Chapter 533: The Obsessive Extremal Cosmic Theory

The competition for Mountain Head is similar to the internal competitions within each mountain, but the process has slight variations.

The first stage is the 'Divine Realm Trial'.

The second stage is 'Debating Before the Gods'.

The third stage is the 'Battle for Mountain Head'.

In summary, the three stages are: first discuss methods, then discuss principles, and finally, practical combat reigns supreme.

Zhao Xing stopped writing after completing the theoretical guidance section of "The Great Treatise on Ten Directions Mountain".

He did not continue writing the specific methods because he was not confident he could do so without revealing heavenly secrets. After all, Ten Directions Mountain involves the Way of Destiny, and the latter half of these methods were destined not to be disclosed to the public, only to the high-ranking officials of the Primordial Mound.

Even so, writing the first half consumed a great deal of Zhao Xing's energy.

During the writing process, there was always an invisible resistance.

Karma and the origins of destiny continuously converged in Zhao Xing's Nanshan Manor, causing unusual phenomena.

Fortunately, the materials for the Daoist scripture were sourced from the Myriad Dao Tree in the Academy City, which could greatly obscure heavenly secrets and suppress the strange phenomena.

Apart from Ji Si, who visited and speculated that the Grand Minister of Agriculture's treatise might be related to Ten Directions Mountain, no one else could clearly discern the meaning of these phenomena.

Zhao Xing put away the Daoist scripture and then let out a long sigh of relief.

When he wrote the "Treatise on the Three Ages", he felt no fatigue, even finding it enjoyable, receiving feedback on the Dao from numerous participants of the Dharma assemblies.

However, writing half of "The Great Treatise on Ten Directions Mountain" left him incredibly exhausted, even a sense of trepidation.

"During the writing process, my Tier 31 luck actually experienced intense fluctuations."

"It remained below Tier 20, at its lowest fluctuating to a mere Tier 10 luck."

"Only after I stopped writing did it recover to Tier 31."

Weariness, exhaustion.

After putting away the Daoist scripture, Zhao Xing immediately fell asleep.

In his dream, he seemed to return to the scene of his dual cultivation of the Desire-Dream Method.

He lived a stable and happy life with Fu Mengzhen in a small county town.

In the dream, within the county town.

Zhao Xing, the wealthy merchant, sat in a grand armchair, attended by four maidservants, some slender, some plump, who were serving him fruit.

In front of him was a fighting ring, but instead of weapons, there were two delicate and slender beauties, bare-chested and drenched in sweat, wrestling in sumo style.

"Excellent, they deserve a reward!"

"Someone, scatter silver for the master!"

Zhao Xing shouted, looking down for silver, completely unaware that a shadow had suddenly enveloped him.

Looking up, he saw the fierce-looking Fu Mengzhen.

"Ah, why is this tigress here?" The merchant Zhao Xing was startled, immediately dropped the fruit plate, and started to run.

"You, Zhao Sijia, your games are getting wilder and wilder!" Fu Mengzhen grabbed a feather duster and pounced.

Waving it, she shrieked, "You really think you're rich enough to cover all four directions! Having women sumo wrestle bare-chested, how could you even think of that? Heartless wretch!"

"Ouch, dear wife, don't hit me!"

"Someone, quickly save me!"

The wealthy merchant scurried away, covering his head, his plump body tumbling and crawling through the verandas.

Soon, someone heard the cries and came.

"Junior Brother!"

"Junior Brother!"

Zhao Xing frowned. Junior Brother?

What junior brother?

Suddenly, Zhao Xing's eyes snapped open.

The confusion in his eyes faded as Venerable Meishan arrived at Nanshan Manor, calling for him.

"Junior Brother, why have you slept for so long?" Wei Zizhan asked, a little puzzled.

"Senior Brother, how long was I asleep?"

"Approximately five years," Wei Zizhan replied.

"Five years?" Zhao Xing was startled. "Won't the Divine Realm Trial of the Twelve Mountains be starting soon then?"

"Indeed. I hadn't seen you ascend for a while, so I came down to check—are you perhaps cultivating some kind of spiritual secret art?"

"Yes, thank you, Senior Brother." Zhao Xing nodded.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Senior Brother. Let's go up."

Zhao Xing collected his thoughts and ascended with Wei Zizhan.

Through this cultivation of the Desire-Dream Method, Zhao Xing felt a spiritual breakthrough, and his dreams became increasingly real.

