A year passed like a sigh of wind among star fruit leaves. Silver light no longer penetrated the sky, but the echo of that day still resonated in every breath of Star Village.

  In the main square, which was now tidier and free of dirt mounds, the bustle of village life reached its peak. The Great Star Fruit Tree now possessed fine silver leaves that reflected the morning light, remnants of a pure aura residue that had never left its roots.

  "Grandpa Wu! Older Brother Mingling is teasing Older Sister Lin again!" exclaimed Mei, a little girl with two braids who now appeared slightly older, pointing toward Mingling who was approaching Lin.

  Mingling glanced back, letting out a small grunt upon hearing Mei's little shout. His sea-blue robe with a subtle silver lightning pattern fluttered gently, a sign that he had just glided swiftly over the grass. "Hey, twin-braids, don't make me pinch your chubby cheeks again!"

  Lin, busy sorting wheat seeds, merely shook her head with a patient smile. "Mingling, you're an agile Gold Foundation cultivator now, why do you still run around like a chick?"

  "Lin! That's not running around, that's speed training!" Mingling protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can't you see? My speed is much better now, I can even carry two full buckets of water from Jade River without spilling a drop, and I arrived ten minutes faster than Zhuwei!"

  "Because Zhuwei used those ten minutes to calculate the most efficient water route, Ling," a heavy voice cut in from behind Mingling. It was Bashan, whose body now looked like a sculpture of basalt rock, wearing a dark gray robe that contrasted with his brown jade belt.

  Mingling pouted. "Bashan! Always so analytical! I'm the fastest Gold Foundation, not the most energy-efficient Gold Foundation!"

  "Speed without stability will only make you crash into a cliff, as happened last month when you tried to trick the Steel-Tusk Wild Boar," Bashan replied flatly, without emotion.

  Lin chuckled. "Bashan is right, Ming. But it is true, you are the fastest. Now, go find Uncle Bao, he’s looking for Tang, he says Tang tried to take honey from the bees again without permission."

  Mingling's expression immediately tensed. "Heavens, Tang! He will never change! See you later, Lin!"

  Mingling shot away, truly running now, leaving Mei and Lin in comfortable silence.

  To the west of the village, in the training area now equipped with several hanging heavy sacks of wheat, a distinctive roar could be heard.

  "You two! Stop flirting and focus!"

  The voice belonged to Bao, now called "Teacher Bao" by the Gold Foundation generation. Bao, whose face still looked fierce, now radiated a stable Blood Transformation aura, making his every instruction feel like physical pressure.

  "I was just... explaining Shadow Cliff hunting strategy to Mi Yu, Teacher Bao," Tang quickly defended, removing his hand from the shoulder of a young woman with light brown hair.

  Mi Yu, a girl rescued from the northern village five months ago, now wore a village robe and looked much cheerier. She was the only new Gold Foundation cultivator and was also focused on training.

  "Strategy? Or seduction?" Bao narrowed his eyes. "Tang! Two weeks ago, I gave you a breath-holding exercise for an hour under the waterfall, you succeeded, but you still let your essence overflow when you get excited! That is a weakness, Gold Foundation! Don't let your newly forged spear make you overconfident!"

  Tang, whose muscles were dense and well-formed, shouldered a spear, a personal weapon of glistening golden-yellow. "Understood, Teacher Bao!"

  In the corner of the training area, Zhuwei was inspecting his arrows. His emerald green robe was covered with small formation symbols he had drawn himself. Beside him, Yun Xiao, a weaver girl who used to be the fiercest and most structured, was now much calmer, though she still liked to argue.

  Zhuwei cleaned the dirt residue from the grooves of his arrows. After a year, he had fully embraced his love for structure and efficiency. His Divine Wheel was no longer rough; it now spun with the precision of a clock, giving him unparalleled essence control among his peers.

  "Mi Yu and Tang are just wasting essence on trivial things," Zhuwei muttered to Yun Xiao, without turning his head. "Seductive movements are an unnecessary waste of energy. One rotation of the Divine Wheel should yield one result, not two ineffective ones."

  Yun Xiao snorted. She wore a plain gray robe. "That's easy for you to say, Zhuwei. Your Divine Wheel is almost like a walking formation. But, you forget something: cultivation isn't just about efficiency. It's about will, and sometimes, will is awakened by inefficient emotions."

  "Emotions are unnecessary variables. Will is born from precise calculations of opportunity and risk," Zhuwei retorted, finally turning, his sharp eyes fixed on Yun Xiao.

  Yun Xiao gave a faint scoff, but without a fierce tone. "Grandpa Wu said we should rely on the intuition of the Divine Wheel, not mortal calculations. You are a Gold Foundation, Zhuwei. Your Divine Wheel is refined. Don't rely too much on rigid calculation. That's what makes you slow."

  "Rigidity is efficiency, Yun Xiao," Zhuwei countered. "The three of them—Tang, Mingling, Bashan—are the driving tip of the spear. I am the archer who ensures the target dies with one arrow. I cannot allow natural factors to affect my Protective Foundation."

