The evening light gilded the mountain stream with a yer of golden-red radiance, like flowing molten gold. The water's surface reflected the colors of the sky, shimmering brightly. LaUhta and Nuwa stood upon a ft rock beside the stream, surrounding trees swaying gently in the breeze, casting dappled shadows like a finely detailed ink painting.

  "Try the water," Nuwa pointed toward the flowing stream, her voice carrying a soft curiosity, the dual beauty marks at the corners of her eyes appearing especially lively as she tilted her head slightly. "Water is the source of all things, flowing without cease. What changes might occur with the 'One'? The path of exploration requires step-by-step advancement."

  LaUhta nodded, crouching down with his spine straight as a pine, gently immersing his fingers in the stream. The water was cool and clear, like a transparent jade band encircling his fingertips. He closed his eyes, his breathing gradually steadying, his mind becoming as tranquil as an unruffled ke, feeling the flow of the "One" within and guiding it through his fingertips into the water.

  Unlike the solid materials he had previously encountered, water's fluidity made this experience entirely different. The "One" entering water was no longer simple infusion, but a more complex merger, like two fundamentally different lives seeking, probing, and ultimately blending with one another.

  Bck energy flowed from LaUhta's fingertips, like ink dropping into clear water, yet with an entirely different rhythm. Surprisingly, this bckness did not immediately spread and mix, but formed strange flowing patterns, like living vines unfurling in water. Those bck lines interwove, creating complex and beautiful geometric shapes, maintaining their integrity in the current while continuously changing, like a flowing ink painting, self-organizing, ever-renewing.

  More marvelously, as time passed, countless small bck dots began to appear on the water's surface, like stars in the night sky. These bck dots hovered on the water, neither sinking nor dispersing, but gently rising and falling with the waves, gleaming with mysterious light in the evening glow, forming a miniature star map, magnificent and mysterious.

  "This is..." Nuwa's eyes widened, her amber pupils reflecting the wonder on the water's surface, as if mirroring an unknown universe. Her voice was filled with rare surprise, even tinged with poorly concealed amazement. "I have never seen the 'One' interact with water in this manner. Your 'One' is truly extraordinary."

  LaUhta looked up at Nuwa, finding a gleam of astonishment in her eyes, like an explorer discovering a new continent. Such an expression was exceedingly rare on the face of the usually composed Nuwa, moving LaUhta deeply as well.

  "Is this uncommon?" LaUhta asked, his hand still immersed in the water, feeling that wondrous connection, as if establishing an invisible bond with the entire stream. He sensed a peculiar resonance, as though these bck points in the water shared some mysterious connection with the stars in the night sky, responding to one another, reflecting across distance.

  Nuwa nodded, the dual beauty marks beneath her eyes dancing lightly with her changing expression, like two leaping stars. "When the 'One' enters water, it typically dissolves into chaos, like ink in water, spreading and blending instantly," she said softly, her voice filled with contemption. "Yet your 'One' maintains its form in water, even creating this marvel, like stars arranged in the heavens, forming a celestial pattern." She paused briefly, gazing at the wondrous scene in the water, adding: "Your ability is indeed uniquely exceptional, perhaps with deeper significance."

  She reached out, lightly brushing the water's surface, her fingertips passing through those bck points, as if turning the pages of an invisible celestial book. "The ancients said: stars are the eyes of heaven. Those who can observe the stars can know the Heaven's Path. Your 'One' connects with the stars, perhaps bridging the gap between heaven and man, illuminating the principles of yin and yang." Her voice grew faint as a spider's thread, as if conversing with herself. "Torht once said: in the vast void, the principles of all phenomena are hidden. The bck 'One' may be the power of the void itself."

  LaUhta gazed at the miniature starscape in the water, a unprecedented understanding rising within. This was not merely an experiment with ability, but a revetion of his own nature. This unique power seemed to hint at some mission or responsibility, like ancient stars guiding lost travelers. He could feel the pulsing of the "One" within him resonating with the rhythm of the star-points in the water, like two harmonious melodies interweaving, pying a silent tune.

  "Each Tao has its unique qualities," Nuwa said softly, her tone carrying the wisdom of a sage and the care of an elder. "And you, perhaps, have found your own path. The bck 'One,' the image of stars—none of this is coincidence."

