What is Yin and Yang?
It is the fundamental motion of all things, the law of energy flow, the unity of opposites—light and darkness, movement and stillness, life and death.
It exists within the Five Elements, it exists inside everything in the world, and it also exists on the wide land of Zeyerra.
But for beings of the Prime Material Plane, yin is simply yin and yang is simply yang, each governed by their own deities. Life-aligned gods and death-aligned gods stand in stark opposition. Professionals also reach their peaks by walking particular paths, pursuing the purest extremes.
For cultivators of Xu Xuan Heaven, however, the Five Elements and Yin-Yang generate and restrain each other in unending cycles. To reach Foundation Establishment, one must cultivate the Five Elements, condense yin and yang, emulate the heavens and earth, and construct an inner universe.
Without yin and yang, an inner landscape world is like a husk without a soul—it cannot truly "live," cannot form a self-sustaining cycle, and cannot feed itself to achieve a leap in lifeforce.
Whether it is the World Tree or the Crown forged from a sun’s core, to a cultivator they are no longer lofty divine crowns but parts of the world’s operating mechanism, Yin and Yang Two Treasures that lay the path’s foundation.
This is a cultivator’s exclusive romance, the wisdom and philosophy condensed over countless dry years on the long road of cultivation.
But paths need not be judged right or wrong; Zeyerra has its own reasoning.
And Chen Yu intends to walk every path.
At this moment he felt as if he were inside a pitch-black inner landscape world, his consciousness transformed into a plump, rounded qi-body, hovering in the center of heaven and earth.
He opened an invisible "mouth," and from his belly slowly exhaled two intertwined radiant globes—the Yin and Yang energies.
"Chew......
The Yin and Yang energies rose slowly, higher and higher, like two playful dragons winding together, entwining as they climbed toward the inner sky.
Yang energy ascended, shattering the illusory image of the Crown of Ignis, which faintly took shape and, at the highest point of the little world, became a golden sun the size of a square zhang.
It illuminated the land, bringing light, warmth, and vigorous vitality to this newborn world.
Yin energy settled and condensed into an emerald seed, falling into the world soil. The seed quickly took root and sprouted; the World Tree sapling began to grow wildly, branches thickening, canopy flourishing, shooting higher until it touched the inner sky.
It brought tranquility, shadow, and inward vitality to the world; tree shadows swayed, calming restlessness, allowing energy to cycle, settle, and accumulate.
The Crown stands for the sun, the World Tree stands for the moon.
The sun turns in the sky, the tree shadow sweeps in a circular motion; bright places are daytime, dark places are night.
With sun and moon present, yin and yang are thus divided!
"Boom!!!"
In an instant, the entire inner landscape world burst thoroughly into life.
Sunlight poured down, the forest grew lusher, leaves glittered with golden light, streams shimmered like flowing liquid sunlight.
Tree shadows flowed like water, gently stroking every inch of soil, allowing daytime’s vitality to be contained and rest, enabling all things to breed new strength in darkness.
Day and night began to alternate; the imagery of cyclical turning subtly appeared in the inner scene.
A tiny yet complete inner landscape world had finally been constructed.
"Rumble!!!"
Like the final echo of creation, and like the first cry of new life.
Spring thunder rolled across the sky, and fine rain nourished every inch of the inner world like sweet dew.
Massive power fed back out from this newborn world like a bursting dam, instantly sweeping through every inch of Chen Yu’s gel body, through each cell.
He felt himself drifting higher and higher... his perspective detached from the inner landscape, even from his gel body, and spread to every corner of the battlefield.
Arthur and Raven, fiercely battling the Iron Cavalry Demon Ark; the magical creatures charging the demon legion; gargoyles circling in the sky and Poison-stinger Wasps; the silhouette of the Storm Fortress in the distance...
Everything presented itself clearly in his perception, as if a god’s view had been enabled and he was overlooking the entire battlefield.
This sensation was marvelous.
.......
After Chen Yu fell into "sleep," Celeste sat on a relatively clean rock nearby, vigilantly watching the surroundings.
