There was no day or night in Biyou Palace. The tides moved outside, yet this place seemed carved away from the flow of the three realms. Deep within the halls, only the layered sound of the sea remained, echoing gently as if it would continue forever.
The Tongtian Master stood at the center of the hall with his hands behind his back. His wide sleeves drifted in the glow of the deep ocean light. With a light movement of his fingers, it felt as though the world followed that motion. The remaining snow on Golden Rooster Ridge, the shattered fragments of the Demon Revealing Mirror, the lingering traces of the sword aura left by the twelve golden immortals, and the fallen azure feather of Kong Xuan all merged into a single river of light. It circled through the hall like a condensed map of mountains and seas.
Red knelt with perfect posture, both hands holding that blue feather. The five colored glow hidden within it flickered faintly. He could still feel its presence, as if Kong Xuan's will was watching them from somewhere far beyond.Snow lay flat against the ground, her ears pressed lightly to the cold jade floor, as if she hoped to hear something from the flow of that river of light. Perhaps she imagined her own heartbeat inside it, or a trace of guidance from the future.
When the river of light reached its end, there came a soft sound. It carried no force, no wind, yet it felt like an invisible weakness in fate had been touched. The entire light river burst silently into countless tiny droplets that fell across the hall. The moment they touched the floor, they were absorbed by the sea light and vanished without leaving a trace.
The Tongtian Master withdrew his hand. His gaze remained calm. When he spoke, it was as if his voice rose from the depths of the ocean, steady and undeniable.
"The time has not yet come."
When these four words settled, even the eternal tide seemed to pause.
The Turtle Spirit Goddess stood at his side, head lowered. Her expression tightened with solemn weight. She did not argue, because for her there was nothing to argue. If the time was wrong, even she could only accept it.
The master turned his gaze to Red and Snow.
At that instant Snow felt a blade sweep across her spine. Her long ears stood stiffly upright. Red's breath nearly stopped. His heart felt as if a stone of destiny had been set upon it.
"Your cultivation is too low." His voice held neither blame nor sympathy."If you go out again, there will only be more blood."
Each word fell with the weight of the deep sea.
Snow clutched the hem of her robe. Her fingertips turned pale. She wanted to speak, yet nothing came, because she knew this was not something she could argue against.Red bowed his head deeply and pressed down the heat rising in his chest. He knew the master spoke the truth.
The master lifted his hand. A stone door within the side hall opened slowly, revealing a long corridor. Countless night pearls glimmered within the walls. They moved like wandering fish in the waterlight and illuminated the path ahead.
"The furnace in the left hall is already heated."His tone remained even."Nine years to form your foundation. Only then shall we speak of what comes after."
Red had just begun to bow in thanks when the master flicked his fingers. Two celestial pills appeared. One glowed red like the rising sun and the other shone white like the cold moon over the sea. They hovered gently before the two of them.
"The red one is called Golden Crow. The white one is called Moon Toad."The master spoke as if stating a simple law of nature."The sun will temper bone. The moon will refine soul. Take them and enter the hall. Nine years is nothing more than the blink of an eye on the path of cultivation."
The Golden Crow pill radiated heat so intense it seemed to steam the air around it. The Moon Toad pill carried a chill that brushed the mind like an ancient winter.
Red and Snow exchanged a look. Determination shone equally in their eyes.
They bowed and accepted the pills, placing them into their mouths.
The pills melted the moment they touched their tongues.The fiery red power surged into Red's meridians like molten metal, forging his bones again and again.The icy white energy rushed through Snow's spirit veins like a spring of eternal frost, polishing her soul into clarity.
Their breaths staggered. Sweat gathered at their temples. The power rampaging through their bodies pounded their cores and meridians without pause.
The stone door fell shut behind them.
In the hall, only the sound of the furnace fire, their uneven breaths, and the faint thrum of their hearts echoed in the deep.
Two new paths had opened, and from this moment on their journey would never return to its old shape.