Zhao Xing's true body had been secretly transported to Scholar City for treatment, while his remnant soul remained in a hidden space on Crystal Island in Jiachen Pass, studying the mana chapter of the "Seven Aperture Heart-Sealing Method."
It had been more than two hundred and thirty years since the Water Immortal Festival sacrificial incident.
The Lingxu Origin Realm had long since been conquered, and the races within it had become subordinate species to humanity.
The benefits brought by the Lingxu Origin Realm were enormous. The resources it provided for excavation, planting, and cultivation were exceedingly abundant.
This gave rise to a new group of powerful clans and ignited another wave of exploration frenzy across the Barren Domain.
Unlike Zhao Xing's path, Great Zhou had experienced smooth sailing for over two centuries.
On the Haitong Ancient Path, an Origin Realm had been discovered. However, only one million people were allowed entry, making the quotas extremely limited.
Many powerful families were dissatisfied. So when the Lingxu Origin Realm was first found, many turned their eyes toward other ancient paths.
Since one Origin Realm had been found on Haitong Ancient Path, were there more nearby?
As a result, the Langping Ancient Path, which was relatively close to Haitong, quickly became another popular direction for development.
Thanks to Zhao Xing's identity as a first-tier Haitong Envoy, Great Zhou had already established a foothold in the Wangliang Star District of Langping Ancient Path.
They were able to use the transfer arrays of Haitong Ancient Path to shortcut the route. Just by running material transportation operations, they had made a massive profit.
Let alone the fact that Great Zhou itself had been performing excellently—the ruler and ministers all maintained a proactive and enterprising mindset.
So why did Zhao Xing say Wei Tianchen "caught him well"?
Because when Wei Tianchen cast the bait for him, he made the offering especially heavy.
He deliberately let Martial Emperor Ji Che obtain a batch of Fortune treasures, all of which were high-grade. The most valuable one had reached the level of a top-tier Reincarnation Dao Weapon!
Even more precious was the Fortune cultivation manual Wei Tianchen gifted—these were rare materials even during the Five Emperors Era.
To Great Zhou, it was like obtaining a priceless treasure. It significantly boosted the development of their entire Fortune system.
Of course, what Zhao Xing considered a "heavy bait" was hardly worth mentioning from Wei Tianchen's perspective.
The man had plenty of divine artifacts—what was one Reincarnation-grade Fortune weapon? As for the ancient texts, he just casually copied one from his archive.
As long as he could obtain the Seven Stars Fighting Cabinet, Wei Tianchen considered it a huge win.
He had even planned to offer an even bigger bait—after all, Zhao Xing had been dazzling at the Yuanhai Assembly and was now the Tianning Emperor!
"Wei Tianchen really is a treasure of an old man." Zhao Xing couldn't help but sigh as he looked over the latest intel about Great Zhou.
Because of that one move by Wei Tianchen, both Zhao Xing and Great Zhou had reaped major benefits.
Compared to before the Barren Domain explorations began, Great Zhou's foundations had been transformed. They now had nine Reincarnation Realm guest cultivators—one of them even a seasoned Reincarnation cultivator with many years of lifespan left.
"Being a physician really pays." Zhao Xing thought to himself. "A veteran doctor like Wei Tianchen, someone capable of saving Emperors… even asking for half of the patient's fortune isn't unreasonable. In fact, it's generous. His prestige must come from that."
"And he's lived over two hundred eras, his wealth must be unimaginable."
"If someone managed to catch him, who knows how many gold coins would drop?"
In terms of wealth, Zhao Xing even suspected that Qing Yuzi wasn't as rich as Wei Tianchen!
In terms of connections, ancient physicians had terrifying networks too.
For over two hundred years, the four major powers of the Taigu Hill—Red Star Empire, Origin Heaven Palace, and the Ancient Kingdom Alliance—had all issued bounties for him. They'd arrested many disciples, yet still couldn't find Wei Tianchen himself.
There's no way no one was hiding him. Zhao Xing simply didn't believe it.
"In the short term, he probably won't show up. He must be hiding in some corner trying to crack the Seven Stars Fighting Cabinet."
"But he'll definitely come looking for me again."
In his past life, Wei Tianchen had handled the cabinet alone. He might not have discovered its deepest secrets.
