A barren stretch of land spread out in all directions.
Feng Qi ran across the scorched terrain, the Demon Blade slung over his shoulder. Sweat poured from his forehead, but his breathing remained steady, unaffected by the fatigue building up in his body.
Under high-intensity training, the Demon Blade continuously pumped blood and flesh energy into his body.
While his stamina was constantly being drained, his body was also rapidly absorbing energy to heal and recover—like forging a piece of steel, being hammered again and again to become stronger.
Floating behind him, wearing a purple dress and a white mask, was Xiao You.
After a long run, Feng Qi finally stopped, planting the Demon Blade into the ground to catch his breath. At that moment, Xiao You floated over, waving her hands. A fan appeared in her grip, and she began fanning with force.
Mist from the surroundings gathered toward the fan, then was blown toward Feng Qi.
In an instant, he was surrounded by a cloud of water vapor, and his body temperature began to drop quickly.
"Boss, water!"
Xiao You clapped her hands together, and the surrounding mist compressed into a spinning ball of water in her palm.
As Feng Qi opened his mouth and drank the water ball Xiao You brought to him, he suddenly realized—this water wasn't just water. It contained spiritual energy.
He could clearly feel a refreshing sensation spreading through his body, quickly easing his fatigue.
Looking down at the gray fan in Xiao You's hand, he realized—she'd crafted another new "toy."
Ever since Xiao You had unlocked her inherited memory, new creations kept emerging one after another.
Xiao You's racial talent was exceptionally unique.
Inside her was a highly malleable energy core. This core essentially functioned like her heart. Any spiritual energy she absorbed from the outside would be refined and converted into a part of this core.
Whenever needed, Xiao You could draw from the core and use its power to weave energy constructs.
These constructs weren't translucent or ghost-like.
Aside from a faint glow, their appearance was completely indistinguishable from real objects.
But the internal structure of each construct was as intricate and precise as a mechanical device. They were stable by design, lacking the brittleness and fragility typical of other forms of condensed energy.
What amazed Feng Qi the most was that these energy constructs could autonomously absorb spiritual energy from the air to sustain themselves and offset energy loss, maintaining their stability over time.
As her inherited memory gradually awakened, Xiao You's growth accelerated rapidly.
Her only limitation now was her own strength. She wasn't strong enough yet to use the more complex weaving techniques stored in her mind.
According to Xiao You, the energy weaving techniques in her memory were divided into three distinct levels.
Each level had clear differences.
The first level, which she had already mastered, involved creating stable energy constructs that carried functional attributes.
This process required establishing a new internal operational structure within the energy entity—essentially giving the construct its own energy circuit and power source.
The second level focused on the combination and assembly of multiple constructs.
If the first level was about creating individual energy items, the second was about constructing larger, more intricate mechanisms—like assembling an engine from many energy-based components.
This process was incredibly complex, but the final result would yield extremely powerful tools.
As for the third level, Xiao You couldn't yet comprehend it.
She only knew that it had something to do with the creation of energy-based lifeforms.
Her inherited memory offered nothing more than vague insights—clearly, this stage was still under development when her clan fell. The knowledge wasn't fully formed or passed down in a complete state.
Feng Qi guessed that this third level might've been the next big leap her people were working toward—an unlit branch of their evolving skill tree.
But reaching that stage would take a long time.
That also explained why Xiao You couldn't decode that part of her inheritance—her clan hadn't mastered it either.
Still, Feng Qi couldn't help but feel a little amazed by their ambition.
They wanted to create life itself. That was even more complex than what the Spirit Energy Race had done by transforming their bodies into spiritual energy forms.
The Spirit Energy Race had already made that transformation a reality. But Xiao You's clan had perished before reaching their goal.
It just showed how fickle fate could be. So many domain races had grand visions, but few truly rose to power.
Lost in thought, Feng Qi picked up the Demon Blade again after a short rest and continued trekking forward with Xiao You.
He had a hunch—the second unlocking of the Demon Blade wasn't far off.
When that time came, the Demon Blade's power would surge once more.
Its increased weight alone would turn even a casual strike into a terrifyingly lethal blow.
The desolate domain field stretched on, with winds howling and sand swirling.
Along the way, Feng Qi began revisiting the same question he'd pondered before—how to shape Xiao You's future path.
