The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

"No—!! I am not reconciled! I am not reconciled—!!"

Amidst desperate and venomous roars, Wei Mingzi's illusory figure, swept away by the pure and boundless starlight, crumbled inch by inch like ice thrown into a raging fire, ultimately vanishing into nothingness without leaving a trace.

The piercing scream abruptly ceased.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, tranquility returned, with only the strange phenomenon of Zhou Xu Xing Xun slowly rotating, radiating a clear and cool light.

Jiang Xuan still dared not be careless. He repeatedly scanned every corner of his sea of ​​consciousness with his divine sense to confirm that Wei Mingzi's remnant soul consciousness had indeed been completely erased, leaving not even the most fundamental imprint. Only then did he exhale a long, deep breath.

Only then did he feel a wave of intense exhaustion wash over him; his entire body was soaked in cold sweat, as if he had just been pulled from the water. Recalling the terrifying scene just now, he still felt lingering fear.

If it weren't for the fact that I happened to have cultivated the "Minor Underworld Divine Art," a secret technique specifically targeting the soul, and if my will hadn't been strong enough, this body would probably have already been taken over by a different owner, and my consciousness would have long since vanished!

"That was close...that was really close..."

He secretly rejoiced, the feeling of surviving the ordeal was incredibly clear.

After calming down, Jiang Xuan recalled Wei Mingzi's horrified words before his death. "He recognized the 'Minor Netherworld Divine Art,' calling it 'Flowing Light Spirit Runes,' and seemed extremely shocked that I could 'decipher' and control it... 'Divine Rune Walker'? That seems to be an extraordinary title, related to controlling these 'Flowing Light Spirit Runes'?"

Jiang Xuan surmised that the origin of the "Minor Netherworld Divine Technique" that Lu Bo had taught him was far more mysterious and powerful than he had imagined.

His attention turned back to his sea of ​​consciousness. Although Wei Mingzi had been killed, the pure white feather that had caused all this trouble still hovered quietly in a corner of his sea of ​​consciousness, emitting a soft, gentle, and pure light, as if the thrilling battle of souls just now had nothing to do with it.

Jiang Xuan tried to separate a wisp of his consciousness and cautiously approach, wanting to investigate the details of this feather.

However, when his consciousness touched the soft light surrounding the feathers, it was gently blocked by an invisible yet resilient force, unable to penetrate even a fraction of it.

"What... exactly is this thing?"

Jiang Xuan frowned slightly, his heart filled with doubt and unease. "The fact that Wei Mingzi's remnant soul was able to evade the senses of the secret realm and remain hidden until now is probably inseparable from this feather."

It serves as both a perfect sanctuary for a remnant soul and a barrier to my investigation; it is no ordinary item! Perhaps… it is an extraordinary treasure in itself?

He pondered for a long time, but still couldn't figure out the origin and purpose of the feather. He could only suppress his doubts for the time being, leaving them for later when his cultivation was higher and his knowledge was broader. In any case, for now, the feather didn't seem to have any malicious intent; it was just quietly staying there.

Besides the mysterious feather, there were two other things in his mind. One was the majestic and ancient "Gate to Heaven," leading to the secret realm of Tongtian. The other was a precious pearl, entirely azure, as if formed from the purest seawater—the Heavenly Water Sacred Pearl.

This Heavenly Water Sacred Pearl was originally a sacred artifact of the Water Barbarian Clan in their secret realm. It provided tremendous help when he broke through a key realm, but its power was exhausted as a result, and it fell into silence.

Now, it quietly orbits around the Gate to Heaven like a satellite. The inside of the bead is empty and hazy, as if it contains chaos. With Jiang Xuan's current level of spiritual awareness, he has no way of knowing how big its internal space is or what secrets it hides.

This item is of great importance, involving the secrets of the Water Barbarian tribe. Jiang Xuan knows the principle that possessing a treasure is a crime, and has never dared to show it to anyone easily, otherwise he would surely attract the Water Barbarian tribe's relentless pursuit.

After roughly sorting out the situation in his sea of ​​consciousness, Jiang Xuan's gaze finally turned intensely to the rusty, extremely heavy fragment of the Heaven-Shaking Ancient Seal beside him!
This was the greatest reward he had gained from risking his life to conquer the Hundred Battles Secret Realm!
He eagerly separated a wisp of his consciousness and slowly probed into the ancient fragment.

At the very moment consciousness came into contact with the fragments—

"boom!"

Jiang Xuan felt a violent tremor throughout his body, and the scene before him suddenly changed! His consciousness seemed to be pulled, traversing endless time and space, and descending into an ancient and vast primordial world!

