Chapter 119: Arrived at the Heavenly Mandate Hall

Bai Ze glanced at Wind Dragon and sent a voice transmission. "Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. There's precedent for a human's Heavenly Pool evolving into a small world.

"I may not know the origins of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, but I do know that the Heavenly Pool's shift toward a small world is caused by the continuous growth of the tree. All I do is help stabilize the process.

"I first noticed it the moment the king used his divine power. You just didn't see it because you were unconscious at the time."

Wind Dragon's mind raced as he recalled the first time they had entered the Beast King Manor. "Could it have been then? When he was severely injured and unconscious?"

Bai Ze smiled subtly. "You're finally remembering it now? Don't worry. Once you comprehend the laws and recover the memories of the elemental beasts, you'll realize just how important this Green Sovereign Divine Tree really is."

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"The memories of elemental beasts? What exactly is hiding in them?" Wind Dragon's excitement flared. "The boss has mentioned it before, and now you're saying the same thing. What is it, really?"

Bai Ze's lips curved in a mocking smile. "You can ask the boss yourself. But until you comprehend the laws, I doubt he'll tell you."

Feeling the tension between them, Lu Chen asked, "What are you two doing? Why are you suddenly so worked up?"

"Nothing!" Bai Ze replied casually. "Just pondering why these changes are happening."

"

Hmm...

well..." Lu Chen grinned. "Maybe I really am the protagonist of a novel, constantly stumbling upon opportunities and coincidences."

"

Heh,

protagonist? Without us, you wouldn't have survived half as many times," Wind Dragon teased. Then, through voice transmission, he whispered to Bai Ze, "You better not try anything, or I won't forgive you."

Bai Ze snorted silently. "

Hmph...

"

He then turned toward Nantian Wan'er, who was still cultivating.

Lu Chen followed Bai Ze, approaching her. "It has been so many days, and Wan'er still hasn't woken up yet? She should have awakened by now."

As he drew closer, Lu Chen felt the bond between himself and Nantian Wan'er growing stronger. It's no longer limited to just the connection between their Heavenly Pools and minds. Now, every piece of information in their bodies was exchanging, like a perfect balance of yin and yang, interweaving and complementing each other.

Just as Lu Chen was about to observe further, a sudden thought prickled his mind.

Someone's approaching the room!

Wan'er's condition... it may still take a while before she wakes.

Lu Chen glanced at her tightly closed eyes. "I must leave now, or they'll discover I'm not in the room."

He immediately sealed the space around the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, ensuring no one could disturb Nantian Wan'er's cultivation.

***

Lu Chen had spent thirty days in the small world. Outside, evening was approaching.

In the ship's cabin, Nantian Yijian hurried toward Lu Chen's room.

During the days Lu Chen had been unconscious, Nantian Yijian's routine always included checking twice daily whether Lu Chen had woken. There was never an exception.

"Wan'er, Wan'er, has the boss woken up yet?"

Just as Lu Chen emerged from the small world, he heard Nantian Yijian's loud call. "Little Jian, come in. I'm awake now."

Nantian Yijian pushed the door open and leapt onto Lu Chen. "Boss, you're finally awake! While you were unconscious, I couldn't eat or sleep properly! I've lost so much weight!"

Lu Chen pushed him away with one hand, feeling his soft, chubby tummy. He let out a cold hum, then chuckled. "Little Jian, is the food on the ship tasty?"

"Tasty! So tasty! Boss, you have no idea."

Nantian Yijian sat on the edge of the bed, talking to himself. "The sect's meals are so abundant. Even the rice and meat carry spirit qi, which speeds up absorption."

"How many bowls did you eat?" Lu Chen poured himself a cup of tea. "And how much demonic beast meat?"

"Several large bowls..."

Nantian Yijian looked up to see Lu Chen smiling. Realizing he had fallen into his trap, he quickly covered his mouth.

"Boss, I really didn't eat that much..." He walked over, pretending to pout. "By the way, where's Wan'er?"

"

Hmph...

since you've been eating so well, hurry and cultivate." Lu Chen rolled his eyes and poured a cup of tea for Nantian Yijian. "Look at your waist. The spirit qi has already formed rings."

"I know... Boss." Nantian Yijian stretched the word, plopped onto the bench, and drank the tea. "

Yuck!

So bitter!"

"Bitter? I don't think so." Lu Chen poured another cup. "Have some more."

"No, no. I can't handle such blessings." Nantian Yijian pushed the cup aside and pulled out a jar of yellow wine from his spatial ring. "By the way, Wan'er... why isn't she here?"

"She just went out," Lu Chen took a sip of tea. "Are you looking for her?"

"No, Uncle Jun is looking for you." Nantian Yijian opened the wine jar again. "We're already above the Heavenly Mandate Hall. Uncle Jun said that if you were awake, you should head to the deck."

"Already there?" Lu Chen drank the tea in one gulp, stretched, and stood. "Go tell Uncle Jun I'm awake. I'll get ready, and once Wan'er returns, we'll go."

