Zhuofeng — in every way, utterly ordinary. Nothing to set it apart. Even the ancient bow now in Ye Fan’s hands looked like anything but a treasure: black as char, as though it had been scorched in a fire, and even riddled with a few wormholes — suggesting something on the verge of rotting apart.

And yet from this battered bow, waves of energy had radiated outward and caused the very sky to warp, as though an invisible force field were spreading in every direction. The Xingfeng disciples stood trembling, their faces as white as paper.

Several Xingfeng elders descended and bowed in greeting to Li Ruoyu, who sat within the crumbling hall. One of them said, “Congratulations, Elder Brother Li. Zhuofeng’s lineage is about to shine once more.”

Li Ruoyu came out and returned their bows. “What makes you say that?”

“The Clumsy Bow has appeared. It seems the lineage is on the verge of awakening. When one of the Nine Secrets emerges, all the other main peaks will be left in the shade. Zhuofeng is about to blaze with glory, its light shooting heavenward.”

Li Ruoyu shook his head. “The Clumsy Bow came to me by chance. It does not necessarily foretell the lineage’s reawakening.”

“Where did you find the Clumsy Bow, Elder Brother Li?” The Xingfeng elders all showed expressions of deep surprise.

“Halfway up the mountain, in a badger’s den. The badgers had made their nest around it and were using it as firewood.”

Everyone within earshot was left dumbstruck. Zhuofeng was a strange place beyond all reckoning — a great treasure that served as the mountain’s sacred anchor had been used as nesting material by wild badgers. There were simply no words.

“The ancient bow has emerged. Zhuofeng’s resurgence is not far off — it will soar to the heights,” one of the Xingfeng elders declared.

“For Zhuofeng to rise again — easier said than done. The lineage has been severed for five hundred years. The disciples are gone. The mountain lies in desolation. To reconnect a broken thread like that is a task of extraordinary difficulty.” Li Ruoyu let out a long sigh.

One of the Xingfeng elders cast a brief glance at Ye Fan. “This one seems a decent enough seedling.”

Ye Fan’s heart was uneasy. None of these elders were simple figures, and he was afraid of exposing something. He had just now used the Clumsy Bow to hold several dozen Xingfeng disciples in check — he wasn’t sure how these elders felt about that, and if they were displeased with him, the situation would not be good.

By this point, he had already put away the ancient bow, and the terrifying oppressive force had dissipated. The old crows cawed harshly and shot up from where they had been near him, landing on a withered tree not far away.

Shortly after, the Xingfeng elders took their leave and made to depart. Li Ruoyu called after them from behind. “Zhuofeng is rebuilding its mountain gate. I ask that my younger brothers please pass word to Xingfeng’s peak master — kindly rein in your disciples somewhat. Zhuofeng is a main peak, after all. Let no one trespass inside it again.”

At those words, the Xingfeng elders’ movements stiffened momentarily. One of them replied, “We will pass it on.”

Only when they had put considerable distance between themselves and Zhuofeng did the Xingfeng elders speak in lowered voices. One of them furrowed his brow and said, “Why has the Clumsy Bow surfaced now, of all times?”

“It seems we have all underestimated our Elder Brother Li over the years. We assumed his aptitude was poor — that he had little hope of amounting to anything — never imagining that he has kept solitary watch over Zhuofeng for all these years and become something entirely beyond our ability to measure.”

“This place, Zhuofeng, is deeply strange — many things here cannot be judged by ordinary reasoning. Could Li Ruoyu actually be becoming a second great power of Zhuofeng?”

They thought of Zhuofeng’s past — of a predecessor who had not possessed particularly outstanding natural gifts, yet who had obtained the cultivation method for the secret art on Zhuofeng even before the lineage had manifested, and whose eventual achievement rivaled that of the great powers of high antiquity, with dharma power unmatched in all the world.

“Zhuofeng — outstanding in ways that do not show. Its brilliance turned inward, concealed within. Its resurgence is not far off. I have that feeling.” One of the older Xingfeng elders gave voice to this.

“Even if Zhuofeng rises again to supreme flourishing, what then? Xingfeng is the very root of the Taixuan Sect — one of its most powerful lineages. In all of history, half the sect masters have come from our line.”

At this moment, Ye Fan was deeply relieved. He had only roasted one wild hare, and not brought any of the nine crows down. He had no idea what might have happened if he had.

The black ancient bow, with its visible wormholes, looked stranger to him the longer he stared at it. If this was truly a great treasure, how could worms have bored through it?

Li Ruoyu stood before the Nine-Tiered Heaven Stairway. He took the Clumsy Bow from Ye Fan’s hands, ran his fingers gently over its surface, and in the end placed it upon the ancient jade steps.

