Chapter 653: New Samsara System (4,000 words, two chapters totaling 7,100)

Chapter 653: The New Reincarnation System (4000+, 7100+ for two chapters combined)

A Golden Core for ten spirit coins made Zhang Yu feel the profound backing of the Myriad Methods University.

The technique of the Heavenly Meteor Core-Shattering Scripture also gave him a tangible sense that his odds of victory could be pushed even higher.

Yet as his gaze swept over the projections of the Golden Cores before him, he realized these pills were indeed forged solely to be shattered; not a single one mentioned the benefits of stepping into the Golden Core realm, detailing only the effects of their self-destruction and shattering.

Some, upon shattering, would stir the spiritual energies and conjure natural disasters.

Others would fortify the physical body, temporarily surpassing the limits of a Foundation Establishment physique.

Still others could summon thunder, unleash sword qi, or even trigger a bodily self-detonation...

The myriad effects were too numerous to list, leaving Zhang Yu in a state of quiet awe.

Yet what captured his attention most were the cores capable of being shattered multiple times.

"The Ten-Shatter Golden Core."

"One core, ten shatters."

Reading the description, Zhang Yu mused, "These cores were originally designed to aid cultivators in breaking through to the Golden Core realm, a technology ensuring that even after a failed breakthrough, they could try again with a higher chance of success."

"But as Foundation Establishment cultivators grew ever more proficient, breaking through to the Golden Core became increasingly trivial, rendering this fail-safe technology obsolete."

"Who could have foreseen that this very technique, later applied to the field of self-shattering cores, would shine with such brilliance?"

Zhang Yu's high regard for the Ten-Shatter Golden Core was naturally not for its destructive power, but for the thought that he could shatter it repeatedly to cultivate the Heavenly Meteor Core-Shattering Scripture.

Just then, the Divine Lord of Heavenly Deduction continued, "Furthermore, remember that by ancient standards, these cores range from the ninth to the first grade, each requiring a different level of cultivation to form and shatter."

"Naturally, by modern metrics, that means you need different Golden Core benchmark scores to harness these various pills."

"Before you make your selection, remember to run a benchmark on yourself, just as a precaution."

"It doesn't need to be overly precise, nor should it reveal too much of your personal data; a rough estimate will suffice."

"If you're short on funds, seek out True Lord An Zhen and have him arrange a loan for you."

"As for the physical toll after shattering the core, I will arrange a medical team for you..."

With those final words, the Divine Lord of Heavenly Deduction ended the communication.

As Zhang Yu gathered his wits, his consciousness had already returned to his body, back aboard the flying vessel.

He promptly ordered a dozen Ten-Shatter Golden Cores, then opened the Golden Core Index to run a benchmark on himself.

Though he only disclosed a fraction of his data, Zhang Yu's score skyrocketed, vaulting him straight to second place on the Golden Core Seed Rankings.

Seeing the first-place name above his own, Zhang Yu thought, "Kuang Tianqing already has over eight hundred thousand points? But this surely isn't her full strength; her true benchmark score might well have surpassed a million."

Casually posting his latest score to his social circle, Zhang Yu then made his way to Dao Qiankun's mourning hall.

This was the place he had chosen to cultivate the Heavenly Meteor Core-Shattering Scripture in the days to come.

Clearly, beyond merely practicing the technique, he also sought to unravel the mysteries within Dao Ge's remains and replicate the Dao Seed hidden in Dao Qiankun's body.

Watching Zhang Yu visit the mourning hall day after day, cultivating while keeping vigil beside the corpse, many could not help but sigh in admiration.

Ye Xingli mused, "My junior brother is truly sentimental; Dao Qiankun has been dead for so long, yet he still cares this deeply?"

...

Inside the mourning hall.

Faint threads of golden light flickered within Zhang Yu's body, and muffled thuds echoed from within him, carrying an aura of absolute destruction.

Bang!

His body trembled slightly as Zhang Yu exhaled a thin wisp of white smoke; glancing at the data on his Feather Tome, he thought to himself, "Not bad."

Heavenly Meteor Core-Shattering Scripture Level 1 (5/10)

Zhang Yu made a quick mental calculation, thinking, "My current savings, combined with the advertising revenue from the next decisive battle, should be more than enough to fund the cultivation of this technique."

"At worst, I can just take out another loan from the university."

"As for the physical damage, it remains well within manageable limits."

Zhang Yu's physique was already immensely powerful, and with the university's medical team on standby every day, he could devote himself entirely to cultivating the Heavenly Meteor Core-Shattering Scripture.

Then, his gaze shifted back to the corpse of Dao Qiankun lying before him.

