Chapter 262: Meeting King Tianyan, Top-Tier Secret Techniques and Four Treasures!

Zhao Xing never ignored any anomaly; at this moment, he felt his heart thump, a certain sensation surged, and he immediately closed his eyes, beginning to enter a dream.

"Convergence of the Three Souls!"

In Zhao Xing's dream, a blurry figure instantly appeared; this figure looked exactly like him, except its form was now somewhat dim, flickering uncertainly.

The so-called Convergence of the Three Souls refers to the gathering of the Life Soul and the Heaven Soul (Rebirth Soul) and the Earth Soul (Karma Soul).

The Heaven Soul has already taken residence in the Great Zhou's temple, so now only the Karma Soul is gathering; of course, even if it hadn't taken residence in the temple, the Heaven Soul couldn't be seen before.

The Karma Soul was dim for only an instant, then returned to normal and slowly faded away, but Zhao Xing understood that he had definitely been targeted by someone.

He opened his eyes and used the Five Fingers of Heavenly Fate to calculate, discovering that his fortune for the next three months was all auspicious.

"The Karma Soul warned me, yet the Five Fingers of Heavenly Fate divination is auspicious. Either the opponent's realm is higher than mine, obscuring the Heavenly Secrets, or I calculated incorrectly."

"Better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't," Zhao Xing thought to himself, "I must still be cautious and make more preparations."

He possessed the Ten Thousand Dharma Divisions, but that did not mean he was unkillable.

A Third Rank Yuan Soul realm could already distinguish the difference between his true body and his divisions.

If one cultivated soul-type secret techniques, such as Curse Killing Arts, encountering a division could allow one to follow the division's Life Soul power to affect the true body.

Of course, this would be separated by a layer, not as effective as directly attacking the true body.

"I must guard against this move; after meeting the person, I will enter the Great Dream Academy to ask the silly bird, see if it can get me a Seventh Rank Soul Armor," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"I previously calculated that the thirtieth year of the Jingxin Era would be a season of many troubles; now even Liu Tianning has come to the East Sea to perform official duties, I fear I have long been watched."

"It's just that either I stay in the same place as the Princess, or they don't know where the true body is, so they likely won't find a good opportunity for a long time."

Now that there is a sensation, it proves the enemy in the shadows has already started preparations and has at least found a feasible method.

"I must quickly increase my strength and have more trump cards," Zhao Xing pondered.

He was currently resting at the Chongming Prefecture's guesthouse; in theory, a prefecture's territory could provide enough sense of security.

But Zhao Xing now actually felt as if there were enemies everywhere.

"Vroom~"

Suddenly, Zhao Xing's Earth Mirror received a message.

【King Tianyan: Zhao Xing, come to the Chongming Prefecture Temple; remember, the true body must come.】

Seeing this message, Zhao Xing couldn't help but be stunned.

King Tianyan specifically instructed me to send my true body?

"Could this be a fake message?"

However, Zhao Xing immediately rejected this guess.

First, tampering with an Earth Mirror message is how difficult?

Second, the Chongming Prefecture Temple is a prefecture-level temple; unless Liang Wang rebels right now and everyone in Chongming Prefecture defects, it is fundamentally impossible to make a move in such a place.

"I must be too nervous," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

It's just, why did King Tianyan have to add the sentence to have my true body come?

Carrying doubts, Zhao Xing still set off for the Chongming Prefecture Temple.

After entering the temple, King Tianyan sent him several more messages.

Following King Tianyan's guidance, Zhao Xing arrived at the southeast area of the Chongming Prefecture Temple, a 'Hall of Immortal Wu Cheng'.

This place enshrines the founding duke Wu Cheng, who was also the Great Zhou's first Grand Minister of Agriculture.

After Zhao Xing entered the temple and bowed, a priest appeared and led him to a side hall.

Afterwards, they passed through the rear hall of the side hall and arrived at an underground secret chamber.

"Please enter," the priest said, pointing at the underground secret chamber entrance.

"My lord, may I ask what place is this?" Zhao Xing asked.

"I am not clear; I was only ordered to bring you here."

"Ordered by whom?"

"You should know, but do not tell me; this is a high-level channel that can lead to many places."

Zhao Xing nodded and walked down the stairs.

Boom~

As soon as he descended the stairs, the secret chamber door closed; Zhao Xing looked back once, and the surroundings were perfectly sealed, incredibly smooth.

