Prime Originator

After the realm spirit heard Leon's words, it felt rather relieved. 

Although the Radiant Heaven Realmship has been immersed in the Eternal Night Demon Empress's dark power for so long that it had adapted to it, the realm spirit still leaned towards the light. 

After all, it was made by an extremist of the Light Faction.

'If Master can do that, I will be grateful,' Tak-si replied. 

'You'll be grateful, huh? Good to know we're on the same page,' Leon nodded, seeing that realm spirit wasn't against the idea. 

Nevertheless, some questions remain regarding the events of the war that occurred within the Radiant Heaven Realmship. 

There was no doubt that the aftermath of the war should have left behind many corpses, yet there were little to no discoveries of them. 

'Were they taken away in the previous openings, or are they still buried under many layers of the earth? Also, who built the Teleportation Array?' 

These were all questions on Leon's mind. 

Rumble…!

Suddenly, he felt an explosive surge of vigor coming from the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's direction before he heard the old man's joyous laughter in the next moment. 

"Buhahaha! Battle King at last! To think I will finally have a day like this!" the One-Eye Venerable Shaman celebrated jubilantly. 

He already knew that his ascension to the Battle King Realm was just a matter of time when he successfully refined the Arch Demon-level demon core. 

However, knowing it was one thing and actually becoming one is another. 

The feeling was not the same.

"So this is what it feels like to become a Battle King… My strength has directly increased twofold from the Half-step Battle King Realm…" 

The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman clenched his fists and studied his strength as he adjusted to his newfound power.

The new core supplied energy throughout his body, reinforcing his bones and muscles, allowing him to exert the physical might of 5-mil jins.

"I believe some congratulations are required," Leon flew over before cupping his hands with a smile and saying, "Congratulations on becoming a Battle King, Senior."

"It's all thanks to you, Young Master Leonhardt. This wouldn't have been possible without your help," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman replied humbly. 

He did not forget to whom he owed his achievement. 

"Given the secret realm has opportunities hidden everywhere, I'm sure Senior One-Eye would have found a way to become a Battle King sooner or later; I only helped you reach it sooner, nothing worth mentioning."

"You're too humble, Young Master Leonhardt," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman shook his head wryly. 

If it were so easy for shattered-core warriors to resume their body cultivation, Battle Kings would have filled the Infertile Plains already.

"I'm a bit curious about the Battle King Realm," Leon shortly stated before asking, "Would Senior mind if I inspect your body for a moment?" 

"Of course. Please, by all means, Young Master Leonhardt. Why would this old man mind?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman permitted before adding with a chuckle, "Perhaps, Young Master Leonhardt can find some hidden ailments plaguing this old man in the process."

There was no reason for the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman to doubt that Leon might harm him; he had no reason to. 

On the other hand, Leon's request was no different from a free medical diagnosis.

Nevertheless, after receiving the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's permission, Leon swept the person with his divine sense. 

He immediately understood everything happening within the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's body a short moment later.

The Arch Demon-level demon core acts as a furnace, constantly supplying dark energy to the rest of the body. 

Because most human bodies do not have an affinity to dark energy, the consistent supply of dark energy harms the body and empowers it at the same time. 

Warriors rely on recovery medicine refined from the blood and flesh of demons and beasts to counteract the harmful effects of the dark energy and thereby turn it into a tempering process to enhance their bodies.

'Is this why Body Cultivators in the Infertile Plains enjoy great strength at the cost of shorter lifespans?' Leon mused. 

In theory, one can also attain everlasting life purely through Body Cultivation, just like any other cultivation path. 

However, from what he had seen, the Body Cultivators in the Infertile Plains only enjoy a short few hundred years of life while Transcendents could potentially live up to thousands of years.

'This is…'

After studying the Arch Demon-level demon core inside the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's glabella more carefully, he noticed it was less like an energy core and more like a...

'I see how it is...' Leon's eyes flickered with understanding. 

Because the Arch Demon-level demon core was formed from opening the Gate of Wisdom, it was also used as a gate when the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman refined it in his Gate of Wisdom location. 

This allowed the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman to enjoy the benefits of having an opened hidden gate without needing to run the same risk as others when they open their hidden gates.

But as a result, the power he could derive from this replacement hidden gate is even less than the demons who prematurely open their hidden gates. 

'This explains why there's a severe mismatch of strength between Battle Kings and other Arch Demons...' Leon thought to himself. 

'However, it's impossible for all Battle Kings to have acquired a replacement hidden gate the same way, yet their strength is roughly the same–enough for there to be a standard measure of strength for Battle Kings...' 

After pondering the reason why that is the case, he only came up with one answer; the warriors do not consolidate their viscera. 

As such, they cannot exert the full potential of their hidden gates. 

"You... What are you two doing?"

Aria's sudden voice entered Leon's ears and disrupted his train of thought before he turned to look. 

"I was just inspecting Senior One-Eye's condition," Leon smiled before asking, "Why have you stopped cultivating your Sword Intent?" 

"I also came to congratulate Senior One-Eye's breakthrough," Aria replied.

But in truth, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's boisterous laughter had interrupted her cultivation, which is why she decided to stop. 

After Aria came, warriors from the other four tribes also came forward to congratulate the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman.