no longer than three fractions of a boundless moment before it shattered, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion.
"Boom!"
The vines suddenly blossomed with golden flowers, which then exploded in rapid succession.
The gray mist surged like a tidal wave, crashing over the celestial bodies. His second attempt had failed once again.
"Overriding the gray mist won't work." Zhao Xing fell deep into thought. "There's no way I can bypass Zuo Qiyu's restrictions to take control outright."
"These orbital patterns…"
The floating celestial fragments suddenly trembled violently, dragging out galactic light trails in the gray mist.
Zhao Xing realized that the trajectories of the celestial bodies bore a subtle resemblance to the flow of spiritual energy within the Juyang Straw Puppet, aligning with the fundamental path of life energy circulation.
Three meteors brushed past one another, forming a parabolic arc in the sky—like a streak of enlightenment piercing through the eternal darkness.
"Boom!"
The vines continued to snap apart, and the rebounding force flung his Juyang Clone backward. But instead of frustration, Zhao Xing became exhilarated.
"Hahaha! Senior Zuo, your technique—I must have it!"
"Scatter!"
Zhao Xing suddenly burst into laughter, allowing the vines to completely shred his Juyang Clone to pieces.
A greenish-blue life flame ignited at his fingertips, setting the scattered remnants of the straw puppet ablaze, absorbing the core essence of the Juyang Straw Puppet, wrapping his divine sense within, and diving headfirst into the torrential gray mist.
The burning straw transformed into countless fireflies, illuminating the endless night sky engulfed in mist.
Zhao Xing's divine sense fractured and reassembled as it flowed with the currents of energy.
The previously chaotic celestial fragments began to flash in a specific rhythmic frequency, and from the gray mist, a gigantic human meridian system took shape, formed entirely of light points.
When the time cycle reached a critical moment, it felt as though the entire boundless night sky was infused with Zhao Xing's thoughts and consciousness.
"Thump!"
From the depths of the void, a sound akin to a heartbeat echoed—thunderous like a heavenly roar, as if some ancient will that had slumbered for millions of years was awakening.
Zhao Xing felt his consciousness being pulled into a mysterious dimension. Here, he was both the sprout breaking through the soil and the withered leaf drifting toward the earth.
As the materials of the Juyang Clone burned away, the universe turned bleak and silent, yet at that moment, Zhao Xing saw all the stars and the swirling gray nebulae.
"Boom!"
A second heartbeat thundered through the void, heavenly lightning rumbled, and the entire secret realm began to collapse.
Inside Primordial City, the Void Straw Puppet, whose body was buried within the Void Chaos of the Ancient Dao Layer, slowly opened its eyes, with only its massive head visible above ground.
Within its eyes, Zhao Xing's spiritual projection emerged, bowing slightly toward Zuo Qiyu from afar.
"I greet the senior."
Though the voice was faint, it resonated clearly throughout the realm.
From a crater in the ground, Five Venom Emperor's head suddenly popped out, his eyes widening as he gawked at Zhao Xing's reflection within the Straw Puppet's eyes.
"Unbelievable… This is beyond belief!" He gasped. "This kid… he's even stronger than that little beast Zuo Qiyu took in all those years ago!"
Standing atop the city wall, Zuo Qiyu's eyes flashed with a complex emotion, but he quickly regained his calm.
"You passed."
With a casual flick of his hand, Zhao Xing's divine sense was instantly pulled back into his true body.
Simultaneously, his physical form vanished from the Realm-Distorting River, reappearing inside Primordial City.
As for Five Venom Emperor, he was kicked out of the city altogether.
"Dammit, stingy old bastard! Won't even let me watch!" Five Venom cursed under his breath as he stomped away.
"He… disappeared?"
Fairy Youling's eyes widened in astonishment. She turned to look at Zhao Xing's true body—but he was gone.
"Did he… pass the trial?"
Inside Primordial City, beneath the massive head of the Void Straw Puppet, Zuo Qiyu looked directly at Zhao Xing and got straight to the point.
"Which Straw Puppet technique do you wish to learn?"
Zhao Xing clasped his hands and replied, "Whatever the teacher teaches, I will learn."
Zuo Qiyu sneered. "How greedy."
Zhao Xing remained silent and lowered his head in respectful submission.
There was no need for extra words when speaking with a powerhouse like Zuo Qiyu—directness was the best approach.
At this moment, Zhao Xing's stance was clear—he wanted to learn everything!
"For every Straw Puppet technique of mine that you learn, your soul will suffer a great rupture."
"Let me tell you this—I have never been able to reach the Demigod Realm because of a fundamental flaw in my soul. Anyone who has practiced the Void Ancestor Straw Puppet Arts, including its founder, has suffered this consequence."
"Now, do you still wish to learn?"