And this time, he thought more deeply than ever.
At first, Feng Qi had planned for Xiao You to follow a spellcaster route.
She could rely on her innate talent to weave various offensive energy constructs and bombard enemies with wide-range attacks.
But later, he realized Xiao You might actually be more suited to the assassin path.
Those explosive energy constructs could totally be fashioned into hidden weapons. With precise throwing, they could lock onto targets and detonate on impact, unleashing effects like extreme heat, tearing force, burning, or freezing.
Meanwhile, Xiao You could stay behind the lines, fully equipped with energy gear that helped with flying, dodging, defense, and countering threats.
Once he settled on that idea, he started training Xiao You in throwing techniques.
But Xiao You's learning ability and attitude were terrible. She spaced out, looked around, dozed off, drifted into daydreams… It gave Feng Qi a real headache.
In comparison, Zhang Daowen's personality was practically a model student template.
Clearly, this problem needed a solution.
Feng Qi spent the following days racking his brain over it.
Until one day, Xiao You surprised him on her own.
That day, while they were talking about combat styles again, Xiao You pushed her mask up to her forehead and smiled sweetly.
"Boss, I know how I'm supposed to fight now."
Feng Qi immediately asked what she meant.
Xiao You said she had seen her clan's combat methods while flipping through her inherited memories.
Every clan member who had mastered the second stage of weaving would assemble their own energy warrior.
Under his further questioning, Xiao You explained in detail what an energy warrior was.
Listening to her, Feng Qi was reminded of the Silver Moon Clan's puppet techniques.
But the difference was that Xiao You's version involved building warriors entirely out of energy constructs. She could control them with extreme precision using the threads released from her ten fingertips.
If necessary, she could even detonate the energy warrior for a massive area-of-effect attack.
And the energy warrior could also function like a mech, sheltering Xiao You inside. She could control it internally without directly facing enemy attacks.
Looking at it now, all his previous worries were completely unnecessary.
Xiao You's clan had long since developed energy weaving techniques in great detail—including how to use racial abilities in actual combat. He didn't need to plan any growth path for her at all.
As long as she could fully comprehend the inherited knowledge in her mind, she'd become incredibly powerful.
Feng Qi now had high hopes for her future.
Two years passed.
He had no idea how far they had traveled, or how far they were from their destination.
He and Xiao You journeyed together, passing through bizarre and unpredictable domain fields. They fought side by side and fled for their lives more than once.
Whenever they encountered an enemy they couldn't beat, Feng Qi would decisively grab the Demon Blade and shout:
"Xiao You, we're bailing!"
And Xiao You would shout back like it was second nature:
"Got it, Boss!"
Then she'd speed through the air, chasing his silhouette from behind.
Their travels were full of both warmth and hardship.
Once, Feng Qi was gravely injured. The Demon Blade's blood and flesh energy reserves were completely spent and couldn't help him recover.
He fell unconscious.
Xiao You ended up dragging him through the air for three straight days and nights until she found a safe place to land.
When Feng Qi woke up, she had already passed out from extreme energy exhaustion.
In this long journey together, there were warm moments, but also some downright miserable ones.
Like the time they wandered into an extremely cold domain field. The temperature was insanely low, but they still pushed deeper in with stubborn determination.
Then, a natural disaster hit.
A freezing storm trapped them both. They huddled together in a corner of the storm, teeth chattering, frozen stiff like two dumb mutts.
Luckily, the blizzard passed as quickly as it came, and they narrowly escaped with their lives.
Another time, they got stuck in a labyrinth domain field and couldn't find a way out.
They wandered for months, eventually running out of food.
Even the Demon Blade's stored energy was completely depleted. It really looked like they were going to starve to death in that domain field.
And it was then that Xiao You said something that left Feng Qi completely speechless.
She said:
"Boss, do you need to eat me?"
The look on her face was so serious when she said it that Feng Qi couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. He smacked the back of her head and scolded her with a grin:
"You don't have enough meat on you to fill me up."
Xiao You's innocent dumbness was different from Suction Cup's.
Suction Cup had suffered severe injuries, and after its rune crystal shattered, its consciousness became fuzzy and scattered. It couldn't communicate properly and could only move based on instinct.
Under normal conditions, Suction Cup was actually really smart and lively.
