“Why?!”
Staring at the dark red blood on the ground, Ye Junfan’s pale face twisted into rage.
He couldn’t understand why his breakthrough had failed when he had already passed the second tribulation.
“Damn these heavenly shackles—I refuse to accept this!”
Ye Junfan roared in fury. He believed it was the ancient curse of the Archaic Sacred Body that caused his failure.
But he was only trying to break through a minor stage! Besides, he had already survived the second tribulation of the Archaic Sacred Body.
Why was he still being suppressed?
With red eyes, Ye Junfan pulled out a low-grade Profound Pill.
It was something he had snatched up from a stall at a market—a treasure he intended to use after reaching the Cave Heaven Realm, to help open his first Cave Heaven.
But now, he had lost control.
Failing a breakthrough and even dropping in cultivation—who could bear that kind of blow?
(It was like reaching Star Glory I with five stars in King of Glory, just one match away from hitting King tier—only to get teamed up with a bunch of throwers, lose, and then suffer a three-game losing streak. Who wouldn’t mentally collapse?)
“I don’t believe I can’t break through!”
He threw his head back and swallowed the Profound Pill meant for the Cave Heaven Realm.
Instantly, the pill dissolved, and immense medicinal pressure surged into his limbs and bones.
His cultivation aura rose sharply, instantly climbing to the 6th stage Spirit Sea Realm.
This was a Profound Pill—even a low-grade one was countless times stronger than a premium Spirit Pill.
As joy returned to Ye Junfan’s face and he saw his cultivation nearing the 7th stage Spirit Sea Realm…
It was as if that eerie curse struck again.
“Pu!”
In that instant, his Dantian convulsed violently. His Qi and blood rapidly decayed, and his body couldn’t withstand the overwhelming medicinal impact—his cultivation fell again, all the way back to the 5th stage Spirit Sea Realm!
And it didn’t stop there—he had forcibly taken the Profound Pill while still injured, and now the backlash worsened.
His realm dropped even further!
Feeling his cultivation fall to the 4th stage Spirit Sea Realm, Ye Junfan’s vision darkened, and he passed out on the spot.
…
Chu Ying had no idea what was happening to Ye Junfan.
But even if Yao Ruoxi wasn’t involved, he wouldn’t spare Ye Junfan. They were enemies from the start.
That guy had used the prestige of the Archaic Sacred Body to repeatedly provoke him after arriving at the Supreme Profound Holy Land, and their grudge was long set.
Behind Ye Junfan stood a major figure of the Holy Land, said to have placed a heavy bet on this Archaic Sacred Body, hoping he could break the fate-bound shackles of that lineage.
Because of that, even though Chu Ying was the strongest Holy Son Candidate, he had no right to touch him.
Meanwhile, Chu Ying immersed himself in cultivating the Azure Phoenix inheritance.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
In those three days, Chu Ying had already mastered the divine art.
“Whoosh!”
As he tested the technique on his mountain, countless afterimages instantly appeared all over the peak—
All of them were his shadows!
“So fast!”
Chu Ying’s pupils shrank. The sheer speed filled him with euphoria and delight.
And it wasn’t just a movement technique—he could merge it with attacks as well.
He casually launched a palm strike—the burst of speed was so fast no enemy could react.
“The Azure Phoenix Divine Art truly is unmatched. Judging by its grade, it’s at least Heaven Grade. In the Supreme Profound Holy Land, only disciples at the 8th or 9th stage Cave Heaven Realm, or even Soul Palace Realm, would qualify to learn it!”
“However, the Azure Phoenix Divine Art primarily enhances and amplifies speed.”
“Now that I’m in the Cave Heaven Realm, I need new combat techniques.”
With that, Chu Ying left his mountain and headed for the Technique Repository of the Supreme Profound Holy Land.
In this repository, all cultivation methods and techniques were exchanged using contribution points—the currency within the Holy Land.
Contribution points also represented one’s service and merit to the Holy Land.
For example, if a normal disciple wanted to become a Holy Son Candidate, they needed not only talent and strength, but also demonstrated contributions to the Holy Land, measured through contribution points.
Naturally, as the top Holy Son Candidate, Chu Ying had access to special resources.
He received a monthly stipend of 10,000 spirit stones.
That was a privilege most disciples couldn’t even dream of.
But he had already collected this month’s stipend—and handed it all to Yao Ruoxi. The 1,000 spirit stones he used before were from missions he completed himself.
Besides that, he could also choose two techniques from the repository each month.
