Song Shu

One hundred thousand miles away to the south of the largest city 'Xian Chengshi' in the Immortal Realm, there was a mountain range called the 'Southern Domain.' It was surrounded by lush green mountains, and Magic Beasts with powers equivalent to Human cultivators in the Immortal Realm roamed everywhere.

The weakest Magic Beasts were comparable to Bronze Immortals, while the strongest ones, residing in the center of the Southern Domain, possessed powers surpassing even the Sect Masters of middle-ranked Sects, the Golden Immortals.

As the sun peeked out from behind a mountain, a powerful surge of Spirit Power gathered at the heart of the Southern Domain, alarming every Magic Beast in its vicinity.

"Treasure is being born!" A shadow of a fifty-meter-tall tiger with wings flashed and disappeared.

"Such a strong gathering of Spirit Power. What kind of treasure could it be? With this much Spirit Power, it must be at least a High-Grade Immortal Treasure! I must have it!" A snake coiled around an entire mountain, burrowed underground, and vanished.

"This is my chance. I must not let the other two old bastards get it first, or I will be doomed!" The earth shook violently as an enormous mountain was uprooted into the air. However, what left everyone astonished was that this mountain was merely a shell atop an enormous turtle.

At the center of the Southern Domain, where the Spirit Power gathered, the air cracked, and a portal appeared.

A young boy emerged from the portal, looking around with curiosity.

"If the old man's senses weren't so keen, I would have forcefully opened the gate to the Mortal Realm... Oh well, no choice. Since I'm already here, let's explore before finding the Realm Gate."

This young boy was Tian Yi, the son of the Celestial Emperor. If it weren't problematic to travel directly from the Celestial Gods Realm to the Mortal Realm, he would have done so. However, due to the disparities between the Realms, an enormous amount of Spirit Power would be required to create the Gate, possibly depleting half of the Spirit Power in the Mortal Realm. If that were to happen, it would undoubtedly be connected to him.

"Now, which way should I go..."

BANG!

Before he could even contemplate his next move, a fifty-meter-tall tiger with wings landed ten miles away from him.

"A Six Winged Heavenly White Tiger?" Tian Yi mumbled to himself.

The Six Winged Heavenly White Tigers hailed from the Heavenly Winged White Tiger race, known as the strongest among all tiger races, inheriting their bloodline from the White Striped God Tiger race. Even in the Celestial Realm, they ranked among the top ten most formidable Heavenly Beasts, controlling numerous territories.

"Human, how did you get here, and where have you hidden the treasure?" The tiger spoke in the human language.

The Six Winged Heavenly White Tiger was surprised to encounter a young boy in the heart of the Southern Domain, where Immortal Beasts freely roamed. The boy had long, neat black hair that reached his back, an unassuming face not older than eighteen, sharp eyebrows, and a pair of black eyes staring directly at him.

"He's not even frightened when I'm staring at him?"

What astonished the tiger even more was the boy's calm demeanor. Who was he? He was one of the rulers in the Southern Domain, and even the Golden Immortals he had faced possessed fearful eyes when confronting him. Who was this kid? He was certain that the boy was a Mortal since he couldn't sense even a trace of Spirit Power within him. How did he get here? He was also certain that there were no other humans within a ten-thousand-mile radius. But most importantly, the Spirit Power that had gathered there suddenly vanished. Did this young human seize the treasure?

While the Six-Winged Heavenly White Tiger pondered these questions, Tian Yi felt confused. Treasure? What treasure? He had just arrived! How could he have had time to search for treasures?

"Hey, little tiger. What treasure are you talking about? I think there's a misunderstanding, and I don't possess the treasure you're referring to," he replied, wearing a perplexed expression.

"L-l-l-little T-tiger? I DARE YOU TO REPEAT THAT!"

The Six Winged Heavenly White Tiger stood dumbfounded, initially doubting if he had heard correctly. But he couldn't possibly have hearing problems. His body began to tremble with anger, and Spirit Power surged out, exerting pressure on the young man before him.

