Chapter 251: The Shennong Hall in the Great Dream Academy

Entering the first layer, the surrounding mist dispersed, revealing a hundred-meter-high mountain peak.

A tall figure stood atop the peak; when Zhao Xing entered, her gaze turned toward him.

"I am the Golden Spirit Heavenly Maiden."

A cold female voice appeared in Zhao Xing's ear.

Hmm? Are Heavenly Maidens a series?

Zhao Xing had not cleared this trial; after all, this was the Great Dream Academy, not the 'Cloud Dream Academy' he knew.

However, recalling what the mechanical beast Xie Zhi had said—that all were highest rewards—it seemed each layer offered more than one reward.

Zhao Xing carefully examined the puppet mechanism named 'Golden Spirit'.

She wore dazzling, brilliant silver armor; the silver light shimmered, and intricate patterns on the armor flowed with mysterious power.

Her hair was purple, and she wore a cloak.

She held a twelve-foot spear; the shaft was entirely silver-white, the spearhead flashing with cold light, radiating a killing intent that chilled the bone.

Her features were exquisite, yet her temperament was extremely sharp.

"The aesthetics are truly not bad; this puppet mechanism is quite good-looking..." Zhao Xing thought.

Puppeteers rarely cared about aesthetics; humanoid puppets were rare.

Most were massive beast-type puppets; puppeteers universally adhered to one principle: big is beautiful, many is good!

Except for a few departments, such as assassination, which made them small.

As for humanoid puppet mechanisms, even if they existed, they did not pursue aesthetics.

Zhao Xing had seen lists selling puppet mechanisms in the Soldier Realm; humanoid puppets mostly shared one image: bald men.

Why no bald women?

Zhao Xing had raised this question while chatting with the puppeteer Gao Ming.

Gao Ming's answer was: "Because enlarging the chest would hinder the puppet's flight speed."

Zhao Xing then joked: "Could it be they are all modeled after male puppeteers?"

In short, female images resembling real humans rarely appeared in puppeteers' production lists.

While Zhao Xing observed, the puppet 'Golden Spirit' continued: "The first layer has seven Heavenly Maidens like me, plus one Sun-Blaze Heavenly Maiden."

"Our requirement to pass is only one: in a duel, knock us off the mountain peak, disarm us, or cause damage to our mechanical bodies."

"Defeating any one of the seven Heavenly Maidens allows you to ascend to the second layer."

Zhao Xing nodded; when the guardian Xie Zhi spoke, it referred to the highest rewards.

To become a candidate for Grand Minister of Works, one must clear the path via the highest rewards.

But if not aiming for candidacy, there are other, lower reward tiers.

Golden Spirit continued introducing the rules: "My mechanical body is forged from sixth-rank lower-grade materials."

"It possesses a sixth-rank lower-grade War Soul."

"If you are ready, come up the mountain peak."

Zhao Xing pondered the several key indicators she mentioned.

"A sixth-rank lower-grade puppet mechanism corresponds to the combat power of a Fourth Rank Yuan Soul realm."

"That is to say, this puppet mechanism has at least one, or multiple, indicators reaching the early stage of Fourth Rank."

"Defense must have reached it."

"The secret patterns on her body flow with the Dao of Geng Metal; using a spear proves she has been trained in at least one high-grade Wu Ji; if it exceeds seven transformations, it proves attack has also reached it."

The attack standard for the Fourth Rank realm is generally a high-grade technique at seven transformations, or a high-grade Wu Ji at seven transformations.

The Third Rank realm masters 'Top-tier Techniques' and 'Top-tier Wu Ji'. The realm of their Dao is also higher.

For instance, the 'Dream Walking' level in Great Dream Spring and Autumn is a 'Top-tier Technique', capable of killing people in dreams.

Or Ten Thousand Methods Straw Men, reaching the level of splitting into ten thousand bodies, also belong to 'Top-tier Techniques'.

