Vessel of Worlds

Andy had never once considered this possibility. A torrent of thoughts crashed through his mind.

In the space of two or three breaths, he made his decision. He crushed the bamboo slip in his hand.

Ever since discovering the Heaven and Earth Bowl's miraculous powers, his already firm resolve to walk the path of cultivation had only grown stronger. His ambitions no longer stopped at Foundation Establishment, or even the legendary heights of Core Formation—he was reaching for the far grander dream of true immortality.

Cultivation demanded more than raw power. The tempering of one's heart and mind was equally vital. A cultivator had to maintain a clear, desire-free inner state and guard against the formation of inner demons.

And Andy knew, with absolute certainty, that he could not bring himself to defeat Jian Xin'er with his own hands—to personally block her path forward on the road of cultivation.

Even if he did, he would not be able to do it without guilt. And that guilt, however small at first, would fester. Over time it would grow into an inner demon, and his cultivation path would be plagued with obstacles at every turn. In the worst case, the inner demon could consume him entirely, reducing him to a creature of mindless bloodlust, stripped of every shred of human feeling.

Better to give up the trial than to defeat Jian Xin'er and plant the seed of an inner demon.

There was another factor as well. Andy had a fallback plan. He had always considered the possibility that he might draw an opponent backed by a major cultivation family, someone armed with exceptional-grade artifacts he simply couldn't overcome. If the Foundation Establishment Trial didn't work out, he could still pursue a Foundation Establishment Pill through the Dragon Descent Valley missions.

Dragon Descent Valley was said to be a place of nine deaths for every chance of survival. It was, without question, his last resort—no one would willingly gamble with their life if any other option remained.

But now, it was the only road left to him.

Though a storm raged inside him, Andy's face wore a steady smile. He answered Jian Xin'er: "I drew a number in the hundreds—we're at different stages. But the matches run at about the same time, so I won't be able to watch your fight this round either."

"All right then, I'm heading to the Tingyu Stage to get ready! Good luck, Brother Wugen!" Jian Xin'er didn't press the matter. She grinned and pumped her fist at him in encouragement.

"You too, Xin'er. Give it everything you've got." Andy gave a half-smile and a warm nod.

……

Three or four shichen later, beside Gulian Spring in the Kuanglu Mountains.

"Brother Wugen, I looked everywhere for you! I just knew you'd be here." The girl spotted the lean young man sitting on the great rock by the spring and called out before she had even landed.

"You're right—I came here to wait for you." He smiled as she alighted on the rock beside him.

Jian Xin'er could barely contain her excitement. "Let me tell you something first—you'll never believe it. I drew a bye!"

"A bye? What do you mean?"

"No opponent! I advanced straight to the next round! When it was time for pair fifty-nine to fight, I was the only one who showed up. After waiting for ages with no opponent, the presiding senior uncle said I must have drawn a bye, or my opponent had withdrawn. Either way, I go straight through!"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Then congratulations are in order, Xin'er." Andy paused. "Unfortunately, I ran into a tough thirteenth-layer opponent today. I got careless, and I lost."

"What? Brother Wugen lost?" Jian Xin'er was stunned. Her eyes went wide, reddening at the rims, tears threatening to spill.

"I did. But it's all right—there may be other opportunities for me yet." He nodded, his smile undimmed.

"Which senior brother or sister beat you? Were they even stronger than Sun Ming?" She sighed and asked.

Andy furrowed his brow slightly, as though trying to recall. "About the same level as Sun Ming, I'd say. I don't know the name—I've spent almost my entire time here in the forging chamber. I don't know many people."

"Brother Wugen, what are you going to do now?" Her voice had dropped low, all the earlier excitement gone.

"Fortune favors the worthy. There are other ways to get a Foundation Establishment Pill besides the trial—the next trial in five years, for instance, or the Dragon Descent Valley missions." Andy said it casually, as though it were nothing.

"Dragon Descent Valley?" Jian Xin'er tensed. "I've heard that place is incredibly dangerous—nine deaths for every chance of survival!"

"It's probably not as bad as the rumors make it sound. And I didn't say I'd definitely go. Let's not talk about that now. Xin'er, the final round is the day after tomorrow. Making it to the fifth round is already an incredible achievement—you have to seize this chance!"

"I will, but Brother Wugen, you—"

"Don't worry about me. Let's talk about your match instead. Everyone who's made it to the final round is a cut above the rest. I've brought some mid-grade Qi Refinement talismans—both offensive and defensive. They might come in handy." He paused. "Used at the right moment, even a few talismans can turn the tide of a fight. I've picked up a thing or two about this, so let me walk you through it…"

……

Two days later, the Foundation Establishment Trial reached its conclusion. On this final day, the last round of matches would determine the fifty-odd fortunate disciples who would each receive a Foundation Establishment Pill. Based on historical averages, fewer than ten of these winners would successfully reach Foundation Establishment within two years, becoming true cultivators with lifespans of over two hundred years.

On the Yingfeng Stage, Jian Xin'er was locked in a fierce duel with a stocky young man at the same twelfth layer of Qi Refinement.

Her three-piece Heaven and Earth Ring set worked in seamless coordination, constantly catching her opponent off guard. But the stocky youth's gleaming silver disc was an upper-grade artifact in its own right—versatile in both offense and defense, with tricks of its own. The two traded blows without either gaining a clear edge.

Then, amid the swirling clash of artifacts, Jian Xin'er pulled out four or five Flame Serpent Talismans and began murmuring the activation incantation.

Andy, watching from below, silently cursed the timing. If Jian Xin'er could deploy talismans as smoothly as he could—activating them in the space of a single breath—those fire serpents would have been a devastating surprise attack, and the match would be over. But her movements with the talismans were a beat too slow, giving her opponent time to react. The stocky youth immediately disengaged from the three copper rings, pulled his silver disc back into a defensive position, and caught the incoming fire serpents squarely on the disc's barrier. A chain of explosions, a shower of red sparks, and the serpents were gone.

Jian Xin'er didn't falter. She sent the three golden rings hammering at her opponent once more. He parried with the silver disc, and the artifact duel resumed.

Before long, she found another opening and unleashed three more Flame Serpent Talismans. This time the stocky youth managed to defend again, but only barely—he was scrambling now, clearly struggling to keep up. Jian Xin'er seized the initiative.

After one more volley of three Flame Serpent Talismans, she finally found her moment. The copper rings shattered his protective barrier, and one of them struck him squarely, sending him tumbling off the edge of the arena. He hit the ground and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Seeing Jian Xin'er win her final match, Andy—who had withdrawn without fighting—allowed himself a long, quiet breath of relief. His sacrifice had not been in vain.

With Jian Xin'er's aptitude, and with a Foundation Establishment Pill to help, she had a very good chance of reaching Foundation Establishment.

As for himself, with his wretched Five-Element Spirit Root, even a single Foundation Establishment Pill would give him almost no chance of breaking through. But if he used the bowl to upgrade the pill into a supreme-grade elixir, there might yet be a sliver of hope.

Jian Xin'er had won her Foundation Establishment Pill, and one weight had been lifted from Andy's heart. Now he had to turn his mind to the question of how to obtain one for himself.

Wait for the next trial in five years? His chances would be excellent, but by then he would be past thirty—nearly beyond the optimal window for Foundation Establishment. Even if he succeeded at that age, further rapid advancement would become immensely difficult.

Time waited for no one. For now, his only option was the dangerous road of Dragon Descent Valley. Risk and reward, as always, were proportional.