Taking first place meant obtaining the sect's rewards and entry into the Book Collection Pavilion.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect's pavilion contained a vast trove of knowledge from across the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain—martial techniques, cultivation methods, records of strange events, and countless stories. For Liu Wuxie, this was the knowledge he urgently sought.
First place also came with a sixth-grade spiritual pill, martial techniques, permission to train inside the Primordial Pagoda, and personal guidance from an elder of the Primal Origin Realm. Each reward was enough to stir envy in any heart.
Rewards extended all the way down to the top hundred, and the rewards for the top ten were particularly tempting.
The crowd quickly forgot what had happened earlier as their attention shifted to the prize list. When the elders posted the rewards, the martial field erupted in excitement. Even disciples at the higher levels of the Origin Conversion Realm would covet the first prize.
"One sixth-grade spiritual pill, one of the ten supreme arts—the Great Asura Sword, five days of cultivation on the fifth floor of the Primordial Pagoda, one personal session with a Primal Origin Realm elder, and three days in the Book Collection Pavilion..."
Each item left the disciples breathless. Even Mu Heng and Shen Yue exchanged a look, greed flickering in their eyes, especially at the mention of a sixth-grade spiritual pill. A sixth-grade spiritual pill could raise the cultivation of an Origin Conversion Realm expert by one level without fail.
A faint smile curved on Liu Wuxie's lips. Aside from the Great Asura Sword, he intended to claim every reward.
From second place onward, the rewards dropped sharply—only a fifth-grade spiritual pill, three days in the Primordial Pagoda, and guidance from a Primal Origin Realm elder.
This meant only first place truly mattered.
"Big Brother Mu Heng, we must seize first place no matter the cost," Shen Yue said solemnly. With Liu Wuxie stealing the spotlight in the last assessment, they could not afford failure this time.
"Don't worry. First place will be ours," Mu Heng replied, as if it were already within his grasp.
The elders then led the disciples toward the teleportation array. To reach the Avatar Star required a day's travel through it, but with over three thousand participants, they would depart in three batches.
The War Dragon Institute's disciples departed first; two hours later, the Dharma Institute followed. The Heavenly Martial Institute left last.
The pressure of the teleportation array was immense. For Transcendent Realm cultivators, it was barely manageable; for Heaven Profound cultivators, it was crushing.
He Yingwu, refusing to leave with the Dharma Institute, remained by Liu Wuxie's side. When the elders activated the array, everyone circulated their techniques to endure the pressure.
Li Sha sneered inwardly, waiting for Liu Wuxie to embarrass himself under the strain. To his shock, Liu Wuxie remained calm and composed, and even He Yingwu stood steady beside him.
Whispers spread among the disciples. It was inconceivable that someone at the Heaven Profound Realm could endure the array's pressure so easily.
A day later, they stepped out of the teleportation array and onto a verdant planet.
"This is the Avatar Star," Elder Ding announced, sweeping his gaze over the disciples. "You have two hours to rest. After that, you can only rely on yourselves."
The disciples sat down immediately, circulating their arts to replenish the true essence. This year's wilderness training was more dangerous than ever, and complete preparation was vital.
Some were unconcerned. As long as they avoided the strong, the worst outcome was merely a poor ranking.
Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie sat cross-legged, circulating the Desolate Devouring Art. Spiritual energy poured toward him like a tide. By now, the disciples had grown used to this sight—but the elders had not.
"What cultivation technique is that?" one elder murmured in shock.
Aside from Ding Yi, none of the elders were familiar with Liu Wuxie. They only remembered him vaguely from the assessment, when Ding Yi represented the Heavenly Martial Institute.
"Do not belittle him," Ding Yi said with a mysterious smile. He withheld the truth of Liu Wuxie's origins in the Laman Astral Domain.
Far away, on a hidden planet that divinekins ruled, the entire realm erupted in uproar as the Ancestral Tree's trunk awakened.
"Saint Lord! The aura of the Ancestral Tree—it comes from the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain!" The divinekins had traced their origin even across billions of miles.
The Saint Lord's overwhelming aura swept across the planet, forcing all divinekins to their knees in terror. "The Ancestral Tree has reappeared. We must destroy it! Dispatch our elites to the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain—and kill the one connected to it!"