Yang An's sword strike that severed the Sky Witch also entered the top-tier level.

From Third Rank to First Rank, the Dao, techniques, and methods all advance along the path of top-tier.

Some powerful ones, like Liu Tianning at his peak, could split into a million bodies; the Straw Man Method had already reached the ultimate level.

Of course, he only achieved 'ultimate' in that one aspect; one could only say his 'Method' reached Super Rank.

A comprehensive Super Rank realm requires not only methods (Wu Ji), but also flesh, fate soul, and Dao to all surpass comprehensively.

In the middle three ranks, their methods and techniques are still exploring the high-grade level.

If the levels of technique and method are the same, the difference between Fifth Rank and Fourth Rank lies only in the fate soul, the seven corporeal souls, and the Dao. (Each profession's cultivation manual and secret canon, such as the Minister of Agriculture having the Dao of Heavenly Timing, the Dao of Earthly Advantage, the Dao of Self; warriors having the Dao of Sword Cultivation, the Dao of Blade Cultivation, etc.)

"She possesses the 'War Soul' typical of sixth-rank lower-grade, proving she has sixth-rank 'combat instincts', undergoing countless combat trainings before 'factory exit'." Zhao Xing thought inwardly.

A mechanical War Soul cannot be considered true 'intelligence', as they lack the seven emotions and six desires, nor the ability for independent thought.

But the 'War Soul' is the embodiment of wisdom from one puppeteer, or even many puppeteers.

A sixth-rank combat puppet, upon creation, must undergo long training to possess a 'War Soul'.

The process often takes ten years, or even decades.

The level of the War Soul is the value of a puppet mechanism; without a War Soul, a puppet mechanism is merely an empty shell, unable to move, destined to be dismantled for money or have its War Soul re-cultivated.

In true combat, battle experience is crucial; the combination of various techniques and the mastery of timing are often what lead the experienced to victory.

"On paper, I am crushing this puppet mechanism; I don't even need to look at the environment." Zhao Xing glanced at the arena on the mountain peak.

There was a circular platform on the peak, roughly the size of a football field.

Golden Spirit was clearly a close-combat puppet, treatable as a close-combat warrior.

In such a small area, Zhao Xing was clearly at a disadvantage.

Because in arena sparring, if escape is not a concern, the greater the distance, the more advantageous for a Mage; the closer the distance, the more advantageous for a warrior.

With sufficient distance and deployment time, fifth-rank spellcasters such as Sorcerers, Agronomists, and Priests can very likely kill a fourth-rank opponent, provided their techniques are not vastly inferior.

Conversely, at close range, a fifth-rank martial artist also has a high probability of killing a fourth-rank spellcaster.

Just as now, after Zhao Xing entered the dome atop Shanfeng, he immediately cast 'Divine Step Guard'.

"Voom~" The Octagonal Underground Palace sank into the earth.

The Heavenly Maiden Guard 'Jin Ling' immediately rushed over.

She stomped hard, causing the ground to tremble, while simultaneously thrusting her long spear diagonally into the ground.

Both the spear tip and the ground beneath her feet emitted waves of earthy-yellow light.

Both moves were attempts to interrupt Zhao Xing's escape technique.

Indeed, the earth veins were disturbed to a certain degree.

However, Zhao Xing's Divine Step Guard had long since reached the peak of the high tier, directly ignoring such disturbances, and he continued to vanish rapidly from the surface.

The Heavenly Maiden could only stand in place, staring helplessly.

"Boundless Domain!"

After Zhao Xing sank underground, he calmly activated the Underground Palace Art.

"Boom~"

The entire ground collapsed fifteen meters down, as if flattened and crushed by a massive force.

The Heavenly Maiden Guard Jin Ling's long spear, which she was leaning on, bent!

Her steps also became extremely heavy.

Moving became extremely difficult.

"Voom~"

A mist rose from beneath the ground.

Mist Concealment activated!

