Despite protesting numerous times, Huǒ Shuchang still ended up sparring with Wu Jian every single day. Every single day, Wu Jian found himself on the brink of burnout. Sparring with Huǒ Shuchang was unlike sparring with Wu Meiying, Zhou Lihua, or Hou Jingshu. This man used a cultivation method that seemed to embody power. His flames could burn down everything in their path. It took everything Wu Jian had just to stay alive.

But that was exactly what Wu Jian wanted.

It was only when a person struggled with everything they had that they acquired true strength.

“You’re one crazy sonofabit. You know that, right?” Huǒ Shuchang said as he knelt beside Wu Jian, who looked like he’d been roasting in an oven for several days.

Wu Jian’s clothes had been burnt to cinders, and his body was covered in burns. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, and stared at the sky that peeked in through the canopy overhead.

“Is it crazy… to want strength? Is it… crazy… to want to be strong?” asked Wu Jian.

Huǒ Shuchang shook his head. “That’s not crazy, but your manner of acquiring strength is insane. What Body Forging Realm cultivator would fight against someone several realms above him? No one. That’s who. No one except you, you crazy bastard.”

Huǒ Shuchang was a half-step into the Asura Realm despite only being nineteen years old. That was powerful even among the strongest sects on the continent. It meant that in just three short years, he had ascended three whole realms and was close to breaking through a fourth one. According to him, most cultivators his age who belonged to big sects would only be at the first or fifth subrealm of the Anima Realm. Only true prodigies were as powerful as him.

Wu Jian didn’t know if Huǒ Shuchang was being honest or just boasting, but Wu Meiying had once said something similar, so he was inclined to give this man the benefit of the doubt.

“You don’t understand. I need to be stronger. I’ll do whatever it takes to become the strongest person in the world,” Wu Jian said as he sat up.

Huǒ Shuchang stared at him an in unfathomable daze, but then he closed his eyes and shook his head. He smiled softly as if he found something mildly amusing.

“I guess you and I are actually pretty similar. I also need to get strong… though I can’t acquire strength the way you seem to. Fighting ridiculous battles that could kill me just seems counterproductive.”

“Whatever.”

Huǒ Shuchang helped Wu Jian stand, and they made their way back to their camp. Wu Jian immediately went over to a basket filled with plants he had gathered, grabbed one of the thicker leaves, and cut it open to reveal a thick paste inside. He liberally smeared the paste over his burns. He only hissed a little as the natural salve worked its magic.

His body was littered with quite a few burn scars. They weren’t going away. This was the price Wu Jian paid for training the way he did, but he didn’t mind. What were a few scars if it meant getting stronger?

“You’re turning sixteen soon, right?” asked Huǒ Shuchang as Wu Jian finished putting salve on his skin.

“That’s right. What of it?”

“I was just wondering when you were going to break through.”

Wu Jian tilted his head and realized with some consternation that he didn’t know. Breakthroughs always happened when a person turned sixteen. The best time to attempt a breakthrough was the exact minute someone turned sixteen. If you could breakthrough closer to that time, you had a higher chance of ascending more subrealms.

“What day is it right now?”

“It’s the sixteenth day of the sixth Lunar Month.”

The Xiao Continent used a lunar calendar. It was based on the orbit of the moon and planet. When the moon moved into line with the planet and the sun, it became the first day of the lunary month. When the moon was full, it was the middle of the month. There were twenty-nine or thirty days in a month and twelve or thirteen months in a lunar year--depending on whether or not that year was a leap year. The leap year happened every two or three lunar years.

Wu Jian was born on the seventeenth of the sixth Lunar Month exactly one hour before the sun rose.

“It looks like I’ll be breaking through tomorrow,” Wu Jian announced.

Huǒ Shuchang looked startled. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Well… damn. I’m kinda excited to see how many subrealms you can ascend. You’re crazy strong, so I’m sure you’ll ascended at least four subrealms if not five.”

