“Qualification for comprehending the Gold-Origin Profound Meaning activated.”

  In endless darkness, the system prompt flickered with white light. After briefly illuminating, it slowly dimmed.

  Lu felt his soul being pulled by an overwhelmingly powerful force, as if traversing through time and space itself.

  On Heart Island,

  A gentle breeze blew.

  Lu leaned back in the Thousand-Blade Chair, eyes closed, breathing softly, seemingly dozing lazily.

  Below the pavilion,

  Ning Zhao, Ni Yu, and Yi Yue—the three maids—looked up. They had intended to report on the Destiny Tower’s first opening, but seeing Lu asleep on the pavilion, complex emotions flickered in their eyes.

  “Young Master faced twenty Immortal-tier gods and demons alone in the Primordial Starry Sky, even outwitting Ancient Emperor Hao of the Nine Heavens… He bore the entire burden of Five Phoenixes by himself.”

  Ning Zhao’s white dress fluttered, her presence even more ethereal as she spoke.

  “Young Master must be exhausted. Let him rest. We’ll handle the Destiny Tower properly—ensure it doesn’t trouble him.”

  Yi Yue sighed softly.

  Ni Yu, carrying her black pot, nodded vigorously.

  As Young Master’s maids, their duty was to ease his burdens.

  “Let Young Master sleep well. We’ll report when he wakes.”

  Ning Zhao said.

  Her gaze fell on the sleeping figure leaning against the Thousand-Blade Chair. Her red lips pursed slightly, tenderness flashing in her eyes.

  With a gentle wave of her hand,

  Spiritual qi wove through the air, forming a soft spiritual blanket that floated down, covering Lu.

  The three exchanged glances and silently departed.

  Their divine senses interwove, sealing Heart Island completely.

  Divine Sense Island Sealing.

  While Young Master slept, no one could disturb him.

  During this time, no matter how urgent the matter, it would have to wait until he awoke.

  …

  The Overlord, Tang Yimo, Mi Jia, and other Five Phoenixes Golden Immortals returned.

  They headed straight to the capital of the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty and entered the Destiny Tower. Since Lu said the tower could help them, they came without hesitation.

  Guided by the Destiny Maiden, they selected missions tailored to enhance their strengths and entered.

  Lu had divided the Destiny Tower’s missions into Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow ranks. To access higher-level missions, lower ones had to be completed first.

  This prevented reckless behavior.

  Special missions were the exception.

  The Overlord chose a Yellow-rank Golden Immortal mission.

  Upon entering, he felt as though he had fallen into an illusion.

  It was a scene of human hell.

  Xijun was destroyed, reduced to scorched earth. He saw Luo Mingsang’s corpse, along with the bodies of his former subordinates.

  The Overlord’s eyes narrowed. Though he knew it was an illusion, rage still surged within him.

  A low-tier god and demon stood in the distance, wantonly destroying everything in Xijun.

  “Damn beast!”

  The Overlord’s fury found an outlet. Demonic qi erupted as he transformed into a streak of light, charging toward the low-tier god and demon.

  Boom boom boom!

  The Golden Immortal missions, screened by the Destiny Maiden, were perfectly suited to each participant.

  The Overlord’s opponent was a low-tier god and demon specializing in speed and devastating attacks.

  Against such an enemy, the Overlord was instantly at a disadvantage.

  He could only passively take hits, but each blow tempered his body.

  Though furious, he realized the immense benefit this god and demon provided for his training!

  Not just the Overlord—

  The Destiny Maiden seemed to have recorded every Five Phoenixes Golden Immortal’s information, assigning low-tier god and demon opponents tailored to each.

  Tang Yimo faced a low-tier god and demon equally skilled in explosive power. Their battle was a contest of endurance in unleashing power.

  Sima Qingshan encountered a low-tier god and demon proficient in blade arts.

  This god and demon could effortlessly slice through Sima Qingshan’s painting-prison.

