While the eyes of the entire cultivation world were fixed on Beiluo City,

  Beyond Dongyang Prefecture, in the boundless Vast Sea,

  On a solitary island,

  Before a thatched hut, a withered figure sat motionless. His vitality seemed on the verge of extinction, so faint it could vanish at any moment—like an ancient man whose lifespan had run dry.

  Yet within that frail body surged a terrifying power brimming with boundless life.

  This was where Du Longyang had entered death seclusion.

  For over half a year, he had sat here unmoving.

  In truth, he had been a hair’s breadth from breakthrough the entire time.

  But that single hair’s breadth had cost him countless attempts and endless effort.

  Time after time, he failed.

  Still, he never gave up.

  His Fifth-Grade Sequence Dao Intent—“Valiant Spear Intent”—swirled around him, born after conquering his inner demons. It wasn’t the strongest, but Du Longyang was proud of it.

  Once the “world’s number one spear” who lacked confidence,

  Now he believed utterly in the spear he wielded.

  Rumble…

  The sky changed.

  Thick clouds rolled in. The sea’s weather turned like a woman’s mood—sunny one moment, thunderous the next.

  Lightning cracked across the heavens, thunder echoing for thousands of li.

  Rain poured down, draping the island in a hazy veil.

  Cold droplets hammered Du Longyang’s body.

  He did not move.

  He had endured this countless times.

  His mind sank inward, again and again assaulting the barrier.

  In his heart, a flower bud waited to bloom.

  He would make it blossom in all its glory.

  Suddenly,

  His closed eyes snapped open.

  A Go game surfaced in his mind—the game he had played against Young Lord Lu before entering seclusion.

  That single game had given him endless enlightenment.

  His consciousness seemed to leave his body.

  He saw an immortal island rising from the Vast Sea, shrouded in dense immortal qi.

  Heart trembling, Du Longyang stood uncontrollably.

  In the storm, amid roaring thunder, he walked step by step toward that immortal island, black spear gripped tight—the source of his courage.

  The thunder gradually faded.

  At last, he stepped onto the island.

  All sound of thunder vanished as if erased.

  Birdsong and swaying grass filled the air. Lush green blades danced, releasing fresh fragrance.

  The scent of earth thrummed with vitality.

  A world bursting with life.

  Du Longyang inhaled deeply, feeling body and soul both transforming.

  He looked back—the Vast Sea was gone, replaced by endless gray mist.

  No way back?

  Then onward up the mountain!

  Spear in hand, he climbed with carefree strides.

  “Spiritual mountains abound in beauty; empty waters and mists entwine.”

  Halfway up, his steps faltered.

  An ancient pine twisted along the slope—needles dense, branches like coiling dragons, full of vigor.

  But the tree was not what stopped him.

  Beneath the pine sat a stone table and benches.

  And on those benches—two figures!

  One in flowing white robes, a handsome young man.

  Opposite him, a black-robed figure wreathed in oppressive demonic qi.

  A Go board was carved into the stone table.

  The white-robed youth and the demonic black figure were locked in fierce play.

  Du Longyang approached, curiosity burning.

  He tried to see their faces, but both were blurred, impossible to discern.

  So he looked at the board instead.

  One glance, and his mind was sucked in.

  The white-robed youth placed stones gently—like a refined, jade-like gentleman.

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  The black-robed player was vicious and domineering, every move carrying destructive force, as if trying to tear the white dragon apart.

  White built a massive dragon; black drew sword and slaughtered it without hesitation.

  Du Longyang forgot to breathe.

  Each clack of stone on stone felt like watching two supreme experts trade earth-shattering blows.

  BOOM!

  Just as the game neared its end,

  The white-robed youth chuckled lightly and vanished.

  The black figure dissolved into demonic qi and soared into the clouds.

  Pine needles drifted down, settling on the board—leaving only a broken endgame behind.

  Wind whispered through the branches.

  Du Longyang jolted awake, gasping.

  He was drenched in cold sweat.

  Only then did he notice—his beard had grown long and ragged, reaching his chest.

  The black spear in his hand was covered in rust spots, as if centuries had passed.

  “This…”

  One moment of watching the game had felt like a thousand years!