But this time, Zhao Xing had been involved—especially in the final moment, when Zuo Qiyu swapped out Zhao Xing's remnant soul and he survived. Wei Tianchen would surely start realizing something was off.
Of course, right now Zhao Xing's real concern wasn't Wei Tianchen.
It was the half-god scholar Bowe, right before him.
"My true body has already been taken into the Eighth Law Realm by Bowe for two hundred years, and my remnant soul has no idea what he's done to me."
"But one thing is certain—he'll definitely save me and make me part of the God-Making Plan," Zhao Xing thought.
Great Scholar Bowe, after opening the Eighth Law Realm, had seen a meteoric rise in status and reputation.
If he successfully revived someone afflicted by True Spirit Heavenly Poison like Zhao Xing, his reputation would surpass that of all the past Scholar City Grand Elders.
Doing something big would be too easy for him. In fact, there might even be a phenomenon where every family competed to send their geniuses for Bowe's guidance.
Scholars could preach the Dao and pass on knowledge like divine enlightenment. Their image had always been noble and upright.
Who would imagine that Bowe had sacrificed over fifty thousand Reincarnation Realm cultivators just to create a god?
"Hmm?"
Zhao Xing suddenly felt a strange ripple in his consciousness.
Then, it was as if his remnant soul was hearing hallucinations.
A voice seemed to whisper near his ear.
"Gods sit high above, selfish and heartless—"
Who was speaking?
Zhao Xing tensed. Then in the next moment, he realized—the voice wasn't something his remnant soul heard. It was something his true body was hearing.
"Is Bowe talking to me?"
Zhao Xing faintly felt the voice sink into his soul—it was unforgettable.
"That old bastard really is brainwashing me."
He immediately activated his blue floral mana to protect his soul. This mana contained the essence of all Daos, and Zhao Xing quickly erased the hallucinatory voice from his consciousness.
After that incident, Zhao Xing faintly sensed that his true body was about to awaken.
His remnant soul soon began to feel coldness and pain. The fact that the remnant soul could sense the core of the true soul meant that the soul core within the true body was beginning to awaken.
"Gods dwell high above, selfish and heartless. If you become a god, then hunt the gods—"
Inside the Eighth Law Realm, Bowe stood before the ice coffin, muttering as he stared at the naked Zhao Xing within.
Each word he spoke materialized into form and sank into Zhao Xing's body.
For the past two hundred years, Bowe had repeated this ritual before the ice coffin every single day.
"Bowe, do you think a Godhood Realm cultivator can be controlled?" a voice came from a mirror behind him, revealing an old man with gray and white hair.
"You want to create a Godhood Realm being, control a Godhood Realm being, and make it serve your purposes?"
"Teacher, your vision is too shallow," Bowe shook his head. "You can no longer understand me."
"I truly can't," Zhixin sighed. "Ever since you became a Scholar of the Seven Realms, I haven't been able to see through you."
"Of course, you wouldn't speak sincerely to me, lest you leak heavenly secrets."
"I want to lead Scholar City and the human race to live better lives. That's the truth," Bowe said. "Teacher, I need your cooperation."
Though Zhixin had been refined into a spirit of an artifact by his disciple, he still couldn't bring himself to hate Bowe.
"I've already become an artifact spirit. What more can I do to cooperate?"
As Zhao Xing's true body approached awakening, the pain began affecting the remnant soul, and his cultivation progress slowed again.
After condensing the third strand of Blue Floral Mana, he was no longer able to form the fourth.
In the two hundred and forty-seventh year of his true body's slumber, the pain reached its peak, to the point where even the remnant soul showed signs of collapse.
"Aaaargh—!"
The Void Straw Puppet twisted in agony, rolling wildly on the ground.
It hurt—far too much!
Zhao Xing clutched his head and slammed into a mountain. With a boom, the peak collapsed, burying him beneath countless boulders, but even that pain didn't compare to one ten-thousandth of the torment wracking his soul.
While the true body slept, there was no connection between the soul core and the remnant soul. Even if the True Spirit Heavenly Poison flared up,
the remnant soul couldn't feel it.
But now that the soul core of the true body was gradually awakening, the remnant soul could begin to feel its pain.
"Haah... hsss... haah..."