Wu Jian believed he would ascend more subrealms, but five was considered the standard for geniuses. He didn’t tell Huǒ Shuchang that Zhou Lihua and Wu Meiying ascended even more subrealms than that when they broke through.

“Anyway, I’m gonna need your help breaking through,” Wu Jian said.

“Huh? My help? What do you need my help for?” asked Huǒ Shuchang.

Wu Jian subtly tapped his shadow behind his back so Huǒ Shuchang wouldn’t see it. A tail carrying a small chest emerged. He grabbed the chest and allowed the tail to submerge back in darkness, then presented the chest to Huǒ Shuchang.

“What’s this?” the man asked.

Wu Jian opened the chest, revealing a set of golden acupuncture needles and a scroll resting on a purple pillow. “I’m going to need you to stick these needles in the exact points indicated by the scroll. You have to do this one hour before I break through. Think you can do that?”

Huǒ Shuchang grabbed the scroll, unfurled it, and gave it a quick read. When he finished, he looked askance at Wu Jian like the younger boy had suddenly turned into a hydra.

“Let me get this straight… you want me to take these needles and stick them inside of 361 points on your body?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you crazy? Just what are you hoping to accomplish by having me do this?”

“You’ll find out when you do it.”

“Tch. Fine. Don’t tell me. I guess it’s only fair since I won’t tell you about my cultivation method. I guess this has something to do with your cultivation method, and it’s a family secret like mine.”

Wu Jian said nothing. The man wasn’t quite right, but he wasn’t entirely wrong either.

Nine Heavens Spatial Severing Cultivation Method was what he planned to use, but it wasn’t a family method. Yōuměi had been carrying that method inside of a locket when he and Wu Meiying found her. Wu Meiying had told him this method would suit him the best.

This cultivation method required someone to have at least 20,000 units worth of strength and all 361 acupoints opened. Wu Jian only had forty acupoints opened, which was actually really good since even the most gifted genius had, at most, thirty opened. However, that wasn’t enough to use the Nine Heavens Spatial Severing Cultivation Method.

Since he didn’t have every acupoint opened, he needed to force them open.

Because he was going to break through tonight, Wu Jian did not spar with Huǒ Shuchang like he normally did. He needed to conserve his strength. Activating the dantian and breaking through to the Hunger Realm required a lot of willpower and force. It was no simple feat. That was also one reason why cultivators needed at least 5,000 units worth of strength when breaking through.

Wu Jian wondered what his strength was at now. The last time he got tested, his strength had been so great that he broke the Wu Clan testing stone, so he didn’t actually know how strong he was. His last accurate measurement put him at 19,000 unit, but that test had been taken when he was fourteen.

“By the way, don’t you think it’s about time you tell me what you’re doing all the way out here?” asked Wu Jian as he and Huǒ Shuchang sat around the campfire. “I know you’re not here just to laze about and hunt magical beasts. You won’t grow stronger that way.”

Huǒ Shuchang scratched his head. “Well, you’re right about that. I am here for a specific reason. I guess it’s okay if I tell you.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “My cultivation method requires me to eat different kinds of fire. You know how some alchemists have unique alchemy flames? There are flames like that which grow in the wild. I have to eat those unique flames.”

“And you heard there’s a unique flame here that you can eat?” asked Wu Jian.

Shrugging, Huǒ Shuchang said, “Yes. I even know where to find that flame. The problem is I can’t get to it. The fire belongs to a Flame Griffin. They’re powerful magic beasts that are born at the Anima Realm. The one that lives here is a peak Asura Realm magical beast. That’s not something I can fight at my current strength. It’s the reason I haven’t done anything. I am not sure what to do.”

So, all this time, Huǒ Shuchang had been debating whether or not to go after the Flame Griffin to acquire its unique flames. He wasn’t strong enough to fight it, but he felt unresigned. He probably believed that leaving without attaining anything would have made this journey pointless.

