Arch-Fiend Gorgoth, representing the victorious Demon Realm lumbered forward towards the magical map projected over the stone table. His six eyes scanned the four quadrants, finally settling on the North-West.

"Quadrant 1," his voice hissed. "The Volcanic Canyons. The fire... resonates with me. It is ours." He slammed a hand down to claim the territory with a bit of flare. His words were law on the demon side without a single person voicing anything else. Li Yu was impressed by this level of unity. Whether it was done through strength or through respect, he didn’t know. However, the facts were clear, this was a side that could come as one or be forced into one. Something that he had never seen on the human side before.

Grand Elder Theron, Great Chieftain Korgath and High Mystic Caelia consulted with each other briefly. The options were the Bonefields & Forests, the Crystal Caves & Flats or the Ruined City & Swamps. With no one really knowing what was out there, their pick would purely come down to luck but at least they could take a pick.

"The City," Theron stated firmly, his gaze meeting Gorgoth's. "Quadrant 4. Any remnants of human ancestry belong to the Human Realm." He placed his hand on the South-East section of the map.

Warlord Grok of the Primal Beasts grinned. "Excellent! My people thrive in the wilds! The Bonefields and Forests are perfect hunting grounds! Quadrant 2 is ours!" He claimed the North-East.

High Priest Vrak of the Cultists was left with the final unclaimed territory. His hidden face showed no emotion. "Quadrant 3. The Desolate Flats and Crystal Caves. So be it." He accepted the South-West.

The division was now complete.

Instantly, the leaders of all four factions issued commands. Tens of thousands of cultivators moved with surprising speed and discipline. Massive lines were drawn across the black basalt plain, marked by glowing formation flags and stern-faced guards. Each faction established heavily guarded perimeter camps along their new borders. The fragile truce held but now it had clear physical boundaries. Any unauthorized crossing would be met with lethal force.

Within the Human Realm's territory, encompassing the Ruined Ancestral City and the surrounding swamps a new order was being established. The human leaders began to assign everyone to their tasks.

"Listen well!" Theron announced, his voice carrying across their assembled forces. "This territory is now ours to explore and harvest. However, this is not a free-for-all. We are still an alliance, augmented by our neutral guests. All resources found—herbs, ores, artifacts, legacy fragments found outside the library phase—are to be centrally collected and documented by designated Logistics Officers from each major sect and clan."

He pointed towards a large, newly erected pavilion near the center of their territory. "Bring your findings there. They will be assessed, cataloged and secured. After the exploration phase is complete, a fair distribution will be determined by the leadership council. Everyone will be given an almost equal share with few exceptions, including the leaders here. There is no need to worry if you are on guard duty or hunting for treasures. This is the only fair way to do this with so many people here."

A murmur went through the crowd. Some looked disappointed—no 'finders keepers'—but most understood the necessity. A chaotic scramble for resources would lead to infighting and weaken them all. It would also make it so tasks couldn’t be assigned to anyone, with everyone wanting to go hunt for treasures.

"Furthermore," High Mystic Caelia added, her voice cold and clear, "strict patrols will monitor the borders. Any attempt to cross into another faction's territory will be seen as an act of war and punished severely. Likewise, any skirmishes within our territory over resources will result in immediate punishment as well. Do not test us. We are now here solely to extract everything we can from this place."

The rules were now set and everyone was given their duties. Since it was so organized and everyone was promised a more or less equal share things proceeded quickly. Some of those that were stronger and more likely to get more treasures naturally were not too happy with the rules but understood it. Those that were weaker couldn’t be happier, they might have gotten only a few items before, but now were promised a guaranteed amount.

With guards stationed along the newly drawn lines, the great harvest began. Cultivators fanned out across Quadrant 4, exploring the eerie crumbling ruins of the ancient city and the dark stagnant swamps that surrounded it.

Li Yu watched the system being implemented with curiosity. Back on his home continent, such cooperation would have been impossible. The sects there were too fractured, too consumed by their own rivalries. Even if they were able to come to such an agreement and system, it would have taken much longer with a lot more politics being involved.

Here, despite the presence of neutral parties like the Azure Spire and Ironheart Clans, years of fighting a common enemy had forged a level of trust and discipline he found surprising. They squabbled, yes, but when faced with external threats or grand opportunities, they could unite together, however temporarily. It gave him ideas about leadership and how to organize people, something that he might need to use one day.

He was assigned to the treasure hunting parties so he began his task in earnest. He flew towards the heart of the Ruined City, his spiritual sense spread wide to scan for potent treasures.