  Night fell like spilled ink across the stars, enveloping the entire mountain ndscape. The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a glittering silver band. The murmuring stream sounded especially clear in the darkness, interweaving with the insects' songs from the nearby forest to form nature's nocturne, deep and melodious. LaUhta and Nuwa sat around the campfire, the light illuminating their faces, casting their shadows on the cave wall, dancing and swaying like two silent night watchers.

  The day's practice had drained much of LaUhta's energy; he should have been exhausted, yet remained excited, like a child who had discovered treasure. He extended his hand, palm ft, letting a small stone hover and rotate above his fingertips, like a tiny pnet orbiting its sun. Bck "One" flowed across the stone's surface, almost alive, dispying a strange luster in the firelight.

  Nuwa silently observed this scene, firelight dancing in her amber eyes, reflecting warm radiance. However, her expression gradually became uncommonly serious, a gravity settling between her brows, like an elder about to announce an important decision.

  "LaUhta, there is a matter I must discuss with you," Nuwa's voice broke the night's stillness, her tone cking its usual lightness and grace, repced by solemnity and gravity, like a bell in an ancient temple, conveying a sense of sacred ceremony.

  LaUhta stopped his demonstration, the bck stone falling back into his palm with a slight sound of impact. He looked up at Nuwa, noticing the unusual light in her eyes, not simple amazement or appreciation, but a deeper, more complex emotion that included both concern and expectation. "What is it?" he asked deeply, his intuition telling him this would be an important conversation.

  "Your 'One' is bck," Nuwa looked directly into LaUhta's eyes, her tone firm and clear, like words carved into stone. "This is an extremely rare phenomenon, most unusual."

  The campfire made a slight crackling sound, sparks flying, tracing brief arcs in the darkness, as if emphasizing the importance of these words. LaUhta blinked, leaning forward slightly, clearly not expecting this turn. Though he had realized his ability was somewhat special, Nuwa's tone suggested deeper implications.

  "Since I became a Tao, I have seen only three types of beings possess the bck 'One,'" Nuwa continued, her voice deep and clear, like a warning bell in the darkness. "Torht's 'void' trigram, Tao-Enlightened Creatures, and now you."

  LaUhta's breath caught slightly, as if an invisible hand gripped his throat. Torht's name was not unfamiliar to him; even growing up in the remote Lagu settlement, that legendary figure's name was renowned. Torht was revered as the first human of the continent of Mu, the legendary creator of the Eight Trigrams method, with 'void' being one of them, symbolizing the way of Heaven. It was a power that opened the sky and embraced all things, said to bridge heaven and earth, connecting yin and yang.

  "Tao-Enlightened Creatures are wild beasts that perceived Ethereal Origin and touched the 'One' at the brink of death. However, unlike humans, their consciousness is dominated by animal instinct, limiting their use of the 'One,' mostly for physical enhancement." Her voice remained calm, yet contained a transcendent understanding of these beings, neither fearing nor dismissing them.

  LaUhta nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps it was precisely because of animals' pure instinct that they more easily contacted the existence of the "One." This reminded him of his own first experience touching the "One," that sensation at the brink of death, that consciousness expanding beyond physical limitations, perhaps not so different from these Tao-Enlightened Creatures. This thought made him unconsciously feel a resonance with these mysterious creatures, as if, to some degree, they shared simir fateful beginnings.

  The stone in LaUhta's hand rotated unconsciously, its bck radiance especially noticeable in the moonlit night, like a miniature bck star. He suddenly recalled his childhood, that night spent with tribespeople beneath the stars, when Canglian pointed to the sky, recounting ancient celestial legends, saying every person's destiny was connected to a certain star. He had innocently asked then: "Where is my star?" Canglian had only smiled mysteriously, saying: "Perhaps not everyone can find their star; for some, the stars are looking for them."

  Now, Nuwa compared him with Torht and Tao-Enlightened Creatures, which was both praise and implied some unknown responsibility and risk, like a chess piece chosen by fate, involuntarily drawn into some grand game.

  "What... what does this mean?" LaUhta asked, his voice mixing confusion and a touch of unease, like standing at a crossroads of destiny, uncertain which direction to take.

  Nuwa's gaze turned toward the distance, as if piercing the darkness to see some faraway pce, perhaps the past, perhaps the future. The firelight illuminated her face, outlining a half-light, half-shadow profile, adding a mysterious aura.

  "It may rete to your state of consciousness when first touching the 'One,'" she said softly, her words seemingly profound yet abruptly halting, without further expnation, like an ancient book with only the prologue revealed, the remaining content still a mystery.

