"...But perhaps, I can guide you a little."
Hearing the mysterious man's words, Jian Wu and Wen Lun jumped up with joy.
"Yes, please, Master!!!" they shouted in unison, their expressions turning serene as they prepared themselves to catch every word he spoke.
The mysterious man looked at them deeply, his gaze piercing straight into their souls. Then, in a solemn voice, he said, "Reincarnate."
Their eyes widened. "Reincarnate?"
Reincarnation was not as simple as it sounded. First of all, one had to die to reincarnate — a pain of its own kind. And even after death, the chance of reincarnation was almost negligible. But for them, this wasn't the real problem. They had already reached a realm where reincarnating was possible if they wished.
The true problem lay elsewhere — if they reincarnated, all of their cultivation would be wiped clean. They would be left with nothing but the weak body of a newborn child.
Both of them glanced at each other, then back at the man, their faces full of questions. But before they could ask anything, the mysterious man continued:
"Reincarnate — and keep reincarnating. Reincarnate until you can forge a foundation worthy of your current realm. Reincarnate until you can find a master worthy of you. Reincarnate until you can't see a ray of hope that can carry you toward the future you desire."
With those final words, his figure blurred, melting into the air until he vanished completely.
From the sidelines, Eli Shan — watching through his projected body — witnessed everything.
"That mysterious man... why does it feel like I've seen him somewhere before?" he muttered. Then he looked at Jian Wu and Wen Lun. "So that's why they reincarnated..."
Suddenly, his vision wavered. "Huh? What's happening?"
A wave of nausea hit him, and before he could steady himself, his consciousness was dragged back into his real body.
"Ugh." The world spun around him, but he steadied himself almost instantly.
In front of him, Jian Wu and Wen Lun were watching him with open curiosity.
Eli Shan scanned his surroundings. Below, the entire crowd stared up at him. Above, the portal was shrinking, sealing itself with every passing moment. A lifetime had passed for him. For them...
"Don't tell me," he murmured, "only a single moment has passed since I went into that past?"
He met their curious gazes and stepped forward. "What happened, brothers?"
Jian Wu's eyes were sharp. "Junior brother, you only closed your eyes for a moment. But when you opened them... I felt as if you have changed. As if you gained some profound insight, or... became a different person."
Eli Shan wasn't shocked. He expected as much from someone as perceptive as Jian Wu.
Then, Eli Shan stared deeply into Jian Wu's eyes.
Jian Wu looked back, then turned his eyes downward, "Eh? Why are you looking at me like that, brother? I'm... not feeling comfortable," Jian Wu joked.
Eli Shan smiled, shaking his head. "Brother Jian Wu." Then he turned to Wen Lun. "And brother Wen Lun. I want to ask something serious to both of you."
Jian Wu and Wen Lun exchanged a glance, then nodded. "What is it, junior brother?"
With a dead-serious expression, Eli Shan took a deep breath and said, "I want both of you to become my disciples."
"..."
Jian Wu and Wen Lun froze, unable to believe what they had just heard. Wen Lun studied Eli Shan's face, trying to see if this was just a joke — but there wasn't even the slightest trace of humor.
Jian Wu stepped forward with a calm expression. "Brother, we know you are someone of high caliber, and we believe you will become a great figure in the higher universe. However..." He glanced behind at Wen Lun, who also stepped forward.
"We apologize," Wen Lun said, his voice firm. "But we must decline your offer."
Eli Shan expected this. They had once been the strongest gods of this universe. In their eyes, no matter what Eli Shan did, it was nothing more than the struggle of an ant among ants. Even accepting the Sword Sect Master had been just a formality — they never considered him their true master.
Eli Shan was talented, yes, even impressive — but to them, he was either a prodigy or someone reincarnated. How could two former peak gods accept him as their master? Impossible.
But Eli Shan wasn't someone who backed down easily.
He met their sharp gazes and suddenly thought of something. "Are you both certain? Remember, if you refuse now, I will never take you under my tutelage, even in the future."