  Mi Jia faced a low-tier god and demon with a soft, mud-like body. Her Extreme Dao Emperor Fist was severely restricted in combat, but overcoming these limitations would bring her tremendous growth.

  One Golden Immortal after another trained relentlessly in the Destiny Tower.

  Completing missions not only granted destiny from slain gods and demons but also points—exchangeable for destiny, treasures, and more…

  For Golden Immortals, destiny was crucial, but forging imperial weapons was equally important.

  With points, they could now consider crafting imperial weapons.

  The Destiny Tower’s mission completion rate was around thirty-something percent.

  Most Heavenly Humans had broken through due to the world’s transformation but lacked combat experience. The Destiny Tower filled that gap.

  As time passed, completion rates would gradually rise.

  Because the minimum requirement was Heavenly Human realm, cultivators below that level went mad with ambition.

  They trained relentlessly, pushing their limits.

  Geniuses emerged one after another, all striving to qualify for the Destiny Tower.

  The entire Five Phoenixes Great World plunged into a cultivation frenzy.

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  And all of this…

  Lu, at this moment, was completely unaware of.

  …

  Lu opened his eyes.

  He found himself floating in a vast starry sky.

  “Hm? This is… the Primordial Starry Sky?”

  Lu was slightly surprised. He was familiar with the Primordial Starry Sky’s aura.

  This ancient, profound presence matched it perfectly.

  But this wasn’t the region near the Five Phoenixes passage.

  Lu looked down and saw himself cloaked in black robes.

  These robes blocked divine sense probing.

  They weren’t conjured by Lu—clearly prepared by the system.

  “Interesting…”

  “Is this ‘comprehending the Gold-Origin Profound Meaning’ just another case of the system sneaking me in?”

  Lu’s mouth twitched. After all, this wasn’t the first time the system had done this.

  In the beginning, Lu had possessed Tian Xu Gongzi—essentially sneaking into the Tian Yuan Domain…

  But Lu quickly calmed down.

  He was used to it.

  He accepted.

  Only then did Lu raise his head and look deep into the starry sky.

  “Huh?”

  Lu’s brow furrowed.

  Following his gaze, he clearly saw, far in the depths, an enormous statue radiating profound mystery.

  Lu narrowed his eyes. With just a blurry glance, he felt an odd daze.

  “This is the Gold-Origin Profound Meaning?”

  Lu took a deep breath.

  His black-robed figure moved, shooting forward.

  Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

  As he approached the massive statue,

  Lu noticed intense soul fluctuations around him. One soul after another transformed into streaks of light, speeding past.

  Clearly, he wasn’t the only soul here.

  These beings weren’t all human—some were gods and demons, others strange beasts…

  But without exception, their auras were incredibly powerful.

  At least Great Emperor-level soul strength!

  Some even made Lu wary—like terrifying soul storms!

  “Peak Emperor-level souls can reach such terrifying intensity?”

  Lu narrowed his eyes.

  His current divine sense was at the eleventh layer of Qi Refining—not yet at its peak.

  Yet compared to many here, it was weaker.

  “Where… exactly is this place?”

  Lu grew curious. Just where had the system sent him?

  Deep in the Primordial Starry Sky?

  Lu felt oddly excited.

  He didn’t know what to do next. He simply followed the others, speeding toward the massive statue.

  As he drew closer, he finally saw it clearly.

  It was an enormous beast statue—lifelike, pure gold, as if not a statue but a real golden beast towering in the starry sky, radiating profound mystery.

  The beast raised its claw in a forward-sweeping motion.

  As if it could shatter an entire universe—no existence could block this claw.

  Lu watched for a moment. His mind seemed drawn in by the claw.

  He felt as if it would fall at any moment and crush him.

  But Lu sensed danger. He abruptly closed his eyes, severing his gaze. His soul fluctuated violently.

  “Oh? He actually escaped the statue’s influence on his own?”