"At once!" Several powerful divinekins rose to obey, summoning armies to descend upon the Indigo Bamboo Star.
On the Indigo Bamboo Star, Duan Li paced anxiously. Five fruitless days had passed with no trace of Liu Wuxie. If he failed again, he would have to expand the search across other planets.
"Elder Duan, good news!" A disciple from the Immortal Slaughter Palace ran breathlessly into the courtyard.
"Speak!" Duan Li snapped. His foul mood grew darker. If he failed to find Liu Wuxie, the palace lord would kill him.
"We've found Liu Wuxie's whereabouts," the disciple said excitedly. They had encountered eliminated participants from the sect assessment, who recognized Liu Wuxie instantly from his portrait.
With Liu Wuxie's performance on the assessment, there weren't many participants who didn't recognize him.
"Where is he?" Duan Li seized the disciple by the collar.
A month had passed since the incident on Anlu Star, and everyone in the Laman Astral Domain already knew about it. He had to capture Liu Wuxie and execute him in public to appease the Immortal Slaughter Palace's fury.
"He has joined the Heavenly Dragon Sect," the disciple said, recounting all he had learned.
"What? He's become a disciple of the Heavenly Dragon Sect?" Duan Li's expression turned grim. The Immortal Slaughter Palace did not fear the Heavenly Dragon Sect, but this was their territory, beyond his influence.
"What should we do, Elder Duan?" the disciple asked nervously. "If he hides inside the sect, won't we lose our chance?"
Even as a Primal Origin Realm expert, Duan Li dared not storm the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
He began pacing, mind racing. He would not let this matter drop. "I'll inform the palace lord. You—bribe their disciples if you can. The moment Liu Wuxie leaves the sect, capture him."
"Understood!" The disciple bowed and hurried off. Trying to bribe the Heavenly Dragon Sect's disciples wouldn't be easy, and the Immortal Slaughter Palace couldn't get involved in this openly. It would be wise for them to work through intermediaries.
When silence returned to the courtyard, Duan Li sneered. "Liu Wuxie, let's see where you can run this time."
He drew out an Astral Domain Communication Talisman and burnt it. A rare treasure refined only by Earth Immortals, each was precious beyond measure.
Back on the Avatar Star, two hours later, Elder Ding and the other elders led the disciples into the wilderness. The War Dragon and Dharma Institutes had already assembled.
All three thousand disciples gathered. The elders began to explain the rules.
"The wilderness training has three stages," an elder of the War Dragon Institute announced. "First is the green zone. We've hidden over ten thousand jade tokens there. When you draw near, the tokens release an aura. The more you collect, the higher your score. Ten of the tokens come with fifth-grade spiritual pills—if you're lucky, you might find them."
The rule was simple: those with more jade tokens earned higher points. Most importantly, ten tokens came with fifth-grade spiritual pills.
Murmurs spread instantly. Fifth-grade spiritual pills carried the laws of the Transcendent Realm. They were treasures worth a fortune, whether consumed or sold.
"The second stage will be in the yellow zone," said an elder of the Dharma Institute. "You must each hunt one astral beast to advance. Fail, and we will eliminate you."
Elimination would start on the second segment, and those who failed to hunt astral beasts wouldn't be able to proceed to the third segment.
"The third stage is the blue zone," Elder Ding concluded. "There, you must search for Wisdom Stones. The more you find, the higher your final score."
The disciples' eyes lit up. Wisdom Stones could expand the soul sea, sharpening intellect. The Avatar Star produced them as its primary resource, and each was highly valuable.
Many disciples revealed excited faces. If they could refine a Wisdom Stone, they could increase their intellect.
The universe contained countless rare substances, such as Cursed Stones, Origin of Evil, and the Three-Lives Stone. The Wisdom Stones weren't the rarest among them. This update is available on noveⅼfire.net
Liu Wuxie's face exhibited no changes. The Wisdom Stone contained a special substance that could expand one's soul sea, thereby increasing brain capacity, hence its name. To those with weaker soul seas, the Wisdom Stones were excellent for developing the soul sea.
His soul sea was already vast and extraordinary compared to most, but refining Wisdom Stones would strengthen it further, allowing him to execute the Ghost Eye with greater ease.