As Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan walked toward the Sect Masters' abode, neither spoke much.
Cold wind drifted through the pathways of the Twin Soul Sect, carrying the faint scent of rain and mountain mist. The sky above was the colour of flames beneath layers of scarlet clouds, yet the sect itself was lively after the return from the Sacred Sect Competition.
Disciples moved through the pathways carrying scrolls and weapons, but most quietly stepped aside when they saw Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan approaching.
Respect. Fear. Admiration.
Their gazes carried all three.
Tang Jiyan walked beside Shen Yuan silently for a long while before finally noticing something strange.
Shen Yuan was unusually calm.
Too calm.
It was as though he had not just suffered defeat against Zhou Xiaosi.
There was no anger on his face.
No frustration.
No visible obsession with revenge.
Only an eerie stillness.
Just as they arrived before the large door-gate of the Sect Masters' abode, Tang Jiyan finally paused.
He glanced sideways at Shen Yuan.
"What are your plans now?" he asked.
Shen Yuan looked toward the massive doors before them.
Then he smirked faintly.
"The same as yours."
Tang Jiyan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then he understood.
Shen Yuan's current goal was to enter the true Elysian Realm.
A real breakthrough.
Not the temporary strength Shen Yuan had forced out during the tournament.
Tang Jiyan nodded slowly.
Without another word, the two pushed open the giant doors.
The gate opened with a deep creaking echo.
Inside was an enormous hall lavishly decorated with black-and-white marble flooring. Ancient paintings hung from the walls while incense smoke drifted lazily through the air.
At the far end of the room sat two figures.
On the right sat Wu Daozhen, the righteous-path cultivation master of the Twin Soul Sect.
He calmly sipped tea while stroking his long white beard.
On the left sat Xue Linghun, the demonic-path cultivation master.
Unlike Wu Daozhen, his expression looked far more serious as he rubbed his black beard thoughtfully.
Both men had already sensed Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan entering.
The two disciples walked forward and stopped three steps away from the sect masters.
Silence lingered briefly.
Then Wu Daozhen smiled faintly.
"You both performed excellently in the competition," he said warmly. "Truthfully, I did not expect both of you to enter the top three."
Tang Jiyan cupped his fists respectfully.
Shen Yuan only gave a small nod.
Then Xue Linghun spoke.
His gaze landed on Shen Yuan first.
"I was impressed with how you handled your battles," he said. "Especially your advancement in the Extreme Cold State."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But the most shocking part was your ability to create a mid-tier Earth Grade martial technique while in a maddened state."
Tang Jiyan glanced sideways at Shen Yuan briefly.
Even now, remembering the draconic demon screech technique felt absurd.
Then Xue Linghun turned toward Tang Jiyan.
"And you," he said, "surpassed my expectations as well. I never thought you would find your own Dao in the middle of a battle."
Tang Jiyan lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you, Sect Master."
At that moment, Shen Yuan suddenly looked toward both of the sect masters with a serious expression.
"It is time to tell everyone."
Tang Jiyan frowned.
Wu Daozhen sighed softly.
"Yes," he said. "It is that time."
Tang Jiyan looked between them.
"What are you talking about?"
Neither sect master answered immediately.
The room fell silent.
Finally, Xue Linghun's voice broke the stillness.
"Shen Yuan plans to leave the sect for several decades," he said calmly. "He intends to live as a mortal and experience karma in order to comprehend his Dao."
Tang Jiyan froze slightly.
For a moment, surprise flickered across his face.
Then that surprise slowly transformed into something else.
Not sadness. Not disappointment.
But frustration.
The frustration of a rival.
Tang Jiyan narrowed his eyes.
"I won't let you surpass me."
The words were direct.
Shen Yuan's eyes widened slightly.
He clearly had not expected that response.
Then he smirked.
"Then don't."
A dangerous glint appeared in his lavender eyes.
"When I return," he said, "we'll settle our fight from three hundred years ago."
Tang Jiyan exhaled loudly.
Then he laughed slightly before smirking himself.
"You're still as arrogant as ever."
Shen Yuan's smirk deepened.
The tension between them did not feel hostile.
Instead, it resembled two blades sharpening one another.
Both sect masters exchanged subtle looks.
They had clearly expected emotional farewells or sentimental words.
Instead, the two disciples sounded as though they were merely arranging a future duel.
Wu Daozhen chuckled softly.
"You may leave."
Both Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan cupped their fists respectfully.
Then they turned around and began walking toward the exit.
After the doors closed behind them, silence lingered inside the hall once more.
Wu Daozhen stroked his beard slowly.
"Those two possess frightening potential," he murmured. "Perhaps enough to rival even the World Lord… and the Four Great Region Emperors one day."
Xue Linghun narrowed his eyes.
"We should not jump to conclusions yet," he said calmly.