Zhao Xing appeared silently on the other side; now he and the Heavenly Maiden maintained the same initial distance, only their positions had swapped.

And once he emerged, the Heavenly Timing Art could also be cast.

"Cloud-Swallowing Domain!"

"Boom-Crack!"

A bolt of heavenly thunder struck toward the Heavenly Maiden Guard.

She struggled to dodge, but under the dual buffs of the Cloud-Swallowing Domain and the Underground Palace Domain, her body became incredibly clumsy.

She could only take hits passively, unable to dodge at all.

"Zzzzz~"

Thunder was dense, and sparks erupted across her body.

Just after this single thunderbolt, a hollow voice echoed from the sky.

"Passed!"

Voom~

A mighty force dispelled all spells.

Zhao Xing looked ahead and saw that the Heavenly Maiden Jin Ling's long spear had been knocked from her hand.

At this moment, the phantom of the mechanical beast Xie Zhi stepped out from the surrounding mist: "Zhao Xing, you have defeated Jin Ling. You may now choose to immediately claim your reward and proceed to the second layer, or continue forward to obtain the highest reward of the first layer."

"Guardian, I choose to continue forward," Zhao Xing said, clasping his hands in a bow.

The fact that he could defeat this mechanical puppet did not mean the Heavenly Maiden Guards were weak.

Excluding the nine strongest Myriad-Method Phantoms, the Heavenly Maidens were at least stronger than his other Myriad-Method Phantoms.

At the very least, they could be sold for a good price.

Coming here was to go shopping; how could Zhao Xing give up?

"Very well, she will not follow you through the trial. Return after you complete the trial to claim your reward."

"Yes."

Zhao Xing flew toward the second Shanfeng, guided by the Thunder of Yang.

…………

"My name is Huo Ling."

"My mechanical body is forged from sixth-rank medium-grade materials."

"It possesses a sixth-rank medium-grade War Soul."

"If you are ready, come up the Shanfeng."

The second Heavenly Maiden Guard wore a deep red spell robe, and even her hair was red; she held a ruby staff in her hand.

At a glance, Zhao Xing knew this puppet was built according to the template of a Fire Sorcerer.

He flew up this even higher Shanfeng.

As before, Zhao Xing once again sank underground and activated the Boundless Underground Palace Art.

First, weaken the opponent's mobility.

However, there was some difference from Jin Ling, who was a martial artist template; when he surfaced again, the entire dome arena was wreathed in flames.

The Huo Ling puppet was seen standing at the very center of the arena, spewing Xiong Xiong (blazing) flames from her staff that filled the entire arena.

Yet the Underground Palace Art similarly suppressed the height of the flames.

Initially, the sea of fire stood fifty meters high, but after the power of the Underground Palace Art erupted, it was reduced to merely three meters.

"I don't even need to extinguish the fire," Zhao Xing smiled slightly, pointed his finger, and the Thunder-Piercing Falsehood Finger left a charred mark on Huo Ling.

Although it was quickly repaired, a mark had indeed been left.

"Passed the trial~"

The figure of the Xie Zhi appeared once more. Looking at Zhao Xing, its bell-like eyes shimmered with approval: "It's been a few years; your strength has improved greatly. Even the Heavenly Fire couldn't stop you."

During the fourth trial, Zhao Xing had been stuck at the Fire trial among Earth, Fire, Wind, and Thunder.

But now, this fire could not harm Zhao Xing at all.

"My name is Shui Ling..."

The third mountain: Shui Ling Heavenly Maiden.

She was of the same level and wore the same attire as the Huo Ling before her; only the Dao inscribed within her body differed, and her demeanor appeared gentler.

Zhao Xing repeated his old trick, immediately burrowing underground.

However, this time, Shui Ling's spells affected Zhao Xing, who had already drilled into the earth.

Water seeped into the ground, eroding the earth veins, while layer upon layer of ice compressed the range of Zhao Xing's earth-burrowing.