Zhao Xing pondered for a moment. "The Dao of Heaven has its constants—when something is lost, something else is gained. Since the teacher has been restricted by fate, it proves that the Straw Puppet Arts must be unparalleled in the world. I believe… there must be a way to mend the flaw."
"There is no way to mend it," Zuo Qiyu shook his head.
"Why is the senior so certain?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.
"Because the Void Ancestor Straw Puppet Arts was created by Gu Tianyang."
"Gu Tianyang was a descendant of Ancient God Gu Xiao. He had a younger brother named Gu Luohe."
"What?" Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat. He never expected such a deep connection behind this technique.
"Before Gu Tianyang's true soul perished, he was unable to resolve this flaw. I, who inherited his art, could not resolve it either. Your teacher, Gu Luohe, also studied this issue."
"From the moment you successfully cultivate the Void Straw Puppet, up until the Primordial Straw Puppet, you will experience a total of 91 soul ruptures."
"This kind of severe soul damage cannot be repaired. The moment you cultivate the Void Straw Puppet, you lose any chance of fixing it."
"So, in other words… once I cultivate this path, the Reincarnation Emperor Realm will be my absolute limit?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Yes," Zuo Qiyu nodded.
"Teacher, I have a question," Zhao Xing said. "The Void Ancestor's Three Volumes consist of three distinct paths—Primordial, Reincarnation, and Origin. Shouldn't the Void Ancestor Straw Puppet Arts also have three corresponding paths? Why has the teacher only mentioned the Primordial Straw Puppet?"
"Because before Gu Tianyang passed away, no one had mastered the Origin and Reincarnation Straw Puppets. Across the entire Xuanling Star Domain, I alone have inherited one of them."
"But that is not important—Gu Tianyang never resolved the issue before his death. The three techniques are independent of each other and have no connection."
"As for you saying this path is unmatched in the world, that is indeed true."
"This technique holds absolute dominance over all Straw Puppet Arts."
"In my presence, no other Straw Puppet technique can function."
Zuo Qiyu waved his hand.
In the next instant, Zhao Xing's connection with all of his Straw Puppet clones was completely severed—including those located as far away as the Fourteenth Gate of Jiachen and the Northern River Star System.
Inside Liu Tianning's Mind Palace, Zhao Xing's spiritual projection suddenly disappeared.
"Whoosh—"
All of Zhao Xing's split divine senses were forcibly suppressed back into his true body by Zuo Qiyu.
"What…?"
Zhao Xing was stunned. His straw puppets hadn't been destroyed, yet control over them had been completely hijacked by Zuo Qiyu.
"As long as I will it, within the Primordial Realm, even across the empire, no one will be able to manifest a single Straw Puppet."
"Straw Puppet techniques will cease progressing entirely."
Zuo Qiyu's words were spoken in a calm tone, yet they carried an utterly terrifying truth.
It was as if he had reached the absolute pinnacle of the Straw Puppet Dao, where he alone ruled over the entire path, capable of sealing off its practice from all cultivators.
His mastery was as close to divinity as one could get—perhaps even surpassing a Demigod.
"I'll learn it," Zhao Xing declared without hesitation.
Reaching the Demigod Realm? That was a problem for the future.
Besides, with his experience from the Xuanhuang Realm, he firmly believed that what Gu Tianyang and Zuo Qiyu failed to accomplish—he might just succeed.
"Since you've made up your mind, whatever happens in the future, don't blame me." Zuo Qiyu's expression turned colder as he spoke.
"I have no regrets," Zhao Xing responded respectfully.
Yet, Zuo Qiyu still showed no kindness. "I may teach you the techniques, but you are not to claim me as your teacher. If anything happens, you are not to mention my name."
"I will only teach you for one thousand years. You don't need to call me 'teacher.' If you wish to show respect, call me 'senior.' If not, you may address me by name."
Zhao Xing had heard such words before. He was not surprised and quickly adjusted, saying, "I will follow Senior's instructions."
After finalizing the schedule for his training with Zuo Qiyu, the latter waved his hand. Everything returned to normal, and Zhao Xing regained control over his straw puppet clones.
With another motion, Zhao Xing's true body was teleported out of the Realm-Distorting River.
In his hand was a jade talisman, inscribed with the dark gold sigil of a Void Straw Puppet—the foundation of this powerful technique. Zhao Xing planned to return to Huai Liu Courtyard to study it. However, just as he was about to leave, someone blocked his path.
"Zhao Xing~ Zhao Xing~"
"Who?"
Looking up, Zhao Xing saw that he had appeared in front of Five Venom Emperor.
"I greet Senior Five Venom."
"No need for formalities." Five Venom's wrinkled face squeezed into a grin, making his eyes almost disappear.
"May I ask why Senior has called me?" Zhao Xing inquired.
"Zhao Xing, has Zuo Qiyu taken you as his disciple?"
"No," Zhao Xing said with a hint of regret. "Senior only agreed to teach me techniques, but I am not to claim him as my master."
