Seven days passed.
At the edge of the square, the white bone lost its luster.
Shi Hao opened his eyes.
His eyes were sunken, his flesh clung to his bones, and he had grown so thin he barely looked like himself.
Comprehending the Primordial True Explanation had consumed tremendous mental energy, utterly draining the six-year-old milk-loving child.
Shi Hao clutched his shriveled belly and turned to look for the cook.
Shi Hou had long since set up the Black Pot in a corner of the square.
An entire Iron-Horned Bull stewed inside, the rich broth rolling at a boil.
Shi Hao dashed over, grabbed a bone-in bull leg, and opened his mouth wide to tear into it.
Meat juices spilled everywhere.
The hard bull bones shattered between his teeth, and he swallowed everything, skin and flesh included.
Only after three large bowls of broth poured into his stomach did his shriveled body fill out again.
Color returned to his gaunt cheeks.
On the charred tree stump, a verdant willow branch drooped gently.
A vast, mighty voice echoed in their minds.
"The Primordial True Explanation is boundless. You have only glimpsed its threshold; memorizing a few incomplete diagrams has already brought you to your limit."
"If you force yourself to continue, you will damage your very foundation."
Shi Hao wiped the grease from his hands, lifted the white bone with both palms, and carefully tucked it into the pouch against his body.
"Willow Deity, I want to go find my dad and mom," Shi Hao said, looking up, his voice clear and bright.
The willow branch swayed lightly in the wind.
"You have broken through the ultimate limit and established your foundation. You do indeed need to venture into the Great Wilderness to temper yourself."
A crystalline willow branch reached into