  The campfire weakened, only dying embers emitting a faint red glow, like a half-open eye in the darkness, weary yet still vigint. The distant mountains remained only as bck silhouettes, merging with the starry sky, difficult to distinguish. The mountain wind grew colder, moaning through the valley, rippling the still surface of the stream, producing faint water sounds.

  Nuwa gazed at the endless night sky, the Milky Way reflecting in her eyes as a band of glittering light. After a moment of silence, she continued: "The bck 'One' differs from others. It can change the essence of matter, not merely control it." She picked up a fallen leaf beside her, its texture now brittle, making a faint rustling sound at her touch. "Torht's 'void' could alter the substance of physical objects, thereby affecting their connection to the world's foundations. In an instant, he could make a thousand-weight stone light as a feather, or a bde of grass heavier than a mountain."

  LaUhta stared at his hands, bck energy appearing and disappearing at his fingertips, like faint light in the dark night. Recalling today's practice, he had indeed felt a power beyond physical manipution. "So when I infuse the 'One' into objects, it's not simply attachment, but fundamentally changing them? Like that exploding stone—not because I added force, but because I altered its nature?"

  "Precisely," Nuwa's voice sounded especially clear in the darkness, like a beam of light piercing the darkness. "This represents immense potential and equally great risk. Once a substance's nature is changed, unpredictable consequences may follow. Just as springs gathering in one pce form rivers, a drop is not a river, but many drops make a stream—quantitative changes lead to qualitative ones. Your power works simirly."

  Silence spread between them, broken only by the occasional sound from the campfire, like the footsteps of time. LaUhta raised his head, his gaze firmly meeting Nuwa's, determination bzing in his eyes: "Should I then limit the use of this power? Perhaps seal it away until I can fully master it?"

  Nuwa shook her head, her red dress swaying gently in the night wind, like a fme burning in darkness: "Power itself has no good or evil; the key lies in the heart of the wielder. Like water, it can quench thirst or bring death; like fire, it can warm or burn the heavens. Sealing it away is not the path; mastery is essential."

  She reached out to stir the campfire, the light instantly brightening, illuminating her serious face, the beauty marks beneath her eyes particurly distinct in the firelight: "Since ancient times, it has been said the bck 'One' will py an important role in the future, affecting the destiny of the continent of Mu. Torht once said, when darkness descends, only bck light can illuminate the path forward. Whether you can bear this responsibility, only time will tell."

  LaUhta's heartbeat quickened at these words, like war drums beating. This veiled suggestion made him realize his power was far from coincidental, but possibly connected to some greater destiny. He was no longer merely an ordinary youth from the Lagu settlement, but one who bore some mission, like a chosen hero, embarking on an unknown journey from which there was no return.

  "I... understand," LaUhta took a deep breath, his voice low and firm, like stars twinkling in the night. "I will learn to master this power and ensure it is used for righteous purposes. I will not disappoint."

  He looked at his hands, no longer with curiosity and wonder, but with a weighty sense of responsibility, like bearing an invisible mountain upon his shoulders. Whatever challenges the future held, he was prepared to accept this responsibility, this mission. Perhaps this was the very meaning of his existence.

  Nuwa observed LaUhta, seeing the determination fshing in his eyes, like a mp in the darkness. She knew this young man had begun to understand the burden he carried, and what the innate yet newly awakened power meant. Whether blessing or curse, the wheel of fate had begun to turn, irreversible.

  Dawn faintly appeared, the eastern sky showing a pale gold, like a veil gently lifted. Mountain mist shrouded the clearing outside the cave like thin gauze, rendering distant scenery hazy and mysterious. Dewdrops sparkled on grass bdes, reflecting the golden light of the rising sun, like countless tiny jewels id upon a green carpet. LaUhta and Nuwa had already risen, beginning the day's practice on the ft ground outside the cave, like two statues bathed in morning light.

  "Yesterday you mastered the method of guiding the 'One' into objects; today you must learn more precise control," Nuwa picked up a small pebble, fine in texture, smooth on the surface, pcing it in her slender palm. Her posture was as elegant as an immortal, her red dress swaying gently in the breeze, like a red lotus blooming in the morning light. "Observe."