  Yun Xiao smiled faintly. "Very well, master archer. You truly are good at calculating."

  Beneath the large, silver-leafed Star Fruit Tree, Grandpa Wu sat calmly, watching over. His staff was now more often used to draw patterns on the ground than to support his body. Around him, a group of children aged around seven to nine were playing, scrambling for fruit peels that fell from the tree.

  "Grandpa Wu! Tell us the story of the Gold Foundation again!" pleaded a boy named Xiao Bai.

  "The Gold Foundation? That's no ordinary story, child," Grandpa Wu said, his voice warm. "It is the lifeblood of Star Village. They are the protectors of this village."

  Behind the Five Star Formation, which was now restructured into a much purer essence source, Uncle Chen was meditating. The Consciousness Realm Transformation essence flowed calmly around him.

  Soon after, Fourteen, now known as the Gatekeeper Hunter, approached. Fourteen, now at the first level of Body Transformation, radiated a much sturdier aura.

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  Uncle Chen opened his eyes, which radiated the serenity of an enlightened one. "This past year has been the greatest gift, Fourteen. You, from First Ember, now stepping into Body Transformation. Bao, from First Ember, now reaching Blood Transformation. We all ascended. Even Grandma Mu says her herbs are easier to work with now because the village air is purer."

  Fourteen nodded, his stable aura radiating the warmth of a guardian. He carried a thick leather satchel on his waist, containing arrows and a hunting knife.

  "It truly is a gift, Uncle Chen," Fourteen replied, his voice filled with gratitude. "The aura released by the Five Star Formation... this past year, it not only cleared the surrounding essence but also provided a purer mortal jade essence than the previous years."

  He looked toward Zhi Xuan, who was now nowhere to be seen in the square. "But, what about him, Uncle Chen? Zhi Xuan... he's almost never around."

  Uncle Chen sighed, his gaze sweeping upwards toward the large Star Fruit Tree that emitted a subtle silver aura. "Zhi Xuan? He's hunting for herbal plants this morning with He Xin and Shi Zi. He said that the Nine Dew Leaf appeared on the Shadow Cliff, an herb that can patch up a foundation like Deng's, who was injured when his foundation failed a year ago."

  Fourteen was slightly surprised by the information. "Nine Dew Leaf? Wasn't that the herb we used when Liang was injured during a hunt a few years ago?"

  Uncle Chen smiled faintly. "Yes, the Nine Dew Leaf. A very rare and difficult herb to find. Usually, it grows on the steepest cliffs. We spent four days getting it that time. But Zhi Xuan... he said he would be back before the sun rises over North Mountain."

  Fourteen shook his head in disbelief. "North Mountain? That's a distance of eighty li! And he went with the new Gold Foundation cultivators, He Xin and Shi Zi? They haven't even stabilized their Gold Foundation level!"

  "Precisely," said Uncle Chen, his tone calm yet with a hint of admiration. "He Xin and Shi Zi have the weakest Divine Wheels among their group. They are still vulnerable. Zhi Xuan didn't take them hunting, but to train their essence control under extreme environmental pressure."

  "That explains it," Fourteen said, nodding slowly. "Uncle Xu was looking for his horse this dawn; turns out Zhi Xuan took it to go to that Shadow Cliff."

  Beyond the boundary of Star Village's last wheat field, a dense and vast forest loomed, ancient trees intertwined with thick vines blocking most of the sunlight. Large roots twisted on the ground, creating a dark labyrinth passable only by the most experienced hunters. In the distance, North Mountain towered, its peak appearing gray in the morning mist, challenging mortals.

  The sound of horse hooves moving across the grass broke the silence of the forest.

  Zhi Xuan, now eighteen years old, led the small group.

  His jet-black hair was left to flutter freely, without a jade tie, contrasting with his skin which now appeared paler and smoother. His black robe embroidered with red silk still clung to his now slender and tall body, concealing hidden muscles.

  He no longer looked like a village child, but a young cultivator with an almost cold aura of calmness. His sapphire-blue gaze swept the terrain ahead, every detail recorded in his consciousness.

  Behind him, He Xin and Shi Zi, both new Gold Foundation cultivators, followed on their respective horses. They wore ordinary hunting clothes, their faces showing a mixture of excitement and anxiety. They had only broken through to the Divine Wheel three months ago, their foundations were still vulnerable, and the eighty li journey to Shadow Cliff was their first high-risk mission.

  "Zhi Xuan!" Shi Zi exclaimed, his voice slightly strained from having to control his horse on the increasingly rough terrain. "Are you sure we aren't pushing ourselves too hard? Teacher Bao said we should stabilize the Gold Foundation for a minimum of six months before a long journey."

  Zhi Xuan turned his head slightly, his calm gaze soothing Shi Zi's anxiety.

  "Cultivation in Star Village is too comfortable, Shi Zi," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice soft but authoritative. "Your Divine Wheels were perfected by the Formation's aura. That is a blessing, but also a trap. We won't know how strong your foundation is until we put it under the spiritual pressure of the outer forest."

