Mu Chen materialized in the heart of the ancient ruins, appearing in the center of a forest. A faint light caught his eye. He walked toward it and stopped at the edge of a peculiar pond.
Unlike any ordinary body of water, the liquid within was a brilliant, shimmering gold. It resembled molten metal in its luster and weight, yet it didn't emit the heat one would expect from gold in such a state.
Instead, it gave off a heavy, intoxicating fragrance—a scent that was simultaneously sweet, earthy, and ancient, as if the very essence of the earth had been distilled into this singular basin.
Mu Chen and Nibi, who was perched in his arms, looked at each other for a brief moment. Without a word of hesitation, both man and cat dived into the golden pool.
They plunged beneath the surface, the thick liquid coating them in a warm, soothing embrace. Mu Chen resurfaced first, leaning his head back against the stone rim of the pond as he allowed his body to soak in the strange energy.
"Nibi, it's good," Mu Chen said, his eyes closed in pure satisfaction. "This is much better than normal water for a bath."
Nibi let out a soft meow of agreement. She swam over to him, her golden fur slick with the liquid, and tapped her small paw firmly against his cheek. Mu Chen opened one eye, looking at the cat who was staring back at him with an expectant, demanding expression.
"You want it to be hot?" Mu Chen asked, a faint, amused glint in his eye.
Nibi meowed again, confirming her desire with a sharp flick of her tail.
"Okay," Mu Chen replied simply.
With a flick of his intent, the temperature of the golden pond began to rise. Within seconds, the liquid reached a rolling boil, steam rising in thick, golden clouds that hung over the forest floor. Mu Chen settled deeper into the boiling liquid, letting out a long sigh of contentment as the steam wreathed around his head.
Suddenly, a translucent figure flickered into existence at the pond's edge. Shi, the Origin Spirit, materialized with a grave expression upon his ancient face. He stood on the bank, his form shimmering as he looked down at his master.
"Master, I can feel the source of another divine artifact nearby," Shi announced, his voice echoing with a low resonance.
Mu Chen didn't bother to open his eyes. He remained perfectly still in the boiling gold, the liquid bubbling around his shoulders.
"Oh? From where?"
Shi began to look around. However, as he took in the scene before him, his expression underwent a drastic change. He stared at Mu Chen and then at Nibi, who were both currently drowning in enjoyment, treating a legendary pool of spiritual essence as if it were a common hot spring.
Shi opened his mouth to speak, but the words seemed to die in his throat. He closed it again, knowing it would be of no use.
In reality, he wanted to shout that this golden pond was not a bathing facility. It was a top-tier creation liquid, helpful for a cultivator in removing every trace of impurity from their body, cleansing their bone marrow, and increasing their physical strength beyond the limits of their realm.
To most prodigies, even a single drop would be worth a life-and-death struggle. And yet, these two were using it to steam their skin and fur.
Mu Chen, noticing the silence, asked again, "Did you find it?"
Shi sighed, pulling his thoughts back to the task. "Master, it is coming from below this pond. I am certain that the object at the bottom is the very source of all this golden liquid."
"I see," Mu Chen replied, finally cracking his eyes open. "Then let us go and see it."
Nibi let out a lazy meow, her eyes remaining tightly shut. She drifted on her back, her paws tucked in, signalling that she had no intention of moving from her current spot.
You guys go yourself.
Mu Chen didn't argue. He dived into the depths of the pond. After a few minutes of swimming through the shimmering gloom, he reached the bottom.
There, lying partially buried in the silt, a broken black stone slab appeared before his eyes. Its surface was mottled and cracked, covered with deep signs of erosion, and it was covered in a network of ancient, glowing sealing runes that hummed with power.
A brilliant, violent burst of golden light erupted from the slab. It was a soul attack designed to annihilate the sea of consciousness of anyone who dared to approach it. The light surged toward Mu Chen, intending to strike his very soul.
However, the light found only an absolute, chilling absence. It reached out for a soul to crush, a consciousness to invade, but it encountered a void—a terrifying nothingness where a soul should have been.
The artifact had never encountered such a situation in its eons of existence. It was as if it were trying to strike a shadow or a phantom. How could something be alive and moving without possessing a soul?
"Be good," Mu Chen chuckled, as he reached out and wrapped his hand around the cold, black stone.
The slab struggled, vibrating violently in his grip as it tried to flee. But the moment his fingers closed around it, the artifact felt its divinity to be completely useless. In Mu Chen's presence, its power seemed irrelevant, its ancient authority crushed by a weight it could not comprehend. It went still, the golden light fading into a dull hum.
Shi's voice resonated within Mu Chen's mind as he secured the stone. "Master, I never thought we would find the Demon Suppressing Tower here. It is ranked third among the divine artifacts."
"Well," Mu Chen remarked as he began to swim back toward the surface, "the name really sounds boastful for a broken piece of stone."
