Once more, Zamian found himself in front of a wooden cottage, in the middle of a forest with giant trees.

  At least there’s a big lake here, he thought, glancing at the vast body of water, before conjuring the Luminous Senses technique.

  He heard Eve approaching the door and positioned himself, cupping his hands.

  As the door opened, Zamian bowed, avoiding eye contact, and shouted.

  “I’m disciple Zamian. I’m not from Origin, and I’m an Essence Refining cultivator of the Light Pathway. I learned the Seed of Creation technique from Teacher Lin Zhi and came here to learn the One Amongst Myriad Beings technique,” he concluded, feeling the pressure that was about to hit him lessen as he spoke his first words.

  Eve clicked her tongue, and the bowl in her hand dissipated in green essence, along with its contents.

  Once again, Zamian felt no essence being used in the act—not even a trace of a technique.

  Not daring to move, he kept his head bowed and his hands cupped, remembering how birdman disciple Tian had acted in front of Lin Zhi.

  “Master Lin Zhi is still allowed to teach?” Eve said, her tone irritated, but her sweet voice made Zamian’s muscles relax. “The White Leaf Sect really values their elders more than their disciples.”

  Zamian remained silent, feeling Eve’s gaze.

  “Show me,” she said, walking past him and heading toward the lake. “Show me how an Essence Refining cultivator of the Light Pathway can use a technique made for Essence Merging cultivators of the Nature Pathway.”

  Turning around, he nodded. “I’ll do it, thank you.”

  Controlling his expression, he thought. ‘So easy? She won’t even check me?’

  They walked a few steps, stopping at the edge of the lake.

  Eve crossed her arms, visibly annoyed. Her eyes shone with a green light as she looked around before clicking her tongue.

  “You are too weak,” she muttered under her breath, her body glowing with a green hue.

  Zamian took a step back, his eyes widening as strange symbols once more flashed around the green-haired, pointy-eared woman.

  ‘Oh, blight. Does she think I’m a traitor again? When did she check my body…’

  Since his instincts hadn’t even whispered to him the last time, he knew he couldn’t rely on them when dealing with such a powerful cultivator.

  Clenching his fists, he watched as she grew in size, his mouth slightly agape.

  A wave of pressure crashed into him, and Zamian froze.

  Eve’s brown fur skirt and top stretched against her skin as her form expanded. Her hair swayed, caught in the rising wind.

  A powerful gust hit him.

  She was now at least ten times bigger.

  Eve moved her hand in a grasping motion, and the entire forest trembled.

  Trees groaned, the soil shifted, the lake surged upward, and the cries of beasts echoed through the air.

  Green light surged from every corner of the mountain, flowing into Eve’s closed right fist.

  As quickly as it began, it ended.

  Zamian blinked, the crushing pressure fading as he controlled his eight hearts, forcing them not to pound too loudly.

  A few steps ahead, Eve had returned to her normal size, her right fist still clenched.

  She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Zamian.

  He held her stare for a moment before bowing.

  "This is going to be your practice target. My fish are too strong to be hurt by your technique, and they are the weakest lifeforms in this place, so—" she paused, shaking her head. "Why am I even explaining this to you? Come here and use your Seed of Creation on this guy."

  Zamian tilted his head, glancing at her before shifting his focus to her open right palm, just an arm’s length away.

  ‘Is that a worm?’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘This blighted thing is ugly.’

  Resting in Eve’s hand was a greenish, finger-sized worm, covered in barbs, squirming in slow circles.

  "This little guy is about to die. He also can’t feel pain, okay? So just use your technique," Eve whispered, looking at the worm while stroking it with her thumb.

  ‘She’s too kind,’ Zamian thought, nodding as he moved his right hand toward the worm.

  Glancing at his right index finger, he smiled inwardly. ‘Losing a finger to take Elwood’s arm was worth it, but it’s nice to see it here again.’

  Focusing, he hovered his hand over the green worm and channeled his essence to conjure the Seed of Creation.

  ‘She said you are about to die,’ Zamian thought, observing the worm as a white, fingernail-sized orb formed at the tip of his finger.

