Zhi Xuan returned to the White Cloud Inn. His steps, once tranquil, now felt firm and heavy. The decision to enter the brutal mortal duel had drawn a thick line across his morality.

  He hated Young Master Gu for trading human lives, yet he would become a part of that cruel spectacle for money. He reached the Cloud Jade Room, closed the door, and activated the isolation formation. The room was immediately enveloped in a thick silence, contrasting with the storm raging in his heart.

  'Forget your morality for a moment, Zhi Xuan,' Ruo Xianxue hissed. 'You need war funds. Your focus now is stabilizing your mortal body. The duel forbids the use of jade essence. That means this is a test of pure physical tempering.'

  Zhi Xuan sat cross-legged on the silk bed. He placed the Swan Essence Jade Box in front of him. Although the Taiyin Essence inside was calm, his Heavenly Samsara Wheel still felt foreign.

  "I will use this one night to consolidate the Divine Samsara Wheel, as you suggested, Ruo," Zhi Xuan said, his voice low and filled with cold resolve. "And I will temper my mortal body. Tomorrow, I must only rely on physical strength."

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes, releasing his Divine Wheel aura. The spiritual essence gathered in the room was immediately sucked into his meridians. The Heavenly Samsara Wheel began to spin, purifying the essence it absorbed.

  "A thousand Daos, flowers fall. Life is spring, Death is autumn."

  From within his sea of consciousness, the dark foundation of the sea of consciousness trembled faintly. Zhi Xuan sat cross-legged on his dark sea of consciousness, gazing at the uncreated sky.

  The Ancient Devil Monument was majestic, radiating an aura of suppression and universal knowledge. From within the majesty of the black stone, glowing with millions of red runes, the shadowy finger that once threatened Zhi Xuan reappeared, rising to the surface of Zhi Xuan's sea of consciousness.

  "Your body is fragile; slowly, the Heavenly Samsara Wheel will become a disaster for you." Ruo Xianxue hissed softly, her voice dripping with dissatisfaction. "If you want to use Taiyin, you must be prepared to be destroyed and rise again."

  Zhi Xuan looked at the shadowy finger, understanding the words spoken. The Taiyin Essence he absorbed in the Silver Moon Forest, followed by the presence of the Holy One who took over his body, made his mortal body unbalanced with his cultivation.

  The shadowy finger floated and towered high, pointing at Zhi Xuan with an ancient, grand threat. The nine dragon chains binding the Ancient Devil Monument trembled faintly, radiating a terrifying seal aura.

  "You must achieve Blood Transformation within five years," Ruo Xianxue said. "The Taiyin Essence, although useful to me, provides rapid recovery like for your cracked arm. However, it will gnaw at you from within if your cultivation remains here."

  "Blood Transformation? But I haven't even reached First Ember." Zhi Xuan flinched, his face pale. "And five years? That is too short for me to experience a cultivation leap."

  "So? You have no choice. Only by experiencing destruction will you become unmatched."

  Zhi Xuan sighed. He knew Ruo Xianxue's threat was real. The pure Yin energy of Taiyin, which greatly aided healing and gave unique power to his Samsara Wheel, was also too cold and powerful to be contained by a mortal body that had not been tempered properly.

  "Give me a body tempering technique, Ruo. A technique that can withstand the Taiyin energy," Zhi Xuan decided, his voice now returning to focus on the task at hand.

  "Oh? Are you really ready to blind both of your eyes?"

  The shadowy finger floated and soared, approaching Zhi Xuan menacingly. Ruo Xianxue gave a dry laugh, the sound in Zhi Xuan's Sea of Consciousness like grinding stone. The shadowy finger did not attack but began to emit a pale jade light resembling the color of Zhi Xuan's left eye.

  "There is no sure way to purify Taiyin; your realm is too low and your body is too weak," Ruo Xianxue said. "However, you can still temper your mortal body. At dawn, go to the river on the outskirts of Shoutuo City."

  Zhi Xuan pondered, his forehead furrowing as he thought about Ruo Xianxue's intention.

  "Do you mean... you are telling me to use the large stones in the river?" Zhi Xuan asked skeptically.

  "Clever enough, although I despise such disgusting traditional methods. However, physically tempering yourself by running while lifting stones is a good enough way."