Dividing a strand of his consciousness to continue the core-shattering cultivation, he devoted his remaining thoughts to pondering the enigma of Dao Qiankun's remains.

Thus the days slipped by, drawing ever closer to the moment of the decisive battle.

...

At the garrison of the Heavenly Demon University.

Kuang Tianqing gritted her teeth, a profound agony surging through her heart.

"It's happening again..."

She rubbed her brow incessantly, seized by a violent urge to rip open her own skull and scour every last memory from her brain.

Those ancient recollections continually stirred wrath and sorrow within her, leaving her with a singular desire to utterly obliterate everything before her eyes.

Yet soon, as streams of magical power flowed into her body, her turbulent spirit was gradually soothed.

The President of the Heavenly Demon University, the Divine Lord of Sovereign Freedom, was employing immortal arts to seal away the memories in Kuang Tianqing's mind.

"Tianqing, I will now seal all those memories triggered by the Reincarnation Group, so they will no longer hinder your performance."

"However, during this period, some memories may continually resurface in your mind; you must guard your Dao heart steadfastly and never let them sway you."

Kuang Tianqing gave a slight nod, and in the next instant, she felt a rapid succession of scenes flashing before her eyes, a fleeting panorama revealing various vignettes of antiquity.

The struggle between orthodoxy and heresy... the great war between humans and demons... the sect reforms...

Fragmented memories surfaced in Kuang Tianqing's mind, sending a violent chill creeping through her heart.

"Why?"

"Why has the world become like this?"

But in the very next moment, even more memories flooded before her, catching her completely off guard.

"No, where are all these ancient memories coming from? Has the Reincarnation Group made another move?"

Amidst her shock, she suddenly witnessed a scene from weeks ago, when the Divine Lord of Sovereign Freedom had sealed her memories.

Then came the image of her memories being sealed once more, years prior.

Followed by a decade ago... that was the very first time her memories had been sealed.

"My memories were sealed long ago?"

"Every time the Divine Lord of Sovereign Freedom sealed my memories, he first unraveled the original seal before applying a new one." "That is why I can see my previously sealed memories."

"This Top Ten Tournament isn't the first time the Reincarnation Group has stuffed things into my head? No... that's not it..."

Watching the increasingly turbulent flood of memory scenes and feeling the mounting weight of their contents, a sudden realization dawned in Kuang Tianqing's mind: "So that's how it is."

"I am a reincarnated soul from within the sect."

"In my past life, I had already lived for thousands of years; I am a true ancient."

In the depths of Kuang Tianqing's mind, she seemed to still recall the aftermath of her reincarnation, watching the ever-changing development of Kunxu with a sense of sheer disbelief.

Those ancient memories had become a heavy burden, dragging down her progress along the immortal path.

Thus, she sought out the Sovereign of Freedom, asking him to seal away her memories so that she could grow with a personality best suited to this new era.

"Senior, have you remembered?" the voice of the Sovereign of Freedom echoed, "Recently, the Reincarnation Group has been meddling, repeatedly stirring the memories in your mind and breaking through my seal. I need to re-establish and reinforce the barrier."

Kuang Tianqing nodded slightly, watching the scenes unfolding in her memories; more events, deeper secrets of the heart, and those dark corners that even the Deity Transformation sovereigns could not probe were all recalled by her, one by one.

She thought to herself, "So I am... a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect?"

"It was my son who sent me down to reincarnate and endure this tribulation."

"And the true reason for my descent is..."

A faint, cold smile touched the corners of Kuang Tianqing's lips, "The new reincarnation system... heh, no wonder my memories had to be sealed."

"I did not come for some damn life-extension technology."

"I came to promote the new reincarnation system; what a brilliant ruse to deceive the heavens and cross the sea."

After a long while, when clarity returned to Kuang Tianqing's gaze, she took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Master. I feel much better."

The Sovereign of Freedom said, "Tianqing, until the final battle, those ancient memories will no longer affect you."

"Perform well, defeat Zhang Yu, and claim the championship."

Kuang Tianqing nodded, "Rest assured, Master. I will surely seize the Scripture of Eternal Spring and extend the lifespans of all the Deity Transformation sovereigns."

...

Within the mourning hall.

After realizing there was something wrong with the dharma-remains on Dao Qiankun's corpse, Zhang Yu began various attempts.

He tried to repair the dharma-remains, and he also tried to replace them with new ones for the body.

But either it yielded no results, or he was stopped by the other party's artifact spirit.

Looking at the artifact spirit before him, a thought suddenly struck him, and he told it of his intention to repair the dharma-remains.

To his surprise, the artifact spirit directly summoned a repair service to fix the dharma-remains on the corpse.

Watching this scene, Zhang Yu was slightly stunned, "This artifact spirit has its own account? It can spend money to maintain Dao Qiankun's corpse?"

