On a somewhat desolate small mountain.
Bai Yunfei stared intently at a map in his hand, a slight frown on his face, muttering under his breath.
"Hmm, this 'X' probably marks a small town, yes, that should be it; this 'O' must mean there's a mountain; this line represents a river; this thicker line stands for a main road..." Bai Yunfei's eyes seemed to trace across the map inch by inch as he spoke, occasionally nodding slightly to himself.
After "studying" like this for a long while, Bai Yunfei's expression grew progressively darker, finally turning a deep, furious shade of purple. He violently threw the map onto the ground and jumped up and down in frustration.
"Bloody hell! Then why am I still lost?!!"
He stomped on the map twice more for good measure, before looking up at the seemingly endless mountains and forests surrounding him, feeling utterly helpless and on the verge of tears.
"Looks like... finding someone to ask for directions is the sensible thing to do after all..."
Bai Yunfei shook his head helplessly and continued walking north. The only thing he knew for certain was that direction...
Five days had passed since leaving Whitepeak City. Bai Yunfei had no clear idea how he'd ended up in this desolate wilderness; one moment he was walking, the next he realized the map in his hand was utterly useless.
As the moon began to rise, Bai Yunfei, trudging along the mountainside of a large peak, was nearly driven mad. He decided that if reaching the summit didn't reveal any sign of human habitation, he'd stop for the night, camping out once more, and continue traveling tomorrow.
Just as he neared the mountaintop, Bai Yunfei's steps faltered. He paused, blinked, then sniffed the air uncertainly. A moment later, wild joy spread across his face.
"That's the smell of roast meat! That means... there are people on the mountain! Finally... finally I ran into someone else!" Tears almost welled up in Bai Yunfei's eyes from sheer relief. He immediately quickened his pace, charging up towards the summit.
...
At the mountaintop, an old man with flowing white hair and beard, clad in grey robes, sat beneath a large tree. He was leisurely sprinkling various seasonings onto a plump rabbit roasting over a fire, clearly preparing his evening meal.
Yet, incredibly, the fire before him hovered in midair! There were no branches or logs beneath it—just a flickering ball of flame suspended about two inches off the ground! Moreover, the rabbit suspended above the flames also floated in place, utterly unsupported!
This sight would surely make any ordinary person believe they were seeing a ghost.
The old man kept his head slightly lowered. Though tending to the roast rabbit, his mind didn't seem entirely focused on it. A faint frown creased his brow as he muttered quietly to himself.
"According to the guidance of the Fate Soul, that place should be right here in Qingyun Province... Yet I've searched for over two months without finding a single trace, not the slightest clue..."
"If I could find that place, I could surely break through the last barrier hindering my strength. I might even be able to cultivate a group of powerful experts for the Sect. We'd stand a much better chance of weathering the great tribulation my Sect will face in the future..."
"But... I cannot peer too deeply into the Heavenly Secrets. If I exceed the scope of 'Rightful Fortune' and enter the realm of 'Altering Fate,' I might only make things more unpredictable. This matter concerns the very survival of my Destiny's Wheel Sect. I absolutely cannot invite additional variables..."
"Sigh! Then I suppose it's one step at a time. If finding it is truly within my 'Rightful Fortune,' the opportunity will arise when fate deigns to reveal a trace. Then I can... Who?!" The old man, lost in his quiet monologue, abruptly snapped his head up. A flicker of firelight seemed to dance in his eyes as he glared towards a thicket of trees to his left.
A faint rustling sound broke the stillness. A young man emerged slowly from the trees. It was Bai Yunfei.
"It's you!"
"It's you!"
The words escaped the lips of both Bai Yunfei, who had just stepped into the clearing, and the old man seated beneath the tree, simultaneously, the moment their eyes met and recognized each other.
Bai Yunfei stared at the old man illuminated by the floating fire, his face a mask of astonishment. He even forgot to take another step forward. The person before him was unmistakably the same mysterious elder from the Destiny's Wheel Sect who had gifted him the spatial ring and spoken of him being a 'Troubleshooter'!
