"The spatial potential of this place is so high!"
"The spirituality is incredible!"
The more the Void-Aether Fish sensed, the more they realized the extraordinary nature of the Azure Heaven Domain. They then followed the Little Stone Spirit and the Little Immortal Tiger for a grand tour, traversing every corner of the sky and earth. By the end, they were speechless with shock!
This place was perfect! As spirits of space, they were the best judges of a world's quality. They hadn't felt a place this good in their tribe's memory for a long time!
"Little Stone, Little Tiger! How is it? Has your Boss replied?" they asked urgently.
Originally, they had only heard the tiger and the stone praise their Boss, but this land itself was the true clincher! They were now incredibly curious and excited to see what kind of being could create such a place. According to their inherited memories, no such place had appeared for tens of thousands of years!
Amidst their expectant gazes, the Little Immortal Tiger finally gave a definite answer. "Awoo... (Boss replied. He says he's free now; you can come whenever you want!)"
"Wow!"
"Really? That's fantastic!"
"Let's go now, we can't wait!"
"Awoo... (Alright, follow me!)"
Under the lead of the fish, the tiger and the stone flickered through space and time, quickly approaching the Qingyuan Mountain Range where Qi Ping was. Soon, the space before Qi Ping rippled, and the dreamlike school of fish emerged with his two companions.
"Awoo... (Boss!)"
"Ding ding... (Boss!)"
After stepping out of the void, the Little Stone Spirit and the Little Immortal Tiger—who already bore the auras of the Master of Weapons and the King of All Beasts—clung to Qi Ping like they were toddlers, ignoring their majestic images. Beside him, they felt no different than when they were young. But in the eyes of others, they were terrifying beasts that would make one tremble with a single glance.
As the school of over a hundred Void-Aether Fish swam out and faced the terrifying pressure Qi Ping radiated, they became somewhat uneasy. In their perception, Qi Ping's aura was equivalent to the entire heaven and earth! While they only controlled a portion of spatial power! The gap was like a chasm. They didn't know what an Earth Immortal was, but they could keenly sense this special power.
However, the unease only lasted for a moment before they sensed a very comfortable aura from him—the same aura the tiger and the stone possessed. In truth, Qi Ping's animal companions all carried a trace of his shadow. Growing up beside him, their behavior and personalities were somewhat similar to his.
Furthermore, the fish soon discovered that Qi Ping didn't radiate the danger or haughtiness of a typical powerhouse. Instead, like an ordinary youth, he possessed an "innocent heart" (TN: 'Chizi Xin,' a heart untainted by the world) that remained even after seeing through everything.
"Hello. Are you the Boss of the Little Tiger and the Little Stone?" a small Void-Aether Fish from the school asked.
"Yes, I am their Boss," Qi Ping said with a smile.
"Then... can we live here and build our home?"
Once one fish spoke, the others joined in. "Of course. As long as you don't destroy the space, you can do as you wish. You are most welcome here!" Qi Ping replied.
"Really? Yay! That's great!" Hearing his personal confirmation, the entire school of fish cheered in excitement.
After the initial communication, they were no longer restrained, returning to their talkative selves.
"How did you build this place like this?"
"Yeah, you can't find a second place like this in the whole Star-Sea Continent!" They gathered their curious gazes on Qi Ping.
"How do you judge a place's quality? There should be many places in the continent stronger and with more stable space than here, right?" Qi Ping was curious why they thought so highly of his domain.
"Hmm... because in our eyes, space is alive!" one of the Soul Transformation-level fish replied after thinking.
"Space is alive?" Qi Ping was momentarily stunned. He had never heard such a saying.
"Of course! And the differences are huge!" The fish began to talk incessantly.
"To many, space is only 'stable' or 'unstable.' But to us, it's not like that. Some places have space that looks stable, but it's actually decaying and withered. Once damaged, it's very hard to repair. Furthermore, these places produce very little spatial energy and lack spirituality. Even if we spend all our effort building there, it's hard to create anything! Even survival and reproduction are limited!"
"In fact, the space of the entire Star-Sea Continent is currently in such a state. Almost all of it is decaying and declining. That's the reason our tribe's strength and numbers are far below what they used to be—the environment is too poor! But the continent is our home and our mother; we can't easily leave, nor do we want to. Currently, our population isn't even one-tenth of what it was at our peak, let alone the gap in power..."
The mood of the school became sorrowful. Watching their home decay without any way to stop it was a helpless feeling. They could only watch as their home marched toward destruction and their tribe withered.
"But this place is different! It's like a new life, possessing unbelievable spirituality and vitality! And it's growing at an unimaginable speed! It's truly incredible!"
