Xu Jingming was inextricably entwined with Feather Fire Lord. He had acquired the Eight Directions Map as a mere low-dimensional lifeform. In the boundless future possibilities, he would engage with Feather Fire Lord time and again.
As Feather Fire Lord scrutinized him, His frown deepened.
An invisible force seems to be influencing his future, directing it toward a stable outcome. And even the third-realm powerhouses he encountered were oblivious to it. Feather Fire Lord pondered, What level of power is this? Or am I imagining things?
I must observe him more closely. Feather Fire Lord made a decision.
…
Xu Jingming, the dean, Tower Master, Island Lord, and Redmond stood before the imposing structure, their hearts pounding with anticipation.
"The legacy hall lies ahead," said Xu Jingming. "Once we enter, we'll be transported to separate legacy spaces. Choose any legacy you want. If you're short, feel free to borrow from me."
"One shouldn't overreach. Learning two third-realm legacies is enough," the dean remarked with a smile, his wealth from the Primordial Gold Mountains allowing him to learn two legacies.
"It's already a tremendous opportunity to learn a third-realm legacy." Redmond was even more excited.
Without Xu Jingming's assistance, he wouldn't have made it to distant Feather Fire City, let alone afford the fee. Most peak Eternal high-dimensional lifeforms couldn't even buy the least expensive drop of Abyssal Mother Blood.
"Let's go." The five strode into the main entrance of the legacy hall, anticipation swelling within them.
The moment they entered, Xu Jingming felt space-time shift and found himself in an independent space. The dean and the others were similarly transported to their own separate spaces.
"Welcome to Feather Fire Mountain's Hall of Legacy. We offer 3,000 basic legacies and 128 third-realm legacies. Each costs one drop of Abyssal Mother Blood, while choosing two costs three drops…" Information flooded Xu Jingming's mind.
Immediately after, 3,128 distinct lights floated before him.
There were 3,000 cyan lights and 128 rainbow lights.
Xu Jingming reached out and touched one of the rainbow lights.
"The Star Abyss Notes, a legacy crafted by the Master of the Abyss, a third-realm being. It seamlessly merges knowledge from the Primordial Star and Abyss lineages, elevating this legacy to the third realm. Cultivating it successfully will transform your body into a stellar abyss that can devour infinite power to fortify itself. This legacy also has seven branches…" A wealth of introductory information appeared.
Xu Jingming marveled at the revelation. It's actually a legacy created by the Master of the Abyss. According to Valley Goldstone, the Master of the Abyss was the strongest third-realm being of the Abyss lineage.
The Primordial Star, Abyss, Mother Stream, and Heart Realm lineages comprised the four primary paths for high-dimensional lifeforms.
The Abyss lineage alone had countless high-dimensional lifeforms! Eternal Tower Master was one such being, having cultivated the lineage slowly. Others could use the Abyss Sacrifice shortcut, gaining power rapidly but risking corruption. Once corrupted, they would unwittingly follow the path of the Abyss lineage.
Among the four paths, Abyssal corruption was the most terrifying.
Xu Jingming had endured the torment of the Master of the Abyssal Void's true projection while he was a low-dimensional lifeform.
The Master of the Abyss had chosen death to attain the Ultimate realm, Xu Jingming mused. Although deceased, his strength was undeniably formidable.
The Star Abyss Notes seems like an evolved version of Monhado. Their body could be trained to become stronger, and their devouring ability would be more potent.
I'll consider it a candidate. Xu Jingming gently touched his fingers, absorbing the information on the other legacies. Within half an hour, he had learned everything.
His mind raced, and he swiftly made a decision.
"I've chosen three legacies—Nine Annihilations Stratagems, Abyssal Void, and Star Abyss Notes," Xu Jingming declared.
"A payment of seven drops of Abyssal Mother Blood is required." Information flooded into Xu Jingming's mind from the legacy space.
