Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

"Bloodline Purity & Grade: Five. Primordial Bloodline POTENTIAL - Eight. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Bloodline: Demigod-Class."

"27."

Regardless of whether they were human or beast, they all had intense reactions bordering on insanity. As for Yan Zaizen, his understanding of the bestial path wasn't too detailed, but his understanding of the number '27' gave many, many clues regarding the significance of his results. In comparison to the lord-class, Bajie earned fourteen more points and was labeled with the potential of a Demigod!

Yan Zaizen felt that the demigod-class was similar to the potential to become a Heavenly Monarch. If that's true, then this Bajie truly was outstanding. However, potential was potential. It was a unit of measurement of one's possible achievements under a pristine and trouble-free path. Oftentimes, a cultivator would experience potential setbacks or even premature death.

The commotion brought about by Bajie's results was not minor. It actually empowered others, particularly the other male geniuses, to see their results in comparison. As Yan Zaizen saw them saunter up to the monolith with boundless momentum, even his own heart raced.

"The youthful…" he commented like an old man who lived countless years. He was observing as if he wasn't even a participating himself. From beginning to end, Yan Zaizen never considered taking this trial seriously. The determining of one's future further his indifference. He didn't need or desire anyone telling him how far his path was.

His path was his own, not for some trial spirit's or an object to decide.

Unfortunately, despite stepping up with youthful vigor and boundless momentum, everyone who took the exam was left disappointed. Not a single one of them had a Commander-class, Lord-class, or Demigod-class rating, only reaching the General-class or Noble-class - a class just shy of Lord-class.

The only three who have yet to take their test was Yan Zaizen, Ma Xiuren, and the humanoid boy that Yan Zaizen suspected was the hero of this trial.

"He's quite calm." The young man with black hair, black eyes, slim physique, and handsome appearance while radiating a once-in-a-lifetime genius aura simply stood in observation. For some odd reason, Yan Zaizen felt his heart throbbing in anticipation.

"According to the stories, the hero will awe the crowd and obtain the eye of the beauty," looking at Ma Xiuren, his brows furrowed lightly. It couldn't be so stereotypical, right?

However, the young man only calmly observed the area, sweeping his gaze on Ma Xiuren and him, obviously having no intention of going.

"Haaa...I guess I'm supposed to be the stepping stone for the hero?" As he sighed in helplessness, a flash of dark-amber light shot through his amber-gold pupils, "isn't this a bad mindset?" Recalling this distinctive sensation of inferiority, he furrowed his brows even further now.

This young man was instilling a sense of inferiority. It wasn't like being before a king or sovereign, but more so an innate feeling of inferiority. Pondering more, "it's not a dao...after all, my dao is at the peak of the upper-tier. A dao's influence can be fought by another dao and typically sensed easily, but it's more like my soul flame was affected. As if, deep within, my instincts relegated me as inferior."

After deducing this much, his eyes revealed a rare vigilance. He wasn't affected by soul strikes, but what if it's an aura-based soul art that affected one's subconscious?

Before he could ponder further, Ma Xiuren stepped up. She arrived before the monolith amidst the eyes of all, including the male who swore a heavenly oath earlier. One could see a deep nervousness in his gaze, but also unwillingness and desire. After all, this is only one of the monoliths and thus can't decide the winner of their wager.

Placing her jade-like hands on the monolith, she calmly closed her eyes and felt the surging of unknown energy surround her. After a while, it receded.

"..." Ma Xiuren seems to be slightly special. Yan Zaizen recalled their kiss and how her body felt. It was an astonishing feeling but it also made him curious. He felt Zhou Xiuhei's aura within her. This was distinct, very much so.

"Could it be?' As he thought of this, he furrowed his brows sooner. If Ma Xiuren was Zhou Xiuhei's daughter, it's unlikely he would simply allow them to act so recklessly earlier. It must be something more special than just that.

"Physique Grade - Five, Physique POTENTIAL - Eight, Energy Compatibility - SUPERIOR, Essence Compatibility - SUPERIOR. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Energy & Essence Path: Commander-Class!"

"23."

"..." The crowd here didn't have such an intense reaction, as if they expected this.

As for Yan Zaizen, he was calm. The moment he saw the results, he realized Ma Xiuren's circumstance.

