Chapter 337: Strong Inner World

By the time Yihao finally understood the true meaning of harmony and introduced all five elements in his inner world, he had already reached the peak of the Enlightened Core. In mere weeks, the hot-headed brute had shown tremendous progress, proving that he was a monstrous talent.

In all her years of cultivation, Liu Guiya had never seen anyone make this much progress without going through books. The only exceptions understood the value of truth only when they survived hell. Yihao appeared not to be tainted by darkness, but his strong inner world told her otherwise.

Naturally, the first thing he demanded was food. A copious amount of it, even if he was an extreme yang cultivator who had reached the level where he technically did not need to eat. Strangely enough, Yihao ate an entire month’s worth of her palace budget but did not seem to feel satisfied.

"Not enough," he told her. "It’s not enough. Why am I still starving when I’m no longer parched?"

Fearing something had gone wrong during the stabilisation process, Liu Guiya offered to check the roots of his new inner world. Sharing an inner world was an intimate affair that required trust between two individuals. Surprisingly, Yihao agreed right away. The youth was as honest as his father, and Liu Guiya saw potential in him.

After synchronising, Liu Guiya was greeted by the strangest inner world. Many inner worlds reflected the plains or mountains. Some might reflect caves. It depended on the cultivator’s heart and personality, shaped by dear memories.

Judging by how Yihao trained and grew up, Liu Guiya was expecting something similar. Her inner world was not typical, as all her Heavenly Phoenix Arts were born rebirthed from the volcano on which the sect was built. Yet, why was it that Yihao, who had never been to the desert, was able to create such a realistic dry desert world with an ocean?

Most people would think the contradiction did not make sense. However, as the Noble Consort, she knew such a place truly did exist in the far west near large mountain ranges that created this unique phenomenon.

More interestingly, the inner world was usually full of plants and landscapes. Yihao’s inner world was more like a zoo, with so much wildlife roaming freely, even hunting one another like a true ecosystem. It must be an influence from Bai Dajin’s martial training.

At first glance, this vibrant world was complete. It was strong and showed no signs of hidden heart demons. Yihao must have already overcome those. There was nothing much hidden out of sight in this desert inner world. What could possibly cause his starvation?

A parched inner world was a common sign of elemental imbalance. That was the struggle to achieve true Enlightenment of Harmony. Yihao already mastered it. In rare cases, when an inner world feels starved, it could only mean one of two things.

The first possibility was a shallow inner world where the cultivator first understood its principles in mind but lacked the raw materials to build its ideal world. That did not seem to be the case for Yihao. His inner world had developed very fruitfully, even if uncommonly.

Which only meant the other option. It was a good problem to have. Yihao’s inner world had the potential to gain deeper depths, and he was not done with its progress.

Normally, from the Enlightened Core to the Radiant Core, cultivators would spend decades enriching their experiences to deepen them. The more someone understands the value of life, the heavier and denser their inner world becomes. It added fine details that gave gravity to an otherwise illusion-like state of the heart.

Yihao was different. He never seemed to think of life as a philosopher. He simply lived it and watched how it played out. The youth was a simpleton. Yet, in simplicity, he saw what was always there that wiser men spend years deluding themselves. Hence, there was no need for him to wait decades to reach the next stage.

By the odds of birth, Yihao was a rarity. Even with guidance and intervention, most Extreme Yang cultivators would find it extremely hard to master their inner worlds at a later stage. Their initial progress until the Solid Core might be quicker due to their gifted imbalance. However, Yihao defied expectations.

He was fuelled by something more than pride, and that helped him overcome his limitations. From the predatory world built upon the hunt, she could tell that he was both the hunter and the prey. Rarely does an inner world hold two contradictory truths. It only told Liu Guiya what this child truly wanted.

Exiting his inner world, Liu Guiya decided to do something she had never done before. Not even her dear niece was allowed to enter her inner sanctum.

"You’re starving because the gravity of the world you’ve created is too heavy," she told him. "You want to grow stronger, but that desire is both your fuel and shackle. Learn to wield true power from confidence and not desperation. Let me show you how it would look like. Be careful not to stray far from me or you could die. My inner world is not for the weak."

Desperation. That was the word. Yihao accepted the stinging words and the offer at a true shot of strength. Almost immediately, he was pulled into Liu Guiya’s inner world.

Hot. It was at least five times hotter than his own. Yet, Yihao stood on his feet steadily. They felt as if they were weighed down by chains with every step he took. Even his lungs had to be assisted in breathing by his chest muscles. The water inside his body must have evaporated the instant they exited as sweat. Every second in this boiling inner world was chipping away at Yihao’s energy to sustain it.

At the edge of the crater, Liu Guiya showed him the source of her true power.

"This is the volcano that birthed the phoenix in my sect," she explained. "My blood arts come from here. Like magma, it is slow, but the presence of it being alive instils fear in everyone, and when unleashed in an eruption, it becomes deadly."

Yihao peered at the boiling molten rocks moving slowly at the bottom of the hissy pit. The gravity of her world was intense, something Yihao had no idea the inner world could hold. No wonder there was such a difference between Enlightened Core and Radiant Cores.

"Of course, it might take you a few decades to reach this. I’ve been stagnant in the Heavenly Core stage, unable to cross over into the Divine Core for decades now. The volcano of my inner world is a crucible. However, it’s rather saturated now. I can’t teach you anything more past this point. Sect Leader Yan is a different type of beast. I have a feeling anything past Divine Core is close to Godhood. That’s not something someone like me could possibly achieve in this lifetime. I’m too attached to the things and people I adore."

Silently, Yihao took in the sight of a volcano crucible and nodded. Unlike his sister, this might be the final stage of his cultivation progress as well. However, he still had plenty of room to grow.

After exiting the boiling inner world, the air that filled his lungs felt like sweet nectar. Breathing had never felt this easy, and Yihao quickly bowed deeply.

"Thank you for showing me the way. I think I understand what to do now."

Yet, before they could start on the next leg of his training, a messenger dove from the Red Palace flew into the room. The message was brief, but Liu Guiya was too slow to stop Yihao, who had peeked over her shoulder.

"Stop!"

She attempted to hold the rash teen back, but failed when Yihao took one giant leap, leaving a huge crater hole in her yard, and disappeared past the forbidden city’s stone walls.

Clutching at her golden hairpins in distress, Liu Guiya quickly wrote a reply, informing them of the disaster that the last of three children from the Celestial Dragon Sect had gone to the enemy’s den that they had just located.