The Earth Sacred Spring

Yu'ang trained diligently — but he trained for himself. His adoptive father, Zhuo Yun, had arranged a magic duel for him one year from now, yet Yu'ang couldn't bring himself to take it seriously.

"Go on ahead," Mu He said. "I'll be right there."

Yu'ang gave a nod and headed toward the master's wing.

He passed through a stretch of ornamental gardens and stepped into a charming little courtyard. In this sprawling estate — European in every other regard — an old-style Chinese teahouse looked startlingly out of place, and yet there it stood.

"Father," Yu'ang said, taking a seat beside Mu Zhuoyun, "I don't quite understand why you've arranged such a tedious duel for me."

"If your coming-of-age ceremony were simply a matter of inviting high-society figures, clan members, and peers your own age, it would be a dull affair," Mu Zhuoyun replied. "Opportunities to draw every notable figure in Bo City to a single place don't come often. Add a duel to the proceedings, and many of them will leave with a very different impression of you. There are matters that an old man like me shouldn't involve himself in too heavily. If you can awe both your elders and your peers through your own strength — establish your own authority — the road to wielding real power over this city will be far smoother." He lifted his teacup and sipped, calm and unhurried.

"Then you should have arranged a worthier opponent," Yu'ang said.

"At first, I agreed with you. Putting a nobody up against you at your own coming-of-age ceremony seemed almost farcical. I was looking into a more fitting arrangement. But now..." Mu Zhuoyun paused. "It may be anything but farcical. This could become quite the quiet contest between myself, Deng Kai, and Principal Zhu."

"How so?" Yu'ang asked, puzzled.

"Your opponent — Mo Fan. He has already mastered second-level Fire Burst. His cultivation speed has outpaced every prediction — every last one of ours. Reaching that level in barely a year is no small feat. He is now the most outstanding student at Tianlan Magic High School, closely watched by Deng Kai, Zhankong, and Principal Zhu. Even if I wanted to move against the boy, those three would see to it that nothing came of it." A cold smile curled at Mu Zhuoyun's lips. "I'll admit — it caught me off guard. The driver's son, keeping pace with the finest disciples of the great clans. If only the boy knew how to read a room. As for the matter between Deng Kai and myself — that's not something you need to know about yet."

"Then perhaps this will be considerably more interesting." Something in Yu'ang settled.

An opponent too weak to be worth mentioning at a coming-of-age ceremony wouldn't add to his prestige — it would do the opposite. A nobody like that would only be seen as lucky to share the same stage as him, and it would do nothing to prove the superiority he held over his entire generation.

The Mu Clan had always placed the utmost importance on the coming-of-age ceremonies of its young. It was their most solemn rite of passage — for a strong youth meant a strong clan. The elder generation, already firmly in command of Bo City, would cut a poor figure by putting their own power on display. But if the younger generation could achieve absolute dominance over their peers? Was that not, in its own right, proof of the Mu Clan's unrivaled strength?

Mu Ningxue was in the Imperial Capital, moving in a far higher sphere.

But someone still needed to stand out here in Bo City — to carry the banner for the next generation of Mages.

Yu'ang was shaping up to be a fine successor. Mu Zhuoyun intended to groom him with care, to give him a firm foothold in Bo City.

And how that future path unfolded would depend entirely on the opening move. Other heirs might celebrate their coming-of-age with a modest family affair — but Yu'ang's ceremony had to be grand, magnificent. Distinguished guests had to be invited. A statement had to be made.

Mo Fan. A surprise, certainly.

But nothing more than a stepping stone on the road upward for a young man like Yu'ang.

Of course, the calculating Mu Zhuoyun would never tell Yu'ang that no matter how much glory and authority he might one day command, he too would merely be a stepping stone — for someone else. That someone was Mu Zhuoyun's own biological daughter: Mu Ningxue.

Mu Ningxue was Mu Zhuoyun's most perfect heir. But Bo City was too small a pond for her. He needed to cultivate a truly loyal subordinate — someone to hold Bo City's established foundations firmly in hand.

"Don't worry," Mu Zhuoyun said, his expression turning warmly paternal. "On the day your ceremony concludes, I will open the Earth Sacred Spring for you. You will have an entire week inside to train. That single week will be enough to send your cultivation surging forward — after that, you need not give the peers of this city a second thought."

"Father... is the Earth Sacred Spring truly that remarkable?" Yu'ang's eyes lit with eager curiosity.

"Absolutely. You know what a Stardust Artifact does — think of the Earth Sacred Spring as one of those, magnified by more times than you could count. It doesn't merely ease the fatigue of cultivation. Within that spring, cultivation speed itself is carried aloft — it is a true sanctuary of training. Whether you practice Meditation or Control while inside, the conditions are nothing short of perfect. The Spring cannot be opened at will, so once you enter, you must concentrate fully. This may well be your finest opportunity to break through to Intermediate-Level Mage."

"Inter... Intermediate?" Yu'ang blinked, caught off guard. "Am I not still quite far from that?"

"Without the Earth Sacred Spring — yes, quite far. With this opportunity — perhaps not." Mu Zhuoyun stroked his mustache, expression contemplative.

"Father, where does Bo City's Earth Sacred Spring come from? How can it be so potent?"

"Its origins run deep — deeper than you need to know. What you must remember is this: the Earth Sacred Spring is a once-in-a-lifetime training opportunity. There will not be another." Mu Zhuoyun said nothing further.

Yu'ang gave a solemn nod.

Breaking through from the Basic Level — ascending to the Intermediate-Level Mage tier that so many cultivators could only dream of. For that, Bo City's Earth Sacred Spring was paramount.