After refining two Soul Healing Pills, Liu Wuxie discovered that his soul sea had expanded significantly, becoming broader and far more solid than before.

A mysterious force stirred once more from the depths of his soul sea. As he was drawn deeper into that vast inner world, the profound and unfathomable power nearly drove him mad. Who exactly was he? For the first time, Liu Wuxie found himself questioning his own identity.

He couldn't help wondering whether ancient memories lay sealed in the deepest corners of his mind, and what the man within the Heavenly Deity Monument had truly been trying to tell him.

As the powers of creation, heavenly dao, and destiny intertwined, they wove themselves around Liu Wuxie's primordial spirit like a seven-colored robe. His primordial spirit grew stronger under their blessing, while his soul sea became even purer.

The instant the gateway to the fifth-level High Immortal Realm opened, that mysterious and profound force burst forth, rushing through his body and permeating every pore with the three powers.

His physical body began to flicker between existence and illusion, as though it could merge with the surrounding heaven and earth at any moment. Even Liu Wuxie was astonished by how quickly his physique was improving.

Many students gathered outside and attempted to enter, only to be repelled by an invisible spiritual array that prevented them from advancing even a single step.

The mentors standing in the distance also refrained from acting recklessly. Success would be one thing, but failure would turn them into the laughingstock of the Azure Flame Dao Hall.

The Desolate Devouring Art had transformed. The power of creation reshaped heaven and earth within the desolate world, the power of heavenly dao altered its laws, and the power of destiny bestowed life upon it.

The trees, rivers, lakes, and seas had seemed devoid of vitality. Yet after being infused with the power of destiny, they radiated a noticeably stronger life force.

The branches of the Ancestral Tree swayed gently. Its roots had already spread throughout every corner of the desolate world, drawing in the essence of heaven and earth. That essence was then fed back into Liu Wuxie while simultaneously nourishing the desolate world. It was a clear sign that the desolate world was gradually forming a complete cycle.

Destiny alone was not enough to give birth to a world. It also required life and death, as well as the perpetual alternation of yin and yang.

As time flowed onward, more than a day passed in silence. When Xiang Rulong and the others arrived the following morning, Shi Wa informed them that they all had the day off.

Only at dusk on the second day did Liu Wuxie finally complete his breakthrough.

Liu Wuxie opened his eyes, a trace of dissatisfaction lingering on his face. "This is strange. Logically speaking, the two Soul Healing Pills should have been enough to push me into the sixth-level High Immortal Realm," he murmured.

The ingredients for the Soul Healing Pills had cost nearly seven to eight hundred thousand immortal stones. Considering that expense, advancing by only a single level seemed somewhat underwhelming.

Transforming the desolate world and tempering his physique had consumed most of the Soul Healing Pills' energy. Although his cultivation had only risen by one level, his combat strength had increased dramatically. A casual punch now produced ripples in the surrounding air.

Ye Linghan remained in seclusion, still attempting her breakthrough. Crossing from the Profound Immortal Realm into the Origin Immortal Realm was a major leap, and naturally not an easy one.

After stabilizing his cultivation, Liu Wuxie stepped into the courtyard and continued guiding Shi Wa in the assassination art. In only two days, Shi Wa had already memorized every detail contained within the talisman manual Liu Wuxie had given him.

Meanwhile, Xiao Qian devoted her time to meditation, constantly stimulating the Heavenly Sacred Blood within her body.

"Draw a Cleansing Talisman for me," Liu Wuxie instructed.

Although asking someone to inscribe a talisman after only two days of study sounded impossible, Shi Wa calmly closed his eyes and recalled the method for drawing a Cleansing Talisman. He traced with his right hand through the air, as a faint rune appeared.

Because he possessed only one arm, Shi Wa had to compensate with speed. His fingers moved rapidly through several strokes in succession. However, when he reached the final stroke, the runes suspended in the air scattered apart. Though he had succeeded, his speed was still lacking.