"It was a fearsome weapon in the ancient past," Shi explained. "It was used to seal the highest-tier demons and then purify them until nothing, but pure energy remained. However, it is incomplete. From the look of it, this is only one-third of the original artifact. But with Master's power, he could likely recover its full form with ease."
"No hurry," Mu Chen replied.
If Mu Chen truly desired to restore the tower, he knew that a single thought would suffice to rewrite its history and complete its form.
But he saw no need for such drastic measures. Since he had found one part, he would likely encounter the others if they were destined to be found.
For Mu Chen, altering destiny, plot, and narrative was child's play, but he preferred to let the world move with its own flow.
Mu Chen broke the surface of the golden pond, he shook the liquid from his hair. He looked over and found Nibi floating on her back like a dead fish, her eyes still closed as she drifted in the warm, bubbling gold.
At that precise moment, the silver sky above the ruins began to tremble. A massive, ethereal tablet materialized out of thin air, appearing above the forest. Its surface was dark and polished, with ancient, glowing characters engraved upon its face.
A voice, seemingly coming from the tablet itself, resonated throughout the ruins. Those whose names are inscribed upon this tablet will be allowed to enter the central area of the ancient ruins.
This was the inner sanctum, the region where the greatest opportunities and the most profound legacies were hidden.
"To enter the central area, you must first have your name inscribed there," Mu Chen read the lines aloud, his voice flat.
For one's name to be etched into the history of the ruins, especially with a distinguished record that granted entry, the simplest and most direct way was to engage in combat.
One had to seek out the other powerful individuals who had entered the ruins and genuinely defeat those formidable prodigies.
Mu Chen looked at the cat floating nearby. "Nibi, it looks like people will be flocking here soon. No one would want to miss an opportunity like this golden pond."
Nibi meowed in agreement, but she didn't open her eyes, her tails swaying lazily in the golden steam.
Suddenly, a resonant buzz filled the air. The tablet in the sky trembled, and a focused beam of light struck its surface—a sign that the first groups were successfully inscribing their names through their deeds. When the light faded, ancient characters began to appear, visible from any point within the ruins.
Northern Domain — Shen Xi
Northern Domain — Ling Xi
Western Domain — Ye Ming and his group
Below the names, a record of their recent engagement appeared in smaller characters: Ling Xi, Ye Ming, and their allies engaged Shen Xi in combat. Result: Draw.
While this competition had originally been intended for the prodigies of the Northern Domain, it was clear that the opening of the ancient ruins had pulled in geniuses from the Western Domain as well.
This time, Nibi did not keep her eyes closed. She snapped them open instantly, her posture stiffening as if someone had stepped firmly on her tail.
Though Mu Chen could have easily prevented any harm from coming to his companions, Shen Xi had specifically asked him to let her fight her own battles.
She had insisted that the pressure of real combat would help her cultivate her own path. Mu Chen had respected her choice.
Nibi stared at Mu Chen, a sharp, urgent meow escaping her. She floated in the liquid, looking at the tablet and then at him.
Mu Chen appeared beside her and said, "Let us go."
A white, misty cloud materialized beneath his feet. It rose from the forest floor, picking up speed as it shot toward the distant mountain range.
...
Deep within a jagged mountain range, far from the golden pond, Ling Xi and Ye Ming stood atop the canopy of a massive, ancient tree. The wind whipped at their robes as they stared out over the valley.
"Brother Ling, do you have any specific complaints against that woman named Shen Xi?" Ye Ming asked, a slight, inquisitive smile touching his lips.
"Nothing," Ling Xi said indifferently, his eyes narrowed as he watched the horizon. "We just crossed paths by chance, that is all."
Given his immense arrogance, Ling Xi certainly wasn't going to tell Ye Ming the truth. He wouldn't admit that he had attempted to strike at Mu Chen and found himself unable to even leave a mark, and that he had only targeted Mu Chen's companions as a desperate way to reclaim his face.
He had attempted to corner Xiao Li too, but the girl had been saved by the intervention of the Blind Swordsman, Li Chen. The swordsman had claimed he owed the group a favor for a meal, and to return that favor, he had held Ling Xi back, allowing Xiao Li to escape from right under his nose.
Now, Ling Xi had been forced to take the favours of others, colluding with the geniuses of the Western Domain to harm those from his own land.
"Is that so?" Ye Ming said, his expression turning grave. "But Brother Ling, she is remarkably strong. Even though eleven of us ambushed her together, we still couldn't take her down."
Ling Xi's face darkened, his frustration mounting. He was called the number one prodigy of the Northern Domain, and Ye Ming held the same title in the Western Domain. Along with Ye Ming's allies, they were all considered peak geniuses.
And yet, eleven of them together had been unable to defeat a single woman who, until now, had been a complete nobody. The realization was a stinging blow to his pride.