Ye Futian was shocked by the power of his punch. Delighted by what he had just accomplished, something suddenly slipped into his mind. He closed his eyes, and his consciousness went into the Life Palace.
The apparition of Ye Futian appeared under the World Tree. His eyes filled with excitement. At that moment, the jade green tree was faintly covered in flames, looking radiant with fire-element Qi. What shocked Ye Futian even more was the bright, sun-shaped matter that hung in the sky. It exuded a breathtaking flame, though it was far from the dazzling effect of the real sun.
The mind of an actual cultivator always had some kind of artifact in their Life Palace. For some, it would be a mountain or river. For Ye Futian, it was a bright sun.
This power felt so strong that it almost absorbed the essence of the universe. Ye Futian was shocked as he stared at the sun in his Life Palace. Suddenly, he felt as if he were the sun himself. The Spiritual Qi of the entire universe had flowed inside him, then into his constellation and the World Tree.
The World Tree now had flames, and the sun above had grown even brighter.
Oh my, this scorching feeling. Ye Futian felt like he was in the middle of the sun; his joints, muscles, and bones were continually being forged by the flame of the sun.
My spirit lies in my Life Palace… Ye Futian mumbled to himself. Suddenly, he remembered something—something that could possibly be happening. He began to focus, and soon after the glow of the sun had burst out of his head and shone all over the place. It gave his face a sense of holiness.
"Your spirit in your Life Palace—is it a sun?" Yu Sheng asked, standing beside him.
Ye Futian suddenly opened his eyes. The glow was now gone. He looked at Yu Sheng, slightly confused, then mumbled, "I seem to be able to make spirit in the palace…"
He realized the sun in his Life Palace was obviously the spirit. It had boosted his cultivation, and even showed increased improvement on his body.
Yu Sheng was thrilled; his eyes opened wide. He stared at Ye Futian and asked sincerely, "Then please, create one for me?"
Ye Futian was speechless. Yu Sheng was so out of line. How could he even think to ask Ye Futian to make him a spirit in his palace after having been thrilled like this?
"Keep an eye on your imagination, buddy," Ye Futian nodded, turning away.
Yu Sheng was confused again. "Where to?"
"Time for cultivation. We have to observe some animals." Ye Futian laughed, seemingly in good spirits. The sun was pushing him through planes so fast that it would be entirely possible to reach the Juggernaut Plane from the Adamant Plane. Though it would require the extreme coordination of strength and spirit, once he arrived at Juggernaut, he would be able to integrate his mind, strength, and spirit. Every technique and move would evolve into a new level of power in the Juggernaut Plane for him. He had to put in the effort.
Mount Tianyao was surrounded by herds of demons, even on its perimeter. Soon after they marched into the mountain area, Ye Futian and Yu Sheng were met with a level four Swift Demon Panther.
"Yu Sheng, go wait to intercept her; I will chase after her." Ye Futian commanded Yu Sheng. Hearing the order, Yu Sheng flew like an arrow, with a momentum that somehow shook the earth. The Panther sensed the threat, and suddenly tried to run away like a bolt of lightning.
"Soul generates mind, mind guides strength; creator of the universe, break your limit and unleash all your power..."
Ye Futian mumbled out the spells of unleashed cultivation power. As he ran, the Panther created a shadow figure, sprinting in his mind. It seemed that almost every single one of Panther's moves were being repeated and slowed down in his mind.
Gradually, his body had unconsciously copied the gestures of the Panther. When he lept into the air, his right leg curled a bit to burst harder into the next step. It was almost as if he were the Panther himself. Though he ran fast, he was still not proficient enough for the Panther's moves, so the Panther was almost able to get away from him. Fortunately, Yu Sheng managed to cut off its escape.
It's not just strength; it's the power of the wind. Ye Futian could perceive the wind-element power surrounding the Panther. He began to feel that his body had also absorbed energy from the wind; his clothes rustled, and his movements became even more fluent. Half an hour later, he merged with the wind, just as the Panther had.
"Yu Sheng, leave her alone. I'm done." Ye Futian stopped running, and Yu Sheng let go of the Panther.
"You are such a great imitator," Yu Sheng complimented. He had watched Ye Futian gain the essence of the Panther's moves in only half an hour.
"I have a sense of wind-element power. As long as I practice my techniques as the Panther has, I will have her speed. It's still not enough though. It looks like you have more work to do for me these days," Ye Futian laughed. Yu Sheng did not say anything, but followed him in silence.