What surprised Zhao Xing even more was that the previously grayed-out 'Mount Tai Sacrificial Land' on his system panel now displayed a progress bar.

Mount Tai Sacrificial Land: 1%.

Zhao Xing was puzzled. Could cultivating the Desire-Dream Method actually unlock 1% of the Mount Tai Sacrificial Land?

"No, the Desire-Dream Method is merely a superficial phenomenon."

"Does this mean that the unlocking of the Mount Tai Sacrificial Land fundamentally absorbs spiritual power?"

This was a significant discovery, but Zhao Xing had no time to investigate it further at the moment.

This was because the Divine Realm Trial of the Twelve Mountains was about to begin.

The Mountain Heads of the Twelve Mountains—Meishan's Zhao Xing, Hongshan's Qiu Chongyue, Lushan's Wen Qichen, Mengchuan's Kuang Chuan, Taiqiu's Pu Guang, Yuanshan's Xin He, Sushan's Yu Chenyang, Yanshan's Tang Chuhan, Doushan's Mu Feng, Yinchuan's Lian Fu, Luoshan's Xiang Qianlan, and Yunshan's Qu Jun—had all gathered at the central Dao Ancient Layer of the Primordial Mound.

Here stood an Earth God Altar, dedicated to the Earth God 'Feng Jun', who was the oldest Divine King of the Primordial Mound.

Surrounding the altar were twelve pillars, upon which stood twelve divine generals, overseeing and protecting the altar below.

The content of the Divine Realm Trial was personally decreed by the Divine King; even the divine generals did not know it in advance.

At this moment, Zhao Xing and the other eleven Mountain Heads quietly waited before the Earth Altar Plaza for the Divine King to bestow his oracle.

The entire Earth Altar Plaza and the Earth God Altar itself were not open for direct viewing by outsiders.

However, the proceedings would be broadcast via star-mirrors to invited guests.

In the second stage, the flow of time would differ inside and outside the Earth God Altar, creating a three-day time difference.

This allowed for a margin to rectify any unexpected situations during the Dharma assembly debate, preventing public embarrassment.

"Whoosh~"

After a long wait, Zhao Xing noticed a mountain breeze blowing from the Earth God Altar.

The breeze carried a distinctive earthy fragrance, a scent Zhao Xing was very familiar with.

Shortly after, the Earth God Altar began to glow brighter.

A 'singularity' suddenly appeared, black within but with glittering arcs of light at its edges.

The arcs grew brighter, and the pulsating light spread rapidly, like knitting.

The pure white light was so dazzling it seemed as if the sun itself was descending.

Zhao Xing felt his true spirit momentarily disoriented.

When his senses returned, he found himself standing on a smooth stone slab, surrounded by chaotic mist.

The twelve divine generals were gone, the Earth Altar Plaza was gone, the altar was gone, and the eleven competitors had vanished, leaving only chaos.

Before him, a golden light appeared, forming words:

Meishan Mountain Head, please leave this place and return to the Earth Altar Plaza. The less time taken, the higher your ranking.

Zhao Xing looked at the golden text and immediately understood this was the first test of the Divine Realm Trial.

Upon careful consideration, Zhao Xing found this test to be quite difficult.

This was because none of the twelve Mountain Heads knew where they had been transported.

If they didn't know how they arrived, how could they return?

However, for Zhao Xing, there was an advantage.

Although the golden text in mid-air provided little information, the coordinate display on his panel offered more details.

You have entered 'Spiritual Domain Dungeon', coordinates: Dao Ancient 75 Ren, Lishui Hall 34, Tianyang Meridian Time.

"So I've entered a dungeon—the Spiritual Domain Dungeon. What kind of coordinate information is this?"

Zhao Xing fell into thought, looking at the coordinate display on his panel.

He then compared it to the Earth Altar Plaza's coordinates: Dao Ancient 75 Ren, Earth Altar Plaza, directly south of the Earth God Altar.

This information was also sparse.

Assuming a reference point in a certain space-time has only one prominent object, then the coordinates provided would be very scarce, and the dimensionality very large.

The Earth Altar Plaza of the Primordial Mound undoubtedly possessed this kind of unique coordinate property with vast dimensionality.

Knowing just this, it would be difficult to find the original location using these coordinates after leaving.

"Dao Ancient 75 Ren, this is easy to understand, as the Earth Altar Plaza's coordinates also reference Dao Ancient 75 Ren."

