After moving for a while, they found a good hiding spot.
"Here's the plan," Lian whispered.
"We wait for them to finish fighting. After that, one of us distracts the remaining beast while the other grabs the Fire Essence."
Lian took his sword out from his dimensional storage ring.
"Mhm." Yànhuā nodded as she drew her blade. It was a deep sapphire-blue, releasing a chilling aura that made Lian's bones tremble.
The beasts continued their battle. The Firebird swooped through the air, slashing across the serpent's eye.
The snake recoiled in agony and spat a red poison that splashed onto the Firebird's leg, instantly melting it. The trees nearby dissolved as well, turning into dust where the poison touched.
"Kurrrr!" The Firebird screeched and rose into the sky again, wings blazing.
But the serpent was faster. Its spiked tail whipped forward, catching the Firebird mid-flight and slamming it into the ground. The giant snake immediately coiled around its body, crushing it with overwhelming force.
"Krrr—! Krrr—!" The Firebird screamed and struggled, but it was already too late.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
The bird's bones shattered one by one. The Firebird stopped moving.
"It's time," Lian said.
He leapt forward with his sword in hand and, without hesitation, drove the blade into the serpent's remaining eye.
The serpent jerked its head up, writhing in pain, and managed to fling Lian away. He spun through the air and landed hard, but immediately rushed forward again, his blade flashing as it struck the snake's scales.
He attacked using the second technique of the astral blade, a piercing attack.
"Damn it—its scales are so tough I can't even cut through!" Lian thought as the sword left only a shallow wound.
Before he could react further, a swift strike from the serpent's tail shot toward him.
Bang!
The tail slammed into his body and sent him flying.
He heard his body crack, but couldn't pinpoint where the sound came from.
"Oho? It can still find me?" he muttered, forcing himself to his feet.
Both of the serpent's eyes were destroyed, yet it continued lunging toward him. Its eyes remained tightly shut, but it kept charging straight at him.
"Mmm… snakes can sense vibrations through the ground," Lian whispered. "Is that what's happening?"
His brow raised, trying to find a solution.
He picked up a nearby stone and hurled it forward. Instantly, the serpent turned in that direction and struck.
"So that's how it is."
Using his footwork technique, Lian darted around rapidly. His afterimages flickered as the serpent kept striking—not at his body, but at the echoes and disturbances he left behind.
"Are you done?" Lian shouted, panting. He was exhausted, and still no signal from her.
"Yes!"
And when Lian looked up, he saw the most majestic sight he had witnessed in his entire life.
Yànhuā had transformed.
Her hair turned snow-white, her robes shifted to an icy blue. The air shook with pressure—far beyond her cultivation realm.
Her blade chimed, and the world around her froze solid. With a single swift motion, she swung.
And the air froze, forming ice as her blade drew towards the snake.
The snake's head fell.
Its massive body crashed to the ground, instantly frozen as it hit the earth.
Lian's instincts screamed danger.
She slowly descended, landing lightly. The transformation faded as if nothing had happened.
But her breath did seem a little unsteady.
"What… what was that?" Lian asked, his voice trembling.
"It's my family's secret technique," she replied calmly.
Hearing those words, Lian didn't pry further. He understood better than most that families protected their techniques with their lives. Revealing such a secret could destroy an entire clan.
"Did you get the essence?" Lian asked, changing the topic.
"Yeah. Here."
She handed him an ice crystal. Inside was the Fire Essence—burning and flickering like a caged flame, its colours reflecting off the crystal walls.
"Goodbye," Lian said, turning away as soon as he received it.
"What, you think I'll steal it after giving it to you?" Yànhuā asked, a little offended.
"No—no. I just have to return to the compound!" Lian shouted back. His voice echoed as he was already gliding through the trees, vanishing into the forest.
After travelling for a while, Lian found a secluded mountain cave and entered.
Sitting cross-legged on the cold stone, he began cultivating to heal from the battle.