  Many mocking gazes turned toward Lu, now tinged with surprise.

  “He must be a newcomer. Anyone who dares look directly at the statue is courting death…”

  “The comprehension conference is about to begin. The statue’s profound energy will stabilize and spread in ordered waves. Only then can comprehension start. Looking directly before that will tear your soul apart with the terrifying Gold-Origin Profound Meaning.”

  “Escaping forcibly means his soul strength is quite strong…”

  Murmurs rose around him.

  Soon, attention shifted away. Such incidents were common.

  Lu calmed himself and observed his surroundings. He saw many souls shattering—those who stared at the statue and were torn apart by its power.

  Lu narrowed his eyes.

  So domineering!

  A little terrifying.

  Perhaps Lu’s forceful escape caught some attention, recognizing his potential.

  “Don’t go any further. Find a nearby primordial star to settle on. Only on a star can you comprehend stably.”

  “The closer stars are already occupied by powerhouses. We can’t compare to them.”

  Someone warned Lu.

  Lu, cloaked in black robes, looked ahead.

  Indeed, the closer to the statue, the more stars were occupied.

  Each star hosted a figure.

  Their auras were powerful—peak Emperor, Immortal-tier god and demon level.

  Even closer—within the first hundred stars—were soul auras that made Lu wary and uneasy. Even from millions of miles away, their terrifying soul power was palpable.

  “Who are those on the first hundred stars?”

  Lu asked curiously.

  “You don’t know? Only those qualified for comprehension can enter this area… and you don’t know them?”

  The questioned powerhouse looked at Lu in disbelief.

  Lu smiled and casually bullshitted.

  “The first hundred stars are basically occupied by top powerhouses from the Five Elemental Realms. The five closest stars belong to the personal disciples of the Five Elemental Gods!”

  The powerhouse spoke with some wariness.

  “Five Elemental Gods?!”

  Lu narrowed his eyes. When the golden elemental god and demon died, it had mentioned the God of Elements.

  “So there are five Elemental Gods.”

  Lu had thought there was only one.

  “Judging by your soul aura, you’re human, right? Heh… interesting. Human Immortal-Martial worlds in the Primordial Starry Sky are rare under the oppression of the Elemental Realm’s gods and demons. Yet you still managed to get a comprehension slot.”

  The powerhouse smiled meaningfully, then flew off to claim a nearby unoccupied life star.

  Lu pondered.

  The powerhouse’s words revealed that there were still many human Immortal-Martial worlds in the Primordial Starry Sky.

  But very few.

  Under the oppression of the Elemental Realm’s gods and demons, they were nearly extinct.

  This reminded Lu of Five Phoenixes’ and the Nine Heavens’ experiences.

  In Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor’s memories, the Nine Heavens had once been glorious, nearly qualifying for Immortal-Martial ascension.

  But then came the god and demon calamity, destroying their chance.

  Lu found an unoccupied life star and settled on it.

  He didn’t go toward the first hundred stars. Though the comprehension conditions there would be better,

  With his apparent “sneaked-in” slot from the system, Lu didn’t dare act too boldly.

  The soul strength of those in the first hundred stars was no weaker than his.

  Some could even easily suppress him.

  And the five disciples of the Elemental Gods on the closest stars…

  They were terrifying.

  Likely Daluo Immortal-level powerhouses.

  Of course, their strength had nothing to do with Lu. Cloaked in black robes, he kept an extremely low profile.

  Lu caused no trouble, made no noise, and sat in meditation.

  The surrounding area was deathly silent. Each star was quite far apart.

  It seemed to form distinct stellar zones.

  First five-star zone, first ten-star zone, first fifty, first hundred…

  Each zone differed, with aura strength decreasing in steps.

  Lu’s zone had many stars.

  The atmosphere was harmonious. Even when conflicts arose, they were just harsh words—no major fights.

  “Probably because fighting would cause violent fluctuations in the Golden-Origin Statue…”

  Lu lifted his face beneath the black robes, gazing at the massive statue, eyes narrowing.

