"Shi Yi, I've allowed you to be close to my manifested form, but you cannot ignore your teacher's words," Liu Shen said softly.
Her voice was gentle, but her grip was firm.
Shi Yi had no choice but to reluctantly lift his head from her embrace, unable to linger in the warmth that was his alone.
"Yes," he muttered, nodding obediently. With his ear still pinched in her hand, what could he do? Defy her?
"Regarding your Tenth Heavenly Passage, Shi Yi, would you like to hear the good news or the bad news first?" Liu Shen asked again.
"Good news," Shi Yi replied without hesitation.
"The good news is that your Tenth Heavenly Passage is truly unprecedented and unparalleled. It encompasses earth, water, fire, wind, Yin-Yang, chaos, the Five Elements, and even the cosmos itself," Liu Shen said with a sigh of admiration.
"And the bad news?" Shi Yi asked, his tone hesitant.
A sinking feeling gnawed at him, as if his streak of bad luck wasn't over yet.
"The bad news is that without someone to help you channel the chaotic forces within your passage, you might be stuck in the Heavenly Passage Realm for life," Liu Shen said calmly.
Her words hit Shi Yi like a bucket of cold water, chilling him to the core.
But then—
"Teacher, you can't abandon your precious disciple! I'm your beloved student!" Shi Yi exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Liu Shen's slender waist and burying his face in her embrace once more.
To this blatant opportunism, Liu Shen neither scolded nor pulled away. Since Shi Yi had accepted the role of her disciple, he was now her closest kin.
"Since you've acknowledged our master-disciple bond, I will help you," she said. "But Shi Yi, remember this: I am your teacher. From now on, let go of those inappropriate desires. True power comes from a steadfast heart, unswayed by fleeting pleasures or physical appearances."
Her hand, delicate as a willow branch, brushed over the back of Shi Yi's head, pausing briefly as it touched the crimson feather lodged there—a gift from the little red bird. The feather seemed rooted to his scalp, immovable no matter how he tried to pluck it.
Liu Shen could have removed it, but she chose not to. Abstaining from worldly desires was easier said than done, not something achieved overnight. She was patient. Whether it took a thousand years or ten thousand, time was merely a number to her. She could wait until Shi Yi grew weary of such distractions.
"Teacher Liu, I understand," Shi Yi said, his voice tinged with resignation.
People always spoke of unwavering hearts, free from worldly attachments, living and dying for battle. But Shi Yi felt his heart was tied to women—so much so that it had shattered his complacent mindset. Originally, he'd planned to settle for nine passages and move to the next realm. But to prove himself to Liu Shen, he'd pushed his willpower to forge the Tenth Heavenly Passage.
Though his Tenth Passage differed from any Liu Shen had seen—unique and potentially ruinous without her guidance—it was undeniably authentic. In essence, it contained the forces of Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, and the foundation of cosmic chaos. It was immensely powerful, but it also has trapped him.
The Heavenly Passage was the root of cultivation. The deeper the foundation, the higher one could build. But Shi Yi's foundation was too deep. He didn't understand chaos, Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, or the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. His knowledge was superficial, like a student rote-memorizing without comprehension.
Without Liu Shen, his Tenth Passage would be his undoing. A year or two might pass unnoticed, but ten or twenty years stuck in the Heavenly Passage Realm would be catastrophic.
With her guidance, however, channeling the chaotic forces within, his potential was limitless.
This was why Liu Shen had taken him as her disciple. She believed that, given time, Shi Yi could surpass even her. His wavering heart was secondary to his raw talent and potential, which were far harder to cultivate.
___
Days passed.
As Shi Yi prepared to embark on his journey home, a radiant treasure light erupted from the depths of the Great Wilderness. The briefly calm wilderness turned perilous once more.
Far from Stone Village, beyond the Cangmang Mountains, at the edges of the Great Wilderness, lay a fertile land. It boasted vast plains, graceful peaks, and winding rivers.
Here, scale-horses galloped across grasslands like rolling waves, while iron-clad cavalry, their armor gleaming and killing intent soaring, practiced their drills, their momentum piercing the clouds.
On the horizon stretched endless structures—a human tribe of tens of millions, thriving through the ages. This tribe was a forest of powerhouses, its legacy unbroken since antiquity. Each generation birthed prodigies, ensuring its enduring strength.
This was the future Stone Village's elders dreamed of—a day when their descendants would leave the village to forge their own tribe. Given time, Stone Village could become such a mighty clan.