"I think it was a good idea to leave after receiving the essence," he muttered. "If I stayed longer, something bad would have happened.
There's something peculiar about her. Sure, forming a connection would have been nice… but after seeing that technique, I doubt she would have let me walk away."
After seeing their family technique cultivators, they would make it a point to kill whoever saw it. Lian was right to flee; there was a chance he would die.
He took a deep breath and circulated his Qi.
His spiritual energy ran through his meridians, slow at first, then steady and calm.
"The barrier to the Foundation Realm has cracked a little," he said, inspecting his dantian.
After a full day of recovery, his injuries were mostly healed. Lian then took out the Fire Essence.
The flame inside the crystal flickered violently, as if it were alive and struggling to break free.
"If I absorb this," Lian whispered, "I'll have enough power to win any battle."
He began cultivating the Lotus Sutra. The world's Qi flowed toward him, and he drew it into his body like a whirlpool. His meridians expanded and pulsed with spiritual light.
Once his breathing stabilised, he reached toward the Fire Essence.
"Mmm… what's this?" Lian muttered as he widened his senses. "The ice also contains Qi Ice essence…"
A freezing force suddenly surged into his body. It was unbearably cold—like he was naked in the heart of winter. His flesh trembled; his bones ached.
Even so, he pressed forward.
Soon, his Qi touched the Fire Essence itself—heat erupted like a volcano.
"AAAHHH!"
Lian roared as the two energies invaded his body. One cold. One burning hot. They crashed into each other inside his meridians like two warring beasts.
Half his meridians froze. The other half ignited in flame.
His entire body became a battlefield.
"Concentrate…" he thought, biting down hard. "The Lotus Sutra teaches balance. Ice and fire… if I don't balance them, I'll die."
"I was reckless; I should have searched for a proper method to absorb the essence."
The cold Qi and the fiery Qi clashed again and again within him, shaking his core. His dantian trembled violently.
"All lies in balance," he whispered. "I must find the middle path…"
"Hot and cold… yin and yang…" Lian murmured unconsciously.
These energies exist naturally in nature. They complement each other. There can't be light without darkness… There can't be warmth without cold. As winter comes, so does summer. As the seasons cycle, so does the natural order."
He didn't realise it himself, but in that moment, he was comprehending the laws of nature.
The two energies spiralled violently through him. One moment, the entire cave froze over—ice spreading across the walls. The next scorching heat melted it back into water, which evaporated into mist.
This continuous rotation, mixing with Lian's Qi, changed the environment around him.
Grass sprouted along the stone floor. Small shoots emerged, then grew into tiny trees.
The once-barren cave slowly transformed into a cradle of life. As days passed, insects and little creatures wandered in, living off the plants flourishing from the shifting energies.
"I understand now… I shouldn't fight these energies… but let them flow," Lian whispered.
A soft rumble echoed. Lian lifted from the ground, floating cross-legged as a lotus of pure light bloomed beneath him.
His skin began to crack—not with wounds, but with glowing fissures—as the two energies seeped into him. Ancient symbols formed across his body, shining faintly.
"Huuuu…"
He exhaled deeply, steadying his mind as the final moment approached.
Crack!
The barrier that had been holding him back shattered.
All the surrounding Qi surged toward him in a violent rush, pouring into his body as if the world itself was being drained dry. The lotus beneath him absorbed a portion of it as well. A few moments later, the lotus turned translucent… then faded completely, disappearing as if it had never existed.
Lian slowly floated down. His feet touched the ground, and he opened his eyes.
"Mmm…" he murmured, opening and closing his hand. "So, this is the Foundation Realm… I can feel the Qi surging through me. It's twice—no, three times more than I had before."
A cool feeling washed over Lian.
He stood up and tried to balance himself on a nearby stone.
The moment his foot touched it—
Crk—
The stone crumbled under his weight, collapsing into dust.
"Haaa… my body feels even tougher now."