The vast wilderness stretched out before them, the sky a deep, dark yellow, filled with a primal, wild atmosphere. Above, a colossal sun hung in the sky, radiating boundless light and heat, its rays illuminating the entire expanse, yet carrying a cold, timeless quality.

And right beneath this sky, a figure whose magnificence defies description stands between heaven and earth! His body seems to be cast from ancient bronze, covered with the marks of time and mysterious patterns, and overflows with a chaotic light. Just by standing there, the radiance he emits illuminates thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, like a god who created the world looking down on his creation!

The next moment, this majestic being slowly raised his mountain-like arm, clenched his five fingers, and transformed it into a giant fist that seemed capable of supporting the sky and shattering stars!

There were no fancy moves, no fancy techniques, just a simple punch aimed at the seemingly eternal and unchanging sky above!
"Thump—!!!!!"

The power of this punch is indescribable! It was like the first thunderclap at the beginning of creation! Wherever the fist passed, the incomparably solid sky, which bore the weight of the sun, moon, and stars, shattered like a mirror, emitting a teeth-grinding cracking sound! Countless, spiderweb-like black cracks spread wildly in all directions from the center of the fist!

The earth shook violently! The sun and moon lost their light! Even the enormous, blazing sun seemed to teeter on the brink of collapse under the aftershock of that punch! The terrifying explosion, like a tangible impact, pulverized the endless mountains below into nothingness and tore the vast earth open into bottomless abysses!
Jiang Xuan's consciousness was like a candle flame in a raging storm, as insignificant as dust in the face of this world-destroying scene. As he "watched" this scene, his soul was subjected to an unimaginable shock, as if he had been struck by billions of lightning bolts at the same time!
The scene abruptly ends there.

Jiang Xuan's consciousness returned to his body. He suddenly opened his eyes, panting heavily. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, but his dark eyes shone with a frightening light!

At the same time, a vast, obscure, yet profoundly powerful secret of inheritance, imprinted itself on the depths of his mind like a torrent—the Nine Heavens Shaking Collapse Dao!

This ancient and supreme inheritance consists of nine forms: Mountain-Splitting Collapse, Sea-Splitting Collapse, City-Destroying Collapse, Earth-Covering Collapse, Sky-Shattering Collapse, Star-Shattering Collapse, Boundary-Breaking Collapse, Dao-Burying Collapse, and the final form, Heaven-Shaking Collapse!
Each move contains ultimate destructive power. When cultivated to its peak, it is enough to shatter mountains and split seas, destroy cities and overturn the earth, and even... shatter the heavens and stars! The nine moves are not isolated. If one can cultivate them to perfection, they can be stacked and used to generate endless mysteries and immeasurable power!
What moved Jiang Xuan even more was that this inheritance contained a unique "Daoist charm," touching upon the profound mysteries of the essence of power, far surpassing ordinary cultivation methods!

Forcibly suppressing the excitement and fervor in his heart, Jiang Xuan quickly calmed down. Although the secrets of the inheritance were already imprinted in his mind, comprehending and mastering them was by no means something that could be accomplished overnight.

This "Nine Shaking Heaven Collapse Dao" is extremely difficult and complex. The cultivation of each move requires an extremely subtle control over power and a profound understanding of that unique "collapse" Dao rhythm.

However, what Jiang Xuan has in abundance is patience and perseverance.

He craved power, he craved more powerful methods, and this unparalleled martial art was exactly what he needed right now! He was confident that, given enough time, he could transform this ancient offensive technique into the sharpest dragon-slaying blade in his hands!

Since obtaining the inheritance mark of the [Nine Collapses of Heaven] from the Tongtian Secret Realm that day, Jiang Xuan's life has entered a state of near asceticism.

Besides the essential daily meditation to regulate his breathing, restore his spiritual energy, and temper his mind, he devoted all his remaining time and energy to the in-depth study and practice of this ancient offensive technique.

However, although the small courtyard where he lived was secluded, it was hardly spacious or sturdy. The mere ripples of power generated by the [Nine Shaking Heavens Dao]'s energy path would probably be enough to shatter these few tiled houses into dust.

Jiang Xuan dared not be careless in the slightest, and could only try his best to restrain the spiritual energy around his body so as not to leak out and cause damage. All his practice was limited to repeatedly refining the nine profound movements and comprehending the vast and difficult mystery in his mind, and he dared not truly unleash his power.

Even with such a "restrained" drill, the restrained yet palpable tension had already caught Xue Jin's attention.

On this day, Xue Jin leaned against the corner of the wall, squinting as she watched Jiang Xuan repeat several seemingly simple but actually profoundly mysterious starting stances over and over again on the small open space in the courtyard.

