The moment Tian Jue stood after digesting his gains, the stone platform beneath him shuddered. Symbols ignited around the walls, weaving themselves into a door of swirling light. Without hesitation, Tian Jue stepped through—and was immediately thrust into the other half of the trial.
This time, the challenges were not purely physical. The inheritance tested speed, precision, and reaction—the kind of demands that forced Tian Jue to use every ounce of his body's newfound balance between strength, dexterity, and constitution.
Illusory blades rained down from the sky. Lava surged beneath his feet. Wind howled, attempting to push him into oblivion.
But Tian Jue's regeneration and endurance from the first trial gave him the edge. Each time he faltered, his system-driven recovery pushed him to stand firm once more. His movements grew sharper, his steps lighter, his punches heavier.
At the climax, he found himself standing atop a vast battlefield illusion, surrounded by thousands of cultivator phantoms. They charged with weapons raised. Tian Jue clenched his fists, his lips curling in a grim smile.
"So this is how you want to test me? Then I'll break through!"
The battle raged like a storm, yet within moments Tian Jue's aura expanded. His strikes shattered phantoms. His body refused to yield. And when the last echo faded, Tian Jue stood tall, his chest heaving but his eyes sharp with unshaken will.
As the illusion dissolved, a stream of insights poured into his mind. Fragments of knowledge—maps, directions, riddles—hinted that the inheritance ground was not unique. Across the continent, other sites like this existed, seeded long ago by an ancient power. Each was tuned for cultivators searching for ancient knowledge, a way to temper the foundation of countless geniuses before they touched immortality.
Then, the presence finally spoke again. Its voice was heavier, laced with memory and warning:
"Tian Jue… and Huan Tao. Your talents surpass the current cultivation world. But compared to the ancients, you are but seedlings. Do not let arrogance erode your Martial Dao Heart. Many paths will tempt you—shortcuts that promise quick power. Walk them, and your cultivation will be severed before it reaches the peak."
The presence paused, a sigh echoing through the empty air.
"Keep your Dao Heart strong. Only then will your steps carve beyond the Jiuyuan Realm and into the heights where true immortals dwell."
The trial's light receded, leaving Tian Jue on a calm platform once again. The weight of those words lingered heavier than the fatigue of battle.
As the presence's voice faded, the trial platform rumbled once more. From the cracks in the stone, several objects rose, suspended in streams of golden light.
First came three chunks of ore—each radiating an aura so dense that Tian Jue's spirit trembled.
Star-Tempered Iron – black, dense, veined with silver streaks. The kind of ore that could withstand divine lightning. Ideal for reforging a weapon's foundation.
Molten Heart Copper – crimson, faintly warm to the touch, pulsing like a heartbeat. Its affinity leaned toward fire and vitality, a material that could harmonize with body-refining cultivators.
Voidstone Fragment – shimmering with a faint ripple of nothingness, able to reduce weight and increase speed when forged into a weapon.
The ores drifted toward him, fusing into his storage ring. His hammer's phantom silhouette trembled in anticipation, as though it recognized its future evolution.
Next, a jade slip descended. The moment it touched his palm, knowledge surged into Tian Jue's mind.
[Bridge of the Mortal Vessel: Fragmented Inheritance]
A cultivation method designed to weave together physique refinement and qi circulation. Though incomplete, it allows the body to serve as a true vessel of qi, strengthening meridians and stabilizing breakthroughs. The slip contained only the first three layers—the true core of the art was elsewhere, scattered across the continent.
As Tian Jue's breathing steadied, the presence gave its last words.
"These gifts are fragments. Use them to temper your path, but do not mistake them for the whole truth. Seek the rest across the land, or your bridge will collapse halfway."
The inheritance chamber dimmed. Slowly, the trial's space began to dissolve into mist, pulling Tian Jue back toward the mortal mountain valley.
In his mind, two realizations settled deeply.
His hammer could now be reborn, step by step, into a weapon that rivaled even the divine tools of the ancient era, and his cultivation was no longer confined to either pure physique or pure qi—he now held the key to fusing both. But the path was far from complete.
When Tian Jue opened his eyes back in the valley, the sunlight felt sharper, the world heavier, yet his will burned brighter.
The mist receded, and Tian Jue's steps met the rough soil of the forest once more. A faint aura pulsed ahead—Huan Tao's. She emerged from between the trees, her hair slightly disheveled from the intensity of her own trial, but her aura steadier, sharper. When their eyes met, both instinctively nodded. Words weren't necessary; the glow of newfound strength was plain to see.
They set off toward the cave where Xu Lin was resting. The canopy above had thinned, golden threads of sunlight cutting through the forest floor, but the path was long enough for silence to weigh heavy between them.
Halfway through, Tian Jue finally spoke, his voice calm yet tinged with curiosity.