  ‘Death… the end of the natural order,’ he mused, stealing a glance at Eve’s expression. She was watching the worm with a soft gaze.

  His frown deepened as a thought crossed his mind.

  ‘Lin Zhi’s Seed of Creation is about struggling to be born, creating a new life inside an old husk,’ his eyes flashed. ‘But mine is different.’

  Zamian had never witnessed the true aftermath of his technique.

  ‘Begin a new cycle,’ he commanded, sending a strong intention into the Seed of Creation while empowering it with more essence. ‘Break the natural order, and start anew.’

  The white orb stabilized, and Eve’s eyes gleamed with green light as she observed the Seed hovering above her hand.

  Before she could speak, Zamian sent the technique into the worm.

  The Seed pierced the insect and began siphoning its essence, causing the tiny creature to glow with a bright green hue.

  "What?" Zamian gasped, his eyes widening as he instinctively stepped back.

  A surge of essence erupted from the worm, its intensity unmistakable.

  Zamian was sure of it—this creature, barely the size of his palm, possessed the power of a Chosen.

  The green insect curled in on itself as the circular hole in its body closed.

  Eve smiled, kneeling down. With her left hand, she dug a small hole in the earth and gently placed the still-living worm inside before covering it with soil.

  As the dirt crumbled from her fingers, she turned to Zamian and nodded.

  "You really are that monster’s disciple," she said cheerfully, stepping closer and patting his shoulder. "I should congratulate you. The Seed of Creation is a technique that can only be used by those who have gained some degree of enlightenment on the natural order."

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  Zamian blinked, his thoughts racing.

  Then, he chuckled.

  "Will the Seed of Creation help the little worm?"

  Eve smiled kindly, turning her face toward the transparent lake.

  Zamian followed her gaze, his enhanced vision catching thousands of fish swimming away beneath the surface.

  “It’ll give the little guy a chance,” she nodded. “This technique is very, very dangerous. But it’s also a demonstration of Lin Zhi’s beliefs.”

  She turned to Zamian, her eyes glowing with a green light before concluding.

  “Only through struggle can a cultivator grow.”

  The young cultivator locked eyes with the green-haired woman, both standing in silence.

  A strong breeze swept past, making their hair flutter.

  “I don’t know why they sent someone like you here,” Eve said with a shrug. “But a deal is a deal. I’ll teach you.”

  Zamian cupped his hands and bowed. “Thank you.”

  "My name is Eveniel, but you can call me Eve,” she said, moving her hand as if grasping something in the air. Green essence gathered within her palm. “My One Amongst Myriad Beings technique can only be learned by Farmers at the peak of their mortal stages… But I believe you can be an exception.”

  Listening intently, Zamian thought, ‘Finally, a normal teacher! Someone who explains instead of trying to kill me.’

  For the first time, he felt a surge of essence coming from her. It was akin to a Chosen unleashing their ultimate technique.

  ‘Which means she’s holding back a lot.’

  Nature’s essence enveloped Eve, and bursts of green energy shot from her hand, striking the small stones on the ground, the lake’s water, the tiny fish, and even the giant tree trunk behind the cottage.

  In less than ten seconds, her hand blinked with light over a hundred times, each burst of green hitting different targets—yet causing no harm.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Zamian thought, his eyes narrowing as the flashes accelerated.

  Then, they stopped.

  Zamian’s jaw dropped.

  “Impossible,” he whispered in disbelief. “Where is she?”

  Eve, who had been standing in front of him just moments ago, was gone.

  Relying on his empowered vision and mental sound spheres, he searched for her.

  He scanned for disturbances on the ground, the sound of footsteps, breathing, a heartbeat—anything that could give her away.

  Zamian heard the wind rustling through the trees, the distant scurrying of small beasts, and even the wing beats of giant birds flying above.

  He even heard the little worm burrowing deeper underground.

  ‘She was in front of me a moment ago. Did she use an Immortal technique?’ Zamian furrowed his brows, a chill running down his spine.

  His instincts screamed.