Zhao Xing looked at the interior decoration; it appeared very simple, but in reality, every inch of brick and every wall hid mysteries, containing top-tier arrays.

"Evasion techniques are ineffective, Heavenly Eye techniques are ineffective, even Pure Yuan Projections cannot be cast," Zhao Xing looked around.

In the center of the underground secret chamber stood a light gate, but this gate was only three meters high and two meters wide.

Zhao Xing took one look and immediately felt relieved.

Because the characters 'Tian Yan' were carved on the gate.

"So it is the secret entrance to the Weapon Realm, a high-level channel belonging to the Heavenly Secrets Hall."

"This should lead directly to the Fate Official Agency controlled by King Tianyan."

At this moment, the frame of the light gate suddenly lit up, and a voice came through.

"Zhao Xing, come in."

Hearing King Tianyan's voice, Zhao Xing dispelled the doubts in his heart.

"Yes," Zhao Xing stepped into the light gate.

Emerging from inside the light gate, the world before his eyes suddenly became bright and open.

An array corridor appeared ahead, with many door frames standing on both sides of the corridor.

They are called door frames because some doors have only frames and do not emit light.

Many channels are not open.

Zhao Xing turned his head and saw that his door was erected beneath the feet of a divine statue, which was none other than Wu Cheng.

He bowed to Wu Cheng once more, then turned around and saw King Tianyan appear behind him.

Appearing and disappearing like a ghost, he walked without making a sound.

"This humble official greets King Tianyan," Zhao Xing said, bowing.

"You seem a bit nervous," King Tianyan said. He was slightly chubby with a typical round face, and his smile gave people the feeling of a gentle spring breeze.

This greatly alleviated Zhao Xing's nervousness.

"This is the first time this humble official has entered such a place," Zhao Xing chose to speak the truth. "Moreover, I have had a premonition lately, feeling as though someone is plotting against me."

King Tianyan nodded: "This was also within my expectations. You are young yet already proficient in the arts of three schools, and you performed excellently in the competition for the slots in the Longting Ancient Land. Although the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion covered for you, given the current situation, it is inevitable that petty people will spy."

Zhao Xing was already outstanding, a fact that had been demonstrated since the Ten Yang Cave Heaven and the Pingman Battlefield.

No matter how much was covered up, he would still be targeted.

"This is the consequence even after covering up; if no cover-up had been done at all, the situation would likely have been even more severe." King Tianyan waved his hand, signaling Zhao Xing to follow.

Zhao Xing obediently followed beside King Tianyan, lagging half a step behind, listening as the king spoke while walking.

"Your true ranking in this competition for the slots was seventy-eighth," King Tianyan said.

So high? Zhao Xing hadn't expected that at all.

"When the third round ended, you were first; when the fourth round ended, you were thirteenth."

"Before entering the fifth round, your ranking was terrifyingly high, and you were only at the fifth grade. If there had been no cover-up, who knows how many assassinations you would have faced in the next ten years," King Tianyan said.

"Of course, there are methods of protection, but then you would have no freedom for the next ten years and would be unable to accomplish anything."

"Therefore, the best method is to let your ranking continuously decline, finally locking it just above four hundred."

King Tianyan explained his intentions to Zhao Xing.

"Thank you, King Tianyan."

"However, this treats the symptoms but not the root cause; how can one guard against thieves for a thousand days?" King Tianyan said. "Therefore, in the end, you must become stronger yourself."

"Do you know why I required your original body to come here?"

Zhao Xing shook his head: "This humble official does not know."

"Because I am to transmit to you a top-tier secret art of the soul and spirit," King Tianyan said.

A top-tier secret art of the soul and spirit? Zhao Xing suddenly understood.

Since it is a top-tier secret art of the soul and spirit, it involves the Fate Soul and also the seven corporeal spirits of the physical body.

The cultivation of soul and spirit complements each other. Zhao Xing's previous swallowing of the Yin-Yang Fish and consumption of the Primordial Spirit Fruit did not constitute cultivation; it was purely an accumulation of resources.

Therefore, side effects appeared at both the sixth and fifth grades.

Fortunately, the Ten Thousand Dharma Divided Body eliminated these side effects.

The cultivation of the Ten Thousand Dharma Divided Body is the actual cultivation.

"Cultivating a top-tier secret art is extremely difficult; only top-tier geniuses are qualified to receive a top-tier secret art before reaching high grades."

