But soon after, the great being suddenly spread her wings, her eyes strange, and advanced step by step toward A Jun with majesty—like a cat toying with a mouse. Everyone broke into a sweat for him. Even Yuwen Lu's eyes showed confusion…
His grandfather had told him to ensure A Jun completed his trial smoothly. Saint Xi shouldn't have been a problem. But now—was this about to collapse?
A Jun, still bowing, realized it too. His anxiety turned into dread. Something was wrong—because, just like in past crises, the blade at his waist began to tremble violently. Which meant…
"Hm? What's going on… why is Big Sister's blade suddenly…"
But to everyone's surprise, when Saint Xi reached the boy, she suddenly stopped. The blade fell silent. A Jun's heart filled with confusion and doubt.
—What next? This felt like watching a suspense drama, heart pounding.
Then, the unexpected happened. The lofty Saint Xi's gaze softened again. She lowered her head, pressed her cheek gently against A Jun's small face—touching.
This startled A Jun and his companions alike.
—What? Too many twists! I'm just a kid! What's happening?
Fortunately, among them, only Yuwen Lu remained calm. He understood what this meant—there was no problem. Just a false alarm. Who was this boy, to be so favored by Saint Xi?
In that intimate greeting, A Jun's reason returned. He steadied himself, realizing—yes, this was success. Saint Xi's gesture was the answer they sought.
"Ah-ha, success! I told you, your character's fine. The beasts all like you… right, you-know-who!"
Xiao Xi, overjoyed, rushed over, hugged A Jun, and showed off. But then he was scared off—Saint Xi glared at him with her earlier sharp eyes, then instantly softened again for the others. Xiao Xi was left bewildered. What did I do wrong?
—Poor Xiao Xi, his simple little brain getting bullied. But it made everyone laugh, lightening the mood. Even Yuwen Lu seemed to smile, though faintly.
Then, under Saint Xi's lead, the children entered a hidden passage beneath the sacred tree roots. It was dark, with only faint green light, unsettling.
A Jun had feared the dark since childhood, always sleeping with a nightlight. Now, unease filled him. Xiao Jiuwuo dove into his hat without hesitation.
Until Saint Xi's horn glowed with natural light—bright and warm, like sunlight, filling them with courage.
The lake's reflection added to the glow, making the passage feel like outdoors. Gradually, A Jun calmed. He patted his hat, reminding his little companion.
The cat peeked out, drawn by the light, and leapt onto his shoulder. They looked around together, enjoying the moment.
A Jun noticed the passage was wide, formed by interwoven roots, stretching endlessly ahead. The sides were faint, obscured as if by illusion.
The lake-like floor felt unusual. Instead of solid ground, it was soft, like stepping on cushions. Each step rippled with green light, like dragonflies skimming water.
Though winding, the path wasn't maze-like. Saint Xi led, Xiao Xi and Ning'er followed behind. Soon they reached a circular chamber and stopped.
Suddenly, the sunlight vanished. From the lakebed surged green light, illuminating the space. A glowing orb, football-sized, floated in the center. Inside swam two fish—one blue, one red—biting each other's tails, circling.
They looked like whales, with round heads, pointed tails, and a single large eye—strange, not quite fish.
—This… is the Taiji diagram?
A Jun waved his wristband for info, but since it had fallen in water, it ignored him again.
The two fish chased and played, red and blue intertwining. Saint Xi's horn shifted, glowing in rainbow hues—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo… like the colors of the Calabash Brothers, missing only one. The colors flashed from the horn's base to tip, until a rainbow arched from it into the Taiji orb.
With this wonder, the two fish began to merge, blending. A new color appeared—purple, the one missing before.
The green light faded. The purple orb burst, leaving purple dominant—mysterious, regal.
"Wow, what a trick!"
The children were stunned. Ning'er and Yuwen Lu stayed calm. Xiao Xi blurted out, then quickly shut up after A Jun elbowed him, glancing nervously at his feet and the great being.
—The poor boy, now conditioned to reflex.
"Meow!"
But while Xiao Xi restrained himself, the cat cried out. She had noticed something. A Jun looked—where the orb had been was now empty. On the far wall of roots, a door had opened, glowing with the same purple light.
—Whoa, that orb was so powerful it blasted open the wall? Good thing we stood back…
A Jun's thoughts ran wild, as always. He and the cat exchanged a glance—mutual understanding.
Soon, Saint Xi's horn shone like the sun again. The children followed her through the new door.
This time, they had to stay close. Yuwen Lu, like an assistant, kept warning them not to stray from the light—it could be dangerous. This was a shortcut, an unknown realm. Safe, but not without risk.
Beyond the door was near-void, eerily pure. Not comforting, but unsettling. That was A Jun's impression.
They walked on a semi-transparent, purple star-cloud path, suspended like a cable bridge between mountains—but without railings.
—For A Jun and the cat, both afraid of heights, this seemed unfriendly.
Yet strangely, they were the most fascinated, trailing behind, gazing around. Perhaps because there was little to see—no comparison, no fear.
The others glanced back. Yuwen Lu out of duty, Xiao Xi and Ning'er out of puzzlement. What was so interesting? Nothing to see!
—But there was. Subtle, unnoticed by most.
As time passed, the space grew clearer. In the distance, nebulae appeared, stars twinkling. It looked like outer space—but not quite like astronaut photos.
A Jun and the cat were entranced. Yes, this must be… a virtual cosmic chamber. A joke—but this place was no joke.