"You still need more practice," Liu Wuxie said after observing that Shi Wa's execution was fairly standard.

Afterward, Liu Wuxie walked to the center of the courtyard and began practicing Instant Flash. His strikes became faster with each repetition until their trajectory became virtually impossible to detect.

The students who had once gathered around the courtyard had long since dispersed. Calm returned to the area, though everyone could still sense the undercurrents stirring beneath the surface.

As the days passed, Ye Linghan remained in seclusion. Consequently, the responsibility of teaching Xiang Rulong and the other students naturally fell upon Liu Wuxie. He guided them in martial cultivation, alchemy, blacksmithing, spiritual arrays, talisman arts, and many other disciplines.

Whenever someone raised a question, Liu Wuxie answered it patiently.

"Assistant Liu, the class assessment begins in five days. We should start making preparations," Xiang Rulong suggested quietly.

When studying under Jiang Hongran, Xiang Rulong had never cared much about class assessments. He consistently achieved excellent results each month. But circumstances were different now. Liu Wuxie's class lacked many outstanding students, and turning the situation around would not be easy.

The other students quickly gathered as well. Diao Jiuzhi and the others who had originally belonged to Ye Linghan's class all wore gloomy expressions.

Whenever anyone mentioned the class assessment, it became a painful topic for them. After all, they had suffered only defeat during the last six months.

"Tell me about the rules of the class assessment," Liu Wuxie said as he sat down.

Xiang Rulong and the others sat around him. The atmosphere was far more relaxed than that of ordinary classes.

Compared to other classes, Liu Wuxie's class felt free and natural, pursuing harmony with heaven and earth. After all, cultivation itself defied the heavens, and following the heavenly dao remained the only true path forward.

"The class assessment is fairly straightforward. The various classes compete against one another, with martial cultivation accounting for the largest portion, followed by alchemy, blacksmithing, spiritual arrays, poison arts, and other fields," Xiang Rulong explained. As a veteran student of the Azure Flame Dao Hall, he was thoroughly familiar with the rules.

Ye Linghan had already explained the general framework to Liu Wuxie before. Classes that achieved superior rankings would receive additional rewards from the Azure Flame Dao Hall.

"Assistant Liu, I'm worried the other classes will deliberately target us during this assessment," Zhang Hua said.

Too many incidents had occurred within their class recently. Anyone could predict that Jiang Hongran, Tu Zhengbao, Wei Wenbin, and the others would seize this opportunity to make things difficult for them.

The other students fell silent.

Although the class assessment wasn't everything, repeated defeats could gradually erode a person's confidence.

In the past, they had always been the ones suppressing others. Now the situation had reversed, and overwhelming pressure would end up crushing them instead.

"We still have five days. As long as we prepare properly, we still have a chance to achieve good results," Liu Wuxie replied after a brief moment of thought.

He intended to use the remaining five days to make arrangements for the assessment.

Moreover, the class assessment represented an excellent opportunity to obtain benefits. Ye Linghan had told him that participants could place wagers during the event. Many mentors with longstanding grudges used the assessment as a battleground to target one another.

The winning side would not only receive substantial rewards but would also gain the opportunity to recruit more disciples. Such an opportunity to earn a fortune was something Liu Wuxie naturally had no intention of missing.

In a sense, the outcome of the class assessment would likely determine whether he could reach the pinnacle of the High Immortal Realm.

After all, the mentors of the Azure Flame Dao Hall were all wealthy individuals, each one akin to a walking treasure vault. If he failed to seize this chance to harvest resources from them, he would only be doing himself a disservice.

At that thought, a faint smile appeared on Liu Wuxie's lips.

"Assistant Liu, Mentor Ye is still in seclusion. What should we do now?" Xiang Rulong asked as he rubbed his hands together.

He had no idea where his second uncle had disappeared over the past few days, nor did anyone seem able to keep track of him.

Ever since their meeting at the Drunken Fragrance House, his second uncle had changed and seemed like an entirely different person.

