"Our continent is called the Tianling Continent. It is vast and boundless. With the power of the Spirit Awakening Realm, one could spend their entire life and not even walk one-tenth or one-twentieth of it."
"The Tianling Continent is divided into four great regions—east, south, west, and north—along with the Central Region at the very core."
"Our home is situated in the Eastern Region, one of those four great regions. Though it is merely one of the four, it remains unimaginably vast, home to countless sects and empires."
"Then there are the endless Myriad Mountains surrounding us, along with the fierce beasts dwelling within them."
"Together, they make up the entire Eastern Region, while our Ye Family Village lies in an inconspicuous, tiny corner of an empire called Yunling."
"Villages like ours are like grains of sand in a desert across the Eastern Region, far too numerous to count."
"When your grandpa was young, he traveled across the entire continent and witnessed all sorts of wonders. For certain reasons, he returned here, intending to settle down and put down roots."
"Although the outside world is immensely magnificent, it is also fraught with peril. Out there, strength is everything. Sometimes, a powerhouse might simply kill you on a whim just because they dislike the look of you."
"Or perhaps, in your quest for power and resources, you will be hunted down and killed by a mob, or end up devoured in the jaws of a fierce beast."
"Everything comes down to the fact that their strength surpasses yours; to them, might always makes right."
"Grandpa knows you and the children of the village yearn for the wonder of the outside world, but you haven't even entered the Spirit Awakening Realm. To you, going out there is no different from walking right into a tiger's den—your life and death would depend entirely on luck!"
As he spoke, the old man gently stroked Ye Hun's cheek, his expression filled with reluctance and lingering attachment.
Ye Hun placed his hand over the old village chief's hand and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, Grandpa, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here in Ye Family Village."
"There's no need for that. Let everything be left to fate!"
The old village chief withdrew his aged hand, took a puff of his dry tobacco, and replied casually with an air of unfathomable mystery.
Afterward, the old village chief told Ye Hun many things: the major events of his youth, the brothers he had befriended, and the fierce battles bathed in blood.
It made Ye Hun's eyes shine bright, his lips parted slightly in utter fascination!
···
A full hour later, the old village chief took his final puff of smoke and said to Ye Hun, "All right, let's stop here for today!"
"The dinner Uncle Gang brought over just a moment ago must be getting cold. Hurry up and eat!"
Reluctantly, Ye Hun stood up, helped the old village chief over to the dining table, placed the largest piece of meat in front of him, and poured him a cup of water.
Only then did he begin his own meal, savoring the memory of the old village chief's magnificent journey, which made his food taste all the more delicious.
After finishing dinner, Ye Hun bid the old village chief farewell. Seeing that his grandfather promised to continue the unfinished stories tomorrow, he skipped happily back to his room to rest.
What he did not know was that throughout this time, the old village chief kept watching him, as if trying to etch Ye Hun's image deeply into his mind.
His gaze was deeply complicated, filled with lingering attachment and reluctance, staring blankly and wistfully at the back of Ye Hun as he walked away.
"I'm sorry, little Hun! Grandpa might... not be able to watch you grow up or tell you stories anymore."
The old village chief murmured to himself, appearing to age decades in a single instant, as two lines of clear tears streamed down his deep-set eyes.
Naturally, Ye Hun knew nothing of this. Upon returning to his room, he did not rest, instead taking out the very last Azure Spirit Fruit.
"Grandpa only ate one, and there's one left. I wonder if this final one can help me break through to the Spirit Awakening Realm!"
Ye Hun muttered to himself, then sat cross-legged on the bed and consumed the last Azure Spirit Fruit.
Immediately, a familiar surge of energy entered Ye Hun's body, exactly as it had earlier that morning.
He was already well-acquainted with the process. Riding this wave of energy, he repeatedly bombarded his lower dantian in his abdomen, attempting to shatter the shackles.
Yet every single attempt ended in failure, as if there were a thin layer of window paper that simply refused to puncture.
Soon, the medicinal potency faded, and Ye Hun lay flat on the wooden bed with a look of utter dejection.
He could not understand it no matter how hard he thought. Others could break through with just a single Azure Spirit Fruit, two at most—take Ye Feng, for instance!
