Chapter 848: Chapter 848

The Supreme Council sat at the very heart of human territory within the vast universe.

In this realm bathed in endless starlight, Supreme Primordial, who presided over the council's affairs, revealed a rare flicker of surprise.

Supreme Genesis immediately picked up on it. "News from the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War?"

Lately, the Supremes had been closely watching this tournament.

Among them, Supreme Ordainment's True Body had already reached the edge of the Chaos Clan's territory. Should anything significant happen during the tournament, he could instantly descend upon the corresponding area of the Astral World battlefield. He would forcibly manifest in the high-energy Astral World from the Material World and intervene directly.

Supreme Primordial smiled. "There's news. And it's decisive."

He relayed the message to Supreme Genesis and Ordainment. The two scanned through it with a sweep of their minds.

With their formidable processing abilities, they finished reading almost instantly. Both looked slightly stunned.

"He swept through all the races?"

Supreme Primordial couldn't help but laugh at their expressions. "Hahaha, Genesis, looks like you misjudged this time. That Yao Ji you placed your hopes on didn't even get a proper chance to show herself. Meanwhile, Li Pin not only dominated the Prodigy Competition, but he even crushed the Overlord Competition too. Those two barely had to lift a finger to win."

"Li Pin... truly is extraordinary," Supreme Ordainment praised. "No wonder Black Abyss still entrusted Sasha, the Intelligent Lifeform, to Li Pin, even though he didn't accept Li Pin as a disciple due to their differing paths.

"And Supreme Dao Origin personally came into human territory just to send him an invitation. That alone shows how highly he regards him."

He turned to Supreme Genesis. "Are you planning to take him as your disciple or not? If you're not, I will."

Supreme Primordial jumped in as well. "Li Pin may be cultivating your Supreme Technique, but in the end, he's still from the Sacred Flame Hall. If I step in to take him as a disciple, that wouldn't be overstepping, would it?"

Supreme Genesis let out a laugh. "You've really thought this through, haven't you?"

He continued, "From this report, it's clear Li Pin can adjust his power at will and break through limits in various areas. He's already forged a Supreme foundation.

"Calling him a Supreme seed doesn't quite do him justice anymore. In the future, he might even have a better shot at reaching Supreme status than Jin'que. If you take him in, you're basically adding a future Supreme to Sacred Flame Hall."

"According to the Divine Martial Emperor," Supreme Primordial added, "Li Pin might've already gone beyond your Supreme Technique and created one of his own. That would mean he no longer qualifies as your registered disciple."

To the Supremes, taking disciples was never a big deal. After all, no matter how gifted a disciple was, no one ever really believed they could surpass a Supreme. That was why there was an unspoken understanding among them.

Each Supreme passed down their Supreme Technique, and anyone who cultivated it was quietly accepted as their registered disciple. So even though Supreme Ordainment and Primordial were interested in Li Pin, they still had to check with Supreme Genesis first.

"He created his own cultivation method..." Supreme Genesis murmured, a bit moved. "Truly a rare talent. No wonder he was given a Transcendent Divine Weapon for protection. The only question is, did Dao Origin or Black Abyss grant it?"

"Most likely Black Abyss," Supreme Ordainment said. "He follows the Transcendent path and has sought advice from Transcendent Equiheaven several times. It makes sense he'd have a Transcendent Divine Weapon hidden away."

Then he hesitated. "But if he gave Li Pin a Transcendent Divine Weapon... does that mean Black Abyss is still testing him? Maybe even guiding him in secret?"

He looked puzzled. "So why hasn't Black Abyss openly acknowledged Li Pin as his disciple?"

"No matter what, Li Pin is the Supreme seed of our human race. That's undeniable," Supreme Genesis said calmly. "When he returns, I'll take him as my disciple."

"You had such high hopes for your current disciple that you were even willing to sacrifice Li Pin for her. If he finds out, that could leave a lasting wound. I think it's better if I take him in," Supreme Primordial smiled in reply.

"It's exactly because of the misunderstanding between us before that I must take him in now," Supreme Genesis answered firmly. "I'll teach him seriously and clear up those misunderstandings one by one. That way, if he really becomes a Supreme someday, small grudges won't threaten our race's unity."

"I can handle that too," Supreme Primordial said. "Besides, Li Pin started his cultivation in our Sacred Flame Hall. He's already familiar with us. Why make him adapt to somewhere new?"

"Primordial, did you forget? Li Pin has already joined the Omni-Merchant Guild. He's one of us now."

The two Supremes kept debating. Supreme Ordainment wanted to join in but sighed quietly, knowing his lack of connection to Li Pin put him at a clear disadvantage.

After the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, Li Pin's talent had fully revealed itself. Calling him a Supreme seed no longer did him justice. He was already worthy of being called a future Supreme. And what Supreme wouldn't want a prodigy like him under their wing?

If he truly reached that level, and as their disciple, no less, their household would become a dual Supreme force. With the master-disciple bond, their influence over the Human Race and the wider universe would skyrocket.

