Feng Zikang was startled. He hadn't set such stringent requirements for his Foundation Establishment transformation; after all, compared to others, he still had the opportunity to nurture a demonic fetus and reshape his meridians. Thus, he originally intended to proceed within his means, but judging by Elder Wu's tone, completing the Divine-grade advancement merit task seemed highly improbable and a waste of effort. He was content to simply choose an Accomplishment-grade task and be done with it.

But Elder Wu had delivered a lengthy warning, only to ultimately urge him toward the Divine-grade advancement merit task, for reasons unknown to him.

Elder Wu gave a sly smile, settled comfortably back into his chair, and closed his eyes.

"Silly boy, among our Military School disciples over the past few centuries, there have been those who chose the Divine-grade Foundation Establishment task—a few unlucky fellows who were clueless about their own limitations and foolishly sought to waste their time."

"However..." Elder Wu took a sip of tea, moistening his throat, "In all these centuries, there has never been a time when two disciples simultaneously had the chance to complete the Divine-grade Foundation Establishment task!"

Feng Zikang's eyes lit up. "You mean..."

If the Divine-grade advancement merit tasks required separate completion, then it shouldn't matter if two disciples accepted the Divine-grade task simultaneously. Elder Wu clearly implied that if he chose the Divine-grade advancement merit task now, he could collaborate with Luo Suixin to complete it!

"So, that little Miss Luo hasn't finished this advancement merit task yet? Lucky you, kid!"

"Truly? We can cooperate on it?" Feng Zikang was overjoyed. With Luo Suixin's cooperation, the Divine-grade advancement merit task was not an impossible feat. After all, according to the elders, even Luo Lianxin alone might have been able to complete it, albeit wasting time.

"Silly boy," Elder Wu chuckled, "Do you think there are many Divine-grade advancement merit tasks available? Our Military School only gets allocated one in total. If we don't cooperate, should I just let you wait?"

"If that's the case, wouldn't anyone undergoing Foundation Establishment simply choose the same one and muddle through?"

Feng Zikang found this strange. If that were so, why didn't Huo Zhongguang choose the Divine grade? With Luo Lianxin's support, he could even slack off and still complete it.

"Do you think everyone is like you?" Elder Wu shook his head. "Even if someone wanted to exploit this loophole, Old Yun on the other side wouldn't allow it. If you don't possess the ability to complete an Accomplishment-grade task independently, who would let you pass?"

That made sense. Someone like Huo Zhongguang applying for the Divine-grade advancement merit task would likely be glared back into place by Elder Yun.

"Besides, the Divine-grade merits are fraught with danger. Even if someone could complete it, sneaking through under someone else's cover isn't easy. One slip could mean instant death. Who would joke with their own life like that?"

Insufficient strength, presumptuously hoping to sneak past a strong practitioner—this was utterly impossible. Those who reach the Foundation Establishment stage in the Military School are not ordinary people; they wouldn't make such a blunder.

Feng Zikang made up his mind. He thanked Elder Wu, turned with excitement, and headed toward the Merit Hall. Elder Wu watched him from a distance, his eyes full of expectation and affection.

Elder Yun was napping at the Merit Hall desk, lost in a pleasant dream, drool coating his beard. Feng Zikang walked in, finding the sight amusing, and lightly tapped the desk.

"Smack!"

Elder Yun shot up, instinctively crying out, "Master, I won't do it again!"

It seemed he was reliving a dream from years ago, believing himself to be the young disciple who had just entered Dragon-Tiger Mountain hundreds of years prior, being disciplined by his master for dozing off during practice.

When Elder Yun woke and saw who it was, he roared in fury, "You little Feng Zi, daring to trick this old man?"

Feng Zikang smiled and offered an apology, "Grand-Martial Uncle, I didn't mean to, I apologize for disturbing your old gentleman's dream, my apologies!"

Elder Yun grumbled a few times before letting it go. He leaned back in his recliner, wiped his damp beard with his hand, and propped one leg up. "Little Feng Zi, you're only thinking of coming now? You still have a mountain of merits outstanding; I've recorded them all. Don't you want them anymore?"

"Of course, I do," Feng Zikang chirped, sitting down beside him. For some reason, whenever he was near this old man, he felt significantly more relaxed. "But Grand-Martial Uncle, I didn't come for merits this time. I came to claim my advancement merit task..."

"Oh, coming for another task again?" Elder Yun answered casually, then suddenly realized something was amiss. His eyes snapped wide open as he turned to glare at Feng Zikang. "What did you say? You've come to claim an advancement merit task?"

