The night air was pretty cool and crisp as I sat down in the private courtyard outside the guest room.

  “The formations here are quite sophisticated,” Azure noted, “they’re designed to gather and purify qi from your surroundings so that it is easier to absorb.”

  “I can already feel the difference,” I agreed, settling into a meditation pose.

  Ever since I had started cultivating the World Tree Sutra, I’d noticed just how much easier it was to cultivate in places that were rich with plant life. The spiritual herbs in the Wei Family garden only enhanced this effect making this the perfect place to cultivate for a wood cultivator like me.

  And the further I got into meditation, the more aware I became of the plants around me.

  They began to actively respond to my presence.

  Thin vines crept slowly across the ground towards me, while leaves from the nearby bushes turned to face me like the way flowers followed the direction of the sun.

  “That’s interesting,” Azure commented. “The plants seem to recognise the presence of the Genesis Seed. Look how they’re creating a natural formation pattern around you.”

  He was right.

  Vines and branches were arranging themselves in spiral patterns, somehow unconsciously mimicking the qi circulation patterns that I use while cultivating.

  I decided not to fight against it, instead I let them wrap around me, their gentle presence actually helped make it easier to draw in spiritual essence into my inner world where the Genesis Seed converted it into the pure spiritual essence that I needed for my breakthrough.

  The process reminded me of the times I watched Lin Mei extract essence from spirit herbs.

  It was a patient, methodical work that couldn’t be rushed.

  “Your inner world is significantly larger since your last breakthrough,” Azure commented. “Why don’t you use some of that extra space?”

  Taking his advice, I channeled the leftover water essence that I’d been storing, and like a steady stream, it flowed into the ever hungry Genesis Seed. The combination of external qi and stored essence made the seed pulse faster as it worked harder.

  Without realising it, a few hours had passed.

  The plants around me had grown so thick that someone walking past might mistake me as part of the garden.

  “Master,” Azure warned, “the breakthrough is starting.”

  I felt it too.

  It was the familiar tension of feeling full as my spiritual essence reached its peak.

  The Genesis Seed began to pulse in a sharp demanding way that sent ripples through my inner world.

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  This was always the trickiest part.

  Finding a way to manage the breakthrough without losing control.

  I gritted my teeth as the pressure built rapidly.

  This time was far more intense than any of my previous breakthroughs.

  The Genesis Seed was growing in size with each pulse, its roots spread deeper into my inner world while its crown reached higher.

  But despite the pressure, I didn’t experience any of the violent energy fluctuations that I’d read about in cultivation novels.

  “Master, even though the breakthrough is more intense, the World Tree Sutra’s natural approach makes it smoother.”

  That made sense.

  The Genesis Seed worked like a filter; it processed and distributed the power in waves that I could handle.

  Still, there was sweat beading on my forehead from the strain.

  And then the final push came.

  It was expected yet sudden.

  The Genesis Seed had pulsed one final time, causing my inner world to explode in all directions.

  The size grew to the size of a soccer field as new spiritual pathways formed and settled.

  “Congratulations on the successful breakthrough, Master!”

  Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage 4

  Inner World: Radius of 40 meters

  Soul Essence: 103

  Spiritual Essence: 35

  Physical Essence: 22

  “These numbers…” I began, taking a closer look at my new stats. “They look quite high for someone who had just reached the fourth stage, don’t they?”

  “You’re right,” Azure confirmed. “You’re already at the upper echelons of what is possible at the fourth stage.”

  “Hmm, cultivating a Beyond Heaven rank cultivation method clearly has its advantages,” I murmured quietly. “But it still isn’t enough to defeat someone at the fifth stage is it?”

  "The gap between stages becomes exponentially larger as you progress," Azure agreed. "While your current stats are exceptional for the fourth stage, Chen Wu will still have significant advantages in terms of raw power and refined qi control."

  Before I could respond, I felt the familiar pull.

  It was that strange sensation that always came before my previous trips to the Two Suns world, but this time, there was something different about it, I felt like I had a choice, that I could resist the pull and stay in this world.

  “Azure, I think we were right, I really can control it now!

  “That does seem to be the case,” he replied. “But do you wish to stay here?”

  That was the real question wasn’t it?

  In less than three days I had to face a cultivator who was not only one substage above me but had way more combat experience. But I had just undergone a major breakthrough, conventional wisdom would recommend that I stay here, stabilise my cultivation, and work on some combat techniques.

  But conventional wisdom wasn’t what had gotten me this far.

  And conventional wisdom didn’t take into consideration world walking and time loops.

  “Time flows differently over there,” I said finally. “Whether I spend a few days or weeks in the Two Suns world, barely any time would pass here. I think it’s the perfect opportunity for me to grow stronger before the fight.”

  “What about your physical body?” Azure asked, though from his tone, I could tell he already knew the answer.

  "The formations here will protect it," I replied. "The Wei family's private training ground is probably one of the safest places in the city. And if anything goes wrong..." I smiled slightly gesturing to the vines that had formed a natural barrier around me, "I'm sure the plants will warn us."

  "Okay, Master," Azure said. "I just wanted to make sure that you were certain about this. We know very little about the Two Suns world or why you keep being pulled there.”

  “I’m not certain,” I admitted. “But I’m more certain that I need power, and whatever it is that is waiting for us out there, it’s my best chance to grow stronger quickly.”

  The pull only grew stronger; it was like a tide trying to drag me out to sea.

  Instead of fighting against it, I consciously relaxed into it.

  “And besides,” I added as the world around me began to fade away, “I have a weird feeling that we’re supposed to go there, that these trips are part of something bigger.”

  The last thing that I felt was the gentle pressure of the vines as they adjusted around my body.

  It reminded me of a mother tucking in her child.

  With that sweet thought everything went black and my consciousness was thrown through that familiar void between worlds.

  Somewhere out there in the universe, a world with two suns waited.

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