Zhi Xuan, who was sitting cross-legged in the quietest corner of the Jade Plaza, opened his eyes slightly. He was not surprised. The Emperor's announcement was a curtain that had to be drawn back, a sign that the real game had begun. He had obtained recognition from the Empire, rejected the Eighth Prince's trial challenge, and secured his reward—all before he had to fight a single person.

  He took a long breath, calming the small pulse that still remained in his Sea of Consciousness. The Soul Law from the Seven Eternal Gods Bell was indeed powerful, but the Heavenly Samsara Wheel forged from the perfect Five Elements had functioned as both a shield and a great absorber.

  On the other side of the Plaza, immediately following the Emperor's proclamation, the cheers that had been held back for so long finally exploded. Hundreds of Five Element geniuses who had been waiting for a long time now rushed forward. However, they did not immediately target the Star Young Kings or Zhi Xuan, but rather targeted other Five Element realm geniuses who were considered easier stepping stones.

  Battles erupted across the Jade Plaza. Sword blades clashed, fires ignited, water froze, and wind howled. It was a melting pot to test the depth of foundations. Amidst the commotion, the attention of most remained fixed on the five unmoving pillars: the four Star Young Kings and Zhi Xuan.

  A young cultivator, Daoist Yu Long of the Sky Sword Sect who had earlier admired Ye Ming, immediately stepped forward. He chose his opponent carefully—a Star Young King was too high a target. He chose to challenge one of the geniuses from a small faction known for being arrogant.

  The battle proceeded quickly. Yu Long's sword, sharpened by the Wood and Wind Laws, flashed sharply. However, his opponent, who relied on the Fire and Earth Laws, managed to block the attack with a dense shield that suddenly emerged from the ground.

  In the corner of the Plaza, Zhi Xuan watched the battle without emotion. He observed details, not results. He saw how these cultivators applied their Dao—it was too crude, too much energy was wasted, and there was a lack of density in their Law manifestations. Their foundations, although reaching Five Element Perfection, were still fragile and shallow.

  Ling Huo, the Young King of the Southern Star, who stood not far from Zhi Xuan, smiled thinly witnessing the chaos. She did not move. She knew that at this stage, only the outermost layers would fight. Only those who were truly lethal would dare to challenge the pillars of the Empire.

  Suddenly, a rough-looking cultivator, Daoist Tie Shan, who had previously mocked Zhi Xuan, finished his fight. He stepped forward, his body radiating a thick Earth Law. He did not glance at the Star Young Kings but walked straight toward the calmly sitting Zhi Xuan.

  "Silver-Haired Daoist!" roared Tie Shan, his voice amplified by Earth spiritual essence. He did not care about the fear surrounding the Devil. To him, everything was just a foundation that had to be tested. "I, Tie Shan, challenge you! Let us see if the weight of your destruction can withstand the burden of true mountains!"

  Tie Shan swung his hand, and the Earth Law in the Jade Plaza responded. The ground beneath Zhi Xuan's feet suddenly solidified, turning into iron sand that tried to snare and imprison his legs. Then, a Small Mountain manifestation three zhang tall, consisting of dense basalt rock, suddenly appeared and lunged toward Zhi Xuan with a suffocating weight.

  WHUSH! WHUSH! WHUMP!

  Zhi Xuan only sat still because his legs were snared. He took a soft breath, moving his fingers gracefully, and from behind him rose a gate like a gate made of red earth. From that gate, two hands tore the gate open, and a Giant Index Finger appeared from the gate, lunging sharply to meet Tie Shan's Small Mountain.

  WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!

  The Giant Index Finger, made of dense red earth essence, did not radiate an aura of destruction, but rather a silent and inevitable weight. The finger was not merely a manifestation of a Law, but the embodiment of the Primal Earth he had tempered in the Crimson Land Valley—a weight that bore every burden and karma.

  The Giant Index Finger pierced through Tie Shan's Small Mountain. There was no large explosion. The basalt mountain curved inward, then crumbled into fine dust as if the collision were an impact between mud and steel. The density of that Index Finger surpassed Tie Shan's understanding of the Earth Law.

  DUAARR! WHUSHH!

  The shockwave spread, but strangely, the wave only pushed backward, causing no damage to the surroundings. Zhi Xuan, whose feet were still snared, allowed the Giant Index Finger to vanish as quickly as it appeared. The iron sand snare on his feet immediately dissolved, returning to the cold Ten Thousand Year Heaven Jade.

