Chapter 70: From Pain to Paradise, Yang Wei's Spiritual Domain Awakening. Meeting the God of the Northern Boundless Sea of Stars and Acquiring the Profound Black Tortoise Inheritance.

At the courtyard's creaky wooden gates, Yang Wei walked Huo Yue out, their footsteps sounding in the peace of the night. She stood by the gate, gripping her basket's handle, eyes fixed on him.

Huo Yue turned to Yang Wei, "I really want to stay and take care of you," she said earnestly.

With a faint smile on his lips, Yang Wei advised her, "Just go home, rest. No need to worry about me."

Huo Yue sighed, "Alright, I'll go back, but that doesn't mean I'll stop worrying."

Yang Wei nodded, "I know you won't."

They shared a final hug, his arms wrapping around her.

As she left, they waved goodbye repeatedly, even from a distance. It was as though they didn't know the proper way to end a conversation and depart.

When she finally disappeared, Yang Wei's gentle expression vanished.

He closed the wooden gates and returned to the house.

Inside, Wu Fengtian finished washing the wooden bowls and asked, "What's wrong, Senior Brother?"

Yang Wei dismissed it, "Nothing, I just want to cultivate a bit."

Wu Fengtian hesitated, "Are you sure? Maybe you should rest."

Yang Wei sighed, "I was unconscious for just a day. No need to worry."

"One day?"

"Yes, hasn't it only been a day?"

Wu Fengtian's face turned serious, "No, Senior Brother, you were unconscious for 10 years. We've been waiting to see when you would finally awaken, but no luck."

"What?!"

"Yes. Currently, I'm already in the Core Formation Realm."

"This... can't be... how long did I spend in that place?"

It shocked him, but in a way, he could get that the martial world was different. Cultivators saw time way less sentimentally than mages. Mages might take a few months or years to learn a spell, but for some cultivators, it could be their whole life. Their growth-over-talent mindset made it easy for them to grind on something, no matter how tough.

Simply put, time was pretty unpredictable in the martial world.

Out of nowhere, Wu Fengtian apologized, "Sorry! Just a harmless joke. You've only been out for about a week."

Yang Wei, still in shock, muttered, "A week?" He looked around hastily and said, "I have to go see Mu Lin!" Shortly after that, he glared at Wu Fengtian and told him, "I'll punish you later for that sick joke!"

Wu Fengtian frowned. "But..."

While the snake embodies the ever-shifting currents of existence.

This majestic creature is the God of the Northern Boundless Sea of Stars!

The Black Tortoise, Xuanwu.

"Child, I have awaited you for countless eons..."

Its voice shook the foundation of Yang Wei's soul.

Yang Wei was surprised, not by the celestial being's appearance, but by the fact that this was the same creature he saw in the illustration on one of the pagodas at the Frost Lotus Temple.

But more than that, this was the voice he heard when he battled against the two Asuras of the Northern Boundless Sea of Stars.

"You're the one from before, aren't you?" he calmly asked, hands behind his back, floating mid-air.

"Son of Magic, your composure intrigues me. Few humans remain calm when faced with my presence; such courage is one of the gods."

Nonchalantly, Yang Wei yawned, "Honestly, I was kinda bothered the first time you approached me; you had this annoyingly loud voice that was slowly breaking my soul apart. Now, not so much. You're just a big turtle."

Xuanwu stayed silent.

Given its existence, it only spoke when absolutely necessary, not for casual chatter. A single word from it could reshape fate; another word could twist fate into anything it desired, be it a land, a sea, or a vast expanse of boundless possibilities.

Yang Wei glanced around, "So, where exactly is this place?"

"This, is your Spiritual Domain – it marks the initial step into the third stage of what your kind refers to as the Mortal Realm. In more traditional terms, visualize it as your personal physical and spiritual manifestation of Foundation Establishment."

"Foundation Establishment?" Yang Wei exclaimed, eyes widening. "That means I've scraped the surface of the 7th level of the Mortal Realm."

Xuanwu nodded slowly. "Now, your genuine cultivation journey has begun. A Spiritual Domain isn't simply tied cultivation; it is a record of your whole self—what you are, what you were, what you shall become, and what you shall not become. It is the singularity of magic and cultivation in a vessel."

Now, Yang Wei was truly interested, "Yes! You truly do know about the existence of magic! Are you saying that this Spiritual Domain implies that magic and cultivation are one and the same? They have the same origin!"

"That is an answer you must find for yourself, child."

"NO!" Yang Wei raised his voice. "I need to know now!"

"The time is not ripe. For now, prepare to receive my inheritance, your first step into crossing over to the Malevolent Star Domain and breaking through to the Asura Realm."

Suddenly, numerous lengthy golden energy scripts materialized around Yang Wei. There were even golden avatars performing various stances, all connected in a specific progression pattern. Each energy script had its own avatar's stance.

Yang Wei just stared at it all, totally amazed.

"What is this?"

"The first volume of my gift to you—the Profound Black Tortoise Inheritance."