Yet he had consumed a full three of them and still failed to break through. Where on earth was the problem?
Even with Ye Hun's normally calm and indifferent state of mind, a trace of reluctance still lingered within him.
"Sigh~ Maybe I'm just not cut out for cultivation!"
Ye Hun could only think this way, unable to come up with any other explanation.
"Never mind, never mind. Grandpa said that being overly obsessed only ruins the beauty of what already exists."
"I'm doing pretty well right now. I have Grandpa, I have friends, and I have the uncles and aunts of Ye Family Village. What's the rush to cultivate?"
"Besides, cultivation isn't something achieved overnight. Who knows, maybe I'm just a late bloomer."
Ye Hun comforted himself this way, calming his mood. Deciding against further cultivation for the night, he went straight to sleep.
The bright moonlight shone through the window onto the youth's calm and serene face, looking so peaceful!
···
Early in the morning!
Just as he did every day, Ye Hun woke up early, prepared breakfast for Old Village Chief Grandpa, and got ready for his morning cultivation practice.
Right at that moment, the old village chief called out to him and handed him a bundle.
In an aged voice, he said, "Little Hun! Take this bundle to the money shop in town and fetch something back for me."
"The journey there is not short. You can go alone, or if someone is willing to go with you, that's fine too."
"Based on the distance, you should arrive by evening. The bundle contains silver for lodging and the voucher to pick up the item, so you can spend the night in the town."
"Even if you walk fast, don't come back today, lest you run into trouble walking mountain paths too late."
The old village chief instructed him in meticulous detail, leaving Ye Hun baffled.
"All right, Grandpa. But what about my morning cultivation today?"
Ye Hun thought for a moment and asked.
"Don't you worry about that; Grandpa will explain it."
"Hurry up and go!"
The old village chief urged him!
"Very well! Then I'm off, Grandpa."
Without asking any further questions, Ye Hun said goodbye and left.
The old village chief stood in front of the doorway, watching the retreating figure of Ye Hun until it vanished completely.
A long while later, leaning on his cane, he walked back into the courtyard, lay back down on his recliner, and began to rock, making a creaking sound.
Unlike usual, however, this time the old village chief did not smoke; instead, he stared blankly at everything in the courtyard, lost in thought!
Finally, perhaps growing annoyed by the creaking sound, he patted the recliner he had rested on for who knows how long and said, "Little Hun was right, this chair really is too old. When my grandson gets back, I'm replacing you!"
With his bundle on his back, Ye Hun walked along the path leading out of the village. Along the way, he greeted many uncles and elders. Learning that he was running an errand outside the village for the village chief, none of them insisted on keeping him for a meal at their homes.
Just as he was approaching the village entrance, he happened to run into Ye Feng, who was actually on his way to look for Ye Hun. It was a perfect coincidence.
"Ye Hun! Where are you going with that bundle on your back?"
Ye Feng walked over, looked him up and down, and asked!
"Grandpa asked me to go to town to pick up something for him."
"And you?"
"Aren't you supposed to be cultivating today?"
Hearing Ye Hun's question, Ye Feng burst out laughing.
"Ye Hun, you have no idea how happy my dad was yesterday when he saw I broke through to the Spirit Awakening Realm."
"He literally dragged me around the village several times, especially to the homes of uncles and elders he often bragbed to about his son, telling them how much honor I brought him, and that I'm the youngest person in the village to reach the Spirit Awakening Realm. He even stewed the bear paw the family had prepared for the festival."
"Later, when I gave them the Azure Spirit Fruit, my dad—old as he is—almost cried. It cracked me up."
"Then he specifically gave me a day off and told me to go have some fun."
"Ye Hun, going by yourself is too boring. I'll go with you, and the timing couldn't be better!"
Ye Feng said with a smile!
"I might not be coming back tonight. Won't your parents worry?"
"It's fine! They know I went to find you, and they'll assume I'm staying at your place anyway. Besides, the old village chief will tell them I'm with you."
Ye Feng said nonchalantly.
Ye Hun thought about it; having Ye Feng along would definitely make the trip much more interesting, so he happily agreed.
And so, the two of them set off together toward the town!