The Prodigies War

Mapleleaf Crossing.

When the gathered mighty figures finally recovered their senses, they discovered that Lin Xun had already departed at some unknown moment.

Suddenly, someone spoke, “Do you all remember how the Alpha Origin Master left the Mortal Transformation Zone back then?”

“It is said that when Alpha Origin Master first entered the Mortal Transformation Zone, there were only a few dozen dao manifestations within the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws. He challenged them one by one and defeated them all with ease. Yet even after that, the Chaos Dao Fruit did not appear. As a result, he remained trapped in this Mortal Transformation Zone for several hundred years.”

“Later, it was said that he comprehended the ultimate secret within the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws of the Mortal Transformation Zone. With a single step, the heavenly gate opened of its own accord, and thus he departed. However, it’s only a legend. No one knows whether it’s true.”

“Don’t forget, the dao manifestation of Alpha Origin Master is not among the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws. If he had not grasped their ultimate mystery, how else could such a thing have been possible?”

“There’s no need for everyone to argue over this. Don’t you think that Lin Xun’s current situation bears some resemblance to that of Alpha Origin Master back then?”

At those words, the atmosphere shifted at once. It fell noticeably quieter, and several expressions flickered with unease. How could the Lin Xun of today be compared with Alpha Origin Master back then?

“Since ancient times, Alpha Origin Master has been regarded as one of the very first to step into the pinnacle of the Immeasurable Realm. It has been countless epochs since he attained the dao. Within the All-Wonder Dominion, there are almost none who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him.”

“That’s not necessarily so,” someone countered calmly. “What about that swordsman? Did he not transform his own cultivation into a sword seal and bind Alpha Origin Master to this day?”

Another voice spoke, calm yet firm, “Let us be clear. The Lin Xun of today is naturally no match for the Alpha Origin Master as he stands now. But the Lin Xun of today already possesses the foundation to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Alpha Origin Master of back then!”

At those words, silence fell once more. Indeed, judging by Lin Xun’s present foundation and record of feats, he was fully comparable to the Alpha Origin Master when he had first entered the Mortal Transformation Zone. That was an undeniable fact that no one could refute.

After a long while, someone spoke in a low voice, “What remains to be seen now is whose dao attainment is stronger...Lin Xun’s or that of his master, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain. If Lin Xun prevails, and the Chaos Dao Fruit still fails to manifest, then his situation will indeed mirror that of Alpha Origin Master back then.”

“And if he loses...” the speaker paused. “Then there will be nothing left to discuss.”

......

Between the heavens and the earth, Lin Xun rode the wind, drifting freely across the boundless mountains and rivers.

After his battle with th golden cicada, an irresistible surge of insight welled up within him. It was as though an unseen barrier had suddenly shattered, and throughout his body flowed a transformation like water brimming in a cup. Once full, it must overflow.

Only then did Lin Xun realize that his cultivation had advanced once more. He had broken through from the intermediate Immeasurable Realm into the advanced Immeasurable Realm. As he wandered freely between heaven and earth, he quietly savored the myriad transformations unfolding within his cultivation. An indescribable joy welled up in his heart.

For a cultivator, there was no greater delight than such a transformation in one’s cultivation, like a dam bursting and floodwaters roaring forth, like torrential rain pouring down from the nine heavens. Day after day passed. Lin Xun never slowed his steps. He crossed mountain after mountain, river after river, sweeping across boundless lands, silently witnessing the myriad states of mortal existences.

Half a month passed. Only then did Lin Xun come to a halt. In the vast stretch between heaven and earth ahead, a boundless blue sea unfolded, its waves surging in magnificent swells.

Above the azure waters, sandpipers wheeled and gathered, while schools of fish occasionally burst from the surface, sending sprays of foam scattering into the air. Suspended high above one stretch of water stood a solitary stone stele. Upon its surface was the image of a crescent moon and three stars.

When Lin Xun arrived, the surrounding expanse of the blue sea was already filled with countless mighty figures. Silhouettes stood in every direction, as though all the great powers in the Mortal Transformation Zone had gathered here. This battle had undoubtedly drawn the eyes of the entire world!

After all, Lin Xun had battled for nine consecutive months and had won every single battle. Now, within the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws, only one dao manifestation remained for him to challenge. Moreover, this dao manifestation bore an especially profound connection to him.

If he were to fall, all his previous victories would dissolve like water carried away by the current. However, if he prevailed, it would become yet another legend etched into the history of the Mortal Transformation Zone!

As Lin Xun arrived, he took in the scene at a glance. The shores of the azure sea were already crowded with mighty figures. Among them, he immediately spotted familiar faces such as Xing Jianxia, ​​Fu Nanli, and other old friends.

After offering them a nod of greeting, he stepped onto the waves and strode across the blue sea, heading straight for the floating stone stele. Countless gazes followed him.

Standing before the stele, Lin Xun spoke softly to himself, “The crescent moon and three stars signify the heart-mind. The spirit platform within an inch is also associated with the heart-mind. Master, I have long understood that the foundation of Fangchun Mountain rests upon the cultivation of the heart-mind.

“You once told my senior brothers and sisters that disciples need not be inferior to their master. Today, I have come to seek guidance from the dao manifestation you left behind.”

He cupped his hands and bowed deeply.

Buzz—

The stone stele began to hum. Light rippled across its surface as it transformed into a tall, slender figure seated high as if in the nine heavens. His beard and hair were snow-white. His bearing was transcendent, like a celestial sage, like a Confucian saint, like a Buddha of boundless compassion, like a demon of immeasurable might. However, he was neither immortal nor daoist, neither Confucian nor Buddhist, neither demon nor monster.

