Refining the Heart of the World not only grants control over the small world but also enhances one's understanding of their realm, aiding in breaking through to the next level. Before leaving, Yuan Xiang had fully instructed Lin Qian on how to refine the Heart of the World, hoping that this would help him successfully break through his current stage.
The process of refining the Heart of the World is time-consuming, so Lin Qian made sure to set everything in order before beginning. The scholars and craftsmen continued to modify the arrays within the Four Corners World and sealed off the space rifts that connected it to the Xun Yin and Wuxing tribes, cutting off any possibility of their return.
Time passed swiftly, and before anyone realized it, nearly a year had gone by since Lin Qian and his companions had entered the Four Corners World.
In the Central World of the Four Corners, the human and sea tribe geniuses who had participated in this trial had all gathered in a grand hall. This hall was used to exchange performance points, with an array at its center. Upon entering the array, a list of available items would appear. By infusing soul energy into their fingertips, participants could select the items they wanted, and the corresponding performance points would be deducted. Once the points were deducted, the chosen items would be transported directly to the participant.
At this moment, in the center of the hall, Ye Xin was carefully selecting her items, taking her time as others grew increasingly impatient.
"Why is she taking so long...?" a human woman muttered under her breath, frowning.
A man beside her quickly covered her mouth, frowning as well. "Don't speak carelessly."
After speaking, the man glanced nervously at a small group nearby. Only when he saw that the black-armored man at the front of the group wasn't paying attention did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Realizing her mistake, the woman patted her chest in relief, grateful that she hadn't drawn attention to herself.
"Why is the Empress taking so long?" Fang Ziqian said, playing with his folding fan as he stretched, looking curious.
"Be patient!" Zhao Long snapped, glaring at Fang Ziqian before returning his focus to Ye Xin, remaining vigilant.
Fang Ziqian turned to look at Li Yunfeng and Yang Tianhao, shrugging and shaking his head in mock frustration, causing them to chuckle.
Zhang Zide and the others remained relaxed, chatting amongst themselves. None of them seemed particularly bothered by the wait. Their team was unique among the group, with no one daring to approach them within a five-foot radius. Their arms were covered in dense black markings, far more numerous than those on the other human and sea tribe geniuses, a testament to their overwhelming accumulation of performance points.
As the trial progressed, their strength had rapidly increased, especially Ye Xin, who had now reached the Soul Realm of the Life and Death Stage, just a step away from the Heart Realm. Fang Ziqian, Li Yunfeng, Yang Tianhao, and Zhang Zide had all reached the peak of the Heart Realm, their soul power and bodies continuously refined. Their combat power far surpassed that of their peers, making them some of the strongest among the gathered geniuses.
Even Zhang Qi, Zhang Wenxuan, and Yang Tianhao's junior disciples had reached the Heart Realm of the Life and Death Stage, proving themselves formidable in their own right.
The Eight-Armed Sea Tribe members, including Zhang Zhan, had long since perished during the trial.
This trial was no mere game. While Yuan Xiang had assured Lin Qian that it was safe based on his own strength, that didn't mean the same applied to everyone else.
Their team was undeniably powerful, but what truly struck fear into the hearts of others was the black-armored Zhao Long. Throughout the trial, Zhao Long had been a force to be reckoned with, often clearing obstacles with a single spear thrust. He was always the fastest to complete each challenge, and he showed no mercy.
At one point, a human genius had whistled at Ye Xin, admiring her beauty, only for Zhao Long to impale him with his spear. When the man's companions tried to seek revenge, they too were swiftly skewered.
As a result, everyone quickly learned to behave themselves around Ye Xin, treating her with utmost respect and avoiding any confrontation with her team. They all wanted to live a little longer.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ye Xin finished her selection and stored the items in her storage ring before rejoining the group.
At that moment, Zhao Long also moved toward the array, ready to spend his performance points. After all, leaving them unused would be a waste.
"Ye Xin, why did it take you so long?" Zhang Wenxuan asked curiously as she approached.
Ye Xin sighed, a look of helplessness on her face. "I wanted to see if I could exchange some tomes for Lin Qian, but to my surprise, they were all gone."
"All gone?" Zhang Wenxuan and the others were equally astonished.
Fang Ziqian snapped his fan shut with a chuckle. "Could it be that the previous trial participants had a particular fondness for books and exchanged them all?"
"How absurd," Li Yunfeng laughed, shaking his head at the idea. "There must be another reason."
"Could Lin Qian have taken them all himself?" Ye Xin suddenly thought, though she kept the thought to herself.
She knew Lin Qian loved collecting tomes, often donating them to the Huaxia Empire's Ministry of Industry for research. The only person she knew who would clean out an entire library was her fiancé.
Nearly a year had passed since Lin Qian had left to pursue the alien, and he hadn't returned. If Zhao Long hadn't assured her that Lin Qian was still alive, Ye Xin would have feared the worst.
The absence of any tomes in the exchange hall now made Ye Xin about eighty percent certain that Lin Qian was responsible.
And she was right—it was indeed Lin Qian who had taken them all.
After successfully refining the Heart of the World, Lin Qian had claimed the entire Four Corners World as his own, including the treasure trove beneath the exchange hall. He couldn't resist taking the tomes, though he was disappointed to find no body-refining manuals.
When he had asked Yuan Xiang about it, even the latter hadn't heard of such tomes, leading Lin Qian to speculate that they must have appeared after Yuan Xiang's era.
But soon after acquiring the tomes, Lin Qian had once again immersed himself in cultivation because he was on the verge of another breakthrough.
The Power Tribulation had arrived!