The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.

Inside the cauldron, nine ancient characters were branded upon its walls, weaving together the “Dao” and the “principles” of heaven and earth. At first they resembled scattered stars, divine radiance flickering like specks of light; then they became like primordial chaos, exhaling and spreading, emerging from the void, transforming into ten thousand forms without fixed shape.

The named is the mother of all things.

Ye Fan felt as though he had arrived at the age when all things first came into being — heaven and earth taking shape, Yin and Yang complementing each other, the merging of Qi giving birth to the ten thousand things. Heaven bestowed and earth transformed; growth and decay, flourishing and extinction, endlessly alternating in an eternal cycle.

What was eternal, what was but a fleeting moment — at this instant, neither could be distinguished from the other.

A strange feeling welled up in Ye Fan’s heart. The nine ancient characters had fused with the “cauldron,” as though they were opening the heavens and splitting the earth, as though they were recreating an entire world. In this moment, the “cauldron” had become profoundly mysterious and inscrutable — as if it had been born from primordial chaos itself, ancient and magnificent.

Though Ye Fan was within the cauldron, he felt as if he had reached the very end of the world, standing at the starting point of the river of time. One moment the sky was filled with stars; the next, the heavens fell into Desolate silence.

In accordance with the ancient methods recorded in the Scripture of the Dao, using a “vessel” to suppress one’s own body and achieve momentary eternity — Ye Fan had finally accomplished this, and was now prepared to consume the divine medicine to elevate his cultivation.

The interior of the cauldron was permeated with a mysterious and profound aura, hazy and self-contained like its own heaven and earth. Ye Fan opened the jade box, and the brilliantly luminous golden fruit immediately released a rich and fragrant fragrance.

Now that the cauldron had become eternal, Ye Fan no longer harbored any misgivings. He placed one of the golden fruits into his mouth and lightly bit down; the sacred fruit, roughly the size of a dragon-eye berry, instantly dissolved into an exquisite nectar.

He activated the profound technique recorded in the Scripture of the Dao to rapidly dissolve the divine medicine. Golden energy immediately surged through his four limbs and every bone of his body, and in an instant his entire physique shone with a brilliant luster, as though cast from molten gold.

Ye Fan had used the “vessel” to suppress his body and achieve momentary eternity. After the divine medicine dissolved, it nourished his flesh, yet he did not transform into an infant. The strange golden energy bathed his physical shell again and again, rendering his flesh, viscera, and bones tough to an inconceivable degree.

However, what alarmed him was this: although the profound technique from the Scripture of the Dao was operating, it was unable to guide the golden energy to flow into the Sea of Bitterness.

“How can this be?” Ye Fan’s heart was filled with bewilderment. Without being able to guide the golden energy, he could not open the Sea of Bitterness, and had no way to advance his cultivation.

Time slowly passed. The strange energy flowed gently, baptizing every inch of flesh, gradually nourishing the physical shell and continuously elevating his constitution, making his body increasingly stronger.

“Why won’t it flow into the Sea of Bitterness…” Ye Fan pondered endlessly without arriving at an answer.

Suddenly, the strange golden energy began flowing toward the space between his eyebrows — like a slender trickling stream, converging from all directions into the area between his brows. Divine radiance shimmered brilliantly, and there it gathered into a small golden lake.

“This is…” In that instant, Ye Fan felt his spiritual awareness sharpen considerably. His five senses became extraordinarily acute, and the world inside the cauldron seemed to come alive all at once.

In the end, the vast majority of the golden energy had gathered at the space between his brows, forming a small golden lake there. Only a small portion had seeped into his physical body. His cultivation had not advanced, but his spiritual consciousness had grown tremendously powerful.

“I understand now — the legends were true!” Ye Fan seemed to recall something all at once, and murmured to himself: “The Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land contains nine sacred mountains, each bearing a completely different divine medicine. It is said that each medicine has a completely different effect.”

It was now plainly evident that the mysterious energy contained within the golden fruit did not enter the Sea of Bitterness, did not flow into the Spring of Life — yet it could nourish the spiritual consciousness, allowing one’s spiritual power to strengthen rapidly.

Three years ago, Ye Fan had been told that the Desolate Ancient Holy Body could not cultivate. Yet in the years that followed, he had made rapid and extraordinary progress, no worse than any gifted prodigy. He had long suspected that the sacred fruit he consumed back then had contained energy that flowed into his Sea of Bitterness and helped him break the curse.

“Perhaps it truly was so. The sacred fruit three years ago had a tremendous effect in opening the Sea of Bitterness, while today’s divine medicine nourishes the spiritual consciousness.”