  Suddenly,

  An immense pulling force seized him.

  His mind felt ready to explode.

  The immortal island vanished.

  Bearded and soaked, Du Longyang collapsed unconscious.

  When he opened his eyes again,

  He was back before the thatched hut, rain still pounding down.

  He stood slowly, robes plastered to his skin.

  In the distance, the giant whale’s tail flicked, stirring waves as it carried the misty immortal island away and disappeared…

  Something shattered within Du Longyang’s mind.

  The mutated Nascent Soul within him unleashed boundless energy.

  That energy condensed into lotus petals.

  Wave after wave of Valiant Spear Intent hammered the petals.

  The Dao Lotus bloomed.

  A Yin Spirit was born.

  Du Longyang stood before the hut, heart calm as still water.

  ---

  Two white trails sliced across the Vast Sea.

  Prince Tianxu and Ye Shoudao sped through the air.

  An island soon appeared before them.

  Moments ago, they had sensed a colossal shift in aura.

  Rushing over, they exchanged a stunned glance in the storm.

  “Du Longyang is breaking through.”

  Ye Shoudao’s empty sleeve flapped in the wind.

  “First of the Three Divine Realms… Yin Spirit Realm!”

  Prince Tianxu clicked his tongue, envy flashing across his face.

  Sure enough,

  Before they could draw close, a terrifying presence swept outward.

  The rain was forced back.

  With the island at its center, the sea itself was pressed down—revealing a radiant lotus blooming in the void!

  “It appeared! The Dao Lotus Young Lord Lu spoke of!”

  “The Yin Spirit Dao Lotus!”

  Ye Shoudao sighed in awe.

  Du Longyang… had succeeded.

  ---

  Origin Lake, Heart Island.

  Lu Ping’an leaned back in his Thousand-Bladed Chair, eyes half-closed, fingers tapping the armrest.

  “Yin Spirit Dao Lotus, Nine Steps of Yang Spirit…”

  “The first Three Divine Realm cultivator has finally emerged.”

  But his brows soon furrowed.

  “I thought Infant Transformation was the limit of Mid Martial… apparently not.”

  “Du Longyang broke through to Yin Spirit without triggering heaven’s shackles. Infant Transformation is not the ceiling after all…”

  He closed his eyes.

  The system panel appeared in his mind.

  Host: Lu Ping’an

  Title: Qi Refiner (Permanent)

  Qi Refinement Layer: 5 (Progress: 358,045 / 1,000,000 wisps)

  Seeing the sudden jump of 100,000 wisps, Lu Ping’an’s heart skipped.

  One Yin Spirit cultivator granted him 100,000 wisps—a pleasant surprise.

  But creating even one was insanely difficult.

  Du Longyang had only succeeded thanks to extraordinary luck and that final push from the immortal island endgame.

  The Empress, Prince Tianxu—they had touched the threshold, but without ten or twenty years, they had no hope.

  Ye Shoudao might be faster, but still nowhere near Du Longyang’s speed.

  This was already Lu Ping’an secretly opening a back door for him.

  “To reach Layer 6, I need at least ten Yin Spirit cultivators…”

  That would take time.

  In the short term, finding ten people capable of stepping into the Three Divine Realms was impossible.

  Lu Ping’an opened his eyes and sighed.

  It sounded simple, but execution was brutal.

  “As expected… I still have to count on those big fish lured by the Buddha seed bait.”

  He looked up.

  Suddenly, faint lines flickered in his eyes.

  His gaze pierced endless clouds, seeing beyond the world.

  A continent of unimaginable size collapsed the void as it drifted closer, radiating oppressive might.

  Atop that continent,

  A white-robed monk floated in the air,

  Gazing serenely at a faintly glowing land in the distant void—Wuhuang.

  ---

  Beiluo City,

  Focus of the entire cultivation world.

  Great Xuan Academy students entered the field.

  Western Liang Xiang Family troops arrived at the same moment.

  The anticipated clash at the gates never happened.

  Overlord remained cold and silent.

  Dantai Xuan smiled and exchanged a few words with him.

  Both sides entered the city peacefully.

  Lu Changkong was absent; Beiluo was currently governed by the father-son duo Luo Yue and Luo Cheng.

