The Origin of Water

"What is water? What truly counts as water?"

Chen Qing had stood by the pond for nearly a hundred years. At first, he had been overjoyed, believing he could grasp this peculiar method of fusion. But after so many years, he still couldn't uncover the pattern within—like a kindergartener trying to read nuclear physics, knowing it was a book but understanding nothing else. In the end, he only managed to confuse himself, and began to question his own heart.

By now, Chen Qing had long forgotten about cultivation. What imprinted on his mind was not heaven and earth, but the vast expanse of water before him. His will sank into it. Within his inner world, the petals of the Green Lotus had shrunk, its roots had vanished, and it had become a dim, closed bud.

What is water? Chen Qing felt as if he had returned to a bygone, ignorant age. Water was merely a substance, instinctively known as the source of life. In ancient times, sages regarded it as a virtue, even comparing it to time itself, because it was formless, supremely soft—

In the universe, water had many essences. No—it was the fusion of similar essences that was called "water"!

It was also a part of space, yet not merely a part of it; otherwise, the Law of Fusion would not exist—

Even a facet of the Chaos Law. No, not even a facet—

"No, that's wrong."

Chen Qing closed his eyes, one hand propping himself up, the other clutching his hair. He knelt by the pond, shaking his head violently. The last shred of reason warned him: that was not something he should pursue. At least, not something he should touch right now.

The Venerable Cold Whale put away his teasing expression, slowly surfaced, and looked at Chen Qing with confusion. Decades had passed. From the moment this kid started frowning, his face had been like the water's surface—never the same two days in a row. But today felt off. Could staring at water drive someone mad? He didn't sense any Law fluctuations either. What the hell was he cultivating?

Suddenly, a curtain of water rose. Under Cold Whale's control, it splashed over Chen Qing, steam rising from his body in wisps. It jolted him awake for a moment. "Step by step. If I can't go forward, I'll go back. Yes! Go back."

At this moment, Chen Qing had no awareness of the outside world. He was completely immersed in his own mind. The Chaos Law was the fusion of the ten fundamental Laws, but it wasn't simple addition. It required a thorough grasp of the Law's origin. Yes, origin! Only by mastering the origin of a Law could one achieve "a single thought births a universe." Jie Fanzi had only touched the surface of the Water and Fire origins, yet he had created a top-tier tenth-level secret technique, nearly breaking through reincarnation. Nearly—

Chen Qing suddenly shuddered, snapping back to clarity. He opened his eyes in a daze, a rare weariness showing on his face. After staring at Cold Whale for a moment, he came to his senses and quickly bowed. "Thank you, Venerable Cold Whale!"

"How strange."

Watching Cold Whale sink back down, Chen Qing sat cross-legged, a bitter smile on his face. He knew too much, and it had bred a hint of arrogance. It had carried him straight to the heavens, vainly seeking to peer into Chaos, nearly creating the first case of qi deviation in the Devouring World. Though there was no such thing as crippling one's cultivation here, he could have sunk irreversibly into the depths of his own mind. His spirit would have been damaged, his will thrown into chaos. Fortunately, Cold Whale's bucket of cold water, combined with the experience of Senior Jie Fanzi, had scared him back to his senses. What the hell was that?

"Always hold reverence for the universe. The key isn't the universe—it's reverence. An empty heart allows stillness. I underestimated the accumulated experience of countless epochs."

But this accident wasn't without gain. At least now he knew this vibration—it was the origin fluctuation of the Water Law. Fragmented, yes, and mixed with other Laws, but origin was origin. Even a trace of its fluctuation was a path beyond True God.

His feeling had been completely right. This was the perfect dojo for cultivating Heaven Born Water. There had been some twists, but the harvest this time was good.

"Enough. Rest first. Don't burn myself out. I'll recharge and go find the sisters for some comfort. They're probably worried sick."

"What? You're planning to enter the Outer Battlefield?"

After adjusting for a few months, Chen Qing was hit with shocking news the moment he saw the two of them. But he didn't outright refuse. "Our experience isn't enough. And the avatar has been gestating for a while. We'll leave the Origin Bead with the avatar to continue comprehending the Laws, and we'll go to the battlefield to test our results!"

Jiang Fang's words were firm and resolute. Clearly, her fiery heart hadn't cooled. Yao Rao also took Chen Qing's arm, blinking her beautiful eyes. "When you think about it, Luo Feng is much younger than us, but in real combat, the gap is too big."

"You two!" Chen Qing sighed. "It's still what I said before. I won't stop you from improving. But when comparing yourselves to others, never compare yourselves to a madman."

--

"Don't look down on people! When we were fighting back then, you two weren't even embryos!"

"Smack!"

Before Yao Rao could finish, a slap landed on her rear, sending a ripple through her plump curves. Her eyes began to mist over. Chen Qing pulled her over, holding her as he rubbed the spot and pondered. Over the years, he had spent quite a few treasure points on the clan to raise their gene levels to about 30 times. Both of them had a base of around 3,000 times the power of a World Lord. With their Laws and secret techniques, they could barely touch the threshold of a low-level King-Rank. They couldn't carry too many heavy treasures. The Void Nether Armor and a weapon were enough. More would just invite greed. Even the weapon had to be hidden for now. With a high-level King-Rank Cloud-Touching Vine, as long as they didn't run into a King-Rank Invincible, they should be able to hold their own.

But soul defense still needed a solution. Ideally, a foolproof self-destruct treasure. Otherwise, if they encountered a soul master, there was still considerable risk—they might not react in time.

"I won't stop your training, but heavy treasures attract too much attention. Aside from the Void Nether Armor, which the Cloud-Touching Vine can cover, just use a decent Immortal-grade weapon. And most importantly, never let yourselves be enslaved. If you lose your equipment, your husband has plenty more. At worst, I lose some energy. Don't lose the big for the small!"

"I know, husband—"

In the private residence of the Virtual Universe, inside a pavilion in an open area, Chen Qing watched the Palace Master Biluo's graceful movements and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Even though he hadn't taken a sip yet, the tea cut by a beauty was simply different. "I heard you need a top-tier supreme treasure?"

Hearing the Original Ancestor's voice, Chen Qing wasn't surprised. He had already checked the clan's inventory and even sent an email to the City Lord. "That's right. My harvest from the Venerable Cold Whale's Nine-Colored Water was good. I should break through when I come out. But I also owe Cold Whale a major karmic debt. I'll think about that later."

"Is that so? If that's the case, an ordinary top-tier supreme treasure would be a bit perfunctory. Something suitable—not even the clan, let alone private collections, is guaranteed to have one."

"No rush. Supreme treasures are just rewards for cultivation. As for the karmic debt, we'll talk later. There will always be an opportunity."

Raising the freshly cut tea, Chen Qing took a light sniff. "The tea smells wonderful today!"

"Busybody!"

"Hahaha, you little rascal. You've taken over the duties of her master. No wonder she calls you a busybody."

Ignoring the Palace Master Biluo's cold stare, Chen Qing calmly finished his tea. "In the future, let the Palace Master serve first. After that, I'll have another cup."

"Hmph."