Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1013: The Fated Paths

Li Yu landed lightly on the pristine stone tiles of the courtyard and brushed a stray cinder from his fresh robes. His physical presence carried a new weight. Stepping into the Karma Severing realm had refined his flesh and purified his Qi pathways to an incredible degree. Zhan Tian walked over with a broad grin and slapped a heavy hand onto his grandson's shoulder. The Worldkeeper could feel the robust vitality surging through the young man and it brought a deep sense of satisfaction to his heart. Li Yu raised his palm and willed his internal energy to manifest. A small ring of bright orange flame flickered to life above his skin. The heat it produced was intense enough to warp the surrounding air.

The trial spirit still hovered near the edge of the empty crater with his face buried in his fiery hands. He was quietly weeping over the scorched rock bed. The culmination of twenty thousand years of accumulated power was gone in a single afternoon. He lowered his hands to scowl at the duo but his glowing eyes locked onto the small flame dancing in Li Yu's palm.

The spirit stopped crying instantly. His fiery jaw dropped open for the second time that day as he floated closer to inspect the phenomenon.

"Is that a natal fire?" The trial spirit asked while his voice trembled with fresh disbelief.

"It seems to be," Li Yu replied with a warm smile. "It feels like a natural extension of my own body rather than a borrowed elemental spell."

The spirit stared at the flame and shook his head slowly. "A true natal fire is incredibly rare. It is an evolutionary anomaly that can only happen by chance. Drawing in the entire surplus of the Primordial Ember Pool provided the perfect catalyst but even then, there was no sure thing that it would indeed birth a natal flame. Most cultivators would just gain a high affinity for fire arts. You managed to forge a living ember within your very foundation."

"He has always been lucky," Zhan Tian boasted loudly. "The heavens favor those who forge their own path."

The trial spirit looked from the proud grandfather, to the empty crater and a fresh wave of grief washed over his ethereal form. He could not handle the audacity of these two intruders anymore.

"Leave," the spirit demanded while turning his back to them and waving a dismissive hand. "Take your new flame and get out of my sanctuary. I cannot look at either of you or that empty pool for another second. You have taken enough from this place."

Li Yu bowed his head respectfully. "I apologize for draining the reserves. Thank you for your guidance and for the gifts."

Zhan Tian just laughed a booming laugh that echoed across the quiet courtyard. He threw his glaive over his shoulder and patted Li Yu on the back. "Do not apologize for claiming your destiny! It is fate, old ghost, just fate! Cheer up and focus on the rest of your trial. We will take our leave now."

The grandfather and grandson turned and walked out of the lush courtyard. They passed back through the dense thicket of flame bamboo and merged seamlessly into the harsh volcanic landscape of the outer realm.

They continued their leisurely picnic through the trial ground. Li Yu felt a sense of clarity as he walked. The Karma Severing breakthrough had settled his Dao Heart into a state of unwavering calm. He tested his new strength by casually deflecting wandering magma beasts with the blunt end of his glaive while Zhan Tian watched with deep approval. They strolled through the valleys and collected a few scattered herbs when the new fate restrictions allowed it. It was a peaceful bonding experience set against the backdrop of a deadly crucible.

While the Zhan duo enjoyed a scenic walk, the rest of the Myriad Realms forces were locked in fierce competition. The creator changing the rules of the legacy had thrown the traditional hierarchy into chaos.

Far to the north, Li Mei led a few disciples through a treacherous canyon composed entirely of white fire. The ambient temperature here was lethal enough to melt standard steel but the official heir maintained her composure. She channeled her Li Clan sword arts to project a shimmering ward of sword intent around her group. The barrier deflected the worst of the searing heat as they marched forward.

They approached raised stone dais sitting in the center of the canyon. A glowing pedestal rested on top of the dais and it held an ancient jade slip radiating a strong sword aura.

An elder from the Frostmoon Empire was already standing near the pedestal. He reached his hand out to claim the prize but a translucent barrier of fiery intent flared to life. The realm evaluated the elder and found his cold destiny lacking. The barrier pushed the man backward with a violent burst of force that sent him tumbling down the stone steps.

Li Mei watched the failure with a calculating gaze. She signaled her siblings to hold the perimeter and walked up the steps. The Frostmoon elder glared at her but he did not interfere. He knew the rules had changed and brute force would not break the ward. She was also the heir of the Li Clan and could not be attacked so openly like this.

Li Mei stood before the pedestal and extended her slender hand. She did not try to forcefully pierce the barrier. Instead, she resonated her orthodox sword foundation with the ancient aura of the jade slip. Her intent was sharp, disciplined and ambitious. The legacy laws evaluated her potential and deemed her worthy of the knowledge.

The fiery barrier parted like a drawn curtain. Li Mei closed her fingers around the cool jade slip and pulled it from the pedestal. She infused a sliver of Qi into the item and quickly scanned the contents. It was a sword manual detailing a lost art of severing elemental attacks.

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"Excellent work, sister," Li Jian praised as she walked back down the steps. "That manual will greatly benefit the clan."

Li Mei stored the jade slip in her robes and her expression remained incredibly guarded. The regal mask she wore was perfect but the paranoia continued to fester in her heart. She found valuable treasures and proved her destiny but her thoughts immediately drifted to her cousin.

"This is a good start," Li Mei said with a crisp tone. "But we must find more. Li Yu is wandering this realm right now and the heavens seem to blindly favor his chaotic nature. If he returns to the estate with better resources than the official delegation, the elders will question my right to lead. We cannot stop moving."

