In a secluded corner of this vast continent, a thick, ink-like darkness spread unbridled, as if tightly muffled by an invisible and mysterious hand that completely shut out the light. Suddenly, a pair of eyes glowing with an eerie red light snapped open within the endless darkness. That light surged forth with a tangible quality, seemingly possessing the magic to pierce through everything. Just a single glance from them made one tremble all over, a chill rising quietly from the base of the spine straight to the core of the heart.
At that moment, an elderly man stood quietly before the Feng Family ancestral hall. He was none other than Feng Wanliang, the head of the Feng Family. Looking dazed and unsteady on his feet, he paced back and forth across the ancient flagstone floor before the ancestral hall, his brow tightly furrowed and his anxiety plain for all to see.
Just then, Steward Fubo hurried to his side with a panicked expression and said cautiously, "Master, I have already sent people to search thoroughly in the places the young master usually frequents. We should have news of the young master very soon, so please do not worry too much and take good care of your health."
"How can a perfectly healthy young man just vanish like this into thin air? If something were to happen to him, how am I supposed to go on living? And how could I ever face his long-deceased mother?" As Feng Wanliang spoke, his voice choked with emotion, his eyes filled with worry and heartache—a sight that would make anyone truly feel the torment in his heart.
Incidentally, Feng Wenjun's mother was likely his stepmother. She had tragically passed away when Feng Wenjun was very young. Ever since he was old enough to understand things, whenever he recalled this matter, a profound sense of loss would well up in his heart. He always felt that his arrival was what caused his mother's departure, leaving an unhealed scar deep within his young soul that would ache dully from time to time.
At that exact same moment, Feng Wenjun and Xiaoyu were instantly teleported by that mysterious pillar of light right to the front door of the Feng estate. Taking advantage of the fact that Feng Wenjun had not yet fully recovered his senses, Xiaoyu flicked its form and, like a streak of light with a swift *whoosh*, nimbly darted back into the jade token.
Seeing this, Feng Wenjun could not help but marvel inwardly at how astonishingly fast the little fellow was! Knowing that his father must be worried sick about his disappearance, he took two steps in one and sprinted toward the ancestral hall.
The moment he caught sight of his father's figure, he shouted eagerly, "Father, I'm back." Hearing this familiar voice, the family head gave a violent start and hurriedly turned around. When his gaze fell upon Feng Wenjun and he confirmed that the boy was safe and sound, the heart that had been suspended in his throat finally settled firmly back into place.
"You brat, where on earth did you run off to? You scared me to death," the family head said with a trembling voice as he struggled to suppress the surging anger in his chest, occasionally sniffing to keep his tears from falling.
"Alright, Father, didn't I come back safe and sound?" Feng Wenjun beamed, trying to use this cheeky attitude to ease his father's mood and stop him from worrying so much.
After a brief parting with his father, Feng Wenjun returned to his familiar bedroom. He plopped down on the edge of the bed and his mind involuntarily began to replay all the bizarre events that had occurred in that mysterious Secret Realm.
After a moment, as if suddenly remembering something, he reached into his robe and pulled out the jade token, then called out softly, "Come out, Xiaoyu." The moment the words fell, with a *whoosh*, Xiaoyu appeared as if out of thin air, standing solidly right in front of him.
"Xiaoyu, when you come out, can other people see you?" Feng Wenjun asked with a face full of curiosity, staring unblinkingly at Xiaoyu as if hoping to find the answer on its small face. "Ordinary people can't see me at all!" Xiaoyu shook its head with a smug look, then earnestly explained, "However, if you run into people whose spiritual qi is even stronger than mine, they might just be able to detect my presence! But you don't need to worry—the spiritual qi of this continent is extremely thin nowadays, so it should be very hard to run into anyone more powerful than me."
"Spiritual qi? What on earth is that?" Feng Wenjun instinctively rubbed his head, his face full of bewilderment. He found this unfamiliar term both novel and confusing.
