Morning arrived, or at least that was the time manifested within the Secret Realm, where the erratic flow of time caused the environment to shift constantly. Precisely, it was the twenty-eighth day—equivalent to twenty-eight years in the mortal world. The reddish light from the horizon began to seep into the niche where Zhi Xuan lay.

  Zhi Xuan, who had previously fainted, did not wake up because of the sky's light or the surges within his soul. Instead, he was roused by the rainbow dust radiating the life essence of Xiao Die and the sensation of Ao Sheng carefully re-wrapping the blue cloth that had come loose, veiling the secrets of his left arm once more.

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes slowly, feeling a massive weight upon his eyelids as if grains of a mountain had been placed there. His consciousness, which had been submerged in an ocean of darkness, slowly crawled back to the surface.

  The first thing he perceived was not the smell of ancient dust, but the soothing fragrance of celestial nectar—a sign of Xiao Die exerting her energy to restore her master's meridians.

  "Senior... you have finally returned from the brink of silence," Xiao Die whispered, her voice weary yet full of relief. Her tiny transparent wings fluttered weakly, scattering the remains of life pollen that landed softly on Zhi Xuan’s drying wounds.

  Beside her, Ao Sheng was finishing his task with extreme care. The small golden dragon used his snout to pull the end of the blue cloth, ensuring it tightly bound Zhi Xuan's left arm, which now harbored the terrifying secret between devil blood and oceanic authority.

  Zhi Xuan attempted to rise, but every inch of his muscle screamed in protest. He groaned softly, feeling the new sapphire engravings on his left arm pulse in rhythm with a heartbeat that now felt heavier and more primordial.

  "Thank you, both of you," Zhi Xuan murmured, his voice hoarse and dry like the friction of dead branches.

  "Do not speak much yet, Senior," Ao Sheng replied while tightening the final wrap. "That Kun Peng aura almost tore your blood vessels apart. If your devil raga weren't tough enough, you would have turned into a puddle on this floor."

  Zhi Xuan leaned his head back against the wall, regulating his breath. He glanced to the side, and his heart, which had been frozen, suddenly warmed. Mei Hua had awakened. The little girl sat quietly on his robe, staring at him with round, innocent eyes.

  Her small hands still gripped the Lulu doll tightly, her head tilted slightly as if trying to understand why her brother looked so disheveled. Xiao Die and Ao Sheng, seeing Zhi Xuan awake, immediately returned to their human forms, standing near Mei Hua.

  Mei Hua blinked slowly, her tiny fingers reaching out to touch the tattered hem of Zhi Xuan’s robe. "Brother... why is your clothes torn? Were you playing with the big bird?"

  That innocent question hit Zhi Xuan harder than the Kun Peng’s blow. He smiled bitterly, hiding the pain still stabbing his meridians. "Just a bit of practice, Mei."

  Zhi Xuan then turned his gaze to Xiao Die and Ao Sheng. Xiao Die looked paler than usual, her nectar aura dimmed from exhausting her life essence. Meanwhile, Ao Sheng stood with his arms crossed, though his golden eyes could not hide deep concern.

  Zhi Xuan raised his hand and formed a Five Element disk, using his other hand to manifest the Law of the Four Seasons. He directed the Law of Spring to clear and harmonize their depleted essences, especially Xiao Die’s.

  An emerald-green glow mixed with silver flowed from Zhi Xuan’s fingertips, filling the niche with the scent of wet earth and new sprouts. This pure life essence enveloped Xiao Die, slowly returning the color to her pale cheeks. She took a deep breath, feeling her weary meridians flooded with soothing warmth.

  "Senior... your kindness is as vast as the ocean," Xiao Die murmured with a respectful bow, her delicate wings once again radiating a stable rainbow glow.

  Zhi Xuan nodded slightly. He turned to Ao Sheng, who now stood tall, gazing out of the niche with a sharp look. The golden dragon seemed more alert; he knew that after the manifestation of the Kun Peng, the Secret Realm would never be the same.

  "Senior," Ao Sheng began, his voice heavier, "while you were unconscious for three days, the dark pool outside vanished overnight. Furthermore, I have stepped into the Verdant Titan stage by consuming the Law essence that leaked from your body."