Count Bran, meanwhile, paced small steps in circles around Chen Yu, volunteering himself as watchdog.
When a lone aimlessly roaming skeletal soldier approached, Count Bran flapped his wings and flew up to confront it, proudly lifting his head.
"Caw! Little bone, since I’m in a good mood, you’d better leave now."
"Or when His Majesty wakes up, if he gets up on the wrong side, he’ll tear you apart. I won’t be responsible."
The skeleton soldier halted, its joints clicking as it lowered its skull and exchanged a stare with Count Bran using the pale green soulfire flickering in its empty eye sockets.
Instinctively, the undead felt that the glowing slime exuded an annoyingly holy aura that made it uncomfortable.
But the noisy crow before it also irritated the skeleton.
Without hesitation it raised its bone bow, notched a crooked bone arrow, and aimed at Count Bran.
"Whoosh!"
The bone arrow sliced through the air.
Count Bran screamed "Caw!" in fright and its body burst into a spread of black feathers; the bone arrow passed through a gap in those feathers and missed. The feathers fell behind the arrow then quickly reassembled, reforming the crow’s body.
"Caw! How dare you ambush me, Count Bran! Watch me..."
Count Bran readied to pounce, claws poised to teach the rude bone-frame a lesson.
But sensing nothing behind, it sneaked a look back and saw Celeste still sitting there, unimpressed, merely warning it with a glance.
"I wanted to see the Count’s skills, why don’t you show off?" Count Bran dodged a volley of bone arrows with repeated steps, clearing its throat, "Ahem, I only wanted to give you a chance to perform. I didn’t think Miss Celeste would mistake my modesty."
Celeste was too bored to argue. She raised her staff and casually cast a spell, launching a fist-sized fireball that struck the skeleton soldier.
"Bang!"
The skeleton instantly exploded into pieces, bone shards scattering.
Celeste looked up, her gaze falling on Louisa; she sensed the princess’s spirit was badly drained and lost interest in taunting Count Bran further.
Count Bran trotted back to Chen Yu, delighted, then suddenly gave a shriek. It walked up to Chen Yu and cocked its head, staring closely at the glowing gel.
"You witch, don’t you think His Majesty seems... dimmer?" Count Bran asked uncertainly.
Celeste’s attention was caught; she lowered her head to look.
Indeed, the slime that had once shone like a tiny sun had dimmed considerably, its light becoming softer.
Under their gazes, the gel’s radiance suddenly retracted inward, instantly withdrawing into the gel body.
Chen Yu reverted to his original jade-green hue, even appearing clearer and more crystalline than before—rounded and smooth like a springy jade jelly that made one want to bite into it.
He slowly opened his round little eyes and happened to meet Count Bran’s close stare.
Count Bran froze, as if seeing the reflection of the world in his eyes; a pressure swept through its body, causing involuntary palpitations and awe.
But the pressure came fast and left fast. In the blink of an eye His Majesty was once more that springy blob, eyes clear, as if the previous moment had been an illusion.
"Strange..." Count Bran pecked at his feathers, puzzled.
"Lord Slime, the situation is urgent." Celeste’s voice pulled Chen Yu back to reality.
Chen Yu gave a light hop, intending to observe the surroundings. His divine sense flowed out like quicksilver, rapidly spreading.
It instantly covered the entire battlefield.
Arthur, Yano and Raven were straining against Ark’s berserk assaults; Louisa, pale-faced, exchanged spells with Vincent, each restraining the other; the Magical Creature Legion clashed with demons; soldiers of the Border Corps were retreating amid the ruins of the Storm Fortress...
Every movement across the battlefield showed up clearly within his perception.
Is this the feeling of Foundation Establishment?
It was as if the whole world had changed.
Like a prophetic spell that could fully scout a battlefield in all directions.
He could "see" farther and in finer detail.
He could "hear" the faintest whisper carried on the wind.
He could sense energy flows and the unique "qi" emitted by all things much more distinctly.
His control over his own power reached an unprecedented level of finesse, as if he could manipulate every inch of his gel body.
