Ye Xuan stood at the very front, watching the astonishing spectacle as the Chaos Heavy Pupils in his eyes flickered.
"Is this the presence of an Immortal King Giant?"
He hadn't knelt, but his body still felt immense pressure. It was the absolute suppression of a higher Life Level.
But he smiled.
The stronger Willow Deity became, the more secure his backing in this world would be.
Those dozen or so drops of Three Lights Divine Water had been worth every bit!
After a long while,
the sky-spanning spectacle slowly faded.
The Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms vanished into the void, leaving only several hundred crystalline willow twigs swaying gently in the breeze.
Though it still looked like a tree, the aura at its core had changed completely.
If it had once been a candle flickering in the wind, now it was a roaring blaze.
"Little one, thank you."
Willow Deity's voice sounded again.
This time, it was no longer as ethereal and detached as before. It had grown warmer, even carrying a hint of a senior's affection for a junior.
Her voice rang directly in Ye Xuan's heart, like a spring breeze brushing his face.
She knew very well that without those few drops of his heaven-defying divine water, she would have needed at least ten years, perhaps even longer, to recover to her current state by slowly gathering strength in the Great Wilderness.
This karma was immense.
Ye Xuan bowed slightly, his expression humble.
"Master, you're too kind."
"Now that I've joined your sect, honoring you is only right. As long as it helps you recover, I'll be satisfied."
He neither took credit nor grew arrogant.
Willow Deity was becoming more and more pleased with this newly accepted disciple.
He had peerless talent and abundant resources. More precious still, he was steady and respectful toward his master.
"You're very good."
A willow twig brushed gently, and a beam of green light descended, enveloping Ye Xuan.
"Since you've become my disciple, I'll no longer keep anything from you."
"You possess an Innate Physique and an unfathomably deep foundation, but you know nothing about how to cultivate."
"Today, I'll teach you this world's Cultivation System, as well as my own method."
As her voice fell,
countless golden runes flew from the willow twigs like stars filling the sky, then entered Ye Xuan's brow.
They contained the complete essence of the cultivation system of Perfect World.
From Blood Moving, Cave Heaven, and Spirit Transformation all the way to Engraved Patterns, Array Formation, and even the Venerable and Divine Flame realms...
The cultivation essentials of every realm, the techniques for breaking through each bottleneck—everything was imprinted in Ye Xuan's mind in meticulous detail.
Next,
a pristine green primordial rune appeared, shaped like a willow leaf.
The moment it emerged, the qi and blood in Ye Xuan's body began to tremble of their own accord.
An overbearing concept of unending life, yet containing both destruction and rebirth, exploded in his Consciousness Sea.
The Willow Deity Method!
This was Willow Deity's ultimate, most treasured divine ability!
It governed life, but also killing. Once mastered, one's vitality would be as tenacious as plants returning to life in spring, while one's attacks would be as domineering as a divine whip splitting the sky.
"Focus and comprehend."
Willow Deity's voice guided him.
Ye Xuan closed his eyes and sat cross-legged beneath the tree.
His Double Pupils spun wildly beneath his eyelids as Chaos Qi circulated.
Others might need years, or even decades, just to begin to grasp the Willow Deity Method.
The method was simply too profound, touching on the source of the Great Dao of Life.
But Ye Xuan was different.
He had Chaos Heavy Pupils and was born able to see through the source of all things.
In his vision, the complex primordial rune was swiftly unraveled.
One after another, its Dao patterns were teased apart and transformed into the simplest, clearest streams of information.
"So that's how it is..."
"Life is born in the face of death, and vitality takes root in destruction."
Only the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed.
A faint green glow suddenly appeared around Ye Xuan.
Behind him, the hazy phantom of a willow tree slowly took shape. It was still faint, but it already possessed the tree's form and spirit.
"Hm?"
All several hundred of Willow Deity's branches came to a brief halt.
"So soon?"
Even though she knew Ye Xuan had extraordinary talent, she hadn't expected him to be this astonishing.
He'd grasped the Willow Deity Method in the time it took to drink a cup of tea?
