The Prodigies War

Above the azure sea, Lin Xun stood tall and still, his handsome figure bathed in dazzling dao light. Within him, a transformation was unfolding.

His mind became a furnace. As he circulated the Fangchun Mountain’s nine great inheritances, the palm strikes from the Lord of Fangchun Mountain no longer felt like destruction. Instead, they transformed into a mysterious tempering force. His state of mind was like a sword edge forged through a thousand hammerings, gradually releasing an incomparable sharp and peerless radiance.

As that furnace of mind was refined again and again, the streak of sharpness within it finally seemed to shatter an invisible restraint. Together with the profound truths of Fangchun Mountain’s nine great inheritances, an astonishing aura surged forth.

Sometimes it soared above the boundless firmament, roaming the vast void. Sometimes, it raced freely among the myriad phenomena of existence. This was the ultimate mystery recorded in the Wandering Sutra: ‘The radiance of the mind is like a shuttle, drifting through the ten thousand workings of creation.’

Sometimes it wandered freely amid the ten thousand fathoms of the mortal world, transcending the rise and fall of mortal affairs. This was the mystery of Unfettered Roaming: when the mind reached such a realm, one could ride upon the rightful order of heaven and earth, govern the transformations of the six qi, and roam without bound.

At times, it pierced through the profound mysteries of the heavens, discerning the essential nature of the myriad dao. At other times, it transformed into mountains and rivers, into every blade of grass and tree, into the sun, moon and stars, into all living beings, experiencing the destinies of countless lives. This was Transformation Freedom: the power to become all phenomena beneath the heavens, to assume the forms of heaven and earth, to flow through the turning of thousands of ages.

In the end, that streak of sharpness born from the depths of his mind seemed to pierce through the barriers of eternity itself, traversing the shifting tides of countless epochs.

Unbound, unfettered, and free of all attachment. That was true freedom, true boundless wandering. It was as though with a single thought he could comprehend the span of eternity, glimpse the mysteries of heaven and earth, and behold all that lay between the ancient past and distant future.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed...

Lin Xun slowly opened his eyes. When he looked again toward the distance, the figure of the Lord of Fangchun Mountain was already fading away.

“Thank you, Master, for helping me break through the shackles of the mind!” Lin Xun bowed deeply in reverence.

The mind could roam ten thousand fathoms. The mind could span across ten thousand ages. This was the Dao of Fangchun, the dao of the heart-mind!

Through this struggle, Lin Xun’s state of mind seemed to have crossed an invisible threshold. Within the Immeasurable Realm, he had attained true great freedom and unbounded wandering.

That wondrous transformation within his mind brought about an indescribable change in his aura and bearing. Although he stood suspended in the void, it felt as though he was standing above the endless river of eternity.

However, upon closer inspection, he seemed no different from anything else in heaven and earth, natural and present everywhere. He could be a speck of dust. He could be a celestial firmament. He could be a single grain that endured across countless ages!

......

Far beyond the azure sea, those mighty beings who had retreated from the battlefield suddenly felt something stir within their hearts. In the Jade Book of Merits, the aura belonging to the Lord of Fangchun Mountain’s dao manifestation had vanished.

That change sent a tremor through them all. There was no longer any doubt. Lin Xun had won.

“For a disciple to defeat the dao manifestation his own master left behind...this is truly astonishing,” someone murmured, unable to hide their amazement.

Before coming to the All-Wonder Dominion, each of them had their own successor. Many were even founders of great dao lineages. However, among their disciples, how many could truly compare to Lin Xun? How many walked a path as unparalleled as Lin Xun’s?

“The power of the Lord of Fangchun Mountain is profoundly mysterious and impossible to evade. His every movement struck directly at the state of mind, making it impossible to defend against and impossible to avoid. Such a dao could only be called the most inscrutable and supreme beneath the heavens. And yet Lin Xun defeated it. Does this mean his state of mind has reached an equally unfathomable height?”

“It must be so.”

“Wait! The Chaos Dao Fruit that should belong to Lin Xun still hasn’t appeared!”

“That...”

“This is no longer merely a matter of defeating the dao manifestation left behind by the Lord of Fangchun Mountain. After this battle, Lin Xun can be compared with Alpha Origin Master as he was in those days!”

A great uproar swept through the crowd. Even the mighty beings present could no longer remain composed. All five dao manifestations jointly ranked first in the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws had been defeated by Lin Xun one after another, yet the Chaos Dao Fruit still refused to appear. It was simply unbelievable.

“It is said that Alpha Origin Master was once trapped here for a full hundred years. Only after unraveling the mysteries of the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws did he take a step forward and the heavenly gate opened of its own accord. Will Lin Xun accomplish such a miracle as well?” someone murmured softly.

The crowd exchanged glances. Without another word, they stirred and surged toward the azure sea. When they arrived, they instinctively lifted their heads. High above, at the farthest reaches of the sky, Lin Xun was ascending higher and higher, as though he intended to pierce through the vault of heaven and depart this world.

“What is he doing?” Bewilderment rippled through the gathered mighty beings.

......

The Realm of All Mysteries, Hidden Domain.

Without warning, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain flicked his sleeve. The chessboard before him overturned. Chess pieces scattered through their air like falling rain. He rose leisurely to his feet, unhurried, a faint smile playing at his lips. “The game ends here. Now...we wait for the final showdown.”

The golden cicada was momentarily startled. Then he stood as well, smiling in return. “It seems Young Friend Lin already possesses the foundation to break the deadlock.”