Without hesitation, Xu Jingming waved his hand, causing a multitude of Primordial Gold Beads and Primordial Gold Chunks to appear.
He opted not to exchange them for Abyssal Mother Blood elsewhere, instead paying with the Primordial Gold directly. He was concerned that making an exchange might draw unwanted attention. Besides, the exchange rate at Feather Fire Mountain had always been reasonable.
Whoosh!
An invisible force swiftly removed a portion of the Primordial Gold. Immediately after, information began streaming ceaselessly into Xu Jingming's mind—it was the Nine Annihilations Stratagems legacy.
The transmission rate was at a staggering 90% of his capacity.
Xu Jingming patiently and silently absorbed the legacy.
I've chosen three third-realm legacies.
One is the Heart Realm's Abyssal Void. I was once corrupted by the Master of the Abyssal Void and later learned Red Lotus Fire. As for Red Lotus Fire, it's merely a small branch of the entire Abyssal Void legacy, Xu Jingming reflected. The Master of the Abyssal Void greatly influenced me, so learning the Abyssal Void legacy suits me well.
Abyssal Void belonged to the Heart Realm's illusory realm lineage. When the illusory realm lineage reached the third realm, it could encompass innumerable paths and shared numerous similarities with the Abyss.
Another is the psychic weapon lineage's Nine Annihilations Stratagems. This legacy, crafted by the Nine Stratagems Master, consists of nine psychic weapons. Each psychic weapon attains the third realm. Although the essence of the nine psychic weapons is similar, this is the most formidable psychic weapon lineage among the 128 legacies.
Xu Jingming's strongest weapon was psychic spearmanship, so naturally, he had to choose a comprehensive third-realm psychic weapon legacy. By cross-referencing a complete legacy and an Ultimate existence's spearmanship, he could progress more smoothly.
Lastly, there's the Star Abyss Notes that cultivates the body. It far surpasses Monhado and achieves an unfathomable level for the body. As long as I learn a bit about it, I can create my own spawn in the future, Xu Jingming mused.
He selected this legacy for his family and friends. He could turn his family and friends into his spawn and attain true immortality.
I'll mainly concentrate on the Nine Annihilations Stratagems and supplement it with Abyssal Void. Once I reach the half-step third realm… I'll start studying the Star Abyss Notes, Xu Jingming thought as he received the legacy information.
Suddenly—
"Your companion, Xihe, requests to borrow four drops of Abyssal Mother Blood from you."
"Your companion, Ancient River, requests to borrow three drops of Abyssal Mother Blood from you." Voices echoed in the independent space.
Xu Jingming nodded. "Lend it to them."
With that, he waved his hand, producing Primordial Gold Beads and Primordial Gold Chunks. Knowing the precise exchange ratio, he took out the exact amount, allowing all the Primordial Gold to be deducted.
Time flew by.
Apart from the Tower Master and Island Lord, the dean and Redmond didn't borrow anything else! Redmond had already exchanged enough for a legacy, as he was only at the peak of the Firstborn realm. Meanwhile, the dean didn't want to spread his focus.
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. At Xu Jingming's rate of receiving legacies, he finally absorbed all three third-realm legacies.
I'm done receiving them. My primary objective for coming to Feather Fire City has been accomplished. I wonder how long it will take for the dean and the others to acquire their legacies, Xu Jingming pondered.
Whoosh.
An invisible force ejected him.
Xu Jingming observed the surrounding spacetime shift, and his expression altered.
Where is this? Xu Jingming gazed at the boundless space before him.
A figure radiating infinite light in the distance illuminated the entire space, and His white wings made Xu Jingming's heart quiver. He knew this figure all too well! He encountered this figure every time he examined the original copy of the Eight Directions Map.
"Senior Feather Fire Lord." Xu Jingming bowed immediately, feeling a mixture of awe and excitement.
This senior had significantly influenced his path of growth.
