Jingxuan practices in a cave. From the stone walls, threads of yellow energy flow into his body, each stream wrapped in faint runes that pulse like breathing light. His skin hardens, turning the colour and texture of rock, spreading until his entire body resembles living stone.
Moments pass. The energy gradually fades, and the stone layer recedes. His skin returns to normal, smooth and pale under the dim glow of the runes.
Jingxuan opens his eyes. A sharp gleam flashes within them.
He stands and flexes his arms, feeling the dense power coursing beneath his flesh. His body now carries the weight and resilience of a Stage One Extraordinary.
"According to this speed," he murmurs, clenching his fist as faint dust crumbles from his knuckles, "to reach Stage Two, my body will need at least three years."
He is cultivating the Earth Demon Body technique—a creation of his own. He derived it from the abilities of the Rock Man, a mid-level, common-grade Weird he once absorbed. From that clone, he gained two powers: Rock Manipulation and Earth Healing.
Through the Earth Healing ability, he uncovered a mystery—the power to draw in earth-attribute energy for regeneration. Using that principle, combined with his understanding of other earth-elemental mysteries, he forged the Earth Demon Body.
So far, he has completed only the first two stages. Beyond that, his grasp of the Law of Earth is still too shallow.
The laws of this world differ drastically from those of the countless realms he has known. He suspects the cause lies in the Weirds themselves—creatures that distort the world's natural order. For now, it remains only a theory.
He steps out of the cave into a vast underground chamber lined with other tunnels. Three figures stand in the centre, conversing idly instead of cultivating.
Jingxuan frowns. "Why are you not practising?"
They are members of the warlock team sent by his family. After destroying the Rock Man, Jingxuan continued his expedition deeper into the rocky mountains. The journey proved fruitful—he discovered rare resources and Weird cores hidden among the stone valleys.
At first, he sent the unneeded cores and materials to Sandrift City to be sold through traders. But soon, merchants began coming to him directly—one or two each week—offering good prices for whatever he brought out of the mountains.
Among his discoveries was something unexpected: edible Giant Rock Mushrooms. Using his earth ability, he excavated vast underground chambers beneath Ding Town and began cultivating them. To manage the farms, he employed townsfolk and purchased slaves.
The empire's hierarchy was absolute—Royal, Noble, Free Citizen, Serf, and Slave—and Jingxuan used that order to reshape the system to his advantage. He bought a thousand slaves and introduced a contribution system.
For every task completed, they earned contribution points. Those who excelled earned more. With these points, they could buy necessities—or even purchase freedom for themselves or others.
The system transformed their labour into competition. The slaves worked harder, planting and tending to the mushrooms with care. Within two weeks, the first crop matured—large enough to feed Ding Town and sell beyond it.
Encouraged, Jingxuan expanded his efforts. On another ridge, he found a strange plant resembling cotton. He transferred it into one of his underground chambers, cultivated it, and soon began producing thread and clothing.
All this unfolded within a month of slaying the Rock Man.
By the second month, the news of Ding Town's prospects spread to nearby settlements—small towns with stagnant growth.
Curious townsfolk travelled to see the progress, and many decided to stay, swelling Ding Town's population to 1,348.
Over a thousand slaves were now ready to be converted into free citizens under Jingxuan's system.
The Zhang family, having lost all their divine towns three years ago in the Tribulation, heard of his ambitious plan to turn Ding Town into a Divine Town.
They approved, seeing it as a path to resume exploration beyond the divine domain.
Some family members attempted to hijack his plans, but Jingxuan's overwhelming strength deterred them.
That same month, a team of Moon Realm Warlocks launched an attack.
As before, Jingxuan destroyed them with ease, remaining unscathed.
Over these two months, his cultivation surged from the Initial to the Late Realm of the Moon Warlock.
His two Moon Spirits now occupied the Iron Eater's core and the Fire Core within his spirit space, while the core of the Rock Man—absorbed earlier—became his main core, merged seamlessly with his Earth Core.
Recognising his talent and vision, the family invested resources and sent their newly trained Warlock team to assist him.
Using the divine travel ability of the divine domain, they arrived directly at Ding Town's temple at the end of the second month, ready to support his ambitious expansion.