The nine-colored jade tiles rippled like water, flowing outward and swallowing the bow whole — and then flames began to dance, and the black ancient bow caught fire and burned.

“Elder, what are you doing?!” Ye Fan was greatly alarmed.

“It is said: the mountain is the scripture, the bow is the root. This bow is a key to Zhuofeng — perhaps it may cause the lineage to reawaken.”

Seeing the ancient bow burn, Ye Fan said in distress, “This is a priceless treasure — it won’t actually be destroyed, will it?”

“It cannot be destroyed. It will only merge into Zhuofeng itself, its power growing ever greater — mountain and bow becoming one, capable of splitting the heavens open.” Li Ruoyu reflected quietly. “Perhaps it truly is not time for the lineage to reawaken. I do not know whether doing this will open anything.”

The flames danced, and the Clumsy Bow sank into the Nine-Tiered Heaven Stairway, disappearing entirely. At last, everything went still — and Ye Fan felt a subtle change he could not quite name.

The peak felt even more self-contained now — plain and unassuming, as though it had shrunk by several hundred meters. It now stood less than two thousand six hundred meters tall, and many of the secondary peaks surrounding it rose above it by a fair margin.

“If I pass from this world here,” Li Ruoyu said, “you should leave.” Having said that, he settled cross-legged before the Nine-Tiered Heaven Stairway. Like a piece of deadwood, he stilled completely.

“Elder Li…” Ye Fan’s heart seized with alarm. He wanted to dissuade him, but found no words.

In the end, he moved to one side and opened the yellowed booklet the old man had given him. It contained some cultivation techniques, but even more than that — insights and experiences hard-won over a lifetime.

Ye Fan was drawn in almost at once. He had no shortage of cultivation methods — the Dao Scripture was an ancient scripture of the Eastern Wilderness, the supreme cultivation method for the Wheel-Sea realm. But he had always been feeling his way forward alone, without guidance, without anyone to point out the path. This worn, yellowed old booklet was, for him, nothing less than a gift sent in a time of desperate need.

He spent the entire night immersed in it, reading with complete absorption, his mind and heart fully given over to the text. Doubts that had accumulated within him were finally, thoroughly resolved.

Within Ye Fan’s body, a divine bridge was lengthening — like a great span reaching toward the far shore, stretching out across the golden Bitter Sea, mist swirling along its edges on both sides. In a single night, the divine bridge had extended another segment. This was the direct reward of having his uncertainties cleared away — immediate, tangible, undeniable. If only he could bridge the full width of the Bitter Sea and reach the other shore, he would be counted as having broken through into the Other Shore Realm.

“Caw, caw, caw!”

In the days that followed, Ye Fan found himself without words to describe it. Dark light seemed to hover perpetually over his head — most inauspicious — as the crows circled above him at irregular intervals, never quite leaving.

Apparently, these were spirits born from the ancient bow — and if loosed as arrows, they could pierce cloud and split sky, invincible against all that stood in their path.

Ye Fan speculated that what were called “spirits” were something like divine beings born from within the “weapon” itself. He had no way of knowing what rank this kind of weapon occupied, but it was surely something terrifying beyond imagining.

As for the nine arrow shafts — they were merely the vessels. Nothing especially remarkable in themselves. What mattered was the ancient bow and the nine spirits. When united, their combined power was something almost beyond reckoning.

In these days, the Xingfeng disciples had not trespassed into Zhuofeng — but many of them were seething with resentment, and could often be seen lurking about the surrounding area.

Ye Fan paid them no mind. During this stretch of time, he continued his exploration — and he became increasingly convinced that a super-power of this magnitude, while perhaps not matching the Ji Family or the Sacred Ground of Yao Guang, could likely sweep across half the Eastern Wilderness on its own once it opened its domain gates.

Half a month later, Li Ruoyu emerged from his stillness, murmuring repeatedly, “Great perfection appears lacking. Great fullness appears empty. Great skill appears clumsy…”

Ye Fan came quickly to the old man’s side and bowed. “Elder, have you gained any insight?”

“Zhuofeng should be exactly as it is. There is no need for immortal mist and auspicious radiance. I believe I have found part of the answer.” Li Ruoyu appeared to have made some discovery. “The mountain is the scripture, and the lineage’s secret arts require a corresponding state of mind — a harmony with the mountain — before the immortal technique can be imprinted upon the self.”

With the old man’s life no longer in danger, Ye Fan breathed easier and turned his attention back to the state of the mountain gate. Over the past half-month, Xingfeng disciples had been spotted frequently in the area — clearly waiting for a chance to settle scores the moment he came down from the mountain.