"We'll start dividing everyone into groups now. Those who want to focus on martial cultivation stand on the left. Those interested in spiritual arrays stand on the right. Those interested in talisman arts, stand in front. Those interested in blacksmithing stand behind," Liu Wuxie said as his gaze swept across the seventeen students, intending to nurture each of them according to their strengths.

Xiang Rulong immediately stepped to the left. As someone obsessed with martial cultivation, he had pursued that path since childhood.

Zhang Hua and Wang Zhuang moved to the right, both interested in spiritual arrays. Shi Wa stepped forward without hesitation, having recently become fascinated with talisman arts. As for Zhang Dashan, his sturdy build and family background in blacksmithing made the choice easy, and he immediately moved to the back when he learned Liu Wuxie could teach blacksmithing as well.

The remaining students also made their selections, with martial cultivation attracting the most.

Zhang Hua, Wang Zhuang, and Liang Han chose spiritual arrays.

Zhang Dashan, Diao Jiuzhi, and Ren Fanfan selected blacksmithing.

Ren Fanfan's decision surprised even Liu Wuxie. It was uncommon for a woman to choose blacksmithing, but he naturally had no intention of interfering with her choice.

Only Shi Wa and Zhang Fang selected talisman arts. The latter already possessed some prior experience in the field.

On the martial cultivation side stood Xiang Rulong, Cheng Wende, Nie Zhenghao, and several others.

Not a single student chose alchemy.

"Xiao Qian, come here," Liu Wuxie called.

Xiao Qian had not learned any martial techniques, meaning her combat abilities were limited. She also had little interest in spiritual arrays. Although she had considered talisman arts, the immense power contained within her right hand made it difficult for her to inscribe runes properly.

Blacksmithing was equally unsuitable for her.

After all, Xiao Qian's right hand contained extraordinary potential, particularly the innate flame within it, which was exceptionally suited for alchemy. Since she couldn't cultivate martial techniques for the time being, alchemy was undoubtedly her best option.

"Xiao Qian, stop focusing on cultivation for now. Starting today, you'll concentrate on alchemy," Liu Wuxie said while looking at the seventeen students.

With that, everyone moved to their respective disciplines.

As for poison arts, Liu Wuxie didn't even consider teaching them. He had always disdained such unorthodox methods.

Upon hearing that Liu Wuxie intended to teach her alchemy, Xiao Qian could barely conceal her excitement. Even Shi Wa felt genuinely happy for his younger sister.

Over the next five days, everyone practically lived within the courtyard, eating and sleeping there.

With the aid of the Heavenly Dao Book, Liu Wuxie continuously deduced alchemy techniques, blacksmithing methods, and spiritual array arts suited to each student's talents, tailoring his instruction specifically to them.

Given his abilities, Liu Wuxie could have taught them far superior techniques. However, there was no need.

These people were not his disciples; they were merely students studying under him. While the techniques he provided were not top-tier, they could still be considered first-rate within Eastern Emperor City.

Most of these students came from influential backgrounds. Liu Wuxie knew they would likely prove useful in the future. In that sense, helping them improve was also an investment in himself.

At last, everything Liu Wuxie had done began yielding results.

Through these students, he could eventually obtain immortal stones, resources, and connections. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. They were neither relatives nor close friends, and Liu Wuxie naturally had his own reasons for everything he did.

Three more days slipped by in the blink of an eye, leaving only two days before the class assessment.

Inside Ye Linghan's room, a powerful fluctuation of energy gradually gathered. It was a sign that she was finally about to break through.

Meanwhile, Xiang Rulong and the other students had immersed themselves completely in the joy of cultivation for the past three days.

Liu Wuxie had taught Xiang Rulong a movement technique that made him nearly unbeatable in battle. Zhang Hua and Wang Zhuang's attainments in spiritual arrays improved with each passing day. Zhang Dashan's blacksmithing skills also advanced at an astonishing rate.

As for Xiao Qian, she remained inside her room practicing alchemy, and no one knew what kind of results she had achieved.