I sighed, letting the blue sun energy dissipate from my hand like smoke in the wind.

The whole experiment had been a bust, leaving me with more questions than answers.

While the red and blue sun energies had been absolutely instrumental in my victory against Guo Xinyi in the Realm of Living Lyrics, hell, I probably would have lost without them, they seemed to have almost no effect in this world.

At least, no effect that I could immediately observe.

Actually, that wasn't entirely accurate.

Channeling the blue sun energy did seem to boost my vessel's cultivation.

The difference was pretty significant actually. Du Yanze's cultivation had increased to the middle stage of the Crowned Heart Realm.

But the source of that boost felt more external rather than internal, like I was borrowing power rather than actually advancing, similar to what one could expect from gaining a sudden increase in the number of Witnesses of Fate.

Which was completely absurd considering I was sitting alone in the middle of an abandoned shrine with nothing but a nervous servant and some withered trees for company.

Not having had much success with either sun, I decided to turn my focus on the energy I was most familiar with – qi.

I channeled a small amount into my right hand, just enough to create a faint glow around my palm.

The surrounding Xuan Yi, which had been flowing through the air in lazy, self-satisfied currents, suddenly paused.

For a moment, everything went completely still, like the entire world was holding its breath.

Then they rushed toward my hand like a pack of starving wolves.

I watched in fascination as the Xuan Yi began attacking the qi with what could only be described as suicidal determination. These energy currents were literally throwing themselves at the small amount of qi I'd manifested, and they were being destroyed in the process.

But like any protagonist who was thick-headed enough to fight against overwhelming odds, the Xuan Yi just kept coming. Each strand seemed convinced that it would be the one to overcome the superior energy through sheer force of will.

I wasn't sure exactly how much Xuan Yi was being consumed, but it was an absurd amount.

Wave after wave of the energy threw itself against my qi, and wave after wave was annihilated. The whole process probably lasted less than a minute, but by the time it was over, the qi in my hand had been completely devoured.

The trade-off was remarkably inefficient from the Xuan Yi's perspective; it had taken hundreds of times more local energy to consume that single strand of qi.

This didn't surprise me.

After all, qi was a higher form of energy compared to Xuan Yi, just like how qi was superior to harmonic essence in the Realm of Living Lyrics.

What did surprise me was the Xuan Yi's willingness to actually attack qi in the first place. But then again, it did make sense given how deluded everything in this realm seemed to be.

What really caught my attention was what happened next.

The surviving Xuan Yi that had managed to consume some of the qi began to calm down. Not only did it seem more powerful, but it was like it was becoming less insane and more... normal? The chaotic, self-aggrandizing quality that seemed to define Xuan Yi was fading, replaced by something that felt more balanced.

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"Azure, are you seeing this?" I asked internally.

"Yes, Master. The qi appears to be having a purifying effect on the local energy. Similar to how it commands other lower forms, but in this case, it's actually changing their fundamental nature."

Before I could figure out the full implications of what I was seeing, I detected movement in my peripheral vision.

A massive tree, easily over a hundred feet tall, turned its attention toward me with the slow, deliberate movement of something ancient and powerful. My eyes widened as I felt the spiritual pressure radiating from it.

The aura coming from this tree was definitely at the Crowned Heart Realm.

For a moment, we stared at each other.

Well, I stared at it.

I wasn't entirely sure how trees stared back, but I could feel its attention focused on me with laser-like intensity.

Then it started moving.

One of its thicker branches, sharp as a spear and harder than steel, came down towards me.

***

Li Qiang had been having a wonderful day so far,

Ever since the divine being had chosen his young master as a vessel, he had been practically vibrating with excitement.

After years of watching Du Yanze struggle with repeated failures and humiliations, seeing him selected by a higher power felt like vindication of everything Li Qiang had always believed about the Du family's destined greatness.

The young master was truly chosen by heaven itself!

All those defeats at the hands of Lu Wenjun, all the mockery from lesser cultivators who couldn't recognize true potential when they saw it, all of it had just been trials to prepare Du Yanze for this moment.

But as he watched the divine being conduct various experiments from his position near the shrine's entrance, Li Qiang began to feel a growing sense of unease. He wasn't sure what kind of tests the higher being was performing, but the energies being used made his skin crawl in ways that had nothing to do with their obvious power.

There was something about the red energy that made every instinct Li Qiang possessed scream warnings. It felt hungry, predatory, like it wanted to devour everything it touched. Even from a distance, he could sense its aggressive nature pressing against his consciousness.

The blue energy was different but somehow even more unsettling.

Where the red felt like a wild beast that might attack anything, the blue felt calculating, patient, like a spider waiting in its web. It didn't seem immediately threatening, but Li Qiang had the uncomfortable feeling that it was studying him, cataloging his weaknesses for future reference.

Neither energy felt particularly... divine.

At least, not in any way that Li Qiang associated with benevolent higher powers.

Still, he reminded himself, divine beings operated on scales that mortals couldn't comprehend.

What seemed strange or unsettling to him might be perfectly normal for entities that existed beyond the normal laws of reality.

Who was he, a mere servant, to question the methods of someone chosen by heaven itself?

But as the minutes passed, Li Qiang's worry finally overcame his reluctance to interfere. He needed to check on Du Yanze, even if it meant approaching a divine being conducting mysterious experiments.

Moving carefully through the underbrush, Li Qiang crept closer to the abandoned shrine. Through the gaps in the trees, he could see his master sitting peacefully on the boulder, apparently unharmed.

Li Qiang allowed himself to relax slightly. Perhaps his worries were unfounded. Perhaps th—

A massive tree suddenly launched itself at his master.

Li Qiang's blood turned to ice as he watched the ancient oak, which had been standing peacefully near the shrine for as long as he could remember, suddenly animate and attack.

The tree's massive branch came down like a spear, aimed directly at Young Master Du Yanze's head.

Li Qiang ran, crashing through the underbrush without regard for stealth or dignity. His aging legs pumped with desperate energy as he tried to reach his master in time. But he was too far away; he would never make it.

"Young Master!" he cried out, anguish tearing at his voice.

Then Li Qiang stopped so suddenly that he nearly fell over, his eyes widening in shock.

The tree hadn't attacked the young master. Instead, it was... prostrating itself.

The massive cultivator was literally bowing, its great trunk bent at an impossible angle, its branches touching the ground in a gesture of absolute submission and respect.

Li Qiang stood there for a long moment, unable to process what he was seeing. Then, slowly, tears began to stream down his face as he realized what had just happened.

The heavens really had blessed the Du Clan.

After three generations of decline, after decades of humiliation and exile, their fortunes had finally turned. A divine being had not only chosen Du Yanze as a vessel, but that divine being was so powerful that even ancient tree spirits prostrated themselves in recognition of his authority.

Li Qiang fell to his knees, overwhelmed by gratitude and vindication. Every year of loyal service, every moment of unwavering faith in his young master's eventual triumph, had been worth it for this single moment of validation.

The Du Clan would rise again.

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