“I have to say — are you not getting tired of this? Lurking about Zhuofeng every day. Are you here to steal something?”

At the foot of Zhuofeng, Xingfeng disciples gave cold laughs. “The inter-peak competition is about to begin. In a little over two months, we’ll see whether you still have it in you to smile.”

“What does that have to do with me? I never said I was participating. You all go ahead and fight — I’ll come watch and cheer you on.”

“Since you’ve joined Zhuofeng and become its only disciple, there’s no such thing as opting out — whether you like it or not. We’ll see if you’re still smiling when the time comes.”

The Xingfeng disciples had suffered badly at Ye Fan’s hands and held a deep grudge against him. It was easy enough to see that once the competition began, they would be targeting him at every turn.

“Is that how it works? Then I forfeit all my matches!” Ye Fan didn’t feel the slightest twinge of embarrassment at saying it.

“Where does this guy come from? How does he have the nerve to say something like that with a straight face?” The people below were left staring in open disbelief.

“Unfortunately, you can’t forfeit until you’ve fought at least ten matches…” Someone shook their head, with a gleam of delighted malice. “There’ll be plenty of people making a point of looking after you when the time comes. Enjoy that thought.”

“Is it a competition between cultivators of the same realm, or can cultivators of different realms compete against each other?” Ye Fan asked.

“You think you’re some kind of divine body? Planning to fight across realms…” The Xingfeng disciples below all looked at him with unconcealed contempt.

“So it’s a competition among cultivators of the same realm. In that case, why don’t we have a few sparring matches right now?” Ye Fan grinned. “Cultivators of the Bitter Sea realm are welcome to come to Zhuofeng for an exchange.”

The Xingfeng disciples gathered below were mostly at the Life Spring realm — they had come here looking for an opportunity to teach Ye Fan a lesson. Hearing this, they exchanged glances.

Several Life Spring realm cultivators put on amicable smiles and stepped forward. “We’re all Bitter Sea realm cultivators ourselves. In that case, why not spar a few rounds?”

Half an hour later, word reached Xingfeng: more than ten disciples had been beaten thoroughly, their faces bruised and swollen, and were now being held on Zhuofeng, forced to work on repairing the mountain paths.

An uproar broke out among the Xingfeng disciples. Figures immediately flew toward Zhuofeng. Some wanted to force their way in, but were held back by those beside them — all of them landing in front of the mountain gate and proceeding on foot.

“Losing is losing — it’s not as though I forced anyone…” Ye Fan stood at the top of the mountain, shouting down. “Are you all here to help with Zhuofeng’s renovation work as well?”

“Where did this kid come from? How does he operate like this — bold enough to detain our Xingfeng disciples?”

“You haven’t heard? Half a month ago, he beat several of our people into serious injuries. And after that, he faced off against several dozen of our disciples with some kind of enchanted bow, and even drew the attention of the elders.”

“Zhuofeng is opening a small-scale competition before the main event — Bitter Sea realm cultivators are welcome to come and spar.” Ye Fan called out from above, the picture of harmless innocence. “One at a time, please.”

On Zhuofeng above, the more than ten detained Xingfeng disciples cursed Ye Fan inwardly with everything they had. This scoundrel was at it again — casting his line and waiting for the fish to bite.

This time, however, no one stepped forward rashly. With what had happened as a lesson before them, everyone sensed that something was off — they were convinced Ye Fan must have another ancient treasure on the level of the Clumsy Bow hidden somewhere.

One by one, more Xingfeng disciples flew in, all wanting to see for themselves just who had the nerve to detain their fellow disciples. In the crowd, a white-robed young woman faltered, something flickering across her face in what looked like disbelief. It was Li Xiaoman.

In that moment, Ye Fan had not noticed her. He was already moving fast, charging up toward the mountain summit — for he had sensed something unusual.

The Bodhi Seed against his chest had begun to tremble gently, growing faintly warm. A strange, elusive sensation rose within him.

“Could it be that the secret art is about to appear?!” Ye Fan pushed his speed to its absolute limit and surged up toward the summit in a flash.

At the peak of Zhuofeng, a patch of void had appeared — utterly serene and still. Within it, plants bloomed and withered in rapid succession: green leaves swelling with life one moment, curling into dry decay the next.

The Nine-Tiered Heaven Stairway grew hazy and indistinct, expanding outward. Jade towers and crystal pavilions began to materialize upon it, floating suspended in the void.

Li Ruoyu sat motionless before the Heaven Stairway, as still as carved stone — as though he had become one with it.