Although Fang You was completely immersed in cultivation and unable to extricate himself, he still seriously attended to his 'proper business' after regaining his senses.
This business was an evaluation of the Time Pavilion.
"The Realm of Time and Years is completely isolated from the outside world, akin to a dungeon space. Within it, I find it difficult to borrow the world's power for cultivation. However, my cultivation speed is even faster than at its peak in the outside world... This is clearly an amplification brought by the Time Pavilion."
It wasn't just the Time Pavilion's amplification.
In the beginning, before Fang You was fully immersed in cultivation, he had also carried out some construction and modifications within the Time Realm. After all, the realm was too desolate, and there were too many things.
He had installed several epic buildings like 'Gravity Field' and 'Lotus Pond,' and then instructed a group of ancient engineer puppets to build dwelling after dwelling.
The building style was still a bit rough, due to his lack of supervision, but they were sufficient for habitation.
This was a place for cultivation; it didn't require such comfortable cultivation conditions.
"In one year of real-world time, an individual can enter the Realm of Time and Years at most 9 times. This means that if the utilization rate of the Time Pavilion is maximized, one year can be equivalent to ten years of use."
"However... the Time Pavilion experiences wear and tear during use!"
He carefully conducted an inspection, and the consumption rate was approximately 1%!
This meant that with the current 'energy' reserves, it was only enough for the Realm of Time and Years to be opened 100 times/200 person-times. On average, each Fate Apostle would have limited time to use it.
And this 'energy' could recover on its own, but the speed was extremely slow. It was likely that not even a tiny bit would recover in a year.
He opened the panel.
"Hint: The Time Pavilion's own special 'energy' reserves may have a replenishment method. Please explore it yourself."
However, the Time Pavilion's 'energy' was entirely different from energy in the conventional sense; it was not electrical energy, nuclear energy, nor void energy.
He had tried depositing void crystals, but they had no effect. Depositing divine crystals also yielded nothing.
Naturally, the 'Infinite Box' could not be applied to the Time Pavilion.
The infinite energy possessed by the Infinite Box was merely ordinary energy. It couldn't even substitute for divine crystals, let alone empower treasures of the colored grade. This was quite normal.
The Time Pavilion could only be used as it was for now.
After his initial experience, he called over Liu Feng and Zhou Bao, who currently needed time the most.
"Go, and I'll wait for your return from cultivation."
Fang You watched the two enter. A day later, he saw them emerge from the Time Pavilion's entrance, their appearances completely unchanged.
Indeed, compared to him, these two were already 'over a hundred years old.' They hadn't refrained from long periods of seclusion before; they were already accustomed to it.
If there was any difference to speak of, it was the wisps of rainbow light emanating from their bodies.
This was the result of their godhood being too potent, gradually unable to be contained and bursting forth from their bodies.
Liu Feng and the other saw no need to suppress it.
Rather, they were intentionally escalating their divine might, establishing an invincible belief to prepare for the impact of the demigod realm.
"Teacher, I have completed my preparations. I can begin my ascension at any time now!"
Liu Feng said.
The materials were already gathered; what was needed now was the 'east wind' for becoming a demigod.
In comparison, Zhou Bao was still missing one crucial material.
He scratched his head and said, "Teacher, I want to go out and search for materials." He felt guilty just sitting at home, waiting for others to find the materials needed for the ritual. He felt uncomfortable all over, unable to muster any enthusiasm for anything.
Even his invincible belief began to droop.
Fang You: "..."
Is your invincible belief a little different from others'?
He said, "What you need to do most right now is maintain your condition at its peak, ensuring you can undergo the Eight Awakenings ritual at any time. That is the most important thing."
Condition was crucial.
The higher the level of awakening, the more so.
The success rate shown by 'Guidance: Awakening' referred to the rate when one's condition was at its best. However, by observing the awakening rate, Fang You could also judge whether his apostles were in optimal condition.
Liu Feng stepped a few steps into the air, tiptoed, and patted his junior brother's shoulder. "Teacher is right. What the organization needs most now is your demigod strength. If you affect your condition by going out to search for treasures and delay your ascension to demigod... you will be letting down the organization's expectations!
"Moreover, does adding one more person or one less person make a difference in searching for specific treasures? You should just stay put!"
"...Is that so?"
Zhou Bao scratched his head but gradually regained his invincible belief.
The two then parted ways and entered their respective cultivation rooms to meditate and maintain their condition.
Liu Feng had already captured the breakthrough opportunity for an Eight Awakening Demigod.
"I have ascended to demigod before, and now my foundation is even deeper. The breakthrough and ascension will surely be a natural progression."
He murmured.
He couldn't help but recall the process of his own ascension to Eight Awakening Demigod back then.
It hadn't been easy at the time; there was a point where he thought he would fail, and he had to grit his teeth to persevere in the end.