The aura he radiated was profound, unfathomable, and indescribable. This figure was naturally the dao manifestation left behind by the Lord of Fangchun Mountain!

The moment he appeared, every mighty figure within the vast territory surrounding the azure sea felt their hearts tremble. It was as though they stood before the teacher of myriad daos, the sovereign of all heavens. A reverence rose instinctively from the depths of their souls, like they were gazing up at an insurmountable peak.

It was an invisible authority, a formless majesty that allowed no thought of irreverence, disrespect or defiance. Even Lin Xun felt that overwhelming presence surge toward him like a boundless tide.

Though he had seen his master’s Will Dharma Form before, what stood before him now was entirely different, like the gulf between clouds and mud. Suddenly, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain moved, casually delivering a palm strike.

Boom!

The moment that palm descended, the mighty figures watching from afar felt their minds reel as if struck by a heavy blow. In their dazed vision, they seemed to shrink into insignificant ants, while that colossal hand blotted out the sky and pressed down to suppress all beneath it.

Only one thought remained in their hearts: this palm was like the vast heavenly dao itself descending. It was impossible to withstand. An indescribable despair began to spread wildly through their hearts. Just as they were on the verge of breaking down, a clear and composed dao voice suddenly resounded, “Overbearing!”

Boom!

Those mighty figures felt their vision go dark for an instant. Then their state of mind that had been on the verge of collapse was suddenly torn free from that suffocating despair. Even so, the backlash struck hard. Many turned deathly pale, their figures staggering, nearly tumbling from the void.

Shock and terror were etched across every expression. What a terrifying palm strike! It targeted the mind. Even from a great distance, beings of the Greater Boundless Realm could barely withstand it. If that palm had descended upon them directly, the outcome would have been beyond imagination!

When they looked again into the distance, Lin Xun was already locked in combat with the Lord of Fangchun Mountain. The Lord of Fangchun Mountain’s fighting style was astonishingly simple. He merely lifted his palm and struck, again and again. Each movement was light and unadorned, devoid of any grand display of divine radiance or overwhelming dao momentum.

However, every palm strike fell directly upon the mind. It was almost inconceivable. The mind was the most mysterious and intangible of forces. Despite that, beneath the Lord of Fangchun Mountain’s palm, even the invisible could not hide.

Pu!

Some spectators coughed up blood, turned away and fled without daring to look again. Others tried to endure. They were watching from afar, yet even at that distance, the impact struck them mercilessly. It felt as though heavy hammers were crashing down upon their minds again and again.

One by one, they began to retreat. A few stubborn figures attempted to hold their ground, but after only several breaths they coughed up blood and cried out in agony. Their mental states were on the verge of collapse. Panic overtook them, and they withdrew in haste. In just moments, not a single spectator remained above the azure sea!

......

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Within the battlefield, Lin Xun felt as though his mind had become a blazing furnace. Each palm strike from the Lord of Fangchun Mountain crashed down like a divine hammer, causing the furnace walls to thunder and shudder violently. The force was so fierce he nearly felt himself shattering from within.

It was a direct assault upon the mind itself. It was subtle, unfathomable and unlike any other dao confrontation in the world. At the beginning, Lin Xun was still able to resist. Gradually, he could do nothing more than defend himself.

“I never imagined that my master would have refined the power of his mind to such an unfathomable extent. With cultivation like this, how could he merely rank first among the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws?”

The pressure bearing down on Lin Xun mounted steadily, and confusion flickered through his thoughts.

The golden cicada’s Formless Dao of Illusion and Reality was already mysterious and unique beyond compare, but who would have expected that his master’s mastery of the mind would be on an entirely different level!

In comparison, the dao manifestation left behind by Ape Ancestor, Black Crow, and Chen Linkong were far easier to withstand.

Boom!

The furnace of his mind trembled ever more violently beneath the relentless blows. Lin Xun no longer dared allow a single stray thought to arise. He severed all distractions. He gathered every thread of spirit, essence and will into the depths of his mind, driving his cultivation to its fullest extent.

Then, almost instinctively, he activated the Sacred Combat Art, one of Fangchun Mountain’s nine great inheritances. At that very instant, something extraordinary occurred. Within the furnace of his mind, an unparalleled fighting spirit suddenly surged forth, as though blazing flames had been ignited from its core.

The trembling stabilized. The chaos settled.

When the Lord of Fangchun Mountain’s next palm descended, the impact was still immense, but it was no longer unbearable. A surge of clarity invigorated Lin Xun.

Of course.

The Fangchun Mountain’s nine great inheritances had all been created by his master. Long ago, he had already fused those nine scriptures into his own path of cultivation. It was only because he had never before faced a battle that struck directly at the mind that he had been caught off guard and suffered under the initial impact.

Realizing this, Lin Xun immediately began circulating the remaining inheritances in succession: the Great Genesis Heart Sutra, the Wandering Sutra, the Boundless Nearness, the Transformation Freedom, Unfettered Roaming, Unbounded Walker, the Sutra of Perfected Knowledge, and the Fangchun Prison.

Every inheritance encompassed the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth. Each could be traced back to its primordial source. In addition, at their root, all were intricately bound to the power of the mind.

At this moment, as Lin Xun circulated his cultivation, countless wondrous visions began to unfold within the furnace of his mind. Not only did it grow completely stable, but it also gave rise to insights that he had never before touched.

What was even more astonishing was that when the Lord of Fangchun Mountain’s palm struck again, there was no violent tremor and no unbearable impact. Instead, a strange resonance rippled through him.

It was as though his mind was a block of unrefined iron, and each descending palm was a divine hammer tempering it, refining it, and forging it into something beyond words. A sudden realization surfaced in his heart. Could this...be a blessing Master left behind for me?