Zhao Xing pounded the ground with both fists, gasping for breath.
There was a cycle to the poison's flare-ups, and the pain had already started to lessen.
"That was terrifying. What I just felt from the True Spirit Heavenly Poison probably isn't even a ten-millionth of its full power... but even that almost broke my remnant soul."
"My remnant soul possesses peak-level Second Stage willpower!"
The True Spirit Heavenly Poison inside the true body was being suppressed by the Ten Cold Ice Coffin, and further weakened through Bowe's ancient techniques.
What the remnant soul could feel was less than a ten-millionth, and even so, it nearly shattered his will.
The True Spirit Heavenly Poison truly was terrifying—worthy of its reputation as a toxin powerful enough to kill half-gods. Not even reincarnation could escape it.
"If not for suppression, if the poison core inside me fully erupted, I probably couldn't endure even half a second."
"If the True Spirit Heavenly Poison is already this horrifying, I can't imagine how dreadful the Wild God Poison must be."
As time passed, the pain sensed by Zhao Xing's remnant soul reached a peak and then slowly began to fade—proof that Bowe's treatment was working.
By the two hundred and fifty-fourth year of the true body's sleep, Zhao Xing's remnant soul could completely ignore the pain and wield five strands of Blue Floral Mana.
At this point, even just the Void Straw Puppet clone could match a typical senior-level Reincarnation Realm expert in its normal state.
With the Blue Floral Mana, it could unleash five full-power strikes comparable to a lord-tier battle cultivator!
"Once my soul fuses with my true body again and grows stronger, I'll be able to control even more Blue Floral Mana. I wonder when I'll fully awaken…" Zhao Xing was looking forward to his recovery.
After all, the maximum life extension limit in Scholar City was three hundred years, and now two hundred and fifty-four had already passed—there wasn't much time left.
In year two hundred and fifty-seven, while studying the mana chapter, the remnant soul suddenly felt a tug in his heart and looked in a certain direction.
Far away in Scholar City, Zhao Xing's true body slowly opened its eyes. A flicker of black flashed across them before quickly returning to normal.
At this moment, the remnant soul and true body were only faintly linked, without shared memories.
So the true body's memory still stayed at the exact second before being struck by the True Spirit Heavenly Poison by the ancient physician.
"You... you're Scholar Bowe?" Zhao Xing asked hoarsely as he struggled to sit up. His body felt heavy, and his thoughts were slow and sluggish.
"Yes, it's me," Bowe nodded. "Zhao Xing, you're now receiving treatment in Scholar City. It's been two hundred and fifty-seven years. How do you feel?"
Zhao Xing moved a bit and found that his physical body was intact, without a single wound.
But his head felt unbearably heavy, and his thoughts moved like molasses.
He turned his focus inward to observe his Fate Palace, only to see his soul was riddled with wounds, wrapped in black liquid all over.
"I... I feel terrible," Zhao Xing said with difficulty. "I can't even circulate my mana properly."
He instinctively tried to cast a spell, but found he couldn't even open his source space. He tried to activate a spell, but after generating the thought, it took about ten seconds before a tiny spark flickered at his fingertip—only to fizzle out immediately.
"Wh-what's going on—?"
"You're not fully recovered yet," Bowe said, speaking through the ice coffin. "Right now, the True Spirit Heavenly Poison is binding your soul. Your thoughts, which used to direct your body and mana almost instantly—in just a thousandth of a boundless moment—have now slowed by a factor of ten thousand."
"That means every spell you try to cast will have a ten-second delay before activating."
Zhao Xing froze for a long moment before finally forcing a bitter smile after ten seconds, his expression sluggish like a sloth.
Yes, the situation was just like Bowe had described.
His soul was wrapped in black liquid, and every thought had to struggle through countless layers like a maze.
Still, at least now the thoughts could be transmitted. The black liquid was distributed in overlapping layers and had been counter-bound using a unique method developed by Bowe.
Right now, Bowe had managed to suppress the eruption of the poison, but he hadn't completely eliminated it yet. The poison was slowing Zhao Xing's soul's thinking process, which in turn restricted his spellcasting speed.
"Elder Bowe, am I out of the danger zone now?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Mm. The first stage of the treatment is complete. Suppressing the poison and awakening you was the first step."
