Where the giant refining cauldron shimmered under the light of spiritual lamps,
Zhang Yong began arranging the ingredients in the air with intense focus.
"I will need your help adjusting the cauldron's temperature," Zhang Yong said as he tossed the herbs into the cauldron one by one. "This recipe is extremely delicate."
Su Ming nodded seriously and began directing his essence flame toward the cauldron. "But Zhang Yong… what really happened to Liu Yin? I know you well—you were avoiding the answer."
Zhang Yong paused for a moment, his crimson eyes flickering in the light of the purple flames beneath the cauldron. "Su Ming, I will explain everything later, truly, but before that, Liu Yin takes priority."
Su Ming asked no further questions and focused on controlling the flame.
Their attention turned entirely to the refining process. Blue vapors and purple smoke began rising from the cauldron, and a strange, fragrant aroma filled the room.
A few hours later, dawn had broken.
With a long exhale, Zhang Yong closed the cauldron's lid. "We're done," he said, his voice hoarse from exhaustion. "A fifth-grade pill, but its effect is comparable to the sixth grade. The Heavenly Pill King has truly surpassed himself."
He opened the lid, and a small snow-white orb, glowing with a faint blue light, floated in the air above the cauldron. Su Ming stared at it, mesmerized. "It's… beautiful."
"And dangerous," Zhang Yong added as he carefully placed it into a special jade vial. "Take two of these, and an entire spirit sea will freeze solid."
The two quickly made their way to the medical wing, where Liu Yin was still unconscious. Zhang Yong stood directly before Wang Fei. "Elder Brother, give this to Sister Yin. It will help."
Wang Fei took the vial with extreme caution, his eyes examining the shimmering icy pill within. "A fifth-grade pill," he whispered in admiration. "How were you two able to get it so quickly?"
Zhang Yong did not answer, merely nodding toward Liu Yin. "Give it to her now, before it loses its efficacy."
Wang Fei nodded, quietly entered the room, and closed the door behind him.
Zhang Yong smiled faintly, then turned away and left the place together with Su Ming.
Zhang Yong let out a long breath and turned to Su Ming. "I will explain everything now, and… I think you should also know about my past, because I consider you a brother."
Su Ming's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I didn't really mean my words back in the border realm—"
Suddenly, Zhang Yong's fist came down on Su Ming's head. It wasn't too strong, but neither was it weak.
Su Ming clutched his aching head. "What the… why did you do that for—"
"Because you're trying to be clever here. Do you think I'm like you, opening myself up to just anyone?… On second thought, I suppose I am doing that if I'm getting emotional , but you shared your life with me on the first days of our brotherhood, i can't just be so much cautious against someone who trust me completely , Anyway, let me tell you first."
Zhang Yong took a deep breath, his crimson eyes flickering with a mysterious expression. "To begin, let me tell you that this world is one of many worlds in this universe. All worlds lie beneath the World Tree, Yggdrasil."
"The World Tree, Yggdrasil…" Su Ming whispered with wide eyes, as if trying to comprehend the magnitude of this information. "So all the worlds are connected?"
"That's… not really true. Only a handful of beings can leave their world. If you're not at the God rank, you'll never leave it as long as you live," Zhang Yong said, scratching the back of his head. "It's a bit complicated, but all worlds are under the World Tree."
Su Ming stared at Zhang Yong in astonishment. "God? What rank is that?"
Zhang Yong pointed quietly toward the sky. "Gods rank are merely beings who have reached the peak of power in their worlds, but they are still human—just far stronger. As for Gods, there is a God representing each law and path, but not everyone becomes one. There is also the possibility of inheriting the position of a God, and that is also their way of being freed and able to roam the outer universe."
Su Ming nodded slowly, his eyes reflecting both understanding and awe. "And you… how do you know all this?"
Zhang Yong paused, his crimson eyes flickering with distant memories. "Because I was not born in this world. I travel across these worlds. I can leave, but I cannot return. The moment I leave, I leave forever."
Su Ming's face displayed clear shock. "You… you're not from this world?" he whispered in a muted voice, as if trying to absorb the magnitude of this revelation. "But how? And why?"
Zhang Yong turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, where the sun was rising in a crimson hue. "Before I came to this world, I was in another world. Let's just say it was my greatest moment of regret." His voice became rougher. "This time, I will tell you about myself."
After that, Zhang Yong began telling Su Ming everything that had happened to him.
At least, he only told him about the Douluo Continent part. There would be great calamities if he told him he was a reincarnator , Zhang Yong would most likely take that information to the grave.
And Su Ming did not interrupt. He just kept listening with intense focus.
After Zhang Yong finished his story, a heavy silence fell between them. Su Ming was looking at the ground with deep-set eyes, trying to digest everything he had heard.