Then after a pause, he added:
"But… I understand why you think that."
Outside the Sect Masters' abode, Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan walked quietly through the pathways.
After a while, Tang Jiyan spoke again.
"How are you going to explain this to the others?"
Shen Yuan looked ahead plainly.
"I'm not obligated to explain anything."
Tang Jiyan sighed instantly.
Classic Shen Yuan.
"I'll say what I want to say," Shen Yuan added calmly.
Tang Jiyan rubbed his hair helplessly.
He was not surprised.
Still, he worried slightly about how the others would react.
After several more minutes, the two reached the disciple abode area.
The moment they entered, nearby disciples immediately turned toward them.
Respectful gazes followed them everywhere.
Among the crowd stood Guo Bohai, Dong Chen, Shi Meixiu, and Xiang Xiaoli.
The four quickly approached.
Xiang Xiaoli smiled brightly.
"You two should treat us properly after all this…"
Tang Jiyan abruptly interrupted her.
"I will."
Then he casually added:
"Shen Yuan can't. He's leaving the sect for a few decades to comprehend his Dao."
Silence.
The entire disciple abode area seemed to freeze.
Even distant disciples stopped speaking.
Dong Chen blinked.
"What do you mean… leaving?"
Shen Yuan answered before Tang Jiyan could.
"It's exactly what he said."
Xiang Xiaoli lowered her head slightly.
Then she quietly asked:
"Are you leaving because of what Zhou Xiaosi said… or truly for Dao comprehension?"
A pause.
"Also… aren't you afraid?"
Her voice became softer.
"What if the path you choose leads to nothing in the end? Isn't being a Quasi-Elysian cultivator enough?"
Xiang Xiaoli and the other three were genuinely concerned, not because Shen Yuan was leaving, but because of the path he chose for his domain. As most of the new Elysian cultivators in the world are the ones to copy others' domains. And the few cultivators who exist with their own comprehended domain are either from the old generation or very few talented ones. Most cultivators who chose self-comprehension died, even before realizing their dao.
The others looked at Shen Yuan silently.
Shen Yuan suddenly smiled faintly.
Then he pointed toward a waterfall flowing down a nearby mountain.
"Do you see that waterfall?"
Without waiting for a response, he continued.
"It is like us cultivators."
"The river is the world."
"And the ocean… is the end of all paths."
His voice remained calm.
"No matter what stands before it, the waterfall never stops. Rocks may delay it… but eventually they are shattered and swept away."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"A true cultivator does not live beneath another's shadow."
"Either we are crushed…"
"Or we crush everything before us."
The surrounding disciples slowly widened their eyes.
Shen Yuan inhaled lightly.
"If even a mere waterfall possesses the audacity to choose its own path…"
"Then how can I, Shen Yuan, do any less?"
Silence consumed the disciple area.
The air itself seemed heavier.
Then Shen Yuan spoke once more.
This time, his voice carried terrifying certainty.
"I am a fish that swims against the current of the ocean."
"If that path leads to success or death…"
"It does not matter."
"At least the path will belong to me alone."
The words struck everyone deeply.
Many Nirvana realm disciples entered states of contemplation almost instantly.
Some stared blankly at the waterfall.
Others lowered their heads silently.
Even fear toward Shen Yuan deepened slightly.
Because his conviction felt terrifyingly genuine.
Tang Jiyan merely sighed from the side.
Guo Bohai slowly smirked.
Then Xiang Xiaoli.
Then Dong Chen.
Then Shi Meixiu.
All four spoke together.
"One day, we'll catch up to you."
Shen Yuan smirked.
Then he snapped his fingers.
At once, his appearance began changing.
His snow-white hair turned black like that of an ordinary mortal.
His face aged visibly until he appeared to be a man in his mid-thirties.
Even his sect robes transformed into simple cheap ash-coloured mortal clothing.
This was the technique known as Form Change.
Any cultivator above the Nirvana Realm could alter their appearance and apparent age at will.
The nearby disciples widened their eyes in amazement.
Shen Yuan stretched his right arm lazily toward his former companions.
Then he pointed two fingers toward them.
"Don't fall too far behind."
His smirk deepened faintly.
"Otherwise there won't be much fun, when I do return."
The others nodded firmly.
Then—
Shen Yuan vanished.
His figure disappeared instantly from the disciple area.
A moment later, he reappeared ten meters outside the Twin Soul Sect gates.
Cold wind brushed against his mortal robes.
Behind him stood the massive black-and-white gates of the Twin Soul Sect.
Before him stretched the endless evening sky, smaller sects that are the vassals of Twin Soul Sect and mortal homes and shops.
For the first time in centuries Shen Yuan stepped forward not as a feared cultivator…
But as a wandering mortal walking toward a Dao, that many had never tried to cultivate before.