Chapter Nineteen: My First Conversation with the Willow God

After Little One finished testing his strength, the medicinal bath came to a successful conclusion. The elderly village chief and the other villagers of Stone Village immediately began arranging the preparations for the sacrificial ceremony. Having performed the rites for the Willow Deity year after year, the people of Stone Village were intimately familiar with every step of the process.

At twilight, everyone in Stone Village gathered before the old willow tree. The elderly village chief, Shi Yunfeng, bowed respectfully to the ancient tree before explaining the difficulties Shi Jian had encountered on his path of cultivation. Finally, he asked the Willow Deity how Shi Jian should proceed with his training. The rest of the villagers followed suit, offering their own prayers. In the past, the villagers had always prayed to the Willow Deity for the protection of Stone Village; this was the first time they had offered sacrifices on behalf of a specific individual. Moreover, the Willow Deity had rarely responded to their offerings in the past. Yet, today, the Deity answered:

"In the primordial era, the cubs of powerful ferocious beasts could lift a hundred thousand catties of divine iron while still in their infancy—and this was purely through their physical strength, without the use of any supreme precious techniques."

"You have already looked upon the 'Original True Interpretation,' which means your pure physical strength is already very close to that hundred-thousand-catty threshold. What you must do now is truly reach that limit."

The ethereal voice of the Willow Deity drifted into the ears of all present, though it was directed primarily at Shi Jian. The villagers were not overly surprised, as they had already learned from the village chief that Shi Jian possessed the strength of eighty thousand catties. Their perceptions had already been redefined by him once before, so hearing such a secret did not shock them.

"I will strive to do so!" Shi Jian replied to the Willow Deity. The extreme realm of the Blood-Moving Realm was not something to be taken lightly; he was determined to challenge this limit. However, his primary objective was to glean some benefits from the Willow Deity. He took out the "Original True Interpretation" and asked, "Is this precious bone, which Village Chief grandfather gave me yesterday, the 'Original True Interpretation' you speak of?"

The Willow Deity did not answer immediately, pausing as if lost in memory. After a long while, the ethereal voice sounded again:

"The 'Original True Interpretation' is a supreme scripture that expounds upon the Great Dao of the world. It requires the laying of the most solid foundation, reaching the extreme of the Blood-Moving Realm, and tempering one's will to be harder than iron before it can be truly comprehended."

"The precious bone you hold is but a single chapter of the 'Original True Interpretation.' You only glimpsed a corner of it yesterday; only when you step into the extreme of the Blood-Moving Realm will you be able to truly understand it."

Shi Jian nodded thoughtfully. He had made such progress just from a shallow reading of the scripture—how incredible would it be once he truly began to practice it? More importantly, the "Original True Interpretation" did not conflict with his "God Elephant Suppressing Prison Art." The former served as both a cultivation manual and a path to the Great Dao. He could use it as a guide for cultivation while simultaneously using it to perceive the laws of the universe. Shi Jian realized he could study the "Original True Interpretation" while practicing the "God Elephant Suppressing Prison Art."

After a moment's reflection, he spoke again: "Since I restarted my cultivation in the Blood-Moving Realm, my physical strength has reached ninety thousand catties; I am not far from the extreme. However, while my cultivation is powerful, I lack experience in actual combat and have not mastered any formidable precious techniques. Can the Willow Deity assist me?"

Shi Jian was fishing for information, hoping to obtain one or two precious techniques. To his knowledge, the techniques possessed by the Willow Deity were all of the highest caliber—the "Willow Deity Law," the "True Phoenix Law," and the "Art of the Anti-Five Elements" were all top-tier. Even a little guidance from the Willow Deity would be an immense stroke of fortune.

"My memories are incomplete; I do not have much suitable to pass on to you. However, I have a formula used by primordial beasts to build a foundation for their young, which will help you quickly reach the extreme of the Blood-Moving Realm."

"When the time comes, I will send you to a place where you can temper yourself. You may acquire some powerful precious techniques there."

The Willow Deity transmitted the primordial formula to Shi Jian. Shi Jian was not disappointed; even if he could not obtain the top-tier techniques, a primordial formula was still a great gain. Furthermore, he already possessed the "Original True Interpretation." Since the Willow Deity had directed him to practice it, it was effectively a transmission of that knowledge—the same treatment Shi Hao received in the original legend.

"Many thanks, Willow Deity, for this teaching!" Shi Jian said gratefully.

"Come back to me when you have reached the extreme realm..." The Willow Deity's voice faded into silence. It was still severely wounded and spent most of its time in a deep slumber; if it had not been for the phenomena caused by Shi Jian's cultivation, it would not have awakened. Having provided guidance, it returned to its rest.

Shi Jian, aware of the Willow Deity's condition, did not disturb it further. He already had a guess about the place the Willow Deity mentioned for his training. If he wasn't mistaken, it must be the Void God Realm—a place akin to a virtual world where one could battle to their heart's content. Those who performed well there would even receive rewards. Shi Jian looked forward to the Void God Realm; he loved the idea of a place where he could sharpen his combat instincts without the risk of actual death. With his "cheat" and his membership in the chat group, his future was bright. He was not currently in dire need of resources or techniques; what he lacked most was combat experience. The others in the group had all experienced life-and-death struggles, their combat prowess far exceeding his own. He had yet to experience a true battle—hunting down the Azure Python and other primordial descendants did not count, as his strength had simply been too far superior to theirs.

"The Void God Realm... I truly look forward to it!" Shi Jian thought to himself.