91: Third Life: How Am I the Villain? (55)

As Su Mucha pointed out her third finger.

Xu Yuan felt an irresistible force instantly spread throughout his body, completely imprisoning all his Spiritual Qi and Saber Intent.

His body stiffened, unable to move even a fraction, not even his fingertips.

The outcome was decided.

"In this battle, the winner is Su Mucha of the Heavenly Deduction Sect."

The clear radiance covering the stage slowly receded. Su Mucha's figure remained hazy; she said nothing and drifted off the stage like a Fairy who did not consume the food of mortals.

The imprisoning force on Xu Yuan's body also dissipated.

He lost, without any suspense.

"It was worth it."

Xu Yuan murmured softly, sheathed Ink Sever, and walked off the stage calmly.

There was no trace of resentment in his heart. Although the battle with Su Mucha was brief, it allowed him to glimpse the uniqueness of the Perfect Dao Foundation.

Qin Zhantian and Zhao Zheng immediately came forward, their faces filled with concern.

"Yuan'er, are you alright?"

Qin Zhantian carefully examined Xu Yuan's condition and breathed a sigh of relief upon finding that he had only over-exhausted his Spiritual Qi and Divine Soul, with no hidden injuries.

"Revered Master, please rest assured, your Disciple is fine." Xu Yuan smiled. "I have gained much from this battle."

Seeing that Xu Yuan's expression didn't seem fake and that he was truly open-minded, Qin Zhantian was greatly comforted and didn't ask further.

In the following Reincarnation matches, Xu Yuan experienced several more battles, with both wins and losses.

But he always maintained the mindset of learning through battle and growing through failure; his Saber Intent became increasingly refined, and his aura grew deeper.

Ten days passed in a flash.

The South Domain Elite Battle's Reincarnation matches, which had lasted for a full ten days, finally came to an end.

The final results light screen appeared in the sky, with dazzling names listed upon it.

At the top of the list, without any suspense, was Su Mucha of the Heavenly Deduction Sect.

Her Perfect Dao Foundation swept through her peers, undefeated.

Following closely behind were Upper Sects Prodigies such as Luo Chen of the Mystical Heaven Sword Sect, Long Xuan of the Yu Long Upper Sect, and Mu Linger of the Chang Qing Upper Sect.

And Xu Yuan's name appeared prominently in ninth place!

This ranking caused quite a stir!

One must know that those ranked ahead of Xu Yuan were almost all in the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and were descendants of prominent Upper Sects or ancient Noble Families.

Xu Yuan, with a Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation and hailing from the ordinary Overlord Blade Sect, had managed to fight his way into the top ten, taking ninth place. The significance of this was truly startling!

After this battle, the name "Chen Yuan of the Overlord Blade Sect" became famous throughout the South Domain!

In the center of the Suspended Sky Terrace, atop the high platform, the Immortal Master Tian Yunzi appeared once more. With a wave of his sleeve, a hundred streaks of light flew toward the Prodigies ranked in the top hundred.

Xu Yuan reached out and caught the streak of light flying toward him. As the light faded, it revealed a token that was neither metal nor jade, and a small Storage Pouch.

Sweeping his Divine Sense over the Storage Pouch, he found several bottles of Spiritual Qi-filled Medicinal Pills, a few pieces of top-tier Artifact Refining Materials shimmering with strange brilliance, and even a small bottle of precious spiritual liquid that could nourish the Divine Soul.

This reward could be described as extremely generous.

However, what Xu Yuan cared about more was that token.

The token felt warm in his hand. On the front, the words "Tianji" were engraved, and on the back was an ancient character for "Nine".

"Those ranked in the top ten, in addition to these resource rewards, can also use the token in their hands to obtain an Opportunity to enter the 'Tianji Secret Realm' for meditation. This Secret Realm is unique to my Celestial Mechanism Pavilion; it contains profound mysteries that can help one clarify their mind, see their true nature, and perceive the Laws of heaven and earth. As for how much one can gain, it all depends on individual Opportunity and destiny."