  Zhi Xuan swallowed hard; somehow, the traditional method made him remember the harsh training under Grandpa Wu before he had the Divine Wheel. However, the threat of being gnawed from within by the Taiyin essence was more terrifying than Grandpa Wu's stances.

  "I will do it tomorrow; now I will consolidate my Divine Wheel."

  Zhi Xuan sighed, closing his eyes. He left the dark Sea of Consciousness and the threatening Ancient Devil Monument. His focus returned to the Heavenly Samsara Wheel within his chest.

  That night, the Spiritual Essence of the Cloud Jade room was absorbed by Zhi Xuan with incredible speed. The Heavenly Samsara Wheel, already at the Sanctum level, spun gently but powerfully.

  Zhi Xuan's goal was not a breakthrough but to ensure that every meridian and every spiritual core was perfectly aligned with the existing foundation.

  As he absorbed, the Heavenly Samsara Wheel began to draw in a much colder energy. This energy did not come from the room but from the Swan Essence Jade Box placed in front of him. It was the now-stable Taiyin Essence.

  Zhi Xuan tried only to consolidate, but the pulling force of his Heavenly Samsara Wheel was too strong.

  This was the karma of the Divine Samsara Wheel, which instinctively sought a balance between Yin and Yang in the universe. Because he lacked strong Yang to balance the Yin of Taiyin, the Wheel forcibly pulled in the cold energy.

  RRRGGGHT!

  A subtle cracking sound echoed within Zhi Xuan's meridians, muffled by the room's formation. The Taiyin Essence, although stable within the box, began to seep out and merge with the Samsara Wheel.

  A bone-piercing cold spread throughout Zhi Xuan's body, stronger than any night in the Silver Moon Forest. His meridians felt as if struck by an ice hammer, and his Samsara Wheel began to spin wildly, emitting a clashing pale jade light and black light.

  Zhi Xuan immediately overcame this, controlling his consciousness and focusing the Taiyin essence to reach his Divine Wheel. He prepared to counter the essence with the Law of Four Seasons, Summer.

  "Law of Summer," Zhi Xuan spun the divine wheel with painful heat, causing a reaction that clashed with the Taiyin essence.

  As the burning Law of Summer collided with the bone-chilling Taiyin Essence, Zhi Xuan felt as if his entire body was being torn between fire and ice.

  Cold sweat mixed with hot steam filled the air around him. This was not just tempering but a desperate attempt to achieve balance in chaos. He channeled the Taiyin subtly, without greed or haste.

  Within the Samsara Wheel, pale jade sparks from the Taiyin tried to freeze every segment, while the heat from Summer tried to vaporize it. The Wheel trembled violently, but Zhi Xuan, with his resolve strengthened by the promise to Star Village, maintained his focus.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  After several hours that felt like an eternity, the collision slowly subsided. Zhi Xuan had successfully forced a temporary balance. His Heavenly Samsara Wheel now spun with a smoother rhythm, emitting a denser Sanctum aura, a balance that strengthened his Divine Wheel.

  His Divine Wheel Sanctum foundation was now three times more stable and more resistant to external and internal damage. The coldness of Taiyin still existed, but it was now under the Wheel's control, like a frozen dragon sleeping at its core, no longer a rebel.

  As the first light of dawn began to filter through the small window, Zhi Xuan opened his eyes. His black right eye was sharp, but his pale left eye now emitted a clearer, colder gleam. He felt every muscle tense; his mortal body, although not yet tempered by the river, was already responding to this brutal essence tempering.

  "This essence is indeed too strong," Zhi Xuan murmured, closing the Swan Essence Jade Box. "Yet the benefits it provides exceed the spiritual essence in this room."

  Zhi Xuan rose from meditation, feeling the newly tempered strength residing within him. The forced balance between the burning Law of Summer and the chilling Taiyin Essence had strengthened his Divine Wheel, turning it into a foundation that surpassed that of ordinary Divine Wheel cultivators.

  "First Ember," Zhi Xuan murmured. "It is only a matter of time; only the Flame of Sunrose Flower is missing."

  Zhi Xuan sighed softly; the realm he once admired, when he first saw fire emerge in Fourteen's hand, which was the First Ember fire, would soon be realized. His foundation was stable and ready to step into that realm.

  He grabbed his black-and-red robe and dimmed his aura. He stored the Cloud Jade key, then left the room, which was now filled with almost invisible cold steam.