But Jingxuan chose not to expand further; instead, he consolidated his gains and focused on training the sixteen Warlocks who had arrived.
All of them ranged between the Fourth and Sixth Realm of Warlock—not strong enough to operate outside the divine domain.
If he took them into the Rocky Mountains, he would have to protect them, and their understanding of cultivation was not like his, preventing rapid advancement.
Jingxuan decided to focus on increasing their combat strength, using a method of his own creation: the Earth Demon Body technique.
For this, he had those Warlocks who possessed cores of elements other than Earth temporarily remove their original cores—with the help of the family's divine cultivators—and absorb Earth-element weird cores.
By the end, the entire team became Earth-element Warlocks.
To train them in the Earth Demon Body technique, he first mined Stone Hearts from the cave for them to practice with in the town.
Once they started mastering the basics, he brought them to the cave to focus entirely on the technique.
For the past week, they had been living and training inside the cave. Today, they would return to the town as the supplies they had bought were depleted.
He looks toward the three Warlocks, not yet inside one of the tunnels, struggling with the body technique.
Ji Hao, eyes wide with fear and awe, speaks first, "Master, I find it difficult to understand the technique."
The other two echo the same sentiment, their voices heavy with frustration.
Jingxuan narrows his eyes, calm but firm. "Tell me," he says, "what part of the technique do you not understand?"
One by one, the three Warlocks describe their struggles—the coordination of body and core energy, the absorption of the Earth-elemental flow, the pressure the Stone Heart exerts on their physical form.
Jingxuan listens carefully, then steps forward and demonstrates, breaking down the motions and the energy pathways.
Slowly, the others watch, their faces twisted with concentration and frustration, until the rest of the group, unable to contain themselves, come out one by one, each admitting their own difficulties.
Jingxuan observes them quietly and realises the truth: the Earth Demon Body technique he created is far beyond their aptitude.
The gap between his own talent and theirs is like heaven and earth.
Yet, he does not scold or grow impatient.
Instead, he reassures them, "Do not worry. I will adjust the technique so you can grasp it more easily. You will learn it in your own way."
Satisfied, he signals the end of the session.
They leave the mine together. No weirds attack them—Jingxuan had already cleared the rocky mountain of any threat.
His next plan is clear: to extend the divine domain's influence to envelop this mountain, securing it fully.
But to do that, he must first clear the test of the Rocky Mountains.
If the divine domain spreads to any part of the range, the Weirds will riot, attacking the mountain under divine influence.
That is why, even now, the divine domain has never been extended to any mountain. To realise his ambition, he must plan every step with precision.
He and the warlock members return to Ding Town.
As he walks through the streets, the townsfolk look at him with awe and reverence.
The town's population has reached two thousand, and though none of the slaves have yet earned their freedom, he estimates that within two months, several will have enough contribution points to do so.
After returning home, Jingxuan washes away the dust of travel, eats a quiet meal, and enters his room.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he closes his eyes and begins thinking about the Earth Demon Body technique—how to simplify it, how to shape it for those less gifted.
The technique, as it stands, is divided into two stages: the first and the second.
But those stages suit him alone.
His body had already reached the limit of the mortal stage before training it, allowing him to step into the first stage without resistance.
The family's warlocks, however, are different.
Their bodies are unrefined, untempered.
They must first raise their physical strength to the mortal limit before even starting the first stage.
In truth, they are still in the preparatory phase—not yet true practitioners of the technique.
For them to progress, Jingxuan must create additional stages—simplified transitions between mortal and extraordinary—and describe each process in the most common, direct terms possible.
The two stages of the Earth Demon Body Technique correspond to the first and second stages of extraordinary cultivation in the void.
The first is the Zero Stage, known as the Mortal Stage; the next is the First Stage, the Extraordinary Stage; and the last is the Second Stage, the Master Stage.
These three major stages can be divided further, either into four realms according to the void system or five ranks in the professional system.
Jingxuan chooses the void system as the framework for his revisions.
By doing so, he plans to divide the technique into twelve stages, spanning from the Mortal Stage to the peak of the Second Stage.
As he visualises, the outline of the modified technique forms clearly in his mind, and he begins to fill in each step carefully.
Two weeks pass in silence, in his room echoing only with his steady breathing and the faint hum of energy.
