Ch. 106 - Seclusion

"To have such skill in painting at your age shows not only your love for the art but also the effort you've put in," the Heartless Painter said with a satisfied smile.

"I'm flattered. Compared to you, Ancestor, I still have a long way to go," Song Qianqiu quickly replied.

"Take this divine brush," the Heartless Painter said. "But remember to treat it with care. It has developed its own consciousness. If you are not the one it’s truly seeking, it will leave you on its own accord."

Song Qianqiu nodded solemnly and took the brush from the Heartless Painter's hand.

He held it up to examine it. It didn’t seem especially remarkable, just like an ordinary wolf-hair brush.

But on the handle, a few densely packed lines were inscribed:

“A single wolf-hair brush paints all creation; a lifetime of ink, seeking the great truth within the human heart.”

Song Qianqiu also understood this was no place to receive the inheritance, not with the risk of being interrupted.

Since he had already obtained the brush, it was better to find a safe place to complete the inheritance.

"Alright, you two should leave now. The inheritance of the Palace of Paintings is exhausted, its purpose has ended," the Heartless Painter said, waving them away as the endless waves before him roared.

"Ancestor, may I ask, where is your true body now?" Song Qianqiu hurriedly asked. "The family often speaks of you with longing. I was sent to the Palace of Paintings on their behalf to find you."

"So many years have passed. The Song Clan may still bear the same name, but it is no longer the Song Clan of old. The people are gone, and the world has changed. Whether I return or not is already meaningless," the Heartless Painter shook his head. "Go. If fate allows, we will meet again. If not, don’t force it."

As his words fell, the raging waves on either side surged even higher, rising into towering crests and instantly swallowing the Heartless Painter in a sea of white foam.

Song Qianqiu watched all of this unfold and could only sigh helplessly.

Then he turned to Xu Zimo and said, "Brother, we've both gained from this experience. Would you agree we keep each other's involvement a secret? It would benefit us both."

"No problem," Xu Zimo smiled and nodded.

Just then, the space around them began to twist. Xu Zimo felt a powerful force strike from within the void, he was forcibly ejected.

Looking around, he saw that it wasn’t just him, everyone who had entered the Palace of Paintings was being forcibly sent out.

"What’s going on?" the crowd began to murmur in confusion.

"I clearly passed the first trial, why was I sent out?"

"This is infuriating! I already passed two trials and was about to finish the third. I was so close, how could I fail now?"

"If all of us were kicked out, it must mean someone has already inherited the Palace of Paintings legacy," some more knowledgeable disciples speculated.

"That’s impossible. We were only in there for a short time. No one could’ve gotten that far so fast, right?"

As the crowd buzzed with speculation, Xu Zimo just smiled and shook his head.

He had made such rapid progress because he already knew the rules inside from his past life.

As for Song Qianqiu, he had found clues left behind in the Heartless Painter’s old belongings, giving him a big advantage over the others.

…

"Whoever received the inheritance, would you be willing to show yourself?" a young man called out, floating above the crowd.

But aside from the chatter below, no one stepped forward.

Everyone understood it was best to keep a low profile. The three Imperial Lineages were nearby, if they got any ideas, there would be no stopping them.

The disciples of the three major Imperial Lineages were immediately questioned by their elders once they exited. Upon hearing that no one claimed to have received the inheritance, the elders left, disappointed.

Then the elders of the three great sects stood before the younger cultivators and made an announcement:

Whoever inherited the Heartless Painter’s legacy would be welcome to join their Imperial Lineage directly.

After all, the Heartless Painter’s inheritance didn’t just include the divine brush, it also involved the World Pearl, ranked first on the World’s Rarest Treasures List.

Though the crowd was abuzz, the inheritor remained hidden.

At that moment, the floating Palace of Paintings in mid-air began to shift, it transformed into a single painting.

The painting drifted gently downward from the sky, but then, without warning, flames erupted from within the scroll.

Within just a few breaths, too fast for anyone to react, it had burned completely to ash.

…

The crowd gradually began to disperse. This journey to the Palace of Paintings left many feeling that something was missing.

In the past, legacies were fought over fiercely, bloody and dramatic affairs that made waves.

But this time, the Palace of Paintings was a mystery from beginning to end.

With no inheritance in sight, many sects began to leave.

Xu Zimo boarded his sect’s Sageship and returned to the True Martial Sacred Sect with the Grand Elder and the others.

The journey back was uneventful. Shao Xingyu, once so arrogant, now didn’t even dare speak loudly in front of Xu Zimo. He wouldn’t even be alone with him.

Apparently, Zhang He’s fate had truly terrified him.

Xu Zimo found it almost amusing. Shao Xingyu, with all his status as the First Grand Elder’s grandson, had never lacked for resources and was even blessed with imperial-grade aptitude.

But his Dao Heart was flawed. Without a change, he would never be able to reach the apex.

In fact, Xu Zimo thought some of the ordinary outer court disciples had better character than him.

…

After a full day and night of flight, the Sageship finally arrived back at the True Martial Sacred Sect at dawn the next morning.

Upon returning to South Goose Mountain, Xu Zimo immediately announced that he would enter seclusion. He needed to fuse with the World Pearl.

He specifically instructed Little Gui to guard him during this time, no matter what happened, he was not to be disturbed.

Inside his room, Xu Zimo first activated the Level 6 Formation given to him by Luang. If anything went wrong, he could trigger the array instantly.

Condensing a True Fate was a critical moment, no room for mistakes.

Reaching the Desolate Meridian Realm meant unlocking the body’s fourth meridian gate: Vastsea.

The third meridian, Dawnwind, was located in the chest, while Vastsea was on the back, directly opposite.

Xu Zimo first released all the power from the mysterious Primordial Bead within him, which contained energy from the God Meridian Realm cultivation of his past life.

That energy surged toward the fourth meridian. With the remaining power from the Ten-Meridian Fruit, Vastsea was instantly opened.

As Vastsea activated, spiritforce inside Xu Zimo’s body exploded.

But this energy couldn’t be absorbed or expelled, it just built up, forming a rushing river of spiritforce within him.

Xu Zimo knew it was time to condense his True Fate.

He sliced open his finger, letting his blood drip onto the World Pearl.

The seemingly ordinary pearl reacted instantly, transforming into a streak of light that shot into his body through the bleeding wound.

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