  Tie Shan staggered back, his rough eyes now filled with genuine fear. His face was deathly pale. He had used his best Earth foundation, the Law he took pride in, but before a single finger that appeared indifferent, his Law shattered without significant resistance.

  "That density... An impossible weight!" whispered Tie Shan. He stepped back slowly, his shame erased by a deep sense of dread. He knew his Dao was absolutely no match for the man sitting calmly there.

  Tie Shan floated in the air. He moved his hands and formed three large circles in the air, the weight of the Fire and Earth Laws burning from there, carrying the unimaginable burden of a Five Element cultivator. From the three circles in the air, three large Palms appeared threateningly, dark and burning like Fire.

  The three giant Palms descended, carrying the weight of three volcanoes erupting simultaneously. It was Tie Shan's second attack, combining the Fire and Earth Laws to create maximum destructive power and pressure. He did not want to lose with just one attack; the pride of a Five Element Perfection cultivator could not be traded for shame.

  WHUMP! DUAARR! WHUSHH!

  Zhi Xuan only looked up, his sapphire blue eyes now radiating a subtle glint—half primal Earth weight, half Lightning sharpness. He did not rise from his seat. He only raised his right hand with a slow and graceful movement, as if picking an invisible flower.

  ROARR! WHUMP!

  From his finger, a reddish light shot up into the clouds, immediately triggering the dark clouds around him. And from the suddenly heavy air, two dragons with reddish lightning coiled from the dark clouds, roaring loudly and shaking the Imperial Plaza.

  The two Dragons coiled around each other, Lightning and Wind merging in their embrace, creating air pressure so dense that cultivators in the nearest tribunes felt their bones creak. The two Lightning Dragons dived sharply, lunging to meet Tie Shan's three burning giant Palms. The collision occurred in the air, high above the Jade Plaza.

  ROARR! ZZRTT! WHUMPH!

  The sound of the impact was a blend of the rumbling of tearing Lightning and the strike of breaking Earth Weight. The dragons roared and coiled around the giant palms. Tie Shan, seeing this, coughed slightly, thin blood flowing from the corner of his lips. He moved his hands, and from around him emerged a whirlwind carrying the Water Law, creating the roar of a powerful wave.

  Zhi Xuan only watched without emotion as the giant Palms were destroyed by the two reddish Lightning Dragons. The spiritual essence he channeled was so dense, even while he was only sitting cross-legged. He felt the frantic fluctuations in Tie Shan's Dao—a mixture of ambition, shame, and the despair of a cultivator whose Dao was being questioned.

  Tie Shan, seeing his Palms destroyed without being able to touch his opponent's robes, felt the flame in his chest dim. He knew his opponent's advantage was not only in the density of the Dao, but in the way Zhi Xuan merged contradictions. The Lightning and Wind coiling in the form of the Dragons was far more than just Elemental Laws; it was a Will that carried an ordered destruction.

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  He moved his hands, and from around him emerged a whirlwind carrying the Water Law, creating the roar of a powerful wave. Tie Shan, who originally relied on Earth and Fire, was now forced to use his remaining three Laws to respond to Zhi Xuan's counterattack.

  He summoned the Water Law to dampen the Lightning and the Wind Law to scatter the pressure of the Lightning Dragons. He merged Water and Wind around him, creating a rotating spiritual wall similar to a whirlpool ready to swallow the Heavens. In the air, the two reddish Lightning Dragons thundered. The dragons showed no emotion, only inevitable destruction. They lunged into Tie Shan's whirlpool.

  ZZRRTT! WHUSHH!

  The Lightning carrying Will struck the Water carrying defense. Tie Shan's spiritual Water and Fire flared, trying to dampen and extinguish Zhi Xuan's destruction. The whirlpool vibrated violently, and the reddish Lightning flashes from the Dragons spread, creating ripples that scorched the air of the Plaza.

  "Daoist Tie Shan," Zhi Xuan said calmly. He stood up and dispersed the coils at his feet to free himself. He moved his fingers and formed a mudra. "I will not let you lose with shame."

  From around Zhi Xuan, a cold air suddenly surged. Ice crystals immediately protruded from the surface of the Imperial Plaza and towered high, freezing the Laws Tie Shan had cast. The mist of Extreme Ice was so cold it even made other Five Element cultivators shiver faintly.