  He vaguely sensed that if battle fluctuations erupted, the Golden-Origin Statue might release even more terrifying killing intent.

  Lu probed the system, but it seemed completely gone—no response.

  In other words, here, Lu had no assistance.

  He didn’t even know how to leave.

  Roar!

  Suddenly,

  A terrifying roar echoed faintly between heaven and earth.

  The sound boomed, vast and overwhelming.

  Lu felt dazed. Before this roar, he felt like a speck of dust, easily shattered.

  “It’s starting! The comprehension session begins!”

  “This time, I must condense an Origin Sea at least a thousand miles wide!”

  “I wonder which of the Five Elemental Gods’ disciples will stand out and receive the statue’s inheritance.”

  The chatter gradually quieted.

  Lu also calmed his mind.

  Buzz buzz buzz…

  Vaguely,

  The massive statue stabilized.

  As the beastly roar faded,

  Golden light rapidly retracted…

  Until it condensed to its extreme, like a calm stone dropping into a vast lake.

  A colossal ripple erupted.

  Waves of golden energy spread outward.

  This golden ripple was the profound energy released by the statue!

  Lu narrowed his eyes.

  He could clearly see

  The five disciples of the Elemental Gods on the closest stars tremble slightly. They were the first struck by the golden profound ripple, entering a state of comprehension.

  As they comprehended, golden ripples gathered above their heads, forming Origin Seas.

  Boom!

  The golden profound ripple expanded outward.

  Like waves spreading.

  Everyone breathed rapidly, hurriedly entering comprehension.

  As they comprehended, golden profound ripples lingered above them, converging like tiny streams.

  “So this is how profound meaning comprehension works?”

  “Quite interesting.”

  “It seems to test pure talent! Pure talent alone…”

  Lu’s eyes flickered.

  Throughout his growth, Lu had relied on the system’s Qi Refining upgrades.

  He had never truly tested his own talent.

  This time, he could finally feel how talented he really was.

  So this time, Lu got serious.

  Boom!

  Finally, the golden profound ripple surged past the first hundred stars, thinning slightly but continuing to spread, covering everyone in the outermost zones.

  Lu was also struck.

  In that instant…

  It felt like icy water splashing over him in the bitter cold of winter!

  His soul froze instantly!

  Before Lu’s eyes, only golden light remained!

  He entered comprehension.

  …

  After Lu entered comprehension,

  The entire area fell into dead silence. Everyone was immersed in the golden profound ripple.

  As time passed, the golden profound ripple stabilized.

  In the void, six figures slowly coalesced.

  All six were vague humanoid shapes. Five were blue, red, yellow, gold, and green. The sixth was faint white.

  Their auras were incredibly powerful. Their wills clashed, causing the area to tremble.

  “This time’s comprehension session—unexpectedly, humans came too… Your human race is already so weak. Why bother joining?”

  The golden figure spoke to the white figure.

  “The Beast Ancestor Statue releases profound ripples once every ten million years. The one who condenses the largest Origin Sea will receive the Beast Ancestor’s special Gold-Origin inheritance… Your human race is utterly hopeless at comprehension. Has any human ever condensed an Origin Sea over ten thousand miles wide? Why come and embarrass yourselves again?”

  The words echoed.

  Yet the white figure remained silent.

  The other figures lost interest. Their gazes shifted downward.

  The white figure swept its gaze across the area.

  The Elemental Gods were right—humans were indeed terrible at comprehending profound meanings.

  This time, only nine human powerhouses had come, but they were the ones he had placed hope in.

  Of course, he knew the hope was slim.

  Yet he still held onto it. The human race needed someone to stand up and break the current situation.

  Suddenly,

  The white figure’s eyes shrank. Its gaze fell on a black-robed figure seated on a star.

  “Human soul aura?”

  “This time, humans only sent nine… How did this tenth one sneak in?”