Just as the children let down their guard, a sudden storm struck, leaving them with nowhere to hide. Fortunately, it was only a level-3 gale. Yuwen Lu reminded everyone again: stay close to Saint Xi. This was a temporal turbulence—if blown to the sides, one could easily fall.
Luckily, after this storm, no further danger appeared. The children marched tensely for a long while before gradually relaxing. But just as they began to ease up, A Jun suddenly noticed a dark-purple gaseous planet in the distance, glowing faintly. It rotated steadily, releasing streams of dazzling particle light.
The light came in many colors, forming parabolas as the planet spun. To A Jun, it looked like the spinning fireworks he'd played with as a child—fascinating, something even astronauts might never have seen.
But the view was partially blocked by the purple star-cloud path. To see it fully, one had to move to the edge. Xiao Jiuwuo began urging A Jun. The boy, cautious since childhood, valued safety above all, so he resisted. But the cat was curious, drawn to beauty, and insisted—it was a rare chance.
So the two argued—one firm, one insistent. Gradually, A Jun wavered. In the end, for Xiao Jiuwuo's safety, he restrained himself. The cat, unhappy, pretended to sulk, looking pitiful.
Though rational by nature, A Jun had a sensitive side. Years of self-control had been necessity, not choice. Now, under Xiao Jiuwuo's influence, he hesitated again. Seeing her sulky little face, he reasoned: the chance of another storm was low. If careful, it was manageable.
So he quietly led Xiao Jiuwuo toward the edge of the path. Saint Xi, of course, noticed, but did not stop them—so it must be safe. The others didn't interfere either, except Xiao Xi, who grumbled about their "psychological battle."
"Bro, you spoil her too much—it's just a cat, but you treat her like a girlfriend… Where's your sense of safety? And come on, it's pitch black—just some stars. What's so special?"
"Huh? Didn't you see… Wait, what are you implying, Xiao Xi? Xiao Jiuwuo is our companion, our friend. Don't talk nonsense!"
"Meow?"
"Then… I'm your friend too, your brother. Why are you so strict with me?"
"Meow…"
Xiao Xi's words, though blunt, had no effect on A Jun. Of course he knew she was a cat—did Xiao Xi think he was stupid? He brushed off the comment, glanced at the puzzled Xiao Jiuwuo, exchanged a look of mutual understanding, and continued.
But Ning'er, hearing this, grew visibly uncomfortable, her face darkening. She said nothing, withdrawn. Beside her, Yuwen Lu sighed, shook his head, and returned to his book.
"Xiao Jiuwuo, have you ever seen fireworks?"
"Meow!"
"This looks just like the spinning fireworks I saw as a kid!"
"Meow…"
"So beautiful—why aren't they looking?"
"Meow?"
A Jun and the cat reached the edge, peering out. One hand naturally shielded his friend on his shoulder. They laughed together, leaving Xiao Xi baffled. He glanced around, then fixed on Ning'er—what was wrong with her?
Just as everyone was absorbed in their own tasks, a sudden storm shattered the calm. This time it wasn't a mild turbulence, but a raging level-10 tempest. Even Saint Xi seemed unable to predict it. In the next instant, the children were in grave danger.
"Xiao Jiuwuo!"
The force struck without warning. The others were shielded by Saint Xi's wings and survived. But A Jun and his cat faced a harsher trial.
The cat, perched on his shoulder, was suddenly shoved by some unseen force. A Jun too was jolted, losing balance, arms flailing, unable to protect her in time.
But cautious A Jun had prepared a backup plan. Just before Xiao Jiuwuo slipped beyond reach, he caught her with both hands and pulled her tightly into his arms.
"Bro!"
Safe for now, Xiao Xi immediately searched for them. Ning'er and Yuwen Lu too looked around. But to their horror, the horizon was empty—no sign of the two.
—Where were they? Had they fallen?
Indeed, A Jun, struck by the storm's aftershock, couldn't keep his footing. Holding the cat, he plummeted.
As his companions panicked, a golden orb shot past them, diving into the star-cloud abyss. It was Saint Xi!
—Right, with her, they'd be safe… But wait, she's still here with us. That orb must be her power?
Naïve hope from Xiao Xi. But Yuwen Lu knew better. He recalled an old case—falling into the unknown was perilous, even beyond Saint Xi's control.
Now, time itself became the only measure of survival. Five golden seconds. The countdown began.
At the first second of freefall, A Jun's mind had already made its first calculation.
By the second second, he clutched the cat with one arm, raised the other, and tried to summon a tool from his wristband—an auto-locating, infinitely extending escape rope. It failed.
Not the wristband's fault—the array-space inside was null here.
Then he realized his arms were swelling. Xiao Jiuwuo too was puffing up like a furball. The pressure difference—it was near vacuum. Like outer space. Thankfully, gravity and temperature remained stable.
He shielded the cat with both arms, slowed his breathing with the Turtle Breath technique. At the third second, he made his second calculation.
Here, talents were useless. Only basic skills remained. He had to try Sky-Stepping.
He'd only read the manual, never practiced. But now, no choice. The problem: could this thin air support the technique? After all, "air" was the foundation—not void.
As he resolved this, the golden orb enveloped them. Relief—Saint Xi's power.
—Yes! Pressure normalized. One problem solved.
With two seconds left, A Jun focused his energy, glancing at the recovering cat.
At the fifth second—he struck!
He stomped with all his might. And—astonishingly—he felt solid ground beneath his feet. He surged forward, moving fast.
—Wait… did I succeed?
A Jun was stunned. Xiao Jiuwuo, however, seemed to understand. A girl's intuition, sharper. She had seen a silver gleam, a figure.
Then, the fifth second ended…