Three Paths

Little One's eyes shone brightly. Runes intertwined in his hands as he charged forward and clashed head-on with a Crimson Feather. A dazzling burst of light exploded, scarlet radiance filling the sky as lightning-like patterns spread everywhere.

Though the one wielding the Crimson Feather wasn't particularly strong, there was no denying how terrifying the feather was. It contained powerful runes.

Little One, however, was powerful. Lightning flickered all over his body, and his imposing aura shook the heavens.

The two forces collided. The ground cracked apart, and everyone nearby was swept off their feet by the impact.

"Not bad."

Little One said, battle intent surging in his eyes. Today, he was going to have a proper fight.

The runes between his hands grew denser, blazing like flames and surging upward. They collided with the second Crimson Feather. This time, the impact was earth-shattering, and the shockwaves were incredibly violent.

The Crimson Feather spewed red light like an erupting volcano. Scarlet radiance rolled forth like Lava, filling the sky. Its scorching heat made even the distant onlookers shudder. This treasure was astonishing; it surely belonged to a powerful clan.

Yet even more shocking to them was Milk Baby. At such a young age, he had blocked the terrifying Crimson Feather with his body. He was even using his small frame to clash head-on with the powerful treasure, producing metallic clangs that shook the surrounding space.

Although Little One was displaying incredible bravery, the people who wanted to snatch his Precious Bone weren't worried at all. They had absolute confidence in their clan's treasure.

"How can this guy be so terrifying?"

Big Gold Dog stared at Milk Baby, who kept clashing head-on with the Crimson Feather treasure. His expression was deeply unsettled. He had thought that the hateful Milk Baby would surely be taught a lesson, but judging by the situation, that seemed unlikely.

Lord Bird watched Su Ye, who was intently enjoying the show, and said with a smile, "You think highly of this fellow. Did you know from the start that he was no ordinary person?"

"This is the Initial Land."

Su Ye smiled as he looked at Lord Bird. "You two elders have nothing to do here anyway. Why not give the younger generation some guidance?"

Others didn't know who Lord Bird and Grandpa Jingbi were, but Su Ye did. They were both Immortal King-level beings, and the one before him in particular was known as World Number Two, second only to the True Dragon among the Ten Fiends.

"I'm old. My mind isn't what it used to be."

Lord Bird shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he simply couldn't. Sometimes his consciousness sank into a muddled state, leaving only his instincts. They had been stationed here to guard against the Void God Realm being destroyed. He continued, "If you want to gain something, you have to follow the rules. The Void God Realm is a fair place: the more you put in, the more you get out."

"Put in, huh?"

Su Ye thought for a moment, then pointed at the people ahead. "If I kill them all, could I set a record for slaughter?"

"No."

Lord Bird shook his head. Someone had already set the slaughter record, killing tens of thousands of opponents at the same level in just fifteen minutes. Even if every person here were counted, there were fewer than ten thousand.

"Same level" didn't mean they had to be at the exact same cultivation realm. It meant they were on the same tier. Here in the Initial Land, everyone's cultivation was suppressed to the Blood-Moving Realm. In the next tier, the Cave Heaven lands, everyone would be suppressed to the Cave Heaven Realm.

"Then find me eleven Beast Kings, or a few purebloods."

Su Ye spoke with confidence. Since he had come to the Void God Realm, he naturally had to make his name known—make it ring throughout the Great Wilderness.

"What do you take Beast Kings for? You can't just summon them whenever you please."

Lord Bird looked at the somewhat arrogant Su Ye with exasperation. Beast Kings were powerful beings who dominated their territories; they were rarely seen. What had happened with Shi Yi had been a coincidence.

Besides, although he felt that the person before him was no ordinary fellow, he didn't believe Su Ye could really kill more than ten Beast Kings. "If you really want to break a record, try something easier. The high-jump record from earlier was pretty good."

"That's too easy. There's no skill involved."

Su Ye said dismissively. If he was going to break a record, it had to be a major one.

