The morning sunlight trickled through the leaves outside the cabin, dappling across the floorboards in waves of soft gold and green. The faint smell of wildflowers drifted in through the window, mingling with the comforting aroma of simmering tea.
John stirred from his meditation, his breathing calm and measured. Across from him sat Tessa, her once-radiant form still faintly veiled in ethereal mist. She smiled faintly as he opened his eyes; her divine aura was subdued, contained—but her beauty remained arresting.
Every morning for the last week, since the beginning of their intimate awakening, they had shared this quiet ritual. He circulated his qi, reinforcing body and soul, while she attuned herself to the fragments of her divinity that had survived Chaos' torment. Invisible threads of energy wove between them—his mortal life force mingling with her divine essence in an ever-deepening resonance. His growing love for her accelerated his understanding of the Dao, and his healing aura finally began producing meaningful progress. Her body and soul were stabilizing, advancing once more.
"You're stabilizing faster," John said softly, rising to pour her a cup of tea. "Your aura no longer fractures at the edges."
Tessa accepted the cup, her fingers brushing his. Even that fleeting touch sent warmth through both of them—an echo of a bond far beyond master and apostle.
"Only because of you," she admitted, gazing into the steam. "Your life energy… it nourishes what was lost. Chaos' corruption tore through my soul like a storm. Every time you channel your qi into me, it mends another thread of what he destroyed."
John watched the faint glow beneath her skin. Once, she had radiated overwhelming divinity that made mortals bow instinctively. Now, the light was softer, tempered by vulnerability.
"I wish I could do more," he murmured.
"You already have done plenty, and I know you'll do all in your power," she said, smiling faintly. "The flames of your Dao… they burn with purity. Even your lust, as raw as it was, held no corruption. That is why I can heal through it. You are not tainted, John. You are… alive. That is something even gods forget to be."
For a long moment, silence stretched between them—broken only by the rustle of wind and the quiet bubbling of the kettle.
Finally, Tessa spoke again, her tone shifting. "The balance of this land trembles," she said, setting the cup aside. "I felt it last night—something ancient stirs beneath the roots of the world. You have drawn the eyes of the Earth Realm itself."
John frowned. "The secret realm of Earth?"
She nodded. "Yes. The Verdant Crucible you conquered was only one facet of my domain—the life aspect. But there is another realm, one that lies deep beneath the surface: the Terra Primordia, the root of all creation. It has begun to awaken, responding to your fusion of the Infernos and your dominion over Life. That place… holds both your next trial and the key to restoring what Chaos took from me."
He opened the system and notice that the Secret realm Stoneheart hollow had a gold star next to it, it glowed and was replaced by the Secret realm Terra Primordia. The systems notification rang out as it displayed why.
[The user has far exceeded what could be gained by the Secret realm Stoneheart hollow by bathing in the aura of the Goddess of Earth and the Harvest Verdant Terrestra, The Secret realm of Terra Primordia has been unlocked due the connection to the goddess.]
John felt a surge of anticipation and dread. "Then that's where I'm going next."
Tessa stood, her robes flowing gently and elegantly from the wind that invaded the cabin, and she walked to him. "I won't stop you. But understand, what waits there is older than the gods. The Earth Realm is not kind to those who walk with mortal flesh. Its guardians test the truth of one's foundation. If yours wavers, it will bury you whole."
John met her gaze, determination unflinching. "I've been buried before. This time, I'll dig my way out stronger."
A faint laugh escaped her, melodic and bittersweet. "Then take this." She pressed her palm to his chest, and light flared—a small green crystal forming at the center of his sternum before sinking beneath his skin. "A shard of my divinity. It will connect our souls while you're inside the realm. Should your spirit begin to fade, I can pull you back."
He reached up, touching the spot where her warmth lingered. "I'll come back, Tessa. Not just for me, but so you can be whole again."
She hesitated, then leaned forward, her lips brushing his forehead. "Then return quickly, my apostle. For if the Earth Realm truly awakens… even the heavens will tremble."
Standing outside his cabin, John glanced to the sides where his forge and alchemy hut rested. The air shimmered faintly with the power of his accumulated Daos—Wrath, Pride, Lust, and the newly awakened harmony of Life.
He drew a breath, then spoke the words that had appeared in his mind upon waking:
"Enter Secret Realm – Terra Primordia."
He instantly disappeared, but rather than teleporting like normal he saw the world shattered into fragments of glowing dust. Gravity twisted, and the earth itself seemed to swallow him whole.
When his vision cleared, he found himself in utter darkness. The air was heavy, saturated with primal energy older than time. Colossal roots pulsed faintly all around him, as if he stood within the heart of a living world.
A deep rumble echoed, followed by the resonant voice of the system:
[Welcome, Sovereign of the Azure Harvest. You have entered the first level of the Secret Realm: Terra Primordia.]
[Trial One: Awaken the Slumbering Core. Prove your dominion over Earth by merging your soul with the World Root.]
John inhaled sharply as the ground beneath him shifted. From the cavern's center, a colossal crystalline heart emerged—each beat sending ripples of mana through the air.
"So, this is the heart of the Earth…" he whispered.
A deep, ancient consciousness stirred, a voice neither male nor female echoing in his mind:
"Another child dares touch the Root. The last one was your goddess… and she screamed for mercy before the end."
John's breath caught. The mention of Tessa ignited a spark of wrath beneath his pride.
"Then I'll make the Earth itself remember her name," he said, summoning both necrotic flames and the azure-green qi of nature, which shifted and wavered, reflecting an intense aura of life at times.