"Next, you'll start the second stage of recovery. But since you woke up earlier than I expected, the second stage should also progress faster than predicted."
"Thank you, Grand Elder." Zhao Xing let out a breath of relief.
As someone at the Reincarnation Realm, surviving the invasion of the True Spirit Heavenly Poison was already extremely rare. Bowe's treatment methods were undoubtedly brilliant.
To still be alive, and even have hope for a full recovery, was already more than he could ask for.
"Unfortunately, my own strength is still too weak," Bowe said with some regret. "If we had a Godhood Realm expert willing to spend just a bit of divine power to treat you, perhaps you could have recovered much faster—"
"But those in the Godhood Realm don't concern themselves with mortal affairs. Scholar City has no one at that level. Your recovery will be a long process."
Hearing this, Zhao Xing suddenly felt a strange sense of resentment toward the Godhood Realm. The Xuanling Star Domain had Godhood Realm beings—just a little divine power could save countless people—so why didn't they do it?
It was a bit like a hatred for the rich. At this moment, Zhao Xing found himself developing a kind of "hatred toward gods" mindset.
Though he wasn't aware of it himself, he simply expressed his gratitude to Bowe and asked, "Thank you, Grand Elder, for saving my life. What should I do now to recover as quickly as possible?"
Bowe replied, "According to my estimate, it'll take about five thousand years for you to fully recover."
"But as I said, you woke up earlier than expected. If you actively cooperate with the treatment, you might recover even faster."
"I'll cooperate. I'll definitely cooperate," Zhao Xing quickly replied.
Five thousand years!
That long, practically a living corpse… way too unbearable!
"For now, there's no rush. Let me take you outside first." Bowe waved his hand and motioned for Zhao Xing to lie back. "Now that you're awake, you should let your teachers know you're safe."
After Zhao Xing's true body awakened and left the Eighth Law Realm, Zuo Qiyu quickly arrived at a courtyard to check on him.
When he saw Zhao Xing sitting in a wheelchair, he couldn't help but be stunned. "Truly miraculous—you actually woke up."
Zuo Qiyu, while unafraid of the True Spirit Heavenly Poison, only had that confidence because he could abandon and replace his soul clones at any time. That didn't mean he could resist the poison itself.
If all his clones were infected, even Zuo Qiyu couldn't withstand it.
"Thank you, Senior Zuo, for watching over me." Ten seconds later, Zhao Xing managed to speak and bowed.
"What's his condition?" Seeing Zhao Xing move so sluggishly and speak with great difficulty, Zuo Qiyu turned to ask Feng Chen beside him.
"Zhao Xing has only just awakened and passed the danger period, but he hasn't fully recovered," Feng Chen explained. "The Grand Elder said that after completing the second stage of treatment, he'll return to his pre-poisoned strength."
"The third stage will be about completely removing the poison."
"Until then, it's best for Zhao Xing to sit in the Grand Elder's custom-made Floral Armchair."
Zuo Qiyu gave the chair a look. Its armrests and backrest were engraved with soft pink floral patterns that moved in sync with Zhao Xing's breathing.
The backrest was built-in, embedded directly into Zhao Xing's dharma body, connected to both his divine palace and dantian qi sea.
It was a unique medical-grade Dao weapon. It could shorten the delay between divine thought and body response by about one-fifth, making things less torturous for Zhao Xing.
Zuo Qiyu couldn't help but marvel. He could tell the chair was "alive," somewhat like the Self School's extreme-path Mother Tree of Ten Thousand Laws.
But this chair was a hybrid—it combined the traits of trees, bamboo, flowers, thorns, and vines all at once.
It even had elements of mechanist and medical craft. The chair's four legs were actually four Formation Stabilizing Needles, capable of absorbing power from earth veins and natural forces like wind, rain, and thunderclouds to convert into spiritual energy. It could also push Zhao Xing along.
There were sound patterns etched into the backrest, transmitting soft music directly to Zhao Xing's soul.
The unique rhythm suppressed the poisonous liquid clinging to his soul—clearly the work of a music master.
Such a small chair embodied the expertise of multiple professions. Only a scholar could have made it.
"No wonder he's the Grand Elder," Zuo Qiyu said with admiration.
