Qin Yuan arrived before Zhu Tian, followed by Liu Ba and Liu De, who walked slightly behind him. The three stopped several steps away from Zhu Tian's seat and stood with respectful posture.
Zhu Tian looked at them with a calm, empty gaze. There was no excess emotion on his face—no smile, no frown. His eyes were steady, as if he were merely observing their existence, without truly caring about what stood before him.
In truth, Zhu Tian was holding his breath inwardly.
In the cultivation novels he had read, ancestors, seniors, or high-level beings were always depicted with this kind of demeanor—calm, cold, unmoved by anything. No small talk, no obvious curiosity, and never revealing weakness.
"This is how it should be…" Zhu Tian muttered inwardly.
"Let nothing go wrong."
He knew very well that even the smallest mistake could be fatal. He was still at the early stage of Qi Condensation—one could even say he had just stepped to the threshold of the cultivation world. If he appeared like a novice, if he showed hesitation or ignorance, the two people before him might no longer treat him with respect.
And if that happened, the consequences could be enormous.
"No mistakes… I must not look like a beginner," Zhu Tian said inwardly, suppressing all the nervousness rising within him.
"Greetings, Senior," Qin Yuan, Liu Ba, and Liu De said in unison. All three bowed deeply with utmost respect.
"Rise," Zhu Tian said calmly, his voice flat and unhurried.
They lifted their heads as instructed, remaining standing with cautious composure.
Zhu Tian did not waste time on unnecessary words. He looked directly at them and said,
"So, why have you come here?"
His tone was neither harsh nor gentle. His words were simple and went straight to the point, without the slightest hint of pleasantry.
Liu Ba stepped half a pace forward and bowed again.
"Replying to Senior," he said calmly and respectfully, "we came here because I possess a special body that can sense opportunities."
"A special body?" Zhu Tian repeated, his tone just as calm as before.
On the surface, his face remained expressionless. But inwardly, Zhu Tian was slightly surprised.
"A special body…" he thought.
"The cultivation world truly is astonishing."
In the modern world, such concepts only existed in novels or fiction. Yet now, he stood in a world where things that defied logic truly existed. Innate bodies, ancient bloodlines, heavenly lineages—all of it was real.
"The cultivation world is filled with miracles that defy common sense," Zhu Tian continued inwardly.
A special body—also known as an innate body—was something exceedingly rare. Someone born with such a body often possessed a fate different from ordinary people.
Zhu Tian then said,
"In that case, what is the name of your special body?"
His tone remained calm. However, the moment those words left his mouth, Zhu Tian felt something strange stir within his heart.
"Ah… I shouldn't have asked so directly," he thought.
"A senior should already know, not ask."
He sensed a subtle mistake in his own conduct. In novels, beings of higher standing usually listened to reports rather than probing for information themselves. But the words had already been spoken.
"I hope everything is still fine," Zhu Tian sighed inwardly.
Strangely enough, he then felt an overwhelming sense of calm envelop him. The calm was so deep that it felt as though all emotions within him had been suppressed and flattened. He was even slightly surprised by the feeling himself.
"Hm?"
Zhu Tian realized this calm felt… unusual. But he did not think too deeply about it and continued to maintain his composed expression.
On the other side, Qin Yuan, Liu Ba, and Liu De felt something far stranger.
Zhu Tian's empty gaze made their scalps tingle.
One must understand— even seniors or high-level beings usually displayed at least a trace of emotion. A flicker of interest, boredom, or even a fleeting change in expression lasting only an instant.
But the young man before them… was completely empty.
His gaze seemed to view all living beings as ants. There was no concern, no curiosity, no intent to judge or belittle. Only absolute emptiness.
And precisely because of that, they felt oppressed.
Zhu Tian was not releasing any cultivation pressure at all. There was no aura, no killing intent, no energy bearing down on them. Yet the sensation persisted—a natural pressure, not born of power, but of something emotionally indescribable.
Cold sweat slowly formed on the backs of Liu Ba and Liu De.
Qin Yuan felt it as well. He was even more sensitive to such changes, and the pressure reminded him of several terrifying figures from his memories—entities far beyond the logic of this world.
Liu Ba did not dare allow the silence to continue. He quickly replied,
"This is called the Destiny Instinct Body, Senior."
He paused briefly, then continued in a more measured tone,
"If this body is cultivated to a high level, its owner can perceive extremely thin threads of destiny. And at its final stage, it will evolve into the Body of Fate Thread."
Liu Ba then explained his special body in detail—how its abilities worked, how he sensed opportunities, and how the body reacted to fate.
As he spoke, the strange pressure among the three of them gradually faded. Zhu Tian's gaze remained empty, but it no longer induced the oppressive feeling from before. Instead, that calm now felt… neutral.
Yet the strangeness only deepened.
"Hm?" Zhu Tian thought inwardly.
"Why is he explaining so much without being asked?"
He also noticed that Liu Ba appeared slightly nervous, as did Qin Yuan and Liu De. Yet Zhu Tian felt that he had done nothing more than ask calmly.
Zhu Tian remained seated, his expression unchanged.
And before the three cultivators, the black-robed youth continued to sit quietly—like a lake without ripples.