Heretical Ritual: Anthem of Awakening

Another half-month elapsed before Liu Zhenhan and Helen finally set foot upon the neighboring islet.

Upon returning that evening, Liu engaged in protracted deliberation, ultimately resolving to await complete physical recovery before venturing forth. His scout's intuition persistently warned of concealed perils within the opposing landmass.

Both companions harbored profound trepidation. Helen, initially oblivious to windwolf implications, found her apprehension rekindled by Liu's reminders. Within the broader context of the Azure Continent, tempest wolves ranked among formidable magical beasts, their combat prowess rivaling her family's lightning martens.

Confronting their current retinue - a frost-breathing rodent and acid-spewing osprey - Helen's courage wavered. Though acknowledging territorial demarcations among magical creatures minimized likelihood of encountering superior predators, she agonized over potential lupine familial clusters. A single additional adult windwolf could precipitate catastrophe.

Contrarily, Liu derived reassurance from Helen's territorial exposition. Armed with this intelligence, he calculated favorable combat probabilities.

During fortnightly preparations, Helen regaled Liu with Behemoth lore, particularly sacerdotal fundamentals. Accounts of 2.5-meter-tall Elephine warriors and Ursine champions hoisting quintal boulders left Liu gaping. His former battlefield stature - once basketball-team pride - now inspired self-consciousness.

Yet certain revelations buoyed his spirits. Learning that sacerdotal ranks predominantly comprised diminutive, intellectually gifted races, Liu envisioned physical dominance within priestly circles.

Secretly disdaining his "natural Soulcrooner" designation, Liu strategized applying reconnaissance expertise in future Behemoth domains. This conviction fueled intensified physical training despite healing injuries. By fortnight's end, sutures lay discarded, replaced by daily coconut tree pummeling producing thudding impacts.

Guo Guo emulated these exercises, tiny paws mimicking Liu's movements while attempting splits. The creature's antics frequently dissolved Liu's grimness into laughter.

Helen repeatedly implored her beloved to abandon martial pursuits. "Piggeon physique cannot rival warrior clans," she insisted. "Elephine warriors shatter coconut palms single-fisted. As ordained priests, even knight-acolytes attract mighty followers. Cultivate Hymnforce through meditation rather than futile brawling."

The nebulous "Hymnforce" concept perplexed Liu until Helen drew parallels with human mages' mana reserves. Advanced battle hymns like Frenzy Chants demanded substantial Hymnforce expenditure. Greater reserves enabled prolonged battlefield support through repeated invocations.

Helen illustrated via metaphor: "A Piggeon javelinist gains third-range extension under Radiance Hymn's five-ounce sand duration. Ursine warriors halve physical damage via Stonehide protection. Hymnforce potency dictates both duration and effective radius - elite War Priests project blessings thrice farther than novices."

Complying once, Liu attempted meditation. Within five minutes, resonant snores and drool trails provoked Helen's glacial glare. Subsequent comedic antics restored her smile but solidified Liu's aversion to contemplative practices.

"These vocal cords could wake the dead!" he boasted, recalling army comrades' "clanging gong" comparisons. Resuming physical drills, he focused on Sai Bo leg-lock techniques - scouting battalion legacy for limb-snapping grapples - and Marcellus "Rotary Hands" disarming maneuvers.

Convalescent humiliation during prior lupine encounter haunted him. "Next confrontation," he vowed, "that azure bastard learns true combat!"

Meanwhile, transplanted melon sprouts thrived despite gale damage. Liu nurtured surviving vines against hillsides, anticipating juicy rewards within months. "Seafaring provisions," he mused, tongue caressing lips at succulent visions.

Nasal convalescence's completion finally triggered expedition launch. Provisions for dual diurnal cycles, arctic wolf pelts, feathered cloaks, bow-arms, and scimitars comprised their inventory. Helen's osprey circled overhead, its cries conveying threat assessments through psychic linkage.

The target islet's vegetation density dwarfed their homeland's. Navigating half-kilometer volcanic approach demanded hypervigilance. Multiple false alarms - twig-snapping forest denizens - nearly exhausted arrow reserves.

Volcanic basin's revelation stunned both explorers.

Obsidian gravel strewn across lush verdant meadows testified to ancient pyroclastic fury. Cool updrafts caressed Liu's outstretched fingers at caldera's rim. Twenty-five-meter depression hosted microclimatic marvels - flower-carpeted tundra, moss-draped cliffs cradling pearlescent waterfalls, and ten-meter bamboo forests stretching towards cloud-piercing peaks.

Echoing silence pervaded the primordial amphitheater.

"Hiyaaa..."

Liu's thunderous baritone shattered the stillness, erupting into Long Piaopiao's "Atop the Highland" - his improvised paean to the vista. Though occasionally off-key, volcanic acoustics transformed solitary vocals into choral resonance, bamboo susurrus drowned beneath reverberating stanzas:

Continuous green peaks stretch a hundred miles

Towering like protective screens

Emergent ridges pierce clouded skies

Where endless white meets azure seams

On highland perch I await my bride

Through jade-green peaks that touch the sky

Stands lovesick groom with longing eyes

Watching waves of green expanse wide

Final notes faded, revealing Helen's transfixed expression - equal parts awe and revelation.