The Great Dao Palace, a colossal edifice suspended in mid-air, could easily accommodate hundreds of thousands. It was perpetually shrouded in the mists of chaos.
This was one of the most renowned enlightenment grounds of the War God Academy, as masters would periodically arrive to expound scriptures and impart profound mysteries.
Below, mountain ranges stretched endlessly, their essence swirling like mist. High above, the Great Dao Palace hovered eternally, its mysterious rules of order flowing alongside the primal qi of all creation.
The black celestial prison opened, and Shi Hao, along with a group of others, was taken away. Eventually, all were delivered into the Great Dao Palace. Some were not first-time visitors, like that old savage bull.
The moment it drew near, its body trembled violently. It knew this place all too well—each visit meant enduring bloody torment. Surviving was no small feat.
This was a place for scripture lectures, for enlightenment, yet it also concealed an arena!
The vast palace was spacious enough to seat hundreds of thousands, though the War God Academy only permitted a thousand to enter, who would remain here year-round to listen to the Dao scriptures and contemplate the Great Dao.
Thus, the place was always sparsely populated, never filled to capacity, with ample space for sparring.
Ahead lay a spread of meditation cushions—exactly one thousand, no more, no less.
Today, several hundred sat cross-legged there, listening to the teachings of a Supreme Being. For a time, the air was alive with wondrous phenomena: Dao principles transforming into dragons that coiled and danced, order manifesting as golden lotuses blooming in the void. There were also auspicious lights in countless strands, the harmonious cries of dragons and phoenixes, and more.
Moreover, within this place, the Great Dao rumbled like the creation of heaven and earth, exuding swathes of symbols—the most fundamental truths.
Shi Hao was astonished. Though he had arrived late, with the lecture nearing its end, he still sensed an extraordinary power that hinted at enlightenment.
As the indistinct figure of the lecturer seated upon the Dao platform vanished, the lecture concluded, and the speaker disappeared without a sound.
It was said that though this person was a Supreme Being, they had touched the realm of immortality and would inevitably step into it one day. Lecturing to a group of youths was but a trivial matter.
With the Supreme Being gone, several figures appeared around the Dao platform, surveying the many listeners and inquiring if they had any lingering doubts.
These individuals were no longer young, with one foot already in the Supreme realm. Though not the lecturers themselves, their cultivation was extraordinary, and they were qualified to dispel doubts.
“Elder, I have some confusion. The limits of a living being’s potential…”
Indeed, after the true lecturer departed, the scripture listeners divided into groups, clustering around these figures to seek guidance.
Many questions were raised, and the elders patiently answered them.
“It varies from person to person. Potential differs, and only through continuous breakthroughs and unlocking the treasures within one’s body can one gradually come to recognize their true limits,” one elder explained.
Then, with a wave of his hand, he selected one from the “combatants” and summoned him forward, ordering him to fully unleash his ancestral arts to suppress that creature.
The so-called combatants were pitiable beings—either slaves or death-row prisoners who had committed grave mistakes—destined to serve as sparring partners for geniuses. Their lives were worthless, to be harvested at any time.
“Resist with all your might, exhaust every ounce of your strength,” the elder commanded.
The combatant trembled upon hearing this, knowing his death was likely imminent.
“Boom!”
A powerful force pressed down on him, his bones cracking one after another, followed by several dull thunderous tremors within his body.
“Snap!”
The next moment, despite his utmost efforts, the creature failed to protect himself. Many of his bones were crushed, a testament to the sheer brutality of the suppression.
His bones had been shattered by the quasi-Supreme Being, and the onslaught continued unabated. His flesh was on the verge of disintegration, blood blossoming like flowers.
“Pfft!”
Eventually, even his brow split open, drenching him in blood, and his skull fractured into pieces.
“Ahhh—!” The creature screamed, his eyes bloodshot as he thrashed and roared in agony.
“Observe closely, all of you!” The quasi-Supreme Being remained utterly calm. Light emanated from his palm, showering the human in auspicious radiance that rendered his body nearly transparent.
“Here, and here—divine power surges, laws resonate.” He pointed to key areas of the screaming creature’s body, guiding the scripture listeners to identify them.