Excitement returned to their eyes as they looked at Qi Ping with worship and respect. They clearly knew that all of this was because of the man before them.
"If we can live here, we can surely accelerate the strengthening of this space, and our tribe will grow rapidly! That's why we're so happy! How did you do it? You're amazing!"
At this moment, all the fish focused their gazes on Qi Ping once more. Qi Ping felt a bit embarrassed by their attention. After a brief thought, he guessed the reason.
"Perhaps it's because the creatures of this land are in a state of vibrant growth. According to records, for a world, the most important factor is the life within it. Currently, all life in the Azure Heaven Domain is in a state of prosperous development... that is the fundamental reason for the domain's continuous strengthening. This wasn't created by my power alone; it concentrates the effort and wisdom of countless people."
This was the truth. To develop the domain to this state—if it were still under the rule of the original sect and Qi Ping were alone—he couldn't have achieved even one-tenth of this in ten thousand years. In today's Azure Heaven Domain, behind every prosperous industry was a group of cultivators racking their brains and contributing their own power.
"So that's it. I finally know why the spirituality and vitality of this space are so lush! However, even though you say it concentrates the power of countless people, those people have never been lacking on the continent. Yet, in all these millions of years, you are the only one who could truly harness their power," an elderly Soul Transformation fish remarked.
As its voice fell, the reverence in the fish's eyes deepened. It was true! The world never lacked geniuses or capable people. What was truly missing was an environment that could harness their power and a person who could truly excavate that potential. In the school's fragmented inherited memories spanning a million years, only one person had ever unleashed the potential of an entire region's living beings!
Qi Ping looked at these "fan-fish" and felt a bit amused. He had been very excited when he first heard about them from the tiger and the stone. Contracting them would be a massive help! Whether it was their spatial talent or their ability to stabilize the world, they were invaluable. He had even worried if they would be willing to become his animal companions! After all, their rarity and abilities were so high that he couldn't buy a school even if he sold everything he owned.
But now, they had all automatically become his fans. However, what they said was true. Even though Qi Ping had read countless books, what he had done—unleashing the potential of an entire region—was indeed a rare feat throughout history.
But Qi Ping wasn't arrogant. He knew he wasn't that noble. At the core, he admitted he was selfish. The fundamental reason he could reach this point was the Druid path! Whether it was the natural affinity of the Druid, the empowerment from the world, or the specialized roles of the Treant Warden and the Earth Immortal Druid, they all required him to develop a world well. It had pushed him from a boy in a straw hat who just wanted to farm for longevity to the position of the Lord of Azure Heaven.
But he didn't hate this destiny. Having a spirit field where he could plant in peace was good, but having a stable home where he was invincible was an even better choice. In a sense, the Earth Immortal Druid was his true Dao—the perfect fusion of his Dao heart and the Druid path.
"Are you willing to let us become your animal companions?" the smallest fish asked. All eyes focused on Qi Ping.
A faint smile appeared on Qi Ping's face. "Of course. I would be very happy to have you as my animal companions! In the future, I will have to rely on you all for the spatial reinforcement and secret realm construction of the Azure Heaven Domain!"
Receiving his answer, the entire school cheered in excitement. They could now be like the tiger and the stone, becoming the animal companions of this respected titan!
"Leave the spatial work to us! We won't let you down!" they promised in unison.
"Good!"
Having reached an agreement, Qi Ping didn't delay and immediately began the contract ceremony. He had waited too long for his 10th Animal Companion, and now he could finally begin. Although he hadn't yet completed his wood-attribute talent, contracting a school of Void-Aether Fish with infinite potential was even better news. Void-Aether Fish were hard to find in the entire world, and while this school was slightly weak now, their potential was far beyond most spirit beasts.
With a thought, a massive contract formation took shape instantly, encompassing the entire school. With his current strength, there was no need to manifest it slowly like before. Once the formation was complete, it sank into their bodies.
At that moment, Qi Ping's consciousness reappeared in the talent space. Unlike before, he now had stronger autonomy and could choose to stay longer or even force his way out.
[Spatial Mastery], [Void-Aether Body], [Spatial Construction]... Choose one.
Qi Ping looked at the three distinct talents. He chose Spatial Mastery without hesitation. While Void-Aether Body was an excellent talent for practicing spatial energy, it meant little to him; his Yin-Yang and Five Elements foundation was already the best.
On the other hand, Spatial Mastery provided natural affinity for the laws of space, allowing him to manipulate spatial rifts, manifest spatial storms, perform void-migration, and distort space. This, combined with his immense elemental foundation, was the strongest combination.
As he made his choice, realizations regarding Spatial Mastery flooded into his mind. Capabilities that were previously hard to grasp—like spatial rifts and spatial jumping—were instantly understood and mastered...