Li Jian exchanged a worried glance with Li Hua but they both nodded and tightened their grips on their swords. They followed their sister deeper into the white fire canyon while hoping her ambition would not lead them into an unwinnable situation.

On the eastern mountain ridge the Zhan Clan was demonstrating their physical dominance. Zhan Chen and Zhan Ling stood at the forefront of some of the warriors that still remained with them. The group had spread out a bit to look for opportunities like everyone else. They were currently surrounded by a massive pack of obsidian rock hounds.

The Zhan warriors utilized their crushing physical strength to simply shatter the beasts into fragments. Zhan Chen punched out using his fist with devastating precision. He did not waste a single movement, every strike crushed a hound into dust while his sturdy body absorbed the retaliatory flames without sustaining a single scratch.

Zhan Ling fought beside him and acted as the tactical eyes of the formation. She called out shifting enemy positions and ensured the vanguard maintained a tight defensive circle. Her calculating nature kept the casualties at zero. The final hound shattered under a Zhan mace and the battlefield fell quiet. Zhan Chen wiped a streak of soot from his forehead and pointed toward the cavern the beasts had been guarding.

"Sweep the cave," Zhan Chen ordered his warriors. "The density of the earth Qi here is very promising."

The warriors pushed into the cavern and quickly discovered a rich vein of Sunforged Iron embedded in the volcanic walls. It was a premier tempering material used to forge heavy weapons. Zhan Chen approached the shimmering metal and reached out to touch it.

The fate restriction flared to life but it quickly recognized his physical path and the sturdy destiny of the Zhan Clan heir. The barrier faded and allowed him to harvest the ore.

"This is a great find," Zhan Ling noted while tallying the visible yield. "The Ember Forge Clan will be able to craft new armor for an entire unit with this much iron."

"It is something the clan can use," Zhan Chen agreed with a humble smile. He did not seek personal glory to elevate his own status within the clan, he didn’t care too much for the title. Even though he didn’t care for the title, he was still the most deserving of it and his status was unshakable. Zhan Chen evaluated every treasure based on how it would serve his family and strengthen their borders. "Let us extract the ore carefully. We have plenty of time before we need to converge on the central peak."

While those two factions secured resources, the new rules also breathed life into the lower rungs of the cultivation hierarchy. The loose cultivators and wandering mercenaries were experiencing a shift in their fortunes as well by coming here. Zhan Tian became the hero of all loose cultivators.

Deep within a hidden grotto located far from the main roads, Lead Envoy Ren and Suo crouched behind a cluster of stalagmites. They were currently watching a talented disciple from the Violet Gale Clan attempt to harvest a cluster of Flame Dew herbs growing near a boiling spring. The Violet Gale disciple moved with blistering speed but the moment he reached for the glowing red leaves, the fate barrier repelled him.

The disciple cursed loudly and kicked a loose rock into the spring. He lacked the specific elemental affinity or just the destiny to claim the herbs. Knowing he could not force the issue, the angry disciple turned and stormed out of the grotto to search for easier prizes.

Ren grinned and nudged the young rogue cultivator crouching next to him. "Your turn, Suo. Go see if the heavens favor you today."

Suo swallowed hard and gripped his newly gifted Li Clan sword. He stepped out from behind the rocks and approached the boiling spring. He was terrified of the ambient heat and the lingering auras of the powerful orthodox factions but his desire to grow strong pushed him forward. Suo also knew that Ren was close by, giving him the last bit of courage that he needed.

He stood before the glowing Flame Dew herbs and slowly reached his calloused hand toward the stems. The fate barrier activated and scanned his foundation. Suo did not possess an elegant sword style or an elite bloodline. His intent was forged from desperation and the raw will to survive his next contract.

The legacy laws resonated with his earnest determination or perhaps it was something else entirely. A true warrior was forged in hardship and the creator of the realm respected the unrefined grit of the young swordsman. The translucent barrier dissolved into harmless mist.

Suo gasped in shock and quickly plucked the precious herbs. He secured them in a wooden box and ran back to the safety of the stalagmites while his hands were shaking with pure adrenaline.

"I got them, Ren," Suo whispered with wide eyes. "I actually got them. A passing elder could not touch these but I did."

Ren laughed quietly and patted the young man on the back. "That is the beauty of this new rule, Suo. The elites can no longer sweep the board just because they have a higher cultivation base. You are in luck today!"

"These herbs will fetch a fortune at the merchant guild," Suo said while staring at the wooden box. "I could buy proper inner armor and a real movement manual."

"Or you could consume them yourself to temper your own blood," Ren suggested with a wise look. "Wealth is fleeting but a strong foundation will keep you breathing when the shadows close in. The choice is yours but do not waste this opportunity."

Suo nodded slowly and held the box tightly against his chest. The trial ground was full of deadly beasts and terrifying elders but it was also a place of unprecedented opportunity for many. No one knew if the rule change was for the better or worse of the Myriad Realms as a whole. However, for the wandering underdogs who risked their lives every single day the new rules were a true blessing from the heavens.

The various factions continued to navigate the burning valleys and the hidden caves as the day progressed. The central volcano loomed over the landscape and served as a constant reminder of the ultimate prize waiting at the summit. The initial rush for outer resources was stabilizing and the strongest warriors were beginning to turn their eyes toward the grueling ascent.

Zhan Tian and Li Yu kept a casual pace as they wandered through the ash but their path inevitably led them toward the fiery peak where the final crucible of the Sunfire Sovereign awaited.