Before Fang Yichi's eyes, the ground in front of him cracked, crumbling like sand. His master simply floated upward, sitting cross-legged in the air, looking down at him with a smile.
"Disciple, your test starts now. Try to reach the waterfall—if you succeed, you'll receive a reward. If you fail, a punishment awaits!" Mei Lie said, finishing her words as she casually pulled out a cup of tea with various herbs from seemingly nowhere.
In the transparent lake, Fang Yichi felt the pressure around him rise as something pulled him downward, dragging him into the depths of the invisible. Holding his breath to avoid drowning, he looked up at the woman above with mixed emotions.
'I knew this wasn't going to be simple. This unpredictable training is such a pain.' He grumbled inwardly but didn't curse his beautiful master. From the start, she'd made it clear that her training was never easy.
'I'll pass!' His eyes burned with determination as he began to struggle against the invisible currents restraining his body.
It was painful. Every effort made his muscles groan in protest.
"Use your essence, you idiot disciple," a voice echoed in his mind. Looking up, he saw his master glaring at him with an annoyed expression.
'Essence?' In that moment, Fang Yichi realized he had neglected the basics. But he didn't blame himself too much—in a desperate situation like this, instincts naturally focused on survival, and it was easy to forget everything else. Or maybe… it was just his own stupidity.
Smiling bitterly, he closed his eyes and began to draw upon the Solar Essence. Above him, the water started to grow warm.
"Damn it!" he cursed but gritted his teeth and pressed on. 'You only truly understand the hardships of cultivation when you experience them yourself. Cultivation… it's as I thought—a struggle to transcend the ordinary.'
After this thought, he forced his mind to calm. He remained there at the bottom of the transparent lake, expression composed, fully focused on cultivation. At the same time, he used his consciousness to sense the diagram within his body. He couldn't see it—but he could feel it.
Inside his body was a painting, engraved with countless golden runes forming a starry field. Fang Yichi didn't understand these runes… but he knew one of their functions.
Fusion.
But for that to work, something was missing—something he hadn't yet discovered.
'How do I activate these runes?' While thinking this, he suddenly felt his entire body tremble as the pressure intensified, slamming him against the lake floor. It was as though an insane gravity weighed down on his head.
At that very moment, one of the runes glowed, and a star emerged from the starry field, emitting a blue light. Instantly, a memory surfaced in Fang Yichi's mind.
Water Rune.
Perfect Body Formation.
Fang Yichi understood then how to merge with the runes and how they worked.
To activate one, you had to be in the right environment. Now, being in water—even if strange—was enough. The rune was triggered by the surrounding pressure. Without the right environment, even if one cultivated essence, activation would be impossible.
If he wanted to activate the Solar Rune, he'd have to dive into a true inferno, bathing in fire. That was just one example.
There were many origins, each stranger than the last. And each had its runes.
'This diagram… the more I study it, the more immeasurable it seems. Why is it with me? And why did it save me?'
Fang Yichi didn't understand, nor did he have the slightest idea where to start investigating. 'Why do so many incomprehensible things keep happening lately?'
He didn't like it. But he also knew better than to dive too deep before becoming stronger. Those who knew too much died early. Which meant one thing—strength was essential. He needed to grow powerful so he wouldn't risk death when uncovering the truth.
'This diagram… no one must discover it. Not until I'm strong enough. It's dangerous.' Fang Yichi didn't dislike this treasure—but he knew the moment he became its host, his fate became intertwined with it. Things would happen in the future.
"Hahaha…" He began laughing nervously. But soon after, he forced himself to maintain the indifferent expression he always wore.
"If this can make me stronger, I don't care what happens in the future. Better to carry a demon that makes me stronger than be ordinary, waiting for luck to fall from the sky! Heavenly Pleasure Diagram—you and I are one now, so do everything you can to help me. And don't forget… I'm your master."
He muttered this inwardly, as if the thing inside him could hear and understand. Whether it could or not, Fang Yichi didn't care—he'd spoken his true thoughts.
After this brief mental conversation, he used the rune to draw water toward him, which penetrated his skin, ripping through his flesh and fusing into him.
This continued for a long time, until Fang Yichi finally regained the ability to move. He rose from the ground and swam to the surface, breathing heavily.
He'd nearly lost consciousness. After a few breaths, he dove back into the depths, walking forward once more. But ahead, the pressure doubled.
Forcing him to stop and slowly adapt once again. Step by step, pause by pause, this didn't stop.
By the end of the day, the waterfall that had been a thousand steps away was still six hundred steps ahead. Even with the rune's support, the pressure was too great for a mortal body to endure.
"Did I… fail?" Fang Yichi felt his heart sink. The sensation of failure was suffocating.
'At least… I feel like I'm about to break through.'
He calmed his mood and, in the next moment, began preparing. The essence accumulated within his body over time was ready to form the first layer of his skin.
At that moment, Fang Yichi was like a butterfly in its cocoon. His skin turned blue, and soon his entire figure was covered in this shade. This process was called transformation.
When the skin was fully saturated, all the essence within his pores erupted, creating a stunning scene. Even though he had started with Solar Essence, his body now contained 95% Water Essence, with only 5% Solar Essence from the day before.
He was lucky. If he'd followed the traditional method, it would have taken him far longer to break through. But thanks to his master, this time was drastically reduced.
Half an hour later, the blue hue on Fang Yichi's skin disappeared. In the next moment, he opened his eyes wide.
"I've reached the Initial Stage of Skin Refinement."
He smiled like a child. But when he remembered his failure, he sighed, sadness evident in his bright eyes.
"Sorry, master… I failed. I'll accept whatever punishment you give."