  Ice crystals immediately protruded from the surface of the Imperial Plaza and towered high, freezing the Laws Tie Shan had cast. The mist of Extreme Ice was so cold it even made other Five Element cultivators shiver faintly.

  The whirlpool that was spinning wildly around Tie Shan instantly stiffened. Not only was the Water frozen, but the Wind around it became rigid, trapped in a temperature that surpassed mortal logic. Zhi Xuan's reddish Lightning Dragons, which had already torn through the defense, now had a target that was not moving.

  ROARR! KRAKK!

  The two Lightning Dragons struck the ice wall holding Tie Shan's whirlpool. They did not explode, but instead coiled themselves around it, allowing the Lightning to destroy the ice from within, creating a muffled yet lethal destructive effect. Tie Shan's spiritual essence, confined and frozen, had no room to escape.

  Tie Shan coughed harder. Blood sprayed from his mouth, soaking his brown robes. His rough face was now pale, his eyes radiating a despair that surpassed fear. He had used all his Laws, all his foundations, but he only succeeded in creating a cage that froze himself.

  Zhi Xuan stood tall, allowing his silver hair, whipped by the Extreme Ice mist, to flutter gently. He did not move again. The reddish Lightning Dragons shot back into the sky, absorbed by the dark clouds which then immediately vanished. The ice towering around Tie Shan also melted, returning to a cool vapor.

  Tie Shan fell to his knees on the Heaven Jade. He was not severely injured physically, but his Sea of Consciousness was violently shaken, and his Divine Wheel vibrated. His Dao had been shattered. He had lost, not because of an extraordinary attack, but because of the density and perfect control the opponent had over contradictions.

  "I... have lost," whispered Tie Shan, his voice hoarse and holding back deep shame. He was a Five Element perfection genius from one of the factions in the Xing Luo Plains, and now he was easily destroyed by one who was merely sitting cross-legged.

  Zhi Xuan gave a vague nod, simply standing tall. He did not insult, but he merely rotated his hand and immediately something amazing happened behind his back: a depiction of the Four Seasons Law he mastered, which had now become a foundation with the Five Elements, became a Five Element disc combined with the Four Seasons Law.

  "Who else wants to try me?" Zhi Xuan roared lowly. He looked up to face the Five Element perfection geniuses as well as the honorary tribune, demonstrating his foundation as a confirmation that he was not easily fought.

  Zhi Xuan, standing tall in the middle of the Jade Plaza, allowed the depiction of the Four Seasons Law merged with the Five Element disc to spin vaguely behind his back. It was not a show of strength, but a declaration—a confirmation that his foundation was no longer just a combination of five elements, but a Dao integrated with natural cycles and karma.

  The density of the aura he radiated, the blend of the coldness of snow and the weight of the earth, made the air in the Jade Plaza seem to freeze. The cultivators witnessing the brief battle now held their breath, no longer out of ambition, but out of a deep sense of dread. They saw the destruction of Daoist Tie Shan—a Five Element Perfection cultivator destroyed by the control of the Four Seasons cycle.

  In the tribune filled with thousands of eyes, a suffocating silence replaced the hubbub of battle. Zhi Xuan's display of Laws just presented, where he subdued Tie Shan—a Five Element Perfection—with ease, had torn the illusion of superiority from many geniuses present.

  They saw the disc spinning vaguely behind Zhi Xuan's back. The disc radiated five colors, but within it was contained a much deeper ripple: the nuances of the coldness of Winter, the explosion of Summer, the majesty of Autumn, and the stability of Spring.

  "The Four Seasons Law..." whispered Daoist Yu Long, his eyes which were once full of ambition now filled with shock and respect. "Not only control of the five elements, but he also possesses the Four Seasons Law. His foundation is not just static, but rotating, alive, and unbroken."

  His companion, Fairy Hua Yan, swallowed hard. "How is it possible? To absorb the concept of Seasons into the Five Element foundation... That surpasses the logic of our cultivation. We only seek pure power from each element, but he... How can he possess a Four Seasons Law foundation like that?"

  Hua Tianming, Holy Son of the Ancient Hua Clan, finally put down his porcelain cup with a barely audible clink. His calm expression was now replaced by one showing intense calculation.

