As Xiao Feng stepped deeper into the cave, the faint glow of crystals cast trembling shadows along the jagged walls. At the end of the narrow passage, the mystic door stood silent, its golden runes pulsing faintly—like a heartbeat.
When he pushed it open, the world collapsed.
The cave vanished, replaced by a vast forest bathed in twilight. The air was thick with danger.
A sharp cry pierced the silence.
Xiao Feng's eyes snapped toward the sound—and there it was.
A small cub.
Its body shimmered with rainbow scales, tiny wings flickering like embers, its serpentine tail coiling weakly. But what made Xiao Feng's expression darken… was what stood before it.
A massive shadow beast.
Its body was twisted, covered in jagged bone spikes, its eyes burning with cruel hunger. One claw was already raised—ready to crush the fragile cub beneath it.
"An illusion…" Xiao Feng muttered.
But the cub's trembling cries… felt real.
The fear in its eyes… was real.
And for some reason—his chest tightened.
The shadow beast roared and struck.
Xiao Feng moved.
His figure blurred as Dou Qi surged through his body. He intercepted the claw mid-air, the impact sending cracks through the ground beneath his feet.
"Get behind me," he said softly.
The cub hesitated—then weakly crawled behind him, pressing against his leg.
That small action…
Made something in Xiao Feng's heart shift.
The beast lunged again, faster this time.
Xiao Feng didn't retreat.
He stepped forward.
Each clash shook the illusion. Trees shattered. Wind howled. The beast's strength was overwhelming—far beyond what the trial should allow.
Blood trickled from Xiao Feng's lips.
Yet he didn't move back.
Not even a step.
Because behind him…
Was something fragile.
Something that trusted him.
With a final surge, Xiao Feng condensed his Dou Qi into a single strike and drove it straight into the beast's core.
The roar stopped.
The shadow shattered.
Silence returned.
But the illusion didn't end.
Instead… time flowed.
Days passed.
Xiao Feng found himself staying with the cub in that forest.
At first, it was wary—keeping its distance, watching him with cautious eyes. But slowly…
It drew closer.
It would curl beside him when it slept.
Follow him as he hunted.
Even try to mimic his movements, flapping its tiny wings clumsily.
Xiao Feng, who had always walked his path alone… began to feel something unfamiliar.
Companionship.
One evening, as golden light filtered through the trees, the cub climbed onto his shoulder, letting out a soft, content sound.
Xiao Feng smiled faintly.
"Looks like you've decided to stick with me."
The cub nuzzled against his cheek.
Then, without warning…
The world began to break.
The forest cracked like glass. The sky fragmented. The cub's body started to fade into particles of light.
Xiao Feng's expression changed for the first time.
"Wait—"
The cub looked at him.
No fear this time.
Only trust.
And… reluctance.
It let out a soft cry.
Then rushed forward, pressing its head against his chest.
A warm light burst between them.
The illusion shattered.
Xiao Feng was back in the cave.
But something was different.
A faint warmth lingered in his chest—steady… alive.
And on his hand, a small mark appeared:
A symbol of intertwined dragon, phoenix, and serpent.
Xiao Feng clenched his fist slowly.
"That wasn't just an illusion…"
Somewhere, deep within an unknown realm—
A small creature opened its eyes.
And for the first time…
It began searching for him.
The illusion shattered like fragile glass.
For a moment, silence swallowed everything.
Then—
A surge of cold, ancient energy gathered in the air, condensing slowly into a translucent figure. His form flickered like a dying flame, yet his presence… it was vast, suffocating.
"Finally…"
A hoarse yet powerful voice echoed through the chamber.
"Finally, someone with the same physique as mine has arrived!"
Xiao Feng's pupils shrank.
A ghostly old man stepped forward, his figure half-real, half-ethereal. His eyes, though dim, carried the weight of countless years.
He looked directly at Xiao Feng.
"Boy… what is your name?"
Xiao Feng cupped his fists respectfully, his voice steady despite the pressure.
"Junior Xiao Feng greets Senior."
"My name is Xiao Feng."
The old man stared at him for a long moment… then slowly nodded.
"I am Xi Yun… though in my time, the world called me—Beast Venerable."
Xiao Feng's heart trembled.
Venerable…
Anyone who dared to call themselves that must have at least reached the legendary Dou Zun realm in their lifetime.
Shock flashed across his face—but only for a moment.
He quickly suppressed it.
Instead, something else caught his attention.
"Senior… you mentioned… the same physique?"
A sharp glint appeared in Xi Yun's eyes.
"Ah… so you noticed."
Seeing Xiao Feng's confusion, the old soul waved his sleeve. A stone platform rose from the ground.
"Sit. I will tell you what makes you… special."
Xiao Feng sat down, his mind alert.
The old man's voice grew deep and ancient.
"Your physique… is known as the Beast Creation Physique."
The air trembled faintly as the words fell.
"This physique… grants your blood a terrifying ability."
"Even without using essence blood—just ordinary blood—magical beasts can break their natural limits… evolve… or even undergo rebirth."
Xiao Feng's breath hitched slightly.
"And not only that," Xi Yun continued, "you possess a natural affinity with beasts. To them… you are not merely a human."
"You are something… closer to a creator."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
"Throughout history," the old man went on, "only a handful have possessed this physique."
"Besides you… and me… there were two others in the ancient Dou Di era."
"One of them… likely became a Dou Di."
Boom.
Those words struck Xiao Feng like thunder.
A path to Dou Di…?
Before he could fully process it, Xi Yun looked at him with a strange sense of relief.
"I have waited… for countless years."
"And now… I have finally found a successor."
"My legacy… can finally be passed on."