"From the perspective of the void layer, the Spiritual Domain Dungeon and the Earth Altar Plaza are on the same level."

"Lishui Hall 34 and Tianyang Meridian Time—one is a location within the dungeon, and the other represents time?"

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Xing focused on the words 'Spiritual Domain Dungeon' and then a certain conjecture formed in his mind.

"Assuming the Spiritual Domain Dungeon has an extremely vast internal space modeled after the Profound Spirit Star Domain, then these coordinates must represent a specific location within the Profound Spirit Star Domain."

"Li Xing 34, Tianyang Meridian Time—"

Instantly, a map of the entire Profound Spirit Star Domain appeared in Zhao Xing's mind.

"There are at least eighty million, if not a hundred million, places named 'Li Xing' in the Profound Spirit Star Domain; this can't be a specific boundary star."

"This means I should be in the Lixing River section within the ancient kingdom of Tianyou."

Benefiting from his past experiences in the Transmission Tower, Zhao Xing had served as a river official in the ancient kingdom of Tianyou for over a thousand years and was extremely familiar with the Lixing River.

He immediately sent two streams of magical power into the ground, and by observing the faint feedback from the earth veins, he determined his approximate location.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

Zhao Xing moved back and forth through the mist, running about a thousand meters in various directions.

As he moved, his coordinates continuously changed.

Ultimately, he confirmed that the blueprint for this Spiritual Domain Dungeon was the entire Profound Spirit Star Domain.

After familiarizing himself for a moment, Zhao Xing immediately had an idea of how to exit.

"The Spiritual Domain Dungeon naturally also contains a 'Primordial Mound'. So, to exit, I just need to reach the 'Primordial Mound' location within the Spiritual Domain Dungeon."

Zhao Xing did not fly; instead, he ran steadily on the ground.

Even with a general method in mind, he still needed to rely on the earth vein fluctuations for feedback to correct his direction.

Inside the Spiritual Domain Dungeon, the twelve Mountain Heads began to move.

Outside, the spectators also witnessed the progress of the trial.

Unlike the participants, the guests knew the name and function of the dungeon's magic, and could clearly see everyone's location.

"The Spiritual Domain Dungeon is truly profound," Venerable Taihao remarked, looking at the dungeon's structural map. The star-mirror displayed a multi-dimensional view, allowing him to see the complete layout of the dungeon while also observing specific details.

"Every meter the participants advance inside is like crossing a galaxy."

"Indeed," Venerable Chuchuan echoed with emotion. "Every step taken within the Spiritual Domain Dungeon results in vastly different earth vein fluctuations; the amount of information to process is immense."

"If one were to move any faster, the earth vein fluctuations from tens of thousands of star regions would instantaneously flood the mind, turning even a demigod's true spirit into mush."

"They can only proceed slowly, summarizing patterns step by step, fumbling their way forward."

"What are they doing, circling around and moving so slowly?" Emperor Bisu observed from the grandstand outside.

He could see that within the massive dungeon, some were walking on walls, some on pillars, and others winding through window patterns and holes.

Everyone moved very slowly, even turning back and forth repeatedly, like lost ants.

"A divine-grade dungeon spell encompassing the entire Profound Spirit Star Domain—truly worthy of being a divine-grade spell," Venerable Wudu praised, then added with concern, "It will likely be very difficult for Zhao Xing to get out."

"Brother Tianning, what do you think?" Zuo Qiyu asked.

Liu Tianning pondered, "One cannot discern the true appearance of the dungeon because one is inside it."

"After entering the 'Spiritual Domain Dungeon', the twelve Mountain Heads are in different locations."

"We, the spectators outside, know what this trial tests and how to exit, but the twelve Mountain Heads cannot perceive it directly."

"In such a colossal dungeon, the Ministers of Agriculture from the Earth Advantage faction must discern their way through earth vein fluctuations, like ants trying to grasp an elephant—it's hard to make out its form."

"Since every step is equivalent to crossing a galaxy, the earth vein fluctuations are subtle and complex, making them difficult to discern and utilize."

"Even if Zhao Xing wanted to use a split soul to scout ahead, it would be difficult to exhaust all paths in such a divine-grade dungeon."

"Overly simplistic methods will not work."

Upon hearing this, Wudu was displeased, but he couldn't directly contradict Liu Tianning, lest he be accused of jealousy.

So he pulled Ji Si aside and said, "Little Ji, can you calculate which position Zhao Xing will emerge in?"