  Her fingertips emanated a faint red glow, like the first rays of dawn. A fine red line immediately appeared on the stone's surface, precise and beautiful, like a miniature river, or a delicate line drawn by a skilled artist. More impressively, the pattern did not spread but remained precisely along its predetermined path, demonstrating Nuwa's perfect control over the "One."

  "The use of the 'One' values precision over power," Nuwa handed the stone to LaUhta, the dual beauty marks beneath her eyes trembling lightly with her smile, like two morning stars. "Storms arise easily, spring rain is rare; roughness comes readily, delicacy is hard to achieve. Only with precise control can one fully reveal the mysteries of the 'One.'"

  LaUhta accepted the stone, feeling the faint pulse of the "One" within it, like a newly born life. He closed his eyes to sense, attempting to guide the "One" within to his fingertips, but each time the bck energy surged forth like a tide, instantly covering the entire stone, like floodwaters breaking through a dam, impossible to control.

  "Too much," LaUhta frowned, his tone carrying a hint of frustration, like a student trapped by a difficult problem. "I cannot control it so precisely, like trying to fill a small cup with a waterfall."

  Nuwa smiled slightly, her lips curving in a graceful arc: "Imagine you are feeding a fledgling bird. If you move too forcefully, the fledgling will be frightened away; if you hesitate too much, the fledgling will starve. You must act just right, neither hasty nor slow. The way of cultivation exists in a single thought."

  LaUhta tried again, this time adjusting his mindset and breathing. He slowed his breathing rhythm, letting his chest rise and fall regurly, like waves on a calm sea. He imagined himself carefully feeding a timid fledgling, its feathers sparse, its body fragile, requiring extreme patience and gentleness. He synchronized his heartbeat with the rhythm of the "One" within him, like two harmonious melodies interweaving.

  As his mind calmed, the bck energy at his fingertips became subtle, like a wisp of smoke, or a thread of silk. No longer a surging flood, but a guided stream. LaUhta suddenly realized: strength and weakness are not about quantity, but the focus of will. As his teacher had said, "The softest thing in the world overcomes the hardest," the formless conquers the formed, the soft overcomes the strong.

  "Yes, just like that," Nuwa encouraged, her voice carrying satisfaction and expectation, like watching a sapling grow strong. "Not hasty, not impatient, proceeding step by step. Like tiny streams gathering into rivers and seas; like small efforts accumuting into great achievements. The profound principles of the Tao exist in the heart." Her gaze was gentle yet profound, as if looking through a thousand years of time and space. "Ancient teachings say: 'The Way of Heaven shows no favorites, but always aids the good person.' Only with single-minded focus can one receive Heaven's blessing."

  Beads of sweat formed on LaUhta's forehead, gleaming like morning dew. He concentrated entirely on controlling that thread of bck energy, like a weaver focused on a silk thread. He guided it to move slowly across the stone's surface, attempting to inscribe a fine line, like drawing the first stroke of a ndscape on pristine paper.

  Yet the bck energy remained unstable, sometimes spreading like ink dropped in water, sometimes broken like an old candle's fme. The bck lines on the stone's surface meandered without pattern, like a child's scribble rather than a master's hand.

  "Don't rush, adjust your breathing," Nuwa's voice was calm and firm, like a steady lighthouse guiding a lost ship. "Imagine the 'One' as water, yourself as a channel. The width of the channel determines the speed of the flow. Control comes not from without, but from within."

  LaUhta took a deep breath, trying again. This time, he focused not on controlling the "One's" flow, but on adjusting his own state of consciousness. He felt the pulse of the "One" within, allowing his consciousness to resonate with it, like two dancers moving in perfect harmony to silent music. He was no longer the master of the "One," but its guide and partner.

  As his breathing gradually steadied, LaUhta felt an unprecedented crity. He could precisely sense every thread of the "One's" flow, as naturally as feeling his own blood flowing through his veins. It was no longer external, but an extension of his being, like arms or legs, controlled by thought yet following its own patterns.

  This time, as he guided the "One" into the stone, the bck energy moved like a delicate brush, drawing a perfect arc on the stone's surface, fine and beautiful, like a master's hand. The line neither spread nor broke, like a meteor crossing the night sky, leaving a perfect trace.

  "Well done," approval gleamed in Nuwa's eyes, like twinkling stars. "This precise control forms the foundation for mastering more advanced techniques. Crudeness comes easily, finesse is hard to attain. Today's progress will y the cornerstone for the future."

