The disciple who had caught Li Yao's arm was around twenty, dressed in white, his tall figure exuding a Daoist aura that harmonized with the surroundings. In the mortal world, he might have been worshipped as an immortal. His voice, however, was deliberately gentle.
"Between fellow disciples of Hengyang Cave Heaven, Junior Brother, such formality is unnecessary."
Li Yao's surprise was brief and clinical. Why the excessive courtesy from a Life Spring cultivator to someone not yet begun? The calculation was immediate: such unsolicited kindness always had a price.
The disciple—Senior Brother Chen—released his grip. "I am here on the Sect Leader's order to bring you to Hengyang Hall. A person of great importance wishes to see you."
There it was. The reason for the politeness: he was a messenger for a higher power. Li Yao was not a person to him, but a task. Senior Brother Chen had guessed the reason for the summons; having been here for years, he'd seen this before. A prodigy from his own generation had been taken away by the Yao Guang Holy Land.
Back then, Senior Brother Chen had felt envy, even ambition. Now, at twenty and only in the Life Spring Realm, he knew the Holy Land's gates were forever closed to him. His current politeness was a small, prudent investment in a future that was not his own.
Li Yao paused, connecting the summons to the divine procession he'd witnessed. "Is it the envoy from Yao Guang Holy Land?"
His initial puzzlement cleared. As a newcomer, he lacked the institutional knowledge, but as a transmigrator, he understood the archetype. Sects were talent pipelines for greater powers. The specifics didn't matter; the mechanism was clear.
"Junior Brother is perceptive," Senior Brother Chen confirmed.
Li Yao's mind, however, did not churn with excitement. It coolly ran scenarios. To an ordinary disciple, this summons was a dream. To Li Yao, it was a complex variable to be weighed.
His path was already charted: the Heavenly Book was his ultimate scripture and mentor. A major power like the Yao Guang Holy Land offered resources but imposed chains. It was a trade: freedom for patronage. The more valuable he appeared—especially if the Book accelerated his growth unnaturally—the more dangerous that patronage could become. A holy land that cultivated geniuses might also be a place where geniuses were harvested.
The conclusion was bleak but simple: he had no leverage. At ten years old, with no cultivation, he was an object to be assessed, not an agent making choices. Resistance was pointless; calculation was the only available action. With this acceptance, the mental turbulence ceased. Worrying about uncontrollable outcomes was inefficient.
He followed Senior Brother Chen in silence, his face a mask of placid obedience.
Senior Brother Chen mistook this calm for remarkable composure. "Junior Brother, you have an excellent temperament!" he couldn't help but exclaim, impressed that one so young could be so poised before such a fate.
Li Yao offered a thin smile. "It is merely the calm of having no choice." The truth, framed as modesty.
Their path wound through valleys. Soon, a stunning vista opened: a thousand-meter waterfall plunged like a silver bolt of cloth, its roar shaking the mountains. It was magnificent.
The sight cut through Li Yao's strategic ruminations. For a moment, the calculative part of his mind stilled. He did not feel 'exhilaration' in an emotional sense, but a pure, stark recognition of scale and power. It served as a physical metaphor for his situation. A true power could stop this cascade or reverse its flow. He could only observe its path. The lesson was absorbed, not felt.
His resolve hardened. The path was all that mattered. Whether in this cave heaven or a holy land, he would find a way to be like the waterfall's source—unseen, essential, and ultimately in control of the descent.
His posture eased, not from relief, but from the conservation of mental energy. Senior Brother Chen saw this and was further amazed. "Even more remarkable!"
The rest of the journey passed through ethereal scenery—ancient trees, medicinal fields thick with spiritual herbs. Disciples greeted Senior Brother Chen with deference, which he acknowledged with practiced nods. Li Yao observed the social hierarchy at work, filing it away as data on sect dynamics.
They arrived at Hengyang Hall, a grand palace of bronze and iron that dwarfed any mortal imperial court. After a brief exchange with a guard, Senior Brother Chen was told to wait outside. "Go ahead, Junior Brother," he said.
Li Yao entered alone.
The hall was vast, lit by luminous pearls, supported by twelve dragon-carved pillars. At the far end, atop 108 steps, a row of figures sat. The Sect Leader of Hengyang Cave Heaven occupied the humblest position at the end.
Upon Li Yao's entry, the weight of their gazes settled on him. He felt it not as pressure, but as a physical measurement, like being scanned by a dangerous instrument.
He stopped ten meters from the dais and performed a precise, textbook bow. "Disciple Li Yao pays his respects to the Sect Leader and esteemed guests."
The Sect Leader rose and bowed deeply toward the figure at the center. "My lords, this is the disciple I mentioned. He entered the cave heaven a month ago. His Daoist aura is profound, and he awakened his Sea of Bitterness naturally. I therefore recommended him to the Holy Land."