Even the establishment of the Boundless Earth Palace became much slower.

"Water meets earth to drown it, but at this moment, her Water-element spells created a blocking effect."

"My Earth Palace Art has been weakened by thirty percent," Zhao Xing thought silently. "This Ice-Sealing Art must have reached the High-Grade Eighth-Transformation level."

Zhao Xing also knew the High-Grade Ice-Sealing Art; back when he consumed Lingxiu in the Eternal Night Sea, he had comprehended the High-Grade Cloud-Swallowing Domain, Earth Palace Domain, Ice-Sealing, and Heavenly Fire.

The earth veins seemed frozen stiff, and the speed of the Octagonal Earth Cage slowed.

Additionally, because the frozen soil isolated a thick layer, the constriction power of the Boundless Earth Palace was only seventy percent.

Yet, when Zhao Xing surfaced, he still ended the battle quickly.

Even at seventy percent power, it greatly weakened the opponent's mobility.

Afterwards, Zhao Xing unleashed the High-Grade Perfection Water-Drop Domain. Fighting water with water, since Shui Ling had cast Water-element spells, this actually provided a spell bonus for Zhao Xing.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!" Layers of ice walls appeared around Shui Ling. Petal marks adorned the ice walls, containing the mysteries of the Water Dao, blocking the water-drop assault.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang... Crack!"

By the nineteenth raindrop, the ice wall was pierced through.

After breaking the defense, a continuous stream of raindrops completely submerged her, blasting her away and smashing her to the foot of the mountain.

The fourth peak was the Mu Ling Puppet.

Its defense was at the Sixth-Grade Mid-Tier level, possessing four High-Grade Seventh-Transformation spells.

They were Thorn Cage, Mu Ling Clone, Green Yuan Barrier, and Yuan Energy Extraction.

The Mu Ling Puppet's body possessed extreme extensibility; it seemed like a tree, taking root in the ground, and similarly caused trouble for Zhao Xing after he burrowed underground.

Its roots wove cages filled with thorns both underground and above ground, attempting to trap Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing's Earth Palace Art seemed to have no effect on it, because the Mu Ling Puppet had no intention of moving.

It was only learned afterwards that the Earth Palace Art had nullified its Mu Ling Clone, a high-level secret technique.

The Green Yuan Shield and Life Drain were offense and defense respectively; the latter was a Wood-element spell domain capable of draining Yuan Energy.

The Green Yuan Barrier formed a protective shield covering an extremely wide area.

However, for Zhao Xing, this was merely a matter of casting one more spell. The High-Grade Perfection Heavenly Fire Fiend destroyed the Green Yuan Barrier, broke through the Mu Ling's spell defense, and left a wound on its main body.

The fifth trial: the Earth Ling Heavenly Maiden Guard.

Fortune turns; this time, as soon as Zhao Xing went up, the opponent drilled into the ground.

"I haven't even burrowed yet, and you've gone underground first."

Zhao Xing smiled slightly; he did not burrow down to play hide-and-seek with the Tu Ling Heavenly Maiden.

Referencing Shui Ling Heavenly Maiden's tactic, he cast the Ice-Sealing Art.

"Water comes!"

Zhao Xing supported the clouds, and a great river poured down from the cloud layer, like a silver galaxy waterfall.

The water eroded the ground, and Zhao Xing switched to casting the High-Grade Perfection Ice-Sealing spell.

"Voom~"

Zhao Xing felt his body grow heavy.

The Tu Ling Heavenly Maiden began casting Earth-element spells underground; this effect was very similar to the Earth Palace Art.

Only the range controlled by the Tu Ling Heavenly Maiden was not that large, and it was stronger in binding individuals, whereas the Boundless Earth Palace had a larger range with uniform constriction power.

"Pfft~" "Pfft~" "Pfft~"

Earth spikes broke through the soil one by one, but they only emerged ten meters away from Zhao Xing.