"Among top-tier secret arts, those concerning the soul and spirit are the most difficult of all."

"And what I am about to transmit to you this time is the top-tier method for cultivating the soul and spirit—the Tian Yan Wang Art!"

Zhao Xing showed a surprised expression; half of it was feigned, and half was genuine surprise.

Because the Tian Yan Wang Art is the most top-tier method for cultivating the soul and spirit in the Great Zhou.

It is not just Fate Soul cultivation; it is soul and spirit!

That is to say, it includes the fourth-grade 【Spirit Refinement】 method.

The fourth-grade Primordial Spirit Realm requires cultivating the seven corporeal spirits of the physical body.

Cultivating the seven spirits with a top-tier method versus cultivating them with a high-grade secret art makes a huge difference.

This is the most top-tier soul-and-spirit secret art obtainable in the Era of Vital Energy.

Are there other soul-and-spirit methods in the world? Yes, but they are merely comparable.

The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn might surpass it slightly, but the Great Dream of Spring and Autumn cultivates only the 'soul' and does not refine the spirits.

If there is a difference in the final effect, it is merely due to individual fortune, such as having consumed the Primordial Spirit Fruit, which naturally makes one stronger.

Judging solely from the secret art itself, the Tian Yan Wang Art is undoubtedly the best.

"It is not just you; among the Four Seas, a total of thirty-eight geniuses this time will receive special treatment," King Tianyan said leisurely. "The entire Great Zhou selected only thirty-eight people from the Middle Grade Realm."

"The Longting Ancient Land opens once every hundred years, and our Heavenly Secrets Pavilion selects once every hundred years; you can then understand the weight of this."

"Thank you, King Tianyan, for your cultivation and support," Zhao Xing said respectfully.

"Do not thank me," King Tianyan smiled. "I am merely giving you an opportunity; whether you can master it remains to be seen."

"If you can master it, a task will be assigned to you afterward."

"Rights and obligations are equal; giving you special treatment means you will also have additional tasks after entering the Longting Ancient Land."

"Of course, the premise is that you must master it within ten years; if you cannot, there is no need to discuss what comes after."

Zhao Xing nodded. The Longting Ancient Land, as a great treasure land, has only had its tip of the iceberg developed by the Great Zhou to this day.

After all, this is a crucial place of the Era of Spiritual Qi, and the Great Zhou must possess some unknown secrets.

Of course, this point held little attraction for Zhao Xing; he estimated the Great Zhou knew less than he did.

The most important thing was to master the Tian Yan Wang Art!

"We have arrived," King Tianyan said, looking up slightly.

Zhao Xing looked and realized that he and King Tianyan had unknowingly walked into the interior of a palace.

The internal pillars of the palace were incredibly tall, as if supporting the heavens and the earth.

Countless stars twinkled in the sky; it was truly a Star Palace!

When Zhao Xing looked at those stars, he felt his Fate Soul involuntarily attracted, beginning to rotate, and he felt a slight dizziness.

King Tianyan waved his hand, and a layer of golden mist appeared above his head, obscuring the stars: "You have not yet cultivated; you cannot gaze directly at the Fate Soul Star Map."

"Yes." Zhao Xing obediently listened.

King Tianyan said, "Cultivating the Tianyan Divine Art is very difficult; even I am only at the second layer, and I achieved that when I was Third Rank."

"If you can complete the first layer within ten years, that counts as success."

"It is best to cultivate the Seven Souls first, then the Spirit. Cultivating the first layer of the Tianyan Divine Art at the Fifth Rank Pure Origin Realm is still quite difficult."

Zhao Xing pondered, "Is the chance of completing it at the Fifth Rank very small?"

King Tianyan smiled and said, "The last one who completed the first layer at the Fifth Rank was Liu Tianning."

"Hmm? Did Teacher also go to the Dragon Court Ancient Land?" Zhao Xing was stunned; how had he never heard of this?

"Yes." King Tianyan nodded. "He went, but no one knows; this is a top-secret file. However, you now have the qualification to know some of it."

"The Floating Vine your teacher gave you was brought out from the Dragon Court and required my approval before he could give it to you."

"However, he cannot speak of these matters, and there is no record of him entering the Dragon Court Ancient Land on the surface."

So that was it... Zhao Xing had been wondering how Liu Tianning had so many Seventh-Rank Divine Trees when he was at the Fifth Rank.

It turned out he had also been to the Dragon Court.