Hearing his question, Xiaoyu's eyes lit up instantly, and it began to recount with great enthusiasm: "In that ancient era many tens of thousands of years ago, the earth was filled with rich spiritual qi, and all living creatures in the world were able to cultivate using this heaven-and-earth spiritual qi, thereby shedding their mortal shells to become immortals, constantly breaking through their own limits, shaking off various shackles, and possessing extraordinary abilities." Xiaoyu spoke with such vivid animation that Feng Wenjun was utterly enthralled, as if Xiaoyu's words were leading him into an entirely new world and a door to an unknown realm was slowly opening before him.
His heart filled with excitement and curiosity, and he could not help pressing, "Does a fairy or immortal truly exist in this world?" "Of course!" Xiaoyu answered without the slightest hesitation, its tone resolute and decisive. "In that glorious era, people divided the path of immortal cultivation into numerous realms, starting from the initial Qi Condensation Stage, followed sequentially by the Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Great Vehicle Stage, Tribulation Crossing Stage, and then the Immortal King, Immortal Emperor, Supreme, and so on. Furthermore, each major realm is subdivided into ten minor realms!"
Listening to Xiaoyu's tale, a trace of despondency welled up in Feng Wenjun's heart. He lowered his head to look at himself; currently, he was merely at the Qi Condensation Stage, separated by several major realms from that distant, unattainable realm of the Supreme expert. How long would he have to cultivate on this endless path of immortality before reaching the end? Xiaoyu seemed to see right through his thoughts and gently comforted him, "Don't get discouraged! You must know that you possess the Chaos Bloodline. Once this bloodline completely awakens, improving your realm will be as easy as eating and drinking for you!" Hearing Xiaoyu's words, Feng Wenjun's eyes instantly brightened, and the flame of hope that had nearly extinguished in his heart burned fiercely once again.
That night, Feng Wenjun and Xiaoyu chatted delightfully. Xiaoyu told him many marvelous anecdotes from that era, giving him a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the path of immortal cultivation. Feng Wenjun's heart was filled with such excitement and longing that he tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, his mind brimming with wonderful fantasies of the future.
Early the next morning, when the first ray of sunlight spilled through the window into the room, Steward Fubo hurried to Feng Wenjun's bedroom door, raised his hand to rap heavily on it, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Young master, get up and have breakfast! If you dawdle any longer, you'll be late for school!" Jolted violently out of his dreams by the knocking and shouting, Feng Wenjun scrambled to put on his clothes, washed up simply, finished his breakfast in a rush, and then strode quickly toward the school.
Just as he reached the school gates, a crisp, melodious voice like a silver bell rang out from behind him: "Hello, fellow student! Could you tell me how to get to the academic affairs office?" Instinctively following the direction of the voice, Feng Wenjun saw a graceful girl with a curvaceous figure appear before his eyes.
A waterfall of smooth, pitch-black hair cascaded down to her waist. Though dressed in a neat school uniform that failed to conceal her perfect bodily curves, she stood there looking like a fairy descended from a painting, so breathtakingly beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
Her wide, watery eyes seemed to hold a vast sea of stars, and right now they were fixed on Feng Wenjun with a hint of a smile. That gaze seemed to possess some kind of magic, instantly sending Feng Wenjun's heart into an uncontrollable flutter.
Feng Wenjun felt his face turn burning hot all at once, and he stammered in reply, "I-It's over there." "Thank you so much, student!" That melodious voice sounded in his ear once more, like a gentle spring breeze sweeping across his heart.
Watching the girl's retreating figure, Feng Wenjun muttered to himself inwardly: I am the young master of a great family after all, and I've seen all sorts of beauties in my day; why am I falling apart like this today? Am I really about to sink into this girl's tender trap? He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, then said with feigned composure, "N-No need to thank me." But before he could even finish his sentence, the girl vanished from the spot like a gust of wind, leaving Feng Wenjun standing there in a daze, staring at the direction where she had disappeared and unable to recover his senses for a long time.
Coming back to his senses, Feng Wenjun walked straight toward the classroom. Sitting at his desk, his eyes drifted out the window and he involuntarily drifted off into a daze, his mind filled entirely with that girl's figure and her sweet smile.