The setting sun bled across the horizon—
a vast ocean of crimson swallowing the sky whole.
From the peak of the mountain, the world seemed distant… fragile… almost unreal.
Clouds drifted like silent witnesses, and the last rays of light stretched across the heavens like the fading memory of an ancient war.
The wind had stilled.
Even nature… seemed to be holding its breath.
At the edge of the cliff stood Tian Wuchen.
His golden robes fluttered faintly, though no wind moved.
His figure was calm—yet the space around him carried a subtle distortion, as if the world itself refused to remain completely stable in his presence.
Beside him stood Lin Shuan.
Young.
Unpolished.
Unaware of the vastness he had yet to face.
Tian Wuchen's gaze rested upon the sinking sun.
Deep within his eyes… countless years flickered like distant stars.
Memories.
Wars.
Loss.
Rise… and fall.
His voice broke the silence—low, distant… almost as if it belonged to another time.
Tian Wuchen:
"That past… has now set like this sun…"
The words drifted into the air, heavy with meaning.
Lin Shuan didn't fully understand…
But he could feel it.
Something profound.
Something… ending.
A pause.
Then—slowly—Tian Wuchen turned his gaze toward him.
For a moment… their eyes met.
And Lin Shuan felt it—
A pressure he couldn't describe.
Not force.
Not killing intent.
Something far greater.
Tian Wuchen (softly):
"…and tomorrow… a new future will rise."
Before Lin Shuan could respond—
Reality… shattered.
A thin golden crack appeared in the air before them.
Not a metaphor.
A literal fracture.
It spread silently—like a blade slicing through existence itself.
Light seeped through the crack… ancient… boundless.
Lin Shuan's pupils shrank.
"W-What is—"
He didn't finish.
Tian Wuchen stepped forward.
And grabbed his shoulder.
The World Changed
No sound.
No movement.
No transition.
One moment—
they stood atop the mountain.
The next—
They were gone.
A thunderous roar filled the air.
Lin Shuan staggered, his feet barely finding balance.
Before him—
a massive waterfall cascaded from an unseen height, crashing down with overwhelming force. The ground trembled with every impact, mist rising like a veil that blurred the edges of reality.
They stood at the eastern edge of an ancient forest.
No…
Calling it a forest was an insult.
This place… was something older.
Trees towered into the sky—thick as mountains, their roots twisting like ancient dragons beneath the earth. The air was dense, heavy—filled with a concentration of Luo Essence so pure that even breathing felt… different.
Alive.
Lin Shuan's heart pounded.
He turned abruptly—
But the mountain… was gone.
No cliff.
No sky-bound peak.
Only endless wilderness.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
Just moments ago… I was there…
A terrifying thought surfaced.
What if… I fall…?
A soft chuckle echoed beside him.
Tian Wuchen (smiling faintly):
"Do not fear… You will not fall."
His voice was calm—absolute.
And for some reason…
Lin Shuan believed him.
The fear faded—though the shock remained.
He looked at Tian Wuchen, eyes filled with awe.
Lin Shuan:
"Master… you are truly powerful…! You saved me…"
But before the moment could settle—
His gaze shifted.
Downward.
Toward the ground.
And then—
Everything else vanished.
His breath caught.
His eyes widened.
"…This…"
Herbs.
Countless herbs.
Not ordinary ones—
Each plant radiated a faint glow, their leaves pulsing with ancient vitality. Some emitted subtle fragrances that alone could refresh the mind. Others carried such dense energy that the surrounding air distorted faintly around them.
Lin Shuan's expression changed instantly.
Shock.
Disbelief.
And then—
A dangerous glint.
Lin Shuan (voice trembling):
"So many rare medicinal herbs…!!
Even in the Ancient Forest… these are almost impossible to find…"
He swallowed.
"…And here… they're everywhere…!?"
His mind began racing.
If I harvest even a fraction of these…
Sell them to the Merchant Company…
A fortune… no… a kingdom's worth of wealth…!
Tian Wuchen watched him.
And smiled.
Not mockingly.
But knowingly.
Tian Wuchen:
"Lin Shuan… come."
His tone was simple.
Yet carried something deeper.
"Let me show you the real place."
Lin Shuan blinked.
Confusion replaced greed.
Lin Shuan:
"Huh…? This… isn't the real place?"
No answer.
Tian Wuchen had already turned—walking toward a cave hidden behind layers of ancient vines and overgrown roots.
