Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Muten stood perfectly still in the center of the battlefield. His dark eyes darted around and was tracking the subtle fluctuations in the spatial fabric. He sensed the spatial tear opening directly above him.

Muten thrust both of his glowing purple Qi claws upward to intercept the strike. Star Crusher descended from the void and was carrying the annihilating weight of Destruction laws and the crushing pressure of Water laws.

The two forces collided with an earth shattering boom.

The ground beneath Muten immediately caved in creating a massive crater in the dense dirt. A shockwave of kinetic and spiritual energy blasted outward. It tore the surrounding trees right out of their roots.

As Li Yu pressed his attack downward, the fifth law he had woven into his stance completely activated. A heavy and suffocating spiritual domain expanded outward from his body. It washed over the battlefield like an invisible tide of dread.

Muten felt the heavy spiritual pressure. It was incredibly disorienting. He was pouring all of his restricted Qi into his glowing purple claws just to hold back the physical weight of Star Crusher. To simultaneously fight off a direct assault on his soul required an immense amount of split focus. His soul strength wasn’t anywhere near Li Yu’s level either.

Muten realized very quickly that a prolonged physical clash in the physical world was a terrible idea. Li Yu possessed an ocean of vast Qi and a body that was tougher than most ancient spiritual beasts.

Muten decided to change the battlefield entirely. He needed to drag the fight into an arena where his single greatest advantage could guarantee a victory. He channeled his dark purple Qi and twisted his hands inward. Instead of pushing back against Star Crusher he gripped the staff with his Qi claws and violently pulled Li Yu forward.

At the exact same time Muten forcefully tore a hole in the fabric of the realm.

He did not just step into the first or second layer of the void. He pulled Li Yu directly with him, bypassing the shallow spatial layers entirely and plunging them both straight into the terrifying depths of the third layer of the void.

The transition was jarring and completely violent. The bright heavy world of the dirt road vanished instantly. It was replaced by a swirling chaotic darkness filled with purple spatial storms and erratic tearing forces that could shred a normal cultivator into a fine mist within seconds.

Muten released his grip on the staff and floated backward in the chaotic darkness. He naturally gathered the ambient void energy around him, using his mastery to effortlessly deflect the deadly spatial storms.

He fully expected Li Yu to panic. The third layer of the void was an incredibly hostile environment. A normal Divine Transformation cultivator would have to waste massive amounts of their Qi just to form a dense shield to survive the tearing forces. Muten planned to simply wait for Li Yu to exhaust himself defending against the environment and then strike when the wanderer was completely drained.

Muten looked through the swirling purple storms and was expecting to see Li Yu struggling wildly. To his surprise Li Yu was floating perfectly still. He was completely fine.

Li Yu did not even bother to summon a heavy protective Qi shield. He simply stood there in the chaotic darkness and was looking around with a calm expression. His understanding of the void had increased massively since he advanced to the Divine Transformation realm. While it still was not as refined as Muten's mastery it was more than enough to exist comfortably within the third layer without wasting any extra energy.

"You brought us here to drain my Qi?" Li Yu asked Muten with his voice carrying clearly through the spatial storms. He gripped Star Crusher and smiled. "I have been here before Muten. It nearly killed me the first time but I am much stronger now."

Muten narrowed his eyes. The sheer impossibility of this young man continued to shatter every single logical expectation he possessed. The plan to drain Li Yu had completely failed. Muten refused to lose a spar at the same realm. His immense pride as the greatest genius of the Void Shell Citadel would absolutely not allow it. He had to end this right now.

Muten closed his eyes and pushed his restricted cultivation to its absolute maximum limit. He drew upon every single drop of his Divine Transformation power and focused entirely on his supreme understanding of spatial laws.

The dark purple space around them began to vibrate with a terrifying frequency.

"Let us see if you can survive this then." Muten declared. He reached out and grabbed the very fabric of the third layer and was attempting to forcefully drag them both even deeper. He was trying to take Li Yu into the fourth layer of the void.