"Then the so-called elevation of the physical body to a state of perfection..."

A thought stirred in Zhang Yu's mind; after scanning Dao Qiankun's dharma-remains, he purchased the relevant blueprints and submitted them to the artifact spirit.

Upon receiving the blueprints, the artifact spirit before him shook its head slightly, "Not what I need."

Seeing this, Zhang Yu's eyes lit up, and he asked, "What kind do you need?"

The artifact spirit directly listed a host of requirements; after noting them down one by one, Zhang Yu began using the Heavenly Creations to modify the other party's dharma-remains blueprints.

At the same time, a wave of doubt surged in his heart, "Did Brother Dao leave the artifact spirit behind to modify the dharma-remains on his own body?"

"And the reason his physical body never reached a perfect state was precisely because the dharma-remains were flawed?"

As he handed over the modified blueprints one by one, Zhang Yu felt himself drawing ever closer to the Dao Seed within Dao Qiankun.

And so, amidst daily cultivation of the Shattered Core technique and daily submission of blueprints to the artifact spirit, the days slipped by.

...

The eve of the finals.

"Everything that could be done has been done."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "For tomorrow's battle, I am fully confident of victory, but..."

Just then, Zhang Yu's gaze shifted, and a message from Zhang Pianpian unexpectedly appeared before his eyes.

Zhang Yu mused, "Sister should have gone to the third level by now, right? Is this a cross-level message?"

Zhang Pianpian: Junior brother, knowing you made it to the finals brings me joy, but also fills me with worry.

Zhang Pianpian: The peril of this battle far exceeds anything before, but I know you will not give up.

Zhang Pianpian: I have only one piece of advice for you.

Zhang Pianpian: If you win the championship, you might choose the Immortal Sect technique, the Nine Heavens Reincarnation Step; its power of self-preservation is unmatched in the world, and with your talent, mastering it swiftly could keep you safe.

Zhang Yu replied: I understand.

"The Nine Heavens Reincarnation Step?" Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, "Yet another choice added to the list."

Meanwhile, the company group chat was incredibly lively, with the soul cultivators under Zhang Yu all buzzing with excitement for tomorrow's decisive battle.

Especially after Zhang Yu handed out red envelopes, this excitement surged to an even higher level.

Zhao Tianxing said: Boss, have you heard? Among the Immortal Sect techniques, there is one that allows soul cultivators to practice and reach the realm of immortals directly.

Zhao Tianxing: If you choose this technique, all soul cultivators in the world could once again ascend to the peak of the immortal path, and from then on, this world would never fear death again.

Zhang Yu had wanted to change this world countless times, but when the opportunity to do so, even if merely a possibility, was placed right before him, it only filled him with an immense sense of heaviness.

Director Gao: Zhang Yu, how are your preparations going?

Looking at the message from Director Gao, Zhang Yu thought for a moment and replied: Teacher, I am somewhat... afraid.

Zhang Yu: I don't know what to choose.

Director Gao: The era of Kunxu rolls relentlessly forward, and the year-by-year reforms of the immortal path are truly grand and sweeping.

Director Gao: Being a part of it, I too often feel hesitation and confusion, wondering if this path of development is truly right.

Director Gao: But the era will not wait for you, nor will it wait for me; no matter what choices we make, the world will continue to move forward.

Director Gao: In this world, nothing remains unchanged, and the path of immortality is all the more about hacking through thorns and forging ahead without looking back.

Director Gao: Zhang Yu, keep moving forward, and don't look back.

Reading Director Gao's reply, Zhang Yu took a deep breath and whispered softly, "Keep moving forward..."

...

"A-Zhen, let's go."

Holding his longsword, Zhang Yu stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Kuang Tianqing in the finals arena, as an unprecedented will to battle erupted from his being.

Kuang Tianqing, first on the Golden Core Seed list, having extracted the essence of countless top scholars and empowered by eight Deity Transformation sovereigns as the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator, was seen by the whole world as invincible within her realm, and she herself believed no Foundation Establishment cultivator could ever stand against her.

Zhang Yu, supported by multiple military-grade forces, propelled by the Feather Book, the Chain Method Diagram, and the Dao Seed, and wielding Bai Zhenzhen, likewise believed he had reached the very end of Foundation Establishment; with the help of his companions and teachers, he was confident that no Foundation Establishment student in the world could ever surpass him.

And now, at this very moment, to prove their strength, for their own path of immortality, and to decide the future of Kunxu.

They had only one goal left today, and only that single goal could bring them satisfaction, could give them meaning.

And that was to utterly defeat, utterly shatter, and utterly destroy the opponent before them!

(End of Chapter)