Emerald Swan: The Lake of Life Rendezvous

On the third day after Xiao Wu left, Nan Feng sensed a fluctuation of Spiritual Power in the outskirts of Star Dou that did not belong there.

That afternoon, he was cultivating beneath a rock face when his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light caught a point of light.

It was blue-gold, its Spiritual Power fluctuations deep and unbroken, like an underground river that had flowed for hundreds or thousands of years.

The point of light was moving out from deep within the forest. It was not moving fast, but with every step it took, the surrounding vegetation trembled.

Nan Feng opened his eyes and stood, tucking his short staff behind his waist.

Old Huai's voice drifted out of the crack at the bottom of the tower, carrying a solemnity Nan Feng had never heard before.

"Emerald Swan. A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, with more than five hundred thousand years of cultivation. Fourth among the ten great Ferocious Beasts, Bi Ji. Guardian of the Lake of Life and an important deputy to Di Tian."

Nan Feng's pupils contracted.

Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, ranked first among the ten great Ferocious Beasts, with approximately eight hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation. Bi Ji resided at the Lake of Life and rarely left the core region.

The blue-gold point of light drew closer and closer, then stopped fifty paces away.

A figure emerged from deep within the shadows of the trees.

It was a woman, tall and slender, wearing a long blue-green dress with feather patterns embroidered along the hem. Her blue-gold hair fell behind her shoulders. Her features were delicate and gentle, with the composure of long years in her eyes and brow.

A layer of blue-gold Spiritual Power surrounded her, forming the illusory shapes of feathers, like half-open wings.

Bi Ji stood at the edge of the tree shadows, her gaze resting on Nan Feng for a long time.

Nan Feng did not move, nor did he circulate his Soul Power. His Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light detected no hostility in her fluctuations.

The sheer density of that Spiritual Power pressed on Nan Feng until his meridians trembled. The essence of a Ferocious Beast over five hundred thousand years old was dozens of times denser than the Fierce Bear King's Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

"The presence about you," Bi Ji said, her voice soft and clear, "contains an ancient power that does not belong to this world. It is heavier than Soul Power, denser than Spiritual Power, as though it has seeped out from the deepest part of the earth."

Nan Feng watched her. Bi Ji did not come closer, and the wind stirred her long hair.

Old Huai said from inside the tower, "The Emerald Swan is a plant-type and healing-type Soul Beast. She has a gentle nature and does not attack humans unprovoked. Her cultivation is a great deal higher than Xiao Wu's mother's."

"She's sensing the Primordial World Imprint in your soul."

"Senior, you are the guardian of the Lake of Life," Nan Feng said.

Bi Ji nodded and took two steps forward, stopping twenty paces away.

"My name is Bi Ji. I am the leader of the Emerald Swans at the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest."

"I sensed something similar to that ancient power on you a long time ago."

"It was the lingering Primordial World presence in the ancient ruins at the bottom of the Lake of Life, older even than the Divine Realm."

"Under the Ancient Tree of Life, there is a stone stele engraved with writing. It shares the same source as your presence."

Nan Feng's heart skipped half a beat.

He had never heard of the ancient ruins at the bottom of the Lake of Life or the stone stele beneath the Ancient Tree of Life. Bi Ji had no reason to lie to him.

Old Huai fell silent for a few breaths.

"The Ancient Tree of Life is the source of the Star Dou Great Forest. If there really is a stone stele from the Primordial World era beneath it, your tower may be connected to the Lake of Life."

Bi Ji's perception differed from Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia. Ye Lingling perceived the deep structure of life energy, while Bi Ji perceived the source and nature of Spiritual Power itself.

She had lived for more than five hundred thousand years and could distinguish Primordial World Power from ordinary Soul Power.

"What did you come to the outskirts to do?"

"Cultivate. And keep watch over the outskirts for a friend while I'm here."

Bi Ji's gaze lingered on his face for a breath, and the corners of her mouth curved ever so slightly.

"That little girl who took human form from a Soft Bone Rabbit-her name is Xiao Wu, isn't it? Every time she comes back to the Star Dou Great Forest to condense a Soul Ring, I can sense it from the Lake of Life. Her mother and I used to be very close."

Nan Feng's movements paused for a moment.

Bi Ji knew Xiao Wu's mother. Xiao Wu's mother had been a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit, hunted down by Spirit Hall. Bi Ji was at the same level as her, and they had both lived in Star Dou for countless years. It was only natural that they knew each other.

She could only have appeared now to confirm whether Xiao Wu's condensation of her third ring would affect the balance of Spiritual Power at the Lake of Life.

"Xiao Wu is about to condense her third ring," Nan Feng said. "She needs the environment of the Star Dou Great Forest to stabilize her meridians. I'm keeping watch over her from the outskirts."

Bi Ji nodded, a trace of emotion in her gaze.

"That girl is a lot like her mother. The path of taking human form and cultivating anew is not an easy one. The first six rings can be condensed without hunting Soul Beasts, but each condensation consumes the essence energy of their true form."