  LaUhta looked at the stone in his hand, feeling a deep satisfaction, like a farmer viewing his harvest after the growing season. This was not merely an improvement in technique, but a transcendence of self. He finally understood that on the path to becoming a Tao, each step required such patience and focus, like a tree patiently waiting for spring through winter.

  "This feeling... is different," LaUhta said softly, new understanding gleaming in his eyes, like a traveler discovering treasure. "It's as if I'm finally beginning to understand the nguage of the 'One,' not just using its power. It's no longer merely a tool, but part of my existence."

  Nuwa nodded with a smile, the beauty marks at the corners of her eyes appearing especially animated with her expression: "Indeed. The path of the Tao is not achieved in a day. Today you have taken an important step, like a fledgling first spreading its wings—the road ahead is long, but each step brings you closer to the true Tao."

  The midday sun bathed the mountaintop, golden light cloaking everything in warm hues. Two figures stood on the highest rock, gazing into the distance. Nuwa's red dress swayed gently in the breeze, like a banner in the wind, while LaUhta stood motionless, his eyes fixed on the distance, where once the vast nds of the continent of Mu had stretched out—mountains and hills, rivers like ribbons, all things growing, full of vibrant life.

  "A month ago, I was just an ordinary youth of the Lagu settlement, ignorant of my future," LaUhta said softly, a note of reflection in his voice, like looking back at the road already traveled. "Now, bck 'One' flows within me, I can turn stones into weapons, can sense the pulse of water. All this seems like a dream, yet is undeniably real."

  Nuwa gnced at him, the mountains in the distance reflected in her amber eyes, like a flowing ndscape painting. Her expression carried both the wisdom of an elder and the understanding of a fellow traveler: "Life's path is full of variables. Sometimes a single choice is enough to change everything. You accepted the mystical elixir, touched the 'One,' and have set foot on an extraordinary path. Like a stream choosing its course, unable to return to its source."

  Below, the stream wound like a silver band, sparkling in the sunlight. Trees swayed in the gentle breeze, yer upon yer of green like a boundless sea, unduting with the wind. The sky was exceptionally clear, a few white clouds drifting leisurely, at peace with the world, like an immortal's flowing sleeves.

  "I often wonder, if I become a Tao, what could I accomplish?" Hope gleamed in LaUhta's eyes, like a burning torch, illuminating the unknown path ahead. "I want to protect Lagu, to explore the mysteries of this world, to..."

  "Thinking too much makes one lose focus," Nuwa interrupted, her tone gentle yet firm, like an elder's admonition. "The path of the Tao is lonely and long. The greater the power, the more one becomes estranged from ordinary people. You will face a solitude others cannot understand. Like a pine on a high mountain, though tall and straight, it struggles to converse with flowers in the valley."

  LaUhta was silent for a moment, the excitement in his eyes gradually repced by contemption, like stars covered by night, their light contained yet still resolute. Wind blew from afar, carrying the fresh scent of vegetation and the aroma of soil, brushing across their faces, like the gentle touch of time.

  "I once feared loneliness, afraid of growing distant from my people," LaUhta finally spoke, his voice deep and firm, like stars in the deep night, distant yet bright. "But if this is inevitable on the path of the Tao, I am willing to bear it. Like a pine tree on a high mountain, though unable to dance with the flowers below, it can watch over a more distant ndscape."

  Nuwa smiled, the beauty marks at the corners of her eyes trembling lightly, like two dancing stars: "You understand. The Tao exists not for oneself, but for all beings. Loneliness may be difficult to endure, but with belief in one's heart, one feels no cold. Like a lighthouse watching over the ocean, though standing alone, it guides countless lost travelers."

  Night fell once more over the mountains, silver moonlight pouring down like water, covering everything with a yer of silver gauze. The stream gleamed silver in the moonlight, like a flowing river of stars. The campfire had extinguished, leaving only dark red ashes, occasionally flickering with weak red light, like a life about to fade. Nuwa and LaUhta sat side by side by the stream, surrounded by silence, save for the low hum of night insects, each note reaching the ear like nature's lulby.

  "For the next period, you must practice alone," Nuwa broke the silence, her voice gentle yet certain, like an elder announcing an important decision.