Could he do it today, now?
He wanted to say he definitely could!
But the images of the sacrifices of the Hearthfire powerhouses, the scenes of dark clouds shrouding the sky, the scenes of the Candela army retreating steadily, the scenes of one fortress after another being breached... like nightmares, they kept appearing before his eyes.
Back then, he had failed, he had faced near-death, and he had tasted the feeling of powerlessness time and time again.
Even demigods were like ants before high-ranking evil god servants.
And in this era, demigods were even fewer.
Liu Feng was rational and understood the responsibility he carried, but the more he thought about it, the more he feared failure. He could not bear the consequences of failure, and he had never been the most outstanding person.
"Therefore, I must break through!"
He took a deep breath and suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind with his will. Just as he was about to break through, a somewhat familiar, yet long-unheard notification sound suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Do you wish to apply for Eight Awakening Guidance?"
The dark clouds seemed to be dispersed, and a ray of bright sunlight pierced the darkness, shining upon the earth.
Liu Feng's pupils widened, and a radiant golden light flowed within the cultivation ground, lingering for a long time.
His momentum continued to surge, the power of his divine charm almost becoming tangible, and at the same time, a profound and mysterious power of destiny enveloped him.
If one were to ask what Liu Feng was experiencing at this moment, he would only say four words:
It was as if he had divine assistance!
He had never felt so exhilarating! So, a dangerous, major class advancement could also be achieved smoothly and joyfully?
The thought only echoed in his mind for a moment before he cast aside all distractions and wholeheartedly attacked the barrier.
...
In the Dean's office, Fang You withdrew his gaze.
"It's stable."
At this time, Liu Feng's ascension was not yet complete. Leveling up wasn't a simple "pop." It required a not-short process, and any interference during this period could lead to failure.
Therefore, forcing a breakthrough and exploding with power while fighting an enemy was something only seen in novels.
In reality, at most, one could choose to use a cheat.
From the pulse of destiny emanating from Liu Feng, Instructor Fang judged that it was stable.
"The Mythical Realm possesses divinity, divine sense, and a trace of divine blood. The Demigod Realm, on the other hand, begins by forging a demigod body."
The difference lay in that
During the Mythical stage, besides having stronger recovery abilities, physical strength was still not sufficient – Xing Jing Lei was an exception.
But demigods, especially peak existences with a fully forged demigod body, were quite resilient.
This was one of the characteristics that placed the Demigod Realm above the Mythical Realm. In addition, there were two other characteristics: demigod divine power and demigod manifestation.
"It is said that the life energy within a demigod will gradually transform and evolve into a higher-level 'demigod divine power,' which has a powerful suppressive effect on life energy."
It was like water conquering fire.
Flames born from demigod divine power, when facing flames released from life energy, would possess a suppressive effect.
However, whether it was demigod divine power or the demigod body, they only gave the demigod realm an advantage in combat, not an overwhelming one.
The combat power (二维, a term likely referring to combat stats or dimensionality) of some veteran demigods might not even be comparable to an invincible myth like Liu Feng.
What truly gave demigods a hierarchical advantage was the demigod manifestation.
An incredibly immense, sky-reaching divine form, like a giant mecha.
When a demigod donned their demigod manifestation, they gained formidable defensive power while also possessing destructive power tens of times greater than before.
A demigod fighting a myth was purely like a giant fighting a mosquito.
The Seven Kingdoms of the Yunhui Great Domain, such as the Yun Tu Kingdom and Shui Man Kingdom, were super-powers with demigods presiding over them.
In fact, if not for the colossal entity of the Central Sacred Court looming above the seven great kingdoms, the names of the seven kingdoms would undoubtedly be even more renowned.
They were not much inferior to hegemons like the Seven Star Alliance and the Scarlet Lotus Empire.
This was information gathered and investigated by Hearthfire over several months, and it might not be entirely accurate due to the limited time.
As for the Central Sacred Court...
This nation, which claimed to have inherited Candela's legacy and was the most powerful force of all humanity, was quite reclusive!
Even with its 'vassal states,' communication was extremely limited.
The seven great kingdoms occasionally sent young talents to the Sacred Court for training, learning, and making friends, but people from the Central Sacred Court rarely ventured outside.
One reason was that the Sacred Court's territory was vast, far exceeding a Level 7 oasis.
The second was the Sacred Court's reclusiveness!
It was rumored that only after decades would 'Sacred Envoys' emerge and descend upon the Seven Kingdoms of Yunhui.
...
The resounding name of the Central Sacred Court was merely a name.
The vast majority of people, and even some rogue myths, had only a superficial understanding of the Sacred Court, and had no way to reach it.
What they were most familiar with and yearned for was still the Seven Kingdoms of Yunhui.