Because the ground beneath Zhao Xing's feet had all turned to frozen soil, which she could not break through.

The Ice-Sealing spell isolated a layer; while eroding the Earth-element domain, it also formed a safe zone for himself.

The High-Grade Perfection Ice-Sealing spell, facing the High-Grade Eighth-Transformation Earth-element domain, eroded very quickly.

After a quarter of an hour, the Tu Ling Heavenly Maiden was forced into a corner; she could only stay within a five-meter square rock layer, barely resisting.

Sensing her situation, Zhao Xing immediately cast the Divine Step Protection and burrowed down.

"Boom!"

The Octagonal Earth Palace instantly knocked her out of the range of the round dome arena.

"Lei Ling Heavenly Maiden, right? Fine, I know. You don't need to repeat the rules."

Zhao Xing flew to the sixth peak and cast spells directly.

The Lei Ling Heavenly Maiden only knew Thunder spells; her combat domain was in the air. Zhao Xing used only the Heavenly Fire Art to force the Lei Ling Heavenly Maiden out of the arena.

The seventh peak: the Feng Ling Heavenly Maiden.

She excels in wind techniques and moves with extreme speed, but Zhao Xing's Nine Heavens Gale is even faster.

In just three exchanges, he subdued her.

Thus, on this first floor, only the highest reward remained, along with the most difficult challenge—the Sun-Flare Heavenly Maiden.

When Zhao Xing reached the eighth mountain peak, a seven-colored figure appeared atop the peak.

He saw this Sun-Flare Heavenly Maiden; her figure was tall and graceful, like a lotus standing elegantly, transcendent and otherworldly.

Her eyebrows were like distant dark hills, revealing a touch of heroism; her eyes were like deep lakes, clear and mysterious, her blue irises resembling the purest gems, dazzling and seemingly containing endless wisdom.

Her nose bridge was straight and beautiful, like carved jade. Her lips were like vibrant flower petals, red without needing rouge.

A head of black hair, like a waterfall, was casually draped behind her, swaying gently with the breeze; a few strands brushed against her Bai Xi cheeks, adding even more charm.

She wore a magnificent magical robe embroidered with mysterious runes and patterns, shimmering with five-colored light.

Above her head, a sun hung high; its brilliant light, like a golden veil, enveloped her, causing her entire being to radiate an otherworldly aura.

"To craft a humanoid mechanical puppet this well, the engineers of Great Li must be nearly bald."

"It's just unknown whether it's practical." Zhao Xing observed; in his view, designing the appearance was inferior to creating a cluster of explosive units.

However, once the fight began, Zhao Xing did not think so anymore.

The materials used to create the Sun-Flare Heavenly Maiden were all Sixth-Rank Supreme Grade!

Moreover, it possessed all five elements plus wind and thunder!

She knew all the spells the previous seven Heavenly Maidens knew, and even stronger.

Her War Soul's level was also higher; her application and combination of spells were on a completely different level from the previous ones.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

Xiong Xiong flames, surging waves, the earth trembled, thunder roared deafeningly, lightning slashed across the sky, as if the entire heaven and earth were under her control.

The key point was that she could fight in both melee and ranged combat, leaving absolutely no openings.

"Seven Domains!"

"The Dao formations inscribed within the Sun-Flare Heavenly Maiden's body encompass the five elements, wind, and thunder. Although her known spells are still fewer than mine, her power is already very close to mine."

"My advantage is that my five-element, wind, and thunder spells are all perfected, whereas her spells are not yet perfected, merely Ninth-Rank. Furthermore, I possess several spells she does not, such as the Wait-Change Technique and the Cloud Technique."

"Her advantage is that her shell has strong defense; crafted from Sixth-Rank Supreme Grade materials, this defense is comparable to a Third-Rank Perfect Martial Artist. Breaking through her defense is extremely difficult."

"I can only force her out of the arena."