There are many areas within the Dragon Court where 'Spiritual Qi' exists.

Even if Liu Tianning did not know the 'Xuanhuang Origin Analysis Art', being in a Spiritual Qi area would still bring many benefits, such as causing plants to grow rapidly.

It is just that the Xuanhuang Origin Analysis Art utilizes Spiritual Qi with higher efficiency and can also enhance Pure Origin Soil.

"This time, a total of thirty-eight people were selected. According to the Tianji Pavilion's prediction, only five will be able to complete one layer within ten years."

"Of course, if they fail to cultivate it, arrangements will be made for them to learn other top-tier secret arts in the meantime."

King Tianyan said, "Before the Dragon Court Ancient Land opens, you thirty-eight people will meet each other to avoid conflicts after entering and to prevent you from wasting your energy on the same target."

King Tianyan grabbed Zhao Xing's shoulders and took a single step, causing the ground to seem to flow backward.

In the next moment, Zhao Xing found himself in the sky.

Beneath his feet was a circular plaza floating in the sky along a certain trajectory.

It was about the size of a football field, and four walls were placed around the perimeter of the plaza.

Zhao Xing was not unfamiliar with these walls, as he had seen similar things at the Li Fire Academy.

"One is a Wall of Secret Arts, used for testing; you can use it to correct your mistakes and understand your cultivation progress."

"The other three are Teaching Murals, which record the first three layers of the Tianyan Divine Art."

"The first mural is named the Divine Soul Seven Stars Map: it includes the cultivation of Souls and the cultivation of Spirits. Fully comprehending the Divine Soul Seven Stars Map means completing the first layer."

"The second mural is named the Fate Soul Nebula Map: it focuses on cultivating the Fate Soul and includes various methods of Fate Soul attack and defense."

"The third wall has no paintings on it, only two characters." King Tianyan said, "No one has ever fully comprehended the third layer; we only know that those two characters translate to 'Tianyan Divine'."

"This wall is a replica, not the original. The original is a stone tablet stored within the Imperial Palace. However, after comprehending the second layer, viewing the meaning of these two characters still offers some benefits."

King Tianyan waved his hand, and the third wall retracted into the ground.

This place was originally his cultivation ground; since Zhao Xing has not yet reached the second layer, it is naturally unsuitable for him to view it.

Zhao Xing said, "The first two layers are both top-tier techniques; does this mean the third layer is the Ultimate Technique?"

King Tianyan laughed, "I just said that no one has fully comprehended it, so whether it is the Ultimate Technique, no one is certain."

Zhao Xing nodded; he vaguely felt he should know the origin of the Tianyan Divine Tablet.

But before entering the Tianji Pavilion, he had sealed the memories of his past life.

Just kidding; this is the Tianji Pavilion, and King Tianyan is a 【Fate Official】. If he wasn't careful, he would see through his thoughts.

If he didn't use the 'Dream-Storing Technique' to lock it away in his Memory Palace, wouldn't that be giving it away for free?

This vague sense of familiarity now triggered Zhao Xing's Memory Palace mechanism, reminding him to leave afterward and review.

King Tianyan pointed to the sky again: "This place of Dao comprehension has many advanced mechanisms from the Tian Gong Hall to assist in understanding."

"When you come to cultivate formally, I will teach you how to use them. Now, let us go to the next place."

"Yes."

With that, King Tianyan grabbed Zhao Xing's shoulders and flew up.

It was still so fast that the surrounding scenery was indistinct, leaving only a blur around them.

When they landed again, Zhao Xing found he had arrived at a bedroom.

Inside the bedroom were many floor mirrors, compasses, Fate Star Instruments, turtle shells, black-and-white chessboards, divination robes, sundials, star boots... even the room's layout concealed heavenly secrets.

The ceiling was in the shape of the Eight Trigrams.

A classic residence for Fate-related practitioners.

At the head of the bed stood a statue of the Treasure-Hunting Beast Panhu (Panhu is a legendary divine beast capable of finding treasures; it resembles a dog, is fat, but short in stature).

Hanging on the walls were two almanacs: one physical and one illusory.

When Zhao Xing saw these two almanacs, he couldn't help but feel amazed.

These were high-grade versions of the almanac; they not only had the effect of warding off misfortune but also the function of attracting good fortune.

Furthermore, the illusory almanac had a significant background.

"Is this the Yin Version Almanac?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.

"Correct." King Tianyan nodded. It was not strange for Zhao Xing, as the Agriculture Official, to recognize this.