  He stopped his horse under the shade of an ancient kapok tree. He pointed forward, toward the towering Shadow Cliff.

  "Shadow Cliff. The terrain there is unstable; spiritual essence is mixed with poisonous mist from the abyss below. We're not just looking for the Nine Dew Leaf for Deng, but we will be training your essence control."

  He Xin, riding on the right side, nodded seriously. He was the calmest among the four, besides Bashan. "How will we get past that Cliff, Zhi Xuan? I remember my father saying the cliff is steep and slippery. Even a Gold Foundation cultivator could fall if they misstep."

  Zhi Xuan smiled thinly, his eyes radiating a distant memory.

  "I've been there, He Xin. Long ago, I almost died there while picking Pure Forest Ginseng."

  He dismounted, gently patting Uncle Xu's horse's back.

  "We will walk from here. Shadow Cliff has four terrain layers. The first layer is the Broken Bamboo Gate. It used to be just a cluster of dead bamboo, a forgotten shortcut for hunters. However, this past year, it seems there's been some development."

  "The Broken Bamboo Gate?" Shi Zi asked, dismounting and carefully tying his horse to a large root.

  "It is the entrance to the difficult terrain," Zhi Xuan explained, pulling his horse's reins. "From that Gate, we have to walk. The terrain there will force you to use your Divine Wheel to stabilize yourselves, not for speed. Remember, essence control is key. Don't let your Divine Wheel spin wildly, especially around the abyss mist."

  The three of them walked, leading their horses which now seemed more restless. After walking for about an hour, they arrived at an area that was once wilderness, but had now changed.

  A rough fence of thick bamboo loomed ahead, forming a sturdy gate. Several armed men—not Star Village hunters—sat on wooden benches in front of the gate, watching passersby with suspicious glances. The smell of burning wood and simple cooking filled the air.

  "I didn't expect this," Shi Zi muttered, his eyes wary. "The Broken Bamboo Gate already has guards?"

  A large man with brown skin and an axe tucked into his waist approached. His sharp eyes looked at the horses and Zhi Xuan's neat robe.

  "Who are you? This is the boundary of the Shadow Cliff path. We manage access. Only Professional Hunters are allowed to enter."

  Zhi Xuan stepped forward, his calm and controlled aura unintentionally radiating a subtle pressure that slightly surprised the man.

  "We are from Star Village," Zhi Xuan said, his tone flat. "We are Gold Foundation cultivators, here to look for the Nine Dew Leaf. We need access to the Cliff."

  The man narrowed his eyes. "Gold Foundation? You are Gold Foundation cultivators from that small village? Haha! Gold Foundation should already be First Ember cultivators, not just hunting for herbs!"

  The man burst into laughter, and his colleagues joined in.

  "Let it go," Zhi Xuan said, without emotion, then turned to Shi Zi and He Xin. "Uncle Chen said there was development. That means there's a fee."

  Zhi Xuan reached into his leather pouch and took out several silver coins wrapped in silk cloth. He counted five silver coins, then handed them to the man.

  "Five silver coins. Enough for access for the three of us. We will tie the horses here. Don't touch them."

  The large man was silent. Zhi Xuan's calm aura, which did not attempt to threaten but gave a sense of undeniable superiority, coupled with the five shiny silver coins, made him stop laughing. The man took the coins and examined them.

  "Alright, Star Village Gold Foundation," he said, his tone slightly more polite. "You can tie the horses in the back. The Shadow Cliff path has been slightly improved, but it's still dangerous. If you fall, that's not our business."

  Shi Zi and He Xin exchanged glances. They felt insulted by the guard's laughter, but they were impressed by Zhi Xuan's cold efficiency in resolving the issue.

  They tied the horses, and then Zhi Xuan led them through the newly erected Broken Bamboo Gate. As soon as they stepped inside, the vegetation changed drastically. Steep limestone cliffs loomed, and a thin green mist began to envelop the abyss below them. The air felt humid and heavy.

  "From now on, control your Divine Wheels," Zhi Xuan whispered, his eyes monitoring every curve of the rock. "This path is the perfect place to train stability, not speed."

  "My Divine Wheel... is spinning too fast, Zhi Xuan!" Shi Zi whispered, his face tense. He felt his new Divine Wheel spinning wildly due to the mixed essence stimulation from the Shadow Cliff.

  "Focus your will," Zhi Xuan instructed, without turning around. "Let the Wheel spin, but don't let the spiritual essence leak. Bind the essence around your ribs. This cliff won't kill you, but it will test you."

  Zhi Xuan stepped with extraordinary calmness. His every footprint seemed supported by an unseen will. He moved step by step, not fast, but incredibly stable, beginning his ascent of the Shadow Cliff.

  He Xin and Shi Zi nodded, forcing their Divine Wheels to spin slower, channeling their essence into tight control, rather than powerful release. They knew this mission was more than just hunting for herbs; it was the true test of a Gold Foundation.