The moment the old man displayed his skill, Ye Wan, who was inside the house, almost lost her composure. The first thought that came to her mind was that her master had lost his mind and was about to take action against Yang Ze. The moment this thought came to her mind, she immediately wanted to rush outside, but the sheer pressure from the aura of heaven and earth made it impossible for her to move. With every passing second, her expression was growing increasingly anxious. And when the pressure was finally gone, she immediately rushed outside the house.
Contrary to her expectations, the scene in front of her was rather peaceful. Her master was still sitting with Yang Ze while speaking.
"Phew." Letting out a relieved sigh, she glanced at them one more time before heading inside the room. "I need to stop overthinking." These were her only thoughts at the moment as she made her way back.
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Yang Ze, on the other hand, wasn't so calm. After witnessing the powers displayed by the old man, he wanted to run away as far as possible to try them himself. After all, the allure of such strength was too much for anyone. Much less a person from modern Earth who had always dreamt of it.
"How..." Stuttering in the middle, he controlled his excitement as he asked in a trembling voice. "How do we add intent to our Qi?" This was what he wanted to know the most. He could try to use his own Qi with the aura of heaven and earth, but he wasn't so sure about the so-called 'intent'.
"Oh!" The old man hadn't expected that question. In his mind, the boy should have been in awe—maybe even too overwhelmed to speak—after witnessing everything. But to his surprise, the boy had taken it rather well. Most mortals who saw such things would fall to their knees, trembling and worshipping him like a god. That's why he was caught off guard when the boy recovered so quickly and was even in the mood to ask a question.
"Depends on what one wants to comprehend." The old man replied in a rather laid-back voice. "There are a few techniques that one can practice for it."
It was clear from his explanation that he didn't want to say anything more. Maybe it was a secret known only to those in the Innate Realm—something they chose to keep to themselves, or perhaps he was holding back out of goodwill. Whatever the reason, Yang Ze didn't press him further. He would learn it eventually, so he might as well be patient. Still, there was one more thing he was desperate to know.
He thought it over for a moment. He wasn't sure if the old man would be willing to answer his next question, but there was no harm in asking. Since he had nothing to lose, he might as well give it a try. After all, he had already asked plenty of questions—one more couldn't hurt, right?
"There are three realms: Qi condensing, Qi guiding, and Innate." After speaking, Yang Ze paused for a moment as his eyes were glued to the old man in front of him.
"What comes after Innate?"
This... This was what he wanted to know. The old man in front of him was the strongest person he had ever seen since his arrival in this world. He wanted to know whether there were even more powerful people than the old man, and if there were, just how strong were they?
"After Innate?" The old man was seemingly taken aback by this question. He truly didn't expect him to ask such a question. For a moment, he even admired the boy in front of him. Even after witnessing his strength firsthand, he still wanted to know about the power that surpasses it.
"Why?" This time, the old man's tone was rather leisurely. After reaching the realm of Innate, he seldom had conversations like these. The very few people he usually talks with are his fellow sect members. Everyone else treated him like some kind of god. It was enjoyable at first, but with the passing years, he grew tired of it. That was why he was so relaxed and willing to answer the boy in front of him, who, even after witnessing his strength, treated him like an ordinary old man.
"....." The question was simple, but Yang Ze didn't know how to give a definitive answer. He was just curious and truly wanted to know what his next step was going to be. After all, unlike others, he didn't need to practice for decades. And just when he was about to answer, the old man interrupted him.
"Is it because you want to take revenge?" The old man looked at him as if he had seen through him. It was normal for a young boy to take revenge after going through so much. He had seen similar things way too many times. As for how many of them were actually successful... Heh!
"Yes." Yang Ze immediately threw the words he was thinking and nodded his head in response. He didn't bother to clear the misunderstanding with the old man. Since he thought that he was looking for revenge against an Innate powerhouse, so be it.
"Heh... It would be a miracle if you could reach the late Qi Guiding realm, much less Innate. But you are still dreaming of surpassing Innate?" The old man almost laughed at his question. "Forget it... There is no harm in telling you about it."
"The path after Innate is rather... How should I say it?" The old man narrowed his eyes before finding the correct word. "Different."
"Oh! Different how?" Yang Ze's eyes were flashing with excitement. It was as if the moment the old man told him, he would directly step into it. Though it was an overstatement, this was what Yang Ze felt at that moment.