"And I… can rest in peace."
Xiao Feng's eyes flickered. After a brief hesitation, he took out several glowing herbs from his storage ring.
"Senior… these are soul-nourishing plants. They may help stabilize your soul."
The old man glanced at them… then slowly shook his head.
"It is useless."
"I am merely a remnant soul… sustained only because I burned my soul essence long ago."
"There is no saving me."
His voice was calm—but carried a faint trace of regret.
Then…
He began his story.
"I came from the Central Plains…"
"I was known as Beast Venerable."
"I was also a… half-step 9th-grade alchemist."
Even Xiao Feng couldn't hide his shock this time.
A peak alchemist… and a Dou Zun-level expert…
"I was ambushed," Xi Yun continued coldly, "while refining a half-finished 9th-grade pill… one meant to help me break into the Half-Saint realm."
"They coveted the pill… and my flame."
"I was severely injured."
"And in the end… I fell."
His figure flickered violently for a moment.
"I was the last master of a Heavenly Flame ranked 22nd…"
"The Ten Thousand Beast Flame."
The temperature in the cave rose slightly as he spoke its name.
"Though it ranks near the bottom among Heavenly Flames…"
"For our physique…"
"It is something entirely different."
His gaze locked onto Xiao Feng.
"To us… it is like an innate flame."
"The most compatible existence."
"If you can nurture it… awaken its spirit…"
"There is even a chance…"
His voice lowered.
"…to refine another Heavenly Flame."
Xiao Feng's mind exploded.
Refine another flame?!
In the entire Dou Qi continent, only a few legends could control multiple Heavenly Flames.
His thoughts immediately went to Xiao Yan.
Even he relied on a heaven-defying cultivation technique.
Others, like Xiao Xuan or the Yan Clan's patriarch, achieved it only through overwhelming strength as Dou Saints.
Yet now—
His physique alone… could make it possible?
Xi Yun smiled faintly at Xiao Feng's stunned expression.
"Yes… only those with our physique… can attempt such a feat."
The cave fell into silence once more.
Xi Yun's gaze turned deep, as if he were looking through Xiao Feng… into something far beyond.
"By now… you should have realized," he said slowly, "that what you experienced earlier… was not reality."
Xiao Feng's heart trembled slightly.
"That… was an illusion I created."
A faint ripple spread through the space, as if echoing his words.
"This technique…" Xi Yun raised his hand, a dim green glow gathering at his fingertips, "was something I obtained from a senior long ago."
"It was created by imitating the Bodhi Tree."
He paused, letting the weight of that name sink in.
"—A Hundred Life Reincarnation Enlightenment."
Xiao Feng frowned slightly. The name sounded ancient… profound… yet familiar.
Seeing his reaction, Xi Yun gave a faint smile.
"You might not know… but the Bodhi Tree grants three great treasures."
"The Bodhi Heart, the Bodhi Seed, and… this enlightenment technique."
"Anyone who obtains even one of these…"
His voice deepened.
"…if no accidents occur… they will at least step into the Dou Saint realm in their lifetime."
Xiao Feng inhaled sharply.
Dou Saint…
An existence standing near the peak of the continent.
"Of course," Xi Yun waved his hand lightly, "what I possess is only an imitation. Far inferior to the true Hundred Life Reincarnation Enlightenment."
"But…"
His eyes locked onto Xiao Feng.
"…it is more than enough for you."
A strange silence followed.
Then—
Xi Yun dropped a truth like thunder.
"You may not remember…"
"But within that illusion…"
"You lived… four entire lifetimes."
Boom.
Xiao Feng's mind went blank.
"Four… lifetimes…?"
He instinctively tried to recall—
But there was nothing.
Empty.
Like those memories had never existed.
Xi Yun nodded slowly.
"I erased them."
"Your current soul realm… is too weak to bear such vast experiences."
"If I had left those memories intact…"
"You would have collapsed."
A cold chill ran down Xiao Feng's spine.
Even now, he could vaguely feel… something missing.
Like fragments of another self… lost in time.
"The illusion you remember," Xi Yun continued, "was merely the final test I left for you."
Xiao Feng clenched his fists slightly.
"So that means… everything I experienced…"
"Was real… yet not real…"
Xi Yun gave a faint approving nod.
"Good. Your comprehension is not bad."
Then his expression turned serious.
"Although you have not yet awakened your physique…"
"There is something far more important."
He looked directly into Xiao Feng's eyes.
"You have maintained a pure heart… and a clean soul."
"If not…"
His voice lowered.
"…you would have already failed."
Xiao Feng was confused.
"Senior… I don't understand."
Xi Yun sighed softly.
"Our Beast Creation Physique…"
"It gives us the power to tame beasts… to make them fight for us…"
"To control their evolution… even their lives."
His tone gradually grew colder.
"And many who possess such power…"
"Eventually begin to see magical beasts as nothing more than tools."
"Slaves."
"Disposable weapons."
The cave grew heavy.
"But this physique…" he continued, "is different."
"It carries… a will."
"Perhaps the will of the heavens… or perhaps its own law."
"If your heart is impure…"
"If you lack compassion… or moral restraint…"
"You will never awaken it."
Xiao Feng's eyes widened slightly.
Xi Yun spoke the final words slowly, each one like a verdict.
"Only those with an innocent soul…"
"A pure mindset…"
"And strong moral conduct…"
"…can truly awaken the Beast Creation Physique."
Silence fell.
But this time—
It wasn't oppressive.
It was… awakening.
Xiao Feng lowered his head slightly.
All this time, he thought strength came from talent… techniques… flames…
But now—
He realized something deeper.
His heart… was also part of his cultivation.
And perhaps—
The most important part.