  Zhi Xuan was stunned. He looked at the small dragon in the form of a youth, feeling his energy fluctuations, which were now far denser and sturdier, like an unshakable mountain. Ao Sheng’s breakthrough was the fruit of the disaster that nearly claimed Zhi Xuan’s life; an irony where the overflowing primordial authority became nutrition for his follower.

  "Verdant Titan," Zhi Xuan muttered, trying to move his stiff shoulders. "But how? A Heavenly Tribulation should descend when an Ancient Golden Dragon breaks through. Even when you reached the Azure King stage, the tribulation was fierce."

  Ao Sheng fell silent for a moment, looking at his palms which were now covered in fine golden scales emitting an ancient green glow—a sign his bloodline had evolved further. He pointed toward the red sky outside that now looked like cracked glass.

  "In this place, the laws of the outside world do not fully apply, Senior," Ao Sheng answered seriously. "The Sacred Heaven Secret Realm is a Dao Mirror. When the Heavenly Tribulation should have descended to judge me, Auntie Fox wrapped my body with her tails, deceiving the Heavens even though the laws in the Yao Gu Plains are dense."

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  Zhi Xuan fell silent, imagining Ruo Xianxue—the arrogant Dark Fox—acting as a protector while he was unconscious. He looked up at the red sky that seemed to pulse with his breath. Indeed, within the womb of the Dao Mirror, reality was clay to be molded by the owner's will, and Ruo Xianxue was the master who knew how to hide a needle in a bale of cotton.

  "The Great Saint indeed has a thousand ways to deceive fate," Zhi Xuan muttered with a faint smile. He looked at Ao Sheng more deeply. "Verdant Titan... with your current strength, you are at least an equal partner to Xiao Die. Good, our journey forward will only become bloodier."

  He turned back to Mei Hua, a thin smile gracing his lips. "Mei Hua, were you alright while I was asleep?"

  Mei Hua looked up, her tiny fingers clutching the Lulu doll nervously. She didn't answer immediately but stared at Zhi Xuan with teary eyes, as if harboring a secret she didn't know how to express.

  "Mei just... Mei saw Brother walking on very dark water," Mei Hua whispered, her voice nearly swallowed by the wind. "Mei was afraid Brother would get hurt and drown."

  Zhi Xuan smiled, then rose briefly to kneel on one leg, hugging Mei Hua and gently stroking her braided hair. "Do not be afraid, Brother will not get hurt as long as Mei is here."

  The warmth of the embrace acted as an antidote to the lingering cold in the niche. Mei Hua buried her face in his shoulder, inhaling the faint scent of sandalwood and iron—the scent she always associated with safety.

  "Come, Brother will carry you," Zhi Xuan said soothingly. He rose and secured Mei Hua’s small body to his chest with the cloth. "Now, Mei will remain safe here."

  Leaving the niche, Zhi Xuan felt his feet were sturdier upon the black sand, which no longer felt coarse but seemed to welcome his steps with silent submission. He stopped at the threshold, looking at the giant, dry crater where the dark pool once sat.

  "I understand now that this is not merely a Dao Trial," Zhi Xuan murmured, his sapphire eyes scanning the surroundings. "But an opportunity given before the competition truly begins. The Yao Gu Plains are indeed generous."

  He stood tall on the black sand, which no longer held the aura of death but a solemn silence. He stretched his left arm, feeling the ocean pulse that was now dormant but vigilant within his marrow.

  "Twenty-eight years," Zhi Xuan whispered, his voice carrying a heavier echo. "Mortal time is but a blink before the Great Path, yet for me, every second is a forge for a fractured soul."

  "Brother Zhi Xuan, will we ride the boat that looks like a falling star again?" Mei Hua’s small voice asked as she looked up.

  "Mei wants to ride that boat?" Zhi Xuan asked calmly with a thin smile. "Then let us ride it together."

  With a wave of his hand, the Seven-Star Boat manifested from a miniature form, expanding and radiating starlight. "Ao Sheng, Xiao Die, we board this to navigate the desert. I believe my Dao Mirror is not limited to this wasteland."

  As his feet touched the cold wood of the Star Burial Forest, the star formations along the hull glowed brightly, dispelling the mists of Kun Peng's authority. The boat hummed with graceful energy, its silver sails catching the essence of the nebula.

