Fanji Zhoushan.
A planet situated within an entirely different Demiurge's Image.
Its inhabitants lived in a constant race toward the pinnacle of existence itself.
With ambition stretching beyond the heavens, certain individuals known as cultivators endlessly pursued greater heights, unaware of the true scale of existence surrounding them.
Chi Rong Guang was one such child living within the territory of a lesser sect in Fanji Zhoushan.
At the moment, the little girl crouched quietly beneath the grass while watching a line of ants move endlessly across the soil. Her knees hugged against her chest as she leaned closer toward the tiny creatures.
"Hm..."
She rocked slightly on her feet while squinting at the ants' tiny legs.
"So small... but..."
'Listen, Guang. Like ants, we humans are very small compared to the universe itself.'
Her father's words suddenly resurfaced in her mind.
'But being small doesn't make us lesser than everything else.'
'Even the smallest ripple can spread across still water.'
Guang quietly watched the ants beneath her.
The smaller ones struggled while carrying pieces of dirt far larger than themselves, yet they continued moving anyway.
Then-
A strange luminous light suddenly appeared in front of her.
Colors Guang didn't even recognize shimmered within it, blending together in ways that made her eyes widen slightly.
"...Hm?"
Instead of recoiling, Guang tilted her head curiously before holding out her palm.
"And you are...?"
The light slowly floated downward before settling gently above her hand.
"Me...? Wait, what are you...?"
The strange light gave no response.
It simply hovered there quietly before slowly drifting closer toward her chest.
Guang's body instinctively moved on its own, guiding the light closer without resistance.
And in the next moment-
The light vanished.
Absorbed directly into her body.
Guang blinked once before scratching her head innocently.
"...What just happened?"
A few seconds later, she simply returned to watching the ants disappear into the grass as though nothing unusual had happened at all.
"Rong Guang!"
A woman's voice suddenly called out from behind her.
Guang quickly stood upright before instinctively hiding one hand behind her back.
"Yes, Ma?"
"It's lunchtime. Come here."
Guang glanced toward the ants one last time before walking toward her mother, lightly bouncing with each step.
"Mom! Listen to this!"
"There was this weird light floating in front of me earlier," Guang excitedly explained while walking beside her.
"It had all these strange colors mixed together. It looked really pretty!"
Her mother let out a gentle sigh before flicking Guang lightly on the forehead.
"That's what happens when you run off immediately after waking up," she said with an amused smile.
"You start imagining things."
Guang puffed out her cheeks while rubbing her forehead.
"I really saw it!" she protested while holding out her hand dramatically.
"It was even floating on my palm!"
Her mother merely chuckled softly before ruffling Guang's hair as they walked back toward their home.
"Yes, yes. Whatever you say, dear."
Guang continued quietly grumbling under her breath afterward while folding her arms across her chest and looking away stubbornly.
Her cheeks remained adorably puffed the entire walk back.
-
Over the following days, Guang continued exploring the areas surrounding their home.
Sometimes, she wandered all the way down the mountain beneath their sect, where vast rice fields stretched endlessly beneath the open sky.
Bright green paddies covered the land as far as her eyes could see.
"Woah..."
Guang's face immediately lit up as she stared across the endless sea of green.
"Does it even end...?"
"It does."
A calm voice suddenly answered from behind her.
Guang turned quickly.
A man dressed in flowing robes stood several steps away, long black hair tied loosely into a half-ponytail while his hands rested behind his back.
His gaze remained fixed toward the distant mountains surrounding the endless rice fields below.
"Mister...?"
The man paused briefly before glancing toward her.
Then a faint smile formed along his lips.
"Well, I suppose you may call me that."
"Though most people refer to me as Zhou Shuxuan."
Guang frowned immediately.
"...That sounds hard to say."
The man chuckled softly at her response before nodding in understanding as he stepped past her.
"I suppose it is."
Silence settled between them again afterward.
The man quietly stared across the endless rice fields stretching beneath the mountains while Guang copied him for a few moments before eventually glancing back toward him again.
"Why are you staring at nothing, Mister?"
The man paused briefly before turning toward her with half-lidded eyes and a faint smile.
"Because silence brings us closer to the truth of the universe, little one."
Guang tilted her head slightly.
"Meaning?"
The man straightened himself before gently rubbing his chin while his other hand remained tucked beneath the flowing sleeves behind his back.