  'Dawn has arrived. This morning, do not attract anyone's attention, especially the cultivators in purple robes from the Jade Star Sword Sect,' Ruo Xianxue hissed, sounding slightly more serious after witnessing the brutal tempering last night.

  Zhi Xuan nodded. He stepped out of the White Cloud Inn. Shoutuo's streets were still quiet, shrouded in the thin fog of dawn. He headed towards the east gate, where the city's main river flowed before branching into irrigation canals.

  The main streets were already bustling with merchants and city residents, a typical hustle and bustle of a commercial city center. The sound of blacksmiths hammering, vendors offering their wares, and not a few people chatting about the mortal duel later tonight.

  Zhi Xuan walked past a small crowd at the intersection. Their voices began to creep into his ears, carrying fragments of Shoutuo life.

  "Hey, Old Man Liu, did you hear? The youngest son of Family Head Feng signed up for the Dragon Fang Duel!" a vegetable vendor called out, loading her basket onto an ox-drawn cart.

  "Of course, I heard, Madam Wang! Ten thousand spiritual jade coins! That could support seven generations! But little Feng... he is too skinny. This is a cruel bait," Old Man Liu replied, shaking his head. "I am sure Young Master Gu just wants to see blood spill in the arena."

  "Alas, those young people are truly foolish because of money," Madam Wang sighed, glancing towards the city gate. "But speaking of which, did you see? Caravans from the Zhu Clan are starting to arrive. They must be here for the Silver Moon Auction."

  "The Zhu Clan? That one? Of course! They are an ancient family. I heard Young Master Gu even bowed and spent a huge sum to seek their attention," Old Man Liu chimed in excitedly, ignoring the topic of the Mortal Duel.

  "Yes, I heard the daughter of that ancient clan, Holy Fairy Zhu, will come here," Madam Wang interjected. "They are from the Eastern Continent of Xing Luo Plains! That is very far away, and they came here!"

  Zhi Xuan continued walking, listening to the chatter. The information about the Zhu Clan reinforced what he had heard in the Shadow Market. Young Master Gu was not just rich and powerful; he was making a major effort to gain connections with an ancient clan. His obsession with Holy Fairy Zhu Qinglan was not just romance but a strategic move.

  'The Zhu Qinglan Clan. Eastern Continent,' Ruo Xianxue muttered, her tone now trembling with recognition. 'They are an extremely powerful clan. If Young Master Gu is truly capable of attracting their attention, then he will not be an easy opponent. He has support that far surpasses this mortal sect.'

  'I am more curious about what that desired Holy Fairy is like,' Zhi Xuan thought. 'If she truly has reached the Five Element realm, then in this city, she is just a small ant in the eyes of that clan.'

  Suddenly, as he turned onto a quieter street leading to the river, Zhi Xuan sensed a different spiritual aura—a very powerful aura, yet contained and well-disguised by expensive silk robes. The aura came from two men walking in the opposite direction from him.

  The first man had a stable Consciousness Transformation realm cultivation, while the second man, walking slightly behind, was a cultivator with Organ Transformation realm cultivation. Both wore dark blue silk robes with a silver-embroidered green bamboo emblem—an emblem Zhi Xuan did not recognize, but which radiated ancient prestige.

  The man with Consciousness Transformation cultivation had a cold and stern face, his eyes sweeping the surroundings with vigilance. He was clearly an elite guard.

  "Senior Brother Qin, no need to be so wary. This Shoutuo City is merely a mortal city. The cultivator auras here, even the strongest ones, would not dare to offend our Zhu Clan."

  Hearing that name, Zhi Xuan's heart beat faintly. They were the bodyguards of the Zhu Clan.

  Senior Brother Qin sighed. "We must not be careless, Junior Brother Liu. The Holy Daughter is here for important business. We must ensure no dirty rats interfere."

  Zhi Xuan walked straight, maintaining his neutral expression, but he could not help thinking about it. Holy Fairy Zhu Qinglan was already in Shoutuo City.

  'See, monkey. That female monkey has arrived,' Ruo Xianxue scoffed. 'The Zhu Clan is no ordinary sect. They have a heritage that originates from the God Realm. Their presence here is no coincidence.'

  'I know,' Zhi Xuan countered, now more vigilant. 'Her presence means the Five-Element Scroll might truly appear, and Young Master Gu must have concocted an elaborate plan.'