"This time, no one will scream rather you shall only bow."
The cavern trembled. The first trial of Terra Primordia had begun.
The World Root pulsed with immense power, each beat sending a shiver through the ground. Its colossal crystalline form radiated raw, ancient energy—alive, sentient, and not entirely friendly.
He raised his hands, channeling both his necrotic flames and the nature mixed with life qi flowing from his Sovereign of the Azure Harvest class. The two energies collided in his palms—a blazing mixture of death and life, fire and growth. The World Root trembled as if sensing his presence.
The ground cracked. Massive root tendrils erupted, each as thick as a tree trunk, lashing toward him with the force of catapults.
John didn't flinch. His body became an extension of the earth itself. He stomped, and waves of green and brown life energy radiated outward, splitting roots in half like twigs. His necrotic flames with their dark magenta coated his body, incinerating anything that came too close.
The tendrils reformed, faster and more numerous. Each split into smaller branches, aiming to overwhelm him. He clenched his fists and poured all his consciousness into the earth around him, feeling the life energy of the cavern, the roots, and the heart itself. Slowly, he began merging with the World Root.
The pain was immense as numerous roots pierced his flesh, energy surged through his veins, trying to rewrite his soul. Yet his heart, enhanced by the alchemical pill and infused with nature and earth qi, held steady. He sank deeper, letting the essence of the World Root seep into him while infusing it with his Dao.
With a roar, he released a shockwave of combined life and necrotic energy. The roots paused mid-strike, then bowed slightly, acknowledging his presence. The World Root's crystalline surface glowed brighter, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
[Trial One Complete: Required results far exceeded. Calculating causality… Dao of Nature has evolved into the Dao of Life (1st Tier: Mastery).]
A radiant aura of green and gold enveloped him. His senses expanded to touch every living thing in the cavern—the faintest pulse of roots, mineral flows beneath the soil, even hidden veins of water.
"This… this is beyond cultivation," he murmured. "I can feel everything alive."
Before he could savor the moment, the cavern darkened. From the walls emerged towering guardians of living rock and sinew, heads resembling long-extinct beasts, bodies carved with runes, eyes glowing with the pure essence of earth.
[Trial Two: Subjugate the Guardians of Terra. Harness your Dao of Life to dominate the primal forces of the earth.]
The guardians moved as one, swinging enormous fists and crushing boulders. John ducked under a strike, sending roots into the closest guardian's limbs, binding it.
One guardian roared, swatting him aside like a fly. He ignited his necrotic flames, searing away the corrupted constructs. With a roar, he struck the largest guardian with a combined punch of life qi and necrotic inferno. Its stone body shattered, fragments returning to the earth.
Step by step, root by root, he merged with the cavern, drawing the guardians' strength into his Dao. Each guardian destroyed elevated his power, as if the World Root rewarded him for conquering its defenses.
Finally, only one remained towering above the ceiling, its roar shaking the foundations. John clenched his fist, feeling the Dao of Life surge through him.
He summoned a titanic seed of life energy, planting it at the guardian's feet. It erupted into vines, flowers, and trees, purifying the chaotic energy that bound it.
[Trial Two Complete: Required results far exceeded. Calculating causality… Guardian Essence absorbed.
Earthborne power permanently integrated into your cultivation system. +500% Life and Earth Qi growth efficiency.]
The cavern now pulsed with life. Fragments of stone transformed into fertile soil and flowers. His mastery over life had become absolute.
The World Root split open at its center, revealing a core pulsing with raw, jagged creation energy.
[Trial Three: Plant the Seed of Primordia within the Heart of the World. Survive the backlash of primordial energy and ascend your Dao.]
As soon as he touched the core, a hurricane of energy erupted. Roots twisted into whips; stone fragments sliced the air like blades. Each pulse threatened to tear him apart.
But John's body had evolved beyond mortal flesh. His heart pumped Dao-enhanced life qi, his skin, bone and muscles infused with earth qi, his mind interfaced with the World Root, his necrotic flames balanced perfectly with life energy. He became both catalyst and conduit, jabbing his arm straight into the middle of the heart and planting the Seed of Primordia in the crystal core.
A blinding surge of energy exploded outward, collapsing and reforming the cavern in a wave of green, gold, and fiery magenta. The crystal heart absorbed the seed, stabilizing, and John felt the final reward flow into him.
[Trial Three Complete: Required results far exceeded. Calculating causality…Reward:
– Artifact: Seed of Primordia (permits control over primal creation energy).
– Dao of Life advanced to 2nd Tier: Sovereign.
– All Nature Qi refined into Primordial Qi.
– Permanent enhancement: Body, heart, and dantian integrate fully with World Root energy.]
John collapsed, breathing heavily, his vision clearing to see the cavern transformed. Trees, flowers, and rivers of glowing mana coalesced around the core. Life surged in every direction, and he could feel the heartbeat of the World Root synced with his own.
"This… is power beyond anything I've known," he whispered, awe in his voice. "I can feel the Earth itself flowing through me…"
A soft voice echoed in his mind.
"You have proven worthy, Sovereign of the Azure Harvest. Terra Primordia acknowledges you as its champion. May your reign over life and earth be eternal."
John smiled faintly, touching the shard of Tessa's divinity embedded in his chest. Even as he stood in the heart of the world, he felt her presence with him, steady and reassuring.
"Then let's see what else this world has to offer," he murmured, rising to his feet. "Because if I'm going to ascend, nothing is going to hold me back—not even the Earth itself."
The World Root pulsed once more, and the next layer of Terra Primordia awaited.