"You—you—you—you—you—you—you—you—you—you—you—"

Elder Yun scrutinized him up and down, alternating between shock and delight. "You've actually reached the peak perfection of Qi Invigoration Level Ten! Good heavens, Little Feng Zi, you are truly formidable! Faster than your Master and Little Lu Zi—remarkable!" He gave a hearty thumbs-up of praise.

Feng Zikang grinned sheepishly. "It's all due to the excellent guidance of the seniors."

"Stop flattering me!" Elder Yun shook his head, cheerfully flipping through the jade scrolls before him. "Good! Good! Which level of merit task are you taking this time? Luck-grade? Or Accomplishment-grade? You must take an Accomplishment-grade, otherwise it’s not worth it..."

Feng Zikang shook his head. "Grand-Martial Uncle, I came this time because I want the Divine-grade Advancement Merit Task!"

"What?"

Elder Yun's beard shot up again. He scrutinized Huo Zhongguang up and down once more, his expression peculiar. "You heard this from your Master, didn't you? Wanting to collaborate on this Divine-grade merit? Do you know this task is incredibly dangerous? It could cost you your life at any moment?"

"I know," Feng Zikang nodded, but he showed no hint of fear. If Luo Suixin was fine, he should be too. If he lacked the ambition to surpass a mere woman, he would be too pathetic.

"Knowing, yet you insist? Do you know that little girl, what's-her-name Luo, has been gone for almost two years and hasn't returned? Are you confident your skills surpass hers?"

Feng Zikang's cultivation should be roughly equivalent to Luo Lianxin's two years ago. However, she had undergone numerous trials in this Divine-grade merit task over two years; he couldn't guess how much she had improved. He suspected she would experience an explosion of progress after Foundation Establishment.

"Forget it! Forget it!"

Elder Yun threw down all the jade scrolls in his hands in annoyance. "You youngsters are all pig-headed, none of you listen to advice! Since you insist, I won't interfere. Follow me!"

He huffed and marched ahead, pushing open an iron door in the back wall. They passed through a corridor and opened another door, finally arriving in a vast, empty hall.

The hall was bare save for a massive rotating disk in the center. The surrounding sandalwood walls were densely carved with various incantations. The ceiling depicted the sun, moon, and stars; though there were no windows or lamps, a faint light emanated, causing the central disk to reflect an eerie glow, making it appear even more mysterious.

This disk was like a universe unto itself, emanating infinite power and the unknown. The moment Feng Zikang saw it, he felt suffocated.

This was a divine artifact, a true tool for hereditary cultivation, unique to the Nine Schools and the Three Teachings, symbolizing orthodox lineage.

It was made of some unknown material; it seemed like soft jade, emitting a gentle aura, yet it possessed rigid angles. Nothing seemed capable of shattering it.

The Great Cycle Disk—as far as is known—there are seventeen such disks in the Central Plains cultivation world.

The Nine Schools—Military, Mohist, Legalist, Logician, Miscellaneous, Agrarian, Diplomat, Yin-Yang, and Novelist—each possessed one. The Daoist school, with its ancient history, was divided into three sects based on the Three Pure Ones' Daoist techniques, possessing three disks. The Confucian school was also divided into three, holding three Great Cycle Disks. The Buddhist school was split into five sects, but only the Chan and Pure Land sects possessed Great Cycle Disks; the other three sects had to borrow from those two or comprehend enlightenment on their own.

Whoever possessed a Great Cycle Disk could establish a sect and claim an unparalleled, orthodox lineage. However, according to the Mandate of Heaven, countless ambitious figures had coveted these disks over the centuries, yet none had succeeded.

"Little Feng Zi, stunned, aren't you?"

Elder Yun seemed to have gotten over his anger. Looking at the Great Cycle Disk, he sighed aloud. "I've looked at this disk for hundreds of years, and every time I see it, I can't help but marvel. I don't know where this thing came from or how it possesses such divinity..."

The Great Cycle Disk connects Heaven and Earth and can help cleanse marrow and transform the body. For those in orthodox sects, as long as their aptitude is decent and their fortune not too poor, the six difficult stages—Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Tribulation Passing, and Mahayana Ascension—become significantly easier.

Once the required strength is reached and the advancement merit task assigned by the Great Cycle Disk is completed, there is nearly a ninety percent chance of successful advancement. Compared to rogue cultivators who struggle through endless hardships and near-death experiences for a chance to advance, this is an immense blessing.

