When Han Tian Yi returned back. He found out that Han Tian Shi already at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

  The same realm as him where he took five years to reach.

  A soft smile tugged at his lips, almost tender. His envy nor worry had already disappeared after he entered the forbidden archive, just the quiet satisfaction of his expectation remains.

  He had given Han Tian Shi the cultivation manual perfectly suited to him; the boy’s rise was no surprise to him.

  He stepped forward, pulling the younger boy into a warm, affectionate hug.

  “Congratulations, little brother. You never fail to make your big brother proud.”

  His hand ruffled Tian Shi’s hair, offering jade slips glowing with Heaven-tier techniques.

  Han Tian Shi’s face flushed, gratitude shining in his eyes. For the first time, he truly felt the weight of an older brother’s care. His constitution harmonized all techniques effortlessly. No conflict and no wasted effort.

  He was floating on the clouds while others are struggling to climb.

  A truly unfair spiritual root.

  “I will be heading to the mortal realms to search for something.” Han Tian Yi said lightly, voice warm, as if the words carried nothing but care. “Make sure you cultivate diligently. Make your older brother proud, understand?”

  “I promise, big brother! I will become stronger soon and I will protect you!” Tian Shi’s sincerity was almost enough to warm the air.

  Han Tian Yi laughed brightly, the sound gentle. “Alright, alright. What a dependable little brother~”

  But the smile lingered only on his lips. Behind it, his thoughts twisted.

  "Hehehe… the higher your realm, the easier it will be for me to turn you into my puppet…"

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  He left without further pretense, requesting permission from his parents to enter the lower realms.

  The praise of the ancestors had softened their hearts; they trusted him now. The dimensional rift opened, and Han Tian Yi stepped through, eyes glinting with anticipation.

  He went into another mortal realm than before.

  He arrived at another branch of the Han Clan in another mortal world, he soared atop his flying sword, divine sense probing the land. A faint, unusual aura drew him—a child, fifteen at most, cornered by ferocious beasts.

  Han Tian Yi’s lips curved.

  “Blessed constitution and it's high-tier?”

  Without hesitation, he turned and went toward the mountain like a streak of light.

  Unlike the Immortal World, where blessed constitutions were rarely seen, the mortal realms were filled with them. This was Heaven and Dao’s way of maintaining balance, granting mortals extraordinary potential to compensate for their fragile existence.

  But that balance was only an illusion.

  All resources were controlled by the Immortal clans.

  Even if the lower realms were given hundreds of blessed constitutions, only a handful, those fortunate enough to gain a connection to an Immortal clan, would ever bloom. The rest would wither away, never even given the chance to form a spiritual core and step into the Qi Gathering Stage.

  This was the cruel truth of the world.

  In the end, the so-called mercy of Heaven and Dao only became fuel for demonic cultivators to grow stronger.

  Han Tian Yi was one of them.

  To advance his cultivation, he needed to refine the essence of such people.

  ---

  In the depths of the forest, Zhang Zhi staggered as he gasped for breath. His right shoulder had been torn open by a ferocious beast, blood soaking through his tattered clothes.

  Just as the two monsters lunged toward him—

  They froze.

  A biting cold swept through the air, instantly turning their bodies into lifeless ice sculptures. In the next moment, a young man descended from the sky, standing calmly atop a flying sword.

  He looked to be around twenty years old, with long black hair and an expensive crimson robe that fluttered in the wind. His expression was gentle, almost warm—completely at odds with the frozen corpses behind him.

  “Are you alright, child?” His voice, soft and warm.

  “A-An Immortal?” Zhang Zhi stammered, eyes wide.

  A pill appeared in the immortal's hand.

  “Drink this. Your missing flesh will grow back.”

  Warmth surged through Zhang Zhi. Wounds sealed. Strength returned.

  After all, Zhang Zhi was still a mortal. Healing pills worked flawlessly on those without Dao marks, as there were no conflicting energies to interfere with the effects.

  He fell to his knees.

  “Thank you, great Immortal!”

  The immortal's smile never faltered. “Do you want to become a cultivator, child?”

  Zhang Zhi’s eyes widened in excitement—only for hesitation and sorrow to quickly follow.

  “I thank the great Immortal, but… I have a little sister. I can’t leave her behind.” he said softly.

  The immortal chuckled gently.

  “Then bring her with you.”

  Zhang Zhi’s eyes instantly lit up.

  To think such a kind Immortal would take me and my sister in… he thought, guiding the immortal toward their small, worn house near the mountain entrance.

  ---

  The moment Han Tian Yi saw the girl, his eyes glinted with hidden delight.

  She, too, possessed a blessed constitution.

  His eyes glinted, lingering on the girl, another blessed constitution.

  “Good, good!” he laughed, patting them both. “I will take you as my disciples. What are your names?”

  “I am Zhang Zhi, Great Immortal, and this is my little sister, Zhang Xing’er.”

  “From now on, call me Master.”

  “Y-Yes, Master!”

  “Pack your things. I’ll take you to my clan, so wait for me here until I'm back.” he said gently.

  The two children immediately nodded and began packing their things.

  They saw their master mounting his sword once more.

  “Then I’ll just find another blessed constitution to refine.”

  His consciousness spread in silence, already hunting for the next target.