Jian Wu and Wen Lun shared another look, this time with a faint, knowing smile. Wen Lun met Eli Shan's gaze, a challenge glinting in his eyes. "If you wish to recruit us, Junior Brother, then you must at least show us that you are worthy of being our master. Isn't that right?"
A slow, dangerous smile spread across Eli Shan's face, showing all his teeth. "That," he said, "is precisely what I was waiting to hear."
Jian Wu and Wen Lun didn't know what he meant — until they saw him raise his hand slowly, then bring it down toward them.
Suddenly, the sky split apart.
A dark aura descended from above — dense, ancient, overwhelmingly powerful. Even in thousands of reincarnations, they had never felt anything like this.
"We're going to die."
That was the only thought that flashed through their minds.
They believed he intended to kill them for refusing his offer. But before they could move or speak, the dark aura crashed onto their bodies.
Yet instead of pain — they felt power.
It was an unimaginable torrent, flooding their bodies. Their exhausted spiritual cores swelled, their bodies healed instantly, and their realms, stagnant for so long, skyrocketed toward the very peak of this small universe.
Sensing this power, Jian Wu suddenly realized something, his eyes widening in shock. He turned toward Wen Lun, only to find him wearing the exact same expression — eyes wide, body trembling with uncontrollable excitement.
Below, the crowd had no idea what had happened. When they saw the dark aura descending, many thought the Shadows had launched another attack. But when the aura dispersed into the air...
What they saw left them stunned.
Jian Wu and Wen Lun, bowing deeply before Eli Shan.
And in the next instant, their voices erupted like thunder, echoing across the entire battlefield:
"MASTER!!! WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!!!"
...
Hearing them, Eli Shan's lips curled up. He already knew what they were thinking, but he had no intention of explaining anything. Instead, he simply nodded and said, his tone calm yet commanding, "Both of you, now that you've become my disciples, I'll give you a gift."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his mind stirred.
"Hey, Shadow," he called inwardly, his expression unchanged. "Can you find any cultivation technique suitable for them? If yes, hand it over—right now."
In the next moment, space stirred, and two ancient books appeared in Eli Shan's hands. Oh, so fast? He mused with a faint inward smile. It's as if you already knew what I was going to ask.
Without hesitation, he extended his hands and offered the gifts to his first disciples. "For now, this is all I can give you. I believe it will help."
Eli Shan trusted these cultivation manuals because they had been chosen by Shadow—the will of this universe itself. Even if they were to gain only a fragment of insight, it would still be invaluable, despite them once standing among the strongest beings.
Jian Wu and Wen Lun accepted the books with deep bows.
"Thank you, Master."
As Jian Wu and Wen Lun straightened their backs, their gazes fell upon the books in their hands. They were not made of paper or parchment, but of a material that felt like condensed starlight, cool and humming with a faint, rhythmic vibration.
Jian Wu, who had once stood at the apex of martial strength, felt a tremor run through his soul the moment his fingers brushed the cover. There was no title written on the front—only a single, shifting rune that seemed to contain the birth and death of a thousand stars.
"This..." Wen Lun whispered, his usual composure cracking. He opened the first page, and a soft golden light washed over his face. The characters inside didn't just sit on the page; they danced, rearranging themselves to match his own understanding of the Dao.
They had expected a high-tier mortal technique, or perhaps a rare spiritual scripture. They had not expected this.
"Master," Jian Wu said, his voice trembling slightly as he looked up, a newfound reverence in his eyes. "This technique... it touches upon the Origin itself. Where did you...?"
He stopped himself. Questioning the Master was rude. Instead , he clutched the book tighter to his chest, as if afraid the heavens would try to snatch it back.
To them, this gift was more precious than their life.
Eli Shan smiled gently and placed a hand on both of their shoulders. "Both of you... you will always be my most precious disciples. And my brothers."
Hearing this, their eyes sparked with profound emotion. The wall between master and disciple seemed to thin, replaced by a bond of blood and spirit. They clasped their fists in unison, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Master! We are ready to give our lives for you!"
Eli Shan nodded, his expression turning serious. "I have plans for you. I intend to send you to a place where you must strip away your past achievements and start your cultivation from the very beginning, using these manuals as your new foundation. Do you accept this trial?"
