Endless skies layered upon one another like translucent veils.
Floating landmasses drifted lazily, bound by unseen laws.
Rivers of light flowed like living threads, weaving through mountains etched with faint, ancient runes.
In the far distance, colossal silhouettes lay in quiet slumber – still, yet exuding a pressure so imnse that even breathing felt like an act of defiance.
This place felt ancient.
Not old in years, but old in aning.
Yu Xuan stood frozen, montarily forgetting the danger.
’Wonderful.’
That single thought echoed in his mind.
Before he could process anything further, a strange, gentle force surged through his eyes, originating from Shei.
It was neither violent nor invasive, yet it peeled sothing open within him.
Suddenly, the world unfolded.
And then.
He saw it.
The Tree.
What he had seen before was nothing more than a fragnt, an illusion born of limited perception.
Now, with his vision expanded, the truth revealed itself.
The trunk alone was a world unto itself.
Gravity clung to it as though the trunk was the land, vast enough to cradle continents.
Verdant plains, winding rivers, and entire ecosystems thrived upon its surface.
And beneath it.
No ground.
Only a boundless ocean, dark and unfathomable, within which terrifying presences stirred, as if the depths themselves were alive and watching.
Each leaf of the tree ford a unique bio – so radiant, so solemn, so terrifyingly serene, each decorated as though it belonged to a unique person each... or perhaps it did.
Yu Xuan’s breath hitched.
Earlier he was likely standing on the trunk.
That realization struck him harder than any blow.
If this was rely the trunk.
Then how vast was the tree itself?
It was incomprehensible for him to imagine that, directly in his mind.
And yet, despite its overwhelming scale, everything moved in harmony.
The winds, the light, the slow drifting of worlds, everything followed a subtle rhythm, as if crafted by an incomprehensible artisan who understood balance on a cosmic level.
Circling the colossal tree were a sun and a moon.
At the base of the tree lay a vast gathering ground, a place resembling a camp.
"What a normal reaction," the Asura muttered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Shei’s voice followed, calm and faintly amused.
"So? How is it? Do you like this place?"
Still perched atop Yu Xuan’s head, she allowed him to share her vision fully, certain he had seen far more than most newcors ever did.
"I..." Yu Xuan finally spoke, his voice distant.
"I don’t think words are enough to describe its beauty."
"Good," Shei replied.
She continued, her tone shifting into sothing solemn.
"I am really not flaunting my knowledge but, just to let you know, this is The Dao Blessed Primordial Heaven and Earth Divine Spirit Tree. Her na is Sheng Mu."
The mont those words were spoken, the air around Yu Xuan trembled.
As if it was... aware.
A gentle ripple passed through the space, and Yu Xuan felt his hair lift and sway unevenly, as though sothing unseen were trying, awkwardly to block Shei’s sight given to him.
Then, just as suddenly, his vision returned to normal.
The overwhelming clarity vanished.
Yu Xuan blinked, heart pounding.
’The trial description definitely said... mortal.’ That was the only thought left in his mind.
***
Leaf Number 875.
Within this leaf existed a miniature realm.
A realm saturated with sword intent so supre that, were it ever fully released, even Immortal Worlds would collapse beneath its edge.
At the center of this realm sat a man with his eyes closed.
Long, sharp silver hair cascaded down his back, each strand seemingly honed by intent itself.
His body radiated sword will in steady, terrifying waves, as though he were not rely sitting within the realm, but acting as its axis.
He stood taller than ordinary humans, nearly eight feet in height. Upon his forehead was engraved the symbol of his primary weapon.
A sword.
He was not human.
He belonged to a race known as the Primary Wielder Ars, one of the earliest beings of Heaven and Earth to wield weapons.
To them, weapons were not tools, but extensions of existence itself. Their connection to armants transcended cultivation, bloodlines, and even laws.
To wield was to be.
Suddenly.
The man’s eyes opened.
Sharp. Cold. Absolute.
A ripple passed through the realm as the sword intent subtly shifted.
"Hm..."
His gaze turned distant, feeling sothing.
"Why do I sense... an incomplete connection?" he murmured inwardly.
Though he is a mortal now, his instincts still remained.
The feeling was faint, fractured, yet undeniably real, like a blade half-forged, calling to its missing edge.
Nothing about the man appeared abnormal.
Except for one detail.
His face bore an eerie resemblance to Yu Changming.
The father of Yu Xuan.
***
Leaf Number 7462
Unlike the previous miniature realm, this one was not saturated with sword intent.
Instead, it resembled the imperial court of a nation.
No, not rely a nation.
A great one.
At the heart of the realm stood a colossal palace, its architecture grand yet restrained, exuding a dignity forged through countless ages.
Guarding the cardinal directions were four imnse statues.
The Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Turtle of the North.
Their gazes were lifelike, as if eternally vigilant.
The walls of the grand court were covered in auspicious symbols, celestial diagrams, murals, and archaic scripts – records of triumphs that spanned ages, each carving a testant to the profound history of this race and its dominion over destiny.
A narrow river wound its way through a tranquil garden behind the palace.
There, among blooming plants and carefully tended soil, a middle-aged man in auspicious Emperor robes calmly watered the flowers.
It was an irony bordering on absurdity that, despite possessing a Supre Self, he remained a mortal.
The man suddenly paused.
The stream of water halted mid-fall as his fingers tightened slightly around the watering vessel.
His eyes narrowed, sharp with perception far beyond that of ordinary beings.
"Hm..."
Sothing had stirred.
"The reset happened twice... but why are my instincts screaming?" he murmured, his gaze drifting toward the empty sky above the court.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"An opportunity..." he realized.
"No, the opportunity."
His eyes glead with a light that had once shaken Heaven itself.
’...An opportunity to start the Third Heaven–Human War.’ he thought.
The flowers before him trembled, though there was no wind.
This man was Xin Juesheng.
A Heavenly Human.
The Peak of Humanity.
And The Third Human Emperor.
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