Below Nie Tian’s feet, the clouds rapidly dissipated, and soon he was able to see the stone ground again.
Standing in front of the thatched cottage, he could feel that there were still countless strands of energy roaming about inside of him, yet his pounding heartbeat had returned to normal.
Staring at the thatched cottage, he suddenly felt somewhat nervous, and thus stood there in hesitation.
Previously, he perceived that the person inside the thatched cottage… was an existence whose strength incredibly strong, the likes of which he had never met before.
“Come in,” the person urged once again.
Hearing his words, Nie Tian didn’t hesitate any further. He lifted the cottage’s curtain and strode in.
Upon entering, he immediately knelt and kowtowed three times, saying, “Greetings, master.”
When he previously arrived at the foot of the mountain, he had learned from Li Fan that the person he was going to meet would be his future master in the Cloudsoaring sect.
By urging him to step towards the cottage, that person had bestowed millions of strands of energy upon him, which were clearly an enormous fortune to him.
If by now he didn’t understand that this person had good intentions, then he would be undeserving of the Cloudsoaring sect’s breaking of the rules for him, much less the favor of this mysterious person.
“Smart kid.”
Within the humble thatched cottage, an old man that resembled a bag of bones sat quietly on a prayer mat with both of his hands tucked up in the opposite sleeves, sizing Nie Tian up with intense interest.
The old man was plain looking. No matter his clothes or his figure, there was nothing eye-catching about him.
Only his eyes were different, which seemed to be brimming with the thirst for knowledge, constantly pondering certain profound questions, and diligently and tirelessly chasing after the answers.
“Raise your head,” the old man said softly.
After hearing his words, Nie Tian slowly lifted up his bowed head and finally summoned enough courage to look the old man in the eye.
With a brief smile, the old man said amiably, “My name is Wu Ji. From today on, I’ll be your master. Including you, I have a total of three disciples. When you reach a certain level, you’ll naturally come to know about your two senior martial brothers. There’s no need for me to tell you about them.
“The only thing I’ll say about them is that they have already surpassed me.
“I hope that like them you will too, one day, step out of this heaven and earth to go and pursue the things that I once longed for.”
Nie Tian was flabbergasted. “Step out of this heaven and earth?”
Wu Ji’s face was calm. “By stepping out of this heaven and earth, I don’t mean through an inter-spacial teleportation portal. I’m talking about soaring across the river of stars by relying on your own strength. The heaven and earth in which we reside is just an insignificant realm in the vast galaxy. Its name is the Realm of Flame Heaven, which is the ninth realm of the Domain of the Falling Stars.
“The ninth realm? The Domain of the Falling Stars?” Confusion stretched across Nie Tian’s face.
Wu Ji nodded. “That’s right, the land that we’re standing on is the ninth realm of the Domain of the Falling Stars. And within Domain of the Falling Stars, there are altogether nine realms which are similar to the Realm of Flame Heaven.”
Nie Tian’s jaw dropped as he stared at Wu Ji wide-eyed.
With merely a few sentences, Wu Ji had practically overturned everything Nie Tian knew about this world, and shook his beliefs to an incredible extent.
“Of course.” Face serious, Wu Ji continued, “telling you about all these things right now is indeed a bit too early. But I have faith that your future will not be limited to the Realm of Flame Heaven. I’m telling you all these things because I want you to know that the unmeasured vastness of the entire galaxy far exceeds your imagination.
“One day, you’ll step out of the Realm of Flame Heaven and travel freely between the realms of the Domain of the Falling Stars, just like your two senior martial brothers.”
Immediately, a longing was born in Nie Tian’s heart.
“Just like the Realm of Flame Heaven, each and every one of the realms of the Domain of the Falling Stars is inhabited by numerous powerful Qi warriors. However, the number of Qi warriors in the Realm of Flame Heaven is far fewer compared to the other eight realms.
“In the entire Realm of Flame Heaven, there are only seven Qi warrior forces that can be considered worth mentioning.