More importantly, the newborn inner landscape world within him was now slowly operating on its own: yin and yang alternating, Five Elements generating and restraining... producing a steady stream of pure Arcane Energy that seemed inexhaustible.
Chen Yu couldn’t help but puff out his round chest, his heart filled with confidence.
But before acting, he needed to prepare a flying sword.
A good flying sword is a cultivator’s greatest confidence and the best way to compensate for a slime’s short limbs.
Since there wasn’t a ready-made flying sword, he decided to make one himself.
A thought stirred, and his divine sense acted on the swath of soil before him.
[Transform Mud to Stone]
[Mud Pellet Sword Crafting]
The soil seemed to be pinched up by an invisible force, pressed and rubbed together; it reddened with heat and formed a rough stone sword blank.
The sword blank measured about three feet, its surface dark red, as if freshly taken from a furnace.
Under his divine sense, the rough stone sword lightly circled Chen Yu and hovered, emitting a faint hum.
Count Bran watched with wide eyes; he already suspected His Majesty had obtained some strange new ability again.
"Let’s go." Chen Yu said by thought.
He tried hopping onto the hovering stone sword.
The sword wobbled slightly, then stably bore his round body into the air, then "whoosh"—it flew rapidly toward Vincent, who was casting spells in the distance.
This speed was many times faster than when he flew with Gel Wings.
Riding a sword—so exhilarating!
Celeste transformed into a giant eagle, beating her wings to rise, and along with Count Bran who also flew up, hurried to follow.
Her eyes were full of surprise, and she couldn’t help asking, "Count Crow, is this sword some kind of magical artifact?"
Count Bran felt puzzled but puffed out his chest and proudly declared, "You don’t understand. This is a secret spell of the Slime clan."
"You seem to know a lot?" Celeste warned him with a glance.
"Of course, I am most learned." Count Bran boasted shamelessly.
.....
In the sky, Vincent waved his staff and summoned scorching fireballs, hurling them at Louisa.
Although these fireballs posed almost no threat to her—easily blocked by her shield or deflected—Vincent’s intent was clear: to completely exhaust the young princess’s mental power.
When he studied at Gedon Arcane Academy in Jade City, his teacher’s first lesson had imparted a rule: never underestimate any mage. Who knew whether, in desperation, they wouldn’t suddenly pull out a forbidden secret technique and take you down together?
Faced with the deeply hidden, extraordinarily gifted Princess Louisa, he exercised extreme caution and would not give her an opportunity to turn the tide.
Just as he prepared to launch another fireball to press her further, a flicker at the edge of his vision alerted him to a green figure flying toward him at astonishing speed.
Vincent’s heart jolted. He immediately opened an Arcane Gate, stepping back, while hurriedly sizing up the green intruder.
It was the Slime King—and stranger still, he was standing on a... flying stone sword?!
What a bizarre combination.
Slime sword-riding?
That thought crossed Vincent’s mind, but he knew the terror and oddity of this slime; he dared not let it get close.
He retreated through his Arcane Gate to increase distance and pointed his staff at Chen Yu, preparing a spell to intercept.
Yet at that moment, the stone flying sword under Chen Yu’s feet detached. It accelerated, becoming a streak of light and shot toward Vincent.
So fast it cut the air with a sharp ripping sound.
"What?!"
He had never seen such an odd attack—neither a magic missile nor a thrown weapon. It seemed the sword itself had life and will, flying at him.
In a rush he tried to raise an instant shield to block.
But it was too late.
"Whoosh!!!"
The flying sword flashed past, its trail like a reaper’s scythe, slicing across Vincent’s raised right arm.
"Plop!"
Vincent felt searing pain in his right arm. He watched in horror as the hand clutching his staff, along with half his forearm, was severed and sprayed blood as it fell to the ground.
Losing his staff and casting arm was nearly fatal for a mage; composure vanished from his face, replaced by sheer terror.
He clutched the stump with his left hand, blood spurting through his fingers; his face drained white as he fell to the earth.
A weapon with consciousness?
This scene was witnessed by Louisa from afar; astonishment flashed across her face.