Chapter Six: The Untamed Wilderness Valley

Li Ruoyu had now reached the pinnacle of the Mortal Shedding Realm. He wanted to see if he could take it one step further, to enter the Embryonic Transformation Realm—a realm of the extraordinary, where one forges a divine embryo from oneself, beginning to transform the chains of divine order refined in the previous realm into nascent techniques, pushing one’s foundation to a higher level.

Li Ruoyu understood it was unlikely he could enter the Embryonic Transformation Realm through cultivation alone. Although the Mortal Shedding Realm was marked by a violent transformation under the primal energy of all things, and his foundation had been firmly established thanks to the divine metals of the stars, he lacked refinement. He recalled what Li Zhiheng had once told him: “No matter how fine the raw material, it must be polished carefully if it is to become a flawless jade.”

With this in mind, Li Ruoyu decided to hone himself by battling exotic beasts until he was flawless.

The Wild Desolation Valley lay between the Second and Third Peaks of the Eternal Nine Sect. The sect’s nine legacies occupied nine peaks, with the Second through Eighth Peaks encircling the central, sky-piercing First Peak. Li Ruoyu and Wang Bo resided on the Third Peak. The valley teemed with exotic beasts and descendants of ancient vicious creatures, brought from wild lands by the sect’s elders to temper disciples. While these beasts were generally not of high cultivation—most lingering at the Dust Refinement Realm—their combat prowess, inherited from their ancestors, was formidable.

Since the valley was not far, Li Ruoyu did not ride his white crane but ran there instead. After roughly half an hour, he reached the valley’s edge.

Wild Desolation Valley was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only a single entrance where Li Ruoyu now stood. Though called a valley, its expanse was vast. As he entered, he soon encountered a white tiger, whose eyes shone with intelligence and whose glossy fur radiated power and majesty. Upon seeing Li Ruoyu, the tiger pounced, its claws gleaming with the light of order. The beast’s speed was astonishing; in an instant, it was upon him. Li Ruoyu’s heart tightened as he summoned his chain of divine order, a blue-glowing chain lashing toward the tiger.

A thunderous clash rang out.

Li Ruoyu was jolted backward, the recoil sending him stumbling, while the tiger was also forced back, blood dripping from its claws to the earth. This sight gave Li Ruoyu confidence. Without hesitation, he launched another chain at the beast. The tiger, wild and relentless, ignored its wounds and attacked again. This time, Li Ruoyu invoked a supreme technique from the Demon-Crossing Scripture, transforming his chain into a great bell, which he swung down upon the tiger. The beast was grievously wounded and could not rise again. After slaying the tiger and skinning it, Li Ruoyu continued deeper into the valley.

He sought to remedy the flaws left by his violent transformation, to let his body fully adapt to its new realm and perhaps even surpass it. The valley was indeed crawling with exotic and ferocious beasts; every few steps brought a new encounter—a three-inch snake, a bear as tall as a man, and all manner of strange creatures. Whenever he met a beast of similar or slightly higher cultivation, even those already in the Embryonic Transformation Realm, Li Ruoyu used the fight to temper himself. Before long, he no longer hesitated to attack such beasts. His mastery over the chain of divine order grew more versatile and intuitive with each battle.

Half a month later, Li Ruoyu approached a sheer cliff where five exotic beasts had gathered.

There was a lion in its prime, its mane shining gold; a black-and-white unicorn; a small white civet whose mystical aura belied its size and who showed no fear of the others; a red sparrow perched in the branches, radiating a fiery glow so intense it hurt Li Ruoyu’s eyes to look at it; and, finally, a great white elephant that glimmered like jade and exuded a precious light. All five stared at a single vine clinging to the cliff, deep blue-green in color, from which hung seven unripe fruits.

The Sky Blue Vine—an exotic plant said to bear Sky Blue Fruit, also known as the Heaven’s Kin Fruit—was reputed to help cultivators in the Heaven-Linking Realm comprehend the mysteries of the world. Gazing at the fruits, Li Ruoyu’s heart pounded with excitement. If he could obtain them, his chances of grasping the laws of the heavens at the next realm would increase dramatically, strengthening his foundation. Yet, as he looked at the five beasts, he slowly retreated. Each of them radiated a deadly danger—a premonition, honed by his refinement under the Xuanhuang Qi, that he could not ignore.

These five extraordinary beasts had most likely surpassed the Spirit-Forming Realm and now stood at the Heaven-Linking Realm, their formidable presence already on full display.

From a safe distance, Li Ruoyu watched the fruits grow ever greener—a sign of imminent ripeness. When the Sky Blue Fruit matured, the ground would surely run with blood as the beasts fought over it, leaving little opportunity for an outsider to seize it. Resolute, Li Ruoyu turned and made his way out of the valley.

Back at the Third Peak, he felt that the past days of fierce combat had indeed refined his Mortal Shedding foundation, and so began his attempt to break through to the Embryonic Transformation Realm.

After five months, Li Ruoyu finally succeeded. The sensation of crossing into this new realm was extraordinary. Yet he soon noticed that one joint of his left little finger had lost all feeling—was this the so-called “Desolate Remnant Physique”? Though his cultivation was only at the Dust Refinement Realm, was the foreboding fate of the Remnant Body already beginning to show itself? A chill crept over him. He went to the Scripture Repository on the First Peak, searching for information on his affliction, but what he found was nothing but despair and dread—especially that phrase: “Those who behold the Desolate Remnant must bow in submission.” After reading this, Li Ruoyu fell silent and contemplative.

A year had passed since he came to the Eternal Nine Sect. In that time, everyone had made progress. Wang Bo had become a true gourmand—though his cultivation soared as well, and he, too, reached the Embryonic Transformation Realm. Among their peers, others had begun to stand out: Wang Linzi from the neighboring Zhao Kingdom, Princess Yan Meng’er of the Yan royal family, and Chen Cang, whose progress was remarkable. Yan Qing had advanced to the next great realm, becoming a legacy disciple of the Tool Peak under Xu Changheng, and now resided on the Sixth Peak, his talent now apparent.

After a year, Li Ruoyu found himself homesick—longing for his mother, Shen Lan, his father, Li Zhiheng, for Uncle Wang, Wang Bo’s father, and for all the familiar faces in his hometown. Though mature beyond his years, Li Ruoyu had only lived eleven short springs.