…
The Supreme Profound Holy Land—one of the great holy lands in the Eastern Wasteland—stood like a colossal powerhouse in the southern region.
The scenery within was like a painting—endless green peaks, swirling mist, rich spiritual Qi—countless times better than the outside world.
As Chu Ying walked the paths, he noticed many disciples whispering and pointing at him.
“Isn’t that Brother Chu Ying, the top Holy Son Candidate? Didn’t he cripple himself by practicing forbidden arts, even broke both his legs?”
“No, I heard he grew three heads and six arms while cultivating, but each head had its own thoughts, and they fought each other—so he ended up wrecking himself. But I don’t see any extra heads?”
“Nonsense! Brother Chu Ying just can’t do that man-woman thing anymore. It’s not as bad as you all say.”
“…”
The more he listened, the more ridiculous it got.
But the corners of Chu Ying’s mouth lifted.
Let the rumors fly. When all of you truly believe I’m crippled—what kind of face will you show when I return, invincible, at the Holy Son Selection Battle?
“What a pity. Brother Chu Ying and the Saintess were a perfect match. But now that he’s ruined, who in our Holy Land is worthy of the Saintess?”
“You’re just a 6th stage Blood Refining Realm outer disciple. Why are you worrying about this?”
“Besides, there’s no such thing as ‘worthy’ or ‘not worthy.’ In our Holy Land, the Holy Son and Saintess always become Dao partners. Whoever rises as the Holy Son naturally pairs with the Saintess. And if that Holy Son sweeps the younger generation of the Holy Land, he may even become the next Sacred Lord! The Sacred Lord of the Holy Land has always been succeeded by the Holy Son, got it?”
“Isn’t there still the Archaic Sacred Body? I heard he passed the second tribulation and broke the second shackle.”
“Hard to say…”
By this point, Chu Ying had already reached the entrance of the Technique Repository.
“Greetings, Transmission Elder. Disciple Chu Ying wishes to select two combat techniques for cultivation.”
Chu Ying respectfully cupped his hands to the elder guarding the repository—a white-haired, white-bearded, white-robed elder… all white, top to bottom.
“Top Holy Son Candidate?” The elder raised his brows slightly.
“Yes,” Chu Ying nodded.
“Hmm? Your current realm… 1st stage Cave Heaven Realm?” The elder’s eyes suddenly sharpened, as if they could see through Chu Ying entirely.
“Release your aura.”
Chu Ying hesitated for a moment, then complied.
1st stage Cave Heaven Realm.
Two Cave Heavens.
One Dharma Image—a branch of the Ten Ancient Ferocious Beasts, the True Phoenix: Azure Phoenix!
A phoenix cry echoed. The moment Chu Ying revealed his Dharma Image, a massive Azure Phoenix phantom quietly emerged in the void outside the repository.
The elder was visibly shocked and quickly waved his hand to dispel the projection.
“You have quite the fortune, to be able to condense such a transcendent Dharma Image.”
Cave Heaven Dharma Images ranged from 1st to 9th grade, with anything beyond that called Transcendent.
As for whether anything existed beyond Transcendent—no one knew.
The stronger the Dharma Image, the stronger one’s combat power at the same realm.
For single-Cave Heaven cultivators, the higher the grade and number of their Dharma Images, the stronger they were.
History had seen many single-Cave Heaven cultivators with nine top-grade Dharma Images who crushed geniuses with multiple Cave Heavens.
No one dared claim to be the strongest in the Cave Heaven Realm—this was only the third cultivation stage, yet the competition was brutal.
Maybe someone with seven Cave Heavens was rare, but what if a six-Cave Heaven cultivator had fifty-four top-grade Dharma Images?
If the seven-Cave Heaven user had fewer or lower-grade Dharma Images, who was stronger would be hard to determine.
…
“You may choose two low-grade Profound techniques or martial skills—any type.”
After his shock, the Transmission Elder nodded in approval.
“Thank you, Elder!” Chu Ying’s eyes lit up.
Until now, he had only cultivated Spirit Grade techniques, but that was when he was still in the Spirit Sea Realm.
And Chu Ying had a plan in mind.
By revealing his Transcendent Azure Phoenix Dharma Image, he caught the attention of this elder.
After all, who else would be allowed to guard the Technique Repository if not someone extraordinary?
Though he was the top Holy Son Candidate, he had no one supporting him from behind—in essence, he had no background.
After being stabbed in the back by Yao Ruoxi, Chu Ying had come to understand many things.
With that, Chu Ying stepped into the Technique Repository and began his selection.