  LaUhta started slightly, turning to look at Nuwa. In the moonlight, her profile was like a finely carved jade statue, perfect and invioble. The dying embers of the campfire reflected on her delicate profile, flickering, enveloping her in a mysterious halo. A sense of reluctance rose in his heart; during this time together, Nuwa had been both teacher and friend, instructing by word and example, guiding him through confusion. The sudden requirement to practice alone left him feeling somewhat empty, like a fledgling's apprehension before leaving the nest. Yet simultaneously, he also felt an undercurrent of anticipation, eager to truly master this power, like a thirsty traveler longing for a spring.

  "On the path of cultivation, I can only guide you through the entrance," Nuwa seemed to see through his thoughts, continuing, her voice like a distant stream, gentle yet impossible to ignore. "Deeper insights must be sought in the Inner Realm. The true essence of the Tao cannot be fully expressed in words; only through personal experience can one attain the Way."

  She pointed to her forehead, her movement graceful as a dance, indicating the world of the Inner Realm. "You need to integrate the 'One' with every minute part of your body in the Inner Realm. True mastery reveals itself in the microscopic. The great Way is simple, yet requires skill in the most minute details."

  LaUhta listened quietly, his mind returning to the scene of battling the incarnation of fear in the Inner Realm. That was a world entirely constructed by consciousness, full of infinite possibilities, like an uncultivated virgin nd, waiting for him to explore and develop. His eyes sparkled with the light of seeking knowledge, like stars in the night sky.

  "How do I integrate?" LaUhta asked, his tone respectful and eager for knowledge, like a student asking a teacher.

  "Visualization," Nuwa answered simply, her voice like mountain breeze, gentle yet powerful. "Visualize the 'One' as breath, omnipresent, penetrating everywhere. Imagine it permeating your flesh, bones, meridians, down to each cell. Like water saturating cloth, like wind passing through forest, reaching everywhere, penetrating all."

  She took an ancient jade pendant from her waist, intricately patterned, glowing with a warm luster in the moonlight. "This is the 'Primordial Truth Pendant,' which can help you enter the Inner Realm. With a calm mind and steady breath, you may enter."

  LaUhta carefully accepted the pendant, feeling it smooth as butter in his hand, a subtle warm power flowing into his palm, calming his spirit. He tried sitting cross-legged, adjusting his breathing, and immediately sensed a curious change, as if the "One" within him had become more sensitive and active.

  Nuwa nodded with satisfaction, continuing: "Within the Inner Realm, you may experiment freely, without concern. Your physical body in the outer world is protected by the 'One,' without danger. Like a hibernating bear, outwardly still, yet full of life within." Her voice carried a note of encouragement, like spring wind awakening sleeping seeds. "But remember, though the Inner Realm is created by thought, it connects with reality. Inner wounds can harm the body; when facing danger, do not panic—a calm mind illuminates the path. When heaven and man respond to each other, when inner and outer unite, that is the great Way."

  LaUhta nodded, excitement gradually rising in his heart, like a fledgling eager to spread its wings. Practicing alone meant greater freedom, but also greater challenges. Without Nuwa's guidance, he must find his own way forward, but this was precisely the necessary process for growth. Just as a fledgling must leave the nest to learn to soar the skies, independence is essential for true growth.

  He looked toward Nuwa, his gaze filled with determination and resolve, like solid rock, like a sharp bde. "I understand," LaUhta said deeply, his voice containing confidence in the future and responsibility. "I will practice diligently, and not disappoint." This tone no longer held previous hesitation and uncertainty, repced by firm determination and belief in the path. He knew that though thorns might lie ahead, difficulties abound, these were the necessary temperings he must experience to truly become the person he wished to be.

  Nuwa saw the determination in LaUhta's eyes, a smile of approval curving her lips, the beauty marks beneath her eyes appearing increasingly animated with her expression. She knew this young man was ready for the next stage of his journey. Though the road ahead was long, each step was a necessary growth.

  "Elder," LaUhta addressed Nuwa thus for the first time, his voice carrying unprecedented solemnity. "No matter how difficult the path ahead, this disciple will cut through thorns and brambles, not failing his mission."

  Nuwa turned to look at LaUhta, surprise fshing in her eyes, quickly transforming into a gentle smile. She reached out to lightly touch LaUhta's head, like an elder comforting a child, yet with the respect of a fellow traveler.

  "Heaven moves with vigor; thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring. Earth's condition is receptive devotion; thus the superior man who has breadth of character carries the outer world," Nuwa's voice echoed like an ancient incantation in the darkness. "Remember these words, and never forget your original intent."