Taking on a disciple often came down to personal choice for Supremes. But with someone like Li Pin, even Supremes were now competing to claim him. Just look at Supreme Genesis. He didn't even spare a thought for his once-prized disciple, Yao Ji. Not a single mention.

Supreme Ordainment felt a pang of regret. Why didn't I act sooner...

But then again, who could truly predict the future?

Seeing that Supreme Primordial and Genesis were still arguing over who should take Li Pin as their disciple, Supreme Ordainment finally interrupted. "Enough. This time, the Human Race has won a great victory.

"Let's finalize the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations quickly, inform the Supreme beings of the other eight races, and activate the artifact to revise the Astral World's rules."

When the discussion turned to such a major matter, Supreme Genesis and Primordial finally fell silent. They exchanged a glance and smiled.

When the time came, it would be up to them to win Li Pin over.

"The Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, sometimes called the Three Calamities and Nine Trials, were originally created to stop too many Astral Gods who had reached immortality from losing their ambition. They prevented these beings from simply settling down on the Five Continents and enjoying eternal life without progress.

"Once this system takes effect, everyone in the Starshine, Solar Flare, and Cosmic Radiance Realms will be subject to it. The Nine Tribulations are nine major ordeals, each one a challenge, but also an opportunity. Overcoming a tribulation strengthens cultivation.

"After every three tribulations comes a calamity. These three calamities are: the Calamity of the Inner Spirit, the Calamity of Sudden Transformation, and the Calamity of Eternal Oblivion..."

As Supreme Ordainment spoke, it became clear that the system had been proposed more than a hundred epochs ago. It was refined to perfection over time, but had never been put into practice.

Supreme Primordial explained calmly, "The Calamity of the Inner Spirit involves an invasion of inner demons. Thoughts become unstable, making it hard to stay centered. Endure this, and the inner spirit grows stronger, drawing closer to the True Spirit. Fail, and the mind is seized, lost completely.

"The Calamity of Sudden Transformation tests one's ability to convert matter and energy. You must surpass your current self and reach a higher energy state to suppress it. If not, the transforming energy will consume you.

"The Calamity of Eternal Oblivion causes the resonance between the Eternal Oblivion Force and the Astral God to spike dangerously. To survive, one must raise their mastery over realms to unprecedented levels."

All three calamities shared the same goal: to stop cultivators from seeking comfort and ease, pushing them instead toward continuous growth. The nine tribulations served that same purpose.

Once this system was in place, it was clear that many Astral Gods who had indulged in comfort for far too long and had forgotten how to cultivate would be quickly wiped out. Especially across the Five Continents, with each cycle of tribulations, even if the population didn't halve, at least ten to twenty percent would surely disappear.

But... to lighten the burden on the Astral World and prevent the universe from collapsing too quickly, this pain had to happen.

Soon, Supreme Ordainment received word. "The Supreme Beings of the other races have responded. Following the rules of the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, they've agreed to the Human race's proposal."

Supreme Genesis gave the order. "Then let's begin. Channel the power into the Astral World, and use the Core of the World—the Myriad Astral God Hall—to trigger the changes and rewrite the rules."

Supreme Ordainment glanced at the two of them. "I'm leaving this to you both."

His True Body was still stationed at the Chaos Clan's border, so only Supreme Genesis and Primordial could handle this.

The two wasted no time and acted promptly.

At the spot in the cosmos where the Myriad Astral God Hall stood, the two Supreme beings revealed their True Bodies. Instantly, a brilliance so vast it lit up every nearby star system burst forth from that corner of space.

The radiance was so intense that even the combined light of ten thousand stars couldn't match a fraction of it.

As the two colossal figures took shape, their overwhelming power, carrying a unique set of laws, poured into the Astral World. It was immediately sensed by its core, the Myriad Astral God Hall.

Inside the Astral World, above one of the palaces at the heart of the Myriad Astral God Hall, a brilliant beam of light shot straight into the heavens. It pierced through the outer, inner, and core layers of the world, merging with the cosmic energy flowing in from beyond.

At that moment, waves of energy, vast beyond measure, rippled outward from the Hall. The fortune of all humanity surged wildly with the release of this power.

The Starshine and Solar Flare Astral Gods watched, confused and uneasy, while the Cosmic Radiance Astral Gods, Tyrants, Sacred Monarchs, and Heavenly Emperors observed with complicated expressions. Slowly, the rules of the Astral World began to shift.

As the new system, the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, took shape deep within the Myriad Astral God Hall, inside the palace of the Central Sovereign Heavenly Emperor, Jin'que stood silently. Dressed in golden robes, he radiated an indescribable dignity. He stared at the overwhelming power beyond his control, now enveloping the Hall.

After a long pause, he sighed deeply. "So... it's finally begun." The source of this content ɪs NoveI~Fire.net

A special transmission charm appeared in his hand, and he sent a brief message.

Jin'que: Third Elder, begin the operation.