According to legend, the nine different sacred fruits possessed nine different effects, yet the one trait they all shared was the ability to revive the dead and restore flesh to bare bone, nurture the physical shell, temper the physique, and bring about a complete physical rebirth.

“The first divine medicine allowed me to successfully set foot upon the path of cultivation — it opened the Sea of Bitterness of the Desolate Ancient Holy Body. The second divine medicine has expanded my spiritual consciousness. What kind of opportunity will it ultimately bring me?”

When all finally grew calm, Ye Fan felt full of spirit. His consciousness was incomparably powerful, his spiritual awareness extraordinarily keen. He put away the “cauldron” and found himself in his cave dwelling — and this sensation became all the more vivid. He then walked out of the cave, stood upon the cliff, and gazed out at the distant mountains. Immediately he felt his field of vision become immeasurably expansive; even objects very far away had become remarkably clear.

Ye Fan carefully experienced this transformation. Every blade of grass and every tree in all of heaven and earth seemed to have come alive all at once.

“Although this is a wonderful transformation, what I need most right now is to open the Sea of Bitterness — to let the wellspring of divine power flow forth in abundance and advance my cultivation.”

He felt joy, yet also disappointment — his emotions were complicated. The effect of this divine medicine was undeniably powerful, but it was not what he most desired at this time.

He comforted himself aloud, murmuring: “It is said that once a cultivator reaches a certain realm, only when the spiritual consciousness has grown strong enough can one comprehend the natural laws of heaven and earth. Upon reaching that level, the only way to advance one’s cultivation is through ‘enlightenment’ — there is no other method. What I am doing now is paving the road for the future.”

With this thought in mind, Ye Fan no longer felt dispirited, and his mood gradually settled.

In the month that followed, Ye Fan did not consume any more divine medicine, but instead cultivated in quiet seclusion. He wished to fully refine and absorb the medicine without wasting a single trace of it.

And in the course of this process, he was astonished to discover that because his constitution had been greatly elevated, opening the Sea of Bitterness had become much easier for him.

When the month ended, Ye Fan once again used the cauldron to suppress his body and achieve momentary eternity, and began consuming the second golden fruit.

This time, the strange golden energy again first baptized his physical shell, nourishing every inch of his body and elevating his constitution, before finally dissolving into a slender stream that merged into the space between his brows, deepening the small golden lake considerably.

Ye Fan felt his consciousness grow stronger once again. When he put away the cauldron and stepped outside the cave, his ears picked up the breathing sounds of many wild beasts — he could even hear the faint sounds of ants crawling at a great distance.

Wherever his consciousness reached, without relying on eyes or ears, he could perceive everything nearby. It was remarkably ethereal.

“My spiritual awareness is growing stronger continuously.”

In addition, there was another change that brought Ye Fan great delight. Because his constitution had once again been elevated, golden radiance flickered within his flesh and blood, and when he worked to open the Sea of Bitterness, he encountered very little resistance.

He immediately entered seclusion once more — a full month again. When he emerged, Ye Fan’s entire bearing had become somewhat more otherworldly.

And so it went. In the time that followed, at the beginning of each month, he would use the cauldron to suppress his body and consume the sacred medicine. He underwent a transformation that was nearly akin to complete physical rebirth, and his consciousness grew increasingly refined — so condensed it seemed on the verge of taking tangible form.

Furthermore, there was another gratifying development: his physical body was shedding its old self, his constitution was advancing, and a divine radiance flickered within his flesh and shell — he encountered no obstruction in the process of opening the Sea of Bitterness.

Time passed swiftly. By the time Ye Fan had consumed the sixth golden fruit and completed another month of intense cultivation before emerging from his cave again, his entire temperament had undergone a profound change. It was as if clouds and mist drifted about his person. When the mountain wind blew, his robes fluttered and billowed. He resembled an exiled immortal standing upon the cliff edge.

Between Ye Fan’s brows, the small golden lake had become immeasurably deep — impossible to fathom its bottom — and had fully transformed into spiritual power, which could now be condensed into a tangible form.

And the golden Sea of Bitterness had undergone an earth-shattering transformation. Waves surged toward the sky, divine radiance blazed brilliantly, and rolling thunder rang out. It had grown by more than double — nearly the size of a fist.

At the center of the Sea of Bitterness, the Spring of Life surged; the wellspring of divine power was boiling. The eye of the spring at the bottom of the sea had expanded many times over, pouring forth endlessly without cease, and rays of rosy light occasionally burst forth from it.

“Divine power flows like a tide, rosy light fills the sky — I have reached the pinnacle of the Spring of Life realm.” Ye Fan was somewhat overcome with emotion.