"Envoy Zuo, may I have a word?" Feng Chen gestured and led Zuo Qiyu toward the rear hall.
As for what they discussed—simple: it was about money.
"Envoy Zuo, this is the cost breakdown for the second stage of treatment. Please have a look," Feng Chen said. "Scholar City has provided Zhao Xing with the best of everything."
Zuo Qiyu didn't even look at it—he just accepted the bill. "Alright, we'll send it over as soon as possible."
Feng Chen nodded. "Then I'll take my leave."
Zuo Qiyu returned to the main hall and slammed a thick folder down into Zhao Xing's lap.
"Senior Zuo, what's this?"
"Your debt contract," Zuo Qiyu said expressionlessly.
"Huh?" Zhao Xing looked down—and what he saw made his vision go black.
It was a bill, filled with astronomical numbers.
A rough estimate—at least one million Five Emperor Coins were needed. That already surpassed the entire wealth of a Reincarnation Realm Emperor!
The moment Zuo Qiyu slammed that list onto Zhao Xing, he immediately felt five distinct, weighty threads of karma.
These five threads came from the Five Venom Emperor, Zuo Qiyu, Lu Luan Lord, Hongluan Emperor, and Bowe.
The first four had each covered part of Zhao Xing's treatment cost. Bowe had even given a steep discount, yet his karmic weight was the heaviest of them all.
Of course, saving someone afflicted by the True Spirit Heavenly Poison—how could that be done for just "a bit of money"?
For Bowe to charge so little—it was practically a gift of immense grace.
As for the empire's Primordial Realm, while there was a benefit payout for Coral-tier members, in the face of True Spirit Heavenly Poison, it was barely a drop in the bucket. There was no way the empire could just casually hand over more funds.
If the empire paid for Zhao Xing, then that would break precedent. What would the other Primordial Realm members think?
So in the end, it had to be covered privately—Zuo Qiyu, the Five Venom Emperor, the Hongluan Emperor, and Gu Luohe personally shared the remaining cost.
"If I don't make it to the Reincarnation Realm Emperor, then yeah… this really is a debt contract," Zhao Xing muttered, shaking his head. "I'd need a few lifetimes of work to pay it off."
"If you ever do reach the Reincarnation Realm Emperor," Zuo Qiyu said flatly, "don't show your face in front of me."
"Otherwise, I won't be able to stop myself from killing you."
"Senior Zuo, you—" Zhao Xing was stunned.
Zuo Qiyu didn't respond. He just pushed Zhao Xing's chair forward silently.
Back when Zhao Xing's true body was on the verge of death and Zuo Qiyu replaced him, he'd felt a slight increase in his own power.
When Zhao Xing was only at the Origin Stage, he hadn't felt a thing. But now that Zhao Xing had reached the Reincarnation Realm, that feedback had become very clear.
It was further proof that the Path of the Great Void and the Primordial Straw Puppet couldn't accommodate too many people.
"The battle between our paths—like fire and water. I really will kill you someday..." Zuo Qiyu stared straight ahead, repeating the words softly, as if trying to strengthen his resolve.
One year after Zhao Xing's true body woke up, four major events happened in the Xuanling Star Domain.
First, the previous Grand Elder Zhixin reappeared and officially announced his resignation. Bowe formally became the Grand Elder of Scholar City.
Second, Bowe declared that he had opened the Eighth Scholar Law Realm, raising the ceiling for all scholar-class professions.
Third, Bowe successfully treated the True Spirit Heavenly Poison on the Primordial Realm genius Zhao Xing. Since Zhao Xing's recovery was now just a matter of time, saying he was cured wasn't inaccurate.
Fourth, Bowe discovered a long-lost divine artifact—the Transmission Realm Tower—from within the Eighth Law Realm. He then held a Transmission Realm Gathering, inviting the geniuses of the Xuanling Star Domain, especially starry sky historians, to attend and gain insight.
All four major events took place in Scholar City.
For a while, talk of Scholar City overshadowed even the momentum of the Lingxu Primordial Realm.
Bowe's personal fame and status skyrocketed, reaching unprecedented heights.
Some even claimed—Bowe might just be the strongest demigod.
