Willow Deity was a little surprised.
As long as the boy stood nearby, the pure spiritual energy he constantly emanated would flow into her without end.
For Willow Deity, who was struggling through nirvana, that spiritual energy was the finest tonic in the world.
In just that brief moment,
she felt her recovery leap forward by a huge amount.
At her usual pace, repairing that cracked patch of bark would have required absorbing Great Desolate Essence for at least ten years.
But now?
A few breaths were enough.
"Ten thousand times..."
Willow Deity was shaken.
"With him beside me, my recovery is more than ten thousand times faster than usual."
How could this be just a boy?
He was clearly a walking, human-shaped Immortal Elixir!
No, he was even more precious than an Immortal Elixir!
Willow Deity's will stirred faintly.
She sensed an almost imperceptible thread of causality connecting her to Ye Xuan.
It was faint, yet incredibly resilient, as though they had crossed paths long, long ago, at some unknowable point in time.
"Strange karma..."
"A chaotic destiny..."
"And this peerless constitution that aids cultivation..."
Willow Deity fell silent for a moment.
Perhaps the boy's appearance here was Heaven's will. Perhaps he was a variable.
Either way, it was a tremendous opportunity for her and for Stone Village alike.
If she couldn't see through him, she would keep him close and observe him.
If he could be of great use, she would form a good bond with him.
On the charred stump, the Willow Twig lifted again and gently touched Ye Xuan's forehead.
This time, it didn't probe him. Instead, it sent a gentle thought into his mind.
"Ye Xuan."
Willow Deity spoke, her tone solemn.
"Your constitution is extraordinarily rare, a Vessel of the Dao born by nature."
"Your Dual Pupils are even more remarkable. They contain the mysteries of Heaven Splitting and Earth Opening. Even in the Upper Realm, they would be famed as an invincible gift."
Ye Xuan's heart leaped.
Here it comes!
He held his breath, waiting for those crucial words.
"Though you possess a remarkable constitution, you have no cultivation method. You're like someone standing before a mountain of treasure with no idea how to mine it."
"To meet is to be bound by fate."
"Would you be willing to take me as your master?"
At those words, the weight on Ye Xuan's heart finally lifted.
He raised his head sharply, his eyes brimming with joy.
To become Willow Deity's disciple!
She was one of the biggest powerhouses in Perfect World!
With an Immortal King Giant for a master, he'd be starting from a far higher point than any Holy Son of a Great Sect.
And Willow Deity was right: what he needed most now was a cultivation method.
He couldn't cultivate in the Primordial Wilderness, and the Golden Core Great Dao was nowhere in sight.
But here, with Willow Deity to guide him, his Innate Dao Body could unleash terrifying potential.
"Your disciple, Ye Xuan, is willing!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Xuan dropped to his knees and bowed respectfully to the charred willow tree.
"Your disciple Ye Xuan pays his respects to Master!"
He meant every word.
"Good."
A trace of satisfaction entered Willow Deity's voice.
"Now that you have entered my sect, you must inherit my teachings."
"Rise."
The Willow Twig swept lightly, and a gentle force lifted Ye Xuan to his feet.
"You've only just arrived, and your unusual gifts make it unwise to show yourself in the outside world."
"Stone Village may be remote and humble, but it is peaceful and far removed from worldly strife."
"For now, stay here and cultivate under my guidance."
Ye Xuan nodded. "I'll follow your arrangements, Master."
He turned and looked around.
This was Stone Village.
The place that had given rise to the Desolate Heaven Emperor.
And now, he was here.
Not only had he become Willow Deity's disciple, he'd also arrived in this beginner village as a max-level player.
"Master."
Ye Xuan suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
"I've only just arrived and have nothing to my name. But some of the children in this village seem quite gifted."
"I wonder if..."
His gaze passed over several stone houses and settled on one near the center of the village.
A tiny child was sleeping there.
Though still swaddled, a tenacious life force pulsed within him, like a wounded little beast.
Desolate Heaven Emperor, Shi Hao.
At the moment, he was still a little baby who loved drinking beast milk.
Willow Deity seemed to know who Ye Xuan was looking at.
"That child has suffered greatly and faced disaster. He was entrusted to this village to be raised."
"His name is Shi Hao."
"Now that you're my disciple, if the opportunity arises, look after him a little."
A smile curled Ye Xuan's lips.
Look after him? Absolutely.
This was the future Desolate Heaven Emperor.
"Don't worry, Master."
Ye Xuan cupped his hands toward the willow tree and said earnestly,
"I'll take care of him like a little brother."
"I'll give him the best milk and take him to hunt the fiercest Fierce Beasts."
Willow Deity: "..."
At dawn, the first rays of sunlight broke through the clouds over the Great Wilderness.
Stone Village awoke from its slumber.
The air was rich with the scent of earth and the faint fragrance of plants.
Several brilliantly colored birds circled above the village entrance, calling out brightly.
Ye Xuan slowly woke.
After a night's rest, nourished by the dense life force beside Willow Deity, he felt refreshed.
His Chaos Heavy Pupils narrowed slightly in the morning light, making them look like nothing more than unusually deep-set eyes.
A crowd had already gathered in the clearing at the village entrance.
The clan chief, Shi Yunfeng, had risen early. Leaning on his cane, he was checking the traps around the village with several strong men.
When they saw Ye Xuan standing beside Willow Deity, everyone paused.
"Who's that?"
"Why is he beside the Sacrificial Spirit?"
The villagers murmured among themselves, their eyes wary.
Ye Xuan was just about to explain.
"Hum."
The charred willow at the entrance suddenly trembled.
The green Willow Twig swayed in the morning breeze, scattering soft points of light.
A thought rang clearly in the minds of every Stone Village villager present.
"This boy, Ye Xuan, is my disciple."
"He will be staying in Stone Village for now. Treat him with respect."
Her voice was ethereal, free of worldly airs, yet filled with unquestionable authority.
The whole village fell silent.
Even Shi Yunfeng was stunned.
Willow Deity had been in Stone Village for decades, but she had never spoken to anyone, much less taken a disciple.
Now she had spoken of her own accord—and gained a disciple!
"The Sacrificial Spirit's disciple?"
The bone knife nearly slipped from Shi Linhu's hand.
"Willow Deity spoke! Willow Deity really spoke!"
"Stone Village is blessed!"
After their brief astonishment, the villagers burst into cheers.
In their simple understanding, the more active the Sacrificial Spirit was, the safer the village would be.
And since this boy named Ye Xuan was Willow Deity's disciple, he was one of their own.
"Greetings, Young Immortal Master!"
Someone started it, and a crowd of men promptly gathered around him, their faces beaming with honest smiles.
"Brother Ye is quite handsome. No wonder he's the Sacrificial Spirit's disciple."
"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? My wife just made some flatbread. It's still hot!"
"Brother Ye, come over tonight. I hunted a Horned Deer yesterday, and my family's roasted venison is the best!"
Everyone talked over one another, their enthusiasm almost too much for Ye Xuan to handle.
Their warmth wasn't the least bit false. They simply revered Willow Deity and extended that affection to him.
Looking at their honest faces, Ye Xuan felt a rush of warmth.
The people of the Primordial Wilderness had treated him with great respect, but they revered him as "Human Emperor," with awe and distance.
Here in Stone Village, it felt more like the closeness of neighbors.
"You're all too kind, uncles."
Ye Xuan returned their greeting with a warm smile.
"Now that I'm in Stone Village, I'm one of you. Just call me by my name. There's no need to call me Immortal Master."
His easygoing manner immediately won him the villagers' favor.
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