"So…" Su Ming began in a hoarse voice, "all this power you possess… all this knowledge… it's because you lived another life in another world."
Zhang Yong nodded slowly. "Well, sort of. But what I've gained in this world has been far more beneficial than in my previous world."
Suddenly, Su Ming began laughing softly. "That actually explains a lot. Like why you were so stupid when we first met and everything."
Zhang Yong growled in anger. "You!…" Nevertheless, he calmed himself immediately. "Fine, I won't deny it. I was ignorant at the beginning. But it seems you're accepting the idea that this world is a drop in the ocean and that I'm from another world."
Su Ming scratched his face dumbly. "Well, it's not like it changes much between us." Then he added with a slight smile, "After all this, who's going to watch your back if not me?"
Zhang Yong laughed, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. "Hah, I don't know if you're stupid or a loyal friend."
...
A few days after the battle, the Purple Star Sect began to recover.
Liu Yin woke from her coma, but she did not remember anything that had happened during the battle.
Everyone decided not to tell her the details, only informing her that she had performed heroically and saved the sect.
And now that things had calmed down within the sect, Zhang Yong decided to enter seclusion.
The morning was cold when Zhang Yong left his residence, heading toward Qing Feng's dwelling.
Zhang Yong stood before the door of Qing Feng's residence, his hands in his pockets and his eyes half-closed.
After a moment of hesitation, he raised his hand and knocked on the door three times with determination.
From inside, Qing Feng's angry voice was heard: "Who disturbs me at this early hour?!"
The door swung open violently, revealing Qing Feng with disheveled hair and eyes red from staying up late. "Ah… it's you," he said with obvious disappointment. "I thought you were Liu Yan coming to scold me again. I wanted to test my new crossbow on her."
Zhang Yong smiled broadly. "I'm sorry to disappoint you. But I have a small request."
Qing Feng raised his right eyebrow. "A request? From you? That's rare. What do you want? A new gauntlet, or perhaps a sword? Or do you want some relationship advice from an expert?" Qing Feng winked lightly.
"Follow me for a moment," Zhang Yong said as he turned, expecting Qing Feng to follow him.
"Wait! Why should I—"
But Zhang Yong had already walked away from him. Qing Feng muttered some unintelligible words before dragging himself behind him.
Quickly, they had left the sect and headed toward Maple Leaf Town.
They entered a three-story shop. Written on the front in bold letters was "Yong Ming Shop."
After entering, there were shelves of spiritual crystals, rare herbs, and pills on display.
Qing Feng whistled in amazement as he looked around the place. "How long has this place been here?!"
"For about a year. Su Ming and I opened this shop to gather enough money to buy the herbs to treat Master," Zhang Yong answered indifferently as he moved forward. "Currently, this shop is my main entrance."
Qing Feng couldn't help but stare at the place in awe.
Bo Qi was standing behind the counter, and beside him was one of the twin hybrids he had purchased before as slaves.
While Qing Feng was examining the shop in amazement, a slender young man wearing a green robe appeared from the upper floor, his golden eyes shining with intelligence.
"Oh, you've finally returned!" the young man said as he descended the stairs quickly. "We've completed the order for third-grade pills, but we need more Crimson Devil Flower if we want to…"
He suddenly stopped upon seeing Qing Feng, his eyes widening. "Qing Feng?!"
Qing Feng looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Ke Linan? What are you doing here?"
Zhang Yong looked between the two with interest. "You two know each other?"
Ke Linan laughed lightly. "We met before in Iron Peacock City. We fought for a while before ending up sharing a drink."
After the unexpected meeting between Ke Linan and Qing Feng, Zhang Yong left them to reminisce.
Then he approached the main counter, where Bo Qi was recording accounts in the ledger.
"Boss, welcome. It's been a while since your last visit here," Bo Qi smiled happily upon seeing Zhang Yong.
"Well, there were some problems. How are the business affairs?" Zhang Yong said in a casual tone.
Bo Qi raised his head with a smile. "Business is good, Boss. We've made a profit of up to ten thousand spirit stones this month alone."
Zhang Yong nodded approvingly. "Good. What about my personal account currently?"
Bo Qi checked his ledger. "Boss, your current account holds about fifty thousand spirit stones."
Zhang Yong listened with a smile. This small business had indeed flourished. "That's good. Then, I will withdraw thirty thousand stones."
"Thirty thousand?" Bo Qi's eyebrows rose, but he did not object. "Understood, I will bring them to you now."
While Bo Qi was scooping the spirit stones from the vault, Qing Feng and Ke Linan returned to them, still exchanging laughter as if they were old friends.
"Hey, Zhang Yong!" Qing Feng called out as he approached. "You didn't tell me you owned such an amazing shop! And Ke Linan here says you produce fourth-grade pills?"