Li Yu felt the spatial shift and every single survival instinct in his body screamed in terror. He knew exactly what was happening. The third layer was his current limit. If Muten successfully dragged him into the fourth layer the ambient spatial pressure would instantly crush his bones and shred his soul. Going there meant he would be at a massive and fatal disadvantage.

‘He can go to the 4th layer when he was in Divine Transformation? He must be cheating right? He doesn’t want to lose so he is cheating.’ Li Yu thought to himself. That wasn’t the case at all and Muten could indeed push towards the 4th layer.

Li Yu did not hesitate for a fraction of a second though. He forcefully gripped Star Crusher and channeled every ounce of his remaining strength. He abandoned the Water, Lightning, and Soul laws entirely. He poured all of his focus directly into Void and Destruction.

The grey annihilating energy of Destruction laws completely coated the dark purple staff. Li Yu swung the weapon in a wide brutal arc and was aiming directly at the spatial lock Muten was trying to establish.

"Break!" Li Yu roared.

The combination of his own Void laws and the erasing power of the Destruction laws struck the fabric of the void. The spatial lock shattered like a fragile pane of glass. The violent backlash of the broken technique completely disrupted the transition to the fourth layer. The chaotic energy violently expelled them both from the deep void.

With a loud and booming crack, Li Yu and Muten were violently spat back out into the physical world.

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They crashed into the dirt clearing near the main road. They tumbled through the heavy dust. Li Yu immediately rolled to his feet and gripped his staff tightly. He was preparing to launch a counterattack. He was breathing heavily and his chest was heaving as he circulated his Qi to stabilize his internal condition.

The use of Qi was massive in order to perform that strike and the following explosion had injured him. Li Yu took some time to steady himself. Muten stood up slowly and was brushing the dirt off his dark robes. He looked at Li Yu for a long moment. He evaluated the young wanderer's breathing and the unbroken fighting spirit burning in his eyes.

Muten raised his hand and completely dispersed the glowing purple Qi claws around his hands. His terrifying aura vanished entirely.

"I concede." Muten announced, his voice calm and perfectly even. "I admit defeat."

The six people from Muten’s side were stunned into total silence. Zarek and the three guards stared at their young master with wide unblinking eyes. The elegant butler nearly dropped his silver staff and the quiet maid covered her mouth in shock.

Muten had never lost a fight at the same cultivation realm to anyone in his entire life. He was the undisputed pinnacle of his generation in this realm and several others that had tournaments with this one. Hearing him casually admit defeat was like watching a supreme truth being discovered to be a lie.

"Young master!" Zarek protested taking a step forward. "It is far too early to give up! You are barely even scratched! You can easily take him down!"

Muten turned his head and shot a cold and silencing glare at his loyal guard and friend.

"I have seen enough Zarek." Muten explained, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument. "My physical body is much weaker than his in this specific realm. His internal Qi reserves are vastly more expansive than mine. The only distinct advantage I held over him was my superior understanding of the Void."

Muten looked back at Li Yu and offered a small nod of respect.

"When I failed to bring him into the fourth layer of the void, my sole win condition was completely broken." Muten stated and applied his cold logic to the outcome of the fight. "To continue fighting a drawn out physical battle against someone with a tougher body and more Qi is entirely foolish. It would only result in my eventual defeat anyway. I concede."

Li Yu relaxed his posture and let Star Crusher vanish back into his Koi Sanctuary. He was honestly impressed by Muten's mindset. Most prodigies would have fought to the bitter end purely out of pride but Muten recognized his advantages and disadvantages. He accepted the outcome without throwing a tantrum.

Garrick stood leaning against his tree. The Great Sage internally agreed completely with Muten's assessment. Li Yu was an absolute freak of nature. He possessed a foundation that simply defied logic.

Garrick watched Li Yu walk back toward the road and a memory surfaced in his ancient mind. He remembered the terrifying woman who had bound him to this boy.

'He is that fierce woman's son after all.' Garrick thought to himself while shivering slightly at the memory of her overwhelming power. 'It makes sense that he is a monster.'

But as Garrick studied Li Yu's movements, a sense of confusion settled over him. He knew the woman's clan. He knew their terrifying and legendary body refining arts. Those arts changed the very physical structure of a cultivator and made them unstoppable juggernauts of physical force.