In a flash of lightning, Zhao Xing determined his plan for victory; he engaged the Sun-Flare Heavenly Maiden in a spell exchange and gained the upper hand.

But the Sun-Flare Heavenly Maiden still held a sword in her hand; she was capable of close-quarters combat. During the spell battle, she repeatedly attempted to close in for an attack, truly causing Zhao Xing considerable trouble.

With no usable materials in the surroundings, Zhao Xing could not cast the Ten Thousand Spells Straw Man; additionally, the puppet's War Soul was unaffected by the Sleepy Worm.

It was not until the third quarter-hour that a victor emerged.

"Boom!"

During a dodge, the Sun-Flare Heavenly Maiden was struck by Zhao Xing's Rolling Thunder; one foot left the domed arena.

Watching the motionless Sun-Flare Heavenly Maiden, Zhao Xing let out a long sigh of relief.

"After all, this is not my true body. In the real world, I would have already condensed Pure Origin Soil, have the Ten Thousand Spells Avatars following me, and possess high-end weapons; fighting her would not require such effort," Zhao Xing thought silently.

The Yuan Qi body simulated within the Great Dream Academy was merely a standard Fifth-Rank Pure Origin realm.

There was no Pure Origin Space, no Great Completion of Golden Bones, nor armor or weapons at his side; the Ten Thousand Spells Straw Man was even less available.

It meant that the over ten billion resources Master Zhao had previously invested were mostly ineffective here.

"I can only pass by relying purely on Dao technique skill," Zhao Xing thought, also feeling the conditions for claiming the highest reward were harsh.

But thinking about it, it was normal; the Heavenly Art Hall was originally meant for Array Engineers to challenge, so for other Martial Artists and Sorcerers, the difficulty naturally had to be increased.

"Student Zhao Xing, you have obtained the highest reward of the first floor." The mechanical beast Xie Zhi reappeared. "Do you wish to challenge the second floor?"

"Replying to the Guardian, I wish to try," Zhao Xing said.

"Very well, please fly toward the entrance ahead." The mechanical beast Xie Zhi waved its whiskers, and the entrance to the second floor immediately appeared before them.

Zhao Xing flew to the second floor.

The surroundings spun with the sky and earth, scenes shifting; he appeared in the center of the green stone plaza.

Four structures resembling sword towers stood around the four sides of the plaza.

"Vroom~" Inside the western sword tower, a dark red figure two and a half meters tall materialized; its features slowly shifted, eventually revealing Zhao Xing's appearance, though the temperament was extremely cold.

"I am the Hundred-Change Dao Soldier; the materials used to forge me are Seventh-Rank Low Grade."

"I possess a High-Rank War Soul. If you can force me out of the plaza or leave a mark upon my body, you shall pass."

"You may strike first."

Without a second word, Zhao Xing used the Divine Walk Protection to dive into the ground.

He cast the Boundless Underground Palace Technique, but at that moment, the Hundred-Change Dao Soldier on the ground stomped its foot fiercely.

"Crash~" "Crash~"

A terrifying power instantly disrupted the earth veins, precisely shattering the Boundless Underground Palace Zhao Xing had just constructed.

The earth veins reached Level Seven Fury in an instant; surging earth fire assaulted Zhao Xing's Octagonal Cage Protection.

"I cannot win; this is too strong," Zhao Xing shook his head. At this moment, although he could still remain underground, this situation was completely different from the first floor.

"This is an absolute gap in realm; a Seventh-Rank Dao Soldier with a High-Rank War Soul is already equivalent to the Third-Rank strength of human cultivators."

Zhao Xing shook his head and directly shouted the word "Guardian" from underground.

"Vroom~"

A massive force pulled Zhao Xing back.

In the next moment, he reappeared outside the Heavenly Art Hall.

"Crash~" The walls closed, gray mist filled the air, and the Heavenly Art Tower of the fifth trial vanished.