This was different from Gu Luohe's approach. Though Gu Luohe had been entrusted by Old Qing, he had at least kept up the pretense of a master-disciple relationship. This meant that Zhao Xing could still claim to be Gu Luohe's disciple without issue.
Zuo Qiyu, however, was cold and detached—he didn't even bother with appearances.
"That's great!" Five Venom Emperor muttered.
"Senior, what did you say?"
"Ahem, I meant to say, what a pity." Five Venom Emperor pretended to be disappointed. "However, you mustn't blame Zuo Qiyu for being so distant. Years ago, he did take in a disciple—"
"Senior, should I even be hearing this?" Zhao Xing interrupted.
"It's fine. Many people know about it, they just don't dare to talk about it." Five Venom Emperor waved it off. "Back then, Zuo Qiyu had a disciple who inherited the Primordial Straw Puppet technique and even cultivated to the Reincarnation Emperor level. But in the end, that little beast betrayed him."
"From that moment on, Zuo Qiyu never took another disciple. Even teaching you now is just to fulfill the rules set by the Emperor and Senior Gu."
Zhao Xing nodded. This backstory was part of the reason for the recent rush of challengers.
"However, most people don't know why Zuo Qiyu was betrayed, or why he refuses to teach others even now—"
"Senior, why did you stop talking?" Zhao Xing was eager to hear more, but Five Venom Emperor suddenly cut himself off.
"Haha, let's save that story for later. There's something more important to discuss first."
"Please, go ahead, Senior."
"Zhao Xing, I know that Gu Luohe only took you as a disciple for 'certain reasons,' correct?"
Zhao Xing remained silent, but his expression confirmed it.
Five Venom Emperor's eyes darted around cunningly. "See? That means I should've been the one to take you in! Who could have expected that old bastard to interfere and upset Senior Gu—Zhao Xing, think about it, right now, you don't really have a master, do you?"
Zhao Xing thought of Liu Tianning and shook his head. "I do."
Five Venom Emperor's mustache twitched in frustration. Why was this kid so dense?
Gu Luohe and Zuo Qiyu—were they even real masters?!
But Zhao Xing's worth had increased too much. Five Venom Emperor didn't care about appearances anymore. He pressed on.
"Zhao Xing, why don't you just apprentice under me instead?"
"I, Five Venom Emperor, am nothing like those cold-hearted bastards!"
"Let me tell you a little secret—only a handful of people in the empire know about this. In the northwest of the empire, in the Suyue Barren Region, something is about to—"
Zhao Xing lost interest immediately. The empire's plans to develop the northwest were no secret at all.
Was Five Venom Emperor trying to trick a child?
"Senior, I am still officially Senior Gu's disciple. It wouldn't be appropriate to take another master." Zhao Xing politely declined.
Five Venom Emperor became anxious. "Someday, you might end up in a life-and-death battle with Zuo Qiyu! If you take me as your master, I might be able to help you!"
Zhao Xing was about to brush it off, but these words made him pause.
"Senior, what do you mean by that?"
Five Venom Emperor asked, "Will you take me as your master or not?"
"Master!" Zhao Xing immediately knelt and bowed.
Five Venom Emperor had extended an invitation twice—refusing again would be disrespectful.
Besides, Gu Luohe never forbade him from finding another backer.
Since Five Venom Emperor had made his intentions clear, dragging things out would be unreasonable.
"I pay my respects to my master!"
"Good, good, good!" Five Venom Emperor beamed with joy and helped Zhao Xing to his feet. "Good disciple, stand up now."
"Master, can you explain now?" Zhao Xing asked. "Why did you say I would face a life-or-death battle against Senior Zuo?"
Five Venom Emperor glanced around cautiously before lowering his voice.
"The Primordial Straw Puppet technique cannot break through to the Demigod Realm. I assume Zuo Qiyu already told you that?"
Zhao Xing nodded. Soul defects—an old problem.
"There's actually a hidden truth to it," Five Venom Emperor continued. "Years ago, Zuo Qiyu's disciple also reached the Reincarnation Emperor level. The reason for his betrayal was because he discovered an ancient text left by Gu Tianyang, the founder of the technique."
"The text claimed that the flaw could be fixed—but the method was to kill another practitioner of the Primordial Straw Puppet technique and absorb their true soul."
"Because of this, Zuo Qiyu's disciple ambushed him one day."
"What?!" Zhao Xing was shocked.
He never expected such a secret.
"Master, you're not joking, are you?"
Five Venom Emperor's face was dead serious. "How could I joke about this? Zuo Qiyu has absolute control over the Straw Puppet Dao. In his presence, no Straw Puppet technique can function beyond his will."
"In the struggle for supremacy in the Dao, when faced with an obstacle, you have three choices—avoid it, surpass it, or become it."
"His disciple was no fool. If not for the pursuit of ultimate power, why would he have done such a thing?"
"And who knows… maybe he was right."