  They led everyone to the martial training grounds without fear.

  Ni Yu, representing the Young Master, tried her best to act mature and solemn.

  If she weren’t wearing a big black wok on her back, she might have pulled it off.

  Little Yinglong yawned lazily atop her head.

  The Empress watched from the sidelines, smiling warmly at Ni Yu’s performance.

  “Let both sides take the field.”

  Ni Yu announced with a chubby, serious face.

  Ordinary cultivators felt the weight of White Jade Capital’s name and nodded respectfully.

  But those who knew her—Nie Changqing, Nie Shuang, and others—couldn’t help smirking.

  This girl… really putting on airs now.

  Outside the grounds, figures from every major family and sect gathered.

  Even Tang Xiansheng had hurried from the Southern Prefecture, protected by Southern Prefecture troops, watching from afar.

  Overlord sat with several hundred Xiang Family iron riders in the west, murderous aura thick enough to darken the sky.

  Dantai Xuan sat in the north with the rest of the Academy students and Xuanwu Guards, equally solemn.

  Mo Beike, Xie Yunling, Lü Dongxuan, and other Hundred Schools representatives gathered together, chatting and laughing.

  The Dragon Blood Army maintained order.

  After all, Beiluo was where White Jade Capital had risen.

  No one—Tianyuan or Wuhuang—dared cause trouble here.

  Ni Yu surveyed the crowd with practiced gravitas and nodded like a veteran.

  “By the Young Master’s command, I oversee this wager between Great Xuan Academy and the Xiang Family army.”

  “The victor shall receive the Young Master’s reward.”

  As she spoke, three purple spirit crystals appeared in her hand, blazing with dazzling light.

  The moment they emerged, everyone’s breathing turned ragged.

  “Purple spirit crystals… only obtainable from the Third Prison Gate!”

  “Each one can yield priceless treasures!”

  “And these are personally given by Young Lord Lu—they’re guaranteed to produce something extraordinary!”

  The crowd went mad.

  No one expected such rewards.

  Young Lord Lu’s crystals might even contain Dao Stele comprehension chances!

  Back then, Mo Tianyu had drawn a Fourth-Grade Sequence Dao Intent from one!

  Both Overlord and Dantai Xuan froze, then locked eyes, sparks flying.

  Purple spirit crystals… the ultimate prize.

  The air between them crackled with competitive fire.

  Ni Yu was very satisfied—see? That’s the Young Master’s prestige.

  She put the crystals away and took out a small brocade pouch.

  “Within this pouch are the rules set by the Young Master himself.”

  The atmosphere, already feverish from the crystals, instantly stilled.

  Overlord and Dantai Xuan both frowned.

  Mo Beike’s heavy eyelids twitched—he knew there would be rules.

  Jiang Li leaned forward to listen carefully.

  Ni Yu opened the pouch.

  BOOM!

  A mighty aura shot skyward, exploding into glowing characters that formed the rules for all to see.

  “This contest shall consist of three rounds. Best of three wins.”

  “First round: Individual battles. Each side sends three champions. One-on-one. First to two victories wins the round.”

  “Second round: Team battle. Full group clash. One match decides the winner.”

  “Third round: Kill count battle.”

  “Win two out of three rounds to claim overall victory.”

  The characters hung in the air for a long time before slowly fading.

  The rules stunned everyone.

  Overlord’s brow arched.

  These rules… blatantly favored the Xiang Family army?

  “Didn’t Young Lord Lu favor the Academy? Why set rules that clearly benefit the army?”

  “The Academy is doomed. Those students have never tasted true bloodshed. How can they compare to battle-hardened soldiers?”

  “This is unfair! The rules completely favor Xiang Family!”

  “Shh! You want to die? Questioning Young Lord Lu’s fairness?”

  The crowd erupted.

  Dantai Xuan’s heart sank to rock bottom.

  On the Xiang Family side, Xu Chu laughed—loud and triumphant.

  These rules were made for them!

  When it came to war, who could stand against the Xiang Family army?!

  Victory was already decided!

  Even Overlord’s tension eased.

  Did Young Lord Lu truly believe his soldiers would lose to a bunch of soft Academy brats in combat?

  Best of three?

  They might not even need the third round.