  Without hesitation, he threw his body forward, rolling across the ground before quickly adjusting his stance. Spinning around, he faced whatever had appeared behind him.

  Eve stood there, holding a twig pointed at the exact spot where he had been standing.

  “You have good instincts,” she smiled. “Being able to detect this level of intent is impressive for your current stage.”

  Recognizing he wasn’t in immediate danger, Zamian licked his lips.

  “Your technique… What does it do? Did it make you invisible while erasing your traces?”

  That was his best guess.

  Tossing the twig into the lake, Eve raised an eyebrow.

  “I thought you were a cultivation genius. Maybe you learned Lin Zhi’s Seed of Creation by sheer luck?”

  “Believe me when I say this—" Zamian narrowed his eyes, glancing around and looking for clues about her previous disappearance. “That ugly thing put me through a lot of pain to teach me.”

  While he still hadn’t fully grasped what had happened, he was certain it was a result of Eve’s technique.

  “Indeed, he is very ugly,” she nodded. “Why don’t you explain to me what you understood about it?” Eve asked, sitting on the lake’s shore and patting the ground beside her.

  ‘She wants to keep me between her and the worm,’ Zamian thought but still moved to her side, sitting cross-legged.

  Eve looked at Zamian.

  Zamian looked at Eve.

  Both sighed and smiled wryly.

  “You didn’t understand anything.”

  “I didn’t understand anything.”

  They spoke in unison.

  Eve laughed in exasperation, her voice melodic and soothing. Zamian felt his eyelids droop for a second, his body unconsciously relaxing at the sound.

  “At least tell me, do you know the intent behind my technique?” She waved her hand, gesturing vaguely to the surroundings.

  “To hide?”

  “Try again.”

  Zamian frowned, trying to recall White Dot’s explanation of One Amongst Myriad Beings.

  ‘Creation is a cycle occupied by a myriad of beings. Each one has a role, and each role is part of nature.’

  His instincts whispered, bringing his past knowledge to the surface.

  “To become one with nature?”

  He phrased it more as a question than an answer.

  “Almost. Try again.”

  Eve smiled, tilting her head toward the sky.

  Scratching his head, Zamian stood up and began pacing back and forth.

  ‘I’m not thinking about this the right way. Even if this blighted mute showed me some random text about the technique, it doesn’t matter,’ he thought. ‘This scantily dressed woman probably created the blighted technique. Whatever she made, it’s filled with her intentions.’

  He stopped, his eyes glowing white.

  ‘I need to learn this technique, ask her how to advance, and stick to my plan.’ He scanned his surroundings. ‘Lin Zhi preached about his intentions, his beliefs. He created a technique based on the struggle to be born.’

  His enhanced senses stretched across most of the lake and a small part of the forest, absorbing every detail.

  ‘This blighting pointy-eared woman lives here.’ His eyes flashed white again. ‘Why? And why didn’t she accuse me of being a Demon or something like that this time?’

  His gaze flicked to the patch of soil where the worm still wriggled.

  ‘She’s kind,’ he realized, smiling faintly. ‘She called the fish in the lake her fish. She never left me alone with the worm. And she fed me when she learned I was a mortal.’

  A whisper from his instincts surfaced in his mind.

  ‘Warden.’

  Zamian bit his lip.

  ‘Lin Zhi called himself a Warden. After a Farmer, there is a Warden. But what does a Warden do?’

  His thoughts racing, Zamian stepped closer to Eve, studying her as she kept her gaze fixed on the sky.

  From the distant peaks of the mountain, he could hear—not just see—giant birds gliding through the air.

  “You are the protector of this place,” he said.

  Eve nodded but didn’t look at him.

  “Your technique is meant to maintain balance, the natural order,” he continued, before frowning. “But how does that make you disappear?”

  “I didn’t disappear,” she replied, standing up. “My technique doesn’t focus on keeping the natural order but on merging myself with the cycle of my Sanctuary.”

  “Your what?”

  Zamian had been focused on her words, but as she finished speaking, he felt like all eight of his hearts had stopped at once.

  “Hmm?” Eve looked at him in surprise. “My Sanctuary, the place where I’m the Warden.”