After a brief hesitation—
Lin Shuan followed.
Inside the Cave
Darkness.
Complete… suffocating darkness.
The moment they stepped inside, the outside world vanished.
The roar of the waterfall—gone.
The wind—gone.
Only silence remained.
The air grew cold.
Heavy.
Each step echoed unnaturally—as if the cave itself was listening.
Lin Shuan (uneasy):
"Master… is this… the real place?"
A pause.
Then—
Tian Wuchen:
"Wait."
They moved deeper.
Further… and further.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual.
Stone walls.
Uneven ground.
An ordinary cave.
But—
Lin Shuan's brows furrowed.
Something felt… wrong.
The walls—
They weren't stable.
Subtle distortions rippled across them—like reflections on disturbed water. Faint. Almost invisible.
But real.
A normal cultivator would never notice.
But Lin Shuan… did.
Tian Wuchen stopped.
Silence fell.
Absolute silence.
Then—
He raised his hand.
RUMBLE
The entire cave trembled.
A deep, ancient sound echoed from the depths of the earth—like something long buried… awakening.
The stone wall before them shifted.
Patterns—ancient, incomprehensible—spread across its surface, glowing faintly.
Then—
CRACK—
The wall split apart.
Slowly.
Revealing a hidden passage.
A darkness deeper than before.
Tian Wuchen stepped forward.
Without hesitation.
Lin Shuan followed.
Beyond the Threshold
The moment he crossed—
Everything… stopped.
His breath.
His thoughts.
His world.
His eyes widened.
His mouth opened slightly—
But no words came out.
Because what he saw—
Was impossible.
There were no walls.
No ceiling.
No ground.
No end.
The space stretched infinitely in all directions—vast… boundless… alive.
Stars drifted above—slowly, silently.
Galaxies flowed like rivers of light—endless currents weaving through the void.
Planets formed—
Shattered—
And reformed again.
Time… didn't feel linear here.
Energy moved like living streams, brushing past him like unseen tides.
It wasn't a cave.
It wasn't even a world.
It was—
A universe.
Lin Shuan's voice trembled.
Barely a whisper.
Lin Shuan:
"Master… this… what place is this…?"
Tian Wuchen stood beside him.
Calm.
Unshaken.
As if this… was nothing extraordinary.
Tian Wuchen:
"This… is not a place."
A pause.
His gaze lifted toward the drifting stars.
"It is… a state."
Silence.
Then—
"You can feel it… yourself."
He stepped forward.
And with each step—
The universe trembled.
Not violently.
But in acknowledgment.
As if something greater… was moving within it.
Tian Wuchen:
"Lin Shuan… those who only see Luo Essence…"
His voice deepened.
"…are no different from insects."
Lin Shuan's pupils shrank.
Tian Wuchen raised his hand toward the sky.
Tian Wuchen:
"Essence… Qi… Yuan… Laws… Dao…"
"Each one… merely a layer."
At that moment—
A star flickered.
And collapsed.
Just like that.
No explosion.
No resistance.
Simply—
Gone.
Lin Shuan's heart shook.
His breathing grew heavy.
For the first time—
He understood.
No…
He felt it.
The gap.
The vast, insurmountable gap between himself… and true power.
So… this is why I was weak…?
His fists clenched.
Tightly.
A fire ignited within him.
Not fear.
Determination.
Lin Shuan (low, firm):
"I will move forward…"
His voice steadied.
"…and I will surpass everything."
Silence.
Tian Wuchen looked at him.
And for a moment—
Said nothing.
But his eyes…
They held approval.
This—
Was the answer he had been waiting for.
But then—
His gaze shifted.
Toward Lin Shuan's forehead.
The mark.
Faint.
Hidden.
Yet—
Unmistakable.
A power slept within it.
Ancient.
Dangerous.
Tian Wuchen observed… silently.
Then—
His gaze moved lower.
Toward Lin Shuan's chest.
And in that instant—
Everything changed.
His expression froze.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Shock.
Genuine shock.
His eyes widened—ever so slightly.
A rare sight.
Even for him.
A thought echoed within his mind—
He… he gave him that as well…!?
And this boy… is sustaining it… without divine bloodline…!?
The universe around them continued to flow.
Unaware.
Unbothered.
But within Tian Wuchen—
A storm had begun.
And for the first time—
Even he…
Could not see the end of it.