"Okay, boss."

Once Nantian Yijian finished the yellow wine, he asked again, "Boss, have your injuries gotten better? Uncle Jun said this trip back won't be easy."

"Tell him I'm fine." Lu Chen's eyes gleamed sharply. "Once we arrive at the Heavenly Mandate Hall, it'll be time to bring honor to the Serene Void Academy."

"Understood! I'll go now." Nantian Yijian pushed the door open. "Boss, hurry! The airship will land in roughly an hour."

Lu Chen's gaze followed his retreating figure. "Got it. Since we're here, we might as well strike directly. The path ahead will only smooth out once we show strength. Only by being powerful enough can you protect your loved ones from harm."

The recent upheavals had already tempered his state of mind. He now understood even more clearly that in the cultivation world, strength was the only truth.

"Wan'er should be waking soon. I'll get her first, then find Uncle Jun," Lu Chen murmured as his figure vanished from the room.

***

Back in the small world, Nantian Wan'er quickly got to her feet as soon as she saw Lu Chen, exclaiming, "Lu-gege, you're here? Training in the small world really does speed things up. I've only been practicing for a few hours, and I've already achieved basic mastery in all three techniques."

Lu Chen stepped beside her, patting her head. "You dummy! You've actually been training for thirty to forty days. It's only natural that you'd progress so much."

"Thirty to forty days? I thought I'd only been practicing for a short while... Then it must already be evening outside?"[1]

"Oh no, oh no! Lu-gege, we have to go," Nantian Wan'er cried out, grabbing Lu Chen and rushing toward the exit. "Brother Yijian comes every day. If he finds us missing, it'll be trouble."

"Don't worry. He's already come. I am here to bring you out," Lu Chen said, blocking her way. "The Heavenly Mandate Hall is nearby. Uncle Jun wants us to gather on the ship deck."

At his words, Nantian Wan'er moved even faster. "

Ah

, then let's hurry. When you were unconscious, Uncle Jun warned that this return trip wouldn't be easy and told us to prepare well."

"Wan'er, wait. No matter how urgent, we should change our clothes first." Lu Chen released his spirit qi, slipping into a white robe, while he dressed Nantian Wan'er in a pale yellow floral dress.

"Wind Dragon, let's go." Lu Chen placed Wind Dragon above his head and turned to Bai Ze. "We're leaving now. Please take care of the matters in the small world."

"Rest assured, my king. I will do my best to care for the small world," Bai Ze replied with a bow. "By the way, Lord Seventh has awakened. He's staying at the Myriad Spirits Tomb on the Thirty-Three Mountains. If you want to see him, just go directly," Bai Ze added.

Lu Chen nodded. "I know."

He then left with Nantian Wan'er.

***

On the open-air deck of the Sky-Pillar Airship, Jun Wudi stood at the edge, flanked by over two hundred disciples of the Serene Void Academy in standard armor and robes, scanning the ground below like vigilant eagles.

"Time flies... I thought I'd be farming forever," Lu Chen muttered, reflecting on the past half-year. "I never imagined life would change so quickly. Now I've even become a disciple of a great sect."

"Yeah, time is relentless," Nantian Yijian replied. Hearing Lu Chen, Nantian Yijian's tone grew unexpectedly literary. "Who could have thought that just half a month ago, I was the one being hunted? And now, I'm leading the Horse-Hunting Legion."

"Right... I was being hunted too... but well, what's there to sigh over? We're still young. Our lives have just begun," Lu Chen replied.

Jun Wudi suddenly wrapped his arms around the two of them, then pointed toward a stone stele engraved with the words "By the Mandate of Heaven."

"Look. Beyond that lies the outer sect of the Heavenly Mandate Hall. That's the first battlefield on the path to becoming a true powerhouse."

As the terrain below shifted with their approach, the gate gradually emerged in sight. Lu Chen murmured. "We're finally here... what should we do next?"

Staring at the outer sect of the Heavenly Mandate Hall, he fell silent.

His wish at the beginning had been simple: just to become a sect disciple. Yet, after so many upheavals, he now stood as an inner sect disciple. From not knowing why he cultivated, to desperately clinging to cultivation, to searching for its true meaning, and now, to avenging his village's massacre, Lu Chen had found a new direction to take: To train diligently, rely on his strength in battle, and cut down every enemy he had to until he found his grandpa. This was the first truth of cultivation he had realized on his path.

In just half a month, a single trip into a secret realm had changed the fate of several people.

At that moment, Jun Wudi appeared behind him. "Little Lu, we've arrived. But you'll have to climb the mountain on your own."

"Already here?" Lu Chen withdrew his focus, noticing that the ship had already passed the stele and was slowly moving toward the inner gate of the Heavenly Mandate Hall.

He turned back and asked Jun Wudi, "What do you mean? Why must I climb on my own? Aren't we going back together?"

1. Editor's note: The author keeps changing how fast time flows within the small world. At this point, I'm giving up on trying to make it make sense. ☜