Ji Si chuckled bitterly to himself. Asking him to calculate the workings of a divine-grade dungeon spell laid out by a Divine King, how was that different from telling him to commit suicide?

But he immediately knew what Wudu wanted him to say, so he promptly replied, "Of course, the Grand Minister of Agriculture will be the first one out."

Wudu was very pleased. He patted Ji Si's shoulder with satisfaction, "Great minds think alike, Little Ji. It seems your Daoist arts have progressed significantly."

Liu Tianning felt helpless and remained silent, while Zuo Qiyu couldn't be bothered to converse with Wudu.

Engaging in a serious discussion with Ji Si and Wudu, both of whom were Zhao Xing's sycophants, was simply a waste of breath.

On the Earth God Altar, the twelve divine generals of the Primordial Mound were also observing the Mountain Heads as they navigated the trial.

"Taiqiu Mountain Head, Pu Guang; Yuanshan Mountain Head, Xin He; Mengchuan Mountain Head, Kuang Chuan—these three should be the fastest to clear the trial," commented Divine General Lu Song casually.

"The Mountain Heads of Hongshan and Lushan will likely be the last two to emerge," judged Gong Yi, identifying the two weakest.

"The strongest are hard to judge, but the weakest are clear at a glance," said Yu Ling indifferently. "The Mountain Heads of Lushan and Hongshan are getting weaker and weaker."

"We can't blame them," Divine General Lan Chuan said gently. "Since the 'Sky-Devouring Rat' incident, both mountains were severely punished, and their strong cultivators and geniuses suffered heavy losses that they haven't recovered from yet."

The Primordial Mound had experienced a very serious 'ancient vein theft' incident in its history.

Demonic creatures from past timelines infiltrated the Primordial Mound and, using paths through these two mountains, entered the Primal Ancient Realm, where they gnawed off a section of the Primal Ancient Vein. Since then, Hongshan and Lushan have always undertaken the dirtiest and most arduous tasks for the Primordial Mound, yet received the fewest resources.

In the current generation, both Hongshan's Mountain Head Qiu Chongyue and Lushan's Mountain Head Wen Qichen became demigods less than five thousand years ago.

Both benefited from the opening of the Annihilated Star Ancient Path, or rather, from Zhao Xing's efforts.

Their overall strength was significantly weaker than that of the Mountain Heads from the other ten mountains.

Yet, these two were already the strongest in Hongshan and Lushan.

"Zhao Xing has cultivated for a shorter time, yet why doesn't he seem weaker than them?" Divine General Lu Song sneered. "When mistakes are made, the spiritual essence of a mountain greatly diminishes, and no one else is to blame."

Divine General Lan Chuan did not refute. Many divine generals still harbored grievances regarding the historical incidents involving Hongshan and Lushan.

Not to mention these two mountains, even Meishan, which he guarded, had its former Mountain Head, Wei Zizhan, who made some errors during his tenure.

For instance, a small portion of the divine artifact, Yuanji Mountain, was contaminated by the Master of Cold Food.

If Wei Zizhan had not taken the divine artifact out of the mountain at that time, perhaps this incident would not have occurred.

"The position of Mountain Head this term should go to Mengchuan Mountain," Divine General Lu Song said, pointing to the Spiritual Domain Dungeon. "Kuang Chuan's strength is the greatest; he has already surpassed Taiqiu Mountain Head Pu Guang and Yuanshan Mountain Head Xin He by a significant margin."

Divine General Yu Ling also nodded, "Zhao Xing's talent is indeed excellent. After cultivating for over ten thousand years, he has authored three Daoist scriptures on the Myriad Dao Tree."

"Especially the 'Treatise on the Three Ages'—the next Mountain Head should undoubtedly be him."

The three divine generals almost didn't consider Zhao Xing a strong contender for Mountain Head.

Based solely on strength, Zhao Xing's cultivation at Tier 13 Demigod was two tiers below Taiqiu Mountain Head Pu Guang and Yuanshan Mountain Head Xin He, let alone compared to the top-ranked Kuang Chuan.

Of course, in terms of potential, Zhao Xing was undeniably number one; given more time, the next Mountain Head would certainly be him.

"Not necessarily," Divine General Lan Chuan thought to himself, observing Zhao Xing moving erratically within the Spiritual Domain Dungeon.

Only he knew that Zhao Xing, capable of composing the "Treatise on the Four Ages" and entering the Mount Tai Sacrificial Land, possessed strength far beyond what appeared on the surface.