"The complete version of the almanac consists of one Yin and one Yang; the Yin-Yang Calendar applies to both the Yang Realm and the Yin Realm."

"The celestial timing of the Yin Realm is completely different from that of the Yang Realm. You are the Agriculture Official, and you will be issued one in the future, but only after you become a Third Rank Official."

At the Third Rank Yuan Soul Realm, one can project their soul and wander the Yin Realm.

From King Tianyan's words, it seemed he had brought Zhao Xing here to give him something.

"The special treatment you have received includes the following resources."

"First, the resources needed to cultivate the Divine Transformation Scripture, including the Soul-Refining and Spirit-Refining required for the first layer—but you must cultivate them in the Celestial Mechanism Hall, and they will be provided in batches."

"The first layer has seven stages total; only after reaching one stage will you receive the resources for the next. If you cannot progress, it means you are incapable of completing it, and you will be offered an alternative arrangement."

Zhao Xing nodded. If he couldn't cultivate it, the imperial court wouldn't waste resources forcing him.

"Second is your safety."

"You have two choices. One: resign from all your posts immediately. I will designate you as a 'Pending Assignment Official' for ten years, during which you remain in the Celestial Mechanism Hall of the Military Realm to cultivate, waiting for the Dragon Court Ancient Ground to open."

After hearing this, Zhao Xing shook his head.

The first option would severely disrupt his future plans.

Spending ten years in complete seclusion within the Celestial Mechanism Pavilion meant he would miss countless things.

Not to mention, he could never enter the Great Dream Academy during those ten years—trying to enter the Great Dream Academy under the eyes of a Mandate Official? He'd be exposed for certain.

Even a fool would assume he was dead.

Besides, the Thousand-Year Shift, the Liang Wang's rebellion, Old Liu's mission, the two academies—all would be delayed.

In short, he could never accept such a fully enclosed training arrangement.

He must gain the right to come and go freely.

King Tianyan understood Zhao Xing was unlikely to accept this option.

He continued: "The second option: you may come to cultivate whenever you wish, but your safety will not be as perfect as in the first."

"Given the strength you've demonstrated, if someone wants to kill you, they will send a Third Rank."

"If you encounter danger outside, I guarantee that when you call for help, you will receive the best possible rescue."

"But we cannot assign a Third Rank—or even a Second Rank—expert to guard you around the clock. You must understand the difference."

"Your servant understands," Zhao Xing nodded.

A Fifth Rank official being personally guarded by a Third Rank—or even a Second Rank—expert?

That would violate protocol, and from the standpoint of resource allocation, it would be impractical.

Fundamentally, the Celestial Mechanism Hall grants Zhao Xing special treatment solely for the sake of the Dragon Court Ancient Ground expedition.

If sacrificing a Third Rank's ten years were necessary, wouldn't it be better to simply give that slot to a Third Rank expert directly?

King Tianyan was telling him: if he chose the second option, he must accept some risk.

King Tianyan continued: "Of course, one cannot guard against thieves for a thousand days. If you choose the second option, I will orchestrate a decoy operation. You will need to cooperate by using your doppelgänger to uncover who is plotting against you."

"Yes, Your Servant will cooperate," Zhao Xing said.

Without King Tianyan, he had planned to continue his own course anyway; now, with King Tianyan's involvement, his plan gained an additional layer of security.

"Enough of this for now. Let me first show you the rest."

King Tianyan gestured, and immediately a purple-dragon-embroidered chest appeared before Zhao Xing.

"Remember the layout of this room—it is the Celestial Mechanism Hall's emergency shelter."

"You have some understanding of divination. I won't explain everything—only the key items."

King Tianyan knew Zhao Xing could perform divination arts.

On the Pacification Front and in the Ten Suns Heavenly Grotto, Zhao Xing had slain countless turtles—this was no secret.

King Tianyan also knew Zhao Xing could at least perform Intermediate-level prognostication.

This saved him the trouble of teaching from scratch.

"Open the chest."

"Yes."

Zhao Xing opened the chest and saw many items inside.

King Tianyan waved his hand, and a token and a map floated up before Zhao Xing.

The token bore the characters "Tian Yan"; the map was labeled: *Celestial Mechanism Hall's Emergency Shelters of Haizhou and the Eastern Sea Islands*.

"This is my token—its rank is very high."

"With this token, you may enter and exit the Star Palace freely and secretly."