"Shishu, aren't people going a little overboard with the praise?" In a rest chamber on Crystal Island, Zhao Xing's remnant soul chatted casually with Gu Luohe.
"Not at all," Gu Luohe shook his head. "Bowe solved the True Spirit Heavenly Poison. That means he overcame a rare and deadly affliction. Scholar City isn't like those elite clans with a limited circle."
"Any faction can seek aid from Scholar City—as long as they have the money."
"But Gu Medical Sect is just one person. Whether he heals someone or not depends entirely on his mood. And besides, he's currently a wanted criminal—so that path's as good as closed."
"What matters most is the opening of the Eighth Scholar Law Realm, and Bowe's convening of the Transmission Realm Gathering."
"That right there is truly extraordinary."
Zhao Xing blinked. "There's more to it than meets the eye?"
"Of course. And it's a huge deal!" Gu Luohe said. "Did you know? In the Xuanling Star Domain, the profession of Starry Sky Historian has always operated independently."
"Back in the Five Emperors Era, they were called Historians."
"But full-fledged historians were also scholars. They were bound by universal rules—meaning they couldn't fight. That's why the profession later split into two branches."
"The first—Starry Sky Historians—are free to fight however they want. The second—Historians—still follow the scholarly restrictions."
"The Transmission Realm Tower is a divine artifact from the Five Emperors Era. Bowe's hosting of the Transmission Realm Gathering could very well be an attempt to reunify the two professions."
Zhao Xing suddenly understood. In the Five Emperors Era, Scholar City had its own standing army.
Theoretically, the scholar profession had all kinds of branches: Ritual Scholars, Martial Scholars, Mechanist Scholars, and so on—it included nearly every profession under one roof.
But after the Five Emperors Era, Scholar City's standing forces had been completely disbanded and absorbed by other superpowers.
While scholars could still fight by sacrificing their lives, without a standing force, the city's combat power was considerably weaker. Only the historical professions remained closely tied to Scholar City.
Under the Xuanhuang Realm classification, historical professions fell under Ritual Cultivators, and scholars were the advanced version of ritual cultivators—meaning they naturally included historians too.
"The Five Emperors Era is long gone. The current structure won't change so easily."
"And Bowe is just hosting a gathering, not absorbing members. This is a selfless act for the human race," Gu Luohe said with admiration. "He found the Transmission Realm Tower within the Eighth Law Realm. He could've used it to build a Scholar City military."
"But he didn't. He chose not to use it for his own gain—instead, he's sharing it with the world."
"An act like that? He deserves all the praise he's getting."
Zhao Xing nodded. Just like how many followers of the Heavenly Timing Faction, Earthly Advantage Faction, and Self School saw each other as heretical—someone who could unite various factions under a common cause would gain immeasurable reputation.
But no one could've expected that Bowe would eventually become a notorious figure, a major villain hunted by all.
"Zhou Gong feared rumors day after day, and Wang Mang was still humble before usurping the throne…" Zhao Xing let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
Back in his previous life, when the Scholar Deification Patch was in play, he hadn't been deeply involved. At the time, he thought Bowe was just some major villain.
Now, though, he realized Bowe was far more complicated. You couldn't simply label him good or bad.
"I remember Transmission Realm Tower being a pretty solid instance. But I've been separated from my true body for so long. A lot of memories from my past life are locked up in my true body's Fate Palace. I can't recall them clearly anymore. I really need to meet with my true self soon."
A remnant soul was called that for a reason—it was fragmented and lacking in many aspects. Very inconvenient.
If he had cultivated the Great Void Straw Puppet Technique and completed the Path Severance, then each split soul would have its own intact soul core and memories—no problems at all.
"Transmission Realm Tower… So my treatment site for the second phase is actually inside the Transmission Realm Tower?" In Scholar City, Zhao Xing's true body stared at the treatment list.
"Yeah, of course it's there. Elder Bowe really is something, thinking of using such a method for the second phase of treatment."
"This divine artifact is extraordinary. I didn't think I'd get to see it near the end of the Second Era of the Barren Domain. I thought it wouldn't show up until the Seventh Era."
"Hey, Senior Zuo, where are you taking me?"
Raising his head, Zhao Xing looked at Zuo Qiyu and saw that he was pushing him toward the transmission city within Scholar City.
"Home. A quick trip."