The city was vast, built on a scale that dwarfed even the largest capitals Li Yu had seen. Towers pierced the blood-red sky and looked like they went on forever. Most were now crumbling, their tops sheared off by some ancient battles or another event. Buildings carved from black unknown stone lay in ruins, overgrown with strange luminescent swamp vines. The air was heavy with a silence that seemed to be unnatural, broken only by the distant sounds of other cultivators exploring.

For a whole month, the four factions scoured their own respective territories. Tensions remained high at the borders. Occasionally, a stray demon patrol would veer too close to the Human line, prompting a tense standoff until leaders intervened.

A Primal Beast hunting party chased a strange creature into Cultist territory, nearly sparking a battle before being recalled. Overall, the peace held however fragile. No force truly wanted a war to break out so the peace held on. Everyone was too focused on maximizing their gains before the two months were up.

Within the Human Realm, treasures began to accumulate at the central pavilion. Logistics Officers worked tirelessly, assessing and recording.

Several veins of 'Star-Forged Adamantite,' a rare ore pulsing with celestial energy, perfect for crafting high-grade artifacts were unearthed from beneath the city ruins.

Patches of 'Nine-Cycle Soul Grass,' a legendary herb said to aid in stabilizing breakthroughs to the Nascent Soul realm. They had the effect of aiding the soul and strengthening it as well. They were found deep within the swamps, guarded by mutated swamp beasts. This was an item that Li Yu had his eye on when he found out about it.

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A half-dozen masterless artifacts were recovered from collapsed armories: swords that hummed with ancient sword intent. Shields that shimmered with protective light. Even a strange multi-stringed instrument that seemed to resonate with the laws of sound. None were at the truly heaven-defying level that a war would break out over them but all were potent Soul Formation-grade treasures.

Most intriguingly, several 'Echoing Dao Stones' were found. These were not legacy tablets like in the library but smooth grey stones that when infused with spiritual sense played back fragments of insights or comprehensions left by cultivators of the past—fleeting glimpses into lost arts or forgotten understandings.

They ranged from useless such as a recording someone did of their own internal thoughts for the day or they could be some amazing technique. They were a lottery of sorts, one time use items where it was impossible to know what was in them before. Many cultivators liked to try their luck and they were a very popular item among cultivators.

Li Yu located a few patches of rare herbs, including more of the silver-blue herb pulsing with cold energy, handing them over dutifully. He also handed over the shield and herbs he found before the two realms came in, believing it was the right thing to do. It seemed the truly legendary treasures were either well-hidden, simply a story people told or simply not in this quadrant.

After one month, the frantic exploration phase wound down with every inch being explored. It seemed most of the easily accessible resources had been collected. Grand Elder Theron called a halt to the general harvest and summoned representatives from all allied sects and neutral factions to the central pavilion for the distribution.

The pavilion was filled with a low murmur of anticipation. Theron, Korgath, and Caelia stood before a massive table laden with storage rings. Each of the rings had sheets of parchment next to them and were meticulously labeled with what was inside.

"The harvest has been fruitful," Theron began. "Thanks to your discipline and cooperation, we have secured a wealth of resources for the Human Realm."

He gestured to scrolls held by Logistics Officers. "Everything has been assessed and assigned a 'contribution value' based on how valuable it is. The other leaders and I have reviewed and agreed on it. The total value collected by our quadrant is substantial."

He then outlined the distribution. "We will be handing out 90% of the total collected treasures to everyone here today. Split nearly equally to each person here with only a few exceptions and those with exceptions will only get slightly more. The remaining ten percent will be held in a joint reserve for future strategic needs for the alliance. This was agreed upon by the leaders here."

There were nods of agreement. It was fair. The Allies had borne the brunt of the war and had the most members present; the neutrals understood that and gave up a bit of the treasures since the alliance was maintaining the peace.

"Now," Theron continued, "distribution will be handled via an exchange system. This is separate from the continental Merit Point ledger. Each individual cultivator who is here today will be granted a base 'exchange value' share. However," his eyes swept the crowd, "those who made extraordinary contributions, either through discovering high-value resources or by fighting bravely in the tournament, will be granted priority selection and a small bonus value."

He produced a master list, projected by magical light. It listed every significant treasure found, each assigned a value. Herbs, ores, artifacts and Dao Stones.