"My Tian Yan Token can also open the emergency shelters across Haizhou and most of the Eastern Sea."

Hearing this, Zhao Xing was momentarily surprised—he hadn't expected to be granted the map of the Celestial Mechanism Hall's safehouses.

This was a valuable asset!

"If you encounter danger, hiding in any one of them will buy you enough time for rescue to arrive."

"Memorize the map. Once you've memorized it, burn it."

"Yes."

Zhao Xing spent a quarter-hour memorizing the map, then tucked the token safely against his body.

There are many entry points to reach these shelters—not just in Chongming Fucheng.

The map records over a thousand entry points across Haizhou.

Each entry point leads to the Star Palace.

Second: the Celestial Mechanism safehouses.

These are concentrated east of Haizhou, including the islands of the Eastern Sea, south of Haizhou, and the Fuchengs near adjacent war zones.

Especially in the Eastern Sea, many seemingly insignificant islands harbor top-tier enchanted array safehouses—once you reach one, your safety increases dramatically, and rescue teams gain ample time.

"Your Servant has memorized it, Your Majesty," Zhao Xing said.

King Tianyan nodded and gestured again, drawing several items from the chest.

"A Seventh-Rank Superior Celestial Mechanism Robe—it's an undergarment, doesn't interfere with wearing other armor, and its main function is to shield your destiny aura."

"Once worn, no one can perceive your destiny aura or track you by it."

"However, this is only lent to you temporarily—you must return it after ten years."

"Yes." Zhao Xing took the golden-yellow undergarment, embroidered with the Nine Banners emblem.

The Heaven's Mechanism Robe bears four patterns: sun, moon, tortoise, and snake.

The tortoise supports heaven and earth; the snake swallows the sun and moon. Officials typically use these four patterns as emblems.

Zhao Xing is not an Official, so this robe is merely borrowed.

A Seventh-Rank Heaven's Mechanism Robe is primarily used to defend against external enemies.

Because, beyond Officials, few in the Great Zhou can harness "Fate's Current" to track enemies.

The Seventh-Rank Superior Evil-Averting Almanac—King Tianyan offered no further explanation, as Zhao Xing was already familiar with it.

"The Seventh-Rank Supreme Mo Shou Jade Pendant—once worn, you may activate it to form a mobile, small barrier."

"It can block all attacks from a Third-Rank Nascent Soul, except those of the soul type, for two kezhong."

Zhao Xing carefully hung the Mo Shou Jade Pendant around his neck.

This item is extremely precious; the materials to forge Mo Shou Jade Pendants are gone, so each one is finite.

"Seventh-Rank Inferior Zhen Hun Bell." King Tianyan took another item from the chest—a small bell.

"It primarily prevents you from being bewitched, disturbed by illusionary realms, or suffering qi deviation. It cannot block Official Soul attack methods."

"Yet soul attack methods in the world are exceedingly rare—even a Third-Rank Nascent Soul finding its soul to strike directly is perilous."

"The Official Soul resides in the womb, repelling foreign souls—this is already the best defense. The Zhen Hun Bell mainly guards against being lured or controlled by mind-altering forces."

"Your Official Soul has reached Fourth Rank. If a Third-Rank Nascent Soul attempts to possess you, it's uncertain who will die."

"If you master the Great Expansion Soul Art and bring your Official Soul to Fourth-Rank Perfection, any Third-Rank Nascent Soul attempting to possess you will die."

Zhao Xing bowed, then fastened the Zhen Hun Bell to his person. Throughout the process, the bell emitted not a single sound.

The Nascent Soul's Official Soul is powerful—but only when it remains within the body.

If it exits, lacking the body's protection, it becomes vulnerable.

Directly attacking another's Official Soul with your own is dangerous, unless the gap is immense or you practice a supreme technique.

Otherwise, one typically uses mind-altering methods, intermediaries, dreams, or mental indoctrination.

Zhao Xing is about to train the Great Expansion Soul Art; paired with the Zhen Hun Bell, they complement each other perfectly.

The chest also contained items like compasses and star charts—all standard equipment for safehouses—but King Tianyan offered no further explanation.

These are all provisions for Officials entering safehouses. Clearly, if Zhao Xing enters a safehouse, he won't use most of these. Only these few items will serve him.

"Thank you, King Tianyan."

King Tianyan nodded, then returned Zhao Xing to the Star Palace.