  "Senior, which way are we heading?" Xiao Die asked, sitting on the deck. "This desert seems endless, but the air ahead... feels different. No longer cold, but hollow."

  Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes toward the horizon where the red sky faded into a blinding white. "This realm reflects inner depths. If the first twenty years were about sin and the sword, and the last eight about authority and the body, then the remaining time is an unanswered question."

  Ao Sheng snorted from the stern. "Unanswered? Sounds like a tomb larger than Bone City. Are you sure no more giant birds or fish will jump out of the sand?"

  "If they do, you're the one facing them, Golden Dragon," Zhi Xuan replied with his cocky tone returning. "You're a Verdant Titan now. Don't tell me you're afraid of mirror shadows."

  "Afraid? Hmph!" Ao Sheng turned away, hiding his pride. "I only worry that if the boat shakes, Mei Hua will wake from her peace."

  "The Little Dragon is talking nonsense," Mei Hua chimed in. "Mei is awake. Mei is just watching the stars fall into the sand."

  Zhi Xuan looked down. Beneath the boat, the black sand turned into white light particles flying upward—a sea of infinite fireflies.

  "Those aren't stars, Mei," Zhi Xuan whispered. "They are the remains of thoughts from those who failed to step further. They become dust that lights the way for us."

  "Are they sad to be dust?" Mei Hua asked innocently.

  Zhi Xuan fell silent, remembering the faces he had cut down. "Perhaps. But in destruction, they find a peace they never had while clutching ambition."

  Suddenly, the boat jolted. A massive gate of pure white light formed from the void ahead. "Senior! The boat's formation is acting up!" Xiao Die cried, panicking. "Something is pulling us by force!"

  Zhi Xuan felt his left arm heat up. The sapphire tattoo pulsed wildly, recognizing what lay beyond the gate. It was a familiar aura—the scent of ancient trees and peaceful rivers.

  "Calm down, Xiao Die. Do nothing," Zhi Xuan commanded. "Let the boat drift. This Dao Mirror is opening a new chapter."

  The Seven-Star Boat glided into the blinding white light. The roar of the desert wind vanished. Xiao Die squeezed her eyes shut, and Ao Sheng drove his spear into the deck to steady himself.

  "Senior, the light! I can't see the path!"

  "Don't use your eyes, Xiao Die! Use your spiritual sense!" Zhi Xuan stood tall, letting the white light swallow him. Against his chest, Mei Hua remained calm, watching the gate with pure curiosity.

  With a massive yet smooth jolt, the light faded, replaced by a soothing emerald green. The boat now floated on clear, tranquil water. Zhi Xuan inhaled the scent of peach blossoms and morning dew.

  "Real water!" Ao Sheng exclaimed, dipping his hand into the lake. "Senior, the hollow aura is gone. This place is full of pure life energy!"

  In front of them was a green valley surrounded by thousands of blossoming peach trees. Pink petals drifted in the breeze, landing on the lake's surface.

  "Are we... out of the Secret Realm?" Xiao Die asked hesitantly.

  "No," Zhi Xuan replied lowly. "We are still inside. But this mirror no longer reflects slaughter. It reflects my Law of the Four Seasons."

  The boat cut through the water with a soothing ripple. Zhi Xuan exhaled the breath he had held. His tense muscles finally relaxed.

  "Senior, look up," Xiao Die whispered in awe. "The sky... it's no longer blood-red."

  Above them, a pale blue sky stretched wide with lazy white clouds. The sun radiated a warmth that seeped into their bones, triggering meridian regeneration.

  "This is the Spring of my Four Seasons Law," Zhi Xuan murmured, stroking Mei Hua's back. "Silence after slaughter, life after death."

  Ao Sheng washed his face, water dripping from his chin. "Hmph, if I knew the remaining thirty years here would be this beautiful, I wouldn't have complained. But Senior, isn't it too quiet? Usually, in such peace, there's a monster waiting at the bottom."

  "Perhaps," Zhi Xuan mused. "The Law of the Four Seasons is peaceful, yet oppressive."

  "It's beautiful, Brother," Mei Hua whispered, trying to catch a floating petal. "Is this our new home?"

  Zhi Xuan tightened his embrace, scanning the horizon that was almost too perfect to be real. "Not a home, Mei. Just a brief stop so our raga and souls can breathe."