Sacred medicines were renowned throughout the Eastern Wilderness. Since ancient times, tales of their powers had been many, and their miraculous effects were beyond imagination. The strange golden energy was primarily suited for nourishing and expanding the spiritual consciousness while simultaneously transforming his constitution. It had not flowed into the Sea of Bitterness — yet it had still brought him to the very threshold of breaking through the Spring of Life realm.

“The sacred medicine’s reputation is well-deserved!”

Beyond the “Wheel Sea” realm, the human body held other secret realms. Jiang Hanzhong and others were beings who had surpassed the Other Shore realm, and they made Ye Fan feel an enormous gap between them. He urgently wished to become stronger.

One last golden sacred fruit remained. Ye Fan cradled it in his palm, re-entered the cave, and used the cauldron to suppress his body. When he consumed this golden fruit, he immediately felt his body shudder. His bones cracked and groaned, his flesh trembled continuously, and his five viscera and six bowels shook again and again. His entire body was wracked with excruciating pain.

“This is…” He clenched his jaw and endured this hellish torment.

In an instant he understood — this was the true transformation of complete physical rebirth. When he had consumed the first six golden fruits, that could only be called a shedding of the old. It had not been a fundamental renewal. Only now was he truly breaking out of the cocoon and becoming a butterfly: his flesh, viscera, and bones were being reconstructed — an alternative form of rebirth.

It was just like the time when he and Pang Bo first consumed a sacred fruit, walked out of the Desolate Ancient Holy Land, and underwent rejuvenation. This was a transformation at that same level — a true and complete physical rebirth!

His bones, after being baptized, became pure white as jade, their density reaching an inconceivable hardness — comparable to a divine weapon’s blade. His five viscera and six bowels, after being saturated, were immaculate and without blemish, without a single impurity — like divine artifacts. The surface of his body, after being nourished, became crystalline and lustrous, nearly transparent, shimmering with a treasure-like radiance.

Ye Fan’s physical body shone with brilliant light. The strange golden energy dissolved into streams and flowed into the space between his brows, where golden light blazed — the small lake there was now fathomlessly deep.

Afterwards, Ye Fan immediately entered seclusion. Two months later, rumbling sounds emanated from the cave — like the roar of a tidal wave reaching to the heavens, punctuated by clap after clap of startling thunder — and simultaneously, beams of rainbow light shot forth one after another.

At this moment, Ye Fan’s golden Sea of Bitterness had expanded to the size of a fist. A dazzling rainbow hung high above it, spanning the entire sky in magnificent splendor. He had finally formed a small stretch of divine vessel, suspended above the Sea of Bitterness. He had become a cultivator of the Divine Bridge realm!

Ye Fan stood up and walked out of the cave. His entire person carried no powerful energy fluctuations, and he was not particularly otherworldly or ethereal in bearing. Instead, he appeared rather fine-featured and approachable — like a wholesome young man from next door. The extraordinary had diminished somewhat, replaced by a flavor of returning to plain simplicity.

He did not strike out or attempt to test his current level of cultivation, for there was no need. He already knew within his heart. Ye Fan’s mind was tranquil. He lived a peaceful, simple life for one month — watching rival beasts clash from the mountainside, watching the water flow by a stream — before he began to cultivate again.

This time, he began to forge his “vessel.” He engraved the first line from the mysterious ancient scripture he had obtained from within the Ancient Bronze Coffin — “The Dao of Heaven diminishes the excess and supplements the insufficient” — upon the “cauldron.” Although the inscription could not remain permanently, and the ancient characters would soon vanish, the small “cauldron” nonetheless became increasingly extraordinary because of it.

In the end, having cultivated in this place for over a year, Ye Fan had gained profound insights. His understanding of the “Dao” had deepened considerably.

The nameless is called the Dao — it emerges from the void and is the primal origin of heaven and earth. The named is called heaven and earth — it has form and position, hardness and softness, and is the mother of all things.

He felt that the “cauldron,” the “Dao,” and “heaven and earth” seemed to share an innate connection.

The cauldron — three legs and two ears, profoundly mysterious. The three legs anchor heaven and earth; the two ears give birth to Yin and Yang; the round cauldron contains primordial chaos. It embodies the “Dao” and “principles” — this is the nameless. It merges to give form, containing and holding all things — this is the named.

“The cauldron seems to be a ‘vessel’ born naturally from heaven and earth, perfectly uniting the named and the nameless, giving rise to both the ‘Dao’ and the ‘mother’ of all things. Choosing the cauldron as my vessel was indeed the right decision — it is truly worthy of being the most mysterious sacred object of ancient China.”

Having cultivated in this place for over a year, Ye Fan decided to leave. It was time to venture out into the world.