A mortal child had just insulted the strongest among the three lords of the Southern Domain!

"What's wrong with calling you a little tiger? Not to mention the Ten Winged Heavenly White Tiger being in its early adulthood, you're merely a Six Winged Heavenly White Tiger, barely out of your childhood, and you're complaining?"

Tian Yi remained calm and composed, looking at the Six-Winged Heavenly White Tiger as if he were an idiot. Little did the tiger know that he was conversing with the son of the Celestial Emperor, who had encountered even Twelve-Winged Heavenly White Tigers. To Tian Yi, the tiger was merely a little tiger who had barely left his childhood.

"Eh?"

As if struck by lightning, the tiger's pressure instantly dissipated like smoke, and his mouth hung open, revealing his shiny sharp teeth and pink tongue. He hadn't even realized that he was being treated like an idiot and could only stare dumbfoundedly.

A Ten-Winged Heavenly White Tiger? He had always believed that the Eight-Winged Heavenly White Tiger was the pinnacle of the Heavenly Winged Tiger race and that he was only one realm below it. But what had the boy just said? A Ten-Winged Heavenly White Tiger? Early adulthood? Was there a realm even higher than the Ten-Winged Heavenly White Tiger? It was impossible!

"W-w-what did you just say? T-ten-Winged Heavenly White Tiger?" he stammered in disbelief.

"That's impossible! The highest our Heavenly Winged Tiger race can reach is the 'Transparent Winged White Tiger God,' where your twelve wings combine to form a single pair of transparent wings. This is common knowledge. Are you sure you're from the Heavenly Winged Tigers race and not the weaker Winged Tigers race?" Tian Yi retorted.

The Six-Winged Heavenly White Tiger couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this real? He couldn't help but question mindlessly, "W-who are you?"

"Me? I am..."

BANG!

But before Tian Yi could answer, two massive figures suddenly appeared five miles to the left and right of the Six-Winged Heavenly White Tiger.

"A human? Lao Bai, what is a mortal doing here, and what happened to the Spirit Power gathering here?" the snake, referred to as Lao Bai, inquired, addressing the Six-Winged Heavenly White Tiger.

"A Mountain Blood Viper and a World Titan Turtle?" Tian Yi observed the newcomers.

The Mountain Blood Viper had a dark red body spanning six miles, with two sharp fangs dripping a green, gooey substance that dissolved anything it touched. Its pair of yellow eyes could strike fear into anyone who made eye contact.

The other newcomer was a World Titan Turtle, renowned for its indestructible defense. There were even legends of World Titan Turtles carrying entire worlds on their backs. Although this one was comparatively small, it would grow and expand its size by millions of times when it reached maturity.

Lao Bai regarded the two newcomers and spoke in a serious tone, "Both of you, leave this place immediately. I need to speak with this human alone."

He wanted to inquire further about the boy's race, but he didn't want to lose face in front of the other two rulers of the Southern Domain.

"Lao Bai, could it be that you're unsatisfied with the three of us ruling over the Southern Domain and want to keep the treasure to yourself, planning to eliminate us two old bones?" the turtle questioned in a deep voice, exerting pressure.

Being a Bronze Immortal, he currently had the weakest cultivation among the three rulers. If it weren't for his godlike defense that could withstand the attacks of the other two, he would have been killed long ago, let alone becoming one of the rulers. Now that he had arrived late to the treasure, and the other party seemed to be concealing it, he couldn't stay silent and allow himself to be played like a turtle in warm water.

Lao Bai's face changed, and he responded with a strong voice, "Me? Concealing the treasure? What treasure are you talking about? The Spirit Power had already disappeared before I even arrived. When I got here, this human was already present. Besides, do I, Lao Bai, even need a treasure to deal with you?"

"Hah, if you don't need a treasure to deal with us, why are we still alive? Don't tell me you're actually lonely and want to share territories with us," scoffed the Mountain Blood Viper.

Lao Bai's face reddened with anger, but he suppressed it forcefully and declared, "I don't care what you say. There is no treasure here, and I will be taking this human with me."