"I truly never imagined it would look like this..."

Feng Zikang murmured to himself. He had heard of the so-called Great Cycle Disk countless times, assuming it was just some magical object, and hadn't paid much attention. But seeing it now, he felt a stirring in his soul—an inexplicable divine object that shook the heart and left him deeply unsettled.

Elder Yun had brought many people here; everyone reacted with the same awe and exclamation upon first seeing the Great Cycle Disk. He chuckled, unconcerned. "Come, sit upon the disk!"

With a slight push, Feng Zikang moved forward involuntarily, reaching out to touch the Great Cycle Disk. The sensation was vivid; it didn't feel like jade but like some living entity. Following Elder Yun's instruction, he sat cross-legged on the disk and calmed his mind.

He heard Elder Yun murmuring an incomprehensible, strange incantation. Feng Zikang tried to remember it, but the words were too soft and too fast, obstructed by a strange, forceful barrier that prevented him from hearing clearly.

The Great Cycle Disk began to rotate slowly. Feng Zikang felt his body being gradually pulled, moving towards another world as the disk turned.

"Feng Zikang, disciple of the Bamboo Grove of the Military School of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, has now reached the peak perfection of Qi Invigoration Level Ten, with the thirty-first layer of the Military Strategist's Art of Calculating Victory Miles Away. He hereby applies for an Advancement Merit Task!"

In a hazy state, Feng Zikang seemed to hear Elder Yun raise his voice to announce the application.

"What level?"

From somewhere unseen in the void, a question emerged.

"Divine Grade!"

Elder Yun paused for a long moment before finally gritting his teeth and shouting those two words.

The Great Cycle Disk spun rapidly. Feng Zikang felt a dizzying sensation, as if he were flung out into the highest heavens.

"Hah!"

When he opened his eyes, he realized he truly was in the high heavens. Countless stars dotted the sky above, shining with infinite radiance in the dark night. Below his feet were dense clouds, and beneath the clouds, a vast, dark ocean roared with surging waves.

Was this the location for completing the Divine-grade advancement merit task? The Great Cycle Disk offered no clues. Luo Suixin should be here, but he had no idea where to look for her, nor what he was supposed to do in this place.

Of course, now wasn't the time for contemplation; his body was plummeting rapidly. If he didn't stop, he would soon crash into the sea and be shattered to pieces.

"Sword, come!"

He called out softly. The iron sword on his back transformed into a dark gleam, gently supporting him.

Clang!

The moment he stabilized himself, a crystal-green task bead shot out from his chest, bearing a conspicuous, luminous Divine character. Feng Zikang snatched the bead out of the air.

Instantly, a message flooded his mind.

"In the True Man Realm, a great demon causes havoc. Slay it!"

It was only these brief ten characters, with no other hint. Feng Zikang couldn't help but offer a bitter smile. Was this what was called the True Man Realm? And what kind of monster was this 'great demon'? If he couldn't figure it out, would he have to slay every single monster in the True Man Realm to find out?

No wonder Lianxin had procrastinated for so long without completing this Foundation Establishment merit; it turned out to be so vague and directionless. Feng Zikang repeatedly offered bitter smiles, but since he was here, there was no alternative. He saw lights in the distance and flew toward them. This sea was immense, and the distant lights seemed thousands of miles away. Feng Zikang flew for half a day until dawn broke in the east, before finally spotting land in the distance, with several high mountains that suggested human habitation.

If there were people, he could ask for directions and learn about the general situation of this True Man Realm. If Feng Zikang's guess was correct, the Great Cycle Disk had teleported him into a Xuan Realm. Once the task was completed, he would naturally return. The current priority was figuring out exactly what this task entailed; otherwise, aimlessly wandering like a headless fly would take forever.

It would be best if he could find Luo Lianxin. She had been here for nearly two years and must have gained some insight, unlike him, who was lost. Unfortunately, the communication methods within the Military School required prior arrangements or extraordinary divine abilities to use. For the moment, Feng Zikang had no idea how to contact her.

As he flew closer, he saw three beams of sword light approaching him. There were indeed cultivators in this Xuan Realm. Feng Zikang felt both relief and apprehension; he certainly didn't assume they were coming with good intentions.

His caution proved warranted. The three sword lights approached rapidly, maintaining their speed until they were nearly upon him. Their flying swords circled, aiming directly for Feng Zikang's head, accompanied by an angry shout emanating from within the light:

"What demonic fiend dares enter our human realm to cause evil! Die swiftly!"