However, during this period, another faction that the people of Yunhui yearned for had been added – the Hearthfire Academy – and its ranking was continuously rising.
The above was statistical information from a certain super-power.
As a result, more and more awakened individuals were drawn by reputation. Their gathering, communication, and trade led to the emergence of a considerable marketplace outside the academy.
In fact, many people believed that if the Hearthfire Academy intended to operate it, it could develop into a large city within a few years by occupying an oasis.
A super commercial city with guests from all nations!
Such a city was highly coveted by the myths of the Seven Kingdoms, but the Hearthfire Academy seemed uninterested, acting so passively that it made them frustrated – if they had this advantage, wouldn't they have profited immensely already!
Within the marketplace, crowds thronged. There were merchants selling all sorts of materials and void artifacts, as well as some sneakily operating small-time dealers.
"Hey brother, want some inside information?"
As soon as a burly man with a red bandana stepped into the marketplace, someone hiding in a dark alley beckoned to him.
The burly man in the red bandana initially thought it was a robbery gang preparing to ambush him.
To his surprise, when he went in, it turned out to be a dealer of information.
The dealer glanced outside the alley, saw no one paying attention, and lowered his voice, gesturing with his fingers. "Brother, want some? The information I have is absolutely genuine."
"Wait, what information?"
The burly man in the red bandana was a little confused.
"Naturally, it's about insider information related to the Hearthfire Academy's recruitment."
The monkey-faced dealer chuckled. "And at a glance, I can tell you, brother, that you're here to get into the Hearthfire Academy, right?"
The burly man in the red bandana nodded. "But why are you so... uh, secretive?"
"Nonsense!"
"What I'm selling is internal information, secret knowledge that cannot be openly peddled."
The monkey-faced dealer paused and said, "You must be new here, brother, so you probably don't know how difficult the Hearthfire Academy's recruitment assessment is."
"Earlier on, the recruitment assessment was relatively simple, and the pass rate was not low. But as the number of applicants increased, the examiners at Hearthfire Academy have given increasingly tricky and difficult questions, weeding out batch after batch of applicants."
"Do you think this is why such a huge crowd has gathered outside the academy? It's because many people failed the assessment but didn't leave, and are preparing to challenge the recruitment assessment again."
"And with the insider information we provide, brother, you can conduct targeted training and have a greater chance of passing the assessment hurdles."
As he spoke, the monkey-faced dealer took out two books from his storage void artifact.
One book was titled "Hearthfire Assessment: From Stranger to Familiar."
The other was titled "Three Years of Simulation, Five Years of Preparation."
Just then, a commotion could be heard from outside. The monkey-faced dealer's expression changed slightly, and he instinctively and quickly hid the two books back into his storage void artifact. Only then did he glance outside.
"Oh, it's not the academy's enforcement team; it's people from the Scarlet Sand Country."
"Scarlet Sand Country?"
The dealer glanced at the burly man in the red bandana, looking a bit surprised but not paying too much attention. "The Scarlet Sand Country is one of the Seven Kingdoms of the Yunhui Great Domain, possessing unparalleled power."
In the distance,
A yellow earth-colored aircraft shaped like a triangular pyramid flew out of the gray fog and slowly landed about three to four kilometers away from the academy entrance.
From this aircraft, countless armored elite soldiers disembarked and formed ranks on both sides.
To welcome the esteemed myths who would emerge next.
"Three Myths!"
"Hand of Flowing Sand - Rahman!" "Wall of Yellow Sand - Ibn!" "And... Lion of Scarlet Sand - Adora!"
"What are the Myths of the Scarlet Sand Country doing here?"
"They seem... to have ill intentions?"
Recently, there had been no small number of conspiracies and schemes erupting around the Hearthfire Academy.
There had been three incidents involving mythical power.
However, the Hearthfire Academy had swiftly suppressed all disturbances and dissent, and had also imprisoned one myth. Since then, the small area in front of the academy gates had become much calmer.
But today, it seemed there was more excitement?
Countless people chattered, their eyes flashing with the brilliance of onlookers, while many others were confused.
At this moment, the monkey-faced dealer said proudly, "This is normal."
"The owners behind many bounty guilds in the Yunhui Great Domain are myths from the Scarlet Sand Country. While the bounty guilds and the academy appear to have no relation on the surface, many Hearthfire Academy students were previously mercenary group leaders, and the Hearthfire Academy's mission hall is equivalent to an alternative bounty guild."
"Of course, the most important thing is that the Scarlet Sand Country has the most impoverished resources and the least cultivation facilities among the Seven Kingdoms."
The dealer spoke with great passion, explaining the major trends of the Seven Kingdoms in great detail.
The aggressively arriving myths of the Scarlet Sand Country also stated their purpose.
They had come to...
Challenge the academy!