Yin Confusion.

—

After one try, five tries, and then ten, Ying Yue finally felt confident that she could accurately hit the fruit stem. Picking up another random stone from the ground, she assumed a throwing stance. Reaching her hand back as far as she could, she threw the stone after a couple of seconds of feeling the air. But once again, the stone missed its mark, destroying the fruit along with it. Feeling like crying over the loss of the valuable immortal fruit, she turned around and walked away, determined to find another one, while trying not to dwell on how she had become so poor at such a simple skill as throwing.

While searching for another immortal fruit-producing tree, Ying Yue couldn't help but wonder why something as simple as throwing had become so difficult. Plucking random leaves from the surrounding forest bushes, she conducted a small experiment to verify her suspicion after feeling the air earlier. She lifted the leaves above her head and let them fall to the ground. Observing how the leaves swayed unpredictably in different directions, unlike their usual behavior, she finally understood why her throws were suddenly off, even though the trajectory had seemed correct.

That is, the Dao of this world seemed to enhance the Yin aspect of confusion in every element of Wuxing, making it difficult for cultivators to anticipate the world's harmony. In other words, as one of her variants from a technological society would describe it, the entropy had become more chaotic—just a slight difference of 0.000...0001 points made her extensive throwing experience nearly useless. Alternatively, in another word again, the enhanced Yin aspect of confusion caused the Wuxing elements to behave abnormally in the microscopic world.

Even though everything might look fine to the naked eye, even a slight nudge could render one no more capable than an ordinary mortal. Thankfully, Ying Yue had extensively studied the Dao of Wan Shi Tong, which allowed her to retain certain advantages. Without this knowledge, she and her master might have already become mere mortals—potentially succumbing to poison from mistaking plants for soap or finding themselves inside a spirit beast's belly. Sighing in helplessness, as it seemed it would take some time to raise her proficiency in martial arts in this world, she then found another tree fruits that she felt, with her Dao, could open up their acupuncture points.

Once again, practicing her throws, Ying Yue destroyed the flesh of the fruit due to her poor aim. Looking around for another fruit but realizing it was too far from the cave, she shook her head and decided to use the damaged fruit, knowing its effectiveness would be greatly reduced. Picking up the ruined fruit, she started walking back to their cave to begin the initial procedure for Body Transformation.

She understood that it was better to focus on improving their cultivation stages first, rather than perfecting their foundation without any flaws. From her experience being at the top, she realized that foundations could be fixed and rebuilt once they knew what to look for and how to approach it. Since re-cultivating was not the end of the world for them, given that the path was already cleared with the best foundation they could find, it was better to raise their cultivation first, rather than obsessing over a foundation that would not immediately grant them a chance of survival.

Because, from her many variant experiences, Ying Yue understood that there was no such thing as a perfect foundation, as there was always something to improve infinitely with no end in sight. This realization, which she received every time she re-cultivated, was also the first catalyst during her time as the Mother of All Things, that she came to understand that the Dao they pursued was, in a sense, an illusion. This understanding later led to many experiences with her master—from enemy to disciple, and finally to co-worker, working as false sages in their world.

Even though there is no such thing as a perfect foundation, it still pains her to know that for their very first initial breakthrough, she must use this damaged product that can't even be considered trash. Unable to provide a normal foundation and facing the reality of starting with a ruined one, she doesn't know how to explain this to her master later.

Looking up at the mouth of the cave with reluctance on her face, Ying Yue decided to use the damaged fruit, knowing her master's mindset regarding such matters. Ying Yue was aware that her master considered the bare minimum of foundation sufficient as long as he was several stages higher than his opponent. Ultimately, what mattered was whether he could slap his opponent to death in a single move due to the vast difference in cultivation. This was similar to her variant Rowena experiences, who, despite having the ability to jump several levels higher, was still defeated by her master focusing solely on his own level—making her realize what true bullying meant.

Remembering that experience, Ying Yue smiled wryly, still unsettled even after all this time. She had lost to someone who, unlike her variant Rowena, mindlessly drew in energy without perfecting his foundation. It felt like facing an old man on the brink of death due to how unstable he was. Sighing and shaking her head, knowing that in the end her master was the winner and his philosophy had proven correct all along, Ying Yue entered the cave, not wanting to dwell on that frustrating experience. Seeing her master still meditating at the edge of the Qi ponds, she silently prepared the ointment, not wanting to disturb him.

Searching for a rock with a bowl-like shape to hold the cream salve, Ying Yue found one after minutes of searching the entire cave. She placed the fruit in the bowl, which she named Azure Blossom Star because of its azure blue color, peach blossom scent, and star fruit shape. She then collected supplementary herbs from the plants inside the cave, as these were superior to those found outside in the forest. As for the technique to open the acupuncture points later, she didn't need to worry, as she had already found the answer when she created the experiences of popping cherries in every bite just hours ago.

—