"Albert, we still have things to do, so we'll be heading off first." Although Albert was very much to Luo Ya's liking, they had only just met.
Under the circumstances, neither Luo Ya nor Milia had any intention of inviting Albert to travel with them.
"Haha, after our fight, I'm planning to head to the Aras Desert to train as an ascetic. There are more opponents there, so my cultivation will definitely progress faster!" Hearing that Albert planned to go there, Luo Ya knew he was a true ascetic.
Unlike the prosperous and peaceful central regions of the continent, the borderlands of the Western Continent were home to several places with extremely harsh environments, such as the Aras Desert at the continent's westernmost edge.
The conditions there were utterly desolate. For hundreds of miles, you might not see a single person. Yet for cultivators, it was an excellent place to cultivate the laws of fire and earth.
Some ascetics who devoted themselves entirely to cultivation lived in that barren, scorching desert all year round. Among them were even Saint Realm peak experts who were only a hair's breadth away from godhood. The Extreme Northern Ice Plains, at the continent's northernmost edge, was another place like it.
After bidding farewell to Albert, Luo Ya and the others set off once more.
What had happened in Iris City was merely a brief interlude in their journey.
On the back of the Hellfire Phoenix, Ignis, Luo Ya and Milia were still discussing what had happened to Albert.
After Luo Ya explained things to her, Milia had a rough idea of why Albert was so unusual.
"A Soul Mutation... I never imagined people like that existed in the world. I thought coming up with the Wind Shadow Avatar Technique was already impressive. I never expected there to be a genius who could even fuse profound mysteries from different laws!"
"He might not be able to do that. All we can say is that after his Soul Mutation, his talent's potential must have undergone a qualitative transformation. Whether he can ultimately become a true powerhouse still depends on him."
Although people who had undergone Soul Mutation were extraordinary and could even fuse profound mysteries from different laws, that didn't mean their cultivation would necessarily go smoothly.
There was never a shortage of geniuses who died young in this world.
"That's true." Milia and the elf lady both looked entirely in agreement.
To achieve great things in cultivation, both talent and hard work were essential.
Throughout history, many outstanding geniuses had been troubled by love or become engrossed in worldly power and prestige. Gradually, they squandered their talents and eventually faded into obscurity.
Talent was certainly important on the path of cultivation, but one also needed great perseverance to keep going.
******
The Kul Tiras Sea seemed boundless, with islands appearing here and there.
"Caw!"
As the Hellfire Phoenix let out an excited cry, Luo Ya and Milia stood side by side, gazing toward the southeast. Even Beiya, the elf lady beside them, wore a faint smile.
A coastline came into view in the distance ahead, stretching an immense length.
"Once we see the sea, Qianyan Island won't be far." Unlike Luo Ya and Beiya, who had never seen such a magnificent expanse of water, Milia was unimpressed.
She had been born on Wind Forbidden Island and had long since grown tired of the ocean's natural scenery.
"Ignis, keep going!"
At Luo Ya's command, the Hellfire Phoenix, Ignis, once again sped onward without complaint.
But Luo Ya remained spellbound by the boundless sea below. Its magnificent, breathtaking vista filled him with awe.
"The scenery out here is beautiful!" Ignis was flying high enough that an even greater expanse of sea stretched into their view.
Soaring above the majestic, magnificent ocean stirred a peculiar feeling: the world was so vast, while humanity was so small.
"You're seeing it for the first time, so of course it seems novel and fascinating. But after you've looked at it long enough, it loses its appeal." Milia paid the two no mind. Facing the sea breeze, faintly tinged with salt, she resumed cultivating.
Luo Ya continued to gaze down at the seemingly endless waters, and a stir rose within him.
The Kul Tiras Sea was also known as the Azure Sea. Its surging waters rolled on without end, stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles.
Of the seven great oceans, the Azure Sea was the second largest. The Bordeaux River, which flowed from it, was known as the "mother river" of half the Western Continent, and had nurtured countless people.
The Azure Sea's history stretched back millions of years.
"Was the Azure Sea like this a million years ago, too?"
Watching the blue waters below, calm one moment and surging the next, Luo Ya couldn't help imagining what the world had looked like a million years ago. Gazing out at the boundless Azure Sea made him feel as if his own heart had opened up.
The people and nations of a million years ago had long since vanished without a trace. As history turned, new nations rose and fell. Even the favored children of each era—the Saint Realm experts—gradually disappeared from the continent, fading from the sight of the world. Only the titles of the god-level experts were praised and passed down by the continent, generation after generation!
Godhood was the next goal on Luo Ya's path of cultivation. His true wish, however, was to reach the very pinnacle of cultivation!
"Once I've subdued the Earth Giant on Qianyan Island, I should return and go into seclusion. I'll try to reach godhood as soon as possible."
His current strength was enough to make him a top figure among Saint Realm experts, but in front of god-level experts, he still didn't measure up.
"Qianyan Island is just ahead. We'll be there soon..." With their destination so close, all three felt a faint anticipation. Luo Ya, especially, was determined to claim that Earth Giant!
But just then—
"Vmmm—"
A strange ripple came from the southeast. Ordinary people might not have noticed it, but Luo Ya and the others all stared in shock toward the southeast. "Someone's become a god!"
The ripple had come from nearby, from the area where Qianyan Island was located!
Since it was so close, Luo Ya and the others could clearly feel the strange ripple. It was the peculiar fluctuation in the Laws of Heaven and Earth that descended at the moment someone became a god.
"When someone comprehends a path of the laws and breaks through its final bottleneck, the Laws of Heaven and Earth descend and bestow a Godhead upon them. That's how someone becomes a god! I never thought we'd happen to witness it!" The silver-haired elf lady cared little about other things, but even she couldn't help sighing at this.
"Someone on Qianyan Island has become a god. Could it be that Earth Giant?" Luo Ya's heart tightened, and he hurriedly turned to Milia.
"When I fought him last time, he relied almost entirely on his brute strength and powerful innate gifts. His comprehension of the profound mysteries of the laws was very shallow..." Milia understood what Luo Ya was asking and immediately replied.
Although Milia's answer was reassuring, Luo Ya remained wary.
"I almost forgot. Once divine beasts reach adulthood, they automatically master a profound mystery of the laws... That Earth Giant is similar to a divine beast. Maybe it's the same for him!"
A miscalculation—a huge one!
He'd completely overlooked that possibility.
"Let's go, quickly!" As soon as Luo Ya realized this, he ordered Ignis to fly back at once!
Milia had fought that Earth Giant once before and caused him a great deal of trouble.
Now that he had become a god, if he spotted Milia again, the consequences...
Thinking of the worst-case scenario, Luo Ya's heart sank.
Before you continue