"The champions who fought for our realm will be able to select first," Theron declared. "Followed by the top ten cultivators who contributed the most valuable finds during the harvest. After they have made their selections, the general exchange will open for all others. The leaders will pick last out of fairness for all."

People didn't disagree with what was announced. It rewarded strength, diligence and luck.

Li Yu was able to go first since he had two wins in the tournament. He scanned the list. His goal was clear: cultivation advancement and body refinement. He pointed. "The Nine-Cycle Soul Grass," he stated. He needed resources to push towards the peak of Core Formation and prepare for Soul Formation. He also already had a soul so this herb was perfect for him

Its value was immense, consuming a large portion of his allotted share plus his small bonus. He then selected several bundles of the silver-blue herb he had found, recognizing its potent cold energy could likely aid in refining his physique or perhaps enhancing his water/ice arts. Finally, he chose an Echoing Dao Stone to simply gamble.

He checked right away to see what he got and it was someone’s dairy entry about how they met the girl of their dreams today but she rejected him. A pity… for both of them. Li Yu sighed and stepped down to allow others to go up.

Then came the other combatants. Roric Heavystrike chose a quantity of the Star-Forged Adamantite and a specific Echoing Dao Stone. Evandra Vane selected a Soul Formation-grade saber artifact and several rare medicinal herbs for recovery.

Sylvia chose an Echoing Dao Stone focused on wind-based sword intent and a rare movement art manual fragment found in the ruins. Dargan the Red-Axe chose an amount of high-grade spirit stones and ores useful for his clan's forging traditions.

The priority selections continued, followed by the general exchange. With the distribution settled, the atmosphere in the Human Realm camp shifted. The frantic energy of exploration was replaced by focused cultivation and cautious preparation. The final month within the ruins began.

Cultivators formed sparring circles, testing the techniques they had learned in the library against each other. Jian Xuan, finally allowed to "fight" again was a whirlwind of joyous singing destruction. His new sword art proved terrifyingly effective, though he carefully suppressed his strength down to his opponents for a better fight and he was merely knocking his opponents unconscious with theatrical flair.

Tensions remained high at the borders but with not fighting breaking out.

Li Yu found a quiet, isolated spot within the ruined city. He had one month. His first priority was mastering his new concept: the Abyssal Sentry.

He sat in meditation recalling the principles of the 'Radiant Sentry Art' and the other arts he had studied. He began the painstaking process of weaving his Koi Qi and void qi, shaping it, stabilizing it and linking it to his spiritual sense matrix.

It was difficult. Void Qi was inherently unstable and didn’t like to mix with other things. It was far more volatile than the elements such as water or fire. Forming it into a stable autonomous orb required immense concentration and a constant significant drain on his Qi reserves. Figuring out the targeting was easier, leveraging his powerful spiritual sense given to him by his powerful soul.

After nearly two weeks of dedicated effort, he succeeded in creating the blueprint. A single grapefruit-sized orb of silent spinning opalescent energy mixed with black energy floated stably above his right shoulder. It hummed with contained power.

He tested it against inanimate objects, then against some random beasts he found in the area. It worked. It detected hostile intent or things targeted by Li Yu’s spiritual sense and automatically fired small efficient Abyssal Javelins or his other water and ice arts.

With the remaining time, he turned his attention to the four healing arts he'd memorized. He reviewed the texts: 'Verdant Spring's Renewal,' 'Life-Weaver's Suture,' 'Five-Organ Cleansing Light,' 'Sovereign's Vitality Art.'

He began the process of deconstruction and integration. He focused on how each technique manipulated life Qi: pushing, spinning, purifying, igniting. He started actively experimenting, weaving the different principles together using his own life-aspected Qi.

By the end of the month, he had made tangible progress. It wasn't a complete, named technique yet, but he had successfully created a hybrid art. He could now consciously channel his life Qi to mend moderate wounds on himself or others with better efficiency (combining 'Verdant Spring' and 'Life-Weaver'), achieving a healing speed far exceeding natural recovery.

He could also perform a basic internal cleanse ('Cleansing Light'). The powerful self-ignition ('Sovereign's Vitality') aspect remained elusive, too complex and dangerous to attempt without more time. But he now possessed a functional and versatile healing ability, born from the inspiration of giants.

Before he could refine it further, the ancient bell-like chime echoed across the battlefield once more. The blood-red sky pulsed.

The cold emotionless voice filled everyone's mind.

"The two months have concluded. The Battlefield is closing."

The world dissolved into a violent lurching pull of spatial energy. The Ruins spat them back out.