He finally took in the surroundings. "Wait… there weren't any trees when I got here."
"Oh well, whatever," He said, walking toward the entrance, and the creatures around him scattered in fear.
Once outside, he drew his sword and swung downward. An arc of orange flame traced through the air. When the sword touched the ground, all the trees in front of him were sliced cleanly in half—each one instantly set ablaze.
He swung again. A streak of icy blue followed, and frost spread across the forest, freezing everything in its path.
"So, this is the power of the laws, what a great harvest… but let's never do that again. I almost died," Lian muttered, leaping forward.
"Mhpt—mhpt… what's that smell?" Lian muttered, lifting his arm.
The moment he sniffed, he nearly gagged. A foul stench assaulted his nose—thick, rotten, unbearable. His skin was coated in layers of sticky black goo.
"So these were all the impurities I had…" he thought, horrified.
Without wasting a second, he sprinted toward a nearby river and dove straight in—clothes and all. The cold water splashed up around him as he scrubbed himself clean, peeling off the dark grime clinging to his skin.
As he relaxed for a moment, he caught sight of his reflection in the water.
He froze.
His hair had grown longer, soft and dark, flowing past his shoulders. His body had changed too—he had grown several inches taller, his muscles refined and sharply defined. His face looked different, the bone structure more pronounced, his features sharper—almost like a noble prince from an ancient dynasty.
He washed thoroughly and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
A moment later, he suddenly realised something.
He frowned. "I wonder how many days have passed."
"I should hurry back. I wasted too much time here."
His speed had increased tenfold. With a single breath, he dashed toward the mansion like a streak of light.
As Lian sprinted back, the forest behind him fading into the distance, he began hearing whispers from the people gathered near the outskirts of Tianlong.
"Did you hear? The Heavenly Star Sect will be attending the Xing Family Gathering. They're even inviting all the geniuses to participate," a young man said excitedly.
"I want to try my luck. Maybe they'll choose me," another replied, eyes shining with hope.
"Hah! You wish," the first man snorted. "You won't even make it into the top hundred."
"Maybe you're right," the second man admitted with an awkward laugh. "But I bet I can beat that trash Lian Xing, though. I heard he hasn't even broken through the first layer."
They both burst into laughter.
"Yeah, yeah—I'm sure I could beat him with one hand," the first one added proudly.
Their voices stabbed like needles, but Lian didn't look at them. He passed by, silent.
Across all of Tianlong City, he was known as the number one trash among the youth.
Moments later, he slipped back into his usual path and snuck into the Xing compound undetected. He moved quietly, avoiding the guards, and soon reached his shabby little hut.
Not long after, as if fate had arranged it, the boys arrived—loud, arrogant, and as rowdy as ever—heading straight for Lian's house.
"Lian! Come out, you piece of trash! I have news from the Patriarch," Yue Xing shouted, his usual group of lackeys standing behind him with smug expressions.
Lian didn't want to go out—he hated dealing with them—but a message from the Patriarch wasn't something he could ignore. With a quiet breath, he stepped outside.
The boys wore wide, mocking grins. Yue Xing himself was dressed in ostentatious armour trimmed with silver and streaks of jade-green. The sight alone made Lian's brow tighten.
"What do you want, Yue?" Lian asked flatly, voice cold.
Yue's smile widened, and something about it made Lian's skin crawl.
"Here. Take it," Yue said, handing him a folded sheet.
Lian opened it.
His eyes moved across the words slowly.
Divorce papers.
"Your engagement with Mai has been cancelled," Yue declared dramatically. "The Zhou Family announced it today."
Lian didn't react. He simply folded the paper again, slid it into his sleeve, and turned to walk away.
But Yue wasn't done.
"And for your own sake," Yue called behind him, "don't show up tomorrow. You'll embarrass yourself even more. The geniuses from Tianlong are coming—and the minimum realm is Foundation Realm."
Yue and his gang burst into loud laughter, spitting on the ground before swaggering off.