At this time, Tian Yunzi's voice slowly rang out.

Tianji Secret Realm!

A wave of envious exclamations immediately rose from below the stage.

An Opportunity that could directly aid in enlightenment was far more precious than those physical resources!

Xu Yuan's heart also stirred. After ten full days of Reincarnation battles, he had gained much and needed to meditate in peace to consolidate his gains.

This enlightenment Secret Realm came at just the right time!

Under the leadership of Tian Yunzi, the top ten Prodigies followed him into a teleportation array.

As the space shifted, the scene before them suddenly opened up, yet it was beyond everyone's expectations.

This was not some grotto-heaven or blessed land with Immortal Qi and exotic plants, but rather appeared void and empty.

In all directions, grey haze like Chaos slowly flowed, with only a massive stone tablet standing in the center.

The height of the stone tablet was unknown, and its width was hard to measure. It was an ancient grey-white color, and its material was neither metal nor jade, nor was it ordinary rock.

Most peculiar of all, the surface of the tablet was as smooth as a mirror, without a single scratch or inscription, as if it had been this way since ancient times.

"This is the enlightenment tablet." Elder Tian Yunzi's voice echoed in this strange space. "The Great Dao is simple; all phenomena return to nothingness... You may sit here in quiet meditation for three days. What you see and what you realize depends on your own fate, Heart-Nature, and accumulation."

After speaking, Tian Yunzi said no more, and his figure slowly faded away.

Hearing this, the other Prodigies, such as Luo Chen and Long Xuan, immediately looked solemn. They found suitable positions to sit cross-legged and stared intently at the wordless heavenly tablet, either running their unique Mind-Cultivation Techniques or releasing their Divine Sense to sense it, attempting to glimpse the mysteries of the Great Dao from the empty surface of the tablet.

Xu Yuan, however, was in no hurry to move.

He first looked around this chaotic space, feeling the original Dao charm from when heaven and earth were not yet divided, and then slowly walked to a position neither too close nor too far from the enlightenment tablet and sat down.

He did not eagerly "search" for anything with his eyesight or Divine Sense like the others. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing, allowing the restless emotions from days of fierce fighting to completely settle, letting his mind sink into a state of tranquility like an ancient well without ripples.

In his mind, the scene of the previous battle with Su Mucha reappeared. He carefully savored and analyzed the unique flavor of the "Pseudo-Golden Core Status" contained within that clear light.

After a long time, Xu Yuan finally opened his eyes and cast his gaze toward the mirror-smooth enlightenment tablet.

At first, the surface of the tablet remained empty, reflecting the surrounding Chaos and his own figure.

But Xu Yuan was not anxious; he simply communicated with it silently with his mind, wordlessly conveying his perceptions and pursuit of the Saber Dao.

Time passed quietly. The other Prodigies either frowned in deep thought or occasionally showed joy, clearly having their own encounters.

Xu Yuan always maintained his inner clarity and focus.

After an unknown amount of time, just as his mind and the aura of the enlightenment tablet merged at a certain critical point, a sudden change occurred!

On that incredibly smooth grey-white surface, a mark appeared without any warning!

It was not a crack, but a... straight, sharp—saber mark that seemed to contain the power to cut through everything!

This saber mark was extremely subtle and faint, yet it was clearly imprinted in Xu Yuan's mental perception!

It didn't look like it had been carved on later, but rather like it had naturally appeared from within the tablet, a manifestation of some rule and will!

At this moment, Xu Yuan seemed to see an invisible saber born from the void, cutting through Chaos, dividing the clear from the turbid, and defining the original "existence"!

This strike was not about strength or weakness, but a declaration of "existence," a foundation of "rules," and a manifestation of what is called "Saber Dao"!

And this vast Concept of cutting through Chaos and establishing rules made Xu Yuan feel a strange sense of familiarity... That's it!

It was that wisp of residual Saber Intent hidden deep within the core of the Burial Mound of Soldiers, originating from a Golden Core True Person!