  "The Cycle of the Four Seasons..." murmured Hua Tianming. He touched his well-groomed chin. "I did not know he possessed such a foundation; how can he have such a Majestic Law? He merged it into his Five Element foundation, making it an eternally rotating wheel."

  He looked at Hua Lian Xi. "He does not just master the Elements. He masters the Cycle. His foundation will never run out of power; it will always rotate from destruction to rebirth."

  Hua Lian Xi, who rarely showed emotion, now furrowed her brows. "He is a stranger thing than we expected, Brother. Not a single common cultivation technique teaches the merging of Season Laws into the Five Element realm. He forged this himself, or his foundation was forged with the Four Seasons Law from the beginning."

  "Qinglan, do you see that?" Zhu Yanghai smiled although he was a bit surprised. "You never told me that he possessed a Four Seasons foundation?"

  Zhu Qinglan, who had maintained a frozen calm, allowed a thread of hidden excitement to cross her light gray eyes. She shifted her gaze from Zhi Xuan to Zhu Yanghai.

  "He has had that for a long time; even I was very surprised at the end," replied Zhu Qinglan, her voice as cold as morning ice. "Not only that, the Divine Cauldron he uses also possesses it. That is what made him shake the Annual Disciple Celebration at the Thousand Heavens Sect back then."

  Zhi Xuan allowed the disc on his back to spin for a few breaths, a brief declaration that needed no comment, before he calmed his essence and allowed the disc to vanish, merging back into his Heavenly Samsara Wheel. He glanced at Tie Shan who was still kneeling, gave a vague nod, and walked back toward the corner of the Jade Plaza, leaving behind the cultivator whose Dao had been shattered.

  In the Plaza, Daoist Tie Shan, who was sprawled out, slowly rose with the help of his colleagues. His shame was now mixed with a new understanding. He saw how defeat came not from a lack of strength, but from an unimaginable chasm in terms of density and Daoist philosophy. He only challenged five elements, but he was destroyed by an eternal cycle.

  The other cultivators who had originally intended to challenge Zhi Xuan immediately froze in place. They were proud Five Element Perfection geniuses, but they had never thought of integrating Laws that surpassed basic elements. In their eyes, the Five Elements were the limit; Seasons, Order, and Life were realms that could only be studied after reaching Soul Transformation, or even higher.

  "The Four Seasons Law..." whispered a yellow-robed cultivator whose Dao focused on Lightning. "That is a Heavenly Law that governs Order in the Plains. Only a madman would try to instill Heavenly Order into their Five Element foundation in this realm."

  "He is crazy, but he succeeded," replied his companion who held a bow. "His Dao will rotate eternally. Every time he uses Fire, it will be immediately followed by Spring that gives life, or Winter that freezes. His foundation never wavers."

  Silence surrounded Zhi Xuan's corner. The geniuses, although their blood boiled because of the promise of the Second Grand Constellation, none dared to step forward. They now saw Zhi Xuan not only as the Silver-Haired Devil, but as an entity carrying higher natural principles. He balanced his destruction, unintentionally forging a foundation that imitated the order of Heaven and Earth.

  Among the Star Young Kings, only Shi Xing, the Young King of the Western Star, still maintained a gaze full of hatred. His Lightning and Fire Dao were turbulent, but he restrained himself. He saw Zhi Xuan's strength, and he knew a direct fight now would merely be a waste of the Shi Clan's honor.

  "The Season Cycle," hissed Shi Xing, his fingers holding the silver spear turning white. "This is an insult to Order. My Shi Clan's Dao is directed destruction. He must be destroyed, but not now. I will let the Empire test him first."

  Ye Ming, the Young King of the Central Star, whose Earth weight was most resonant with Zhi Xuan, closed his eyes deeper. He had witnessed how Tie Shan's earth weight was destroyed by the density of Zhi Xuan's Laws. He knew that Zhi Xuan did not just master Earth, but had understood the philosophy of bearing the burden of an entire cycle.

  Liu Feng, the Young King of the Eastern Star, shook his head slowly. "We seek Majestic resonance, but he seeks eternity through the Cycle. He is a true monster."

  In the Plaza, other battles continued. However, the intensity felt diminished. The geniuses fighting now felt like small pawns, while the five pillars stood as deciders of fate. They fought to earn a place, while Zhi Xuan fought to validate his Dao.