  “Is this common?” he asked hastily. “For a Warden to have a Sanctuary?”

  “Of course,” she nodded, watching him curiously. “It’s necessary to have one to advance your cultivation in the Immortal stages. At least for us Nature Pathway cultivators.”

  Zamian’s eyes turned bloodshot as he stepped closer to Eve.

  She didn’t move back, only tilting her head slightly.

  “Why?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Why does an Immortal Cultivator need a Sanctuary to grow stronger?”

  “The Nature Pathway is one of the four Mind Paths. In our case, we need a place to maintain the natural order, creating a Sanctuary through our visualization.”

  “Like building a safe place? You made these trees and this lake?”

  “Not just that,” she shook her head and waved her hand. A flow of green essence rose from the lake, gathering in Eve’s palm and taking the shape of a fish. The black fish was alive but remained completely still. “I created everything here—the soil, the trees, the animals. The owner of a Sanctuary is usually the creator of its lifeforms and the whole cycle. Their children, or spawns, are all my creations.”

  Zamian’s mind froze.

  His eyes trembled.

  And then he started laughing.

  Eve took a step closer, puzzled.

  “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “Even me?” he shouted at her, his voice sharp and loud, his eyes red and wide. “Can an Immortal Cultivator even create a lifeform like me?”

  To Zamian’s relief, Eve shook her head.

  “Impossible. Your body isn’t like any lifeform I’ve ever seen,” she said firmly. “If you were one of the ancestral races, sure.”

  “Which ancestral races?” he asked, a strong sense of foreboding creeping into him.

  “Any race that originated from the Titans,” she shrugged. “Beasts, elves, humans—you know, the most common ones.”

  She paused, frowning. “What happened?”

  In front of her, Zamian stood frozen once more.

  “Can… Can an Immortal do what you did with any lifeform he created? Make a human and then dissipate it?”

  “If he’s a Warden and creator of such lifeform, of course,” she said, still frowning. “But this should be common knowledge in the White Leaf Sect.”

  She grabbed Zamian’s right arm and pulled him slightly. “Are you okay? Maybe you need to eat? You’re looking even paler.”

  “How…” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. “How can I save someone created by an Immortal just to be killed by him?”

  He walked alongside her, his mind feeling like it was being struck by Colossal Trees over and over again.

  “If a Warden dies without dissipating his creations, they remain alive,” Eve said, patting his back. “Judging by your reaction, I assume you know some lifeforms created by a Warden. Just tell your teachers, and they’ll handle the situation. After all, they value you enough to send you here.”

  He chuckled dryly and remained silent.

  After they entered Eve’s cottage, she conjured chairs for both of them before heading to the fireplace. With a simple motion, bowls and fruits appeared, and she retrieved meats she had stored along the walls.

  “You need to eat. Don’t worry, I’ll use only mortal beasts and plants as ingredients,” she said with a playful wink.

  Zamian stared at the ceiling, his thoughts scattered.

  After a moment, he took a deep breath, stood up from his chair, and kneeled behind Eve.

  Kowtowing, he shouted, “Please, teach me how to become an Essence Merging cultivator!”

  Eve turned around, smiling wryly. “You’re such a weird young man.”

  Zamian slammed his head against the floor. “Please!”

  Sighing, Eve stepped closer, grabbed his arm, and helped him stand up. “Okay, okay. Don’t keep doing that. I left the Sect because I hated dealing with all of this. I can teach you.”

  “Thank you,” Zamian nodded.

  “Go back to your chair. We’ll eat first.”

  “Okay.”

  Sitting down, Zamian closed his eyes.

  ‘Blighted vermin of a false god,’ he thought, clenching his fists. ‘Are you really the one who created me, my family, and my friends?’

  Scowling, he muttered under his breath, “I won’t accept it.”

  “Accept what?” Eve asked, turning to face him while crouching near the fireplace.

  Opening his eyes to glance at her, he chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed.

  “Nothing, nothing.”

  “Okay,” she shrugged. “After eating, take off your clothes, and I’ll teach you my technique.”

  “...?”