Li Yu possessed an incredibly tough body but he showed absolutely none of the distinct visual characteristics of that specific clan's refining arts. His toughness seemed entirely natural and organic, completely unrelated to his mother's lineage.

'Why does he not have her clan's physical markers? Did she not leave him any techniques?' Garrick wondered. 'And why was that terrifying woman not with her son teaching him these things herself? Why did she just drop a mountain on me and force me to protect him?'

Garrick had always proudly claimed to anyone who would listen that he was absolutely invincible at the same age or realm as any opponent. He genuinely believed his ancient beast foundation made him superior to all others.

But watching Li Yu force Muten to concede a spar at the same realm, Garrick humbly acknowledged in the privacy of his own mind that his claim was no longer true. If he fought Li Yu at the exact same cultivation level he would likely lose as well. This Muten kid was no joke either. He was unsure how he’d fair against him as well.

‘Why have I encountered two freaks in such a short amount of time? Is this the Dao’s way of humbling me?’ Garrick thought to himself.

Everyone in the group was completely taken aback by how strong Li Yu actually was within his own realm. The initial hostility and suspicion had vanished and was replaced by a heavy and cautious respect.

Muten stood quietly near his carriage. He was in deep thought. His dark eyes stared at the dirt where Li Yu had skidded to a halt. He replayed the entire fight in his mind and was analyzing the seamless weaving of the five laws and the brutal efficiency of the Destruction counterattack. He did not say a single word about what he was thinking but his mind was racing with new possibilities.

True to his word, Muten honored the terms of the wager. He completely dropped the grave robbing accusations. That was a very unlikely thing anyways. He also agreed to try the things that Li Yu offered.

Muten possessed a highly analytical mind. He figured that if this young wanderer was capable of achieving such an impossible foundation while constantly acting like a lazy tourist, perhaps there was a hidden secret in the way Li Yu did things. Muten was willing to try relaxing if it meant he could gain some new insight into cultivation.

The group resumed their journey down the wide dirt road and continued to head toward the distant academy city.

The dynamic within the entourage had noticeably shifted. Zarek and the guards no longer glared at Li Yu with hostility. They kept their distance but they treated him with a slight bit more respect. He was no longer just another person on the road but a warrior who had earned the young master's direct acknowledgment.

An hour later they passed a small bustling roadside settlement. Li Yu immediately darted toward a collection of colorful merchant stalls, the fierce combat entirely forgotten. He returned a few minutes later carrying several large bowls of steaming noodles, fragrant roasted vegetables and a cluster of glowing sweet fruits native to this realm.

He handed a bowl of noodles directly to Muten.

The young prodigy looked at the steaming food. He sighed softly and was suppressing his usual urge to refuse. He took a pair of wooden chopsticks. He took a small bite. The rich savory flavor was actually quite pleasant.

Since the young master was officially eating the mundane food, the strict rules of the entourage relaxed completely. Zarek, the three guards, the tall butler and the quiet maid all accepted bowls of food from Li Yu. They sat together near the carriage and were eating in relative silence.

Muten sat on a large rock and was slowly eating his noodles. He watched the wind blow through the towering trees. He was not actively circulating his Qi. He was not planning clan logistics or analyzing spatial laws. He was just eating a bowl of warm food on a dirt road.

It could be seen that some weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t have to carry the burden of being invincible within the same realm and being the greatest genius within any realm. Losing was not a mental blow that pushed him into the abyss. It was a blow that shattered the lock that had been caging him.

Because of this, to Muten’s immense surprise, he found the process of eating noodles on the side of the road to be incredibly relaxing.

His entire life had been a non stop grueling climb toward perfection. Focusing on something else completely unrelated to the heavy burdens of the Void Shell Citadel or raising his cultivation level felt like releasing a tightly wound spring in his chest. A small and subtle tension further vanished from his shoulders.

Li Yu sat happily on the dirt next to Garrick and was excitedly trying the glowing sweet fruits. He was thrilled to be exploring the culinary delights of this strange new world. He was entirely oblivious to the impact his simple leisurely habits were having on the greatest genius of the realm.