The following few days, Ye Futian developed in Mount Tianyao. He observed and imitated the movement patterns of monkeys, tigers, lions, and even birds. He progressed every single day.
On the tenth day, he made it to the fifth plane of awakening, the Juggernaut. That day, Ye Futian and Yu Sheng walked deep inside the forest. The earth began to shake lightly, as did the trees around them. A terrible voice came roaring in their ears.
They looked at each other to make a decision, then walked towards the source of the voice. The shaking became even worse. Finally, they saw a giant, furious monster, which was over five meters tall.
"Wow, that is a level nine demon; Ape the Furious." Yu Sheng's eyes looked sharp. The giant demon was a real threat to him. What was surprising, however, was seeing a graceful beauty standing right in front of the Ape.
The girl was dressed in all white. Her hair danced along with the wind, as did her skirt. Her facial features were so perfect that she would definitely be considered a "Helen of Troy" when she grew older.
"It's Hua Jieyu. I know her." This girl was a legend at Qingzhou Academy. Ye Futian marveled at her beauty.
"Should we help?" Yu Sheng asked.
"Wait, the Ape is injured." Ye Futian noticed that the Ape had wounds all over, while the girl looked safe.
"Hua." The Ape suddenly stepped towards the girl with a loud roar. Because of the size difference, it seemed clear that the girl could not withstand one attack. However, Hua Jieyu swiftly flew towards a tree to evade the attack.
The Ape knocked down the tree, then picked it up as a weapon to swing at Hua Jieyu. The strength of the throw was terrifying.
The girl remained calm. She bounced all over the air. She also used leaves as her weapon. The leaves charged towards the Ape as if they were blades, and each one made a sound as they flew through the air.
The Ape tried to block the leaf blades with the tree in hand. The leaves were everywhere, and after a while, the tree had almost been cut into pieces.
Gravel and boulders flew all around. Hua Jieyu fell behind another tree and closed her eyes. Suddenly, all the flying rubble charged towards the Ape. Each piece of debris was like a small blade; together, they were eroding the defense of the Ape by cutting into his skin bit by bit. Even more horrifying was the extreme razor-like lance of rubble that had been formed by Hua Jieyu's Qi, and was pointed right at the Ape.
Such a powerful spell. Ye Futian was completely shocked. A moment later, he witnessed the lance pierce right through the eye of the Ape. The giant monster growled in extreme pain and began to run away. He knocked down every tree on his way.
The girl did not chase after the Ape. She slowly descended to the ground, as if she were a Goddess gracing the planet with her presence.
"Enjoyed the show, didn't you?" Hua Jieyu smiled softly. Ye Futian and Yu Sheng walked out of their hiding spots and looked at the girl, who was their age, in shock.
"You are a multiple-element mage? Are you serious?" Ye Futian asked.
"I know you." Hua Jieyu didn't answer Ye Futian's question, instead choosing to look at him.
"Sounds like I am famous." Ye Futian also smiled. He seemed genuinely honored to be known by the legendary beauty of the academy.
"It was three years ago at the Entry Test of the academy. I overheard what you said when we first met."
"Huh…." Ye Futian sensed the awkwardness in the air, but he soon calmed down and asked, "What did I say?"
Hua Jieyu gave him a sweet smile that nearly took his soul away.
"You asked if I was a fairy." She kept smiling, then turned back into the forest.
Of course. Ye Futian was paralyzed for a second, then nodded at the figure as she left.
"Looks like you remember it." Yu Sheng also watched her as she left.
Ye Futian thought back to three years ago. When he had first met the then 12-year-old Hua Jieyu, he had told Yu Sheng, "She's too beautiful to be a human. In a few years she's going to be a fairy, and dangerous for men."
"People say that she has reached the ninth plane of awakening already, and that she majored in both strength and spells. I cannot imagine how awesome the spells she used were; most people in the ninth plane of awakening cannot do the same things she did. Rumor also has it that she is a Mandate Sorcerer. Some great master in the academy already made her their private disciple. Guys are going after her, but none of them could even remotely match her beauty and talent," Yu Sheng mumbled.
"She's caught your heart. Am I right?" Futian mocked him.
Yu Sheng shook his head, then said in a serious tone, "I think she's here for you."
"Come on," Ye Futian said as he patted the top of Yu Sheng's head, "Just stop thinking, then."
He turned back and suddenly smiled like a child. "To be honest, though, I do want to marry her. She's definitely qualified to be a wife candidate," Ye Futian chuckled.
Yu Sheng stumbled upon hearing this. He stared at Ye Futian from behind. Just a candidate? What a rude joke.