Compared to the treasure, the human who possessed knowledge about his race's evolution was even more valuable.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind manifested where Lao Bai had stood just moments ago, and in the next second, he appeared right in front of Tian Yi. His Spirit Power enveloped them both, preparing to depart.

"HOLD!" a loud hiss echoed from behind, and in the blink of an eye, the sound was right in front of them.

The Mountain Blood Viper blocked Lao Bai's path and declared, "You may have more power than me, but do you think you can really escape from me?"

"Hmph, don't even think about leaving before showing us the treasure," added the World Titan Turtle, who had just arrived behind Lao Bai.

Lao Bai's face turned solemn, and just as he prepared to take a fighting stance, he felt the Spirit Power he had activated vanish without a trace. "Mother of mine, who is it?!" He almost fainted from fright.

His cultivation was at the peak of the Golden Immortal Realm, halfway into the Ancient Immortal Realm, yet his Spirit Power had been completely wiped out. What kind of monster could do such a thing?

Not only Lao Bai but the other two Magic Beasts also had their Spirit Power wiped clean. All three of them looked around frantically with fearful expressions, but they couldn't find anyone nearby using their Divine Sense.

"Impossible! I can't sense him?! Is his cultivation so high that even we can't sense it?!" The three of them arrived at the only possible conclusion and instinctively took a step back.

Boom

Suddenly, a gruesome pressure descended upon them, slamming their large bodies to the ground, leaving them barely able to move.

The World Titan Turtle, burdened by his weight, begged the air, "S-senior, p-please forgive this lowly turtle!"

After what felt like an eternity, a calm voice resonated in the minds of the Mountain Blood Viper and the World Titan Turtle, saying, "Leave."

The pressure vanished into thin air.

Not even a second later, both the Mountain Blood Viper and the World Titan Turtle ran off in different directions, leaving trails of sparkling water in the air. All they had in mind was to escape from that place as quickly as possible. The World Titan Turtle even transformed into a World Titan Rabbit in its haste.

Meanwhile, Lao Bai remained frozen stiff in the same spot, curled up with his paws hiding his head, resembling a frightened dog.

"..." Tian Yi looked at the pitiful 'dog' in front of him, speechless.

"It was just a little pressure. Did they have to be so scared? All I wanted to do was calm them down, not harm them..." Tian Yi felt wronged.

But he didn't know that even the tiniest bit of his Spirit Pressure was enough to frighten Immortals to the core.

After observing the pitiful Lao Bai for a while, Tian Yi spoke up, "Hey, little tiger."

"...Silence."

Lao Bai was still trembling in fear, oblivious to the fact that the pressure had already dissipated.

"...Silence."

Tian Yi walked up to Lao Bai and kicked him, saying, "Hey! Get up and stop looking so pitiful!"

Lao Bai's body jerked, and he jumped up, shouting, "Please! Senior, please! Don't kill me! I am willing to do whatever you want with this old bone! I will be your mount, and I will even be the saddle horse for your grandchildren! Spare this worthless one!"

Tian Yi was momentarily dumbfounded but frowned immediately. "Senior? Grandchildren? What the fuck! I am only an 18-year-old handsome young man. Who the hell is he calling senior? Do I look that old? Eh?! And grandchildren? Although I hate to admit it, I am still as pure as jade. So where the hell did he get grandchildren from?!" He cursed inwardly.

"Oi! Idiot Tiger, wake up! Who are you calling old, huh?! I am only 18 years old! Fuck you! You're old! Your bones have rusted from aging!" Tian Yi detested being called old.

Due to his overwhelming Spirit Power, he was often mistaken as an elder with a youthful appearance. Though it wasn't explicitly stated, even the slightest indication would infuriate him.

And since "senior" was usually used to address older individuals, Tian Yi assumed that Lao Bai had called him old.

"Eh?" Lao Bai finally regained clarity after being cursed at by Tian Yi.

"Why are you cursing at me? When did I call you old? I was referring to that—" Lao Bai was confused.

