Yu Xuan woke slowly.

The first thing he saw was Hundun standing in front of him.

"The ceremony is complete, you should also know that the war will begin in approximately two years." Hundun said directly in his mind.

Yu Xuan blinked, still slightly disoriented.

Hundun continued without pause.

"For now, focus on digesting the gains you received from the ceremony and when you are done, meet me again."

There was a brief pause.

Then Hundun changed his stance.

"Actually... I will instead grant authority to Ximen Juesheng. He will oversee how you form your Supreme Will."

Before Yu Xuan could respond.

Space folded.

In the next instant he found himself back, inside the massive Path Enlightening Tree.

Hundun’s voice echoed one final time in his mind.

"Oh, and do not share what you saw during the ceremony with anyone. To ensure this, I have placed a seal upon you, so even if you are influenced, forced, or say something accidentally you will not reveal it."

The presence vanished.

Silence returned.

Yu Xuan looked around the familiar surroundings and let out a quiet sigh.

This time he didn’t speak aloud.

Instead, he thought quietly to himself.

’So that’s why the system has been so quiet.’

And now he understood why.

If beings powerful enough to manipulate timelines were present here, then detecting something like his system would not be impossible.

The safest option was dormancy.

Luckily the system had not been discovered.

It was merely inactive.

For now.

Yu Xuan closed his eyes and began reviewing what he had gained from the ceremony.

His memories regarding his physique surfaced clearly.

The [Darkness & Light Origin Physique]

More importantly.

The method to manipulate its power.

The future version of himself had demonstrated something terrifying.

Rejected beings.

Creatures that did not belong within the Heavens.

Through a specific manipulation of his origin power.

They could be absorbed.

Refined.

And turned into nourishment.

Yu Xuan frowned slightly.

He wasn’t sure he could control it the way that future version of himself had.

That level of mastery was far beyond him right now.

Still.

If he could truly learn to use that ability...

Then defeating the entity responsible for this sealed world might grant him something incredible. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

A method to isolate and trap powerful beings.

A domain similar to the one he was in.

Yu Xuan shook his head.

That was far too distant to consider right now.

What mattered was the present.

And the present was simple.

The war that Hundun had mentioned.

Two years.

That was all the time he had.

Yu Xuan steadied his breathing and focused inward.

Whatever role awaited him in that war.

It was clearly not a small one.

***

One year later...

During this entire year, Yu Xuan never stepped outside the tree.

Not even once.

The Path Enlightening Tree had become both his training ground and his refuge.

Day after day, he focused on refining his control over the power of his [Darkness & Light Origin Physique] the very power his future self had demonstrated during the Future Blessing Ceremony.

He experimented constantly.

Allowing the two opposing forces of darkness and light to merge, separate, and flow through his body in countless variations.

Every attempt gave him a deeper understanding of how his physique truly worked.

No one came to disturb him during this time.

Not a single visitor.

But that did not mean the realm had become peaceful.

Quite the opposite.

All the ancient beings within this sealed world were busy preparing for the coming war.

A war that would begin in less than a year.

Yu Xuan knew that there were likely many more opportunities scattered across this place – inheritances, teachings, encounters with legendary figures.

Yet he ignored them.

Because the words of his future self still echoed clearly in his mind.

The last advice he had received before that future version vanished.

’Do not trust anyone. Whether it is goodwill or not, it still sows karma. And if you encounter an enemy whose presence you cannot tolerate, kill them by any means necessary. Even if it means starting a war.’

Those words lingered in his thoughts like a shadow.

Yu Xuan did not fully understand why his future self had said them.

But instinctively.

He chose to follow his own advice.

After all, if he had to choose between trusting an unknown ancient being or trusting himself...

The choice was obvious.

Still, training his physique was not the only thing he worked on this year.

His sword technique improved steadily.

Until they became sharper and more efficient.

He also practiced his magic spells repeatedly.

Although he had briefly considered purchasing new spells through the system, he ultimately decided against using it for now.

Instead, he perfected the spells he already possessed, adapting them for different situations, even though most of them were support-oriented abilities.

At the same time, he continued exploring [The Formless Martial Path], attempting to integrate it with his physique.

His goal was simple.

Every motion.

Every gesture.

Every breath.

Should carry lethal power to kill those beings.

By the end of the year, Yu Xuan could clearly feel the difference. Compared to a year ago, he had grown far stronger.

Yu Xuan slowly opened his eyes within the quiet tree.

In the grand scale of things, a single year might seem insignificant.

Yet for him.

It was a year in which he had taken a tremendous step forward.

What Yu Xuan did not realize, however, was that the tree itself had played a significant role in this transformation.

The Path Enlightening Tree was not merely a place for meditation.

It greatly sharpened the mind, clarified understanding, and accelerated comprehension.

Opportunities like this were exceedingly rare.

Many cultivators would spend entire lifetimes without encountering such a place even once.

Yu Xuan stood up slowly, feeling power circulating through his entire body.

Even so, he did not grow arrogant enough to believe he had become truly strong.

He understood too well that in this realm, the beings around him could crush worlds without effort.

"Now it’s time for that," he murmured.

The awakening of his Supreme Will was approaching.

Without wasting another moment, Yu Xuan stepped out of the tree and began searching for Ximen Juesheng.