"To understand the universe..."
"...one must first learn to listen to its voice."
"Only then can one truly approach the Dao."
Guang blinked slowly.
"The Dao...?"
He nodded before turning back toward the endless landscape before them.
"The Dao is the source of all cultivation."
"It is the universe itself."
"As such, mastery over the Dao requires one to first understand everything born from it."
"Our surroundings."
"The animals."
"The stars."
"And eventually..."
"...the universe itself."
The man turned back toward Guang once more-
Only to find her completely blank-faced while quietly nodding along despite clearly understanding absolutely nothing.
He stopped briefly before letting out a soft sigh and lightly shaking his head.
"My apologies."
"It seems I forgot I was speaking with a little one."
His gaze settled on her properly for the first time.
Then-
He froze.
His entire body suddenly stiffened.
...What?
His eyes slowly lifted upward.
Toward the thing hovering above her.
A shapeless.
Formless.
Unidentifiable presence.
Something he somehow hadn't noticed until now despite standing this close to her.
And yet-
At the same time-
He couldn't actually feel it.
It simply was.
By the heavens...
Zhou remained rooted where he stood.
A strained smile slowly formed across his lips as cold sweat began trickling down his skin.
This girl...
His gaze slowly lowered back toward Guang.
The little girl merely stared up at him innocently with a slight tilt of her head.
Completely unaware.
...She's carrying something I cannot explain...
Something I cannot even begin to understand.
It isn't the Dao...
More sweat rolled down the side of his face.
The pressure in his chest slowly tightened.
And yet Guang continued looking at him with the same harmless confusion as before.
She doesn't realize it...
His breathing subtly grew heavier.
That thing isn't the Dao...
For the first time in centuries-
Fear slowly crept into Zhou Shuxuan's mind.
...It is something far more fundamental.
"Mister?"
Guang's voice instantly pulled him back to reality.
Zhou visibly stumbled a step backward before quickly catching himself.
"Yes- of course," he replied while forcing a calm nod as his gaze met Guang's once more.
The fiery golden flecks within her eyes immediately made a pit form in his stomach.
Zhou forced a smile onto his face.
"My apologies, little one."
"It seems..."
"...I became lost in thought during our conversation."
Guang simply scratched her head before shrugging casually. Then her gaze shifted toward the sweat running down his forehead.
One of her brows slowly raised.
"Mister?"
"You look pale."
Zhou stiffened instantly.
Then he quietly cleared his throat before casually swiping a hand through the air.
The sweat covering his body vanished immediately.
"A natural reaction," he answered smoothly while desperately trying to maintain composure.
"The weather is gradually shifting toward summer, after all."
Guang's eyes widened immediately.
Then she suddenly began clapping excitedly.
"Cultivators can do stuff like that?!"
"Getting rid of sweat with one swipe sounds super convenient!"
Her eyes practically sparkled as she stepped closer toward him.
"I wouldn't have to worry about getting drenched whenever I play in the mountains anymore!"
Then Guang looked up at him expectantly.
"Mister..."
"Can I become a cultivator someday too?"
The moment those words left her mouth-
Zhou's face instantly paled.
Even while standing there, he could still feel the thing behind her pressing against his existence like an invisible force.
Her...? A cultivator...?
His thoughts trembled.
Forget becoming a master...
If this child truly cultivates, reaching beyond the Emperor Realm or even Divine Immortal Renegade would become effortless with this level of potential...
Cold sweat nearly resurfaced across his skin again.
Slowly, Zhou glanced upward toward the formless presence looming behind Guang once more.
And with... that thing accompanying her as well...
His breathing quietly hitched.
...this child could tip the balance of existence itself simply by existing.
"Mister...?"
Guang's voice instantly snapped Zhou out of his spiraling thoughts.
His gaze settled back onto her.
The little girl stared at him completely deadpan.
"Are you really okay, Mister?"
"You keep spacing out."
Zhou remained silent for a brief moment. Then he slowly cleared his throat before forcing his composure back into place.
A long breath escaped him afterward.
"Forgive me, little one."
"What was your question again?"
Guang's expression immediately brightened.
"Can you teach me how to cultivate?"
She clasped her hands close to her chest while looking up at him expectantly.
The moment those words registered, Zhou's thoughts stopped completely.
"...Pardon?"