After pondering for a moment, his eyes widened, and his mouth opened wide as he screamed in a high-pitched voice, "Ahhh! It's you! You're the one who used Spirit Pressure on us! Who are you? What do you want?!"

"Y-you... No, Young Master, may I ask who you are?" Now understanding why he couldn't sense the human's Spirit Power, Lao Bai became polite and dared not address him as "you" anymore.

"What cultivation does he have to keep me in the dark?" Lao Bai remained curious.

"As I was saying, I am called... uh, Song Shu!" Tian Yi made up a fake name.

He felt it was unsafe to reveal his real name in the Immortal Realm. "Even though I hate using fake names because it makes me feel inauthentic, I have no choice for now! I'll use my real name in the Mortal Realm," he thought.

Lao Bai made a puzzled expression after hearing the pause, thinking to himself, "That's definitely a fake name... Why does he have to use a fake name? Oh well, it's none of my concern..."

"So it's Young Master Shu! As you may know, this humble one is called Lao Bai, a member of the Heavenly Winged Tiger race, currently at the peak of the Golden Immortal Realm," Lao Bai introduced himself with a smile.

"Good! Lao Bai, I am looking for the Realm Gate. Where can I find it?" Tian Yi inquired.

"The Realm Gate? It should be in the largest city in the Immortal Realm, Xian Chengshi. It's ten million miles north from here," Lao Bai pointed in the direction with his massive paws.

"Xian Chengshi? Great! Take me there!" Tian Yi said.

Lao Bai's face paled upon hearing that. "Eh? You want me to go with you? That's not good. While I may be the strongest in the Southern Domain, I am currently confined to the center of the Southern Domain by those old bastards in the Ancient Immortal Realm. If I step even half a step outside, they will chase me and cut me down!"

The old experts didn't want a Six-Winged Heavenly White Tiger wreaking havoc in the sacred Xian Chengshi. They were also unwilling to sacrifice experts to kill him, so they threatened to cut him down if he took even half a step beyond the center of the Southern Domain.

"Hmm, is that so? Here, eat this." Tian Yi tossed a small bottle to Lao Bai and explained, "This is an Appearance Changing Pill. Although it has only been enhanced nine times, it should be enough to transform you into a little white tiger. As for your cultivation, I'll seal it for now."

"Eeeeeeeeeeh?" Lao Bai was shocked to his core once again.

An enhanced pill was a pill that had been refined by a Pill Master, making its effects stronger than usual. However, what shocked Lao Bai wasn't the pill itself but the fact that it had been enhanced nine times. What did nine times mean? The more enhancement it underwent, the more difficult it became to refine further. To his knowledge, a pill could only be enhanced nine times, a feat achievable only by a Pill Emperor, the highest rank a Pill Master could attain.

However, an almighty Pill Emperor had actually wasted his time and effort enhancing this low-ranked Appearance Changing Pill nine times?

"What a waste! What a goddamn waste! And he also said it had 'only' been enhanced nine times? My goodness! Can you enhance it more than nine times?" Lao Bai cried inwardly.

"Hurry up and eat it so we can go," Tian Yi urged him.

"But..." Lao Bai still hesitated.

"Didn't you just say you would do whatever I wanted?" Tian Yi questioned in a low voice, narrowing his eyes.

"Aaaaahh! I'll go! I'll go!" Lao Bai's soul almost left his body as he swallowed the pill.

Instantly, he transformed into a cute little white cub. He didn't want to experience that kind of torment again and would rather die at the hands of the old bastards than anger this young man.

"Good, now about your cultivation..." Tian Yi pointed at him with his index and middle fingers. A golden light glowed on the tips of his fingers and disappeared a second later.

Lao Bai's whole body trembled, and moments later, he was astonished to find that his cultivation had been completely sealed.

"What a monster! I would rather skin myself than anger him!" Lao Bai made a silent promise to himself, vowing never to provoke this young man.

"Okay, let's go!"

Tian Yi held onto the dog-sized Lao Bai and took a step forward, both of them disappearing in the direction of Xian Chengshi.