As time passed, the performance of the twelve individuals within the Spiritual Domain Dungeon gradually began to diverge.

And once Zhao Xing completed his initial summation and survey upon entering, the situation changed.

"Hmm?" Divine General Lu Song's gaze suddenly fell upon the Lixing Hall within the Spiritual Domain Dungeon.

"He actually exited Lixing Hall fourth?"

Inside the Spiritual Domain Dungeon.

"Splash~"

Zhao Xing stepped into a shallow water pool, feeling as though his feet were about to sink.

"Boom~"

Five Extreme Spirit Orbs rose, lifting him up against a massive pulling force.

"The location has changed."

Zhao Xing stared at the muddy, sandy shallows below.

"This place should correspond to the 'Swamp Star River' located within the territory of the ancient kingdom of Moguo."

If one observed closely, they would notice that the shallow river resembled a cosmic river of stars.

However, it wasn't brilliant; instead, it was murky yellow and dull, like a swamp.

The Swamp Star River in the ancient kingdom of Momei was somewhat similar to the Lixing River, also a river system territory prone to frequent natural disasters and geological changes.

"Navigating the Spiritual Domain Dungeon is truly arduous. With the map scaled down, it's practically a small pit every three steps and a large one every five."

The Spiritual Domain Dungeon corresponded to the entire Profound Spirit Star Domain, but normal areas were condensed, while unique and perilous sections were magnified.

It felt as if the entire path was covered in speed bumps; moving too quickly would make one's head spin from the jolting, while moving too slowly made it easy to fall into a pit.

"Earth Communication, Earth Repository, Dungeon, Earth Cleaving, Profound Earth, Mountain Arts, Earth Vein Recognition—it's almost a comprehensive test." Zhao Xing circulated his magical power, adjusting his pace for the trial.

During the first half-month after entering the Spiritual Domain Dungeon, the superiority of the twelve Mountain Heads was not yet clear.

Each person was trapped in a specific sub-hall of the Spiritual Domain Dungeon.

But after half a month, the differences emerged.

Four Mountain Heads were the first to leave the initial trapped sub-hall of the dungeon.

Four months later, eight people had escaped the first trapped sub-hall.

Half a year later, still only eight people had escaped the first trapped sub-hall.

However, among these first eight, differences also became apparent.

"Only Meishan Mountain Head Zhao Xing, Mengchuan Mountain Head Kuang Chuan, Yuanshan Mountain Head Xin He, and Taiqiu Mountain Head Pu Guang were heading in the correct direction."

"The other four had gone astray."

Venerable Taihao, Venerable Pingyou, and Venerable Chuchuan stared at the dungeon.

Their cultivation levels were not significantly different from these Mountain Heads, so observing from the outside, they could clearly see the discrepancies.

"This is a comprehensive test of Earth Advantage methods; even a slight deficiency in any aspect will lead to deviation."

"A small deviation over the course of a single galaxy wouldn't be very noticeable, but amplified across an entire star domain, minor differences here and there result in a very significant overall disparity," Venerable Chuchuan remarked with emotion.

"Truly worthy of being a Divine Realm Trial; one's progress on the Grand Dao is clear at a glance."

"Zhao Sinong is surprisingly both fast and steady; I never expected it," Venerable Pingyou said admiringly. "He has only cultivated for a little over ten thousand years."

A year later, the disparities among the twelve Mountain Heads were fully evident to everyone.

"Lushan and Hongshan, as expected, were at the bottom."

"But Meishan's Zhao Sinong is actually in the first echelon?"

"Isn't he only a Tier 13 Demigod cultivator?" Emperor Tianwu questioned from the viewing platform of the Origin Heavenly Palace.

"What do you mean 'only'?" Emperor Yushu of the Origin Heavenly Palace glanced at him. "Brother Tianwu, you are merely an Emperor-level cultivator; how dare you speak like that?"

"Well, you know I didn't mean it that way," Emperor Tianwu said, somewhat embarrassed.

"In terms of cultivation, Zhao Xing indeed lacks the accumulation of two or three True Spirit Tribulations compared to those three."

"If we only consider the number of True Spirit Tribulations overcome, then what's the point of selection?" Emperor Yushu said disdainfully. "Do you think this is a selection for the Qi Sect, where whoever has a higher Golden Body level wins?"

A burst of laughter erupted around them.