The mechanical beast Xie Zhi stood there, with eight Heavenly Maidens beside it.

"Thank you, Guardian," Zhao Xing said respectfully, bowing.

"These eight Heavenly Maidens are yours," Xie Zhi said. "Do you wish to store them here for now, or take them back directly?"

"Store them here for now," Zhao Xing replied. He still intended to try his luck elsewhere.

Now that he had broken through to the Fifth Grade realm, there were more trial grounds he could challenge.

"Very well. When you leave, come find me." Xie Zhi spat out a token. "This Heavenly Maiden Token is the key to controlling the mechanical puppets. After you leave, infuse a wisp of Yuan Qi into it, and they will obey only your commands."

"If the token is stolen and your Yuan Qi is erased, the Heavenly Maidens will change masters. You must be careful to guard it."

"Yes."

Gazing at the token, Zhao Xing wondered what the condition was to control the mechanical beast Xie Zhi.

A mechanical beast like Xie Zhi, capable of fluent conversation and independent thought, absolutely exceeded the Ninth Grade level.

Of course, Xie Zhi's independent thought still had to adhere to the creator's restrictions.

For instance: it would not ponder why such a vast Great Dream Academy had gone so many years without anyone challenging the trials, nor why suddenly a Zhao Xing had come to challenge.

It would not think of such questions, because it was limited to a specific theme of thought.

Zhao Xing guessed that the artificer who created Xie Zhi had sacrificed their own blood to become the 'Artifact Spirit'.

Of course, this method also had flaws.

In the Yuan Qi Era, the Artificer Blood Sacrifice Method, where a Life Soul transforms into an 'Artifact Spirit', causes the loss of the core True Spirit.

The process is irreversible; that is to say, once transformed into an Artifact Spirit, one cannot return to being a 'Life Soul'.

Nor can one return to the physical body.

The seven emotions and six desires will gradually vanish, leaving only the memory of the initially set task or command: for instance, to find a new master, or to pass on a legacy.

However, in the Spiritual Qi Era, Artifact Spirits and Life Souls can transform into one another, removing the above restrictions.

Artificers also saw the rise of a new version, with the Blood Sacrifice Method and Soul-Artifact Method becoming widespread.

They wished to discard their bodies, moving their Life Souls into divine weapons and mechanical constructs, extending their lifespans by constantly replacing parts, even achieving immortality.

Learn spells? Impossible. The array for replacing parts can be cast in a second; why bother learning anything at all?

The physical body is weak and frail; mechanical ascension became the mainstream ideology.

However, this was destined to fail, because Heavenly Lifespan refers not only to the physical body but also includes the Life Soul.

The physical body and Life Soul will decay together, and with excessive replacement, the Life Soul will also suffer 'wear and tear', even though certain Spiritual Qi materials can achieve the effect of nourishing the Life Soul.

But this lifespan extension has certain limits; ultimately, it cannot achieve true immortality.

Of course, although the mechanical puppets of the Yuan Qi Era lacked true intelligence, in some aspects, those possessing an 'Artifact Spirit' were even smarter than humans.

Because an Artifact Spirit's thinking is not influenced by the seven emotions and six desires; it is completely rational.

They can execute combat-related commands efficiently; with one like Xie Zhi, Zhao Xing could even chat and confide with it.

"Guardian my lord, do you know if there is a Hall of the Minister of Agriculture within the Great Dream Academy?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Hall of the Minister of Agriculture? No." Xie Zhi shook its head.

Zhao Xing felt somewhat disappointed. In his past life, he hadn't seen the Hall of the Minister of Agriculture either; he had thought Wu Di had moved it, but now it seemed the Great Li itself never had this palace.

However, Xie Zhi then added, "There is no Hall of the Minister of Agriculture, but there is a Hall of Shennong."

Zhao Xing's eyes lit up: "May I ask, Guardian, what are the entry conditions? Why, even though I have reached the Fifth Grade, have I still not seen its appearance?"