"Heh, young fellow, what brings you here?" The question jolted Bai Yunfei from his stupor. The old man had already recovered from his surprise and was now looking at him with a faint, amused smile in his eyes.
Bai Yunfei gave the old man a strange look, his gaze flickering briefly towards the floating fire and the suspended roast rabbit. He composed himself, straightened his posture, and offered a deep, respectful bow. "Bai Yunfei pays his respects to you, Senior."
The old man seemed momentarily taken aback by the formality, then gave a satisfied nod. "Hmm, good, good. Much more polite. An improvement over our first encounter."
"..."
"Hehe, come, sit down," the old man said, his smile widening slightly seeing Bai Yunfei's awkwardness. He gestured towards the ground opposite him. "Judging by your appearance, you seem to be traveling?"
Bai Yunfei obediently walked over and sat down facing the old man. His eyes drifted towards the rabbit roasting over the fire, now glistening golden-brown with juices. He swallowed almost imperceptibly before nodding. "Yes, Senior. This junior intends to venture into the wider world."
For some reason, encountering this elder again filled Bai Yunfei with an inexplicable sense of closeness. Perhaps it was because, now that his own strength had grown, he finally understood just how monumental the gift this elder had bestowed upon him truly was...
"Hmm, Qingyun Province is indeed too small. Going out to see the world of true power is good. It will allow you to grow much faster... which will be necessary for what comes..." The old man trailed off, as if remembering something, and changed the subject. "However, isn't it a bit... hasty? The spatial ring I gave you contained the complete cultivation methods for the first three Soul Realms. Shouldn't you have waited until you were stronger before considering this? Ah, I recall you had vengeance to seek. How did that...? Did you perhaps...?"
"Yes," Bai Yunfei nodded. "Thanks to the cultivation techniques, Soul Skills, and Soul Tools you bestowed, Senior, I was able to settle that debt relatively easily. Furthermore... it is precisely because I have already reached the Mid-stage Soul Apprentice tier that I thought about leaving Qingyun to seek greater strength..."
"Oh, so that's it. You've reached Mid-stage Soul Apprentice. That is competent enough to ven—" The old man's casual tone stopped dead mid-sentence. His head snapped up, his eyes locking onto Bai Yunfei with startling intensity. The calm detachment vanished from his face, replaced by sheer disbelief. His eyes widened slightly, almost bulging. "You said... you said you've reached what tier?!"
"Mid-stage Soul Apprentice. Why?" Bai Yunfei looked at the old man, puzzled by his extreme reaction. Then, thinking he understood the concern, he added somewhat sheepishly, "Actually, I also wanted to wait until I reached the Late-stage Soul Apprentice tier, when my control over the acupoints was more refined, before leaving. It's just that some things happened, and I had no choice but—"
Before he could finish explaining, Bai Yunfei felt a sudden blur before his eyes. With a speed utterly beyond Bai Yunfei's comprehension, the old man flashed across the short distance separating them. A strong, slightly warm hand clamped around Bai Yunfei's wrist. Before Bai Yunfei could even react, an immensely powerful surge of Soul Force, carrying a hint of warmth, flooded into his body. In an instant, it coursed through every meridian, every corner of his being. Bai Yunfei even felt a sensation as if it were probing his very soul.
Bai Yunfei was frozen in shock by the old man's sudden action. Strangely, the old man also seemed to freeze the moment his fingers clamped around Bai Yunfei's wrist. An unusually tense silence descended upon the mountaintop.
"Se-Senior?" Bai Yunfei finally managed a weak, tentative call after a good ten seconds.
"It's true... truly Mid-stage Soul Apprentice. How can this be possible...?" The sound of Bai Yunfei's voice seemed to snap the old man out of his trance, though he still seemed deeply shaken, muttering the words as if to himself.
"Hmm? Wait, this is... ice-attribute elemental force! Young fellow, you're injured?!"