"Huan Tao, that inheritance ground… it wasn't something ordinary, right? Do you know who created it?"
Huan Tao glanced at him, her eyes reflecting a moment of hesitation before softening into explanation.
"It's not a secret, at least not for those who studied history. The site was the work of the Bone Emperor—a figure from three thousand years ago. In that era, body cultivation wasn't rare like today. It was flourishing, perhaps even surpassing qi cultivation in prestige. And at the forefront of that movement… was him."
Tian Jue frowned. "Bone Emperor?"
Her tone carried a trace of respect.
"Yes. They called him that because of his unmatched mastery over marrow and bones. While most body cultivators merely tempered flesh and muscle, he delved into the structure that held the body together—the skeleton itself. They said his bones shone like jade, indestructible under heaven. Some claimed he could take the strike of a Core Formation expert barehanded and laugh it off."
A spark of interest lit Tian Jue's eyes. His hand instinctively touched the storage ring where the ores rested. "And he led that entire era?"
Huan Tao nodded firmly.
"He wasn't the only one, but he was the loudest voice, the banner that others rallied under. Many of the greatest physique techniques that survive today trace their lineage back to him, even if fragmented. But…" She exhaled softly. "For all his brilliance, he vanished without a trace. Some say he died in a war, others that he tried to ascend and failed. Whatever the truth, his legacy scattered across the continent. That trial ground we walked through—it's one of the crumbs he left behind."
Tian Jue fell silent, mulling over her words. In his chest, a quiet fire stirred. To think that three millennia ago, physique cultivators had ruled an era, and now he had brushed against one of their greatest legacies.
He clenched his fists slightly, feeling the density of his bones, the steady rhythm of blood flowing through muscle and marrow. So, the Bone Emperor…
The trees parted ahead, the cave's shadow already in sight. Xu Lin's faint qi could be sensed within. But Tian Jue's mind lingered on something else—the feeling that his path was now faintly tethered to that long-dead sovereign of the body.
Inside the cave, the air was thick with the faint fragrance of calming incense Tian Jue had set earlier. The dim firelight flickered against the walls, casting long shadows. Xu Lin lay propped against the stone bed, his chest rising and falling more steadily than before. His complexion, once pale as paper, now held faint traces of vitality, though his lips were still cracked.
As Tian Jue and Huan Tao stepped inside, Xu Lin's eyelids fluttered open. His gaze, hazy at first, sharpened when he saw the two figures. A shaky smile tugged at his lips.
"You're back… I thought…" His voice cracked with dryness. "I thought I wouldn't last to see the sunrise again."
Tian Jue walked closer, his usually steady face softening. "Your vitality is strong. Even grievous wounds couldn't rob you of your foundation. That's why I knew you would wake sooner or later."
Xu Lin chuckled faintly, though it turned into a cough. "Hah… leave it to you to say that so casually. When I was staring at the darkness earlier, I thought my cultivation would regress, maybe even shatter completely. But now—" He raised his hand, trembling, yet still able to draw in a sliver of qi. "—it feels like I haven't lost much at all."
Huan Tao's expression, usually lively, held a rare seriousness. She folded her arms and huffed. "Don't make it sound like you walked through hell and back alone. If Tian Jue hadn't acted so quickly, you'd have been a corpse feeding those demonic beasts."
Xu Lin turned his eyes to Tian Jue, a spark of genuine gratitude flickering within them. "I owe you a debt… one I can't easily repay. I'll remember this, Tian Jue."
Tian Jue shook his head, his tone steady but with an edge of warmth. "There's no need for debts among comrades who've shed blood together. Just live. That's enough."
The silence that followed was strangely comforting, broken only by the crackle of the fire. Yet Xu Lin's expression soon grew thoughtful.
"You both… went deeper, didn't you? That aura clinging to your bodies—it's not the same as when you left. Something in the forest changed you."
Huan Tao's lips curved into a small, almost smug smile. "Sharp eyes for someone who just crawled back from death. Yes, we entered the inheritance ground."
Xu Lin froze, shock clear in his widening eyes. "Inheritance ground?!" His voice rose despite his weakened state. "No wonder… no wonder the demonic beasts were so ferocious there. That explains the formations I sensed!"
Tian Jue watched him carefully, then spoke, his words calm and measured. "We gained much, but what we found there isn't something to speak of lightly. For now, what matters is that you recover your strength. The outer border isn't safe anymore."
Xu Lin swallowed his questions, nodding reluctantly. He understood—there were secrets one couldn't force from others. Still, his heart burned with curiosity and the faint sting of being left behind.
But as he glanced between Tian Jue's composed expression and Huan Tao's faintly sharp aura, he thought. These two… they aren't ordinary outer disciples anymore.