"If you let me leave, I'll go right now. I won't stay a moment longer," Yao'er said stubbornly.
"Silly. Simply too silly. I've realized — others may be pretending to be foolish, but you, girl, are genuinely stupid."
"For a martial cultivator, cultivation is more important than anything else. Especially for a creature like you, cultivation is even more critical."
"Do you have any idea how many Spirit World Masters would dream of capturing a girl like you to refine medicine?"
"Without sufficient strength, how could you possibly protect yourself?" Dragon Scale asked.
"I'm not afraid of death," Yao'er said stubbornly.
"You're not afraid of death, but are you afraid of Chu Feng dying?" Dragon Scale asked.
"..." Yao'er was rendered speechless. Dying herself — she truly wasn't afraid of that. But the thought of Chu Feng dying was something she simply could not accept. Just thinking about it made her heart ache. This feeling was called caring, though she didn't yet understand it.
"This tree can help you cultivate — that is your good fortune. And I am willing to teach you the method of cultivation — that is your destiny. Cherish it well. If you become strong, you will be able to protect Chu Feng," Dragon Scale said.
Hearing those words, Yao'er's small face changed, as though a sudden realization had struck her. She raised her tiny hand and firmly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Then she swept over to the base of the tree, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and began cultivating.
At that moment, the great tree also swayed slightly, and an invisible yet powerful force surged toward Yao'er, being drawn into her body.
"This is the first time I've seen you cultivate so seriously. If you had trained like this earlier, you'd already be a second-tier Martial Emperor," Dragon Scale said with a tone of frustration at her wasted potential.
But Yao'er ignored him, as though she couldn't hear a word he said, and simply continued devoting herself to cultivation.
"It seems that kid Chu Feng has quite the charm. As for his talent, though... at best he can only reign as king in a place like this. If he enters the Outer Realms, I'm afraid it'll be hard for him to make his mark."
"But he was never meant to remain a fish in a pond. Sooner or later he'll leave — it's just that when that time comes... whether it will be good or bad for him, I can't say."
Dragon Scale murmured to himself as he formed a seal with one hand and pointed toward the golden palace that hovered in the sky above.
Under his command, the thousand golden-armored soldiers guarding outside the palace gates all retreated inside. When the palace doors closed, the structure began to shrink, ultimately returning to its original size and settling into Dragon Scale's palm.
"What's this?"
However, the moment the palace settled into his hand, Dragon Scale was first taken aback. Then his eyes flashed, and he was struck with shock.
On the surface of the palace, there were subtle changes — three rune patterns resembling doors. The first two were now in an open state, while only the last one remained closed.
"That kid... actually made it into the second hall and took the three arrows from within?" Dragon Scale grew even more astonished. Upon closer inspection, he had confirmed it without a doubt.
It took a good while before Dragon Scale's emotions calmed down. Then he showed a rather sheepish smile and said: "Interesting. Talent strong enough to reach this level — I'm afraid even in the Outer Realms, he could carve out a place for himself."
"Chu Feng... it seems I underestimated you."
..........
After a lengthy journey, Chu Feng and the others finally departed the ancient ruins and arrived at the most heavily guarded location within the Azurewood Domain.
This place was no longer Mount Azurewood — it was a separate space that had been opened up. This was the Azurewood Sacred Assembly.
The Azurewood Sacred Assembly was not as vast as Mount Azurewood, but it was a treasure trove for cultivation. Thanks to the presence of a special formation, it could gather the natural energy of heaven and earth from the outside world. Over time, this had caused the energy in this place to become considerably denser than what existed beyond its boundaries.