Clop, clop, clop.
Hooves thundered like a storm. At the heart of the tribe's central complex stood a golden tent. A fiery red scale-horse galloped across the plain, charging toward it.
When it was less than a hundred meters away, a man leaped from the horse's back, landing and kneeling before the tent. "Clan Leader, a world-shaking mountain treasure is suspected to have emerged in the depths of the Great Wilderness!"
"Mountain treasure?" an elderly voice responded.
"For unknown reasons, the two supreme beings in the sky have ceased their battle," another elder added.
"They've left the Great Wilderness. If they were still here, the treasure would be beyond our reach," a third voice, aged and weathered, chimed in.
"Clan Leader, since those supreme beings are gone, should we investigate? Our tribe may only number tens of millions, unlike the ancient kingdoms beyond, but in the Great Wilderness, we have a chance to fish in troubled waters."
Several elders, their auras formidable, emerged from the golden tent.
"No reckless moves," said a towering, robust elder, his eyes crackling with golden lightning, exuding authority. "The Great Wilderness has many powerful tribes. Take a few gifted youths to broaden their horizons, but without my order, do not act!"
"Yes!" the others responded in unison.
___
In another part of the Great Wilderness lay a vast, sea-like lake, its waters a brilliant blue, framed by breathtaking scenery.
Islands dotted the lake's center, scattered like stars. Waves churned as children rode a flood dragon, diving into the calm waters or soaring into the azure sky, its scales glinting amid rolling clouds.
On one island, before a grand palace, a group of powerful figures watched the children fondly.
"Little rascals, stop fooling around. Your uncles will take you on a trip to meet the world's prodigies and see the mountain treasure that's about to emerge. Maybe we'll get a chance at it."
"Pfft, prodigies? The last so-called genius was nothing. We beat him, and if he hadn't fled into that flame cave, we'd have caught him as a mount," one child scoffed.
___
In yet another distant land, a tribe of tens of millions thrived. Its giant cities, built from adamant rock, loomed like black mountain ridges, radiating an oppressive grandeur.
Within, the streets bustled with activity, vibrant and prosperous. At the city's heart stood a palace, majestic as a celestial abode, its golden splendor and ornate designs exuding unmatched opulence.
"The mountain treasure emerges, yet the two supreme beings have left the Great Wilderness at this critical moment?" a majestic, puzzled voice echoed from a throne in the resplendent hall.
The speaker's form was obscured, shrouded in radiant purple light, like a blazing sun or a divine deity, unapproachable and awe-inspiring.
A man knelt below, seven Heavenly Passages orbiting behind him, absorbing the world's energy, his presence formidable.
Seven passages were no small feat. Not everyone was Shi Yi. Six passages sufficed to advance to the next realm, eight were humanity's limit, and nine were the domain of archaic relics or pure-blooded beasts. The Tenth Heavenly Passage was unthinkable for these wilderness tribes.
"Clan Leader, I can't fathom it either. Even with those beings gone, the Great Wilderness still harbors two supreme creatures: the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi," the man said.
"The four great beasts of the Great Wilderness—Vermilion Bird, Zhu Yan, Qiongqi, and Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow. The Vermilion Bird and Zhu Yan are tied to Stone Country and Fire Country, while Qiongqi and the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow roam alone. Could this treasure pose a deadly risk?" the throne's voice mused, the purple sun trembling, its terrifying aura shaking the hall.
___
Deep in the Great Wilderness.
"The treasure emerges, yet they flee. What does it mean?" a massive avian beast, its body spanning tens of thousands of li, growled. It despised humans, having once massacred tribes and devoured millions.
In another part of the depths: "Zhu Yan and the Vermilion Bird have fled. Is this a trap?" a tiger-bodied, horned beast with wings, as vast as a mountain, rumbled warily, its lake-like emerald eyes gleaming.
___
Back in Stone Village.
"Shi Yi, an opportunity lies before you. Do you dare seize it?" Liu Shen asked, her gaze fixed on him.
"Teacher, can I say no? Opportunities like this are dangerous," Shi Yi countered.
"Are you afraid?"
Her tone was calm, but after years, she knew Shi Yi's temperament. She understood exactly what words would spur this reluctant contender to act.
To strive.
To seize.
"Teacher Liu, you wouldn't let your disciple come to harm, would you?"
"I won't."
_
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