“Look even closer. After these bones fractured, his body began to glow on its own, his flesh resonating. This is the embryonic stage of potential awakening,” the quasi-Supreme Being elaborated.
He increased the pressure, drenching the combatant in blood until he was on the verge of complete collapse.
“Did you see it clearly? When a creature nears death, those mysterious potentials accelerate their release,” the quasi-Supreme Being said, indicating certain parts of the mangled figure.
In the distance, many combatants shuddered. Some were experiencing the War God Academy for the first time and couldn’t suppress their trembling. Was this tragic fate to be their destiny?
As for Shi Hao, his gaze turned icy. He found this spectacle hard to stomach.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but sigh. The foreign realm was indeed cruel—and terrifying. To explore the path of cultivation, they spared no cruelty toward other practitioners.
“Pfft!”
Half of the combatant’s body exploded before the quasi-Supreme Being casually tossed him aside.
“Did you notice? The closer his body was to its limit, and the more severe his injuries, the more astonishing the potential he unleashed,” the quasi-Supreme Being remarked.
Miraculously, the combatant survived. Though half his body was ruined, he could eventually recover and live on.
Shi Hao gritted his teeth. These so-called combatants weren’t even treated as human—more like straw dummies or wild beasts.
“Elder, how can one harness the momentum of heaven and earth, or the laws of nature, to swiftly suppress a powerful enemy and dismantle their ancestral arts?” someone asked.
“It’s simple. Achieve true resonance with the world—such as the unity of man and heaven—to become invincible. Then, wield the rules and order to target your foe.”
This time, after speaking, the quasi-Supreme Being waved his hand. A fierce gale erupted, and the old savage bull beside Shi Hao was seized.
The old bull was strong, but no match for a being on the cusp of the Supreme realm.
“Like this—borrow the momentum of heaven and earth to suppress and shatter ordinary defensive barriers!” the quasi-Supreme Being explained.
True to his word, he swiftly struck, piercing through several barriers without resorting to ancestral arts. Instead, he wielded the “momentum” of the world—or the grand, intangible Great Dao—to dismantle the old bull’s protective aura and nullify its treasure arts.
“Pfft!”
In the end, the old savage bull, drenched in blood, collapsed back beside Shi Hao. One of its horns snapped with a crisp crack, leaving it grievously wounded and barely alive.
Shi Hao’s gaze grew even colder. These people truly knew no bounds!
“Now, experience it for yourselves!” the elder declared.
Chaos erupted within the great hall as battles broke out. Some studied bodily potential, others focused on combat, while a few sought to grasp the rules they wished to master.
“Pfft!”
Before long, many of the brought combatants had been expended.
Soon after, blood stained the hall as lives were lost.
“See? This is the cruelty of it all,” the old savage bull sighed. This time, it had survived—a miracle in itself.
Eventually, even Shi Hao was selected to spar and engage in combat.
But soon, his identity was exposed, despite his disheveled hair obscuring most of his face.
This caused an uproar!
They hadn’t been unaware of Shi Hao’s presence, but with multiple lecture sites, they hadn’t expected him to be brought to this floating palace.
The creature who had chosen Shi Hao dared not act. To spar with Shi Hao was to court death.
“Fear not. He wears shackles forged by a Supreme Being, strictly limiting him. He cannot run amok,” someone assured.
“This is the so-called ‘momentum.’ Though he is Shi Hao, famed far and wide, he is now a prisoner. Test the might of heaven and earth’s natural momentum against him,” the quasi-Supreme Being instructed.
Eagerly, the creatures attacked in unison.
“Boom!”
Even shackled, Shi Hao’s speed was astonishing. His body blazed with radiant light.
Witnessing the surrounding combatants’ screams and peril, Shi Hao’s expression remained cold, yet his body erupted in dazzling brilliance, undimmed by his restraints.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
One after another, figures were sent flying. The combined “momentum” of heaven and earth was torn asunder.
“Clang!”
The chains around Shi Hao’s wrists rattled violently. With a flick of his hand, he looped them around a man’s neck and yanked—decapitating him with a sickening crunch.
The hall, though vast, had seen bloodshed before. But when a War God Academy genius lost his head, the implications were entirely different. Some glared in fury, others shouted in condemnation.
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