The Prodigies War

“Fellow Daoists, you seem new here. Why not join us for a drink and a chat?” The voice came from an old woman in flowing purple robes. She appeared frail, almost fragile, yet her eyes were bright with warmth as she smiled in invitation.

Lin Xun returned the smile. “It would be impolite to decline.”

He and Xia Zhi stepped forward, sat down upon the ground, and began conversing with the gathered mighty beings.Before long, they had exchanged names and learned of one another’s origins.

When the black-robed youth learned that Lin Xun was a successor of the Lord of Fangchun Mountain, realization dawned upon him. “So...you are that lotus.”

Clearly, word of Lin Xun had long since spread among them. Next, Lin Xun produced several jars of fine wine, and they spoke at leisure of matters concerning the All-Wonder Dominion.

Before long, their conversation turned to their respective understandings of the great dao. At times, their words stirred Lin Xun, giving him moments of quiet insight. As for the black-robed youth and the others, the depth of understanding Lin Xun revealed left them deeply surprised and impressed.

At last, Lin Xun set down his cup and smiled. “Meeting you all today and sharing wine has been a great pleasure. If fate allows us to meet again, I will certainly drink with you once more.”

The black-robed youth narrowed his eyes slightly. “Fellow Daoist Lin...don’t tell me you already have confidence in passing this trial?”

Lin Xun thought before answering, “For Xia Zhi and me, this test should not be difficult.”

A soft chuckle escaped the elderly woman in purple. “Then we shall look forward to witnessing your brilliance.”

The others also revealed expressions of anticipation. Lin Xun and Xia Zhi rose and walked toward a more secluded stretch of the land.

“Xia Zhi, you first,” Lin Xun said gently.

Xia Zhi nodded. A faint mist-like qi began to coil around her slender figure, subtle yet profound. She lifted her jade-like hand and traced a single line through the air.

Buzz!

In an instant, the primal chaos origin power of heaven and earth was stirred. Torrents surged in from all directions, converging beneath her slender, jade-white fingertips.

Then, the embryonic form of a great dao world began to take shape. Heaven and earth parted, sun and moon took form, and mountains and rivers surged into being. The meridians of the cosmos spread through the void, weaving the structure of creation...

Thereafter, myriad phenomena began to emerge one after another. The current of time began to flow, and the power of epochal transformation followed.

The entire process lasted less than half an hour. Before Xia Zhi, a wondrous and unfathomable great dao world hovered, already near perfection. The power of laws permeated every corner. Countless daos were woven into every blade of grass and every tree. Even the aura of fate coursed through it like an unseen river.

Buzz!

At that very moment, the entire heaven and earth of primal chaos shuddered, and a strange resonance rippled outward through the void. All around, the mighty beings who had been immersed in forging their own dao world were jolted from their concentration. One after another, their gazes turned toward Xia Zhi.

Shua! Before her, the great dao world abruptly condensed into a streak of divine radiance and shot upward into the depths of chaos.

“Come quickly.”

She had only enough time to utter those two words before her figure dissolved into light and vanished without a trace.

“She...she only arrived today, didn’t she?” someone muttered blankly, his expression frozen in disbelief.

“That’s right...she arrived barely three hours ago. She was just chatting with fellow daoists earlier. And yet...in only half an hour she forged a great dao world and passed the trial. That’s far too fast...” someone inhaled sharply.

Among them, some had been trapped here for tens of thousands of years, others for hundreds of thousands, and many more for several hundred thousand years. By comparison, Xia Zhi’s effortless success in just half an hour was nothing short of astonishing. It felt almost unreal, so shocking that many were left shaken to their core.

The black-robed youth, the purple-robed old woman, and the others who had witnessed the entire process stood rooted in place, stunned into silence, their hearts trembling from the shock.

After a long silence, the black-robed youth suddenly let out a low laugh. “I never imagined that we would witness such a miracle with our own eyes!”

The others could only marvel in agreement. During their earlier conversation, Xia Zhi had remained quiet and reserved, speaking scarcely a word. Naturally, most of their attention was on Lin Xun. Who would have thought that beneath that serene beauty lay such astonishing mastery of the dao?

“Everyone, I shall take my leave first.” Lin Xun smiled and cupped his hands from afar.

“Haha! Very well. Let us see how Fellow Daoist Lin builds his dao and passes this test,” someone said with a smile.

By now, the disturbance had drawn the attention of many other mighty beings scattered throughout this world. At those words, countless gazes shifted toward Lin Xun. Xia Zhi’s feat had shaken them deeply. Now, their curiosity burned even brighter.

Under the scrutiny of so many eyes, Lin Xun paused briefly in thought. Then he raised a hand and casually pointed into the void. Boom!

The heavens and earth trembled violently. Primal chaos origin power surged madly toward the point where Lin Xun’s finger hovered, converging wildly like mountains collapsing and seas overturning.

The magnitude of the disturbance startled everyone present. They had been building their dao here for years, but never had they witnessed such a commotion at the very instant dao building began. What kind of great dao world could possibly give rise to such upheaval?

Curiosity flared in every heart. However, before anyone could see clearly what was taking shape, a streak of divine radiance flashed. Lin Xun vanished into thin air. The vast primal chaos origin power that had been gathering at his fingertips dissipated completely, disappearing without a trace.