The mechanical beast Xie Zhi's eyes showed contemplation: "That shouldn't be. Pure Yuan Realm at Fifth Grade should have been able to enter and challenge long ago. Go look outside again."

Zhao Xing was also somewhat puzzled. When he entered, he indeed hadn't seen the Hall of Shennong. Otherwise, he would have gone directly to challenge the Hall of Shennong instead of the Hall of Heavenly Craftsmanship.

However, since Xie Zhi said so, he still ran out of the Hall of Heavenly Craftsmanship and returned to the Cloud Gate Plaza.

"Voom~" Countless palaces floated within the clouds.

Zhao Xing saw the 【Hall of Reincarnation】, 【Platform of Questioning the Heart】, 【Tower of the Martial God】, 【Secret Treasury of Spells】, 【Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets】, 【Palace of Holy Beasts】, 【Palace of Destiny】, and 【Hall of Heavenly Craftsmanship】.

But he simply could not see the Hall of Shennong.

Zhao Xing ran back into the Hall of Heavenly Craftsmanship and found the mechanical beast Xie Zhi: "Guardian, I truly did not see the Hall of Shennong."

The mechanical beast Xie Zhi was also very puzzled: "How is that possible? The Hall of Shennong of our Great Li is of paramount importance; how could it have disappeared?"

"Can you take me there?" Zhao Xing asked.

Xie Zhi shook its head: "I cannot leave the bounds of the Hall of Heavenly Craftsmanship."

Zhao Xing was also utterly baffled. In his past life, he hadn't seen it either; he had thought it was due to his profession being a dead end, after all, the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets had also been removed then, and the Fate Master profession had no trial point, similarly, the Priest profession had none either.

But Xie Zhi said it existed, and claimed it was of paramount importance; logically, he should have been able to see it long ago.

But now he couldn't see it; what exactly was the situation?

"Go ask the Guardian of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets; perhaps he knows better," the mechanical beast Xie Zhi said. "He is the second Guardian of the entire Great Dream Academy."

The Guardian of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, that Fate Blackbird?

Zhao Xing recalled that when he first entered the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, obtaining the Great Expansion Gaze Art, Five Fingers of Fate, and Tortoise Coin Divination Method, he had seen the Fate Blackbird once.

However, that Fate Blackbird was strange; it seemed to dislike human disturbance greatly, stating the rules once, and then focusing intently on reading.

Carrying his doubts, Zhao Xing left the Hall of Heavenly Craftsmanship and flew towards the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

The scene was exactly the same as when he entered last time.

Upon entering, a small bird stood on a cabinet, chanting.

"Calculating multiplication and division, exhausting the source of creation; divining fate and casting hexagrams, seizing the changes of heavenly secrets."

It held a scroll of books in its beak, shaking its head back and forth.

"Student Zhao Xing, pays respects to the Fate Guardian." Zhao Xing cupped his hands.

The Fate Blackbird, interrupted from reading, was somewhat impatient: "Didn't I tell you the rules long ago? If you want to see something, go flip through it yourself."

Zhao Xing spoke cautiously: "I have a question to ask the Fate Guardian; I wonder if the Guardian can answer it."

After waiting two seconds and hearing no sound, Zhao Xing looked up.

He saw the Mandate of Heaven Blackbird squint and say, "Well, ask quickly!"

This broken bird has quite a temper!

Zhao Xing asked, "I report to the Guardian of the Mandate of Heaven: I learned from the Guardian of Heavenly Works that there is a Shennong Hall within the Academy, and I should have been able to enter it long ago, yet I cannot see where it is."

"The Guardian of Heavenly Works sent me to ask you."

The Mandate of Heaven Blackbird swallowed the scroll and said indifferently, "It indeed spoke correctly; under normal circumstances, you should indeed see the Shennong Hall."

"However, that is under the premise that Great Li has not yet fallen."