Without a moment's hesitation, their voices rang out clear and firm. "We are ready, Master!"
Eli Shan smiled, hiding his true thoughts behind a mask of profundity. "Your task is simple. I want both of you to cultivate to the absolute peak of that small universe. Shatter its limits, ascend to the Higher Universe, and establish a domain there in my name. Do you accept this?"
Hearing this, Jian Wu and Wen Lun exchanged a brief glance. They were slightly confused—not because the task was hard, but because it sounded... surprisingly simple for a request from the Master. Yet, they did not dare question him.
"It is our honor, Master!"
Eli Shan nodded, satisfied. "Good. One final question. How long do you estimate it will take you to ascend?"
Jian Wu fell silent, calculating the efficiency of the new technique against the laws of a lower realm. Finally, he looked up. "To rebuild our foundation from nothing to Ascension... it might take us... a week."
"A week?" Eli Shan blurted out, his composure cracking for a split second.
A week?!
His mind raced. He had assumed that even for former powerhouses, restarting from zero would take years, perhaps decades. His plan was simple: send them away, let them slowly build a reputation, and eventually, when he finally left the Soul Universe, he could brag about having powerful disciples waiting for him.
But a week? Wasn't that a bit... too much? Even for geniuses, that defied all logic!
However, seeing the look of shock on Eli Shan's face, Jian Wu misunderstood completely. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Master is displeased! He thinks a week is too slow! Of course... with these Divine Manuals he gave us, taking a whole week is an insult to his generosity!
Terrified of disappointing him, Jian Wu instantly bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
"Forgive us, Master! We were arrogant to ask for so much time! Our potential is dull, but we will burn our blood essence if we must! We will try to ascend even faster—under three, no, four days!"
Eli Shan felt a corner of his mouth twitch. Three days? Are you trying to scare me to death?
He forced himself to take a deep breath, smoothing his expression back into an indifferent mask. If he acted surprised now, his image as an omnipotent master would be ruined. He had to play along.
"Three days..." Eli Shan repeated slowly, testing the words on his tongue. He gave a nonchalant wave of his hand. "No. Take the full week. Solidify your foundation; that is paramount. Build a foundation that surpasses the very limits of your potential!"
Hearing this, Jian Wu and Wen Lun bowed deeply, their voices trembling with gratitude. "Yes! Thank you for your guidance, Master!"
Eli Shan nodded solemnly. "It is time to say goodbye for now."
As Jian Wu and Wen Lun straightened up, Eli Shan flicked his wrist. Suddenly, a profound, invisible force enveloped them. It didn't hurt, but it was terrifyingly absolute—it drained their cultivation in an instant, stripping away distinct realms of power like water draining from a broken vessel. Before they could even gasp, the space around them warped, sucking them into a singularity and hurling them across the void.
When the sensation of falling finally ceased, they snapped their eyes open. The cosmic void was gone. Instead, the smell of roasted meat and good wine filled their noses.
They blinked, looking around at the comfy chairs and big, beautiful tables.
"Are we..." Wen Lun whispered, looking at his hands which now felt heavy and mortal. "Are we inside an inn?"
Meanwhile, back in the Soul Universe...
The onlookers stood frozen in stunned silence. One moment, two powerful entities were talking to Eli Shan; the next, a casual wave of his hand had erased them from existence without a trace. They didn't know what to make of this terrifying display of power.
But Eli Shan didn't care what they thought. Nor did he care about them.
He had no time for theatrics now. His only goal—the singular purpose that drove his existence—was to find her.
He looked up. The dimensional portal above, the one that led to her location, was beginning to destabilize. The edges were trembling, ready to seal shut.
Without a second glance at the crowd, Eli Shan bent his knees and launched himself upward. The sky and ground beneath him cracked from the force as he shot into the sky like a reverse meteor.
I'm coming, he thought.
Just as his figure pierced the shimmering threshold, the portal collapsed instantly behind him, leaving the crowd below staring at an empty sky, wondering if they had just hallucinated a god.