Morning arrived, illuminating the mountain range where Zhu Tian resided. Sunlight slowly spilled over the mountain peaks, piercing through the thin mist still lingering in the air. White cranes soared with wings spread wide, gliding calmly among drifting clouds. The entire scene looked like a living painting, or a fairy tale that could only be found in ancient legends.
The morning air was clear and cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and gentle spiritual energy. To ordinary people, this place might seem merely beautiful. But to cultivators, every breath here felt like swallowing the vitality of heaven and earth.
Throughout the entire night, Qin Yuan kept Liu Ba and Liu De outside the gate. He did not allow them to enter Zhu Tian's residence—not out of ill intent, but out of deep caution. Until now, Qin Yuan had not received direct permission from Zhu Tian.
Qin Yuan knew very well that Zhu Tian was most likely still in the process of stabilizing his cultivation. In his long experience as a cultivator, this stage was one of the most important and absolutely must not be disturbed. Many people, after successfully breaking through to a new realm, became careless—overconfident—and ended up neglecting the stabilization process.
If cultivation was not properly stabilized, the foundation formed would be flawed. The consequences might not be immediately apparent, but in the future, it would become a shackle that hindered further growth.
For example, a cultivator at the Core Formation stage who broke through to the Nascent Soul stage in the midst of battle, without time to stabilize their cultivation, would indeed gain a surge of power. However, that power would never be truly equivalent to that of a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator.
They might stand atop a mountain, yet still feel a vast distance between themselves and the sky—as if they had reached great height, but their footing remained fragile and unsteady.
For this reason, Qin Yuan chose to hold Liu Ba and Liu De back.
Interestingly, the two youths showed no dissatisfaction at all. They did not complain, did not force the issue, nor did they display any arrogance. They simply waited patiently.
While the real Qin Yuan returned to the cave behind the waterfall to continue his recovery, the Qin Yuan clone remained at the gate, accompanying Liu Ba and Liu De.
Time passed slowly.
While waiting, Qin Yuan and the two youths engaged in light conversation. Their discussions avoided sensitive topics, focusing only on travel, cultivation, and matters of the outside world. Qin Yuan also deliberately maintained an appearance of stability. He had previously consumed high-quality recovery pills—enough to conceal his true condition. From the outside, he appeared perfectly fine, as if no serious injuries were hidden beneath his aura.
Because of this, Liu Ba and Liu De suspected nothing.
"Senior," Liu Ba finally said after a long while, his tone polite yet clearly tinged with curiosity. "May this junior ask… who exactly is the person inside?"
Liu De's gaze also turned toward Qin Yuan. Though his expression remained relaxed, his eyes revealed the same interest.
Qin Yuan fell silent for a moment. His gaze shifted toward Zhu Tian's residence, then returned to the two youths before him.
"One thing is certain," Qin Yuan said slowly, his voice calm yet heavy, "he is not someone you can provoke lightly."
He paused briefly before continuing, "And there is one thing you must remember—never make him unhappy."
As he said this, an extremely faint trace of fear flashed through Qin Yuan's eyes. It was brief, but it was enough for Liu Ba to catch.
Naturally, Qin Yuan did not tell them what he had truly seen when he had accidentally glimpsed into Zhu Tian's sea of consciousness. He would never reveal such a thing—not only because it was dangerous, but because even mentioning it could bring consequences he could not bear.
"Someone who can make Senior react like this…" Liu Ba thought to himself. "He is definitely not an ordinary person."
He glanced at Liu De and saw the same expression on his companion's face. Without exchanging words, they reached the same conclusion. The person inside was either extremely powerful—or at the very least, someone with an unimaginable background.
Meanwhile, inside the residence, Zhu Tian slowly awoke from his meditation.
He opened his eyes. For an instant, they appeared dark—like a bottomless void, as if any light would be swallowed whole. But it lasted only a moment. A flash of clarity soon followed, and his expression returned to normal.
"Good," Zhu Tian said in satisfaction. A faint smile appeared on his face. "After a full night, the spiritual energy inside my body has finally stabilized."
He could feel the Qi now flowing smoothly through his meridians—no longer wild, no longer turbulent. His dantian felt warm and solid, the initial foundation of cultivation neatly established.
"I can't wait to try things like in the novels," Zhu Tian continued with excitement.
As someone who had loved reading cultivation novels in his previous life, his imagination immediately ran wild. Images flooded his mind—appearing mysteriously and vanishing without a trace, becoming a ruthless villain who made the world tremble, or perhaps a respected hero admired by many.
All of those possibilities felt tempting.
But then Zhu Tian let out a long sigh.
"But there's a problem," he muttered. "I can't do all of that at once."
He wanted to experience everything in his own way. He didn't want to simply imitate others or walk along a predetermined path. He wanted to experience this world fully—step by step, through choices he made himself.
"This is giving me a headache," he said weakly. "Hais… forget it. I'll think about it later."
Zhu Tian then calmed his mind. Sitting upright, he began to circulate his spiritual consciousness. He wanted to know the current limits of his abilities.
His spiritual awareness spread like invisible waves—passing through walls, sweeping over trees, tracing along formations, and slowly moving toward the gate.
And there, he saw them.
Two unfamiliar figures in Taoist robes stood outside the gate, together with Qin Yuan's clone.
Zhu Tian frowned slightly.
"Hm?"
His eyes narrowed as he observed them through his spiritual sense, curiosity beginning to rise within his heart.