Emperor Tianwu was enraged. "Can't you speak properly? I'm just asking why you're bringing up our Qi Sect—"

"Ignorance—" Emperor Yushu waved his hand, and the tree leaves closed, effectively blocking Emperor Tianwu's voice.

"Damn it..." Emperor Tianwu started muttering curses.

One year and nine months into the Spiritual Domain Dungeon.

At this point, both Zhao Xing and Kuang Chuan had only one sub-hall area left to traverse before exiting the Spiritual Domain Dungeon and returning to the Earth Altar Plaza.

As for Yuanshan Mountain Head and Taiqiu Mountain Head, they still had two sub-halls of the dungeon to go.

Seeing this result, the twelve divine generals observing from the Earth God Altar fell silent.

Zhao Xing was a Tier 13 Demigod, while Kuang Chuan was a Tier 16 Demigod.

Their progress was nearly identical; in fact, Zhao Xing was even slightly ahead!

"Lan Chuan, Zhao Xing has only studied with you for three thousand years, and yet he has shown such immense growth in his magical arts?" Divine General Yu Ling was somewhat surprised.

Many spells of the Earth Advantage faction require significant time for accumulation.

For example, mountain refinement or surveying the earth veins of an entire region are not things that can be accumulated in a short period.

"If I'm not mistaken, Zhao Xing is merely here with a clone, right?"

"Zhao Xing's talent, comprehension, luck, and opportunities all surpass Kuang Chuan's—"

Many divine generals began discussing the two.

Originally, the vast majority of divine generals favored Kuang Chuan to be the Mountain Head of this term, but now their opinions began to change.

Two years and six months later, at Dao Ancient Layer 75 Ren.

In the void layer not far from the Earth Altar Plaza, a point of light was flickering.

"Whoosh~"

The flickering light condensed into a figure, which then stepped out of the light circle.

The twelve divine generals all looked over simultaneously.

"Whoosh!"

Zhao Xing appeared before the assembled gods.

Upon seeing the Earth Altar Plaza floating not far away, Zhao Xing had a sudden realization: the Spiritual Domain Dungeon was right next to the Earth Altar Plaza.

And that vast Spiritual Domain Dungeon was merely a single point?

"The Divine King's methods are truly unfathomable."

Thinking this, Zhao Xing quickly descended and stood firm on the Earth Altar Plaza.

Half a month later, another point of light flickered, and Venerable Kuang Chuan was the second to fly out of the Spiritual Domain Dungeon.

When Venerable Kuang Chuan saw someone already standing on the Earth Altar Plaza, he was clearly momentarily stunned.

However, he quickly flew over and took his stand.

The subsequent wait lasted over half a year before Yuanshan Mountain Head and Taiqiu Mountain Head emerged.

"I'm actually the third one out?"

"Losing to Kuang Chuan is one thing, but I can't even surpass Zhao Xing, who has only cultivated for a little over ten thousand years." Yuanshan Mountain Head felt a mix of regret and frustration.

"The Extreme Continent truly doesn't favor me. If Kuang Chuan hadn't returned, if Zhao Xing's rise had been delayed, I would have been the Mountain Head."

"I'm the fourth?" After descending, Taiqiu Mountain Head looked at the tall figure in front and was also a little dazed. "Alas, I'm truly getting old."

After another three years, four more people emerged.

As for the remaining four, they were directly teleported out.

This indicated that Divine King Jun had judged that the remaining four would never be able to escape the Spiritual Domain Dungeon on their own.

Although he was the first to emerge, Zhao Xing showed no signs of relaxation.

He knew that the 'Debating Before the Gods' stage was next.

This was the crucial step.

The Mountain Head of the Primordial Mound needed to possess both the strength to wield divine artifacts and various authorities, and also have a theoretical framework for governing the world. The latter was actually more important, as it would determine the direction of the Primordial Mound for the foreseeable future.

"For Debating Before the Gods, the lectures will proceed in reverse order of ranking, starting from the last place," Divine General Lan Chuan, as the god of Meishan, announced the procedure.

"Lushan Mountain Head, please ascend the Earth God Altar."

Wen Qichen, the Lushan Mountain Head who was called, respectfully cupped his hands and stepped onto the pure white barrier of the Earth God Altar.

To prevent their Dao hearts from being affected, the strongest individuals who ranked high in the Divine Realm Trial would be the last to give their lectures.

Zhao Xing watched as Venerable Lushan ascended the lecturing platform, preparing to listen intently.