"Her mother walked the same path back then. By the time she condensed her sixth ring, her essence had been reduced by half. Later, she met that man and gave birth to Xiao Wu, and never progressed any further."

Nan Feng fell silent for a breath. That man was Tang San's father, Tang Hao. After Xiao Wu's mother gave birth to Xiao Wu, Spirit Hall came looking for her, and she sacrificed herself to protect the father and daughter.

Bi Ji took a step forward. Blue-gold Spiritual Power flowed around her, and the illusory feathers spread open and folded shut.

"Your Soul Power is at level thirty-four. You are still six levels away from level forty. Once you reach level forty, the third-floor door will open fully and you will be able to release the Power of Creation, allowing you to actively help Xiao Wu evolve her Martial Soul."

"By then, her essence seal will loosen, and condensing Soul Rings will consume much less of it."

Nan Feng looked at her. Bi Ji knew his Soul Power Level, the tower's floors, and the conditions for releasing the power.

Bi Ji sensed his confusion, and the curve of her mouth grew a little wider.

"I am an Emerald Swan, the guardian of the Lake of Life. Every tree and every blade of grass in the Star Dou Great Forest is my eye. While you were cultivating on the outskirts, I sensed the Spiritual Power spilling out of your tower."

"Each time a floor of your tower opens, it releases a different power. Its structure is completely unlike an ordinary Martial Soul's. I have lived for more than five hundred thousand years and seen quite a few strange Martial Souls."

"Your tower is the first one I haven't been able to see through."

"I came to find you because that warm power in your tower, the Power of Creation, resonates with the essence of life. When it absorbs the surrounding Spiritual Power, it flows toward the Lake of Life."

Nan Feng fell silent for a breath.

Bi Ji's range of perception covered the entire outskirts. He had been cultivating here for several days, so it was only natural that she had detected the Spiritual Power spilling from his tower.

She was confirming his abilities and assessing whether he was worth trusting.

"When Xiao Wu condenses her third ring, I'll keep watch on the outskirts," Nan Feng said. "If the fluctuations of her essence draw other Soul Beasts, the Tower Realm can block them."

Bi Ji looked at him, and the light in her blue-gold eyes warmed a little.

"You keep watch on the outskirts, and I'll help her stabilize the Spiritual Power of the same origin in the forest. The wood-attribute and life Spiritual Power of the Star Dou Great Forest will nourish her human form."

"I'll send the Spiritual Power of the Lake of Life flowing toward the outskirts, so there will be less pressure on her meridians when she condenses her Soul Ring."

"The seventh ring is the Martial Soul Avatar. A Soul Beast in human form will return to its true Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast form when using its Martial Soul Avatar, releasing a vast amount of its essence and causing a greater commotion than the first six rings combined. You'll need to help her find a suitable Soul Beast beforehand."

Nan Feng nodded.

Bi Ji turned and took two steps toward the depths of the forest. She stopped at the edge of the tree shadows and turned her head to look back at him. Her long blue-gold hair slid off her shoulder, its ends glowing warmly in the afternoon light.

"I sensed something similar to that ancient power on you a long time ago."

"He was a badly wounded man who came from very far away. He stayed by the Lake of Life for three days before he died. He left a message, saying that Primordial World Power would eventually return to this continent and find the person it was meant to find."

"The person he spoke of is you. The writing on the stone stele beneath the Ancient Tree of Life resonates with your tower. Come to the Lake of Life when you reach level forty. What is on the stele may help you open the third-floor door."

Nan Feng wanted to ask more, but Bi Ji had already walked deep into the tree shadows. Her blue-gold figure flickered twice and disappeared.

A lingering trace of blue-gold Spiritual Power remained in the forest, scattered through the air.

Old Huai's voice drifted out of the crack at the bottom of the tower.

"The person she mentioned is very likely connected to your ancestor, the Pagoda God. Primordial World Power returned to the continent to find the person it was meant to find, and that person is you. Your path was arranged from the very beginning."

"The stone stele beneath the Lake of Life may have been left by the Pagoda God. The key to the third-floor door may be there."

Nan Feng did not reply. He sank into the space inside the tower.

The blue light in the crack at the bottom of the tower was shining. The first- and second-floor doors were fully open, and warmth seeped through the gap in the third-floor door.

His Soul Power was at level thirty-four, six levels short of level forty. Only when he reached level forty, fully opened the third-floor door, and released the Power of Creation could he help Xiao Wu evolve her Martial Soul.

He withdrew his consciousness, sat cross-legged beneath the rock face, and circulated the Primordial World Qi Refining Art.

The Soul Power in his dantian traveled through his meridians in cycle after cycle, warm and steady.

The deep-black underlying light of the Soul Ring in his palm pulsed against his skin, rising and falling in time with the blue light in the crack at the bottom of the tower.

Xiao Wu was stuck at level twenty-nine, waiting for his Power of Creation. Bi Ji had promised to help Xiao Wu stabilize the Spiritual Power of the Star Dou Great Forest. Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er were both waiting for him to reach level forty.

The Lake of Life was waiting for him deep in the forest.