“He...”

Everyone was stunned. What happened?

With a single gesture, primal chaos surged forth, and before he had even begun constructing his dao, he was gone? The black-robed youth and the purple-robed old woman rose abruptly to their feet, exchanging stunned glances. This abnormal scene left them unable to remain composed.

Only after a long while, when the trembling heavens had finally settled, did the purple-robed elder mutter softly, “He said he was leaving...and he really left without the slightest hesitation. This Fellow Daoist Lin is really as elusive as a ghost, appearing and vanishing without a trace...”

“Elusive as a ghost?” Someone replied with a wry smile. “I’d say this Test of Dao Building might as well not exist for him.”

“Have any of you ever heard of such a thing happening before?” another couldn’t help but ask.

“Never.” All of them shook their heads.

For a moment, their emotions grew even more complicated. Without a doubt, this was even more astonishing than Miss Xia Zhi’s feat. It was enough to overturn everything they thought they understood.

......

Not only were those mighty figures stunned, but even Lin Xun himself was taken aback.

He had fully intended to construct his dao here and was confident in his ability to do so. However, the moment he drew upon the primal chaos origin power, the world itself seemed unable to withstand the weight of his cultivation. It did not grant him even the chance to begin. Instead, he was expelled in an instant.

“This is likely connected to the Principles of Fortune I have mastered,” Lin Xun murmured, deep in thought. “If I were to establish my dao here...the great dao world I create might truly take root and sprout, transforming into a true cultivation world...”

Then, his surroundings shifted. He found himself standing before a vast river. It was so mighty and boundless that it seemed to descend from the heavens themselves, surging forward through an endless void.

Meanwhile, scattered along different stretches of the great river, numerous figures stood in silence. Xia Zhi was among them. The moment Lin Xun appeared, he walked straight toward her.

“So soon?” Xia Zhi’s eyes revealed a trace of surprise. She had only just arrived, and he was already here.

Lin Xun smiled faintly. “I was worried you might have to wait too long.”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the vast, surging river before them. This was the third trial of the Calamitous Zone: the Test of Heart Knocking. It was said that the waters of this river carried a mysterious and unfathomable force. Any cultivator who attempted to cross it would face endless rising and crashing waves. It was not against their flesh, but directly at the mind.

If one’s state of mind wavered even slightly, disaster would follow. At best, one would suffer grievous injury. At worst, one’s mind would shatter entirely, leading to death. Among the three great trials of the Calamitous Zone, the Test of Heart Knocking was unquestionably the most perilous.

To pass it, one had to cross this river. Though many figures stood along the banks, none dared to attempt it at that moment. Some had already failed and remained stranded here, unable to advance. Others knew their hearts were not yet steady enough and did not dare act rashly.

The arrival of Lin Xun and Xia Zhi in succession drew the attention of those present. Numerous gazes turned toward them, studying them from afar. Most held only curiosity and no malice.

After all, it could take countless years for even a single cultivator to reach this place. Yet today, a man and a woman arrived one after another. That was unexpected.

Lin Xun paid no heed to the watching eyes. He said softly to Xia Zhi, “You go first. Remember, do your best. The less time you spend crossing, the more wondrous the Chaos Dao Fruit you will obtain.”

Upon passing the Test of Heart Knocking, one would be granted a Chaos Dao Fruit and step through the heavenly gate of the Calamitous Zone into the third sky zone. The swifter the crossing, the more extraordinary the reward.

Xia Zhi nodded. Without hesitation, she stepped forward. Her graceful figure rose into the air, drifting across the river like a celestial fairy descending from the heavens.

“She’s attempting it already?” A ripple of astonishment spread through the crowd. They did not know whether to call her reckless or fearless.

Shua! Within the great river, waves like flying snow surged skyward, rising in towering sheets before crashing down violently toward Xia Zhi. Despite that, not a single drop touched her body. Instead, the force bypassed her body entirely, striking directly at her state of mind.

Xia Zhi paused for only the briefest instant. Then, as though she had already adapted to the onslaught, her long, graceful legs stepped forward. In the span of just a few breaths, facing the roaring torrents head-on, she traversed the vast river and arrived upon the opposite shore.

An uproar erupted across the banks. The ancient monsters, who had been trapped before this trial for untold ages, trembled involuntarily, staring in stunned disbelief. With a single step, she rose into the air and drifted across the river. Such brilliance left them feeling ashamed.

Even Lin Xun could not help but marvel. Xia Zhi’s state of mind was like a flawless mirror, untainted and unstained. Furthermore, it was precisely because of that purity that made it so terrifyingly strong. For her, this most dangerous of trials posed no challenge at all.

At this moment, on the far bank, the moment her feet touched solid ground, a cascade of mysterious primal chaos radiance burst forth, descending like a shower of light to envelop her. The power of the Chaos Dao Fruit!

Above her, a heavenly gate manifested, stretching high into immeasurable heights. This sight stirred envy in the hearts of the mighty beings present and even a faint melancholy.

For countless years, they had stood at these riverbanks, dreaming of crossing those waters and stepping through that gate. However, to this day, none of them have succeeded.

Now, Xia Zhi, who had only just arrived, had accomplished it with effortless ease. How could their hearts not be filled with complicated emotions?

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