As Venerable Lushan settled down, he waved his sleeve, and a Daoist scripture appeared above his head.

"Treatise on the Primal Ancient Geo-Ocean Realm"

"Deep springs surge, landmasses sink like great tortoises, water essence nurtures stone marrow, layers form realms, the geo-ocean cycles, forging a thousand wonders of the land—"

As Venerable Lushan spoke, he unfurled his dharma realm, manifesting his dharma form.

Zhao Xing observed carefully and found that Venerable Lushan's discourse belonged to the category of realm treatises.

However, the scope of realm treatises varied, and Venerable Lushan was expounding on a 'thousand wonders of the land' phenomenon he had observed.

His Daoist scripture contained little theory because it dealt with already proven facts; the phenomenon of subterranean realm-seas inherently existed.

Venerable Lushan mainly focused on practical methods, specifically the spells created based on the geo-ocean.

Following Venerable Lushan's discourse, Zhao Xing silently deduced in his mind that the former demonstrated approximately thirty-six types of spells, corresponding to various applications in different geographical environments.

Moreover, all of them seemed to have reached the level of demigod-tier spells.

"Elder Lushan emphasizes practical application; his realm treatise is already quite good," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

However, for a competition of this caliber, it was still somewhat lacking for vying for the Mountain Head position.

After Venerable Lushan finished his demonstration, he bowed to the Earth God Altar and respectfully placed his book upon it. Divine flames ignited to a height of two chi (approximately 66cm).

This signified that Venerable Lushan had approximately a twenty percent chance of achieving godhood in the future based on this method.

Although it might not seem high, a thunderous wave of congratulations still erupted from the outside.

A twenty percent chance was already very significant!

Furthermore, it provided over thirty additional options for all Ministers of Agriculture from the Earth Advantage faction.

It added another layer of brilliance to the Earth Advantage faction's magical system.

Next to ascend was Venerable Hongshan.

His treatise was also a realm treatise.

However, it discussed mountains, specifically the Stacked Realm Mountains, which Zhao Xing was quite familiar with.

Venerable Hongshan, Qiu Chongyue, was renowned for his work in opening up barren domains, having paved the Clear Passage Ancient Path, making him far more famous than Venerable Lushan.

While Zhao Xing had proposed the solution for the Stacked Realm Mountains back then, it was the former Hongshan Emperor who had put it into practice.

Venerable Hongshan also focused on practical application; he had no new theories, but his methods numbered as many as seventy-two.

These encompassed various categories such as mountain-based body refinement, mountain-based artifact refinement, earth repository, and earth communication.

When Venerable Hongshan presented his Daoist scripture to the altar, divine flames ignited to a height of three chi (approximately 1 meter).

"Thirty percent? Venerable Hongshan is indeed stronger than Venerable Lushan," Zhao Xing secretly nodded.

As time passed, Sushan Mountain Head Yu Chenyang, Yanshan Mountain Head Tang Chuhan, Doushan Mountain Head Mu Feng, Yinchuan Mountain Head Lian Fu, Luoshan Mountain Head Xiang Qianlan, and Yunshan Mountain Head Qu Jun all appeared in succession.

Among these six, four presented realm treatises, though varying in periods, specific subjects, and scope.

Two individuals authored Daoist scriptures belonging to the "Earth Repository Treatise," focusing on how to govern land and nurture mountains.

Both proposed several new methods for managing barren domains.

After their Daoist scriptures were presented, divine flames on the altar rose to heights of five chi and three chi respectively.

Notably, when Yanshan Mountain Head Tang Chuhan's Daoist scripture was presented, although the divine flame only reached three chi high, an additional phenomenon appeared on his scripture.

Zhao Xing saw a scene of volcanic eruptions.

"Yanshan Mountain Head Tang Chuhan's Daoist scripture is accompanied by a heavenly phenomenon?" Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised. "This means there's a thirty percent chance of achieving godhood through a heavenly Dao verification!"

If no phenomenon occurred, it meant there was hope of becoming a Free God.

If a phenomenon occurred, it meant there was hope of becoming a Tribulation-free True God!

Yanshan Mountain Head Tang Chuhan's Daoist scripture held the highest value among these eight individuals.

"'The Myriad Volcano Sutra,' I should examine it closely later," Zhao Xing secretly noted.

Although there was only a thirty percent chance of success, which wasn't high, it still held significant research value.