"Little fellow, stop bragging all the time. If you're really capable, break one first. If you can break one of Shi Yi's minor records, you won't need to go looking for Beast Kings. They'll come to you."

Uncle Hammer, standing nearby, had heard enough. He felt the little fellow was much too boastful.

Su Ye looked at Uncle Hammer. This Uncle Hammer really was Uncle Hammer, unlike Lord Bird. His cultivation, however, was no weakling's—at least Marquis Level. Su Ye could tell from his Mental Power.

The main cultivation system in Perfect World at present centered on "qi." The Human Body Secret Realm System that Desolate Heaven Emperor later created centered on "essence."

Although Desolate Heaven Emperor's Human Body Secret Realm System involved "spirit," its core was still "essence." It centered on the Wheel Sea of the physical body, then drew in the essence of heaven and earth to nourish the Immortal Platform and the primordial spirit.

Essence, qi, and spirit were the three most fundamental energies of a living being. Only when all three origins were present could one be called a true living being. At the same time, the three origins could nourish one another.

Of the three origins, "qi" meant magical power. It was easy to cultivate. The cultivation system of this era focused on qi: opening Heavenly Passages and absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.

"Essence" meant the physical body. It, too, was easy to cultivate. Desolate Heaven Emperor created the Human Body Secret Realm System to excavate the body's potential, improve oneself, and break through the limits imposed by heaven and earth.

"Spirit" meant Mental Power. Of the three origins, it was the hardest to cultivate.

Compared with qi and essence, "spirit" seemed intangible and elusive. That didn't mean it couldn't be cultivated, of course. The path of the Sacrificial Spirit could be classified as a spiritual cultivation system.

Essence, qi, and spirit were each profound beyond measure, and each could give rise to a peerless path.

The current cultivation system did not cultivate spirit, so "spirit" could be said to improve passively. Thus, the strength of one's cultivation could be inferred from the strength of their spirit.

Uncle Hammer's Mental Power was formidable, far stronger than that of an ordinary Marquis Level cultivator, but it hadn't reached Venerable level. That was how Su Ye had judged him to be at Marquis Level.

Su Ye smiled and said, "If I break one, will Beast Kings come looking for me so I can fight them?"

"Yes."

Uncle Hammer replied, looking at Su Ye. "Ever since Shi Yi was born, he has displayed an invincible bearing. He is the Young Supreme of this generation, an Undefeated Myth.

"That's why countless living beings want to climb over him to make a name for themselves. But Shi Yi is far too formidable, and he improves too quickly. Many have regretted never getting the chance to fight him. If, at a time like this, you show that you can..."

"Forget surpassing Shi Yi. Even if you merely come close to him, I think plenty of living beings will want to challenge you and prove that they aren't inferior to Shi Yi—the real reason is that he left them in the dust too quickly."

Su Ye found the reasoning convincing, but the words still left a bad taste in his mouth. It was as if he were Shi Yi's substitute, there for all the ones who had missed their chance to settle the score.

A young woman beside them said, "Shi Yi has many records. The safest one is to use nothing but the strength of your flesh to leap up a mountain in a single bound. If you can even barely make it to the summit, your name will shake the Great Wilderness."

"A single leap?"

Su Ye thought it over and decided that one would do. He stood up. "Move farther away. I'll break Shi Yi's record right now."

"What? You're going to break it here?"

Uncle Hammer froze for a moment and asked, "How can you break it here?"

"Why can't I? As long as I leap, the rules of the Void God Realm will naturally be able to judge who jumped the highest."

Su Ye said calmly. Looking at the people around him, he added, "Don't blame me for not warning you. If you stand too close, you might end up buried."

"It's fine. Bury us if you have to. Don't worry about us."

Someone laughed. They didn't believe Su Ye could really break Shi Yi's record; they were just here to watch the spectacle.

"Exactly. We don't mind."

The crowd merely cleared a small space around him instead of moving farther away. They wanted to see what this little fellow could pull off.