That comprehension was simply unreasonable!
But Ye Xuan didn't stop.
Now that he'd understood the method, the next step was—breaking through!
The Innate Spiritual Qi within his body had long since accumulated to a terrifying degree, like a dam filled to the brim, lacking only an open floodgate.
Now, the floodgate had opened.
"Blood Moving, begin!"
Ye Xuan gave a quiet command in his heart.
Rumble!
The blood in his body instantly boiled, roaring like a surging river.
Without any deliberate effort, his Innate Spiritual Qi instantly transformed into rolling Divine Radiance, merging into every drop of his blood.
Early Blood Moving... mid-stage... late-stage... perfection!
It happened in the blink of an eye.
The strength of Ye Xuan's single arm surpassed one hundred thousand jin.
But he didn't stop. This was only the foundation.
"Cave Heavens, open!"
Ye Xuan rose abruptly and let out a long cry.
"Hum!"
The void trembled.
Above his head, a Cave Heaven appeared from thin air, like the mouth of a volcano.
Crimson Mist surged within it, and strands of Auspicious Qi filled the air, as if it were connected to an Immortal Realm.
Next,
a second appeared, then a third...
Cave Heavens that ordinary cultivators found nearly impossible to open emerged one after another for Ye Xuan as easily as bubbles being blown.
In the blink of an eye,
nine Cave Heavens stretched out behind Ye Xuan, forming a circle like a Divine Ring.
That was already the limit of a Lower Realm Prodigy.
But Ye Xuan still looked relaxed, even a little unsatisfied.
"Not enough."
He thought of the clump of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil Nuwa had bestowed when she created humanity.
"Open, tenth Cave Heaven!"
Boom!
An explosive roar rang out from within Ye Xuan.
A tenth Cave Heaven forced its way open!
All ten Cave Heavens appeared together, resonating with one another. Their divine radiance intertwined, making Ye Xuan look like a Young Heavenly Emperor.
The people of Stone Village were dumbstruck.
Shi Yunfeng's mouth hung open, his jaw nearly dropping off.
"Te... ten Cave Heavens? The legendary Ten Cave Heavens?"
"Good heavens, am I dreaming?"
"The Young Immortal Master is just... just too incredible!"
Yet Ye Xuan still didn't stop.
The Ten Cave Heavens weren't his destination, only a stepping stone.
He could feel his power still surging within him. His Innate foundation was far too deep; opening ten Cave Heavens had barely made a dent in it.
"In that case, I'll go one step further!"
"Spirit Transformation!"
Ye Xuan formed hand seals, and the ten Cave Heavens suddenly contracted, beginning to nourish his body in return.
His body transformed into a spirit!
His mind transformed into a spirit!
His body grew translucent, and his bones and organs began to shine, as if evolving toward a higher form of life.
A radiant spiritual glow burst from the crown of his head.
Spirit Transformation Realm—achieved!
Only then did Ye Xuan feel the swelling sensation in his body ease slightly.
He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the urge to continue breaking through.
He could push into the Engraved Patterns Realm, but doing so might leave his foundation unstable.
The path of cultivation required a solid foundation.
"Phew—"
Ye Xuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. It shot out like a sword, traveling three zhang before striking a deep hole in the ground.
He reined in his aura, and the ten Cave Heavens behind him slowly faded away.
He opened his eyes.
The divine light in his Double Pupils had drawn inward, leaving him with an air of profound composure.
From an ordinary person who knew only brute force to an expert in the Spirit Transformation Realm.
It had taken him only the time to eat a meal.
"Thank you for teaching me, Master."
Ye Xuan bowed to the willow tree once more.
Willow Deity fell silent for a moment, as if she too needed time to absorb the astonishing sight.
After a long while, her willow twigs swayed gently, and she let out a sigh tinged with complicated emotion.
"With talent like yours..."
"You're truly heaven-defying."
Around them, the people of Stone Village were still frozen in stunned silence.
They stared at the boy standing beneath the tree in his animal-skin clothes, with only one thought in their minds:
Was he even human?
Could he be a god reborn?
Before you continue