"You might want to restrain yourself?" she uttered, her smile stretching into a grin that seemed to dance with laughter.
Her chi, once a tempestuous tempest, a chilling aura that mirrored the unfathomable depths of a bottomless sea, now calmed into nothingness.
"But where's the fun in that?" Xuan Yi retorted, the very ground beneath him quivering under the weight of his surging chi, as if struggling to contain its immense power.
"Ah, do not be deceived. You are nothing but a minuscule ant standing before a mighty ocean," she declared, shaking her head with unwavering composure.
"Is that so?" Xuan Yi challenged.
"No, not just me. I speak of you and the boundless sea of chi. You are akin to a fragile glass faucet, attempting to release an ocean's might. Though the ocean knows no bounds, your feeble strength restricts the flow.
"You are not yet formidable enough to unleash a devastating deluge. Nonetheless, consider this your first lesson in the Mystery of Breakthrough— Atleast I have taught you how to access its depths, don't go overboard," Wan Dao imparted, turning away to depart. "You have only twelve months to retrieve what I desire, before the seal I have place on him breaks and less friendly faces arrive."
As if a tear in space itself, she slipped away, dissolving into the nothingness.
The events unfolded with a swiftness that left him reeling. Xuan Yi grasped and finally understood the profound meaning of Wan Dao's actions.
She had placed a seal on Tian Wei to cloak him from the gods.
But she had also used that as a trigger to awaken the waning mystery of Breakthrough for Xuan Yi to understand how to always access it without it ever fading away— it was a mastery that had not only cloaked Tian Wei in a veil of concealment but had also reignited the flickering embers of his waning chi.
He looked over at Tian Wei who was burning in a magnificent golden flame. His body shone like solid gold. Immortality coursed through his veins, permeating his skin like a revitalizing breeze.
Lost in contemplation, Xuan Yi pondered the mysterious task that lay before them. The nature of Wan Dao's desire remained unclear. Why had she chosen not to articulate her wishes explicitly? He neither knew what she wanted retrieved nor was he certain how to enter that city realm again.
He patiently awaited Tian Wei's reawakening, knowing with certainty that his companion would ascend like a majestic phoenix, emerging from the crucible of his golden chi.
It was a few days before Tian Wei finished his transformation. And he broke through the ranks of lower cycles of the Tempered Bone phase straight into the 9th cycle, the air trembled and the seas boiled.
He opened his eyes and his flowing chi sparkled with the power of a destructive storm. The entire island felt as though it sank under his weight.
A profound transformation had taken hold of Tian Wei, rendering him not only coherent but harmonious—a symphony of immortality and mortality in perfect accord. The burden of his mortal soul no longer bore down upon his mortal flesh with undue force.
Moreover, his soul seemed to have evolved, shedding the need for hiding himself and running. It was as if those who sought him could not now find him, unless he chose to disclose himself.
"You have reached the pinnacle of the Tempered Bones!" Xuan Yi exclaimed, his voice brimming with a mixture of elation and a tinge of shame, for he himself remained in the modest fourth cycle.
Coupled with the knowledge of Tian Wei's immortality, Xuan Yi felt as if he were a feather caught in a storm, a mere speck in the face of his Tian Wei's might.
"Still, it falls woefully short," Tian Wei declared, his dissatisfaction clear. He knew all too well that he remained leagues away from challenging a true immortal, let alone a god. The entities in pursuit of him were no ordinary beings—they were gods themselves.
Formidable as they were, they were not deluded, nor did they harbor any misguided hope that they possessed the might and authority to confront the Yan. The Yan, an mighty force, probably still stood beyond their reach, a likely insurmountable obstacle.
Yet, the Yans were not their sole concern. Along their arduous journey from the humble town, they had also incurred the wrath of the Wailing Mountain Tribe.
The extent of the Zhao's power remained veiled in ambiguity, but Xuan Yi had supposed that they were a tribe slightly more formidable than their own.
The origins of the Zhao remained a mystery, whether they hailed from the distant south, the far west, or hidden in the east.
Xuan Yi's ventures had not taken him too far from his homeland, and thus, his knowledge of the potent forces that lay beyond his reach or remained concealed from his sight was limited.
However, the Zhao, the Yan, and the Wailing Mountain Tribes paled in comparison to the imminent and exceedingly treacherous adversary that lay in wait for them—the creature that dwelled within the depths of the hidden realm.
And if that wasn't enough, they were teetering on the precipice of making an enemy out of Wan Dao. Though Tian Wei had not explicitly agreed to the terms of their agreement, Xuan Yi had, and the consequences of their actions could prove dire.
Yet, even more formidable and terrifying than any of their mortal adversaries were the gods themselves, who were undoubtedly making their way towards Tian Wei.