By the end of that period, he successfully created the first seven stages of the new version.
He stops there, unwilling to advance further without experiencing the next stages himself.
He is currently cultivating the seventh stage and needs to examine each transformation closely before passing it down.
After refining the details, he teaches the seven stages to the warlocks under him.
He observes their progress and quickly notices that most of them remain at the second stage of the new technique, with only a few managing to reach the third.
To accelerate their growth, he brings them to the mine, where the dense Earth-attribute energy will enhance their training speed.
Then he returns to his cave to continue his own practice, pushing the technique toward the eighth stage.
The adjustments he made not only increase his cultivation speed but also deepen his understanding of the Earth element's mysteries.
His control and application of Earth energy grow sharper and more fluid.
By the time he completes the eighth stage, he realises that the time required for him to step into the Second Stage has been shortened by nearly six months.
He has decided to stay for two more weeks, but he will not spend them sealed in his cave as before.
The next morning, leaving the warlocks to practice within their tunnels, he exits the mine and rises into the air.
His figure drifts upward with slow precision, crossing the pale morning light toward the next rocky mountain behind the one he occupies.
He can fly, not because of his cultivation realm—Earth-attribute warlocks in the Moon Realm lack that ability.
Only Wind-attribute warlocks can fly at this stage, while others must wait until reaching the Dark Sun Realm to gain true flight.
His case is different.
He moves through the air because he has touched upon the mystery of gravity, bending it slightly to his will.
Yet even as he glides above the craggy landscape, he feels the limitation.
His flight is slow, unsteady, and requires constant focus to maintain.
The air drags against his weight, reminding him that he is still far from mastering this mystery.
He lands atop the rough slope of the mountain and begins his exploration.
Each step sends dull echoes through the stones as his senses extend outward, searching for useful resources buried in the terrain.
From the shadows, Weirds crawl and lunge at him, their distorted forms writhing with Earth energy. He crushes them one after another, their remains sinking into the dust.
Between battles, his mind returns again and again to the same problem—how to increase his flying speed.
He replays the feeling of manipulating gravity in his mind, adjusting the balance of pull and push, trying to visualise a new method.
The question circles him like an invisible current as he continues to fight, mine, and think beneath the dim sky. Three possible paths take shape in his mind.
The first is to advance to the Dark Sun Realm.
It is the simplest and most natural path for him.
His cultivation has already reached the peak of the Moon Warlock Realm, and the speed of his progress is not because of newfound power but recovery.
For him, cultivation now is not a journey of growth but restoration.
If he were a new cultivator, he would still need to expand his spirit space, refine his spirit, and nourish its strength.
But he is not new—his foundation was laid long ago.
Before he became Lin Yu's clone, the Shadow Thunder Serpent was a demon beast, a being that cultivated its body rather than its spirit.
Yet when it reached the Immortal Realm, its essence, spirit, and energy merged into one, giving birth to the true spirit.
Now that true spirit resides within him, incomplete but intact, waiting only to be filled once more.
His cultivation method mirrors the process of pouring energy back into a vessel that had once overflowed.
The only obstacle standing before his advancement is the absence of a third moon spirit's core.
Without it, the vessel remains open and unbalanced.
He intends to correct that by choosing a Water-attribute Weird Core.
The second option is to refine a Wind-attribute Weird Core.
But his true goal remains to refine a Water-attribute core for his third moon spirit. For his main core, he already possesses an Earth-attribute core.
His first moon spirit refined a Metal-attribute core, and his second moon spirit refined a Fire-attribute core.
His plan for the third is to refine a Water-attribute core.
Yet, as he thinks deeper, a thought surfaces—I should replace the Metal-attribute core with a Wind-attribute one.
For him, replacing the Metal-attribute core does not mean losing access to Metal-attribute spells.
Other warlocks at the warlock realm can only accommodate a single core within their spirit space, but he is different.
He can hold three or more simultaneously without strain.
Even Moon Warlocks, who can house more than one, rarely exceed four cores—one main and three moon spirit cores—lest their spirit space collapse or they fall into madness, transforming into a Weird.
But such risks are meaningless to him.
The illusions birthed from the Weird cores are child's play before his spirit, and the vastness of his spirit space easily accommodates far more than four cores.