"When you begin training the Great Expansion Soul Art, you may apply to me for first-stage resources."

"I intend to first attend to my current duties," Zhao Xing said.

"Very well. With the Tianyan Token, you may return the way you came."

"Your servant takes leave."

…………

Zhao Xing emerged again from Wu Cheng Zhenjun's Hall in the Chongming Prefecture shrine.

After leaving the shrine, he went to rest at the relay station.

In the dream.

Zhao Xing began reviewing his recent experience.

"The Great Expansion Soul Art? It's the ultimate soul technique—how could it be classified as a supreme technique?"

"The Great Expansion Stele is an object from beyond the heavens—not of the Xuan Huang Realm. So Old Liu trained this secret art. No wonder he only went fully mad in his old age."

"Practicing the Ten Thousand Methods Avatar requires a matching ultimate soul technique to proceed fully," Zhao Xing observed the scenes from today.

The Ten Thousand Methods Avatar can be cultivated to its ultimate level, but controlling countless avatars places immense strain on the Official Soul.

It requires another ultimate soul technique to sustain it.

If Zhao Xing brings the Ten Thousand Methods Avatar to supreme perfection, he will pause first to seek an ultimate soul technique—otherwise, his soul will keep splitting until he inevitably goes mad.

"In his past life, Liu Tianning never comprehended the Great Expansion Stele? If he only reached the second layer of the Great Expansion Soul Art, yet practiced the ultimate-level avatar—no wonder he suffered qi deviation…"

"His current state suggests the avatar's progress has outpaced the Great Expansion Soul Art," Zhao Xing deduced.

"I'll remind Old Liu someday. Now that I'm training the Great Expansion Soul Art, I'll have more credibility."

Zhao Xing continued watching, soon seeing the safehouse and the scene where King Tianyan bestowed the treasures.

"King Tianyan gave me the Mo Shou Jade Pendant, the Heaven's Mechanism Robe, the Zhen Hun Bell, and the Evil-Averting Almanac—four treasures."

"The other three are decent, but the Zhen Hun Bell is lacking."

From King Tianyan's perspective, his protective measures for Zhao Xing are already extremely high.

To kill Zhao Xing, a Third-Rank would have to trade their life—because reinforcements would arrive soon.

With these items, he can hold out for a long time.

But from Zhao Xing's perspective, once the Liang Wang rebels, high-ranks will be everywhere, and mid-ranks are worse than dogs.

These items alone may still not be enough.

"I'm not yet safe. If I encounter a powerful opponent skilled in soul attacks, the Zhen Hun Bell won't hold long," Zhao Xing mused.

"Plans can't keep pace with change. It's already the Autumn Equinox of Jingxin Year 30—I must find a way to be reassigned inland, no longer stay on the Eastern Sea."

"The best solution is to stay near the old witch. Yes—I should request transfer to Bixian Prefecture."

Staying on the Eastern Sea might still expose him to incidents like General Jin Hou's assassination.

Yet in ten years, not a single such incident has occurred on the mainland.

Zhao Xing began reconfiguring his future plans.

"The original plan was for the Liang Wang to rebel in Jingxin Year 35. Now, I don't know if it will come sooner—perhaps it will, perhaps it won't."

I will remain in Chongming Prefecture's Bixian County, while my true body enters the Heaven's Mechanism Hall to cultivate top-tier soul cultivation techniques.

My avatar will go to the Xuantian Academy and Kunyuan Academy to learn top-tier techniques of celestial timing and terrestrial advantage.

As for the training tasks Lao Liu gave me, I can set them aside for now, Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Expanding the Pure Yuan soil and cultivating plant troops takes too long; he faced little pressure completing the first phase, but the second phase would waste considerable time.

Zhao Xing decided to delay Benwo Sect's cultivation until after the Liang Wang's rebellion, and first focus on comprehending the top-tier techniques of celestial timing and terrestrial advantage.

These two schools' techniques are also the most effective in dealing with unrest.

I just don't know if the Xuantian Academy and Kunyuan Academy will agree to let my avatar join—it feels like Benwo Sect is crashing their party.

First, I'll make contact. If they refuse, I'll just exert some effort and have my true body take the imperial examination for a Doctor of Classics, learn the techniques, then slip away, leaving the avatar to handle it.

Next comes…

After finalizing his plan for the next five to ten years in his dream, Zhao Xing opened his eyes.