"When one reaches the peak of Innate, one has to make a choice. Traverse one of the three paths to step into the next realm." His voice grew a bit hoarse as he spoke these words. It was as if he wasn't speaking to the boy in front of him, but to himself.
Yang Ze didn't interrupt him but kept his ears open. To him, this was a godsend opportunity to learn more about the power structure of this world.
"But just because there is a choice, doesn't mean one can easily make it. Every choice has a consequence and difficulty."
"The first path is the path of Immortals." After speaking this sentence, the old man paused momentarily and took a deep breath.
"The second path is the path of Nether."
"And the third path is the path of origin."
Speaking till here, the old man went silent. Looking at his closed eyes, Yang Ze wanted to curse out loud. Since he had already told him so much, why was he still acting so mysterious? Why couldn't he just tell him about them clearly? The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got. In the end, Yang Ze couldn't control himself before asking the question.
"What's the difference between them?" He desperately wanted to know what the difference between them was. But to his disappointment, the old man's next words silenced him,
"There is a saying: The Immortal refines Qi. The Nether refines Soul. But the Origin refines the Self—body, will, and truth made one. The true path, walked by none..."
"Huh!?" Yang Ze couldn't understand what any of that meant. It sounded so mysterious yet completely bogus. The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. He wanted to ask what it all meant, but before he could do it, Ye Wan had already arrived with a small pot of porridge.
"Thanks." Yang Ze thanked her in a hurry and was about to ask the old man, but looking at him, who had turned his eyes closed, he let out a sigh. It was clear that the old man didn't want to talk about it anymore. The only thing he could do now was to eat the porridge in silence while thinking about it.
He had gone through a lot today. From meeting the old man to witnessing his strength, to finally finding a clue about the next realm. It was going to take some time for him to digest all this information.
Ye Wan, on the other hand, didn't ask what they were talking about. After handing him porridge, she just headed back to her room, leaving the two of them alone.
Yang Ze spent the entire day trying to understand everything he had been told. By the time he came out of his trance, evening had already fallen. When he looked ahead, the old man was nowhere to be seen—he had left at some unknown point. The only things accompanying him now were the gentle, cool breeze and the quiet chirping of insects.
Slowly standing up from the chair, Yang Ze felt the tearing pain all over his body. Dragging his injured body to his crude hut, Yang Ze slowly drifted into a deep sleep. It seemed that it was going to take a few days for him to completely recover.
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For the next four days, Yang Ze had no meaningful interaction with Ye Wan or her master. Because of his injuries, he woke up at different times—sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. Aside from occasionally checking his pulse and wounds or bringing him food, neither the old man nor Ye Wan disturbed him.
During those four days, Yang Ze didn't stay confined to his room. He often wandered around, exploring his surroundings. Sometimes, he would sit by the river for hours, seemingly lost in thought. Other times, he would walk along the forest's edge. In this quiet, desolate place, the only thing that truly caught his attention was the fog that blanketed the forest ahead. It seemed ever-present, without beginning or end—as if it had always been there and always would be. He even considered stepping into it to see what lay beyond, but the moment he moved forward, an overwhelming sense of danger washed over him. It felt as though the fog was an abyss, ready to swallow him whole if he dared to take another step.
Ye Wan and the old man, on the other hand, always seemed busy. The old man would often disappear for a while, only to return with bundles of herbs and flowers. He would then sort them and have Ye Wan identify each one. Afterward, he would guide her patiently, correcting her when needed and offering deeper explanations. Yang Ze listened in, hoping to learn something, but aside from realizing they were discussing herbs and medicines, nothing else made sense to him. The old man's words felt like some kind of heavenly scripture—completely undecipherable and beyond his grasp. It reminded him of sitting in his math class back on Earth, utterly lost.
It was on the evening of the fifth day that the old man finally spoke to him after days of silence. "Tomorrow, we will leave this place and head back to the sect."
He didn't offer further explanation or ask how Yang Ze was feeling. After notifying him, the old man gave him a brief pat on the shoulder before walking away, leaving Yang Ze standing there with a visible sense of relief. Only he knew how he had spent the past few days. Though the place was serene, having two other people around made him feel awkward. He, who was used to living alone, found their presence rather uncomfortable. Now that they were finally leaving, a sense of anticipation filled him.
It was finally time for him to begin a new chapter in his life...