  As they passed, the cultivator paused for a moment, his sharp eyes staring at Zhi Xuan's pale eye. Although Zhi Xuan had dimmed his aura, the elite cultivator could sense a subtle difference. For a moment, the Consciousness Transformation cultivator, who already possessed a wider divine sense, stared at Zhi Xuan.

  Zhi Xuan was almost past him. His steps were perfectly controlled, his aura lowered, his expression calm. He was just a Divine Wheel youth lost in the city. But as his shoulder aligned with Senior Brother Qin's, the sharp words cut through the quiet morning air.

  "You, Devil cultivator. Wait!"

  Senior Brother Qin's voice was cold and filled with undeniable authority. As soon as the words were spoken, the contained Consciousness Transformation aura was immediately released, albeit briefly. That spiritual pressure, like a tidal wave, slammed into Zhi Xuan, forcing every mortal on the street to stop and lower their heads out of instinctive fear.

  Zhi Xuan stopped. He did not turn around quickly, so as not to appear panicked. He slowly rotated his body, allowing his robe to sway gracefully, and maintained a deliberate expression of calmness.

  "Is there a problem, Senior?" Zhi Xuan asked, his voice polite, yet containing a disguised cold tone. He bowed slightly, showing respect, but his sharp eyes looked directly at Senior Brother Qin.

  Junior Brother Liu, the Organ Transformation cultivator, immediately stepped forward, his hand already gripping the hilt of a jade sword tucked into his waist. "Senior Qin called you, boy. Answer respectfully!"

  Senior Brother Qin looked towards Zhi Xuan, narrowing his eyes for a moment, as if he was scanning Zhi Xuan's entire essence with a deeper divine sense.

  "Senior, I am just a blind cultivator. There is nothing special about me," Zhi Xuan said politely, trying to remain calm amidst the pressure he was facing.

  Zhi Xuan stood tall, allowing Senior Brother Qin's gaze to pierce him. Within his Heavenly Samsara Wheel, the new balance he had forged last night worked hard, absorbing and blocking the Consciousness Transformation spiritual pressure. His pale left eye felt cold, while his right eye maintained a calm sharpness, observing the opponent's every move.

  Senior Brother Qin did not answer but stepped forward, shortening the distance. The ancient aura of the Zhu Clan felt like a weight of history.

  "You possess something strange," Senior Brother Qin hissed, his voice containing a subtle disgust. "Yet you, and your smell, are not as rotten as that Gu fellow."

  "People in the southern continent are truly fragile." Junior Brother Liu looked at Zhi Xuan calmly but harbored something deep. "Do you know about Young Master Gu?"

  Zhi Xuan clenched his jaw, his heart heating up as these people from the eastern continent looked down on him. However, he quickly calmed himself and maintained courtesy.

  "Senior is too flattering," Zhi Xuan replied, his tone flat and respectful. "I am just a wandering cultivator from a small village on the border. This southern continent is indeed far behind the grand Xing Luo Plains. I do not know who Young Master Gu is, other than rumors that he is a powerful and wealthy Alchemist in this city."

  Senior Brother Qin snorted; the cold look in his eyes showed he was not entirely convinced, but his spiritual pressure softened slightly. A cultivator with a weak foundation would have stumbled and sweated under his gaze, but this youth stood tall, almost flawlessly.

  "You are quite tough," Senior Brother Qin said. "Go, do not show your face in front of my eyes again."

  Senior Brother Qin gave him one last sharp look, as if noting every detail about this strange youth—the black-and-red robe, the dimmed Divine Wheel aura, and the suspicious pale left eye—before finally giving a dismissive wave of the hand.

  "Get lost," he said coldly, the suffocating spiritual pressure instantly lifted.

  Junior Brother Liu lowered his hand from the sword hilt, snorted softly, then followed Senior Brother Qin, who immediately continued his journey, as if the interaction with Zhi Xuan was just a minor disruption to their important travels.

  Zhi Xuan bowed briefly once more, even though they already had their backs turned, and turned away. He did not rush, maintaining his calm pace, but in his heart, he felt a surge of contained fury.

  Zhi Xuan quickened his pace as he turned onto a narrow path leading toward the city's outskirts. The feeling of being looked down upon by the Zhu Clan fueled his resolve, turning his disgust for the mortal duel into a cold and focused fire.