Ye Feipeng found that cultivating the Dragon Roams the Seas technique went far more smoothly than the Sea-Calming Sword Art ever had.
On just the second day after switching techniques, he broke through to mid-stage Qi Refinement.
The elixir the Immortal Master had given him helped as well, allowing him to pry loose yet another sliver of power from his body's hidden reserves.
After this enhancement, even Sun Erlang, who was already at late-stage Qi Refinement, could no longer match Ye Feipeng in actual combat.
Having firmly established himself as the top cultivator among the island's children, Ye Feipeng finally felt at ease.
He had also come to grasp an important principle: beyond talent and personal effort, the fastest path to cultivation was keeping the Immortal Master pleased.
From the Immortal Master's offhand remarks, Ye Feipeng had gathered that he placed great importance on progress in refining the Beast Soul Pearl. From that point on, Ye Feipeng made sure to keep it close at hand during cultivation and to contemplate it carefully.
One day, he fell into a deep sleep while holding the Beast Soul Pearl and seemed to enter a dream.
In it, a terrifying nine-headed bird hung suspended in the heavens, its colossal form nearly blotting out the sky.
Each of its nine gaping maws appeared to hold something within.
Ye Feipeng's knowledge was too limited for him to name what he saw. He could only catch glimpses: the twisted, struggling remnants of a dragon's limbs; an entire mountain range; the branches of a massive, ash-grey ancient tree.
Desperate, agonized wails filled the air, and the world was drenched in a bloody hue.
The apocalyptic sight struck his young mind with overwhelming force. He stood frozen, unable to move.
Then one of the nine heads seemed to notice him.
Its eye shifted, fixing on Ye Feipeng as though sizing up prey.
Terror flooded his mind under that ferocious stare. Beneath the shadow of the nine-headed bird, he was certain he would be swallowed whole in the next instant.
Just then, a clear and distant bird cry rang out beside his ear.
It seemed to rise from the depths of the sea and fall from the heights of the sky at once. It carried both warning and fury.
Ye Feipeng's eyes turned blood-red as sensation flooded back into his paralyzed body.
Drawn by that inexplicable cry, all nine heads turned in unison.
Ye Feipeng jolted awake.
Gasping, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replayed the scene in his mind.
That nine-headed bird must be the exotic beast sealed within the Beast Soul Pearl. But that cry afterward... what was it?
Confusion written plainly across his young face, Ye Feipeng nevertheless understood one thing clearly: whatever could draw the attention of that nine-headed bird was itself extraordinarily powerful.
He said nothing to anyone and committed it all firmly to memory.
In the days that followed, he discovered that cultivating the Creation Forge Technique had become far easier. The power lurking in his body's hidden reserves, once something he had to coax out painstakingly bit by bit, now flowed with remarkable smoothness whenever he called upon it. Side effects like dizziness or sudden roiling of blood and qi had become easy to ignore entirely.
His physical strength grew at a pace that frightened even him. He was secretly delighted, yet a faint unease toward the unknown lingered underneath.
When sparring with his companions, he never used his full strength, choosing instead to win by the narrowest of margins each time, much as the Tian Yang puppet had once done against him.
And so another stretch of time passed.
On this day, the Immortal Master descended upon Embodiment Island once more.
After his customary inspection of everyone's cultivation progress, during which the particularly negligent Xiao Heng was singled out for a focused round of reprimands and punishment, the Immortal Master took Ye Feipeng alone into a private chamber.
A long silence stretched out, and Ye Feipeng grew restless. In the end, he couldn't hold back. He told the Immortal Master about the visions in his dream and the recent changes in his body.
After a moment of contemplation, the Immortal Master decided to conduct a comprehensive examination.
Ye Feipeng fell into a deep, heavy sleep.
When he awoke, he felt somewhat weakened. The Immortal Master pressed a medicinal pill into his hand; Ye Feipeng swallowed it and felt his alertness return at once.
"You were overeager and, in a moment of carelessness, became tainted by the malevolent aura of the nine-headed divine bird," the Immortal Master said in his utterly frigid voice.
Ye Feipeng's heart lurched. Then the next words brought a wave of relief.
"Rest assured, I have already expelled it from your body."
"Thank you, Immortal Master," Ye Feipeng said gratefully.
The Immortal Master waved a dismissive hand. "Though you acted somewhat recklessly, misfortune has turned to fortune. You have awakened the thin trace of ancestral bloodline within you."
"Ancestral bloodline?" Ye Feipeng was both shocked and elated.
"Indeed. Have you heard of the ancient exotic beast, the Kun-Peng?" As he spoke, the Immortal Master pointed forward, and the image of a colossal demonic beast appeared in the air, one moment a bird, the next a fish.
After describing the formidable power of the Kun-Peng to Ye Feipeng, the Immortal Master said with quiet feeling, "I truly did not expect the power of an ancient ferocious beast to reside within you.
"If you can harness it, your cultivation speed will likely outpace even those so-called prodigies by a fair margin."
Seeing the expression on Ye Feipeng's face, the Immortal Master continued, "However, everything has its price. A rapid surge in strength will place significant strain on your mind. If you cannot control it, this gift may yet become a calamity."
Ye Feipeng quickly assured him, "Please don't worry, Immortal Master. I'll remember your guidance. I won't grow arrogant or impatient. I'll take things one step at a time and cultivate with all my effort."
The Immortal Master nodded slowly, seeming quite satisfied.
After receiving a storage ring containing spirit stones and artifacts as a reward, Ye Feipeng left the chamber brimming with excitement.
Watching the boy's jubilant retreating figure, Li Fan allowed himself a half-smile.
To think the awakening of the Kun-Peng bloodline would come even faster than I anticipated.
Nine-headed divine bird...
Li Fan extended his right hand.
A wisp of blood-red baleful qi coiled around his fingertip, lingering stubbornly. If one listened closely, faint cries and wails seemed to emanate from within.
He absorbed the qi, closed his eyes, and concentrated on comprehending it.
After a long while, his eyes snapped open.
For an instant, a strange red light flickered in his pupils.
Li Fan looked at a stone stool in the chamber. In the blink of an eye, its hard surface was scorched black by his gaze.
The Beast Soul Pearl of the Nine-Headed Bird was stirred by the aura of the Kun-Peng bloodline, and this unique strand of baleful qi split from it as a result. It seems to originate from the Nine-Headed Bird's original divine ability. A pity the baleful qi is too weak, I can only glean this much from it.
The strange crimson light faded from his eyes, and Li Fan felt a faint pang of regret.
Senior Brother Zhang's Vow Dharma Body is present, which prevents drawing directly on demonic beast power. Even so, there is merit to be found here. The divine abilities of demonic beasts are not necessarily beyond a cultivator's use. All Daos share the same source; different paths lead to the same end. Han Yi's technique for manipulating providence, for instance, seems to trace back to the Heaven's Will Xuan Bird.
Li Fan fell into quiet contemplation.