Cultivators had to remain steadfast and constantly push forward, which required immense willpower. Retreating might have been a viable and sometimes necessary option, but it could adversely affect a cultivator’s cultivation by leaving a sequelae in their psyche, which would prevent them from breaking through to the next realm. In the worst case, it could even create a heart demon.

Wu Jian pondered this dilemma for a moment before coming to a decision.

“You might not be able to defeat the Flame Griffin on your own, but I think the two of us together might stand a chance.”

Huǒ Shuchang looked at him like he was stupid. “You think you can contend with a Flame Griffin?”

“Not me. Us,” Wu Jian said.

“Listen, Kid. I won’t deny that you’re crazy strong, but even if you’re the most incredible genius on the planet, you will at most ascend to the fifth subrealm of the Hunger Realm. Meanwhile, I’m only a half-step into the Asura Realm. The Flame Griffin has a peak Asura Realm cultivation base. It’s just one step away from reaching the Human Limit Realm. Even if the two of us team up, we wouldn’t stand a chance,” Huǒ Shuchang explained.

“I don’t like the condescending tone you used just now,” Wu Jian grumbled. “I can’t really fathom how powerful someone at the peak of the Asura Realm is, but I’m positive we’ll be able to beat the Flame Griffin once I break through.”

Huǒ Shuchang snorted. “You’re not lacking in confidence, I’ll give you that.”

Wu Jian merely smiled. “How about this? I’ll break through first, and once I do, you can judge for yourself wether I have the strength to help you.”

Huǒ Shuchang said nothing for the longest time. Wu Jian could almost see the thoughts swirling inside of his head. He really didn’t want to give up and go home, but he also didn’t realistically believe Wu Jian could gain the strength to help him.

Since the decision was Huǒ Shuchang and Wu Jian didn’t really care one way or the other, he waited for the older man to make a decision.

“I suppose… I can at least wait until you’ve broken through to make a decision,” Huǒ Shuchang said at last.

“A wise choice,” said Wu Jian.

Time passed, midnight came and went, and it was soon two hours before the sun rose on the seventeenth day of the sixth Lunar month.

Wu Jian sat completely naked as Huǒ Shuchang took the golden needles and carefully inserted them into his flesh. Each time the man did, Wu Jian felt something inside of him open up.

“Why is it so hard to push these damn needles into you? Is your skin made of steal? I have to actually enhance my body with chi just to get them in,” Huǒ Shuchang complained.

Wu Jian would have shrugged if that wouldn’t have messed up the needles positions. “Not only have I trained every day since I was eight, I’ve also consumed several natural treasures that have hardened my bones, muscles, and skin.”

“And yet your skin is still as soft as a girl’s. What is up with that?”

“…”

Wu Jian felt a vein throb on his forehead as he resisted the urge to punch Huǒ Shuchang.

Almost fifty minutes passed, and soon, all 361 needles were embedded into his flesh. Each one was stuck in a specific acupoint. Fortunately for Wu Jian, Huǒ Shuchang was able to accurately place each needle.

“It’s time. You should probably gain some distance,” Wu Jian warned.

“Right. It’s not good to be too close to someone when they’re going to break through,” Huǒ Shuchang nodded and began backing away.

Wu Jian closed his eyes and centered himself, quieting his mind and listening to the sounds of the forest, the rustling of leaves, the sounds of animals. He felt the ground beneath him and even thought he could feel Yōuměi hiding within his shadow. Soon, even those sounds and sensations disappeared as he began chanting inside of his head.

I am one with the universe.

A sound not unlike glass shattering echoed inside of him as if coming from his soul.

Everything exists within the universe.

Another sound echoed inside of him. Wu Jian could feel something expanding. His awareness? His thoughts? He didn’t know, but he did not continue to ponder this and instead recited the chant required to cultivate the Nine Heavens Spatial Severing Cultivation Method.

If everything exists within the universe, then I exist within everything.

For I am the universe.

And the universe is me.