"Why go home?" Zhao Xing frowned. "Isn't that a waste of my treatment time?"
"Looks like you forgot. Not surprising—you really don't remember," Zuo Qiyu replied calmly. He understood now that Zhao Xing's true body had forgotten about his remnant soul.
Since his true body had fallen into slumber first while the remnant remained active, the memories weren't shared between them. Normally, if he hadn't been injured or afflicted by the True Spirit Heavenly Poison, his true body would have synced with his remnant soul quickly, allowing full memory sharing. But now, Zhao Xing's true body could barely speak, so syncing wasn't even possible.
At this point, the return was at the strong insistence of the remnant soul, who had demanded the true body come back first.
Only now was Zhao Xing's condition with the poison officially made public. Countless messages poured in via the Star Mirror, with many friends and acquaintances reaching out to his remnant soul. He gave brief responses to comfort them but declined most visit requests.
Still, one person was an exception.
Ji Si personally arrived at Crystal Island in Jiachen Pass to meet Zhao Xing's remnant soul.
"Ji Si, long time no see. How's cultivation going at the Celestial Master Manor? And how did you know I had a remnant soul stationed here?"
"Scholar Zhao, I'm doing well. The Celestial Master treats me very kindly," Ji Si replied.
"I just completed cultivation in the Cause Realm and Result Realm. As for how I knew you had a remnant here... I can't say."
"Alright. Got it." Zhao Xing glanced at her and didn't press the matter.
He realized that even though they'd only been apart for a few centuries, he could no longer see through Ji Si. Clearly, she'd earned the Celestial Master's deep favor.
"The Cause Realm… sounds familiar. But I can't quite place it." Zhao Xing's remnant soul mulled it over.
"Scholar Zhao, I left seclusion this time for two reasons. One, to check on you. Two, because of the opening of the Transmission Realm Tower," Ji Si said. "For that, I've temporarily set aside cultivation in the 'Fated Realm' and 'Milk Reversal Realm.'"
"Hold on."
In his remnant state, Zhao Xing found these terms both familiar and unfamiliar. He felt like a total outsider. It was an awful feeling. He wanted his true body to return and speak with Ji Si directly.
Ten days later, his true body arrived. The moment he saw his remnant soul, Zhao Xing was shocked—he even scrutinized him suspiciously.
Thankfully, the remnant soul quickly initiated memory sharing.
For the next six months, Zhao Xing focused entirely on slowly merging with his remnant.
At the end of those six months, Zhao Xing was finally whole again. But he only retrieved the memories—he didn't absorb the remnant soul.
Because that remnant was his only remaining combat power. If he absorbed it, he'd fall prey to the limits imposed by the True Spirit Heavenly Poison.
Even so, recovering the memories alone brought great benefits. At the very least, his true body now remembered the incantation section of the "Heart-Sealing Technique." That might help him recover faster.
"I can't tell what Bowe did to me—then again, even if he did something, there's no way I'd be able to see through it."
"The Seven-Colored Mana can help speed up my recovery. That's my hidden ace—I've got to protect it."
"The Transmission Realm Tower... I get it now!"
Six months later, his remnant soul wheeled his true body out again. Zhao Xing met Ji Si once more.
"Scholar Zhao, how do you feel now?" Ji Si asked.
"Ji Si, are you planning to use the Transmission Realm Tower to improve your path as a historian?" Zhao Xing had regained his composure and confidence.
"That's just one of my goals," Ji Si said. "Your second-phase treatment also happens in the Transmission Realm Tower. I'll be escorting you to one of the Transmission Realms."
"Perfect timing. With your help, I'm sure I'll recover even faster," Zhao Xing smiled. "Just one thing—do you know which Transmission Realm it is?"
Ji Si shook her head. "I can't say yet. Fate cannot be revealed."
"Can't tell me the name—but surely you can tell me the era?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Paleozoic Era, Dadian Period," Ji Si said calmly.
"That far back?" Zhao Xing couldn't help but be surprised.
The Transmission Realm Tower was a divine artifact specific to historical professions. It had one near-divine function—connecting to a certain historical era. There was even a chance to bring back treasures from history! But there were many restrictions. Zhao Xing hadn't expected Ji Si's chosen era to be so ancient.