His movements were sometimes slow as pushing a mountain, and sometimes swift as a thunderclap. His blood and qi hummed with each movement, and the air seemed to tremble slightly under the pull of his fists and palms.

After watching for a while, Xue Jin couldn't help but take a sip of wine and exclaim in amazement.

"Kid, this thing of yours... is kind of interesting."

In all my years of life, I've seen at least eight or ten thousand different martial arts techniques, but I've never seen anyone like you. Just by assuming a stance, you can naturally coordinate your body's Qi and blood, subtly harmonizing the principles of movement and stillness, softness and hardness, and Yin and Yang.

This magnificent and imposing aura, even just the basic moves, is probably comparable to some top-tier secret techniques.

If this were unleashed at full power, the force... tsk tsk, I can't even imagine it.

He put down the wine jar, stared intently at Jiang Xuan, and asked directly.

"Where did you get this technique? What's it called?"

Jiang Xuan slowly withdrew his stance, calming the slightly surging blood and qi within his body. He was not surprised by Xue Jin's question.

He pondered for a moment, then decided there was no need to hide the name of the technique, so he told him the truth.

"This technique is called [The Nine Collapses of Heaven]."

As for its specific origin, he did not elaborate, only speaking vaguely, also harboring a bit of a probing mind, wanting to see if Xue Jin knew the origin of this ancient and unique skill.

"The Nine Heavens Collapse Dao..."

Xue Jin frowned, repeatedly pondering the name, searching her mind for a long time, and finally shook her head, saying with certainty.

"Never heard of it. Among the top-tier secret techniques and clan-protected skills of the major aristocratic families that are currently known in the empire, there is definitely no one with this name. In my opinion, this thing... is probably not a product of this era."

A glint of insight flashed in his eyes as he speculated.

"It's very likely a lost martial arts technique unearthed from some ancient secret realm! Just like Ning Bugui, who was known as the 'Iron-Blooded King' back then. It's said that he obtained a domineering technique called the 'Eight Desolate Thunder Force' from an ancient battlefield ruin, which allowed him to rise through the ranks and eventually become a king. Your luck is comparable to his."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan's heart stirred slightly, and he echoed Xue Jin's words.

“Senior has keen insight. This technique was indeed not obtained from this world, but rather it was imprinted on a fragment called the ‘Heaven-Shaking Ancient Seal,’ which I obtained by chance. As for its specific origins, I know nothing about it.”

Xue Jin nodded and did not pursue the matter further.

Everyone has their own opportunities and secrets. Although he was curious, he wouldn't pry into them.

……

As time went by, Jiang Xuan, with his amazing comprehension and perseverance, finally mastered all nine basic movements of the [Nine Shaking Heavens Collapse Dao], achieving a perfect blend of form and spirit.

However, the inherited mysteries imprinted in his mind were far too difficult and vast. The techniques for operating the power and the insights into the Dao contained therein were far beyond what could be thoroughly understood and perfectly mastered in a short period of time.

He knew that this required patience and could not be rushed.

That day, after finishing a simple breakfast, Jiang Xuan pushed open the courtyard gate and went outside. Having been immersed in cultivation for many days, suddenly coming to the outside world and walking on the bustling streets of Yanxia City, watching the traffic and listening to the various hawkers' cries, he felt a sense of disorientation, as if he had been transported to another world.

He shook his head to dispel the discomfort and quickened his pace, heading towards a certain direction in the west of the city.

His destination was the renowned "Azure Sea Dojo" within Yanxia City.

The Azure Sea Dojo is a place specifically designed for cultivators to hone their martial arts skills, test the power of their techniques, and even conduct simulated battles. Due to its comprehensive facilities and tight security, it is highly popular among cultivators in Yanxia City and the surrounding areas.

Especially recently, with the provincial examination in the Southwest Province drawing ever closer, young cultivators from all over the province, eager to pass the examination and achieve great success, have flocked to Yanxia City like a swarm of locusts crossing a river.

This made the business of Bihai Dojo even more booming.

When Jiang Xuan arrived at the dojo, he saw people coming and going at the entrance. Most of the people coming and going were young cultivators of similar age to him, each with a sharp aura and keen eyes, and a spirit of eagerness to try.

Inside the main hall of the temple, many cultivators gathered in twos and threes, discussing in hushed tones.

"Have you heard? The number of people who have registered for this provincial exam has exceeded five thousand!"

"Five thousand?! My God, in previous years there were at most three thousand people, right? How come there are so many this time?"

"It's because this assessment is of great significance. It's said that those who perform exceptionally well will have the opportunity to be noticed by important figures from the capital and brought directly into the Forbidden City!"

"But there are still only one hundred places available... This rejection rate is terrifying!" (End of Chapter)