"Yes," Zhang Yong answered simply. "I managed to obtain the recipes from my sources. But there is something more important I need to ask of you, and that is the reason I asked you to come."
Qing Feng rolled his eyes toward him with curiosity. "Alright, what do you want?"
"I want you to be the new manager of this shop," Zhang Yong said seriously. "I will be entering a long seclusion, and I need someone trustworthy to manage things here."
A brief silence fell over the place. Even Ke Linan stood stunned by the offer.
"Me… manager?" Qing Feng whispered, his eyes widening. "But I'm not an alchemist! What would I do?"
"You will oversee operations," Zhang Yong explained. "Ke Linan will handle the technical side. You just make sure things run smoothly. Additionally, if possible, take some youngsters from the shop and teach them blacksmithing. It would be a great help to me."
Bo Qi returned carrying a spatial bag and handed it to Zhang Yong. "Here are the thirty thousand spirit stones, Boss."
Zhang Yong took the bag and put it into his storage. These were necessary resources for his training.
Qing Feng looked at Zhang Yong with admiration. "Zhang Yong, are you serious?"
"Yes," Zhang Yong confirmed. "The shop is now under your management. Invest the profits as you see fit, and take some to repair the residences on the peak."
Qing Feng nodded slowly, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Alright! I will make this place the most famous shop in the region!"
Then Zhang Yong leaned toward Ke Linan. "Linan, I am counting on you to control him. If he takes money from his personal expenses to go play around in the red-light district, I give you the right to beat him to your heart's content."
Ke Linan clenched his fist and began cracking his knuckles. "That would be my pleasure."
After Zhang Yong had organized the shop's affairs and left his final instructions for Qing Feng and Ke Linan, he walked out of the shop under the bewildered and admiring gazes of the workers.
He stood for a moment at the entrance, the sun bathing his face in its warm golden light.
"It's time," he whispered to himself as he took out the silver teleportation token from his pocket.
Immediately, he entered an alley, activated it, and teleported to the small world.
The world was different now. The previously desert-like environment had transformed into vibrant green land.
The place was refreshing.
Zhang Yong breathed deeply, sensing the air saturated with dense spiritual energy. Even the air here was heavy, as if drinking water instead of breathing air.
Suddenly, he sensed a powerful presence approaching from behind him.
"You've finally arrived."
A deep voice, like the rumble of the earth, vibrated through the air. Zhang Yong turned to find a ghostly man wearing a straw hat on his head standing a few meters away from him.
"Oh, Bandit King, it's been a long time," Zhang Yong couldn't help but greet him.
"How unexpectedly respectful of you. Is your life nearing its end?" The Bandit King let out a sarcastic smile.
Zhang Yong smiled in annoyance and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the Bandit King felt soul-rending pain course through his body.
The Bandit King screamed from the sudden pain that tore through his spiritual being. He fell to his knees as his ghostly features contorted. "Stop! Enough!"
Zhang Yong closed his fist, causing the pain to cease immediately. "Now, do you still want to joke around?" he said in a calm but clearly threatening voice.
The Bandit King slowly raised his head, his ghostly eyes flickering with both anger and fear. "I thought you had changed, you brat!"
"Of course I haven't changed. I'm still the same as ever," Zhang Yong walked slowly around the ghost king. "I have much to do, and no time to waste on foolish competitions with you."
At that moment, another figure appeared on the horizon. A tall man with a slender stature, wearing a black robe adorned with golden symbols. It was Zhang Guan.
"Zhang Yong," Zhang Guan said in his deep voice. "You've returned."
Zhang Yong nodded his head. "Yes. I've come to make a breakthrough since I have the time. After this, I will leave the small world and enter seclusion to digest what I gained from the Heavenly Border Realm. So, I ask your permission."
The Bandit King, who had regained his balance, stood quietly. "Wait a moment." He turned his palm over, and a scroll appeared in his hand. He tossed it to Zhang Yong. "The sound technique I told you about before. I've developed it to use mental energy instead of spiritual energy. I hope it proves useful."
Zhang Yong caught the scroll with curiosity, his crimson eyes examining the complex symbols inscribed on it. "A sound technique using mental energy? This is… truly interesting."
"It took me a full year to perfect it," the Bandit King said with evident pride in his voice.
Zhang Yong nodded as he tucked the scroll into his storage. "Thank you. I will study it later during my seclusion."
Then he looked around at the thriving small world. "It seems you two have done good work here during my absence."
"Yes, our spiritual garden has become more prosperous," the Bandit King said, gesturing to the vast fields of rare herbs.
"You've done good work. I will take some herbs later, so prepare them for me," Zhang Yong said in a sarcastic tone.
"You!" The Bandit King could only seethe with resentment while Zhang Guan laughed on the side.