But Xiao You was naturally airheaded. She was always a beat slow in her thinking, often drifting into space. Occasionally, she'd get weirdly energetic and suddenly shout "Boss!" out of nowhere. When Feng Qi asked her what was up, she'd always reply:
"Nothing. Just wanted to call you."
After spending nearly three years together, Feng Qi noticed something else.
Xiao You's physical development seemed even slower than Zhang Daowen's.
In terms of bloodline potential, she was clearly weaker than Zhang Daowen, but judging by her body's growth rate, it seemed like Xiao You had a much longer natural lifespan.
That got Feng Qi wondering—what would Xiao You be like fifteen hundred years from now?
The journey continued. Feng Qi had no idea how much farther they needed to travel to finally leave this region packed with domain fields.
There was no signal here, and these towering domain fields that spanned sky and earth offered no shortcuts.
The only way was to push through them one by one.
Each domain field varied in spatial size—some took months to cross, even longer in some cases. How far they were from the imagined destination was a complete mystery.
That day, Feng Qi and Xiao You arrived at a brand-new domain field.
Black particles floated visibly in the air, and there was a pungent, sulfur-like smell lingering all around.
As they moved deeper in, Feng Qi discovered that the field was riddled with massive sinkholes.
You could clearly see signs of external excavation on them.
It was obvious this domain field held abundant spirit ore resources.
As they moved forward, Feng Qi grew more and more interested in the place.
The area was basically an open-pit mine. If Star City could gain control over this domain field, it would significantly boost the city's development and overall strength.
But it was just a thought.
This domain field was tens of thousands of li away from Star City. To build a main route here, Star City would need to push through who knows how many domain fields to open up a path.
With the current level of human combat strength, pulling that off was harder than reaching the heavens.
"Boss, it stinks," Xiao You complained as she floated beside him.
"Deal with it."
"Yes, Boss."
After walking a bit farther, the Demon Blade's aged voice suddenly echoed in Feng Qi's mind:
"Qi kid, I just found a little one with great potential. Interested?"
Feng Qi hadn't planned to stay long, but the moment he heard that, his interest was piqued. He replied right away:
"Brother Blade, lead the way."
Under the Demon Blade's guidance, Feng Qi and Xiao You moved in the direction of the potential lifeform.
After more than two years on the road, Feng Qi had finally found another promising little one.
There was no way he'd let this chance go.
A while later, Feng Qi and Xiao You arrived at a mining zone.
This place looked like a giant sinkhole. The surface ore had already been cleared out, and at the very bottom was a mine shaft sloping downward into darkness.
At the mine entrance, thin, shirtless figures were pushing heavy ore carts up from below, then dumping the ore off at the edge of the pit.
Feng Qi scanned to the side and saw two guards standing beside the growing pile of spirit ore.
They stood over three meters tall, their skin blood-red. Each wore exquisitely crafted armor, and their weapons—axe-like in shape—were impressive. He could even see faint spirit light flickering along their surfaces, as if they were actively absorbing free-floating spiritual particles from the air.
It was clear that the ruling power of this domain field had mastered some pretty advanced forging techniques.
Standing at the edge of the pit and looking down, Feng Qi guessed that the lifeform they were after was somewhere in the bottom of the mine.
Maybe it had been captured along with its kin and turned into a mining slave.
Or maybe it had been born in the depths of this mine.
Either way, it was a tragic fate for a young one.
Without a miracle, it would probably spend its whole life buried in darkness.
Its growth potential would be snuffed out due to a lack of proper cultivation methods or resources.
If Feng Qi hadn't come, this kid's life would've passed by without a ripple.
But since fate brought them together, Feng Qi had already decided—he was taking this kid with him and training it personally.
"Boss, are we taking them out?" Xiao You asked, raising her tiny fist and waving it toward the two guards in the distance.
"You gonna do it yourself?"
"Sure, Boss. I guarantee success!"
She replied immediately, about to fly straight toward the guards.
Feng Qi quickly reached out and grabbed her by the head, dragging her back with a helpless sigh.
"Where do you get the confidence to think you can beat those two?"
Xiao You paused and thought about it seriously. Then she said with utter sincerity:
"You gave me the confidence, Boss."
"What if I told you to eat crap?"
"I'd eat it!"