He planned to visit the Prefect of Chongming Prefecture and Fan Hongyi, then report to Wang Xuanyi, the Director of the Longma Supervision under the Ministry of Agriculture, to discuss being reassigned to Bixian County.

At that moment, Xiao Ming, the Fifth-Rank Director of the Eastern Dragon Relay Station, suddenly received an official document.

It flew straight out of the shrine's incense burner, landed on his desk, and immediately positioned itself at the top of the pile.

The letter emitted waves of yellow light, sealing off all other documents around it.

Xiao Ming's eyelid twitched—this letter was no ordinary one; not only did it cut the line, it blocked all other correspondence, granting it maximum priority.

He dared not delay, and immediately bowed respectfully as he opened the document.

【Notice to Xiao Ming, Director of the Eastern Dragon Relay Station, Chongming Prefecture:】

【Upon receipt of this document, immediately notify Zhao Xing, resident official of the relay station and Left Deputy Director of the Twin Dragon Horse Supervision of Chongming Prefecture: a distinguished guest will arrive on the tenth day of the eighth month, Year 30 of the Jingxin Calendar, at the hour of You, one-quarter mark.】

Two identity tags were attached to the letter.

Xiao Ming opened them and nearly wet himself.

The two identity tags read as follows:

【Grand Agricultural Director of the Lingxu Blessed Land, Daoyuanzhou; concurrently Vice Dean of Kunyuan Academy; concurrently Left Chief Controller of Terrestrial Advantage, Canghai Cave; concurrently Director of the Yangshan Agricultural Supervision and Pinghu Supervision under the Yin Realm; Marquis Peishui, Meng Kun.】

【Director of Rituals of the Lingxu Blessed Land, Daoyuanzhou; concurrently Doctor of Classics, Kunyuan Academy; concurrently Right Chief Controller of Terrestrial Advantage, Canghai Cave; Director of the Songming Mountain Agricultural Supervision and Ji Tian Office under the Yin Realm; Marquis Yuan Xin, Gu Changqing.】

Xiao Ming grew more alarmed with each line—unless this was a joke, these were both Third-Rank officials! And two of them at once?

What exactly is Zhao Xing's background? Why are two Third-Rank officials coming specially to see him?

Note: this is not Zhao Xing being summoned to meet his superiors—it is the superiors coming to meet Zhao Xing.

Xiao Ming did not dare delay; he immediately prepared to find Zhao Xing. If Zhao Xing was out when the high officials arrived, he would have failed his duty.

But before he could leave the relay station, another document shot out of the shrine's incense burner.

Same high priority—this one was even more domineering, crackling with Lei Guang that forcibly expelled all other documents from the desk.

"Huh? Another one?" Xiao Ming froze. His position as Director of the relay station was usually idle—what was happening today?

He turned back and opened the document.

【Notice to Xiao Ming, Director of the Eastern Dragon Relay Station, Chongming Prefecture:】

【Upon receipt of this document, immediately notify Zhao Xing, resident official of the relay station and Left Deputy Director of the Twin Dragon Horse Supervision of Chongming Prefecture: a distinguished guest will arrive on the tenth day of the eighth month, Year 30 of the Jingxin Calendar, at the hour of You, one-quarter mark.】

Two identity tags were attached again.

Xiao Ming looked and his scalp went numb.

The identities listed on these tags were no less impressive than the previous ones—they were those of Geng Shouchang and Heng Yuan.

Coincidentally, both documents specified the same arrival time: the hour of You, one-quarter mark.

Xiao Ming checked the time and shot up instantly, grabbing the clerk responsible for lodging registrations in the office.

"Is Zhao Xing, Left Deputy Director of the Twin Dragon Horse Supervision, staying at the Eastern Dragon Relay Station?"

"My lord, I must check—the number of recent guests has been overwhelming," the clerk said, confused by Xiao Ming's urgency, thinking perhaps someone had committed a crime.

"Hurry, hurry and check!" Xiao Ming urged.

"Y-yes, sir!" The clerk quickly searched the records.

At that moment, heavy footsteps and the clanking of armor echoed outside.

"Where is the Director of the Eastern Dragon Relay Station? I am Wu Hou Bai Zhengyang of the Dragon Martial Army—come out at once!"

His voice boomed with vigor, filling the entire office of the relay station director.

Xiao Ming froze—Dragon Army? Wu Hou?

"Today is truly bizarre—could this one also be here for Zhao Xing?" Xiao Ming muttered to himself, then hurried out.