Chapter 370 - 21: Zhong Ming: I’ll Avoid Its Brunt

Chapter 370: Chapter 21: Zhong Ming: I’ll Avoid Its Brunt

He dared to so brazenly accept the messages from the Evil Spirits, and he relied on more than just his Supreme Sword Heart.

Nor was it the boost from the Triple Crown after he transformed into the Great Sun.

Zhong Ming relied on something far more fundamental—Heaven Rewards Diligence!

He had never forgotten something crucial. Besides displaying his attributes and allowing his Cultivation Technique progress to increase by one with every practice session, Heaven Rewards Diligence came with an incredible ability—One Certificate Forever.

Anything he learned would be permanently imprinted upon his attribute panel, placing it completely under his control, never to be forgotten.

This ability worked on skills Zhong Ming learned on his own, and it... also worked on the Dao Rhyme transmitted from the Mysterious Source.

DING! A system notification. You have accepted an insight transmission from the Mysterious Source · Fallen. Your understanding of the Fallen Path has increased!

DING! The Mysterious Source has transmitted a special Forbidden Technique—Shadow Dao Rhyme. Your understanding of the Shadow Dao has increased!

System Notification: You have comprehended Fallen Dao Rhyme (7.6%) and Shadow Dao Rhyme (13%).

The Mysterious Source · Fallen is transmitting insights to you. Your Fallen Dao Rhyme and Shadow Dao Rhyme have increased, now at 9.3% and 17.4%...

Your understanding of the Shadow Dao has reached a threshold. You have comprehended the Talent Techniques: Shadow Thorns, Shadow Clone, and Shadow Manipulation Technique... You have comprehended the shadow Forbidden Technique—Shadow of Death Replacement.

Thanks to the ’selfless’ contribution of the Mysterious Source · Fallen, system notifications rang incessantly in Zhong Ming’s ears.

Of course, the Mysterious Source · Fallen had hidden countless tricks up its sleeve during this process.

But the priority of Heaven Rewards Diligence’s ’One Certificate Forever’ was simply too high. No matter what kind of Dao Rhyme was transmitted to him, as long as it manifested on his panel, Zhong Ming would completely understand and control it, making it his own power.

And so, the fierce struggle between his Sword Heart and the Mysterious Source was nothing more than an act put on by Zhong Ming.

The reasons for this were twofold: first, to trick the Mysterious Source into willingly transmitting even more Daoist Skill insights; and second, to hide his most fundamental Talent, "Heaven Rewards Diligence."

Although Zhong Ming had to fight others for resources like Wind Fiend Qi, revealing many of his abilities and even being willing to share Great Dream of Thousand Years with others, all of this was predicated on one fact: these abilities were not his true foundation.

Zhong Ming was no fool; he would never expose his most vital secrets.

’Heaven Rewards Diligence... that is the one secret I can never reveal as long as I live...’

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but he didn’t let a single one show on his face.

Right now, Zhong Ming’s face was twisted and horrific, like that of a fiend. A terrifying, sinister aura emanated from his entire body. Maintaining this posture of a desperate struggle, Zhong Ming threw his head back and roared.

"In all of heaven and earth, I alone am supreme! Be suppressed!"

HUMMM!

This sight of him just barely holding on with all his might ignited the flames of greed in the eyes of the Mysterious Source.

’Just a little more... With one final push, I’ll win!’

To gain complete control of Zhong Ming, the Mysterious Source · Fallen went for broke, pouring its entire essence into Zhong Ming’s Heart Soul. The Mysterious Source · Shadow immediately followed suit, holding nothing back.

DING! A system notification. You have accepted an insight transmission from the Mysterious Source · Fallen. Your understanding of the Fallen Path has increased...

DING...

This seemingly life-or-death struggle lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. In the end, the two Mysterious Sources had poured their entire essences into Zhong Ming’s Heart Soul and body.

VMMMM—

The instant their essences were fully integrated, an aura of ultimate, ghastly coldness swept over Zhong Ming, threatening to consume him entirely.

Right on cue, Zhong Ming "exhausted" the last of his strength. With a low cry that shook the heavens and the earth, he declared, "I am the Great Sun!"

The moment the words left his lips, his body became like a resplendent Great Sun, soaring straight into the sky—supreme, immense, and peerless. The Triple Crown manifested above his head, and endless waves of golden-red flame erupted from within him, burning the surrounding eerie aura to a sizzle.

This combination of abilities allowed Zhong Ming to just barely "withstand" the corruption from the two Mysterious Sources. It also made everyone believe that he had risked everything for a narrow victory.

’I won’t accept this... I was so close...’

The venomous, resentful roar faded away within Zhong Ming’s Heart Soul. The two Mysterious Sources had finally been completely fused with and absorbed by him. All comprehension of the laws of the Fallen and of Shadow now belonged to him.

However, the "narrowly victorious" Zhong Ming now appeared completely exhausted. His body went limp, and he fell heavily to the ground.

HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...

Sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath with his chest heaving violently, he looked as if he didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.

Seeing this, Luo Zhiwei, who had already drawn near, felt her heart ache. She hurried to his side, her voice full of both chiding and worry. "Don’t push yourself so hard next time. A wise man doesn’t stand beneath a crumbling wall. With a Talent as extraordinary as yours, there’s no need to take such risks just to prove a point."

Zhong Ming gasped, "I... I know. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again."

With the two Mysterious Sources subdued by Zhong Ming, the trial for the eighth level of the Path of Purgatory naturally came to an end.

At the same time, there was no longer any need for the trial to continue.

The spectators hadn’t forgotten that the New Army was being formed primarily to deal with these bizarre Evil Spirits.

As things stood, the Silver Moon Royal Mansion’s elite Silver Blood Guard could only hold their ground against Evil Spirits.

But Zhong Ming, relying on his Supreme Sword Heart and the Flame of the Great Sun, had annihilated two of these sources of Evil Spirits. Which of them was superior was completely obvious.

"If our sects were to encounter Evil Spirits, even if we called upon the Silver Blood Guard, we would barely be able to hold them off. Annihilating them would be next to impossible... At that point, we’d either have to flee our homes or abandon our clan’s mines and Spirit Fields, leaving them to ruin."