After the first eight finished their lectures, only Taiqiu Mountain Head Pu Guang, Yuanshan Mountain Head Xin He, Mengchuan Mountain Head Kuang Chuan, and Meishan Mountain Head Zhao Xing remained.

After Taiqiu Mountain Head Pu Guang ascended the altar, divine flames ignited to a height of eight chi, but no heavenly phenomenon occurred.

Zhao Xing was quite surprised, never expecting Taiqiu Mountain Head to have an eighty percent chance of becoming a god.

"The Primordial Mound is indeed teeming with talent."

"If Taiqiu Mountain Head continues his cultivation as he is now, he has an eighty percent chance of reaching the god realm in the third epoch of the barren domain."

Zhao Xing looked on with anticipation as Yuanshan Mountain Head, Xin He, the third-to-last to appear, ascended.

After Venerable Xin He took his seat, he also produced a Daoist scripture.

"The Boat Mountain Method"

Zhao Xing initially thought this was some kind of Spiritual Mountain method, but he realized he was mistaken.

"The Boat Mountain Method, combined with the Spiritual Mountain Method, refines a life-bound artifact, the Ten Earth Divine Boat, to traverse the void... Hmm?"

Among the divine artifacts of the Earth Advantage faction, there was a classic school known as the Divine Boat School.

This involved refining mountains into realm-boats, forming their own self-contained cosmic cycles.

The combination of the Divine Boat Method and the Spiritual Mountain Method was Venerable Xin He's "Boat Mountain Method."

But as Zhao Xing listened, he started to feel that something was amiss.

This was because, after Venerable Xin He finished presenting his method, he suddenly changed topic and brought out another Daoist scripture: "The Treatise on the Extreme Continent Universe."

Zhao Xing's eyebrow twitched, and his heart began to pound.

"Yin-Yang Twin Stars revolve across the cosmos."

"Boundary stars, star continents, dual Yin-Yang systems, spirit domains, barren domains—all are merely sunken phenomena."

"We are already living within the Extreme Continent."

"The Extreme Star is the Earth's core; once it extinguishes, we must use the Boat Mountain Method to save the world—"

Venerable Xin He's voice reverberated throughout the Earth Altar Plaza, and the other venerables looked at Xin He in disbelief.

Above the altar, several divine generals on the twelve pillars also emitted brilliant divine light.

"Silence!"

"Xin He, you've fallen into deviation!"

"Ignorant and arrogant!"

Immediately after, Zhao Xing saw Venerable Xin He's lecture forcibly interrupted, with layers of light and shadow appearing above the altar, as if the flow of time had slowed.

Zhao Xing knew that a divine realm existence had prevented Xin He's lecture from spreading outwards.

The guests outside would not hear the latter part of Xin He's discourse.

"Whoosh~"

Venerable Xin He was immediately taken away.

"He's truly lost his mind," Zhao Xing secretly shook his head. "Such rhetoric is practically the speech of an evil god."

Venerable Xin He's recent statements, in simple terms, amounted to the 'Sealed Chamber Universe Theory'.

This theory posited that the Extreme Continent was the universe, and the universe was the Extreme Continent.

The Extreme Star was the Earth's core, and the Yin-Yang Twin Stars were also differentiations of this core.

Boundary stars and star continents were born in the intermediate layer between the Extreme Continent and the Extreme Star.

Imagine everyone living within a sphere, where the boundary of their universe was the soil of the Extreme Continent.

Because the earth veins of the Extreme Continent were exceedingly dense, the distances between all boundary stars and star continents were continuously expanding.

He thus interpreted the disorderly movement and distancing of star domains as a 'sinking phenomenon' falling towards the Extreme Continent.

"The Extreme Continent Universe Theory is merely another version of the Sunken Barren Domain Theory, but combined with the Divine Boat Theory, it unequivocally represents the 'Escapist Faction'," Zhao Xing secretly shook his head.

"This means expending all effort to excavate spiritual mountain materials and construct an unprecedented cosmic boat."

"This would effectively make the Barren Domain Era faction abandon the Profound Spirit Star Domain, their main base, and flee to the edge of the universe."

"Venerable Xin He is truly mad," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "But it's possible someone in the evil god faction thinks this way."

"Whoosh~"

The divine flames on the altar burned, consuming both of Venerable Xin He's Daoist scriptures entirely.

"It seems this is a path of development absolutely forbidden by the Primordial Mound," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

After a brief period of confusion, it was Venerable Kuang Chuan's turn to take the stage.