“You probably know about them. They are the Spiritual Treasure sect, Cloudsoaring sect, Grayvale sect, Mystic Mist sect, Ghost sect, Blood sect, and Hell sect.
“These seven forces are split up into two alliances, with the Ghost sect, Blood sect, and Hell sect on one side, and the Spiritual Treasure sect, Grayvale sect, Mystic Mist sect, and us on the other.”
Inside the thatched cottage, Wu Ji’s ethereal voice unceasingly drifted about. He didn’t talk too much about the Domain of the Falling Stars and the other eight realms, but rather focused on matters of the Realm of Flame Heaven.
Nie Tian listened attentively, engraving everything Wu Ji had said in his mind.
Wu Ji had opened a brand new door for him, allowing him to gradually understand about his insignificance and the fact that the Realm of Flame Heaven he was in was merely the ninth realm of the Domain of the Falling Stars.
During that day, Wu Ji didn’t give any introduction regarding cultivation, but only explained to him in detail the distribution of realms, the complicated relationships between different forces, as well as the conflicts between individual Qi warriors.
A very long time passed…
Wu Ji stopped and said, “Go and think over what I have said today. Also, have a good rest to let your body recuperate, and then, observe and learn about the changes in you.
“In the future, I’ll explain to you the relationship between a Qi warrior and the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, as well as other basic knowledge.
“I won’t impart any spiritual techniques for cultivation before you enter the Lesser Heaven stage. For now, you can just continue to use the Qi Refining Incantation to cultivate your spiritual sea.”
“Got it.” Nie Tian nodded obediently.
Wu Ji examined him silently for a while before asking, “Someone has refined your flesh, blood, and bones before me. Who was he?”
Nie Tian was stunned. Then he contemplated over Wu Ji’s question, trying to figure out what he meant.
“I heard you once had a high fever and lost consciousness for a few days?” Wu Ji’s eyes glittered with bright light.
Nie Tian suddenly remembered and said, “Yes, I did.”
“A foreign doctor treated your fever for seven days, right?” asked Wu Ji.
Nie Tian nodded. “Yeah, he did.”
“What is his name?”
“I believe it’s Hua Mu.”
“Hua Mu?” Wu Ji frowned as he drifted away in thought. After a while, he shook his head and said, “I have never heard this name before. Either it’s a fake name, or… he’s not from the Realm of Flame Heaven.
“There are only a handful in the entire Realm of Flame Heaven who are able to do what he did and practically give you a brand new body.
“I know every one of them and none are named Hua Mu.”
Nie Tian was taken aback. “That foreign doctor helped me refine my flesh, blood, and bones? Is he really… that incredible?”
“Of course, he is.” Wu Ji nodded. “But I don’t know what motivated him to spend so much energy to help you refine your flesh, blood, and bones. That person is definitely beyond ordinary. If he is indeed from one of the other eight realms, then…”
Wu Ji suddenly stopped and started to examine Nie Tian again, as if he was trying to find an answer on Nie Tian.
After a while, he waved his hand, signaling for Nie Tian to leave. “From today on, the third thatched cottage to the left belongs to you. You can go and rest now.”
“Yes, master.” Nie Tian rose to his feet, bowed, and walked out of the room.
Wu Ji’s words were a bit overwhelming for him, and he needed time to digest such a large amount of overturning information.
Furthermore, he was fairly exhausted, and felt the urgent need to get some good sleep.
Inside the room, Wu Ji was still muttering to himself, “Hua Mu…
“It seems like I have to ask a few friends to go investigate in the other eight realms, and see if there is actually a person named Hua Mu… Since this Hua Mu was willing to go through so much trouble to help refine Nie Tian’s body, there must be a reason.
“Could it be that he also saw the potential in Nie Tian and wanted to take him in as a disciple?
“But if he did, how come he didn’t take Nie Tian with him?
“Strange, it’s truly strange.”