"Xu Jingming." Feather Fire Lord smiled, studying the young high-dimensional lifeform intently.
He scrutinized every trace of strength within Xu Jingming's body, as if wanting to analyze it completely. He magnified every ounce of power countless times, searching for every clue.
He delved into Xu Jingming's past and the numerous branches extending into the future.
"Senior Feather Fire Lord, why have you summoned me here?" Xu Jingming inquired respectfully. To his knowledge, generations of high-dimensional lifeforms who paid to learn legacies were automatically ejected from the legacy hall.
He had never heard of anyone meeting Feather Fire Lord.
It had been ages since Feather Fire Lord had offered guidance to the younger generation, but Xu Jingming appeared here after accepting the legacy. It was evident that Feather Fire Lord had intended this.
"You are indeed fated with me to obtain a copy of the Eight Directions Map," Feather Fire Lord remarked as He scrutinized intently. The more He examined, the more astonished He became.
"Any questions while cultivating the Eight Directions Map?" Feather Fire Lord asked casually.
"I'm still stuck at the seventh realm of the Eight Directions Map, My Dao realm. I haven't fully completed this realm," Xu Jingming replied.
"My Dao realm is about putting one's Dao into practice… Clearly, you haven't practiced enough. Mental cultivation cannot be rushed." Feather Fire Lord gazed at Xu Jingming and smiled. "You chose 'Star Abyss Notes' today?"
"Yes." Xu Jingming nodded.
"Let me give you a friendly reminder," Feather Fire Lord said. "It's best if you concentrate on the Heart Realm lineage. Every living being has strengths and weaknesses. You possess immense talent in the Heart Realm lineage, but in terms of physique… your talent is only comparable to ordinary high-dimensional lifeforms. It's not worth devoting time to the Star Abyss Notes."
Xu Jingming was slightly taken aback.
"You'll understand in due time." Feather Fire Lord waved His hand, and Xu Jingming was expelled, vanishing from this space.
Feather Fire Lord's expression grew serious. That's right.
Feather Fire Lord's heart shuddered. I'm definitely not mistaken. There is indeed an unseen force affecting everything. What kind of power does this entity possess? Could it be those four…
"As expected of Feather Fire Lord." A voice echoed.
Feather Fire Lord abruptly turned His gaze toward the distance.
A petite woman with transparent wings had materialized on a distant rock. The petite woman also sported two curved horns on her forehead, and she radiated a black aura that impacted the entire space and even faintly suppressed Feather Fire Lord.
"Lord Feuilla." Feather Fire Lord bowed His head slightly, demonstrating humility. He was well aware of the petite woman's identity.
"Keep your observations and suspicions to yourself." The petite woman reclined casually. "Once it's leaked, you know the consequences."
"I understand," Feather Fire Lord responded promptly.
Having cultivated to His level, He had vaguely encountered traces of an Ultimate existence.
It was evident… In the infinite realms and endless spacetime, the four Ultimate existences were the most fearsome beings. The creations they left behind—Primordial Star, Abyss, Mother Stream, and Heart Realm—were entities that third-realm powerhouses could only revere.
"Actually, three third-realm powerhouses have already crossed paths with Wu Ming," the petite woman remarked with a smile. "Unfortunately, their strength was insufficient, so they couldn't detect any trace of it."
"I only discovered an issue after closely observing for an extended period. I confirmed it only after meeting Xu Jingming face to face," Feather Fire Lord admitted humbly.
The petite woman warned once more, "Remember, keep it to yourself."
"Lord Feuilla, don't worry." Feather Fire Lord hesitated for a moment before adding, "When I observed Xu Jingming, I also detected a problem."
"Speak," the petite woman commanded calmly.
"I…" Feather Fire Lord stared at the petite woman. "Have I died once?"
The petite woman smiled. "You're mistaken. You've died twice."
With that, the petite woman vanished without a trace.
Feather Fire Lord stood there, stunned, for a long time before regaining his composure.