As he contemplates replacing the Metal-attribute core with Wind and refining the Water core for his third moon spirit, a new path unfolds in his mind.
If he holds the four elemental cores—Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire—he will command the four basic aspects of the Energy Law. By merging them, he could forge a single Hunyuan Core, the primordial seed of balanced energy.
When that time comes, he will divide the Hunyuan Core into two: one of Positive Energy and one of Negative Energy.
At that stage, his cultivation would likely reach the Demigod Realm.
The moment he awakens his former Shadow Thunder power, it will merge with the Negative Energy Core to form the Negative Thunder Power.
Through its interaction with the Positive Energy Core, he will comprehend Positive Thunder Power.
Finally, when the two thunders unite, Positive and Negative merging as one, a new and greater power will be born—and his realm will ascend to the peak of the Immortal Lord Realm, his strength possibly touching the Immortal King Realm itself.
An urgency develops in his mind as he walks across the rocks and ridges of the mountain.
A storm brews within him—he wants to immediately replace his Metal-attribute core with a Wind-attribute one, but he doesn't have any Wind cores in his possession. To obtain one, he must hunt a Wind-attribute Weird.
The Rocky Mountains have such beasts, but most are of common grade.
He refuses to settle for those; what he needs is a rare or special-grade core—those that contain deeper mysteries of their respective Law.
Suddenly, he halts, instinct flaring.
He rolls mid-air, narrowly dodging a spiked metal chain that tears through the spot where he stood and slams into the ground with a harsh clang.
He turns sharply. A woman stands atop a jagged rock monolith, the other end of the chain coiled around her hand. Her lips curl into a faint, amused smile.
"I hid my killing intent well, yet you still sensed it," she says. "You truly are exceptional."
She yanks the chain free from the stone, and it slithers behind her like a living serpent.
Jingxuan feels the oppressive energy radiating from her body—the aura of a Dark Sun Realm warlock. His thoughts sharpen. Is she sent by the Wen, Ju, or Su family?
"Who are you?" he demands.
The woman's smile deepens. "You're not qualified to know my name."
The chain lashes forward like a metallic snake. Jingxuan channels his Weird energy, invoking the mystery of gravity.
A pulse of invisible force bursts outward, creating a field of repulsion that halts the chain's spike a breath away from his chest.
The woman smiles, and suddenly a violent force surges from the end of the chain, slamming into Jingxuan's chest. His body skids backward, boots carving deep trenches in the rocky ground until his legs sink into the earth up to his knees.
His eyes darken.
A surge of gravitational force erupts beneath his feet, blasting him skyward.
He flips backward in mid-air, and the repulsion field around him flares again—just in time. The iron chain whips past his face, missing by an inch, and slams into the ground with a thunderous crack.
He lands on his feet, steady, the chain now buried before him. He stomps hard, pinning it to the ground.
He knows full well that a Dark Sun Realm warlock wouldn't rely on a single weapon. His mind sharpens—he needs to see what methods this woman wields, to learn whether she's part of an organization or merely a wandering killer.
The woman releases the end of the chain and says with a faint smirk, "Looks like I can't defeat you easily."
Jingxuan's gaze fixes on her, calm but probing, waiting for her next move.
She lifts her palm toward him. Lightning gathers—small arcs flickering, twisting—until a cloud of shimmering thunder forms, from which thousands of butterflies take shape. They crackle with blue-white light as they swarm toward him.
Jingxuan's eyes flash with recognition. "Insect Palace."
He channels his Weird energy, and the ground convulses. Stones rise—massive boulders and shards alike—forming a floating wall between him and the oncoming storm.
The thunder butterflies collide, slicing through the air in a dazzling blur, detonating against the rocks one after another. Explosions ripple across the barrier, shattering stone into dust and shards that fill the air.
The swarm presses closer, detonations surrounding him until his figure vanishes in the glare of lightning and smoke.
When the flashes fade, the air hums—and Jingxuan is gone.
The woman narrows her eyes, her lips twisting in mild annoyance. "How did he escape?"
A moment later, she exhales softly. "Never mind. I only wanted to test him, not kill him."
Her body dissolves into countless colorful butterflies, each glowing faintly with thunderlight. They scatter into the wind, drifting toward the distant Weird Domain.