Ma Xiuren turned to Yan Zaizen, glancing at his area to see his response. She received a slight smile and a thumbs up. To her, Yan Zaizen was likely the person she trusted the most here. Not because of that kiss, but because she trusted no one else.

"So, there could be such a thing?" Yan Zaizen muttered slightly, turning his gaze towards the black-haired young man. The sensation of inferiority hadn't erupted, but he still felt a subtle force attempting to influence his soul.

Now that he thought about it, no one was interacting with this young man. He looked towards Yan Zaizen with curiosity and patience.

Chuckling slightly, Yan Zaizen walked up to the monolith, his eyes flickering with slight anticipation. If Pinaka was here, he imagined her words. "This monolith is irrelevant. As cultivators, we fight fate, the heavens, and each other in pursuit of a greater path."

He missed her.

With a soft touch, he placed his palm on the white monolith. A light erupted that wrapped around his body. This light entered his body, his bones, his cells, and even his heart. It thoroughly integrated itself and seemed to be constructed of some sort of variant spiritual sense.

It felt like a small tingle throughout, but nothing painful. After a minute, the examination ended and the energy departed.

Yan Zaizen looked up, so did the rest, but after two minutes, nothing came up. After five minutes, everyone grew suspicions. Even Yan Zaizen as he placed his palm on the monolith once more, yet it received no response.

A few scoffed, believing Yan Zaizen's talent was so horrible that the test didn't even deign to offer a result report. However, Yan Zaizen had different concerns.

"Shit, did I break it?" He tapped it a few times, "Did the formations inside shatter?" He tapped it some more, causing quite a few to laugh at his antics, but Yan Zaizen was genuinely concerned. If he broke this, Zhou Xiuhei and the rest may ask for compensation.

He didn't wish to spend a single dime.

"Hurry up! You work! You have to work!" As the rest felt pity for Yan Zaizen acts of desperation, even Ma Xiuren felt terrible. She looked at Yan Zaizen at the brink of tears.

"Please! Work!" He could already feel his currently fat wallet dwindle significantly in size. Even if his thoughts were nonsensical, he felt that there's no way in hell he'll be able to get away with this.

After a while, he sat down beside it and pondered, "I should blame it on age, yeah. Age breaks everything." As he was thinking of excuses, the black-haired young man walked towards Yan Zaizen.

As he approached, Yan Zaizen felt the subtle force increased. With curious eyes, he looked at the young man who stood next to him, not even looking at him. Instead, the young man placed his palm solidly on the monolith. However, no reaction occurred.

This caused Yan Zaizen to panic even more. Did he truly break it?

"It's broken, I should check the other monolith." As he thought this, he jumped up and rapidly made his way towards the golden monolith - The Monolith of the Heavens. The others were shocked by his actions. After all, they've been taking their time thus far.

Yan Zaizen was actually in a rush to not only check the other monoliths but to finish this trial. He touched the monolith, this time even softer than before.

The monolith didn't emit a light, but a myriad of multicolor, brightly-lit motes appeared within the monolith. They floated about like butterflies, without order but in absolute beauty.

"Oh? World Law Heavenly Domain?" He immediately recognized the inside of this monolith. It was a representation of the World Law Heavenly Domain. There was the world elements, earth, fire, water, wind, metal, wood, and lightning. He could see even the fusion concepts, such as Magma and Mud.

As he looked at the representation, he realized it was like a very, very large venn diagram. With the domain as the largest circle. He could see where water crossed fire to produce steam. Where ice and water were. Water was like a large circle with ice within, but only a majority portion of it. The rest was outside interacting with other elements and laws.

"Is this…" As he glanced at the myriad laws, he felt like his understanding of the Heavenly Domain increased greatly. To him, every law was clear without an ounce of haze. If he wished, he felt that he could easily grasp a law.

However, the monolith was a barrier that could not be overcome.

The monolith deactivated, returning back to an ordinary golden cube of stone. "This?" The others looked curiously, but unsure of Yan Zaizen's score.

However, unlike before, there was no potential or grading report, simply a number: "33."

"What!" The young man who was dispirited earlier shouted in disbelief. His eyes towards Yan Zaizen was that of an absolute monster. It wasn't simply him, Ma Xiuren, Bajie, and the young man with black-hair had eyes as wide as eggs, mouths slightly gaped, and disbelief written over their entire face.

After all, 33 was the highest score possible!