"I can't hold it in any longer..."

Chen Xiang felt the throbbing of his heart and the roaring power swirling within him. He gasped heavily, each breath stirring up a gale!

"I can't hold it in... then let it out!"

Chen Xiang whispered.

He released his self-imposed restraints, his muscles and bones cracking as he underwent a transformation. He was... expanding!!!

The Giant Technique, when entering the extraordinary realm, allowed one to grow into a three-meter tall giant. But Chen Xiang...

Two meters! Three meters! Four meters!!

His clothes were already torn to shreds, but the hood belonging to the extraordinary order remained intact as he continued to grow!!

Five meters! Six meters! Seven meters!!

Until he reached nine meters and nine centimeters.

Nine meters and nine centimeters—exactly three zhang!

With each heartbeat echoing like a drum, every breath stirring mini tornadoes, the sound of blood rushing through his veins was distinctly audible...

"Mirror."

Chen Xiang whispered, his voice like thunder.

"Mirror, is this... extraordinary?"

"It seems to be..."

The mirror replied, a bit dazed:

"In terms of realm, you haven't been washed by the extraordinary tide yet, so you can only be considered extraordinary, but..."

It paused for a moment before continuing:

"But no one in extraordinary realms is like this..."

Chen Xiang lightly clenched his fists, visible waves of energy exploding outward:

"I used to think the path to the extraordinary was similar to that of a wizard, filled with mystique, chanting spells and waving wands... Turns out it's not quite like that."

The mirror hesitated for a while before speaking:

"It's not that simple; normally, divine sequences do indeed involve incantations and wand-waving, but your body is following the ancient path... The ancient way derives authority from physical prowess."

"Hmm..."

Chen Xiang exhaled, the storm intensifying as he tried to channel his mental will, his solidified mental energy surging forth, laboriously lifting a truck parked in the slaughterhouse.

This truck was a standard heavy-duty vehicle, weighing over sixteen tons...

"Mirror, do you think I can defeat an extraordinary now?"

The mirror fell silent for a moment before responding:

"Are you perhaps overestimating the extraordinary?"

"What about the next step, the sage?"

"That's hard to say; sages can glimpse a bit of divine secrets and wield more authority. A prepared sage might not be someone you can defeat."

After a pause, the mirror proudly declared:

"Of course, that's without me. If I'm involved, defeating a sage wouldn't be difficult!"

Chen Xiang nodded slightly:

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"I see... I'm still too weak, still too weak!!"

He felt a heavy sense of crisis; the Nine Rings were suspected to have divine descent, and with just his bare hands, he couldn't even defeat a sage!

Not enough! Not enough!

But...

He was completely out of money.

And Chen Xiang had a premonition that he had reached the limit of the extraordinary realm; any further progress wouldn't be significant. He needed to step into the extraordinary.

How to become extraordinary on the ancient path?

He decided to consult Little Wei.

Chen Xiang's body gradually contracted, the feeling of expansion suddenly dissipating, returning him to his previously refined self.

Stretching lazily,

He manipulated shadows to cover his exposed body, then left a note for the owner before vanishing.

The thousand pigs sent over the last three days totaled around five thousand, costing about twenty million...

After deducting the advance payment, there was still fifteen million left unsettled. Although fleeing wouldn't have dire consequences, it would likely ruin the slaughterhouse owner.

It was better to settle the payment.

In a state of phantomization, Chen Xiang seemed to slip into the gaps of reality, becoming an ephemeral shadow.

Matter felt nonexistent to him as he traversed through soil, rock, and concrete, passing through worms, ants, and crawlers without raising a ripple.

Returning to his old house, he found some old clothes he hadn't taken and lay down on the bed.

"Mirror, I feel like I haven't prepared enough."

He pondered deeply but realized he really had no trump cards left... except for dreams.

"If only I had that ancient altar."

Chen Xiang sighed.

The hole was only the size of half a palm, but it was enough for the dwarves to reach in...

Unfortunately, there were only a few ancient altars, and he couldn't obtain one.

Shaking his head, Chen Xiang stopped his deep thoughts, closed his eyes for a moment, and made a call.

"Little Wei, it's me. Can you come to my house? The old house... Oh, and don't use the stairs; just jump in through the side alley window."

After hanging up, within half an hour, the roar of a sports car echoed outside, and soon Wei Qingqiu jumped into the second floor from the alley.

"You should really fix the front door," Little Wei complained. "Using a fridge and wardrobe to block it, what kind of solution is that..."

**Chen Xiang smiled:**

"There's no need for that; no one lives here anyway..."

After a pause, his expression became serious:

"I called you here for two things. The first is to ask you for a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"Have Li Dongyun send one and a half million to the slaughterhouse in District Seven."

"You need me for this?"

Wei Qingqiu rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.

"You're still an ancient messenger, and Li Dongyun is still your subordinate. Just tell him directly!"

"I haven't met him in my capacity as a messenger yet, and it would be complicated to explain, so I'm counting on you."

"Fine, fine. What's the second thing?"

One and a half million was a lot, but for the Fire Gate, it wasn't much. With the Crocodile Gate in decline, the Fire Gate occupied three-quarters of the Eighth Ring, raking in billions daily...

So this wasn't a big deal.

Chen Xiang's expression became solemn as he quietly asked:

"For the second thing, I want to know how to accept the wash of extraordinary tides? What does the ancient path require?"

"Why are you asking this? You're not in a rush..."

Wei Qingqiu seemed to think of something:

"Borrowing money from the slaughterhouse... You're not planning to burn pigs with black flames, are you?"

Her expression turned tense:

"Offering a large amount of life energy to the Lord of the Abyss can yield ‘rewards,' but it's definitely not a good thing. You..."

"Don't worry," Chen Xiang replied ambiguously, "I didn't offer anything. The situation is a bit complex; I'll explain later."

Understanding his discretion, Wei Qingqiu moved on:

"Ordinary divine sequences need only arrange a ritual for prayer to seek divine blessings. But for the ancient path..."

She sighed:

"Apart from the Lord of Death, the other lords are not in reality or the spirit world, so they can't bestow blessings. Hence, walking the ancient path relies on oneself."

"How exactly?"

"You need to wash your body with the blood of extraordinary beings. The higher the level of the extraordinary being, the closer the effect is to divine blessings... After the Nine Rings event, I'll help you hunt some extraordinary beings in the spirit world."

Chen Xiang pondered, expressing his gratitude. He and Wei Qingqiu chatted for a while, and as noon approached, she waved her hand:

"Alright, I'll go find Li Dongyun first. I'll bring you a piece of extraordinary letter paper next time so you can contact him directly."

"Thanks."

"What's there to be polite about? I am, after all, your guide!"

After smilingly seeing Wei Qingqiu off, Chen Xiang left as well, returning to the villa.

His second brother was at work, his sister and Silly Girl were likely out for a stroll, and Little Saren was probably still at the central hospital.

The house was empty.

"Blood of extraordinary beings..."

Chen Xiang brewed a cup of tea, lost in thought.

He didn't have time to wait.

But acquiring the blood of extraordinary beings was a significant challenge, especially the higher-tiered ones, which related to fundamentals...

Wait, others may not be able to accept the divine gifts of the ancient lords, but that didn't mean he couldn't!

All he needed was an altar.

Or perhaps... the Red Moon?

Chen Xiang shook his head slightly, dismissing that thought. As several council members had stated, the sun had already faded, and each awakening was a form of damage.

"An altar... Could I borrow one from the First It?"

"The chances of that are slim..."

Chen Xiang sighed softly. He was in dire need of an altar; if he had one, he could bestow blessings upon himself!

"Let's see how it goes."