“Not yet,” the Lord of Fangchun Mountain replied calmly. “But as you say, the foundation is there. Just as it once was for Alpha Origin, for Chen Xi...and for that swordsman.” His gaze was clear and unfathomably deep.

The golden cicada fell silent in thought for a moment, then nodded. “Good.”

......

Hongling Domain.

A burst of hearty laughter suddenly rang out from within a thatched hut. “As expected of the Lord of Fangchun Mountain! That dao manifestation he left behind back then...what a brilliant move!”

Not far away, Chen Linkong, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, trembled slightly. “Grandfather...what do you mean?”

“Long ago,” the voice from within the thatched hut said slowly, “were you not curious why, with the Lord of Fangchun Mountain’s level of cultivation, he only left behind a dao manifestation ranked first among the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws in the Mortal Transformation Zone?”

Chen Linkong nodded. “Indeed. In my view, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain’s cultivation had long surpassed the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws.”

The voice continued, carrying a trace of reflection, “At first, I thought he was concealing his strength. Only now do I understand...he was laying the path for his disciple.” There was unmistakable admiration in his tone. “As a master, he was willing to relinquish an even greater Chaos Dao Fruit for himself, all to perfect his disciple’s cultivation of the heart-mind. Such resolve...even I must bow in respect.”

“You mean...back then, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain was able to, just like you, Grandfather, step beyond the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws and draw forth a strand of a true essence from the primal chaos origin of the Mortal Transformation Zone?” A flicker of astonishment crossed Chen Linkong’s face. “If so...then the price he paid must have been immense.”

The voice from the hut replied calmly. “One must relinquish in order to gain. Without that sacrifice, how could Lin Xun have achieved the transformation he has today? That move is nothing short of extraordinary.”

“Grandfather, then what kind of Chaos Dao Fruit will Young Friend Lin obtain?”

“It cannot be predicted.”

The answer left Chen Linkong utterly stunned. Could it be something even greater than the Chaos Dao Fruit Grandfather obtained back then?

......

In that world resembling primordial chaos, the bird in black suddenly felt a chill seize her heart. The next instant, the violent clang of chaos echoed across heaven and earth.

“Master...he...”

Before she could finish, booming laughter erupted from deep beneath the earth. “Hahaha! Bodhi...oh, Bodhi! You are truly generous!”

The chains rattled wildly. The laughter rolled on for a long while before gradually subsiding.

Then came a sigh. “This grows more interesting by the moment. Bodhi, I once believed you meant to use your disciple as a variable to contend with me. Who would have thought...you had already relinquished your move back then? But this is even better. With this variable...I am delighted...”

The girl in black trembled violently. Her master’s aura was fluctuating intensely now, rising and crashing like a storm beneath the earth. The invisible pressure made it difficult to breathe.

But she could not tell... Was he pleased? Or enraged? Or perhaps both?

......

At this moment, Lin Xun was standing at the highest reaches of the sky. Before him stretched a boundless void, vast as primordial chaos. It was empty, silent, without form or substance. Even when he extended his spirit sense, he perceived nothing at all. However, within the depths of his mind, visions unfolded.

A towering swordsman stood within the shifting light and shadow of reincarnation. His sleeves billowed, majestic as a supreme deity. Before him stretched an immeasurable sea of ​​swords, surging and churning with countless torrents of sword intent, all of them pouring into the depths of the reincarnating radiance behind him.

Elsewhere, a man clad in jade-green robes strode across the river of chaos as though he was its sovereign. An ancient sword rested upon his back. With every step he took, mysterious and unfathomable divine patterns bloomed beneath his feet.

Further in the distance stood a man in pristine black robes. Around him drifted strands of crystalline chains of tribulation, as numerous as the sands of the world. Yet he remained untouched by the ten thousand tribulations.

The three figures embodied three supreme and unparalleled presences. As Lin Xun sensed them, faint ripples stirred within his heart.

He understood. These were beings who had transcended the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws. The reason their names did not appear among those laws was simple: the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws themselves were incapable of bearing the weight of their dao!

Now, Lin Xun had become the fourth in history to stand beyond the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws! Realizing this, an indescribable warmth surged through his chest. He knew it was his master who had brought him to this point.

Without his master’s dao manifestation tempering and refining his mind until it could roam ten thousand fathoms and span ten thousand ages, he could never have attained such a dao path in such a short time. After a long moment, Lin Xun exhaled and cast aside all lingering thoughts.

“Rise!”

In the next instant, boundless radiance erupted from him. He shone like a newborn sun tearing through dawn, illuminating the vast and formless expanse of primal chaos above.

Boom!

The entire Mortal Transformation Zone shuddered. Across its countless regions, mighty beings felt their hearts tremble in unison. One after another, they lifted their gazes toward the heavens. High above, where the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws interwove like a vast celestial canopy, a mysterious dao light appeared. It was as if a sovereign had descended above all laws, standing beyond them, releasing a majesty without equal!

“That...”

Countless stood frozen, stunned into speechlessness.

“In this world...another dao path that stands above the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws has emerged!”

“It’s Lin Xun! It must be him!”

The scene struck like a sudden storm, sweeping through the hearts of every mighty being. Their minds reeled, shaken and unsteady. It had been no more than ten short months since Lin Xun entered the Mortal Transformation Zone, yet he had already forged a supreme miracle amid the great dao contests!

Now, they were witnessing it with their own eyes.