In the following weeks, Reyn watches Ye Ming with approval as all of his abilities improve to the point that Reyn is adding more challenges to the assigned tasks to maintain the back-breaking pace. Sometimes while watching Reyn would catch glimpses of Ye Ming’s possible future. And when she did, Reyn’s Demon King blood would boil most eagerly with bloodlust as if famished for battle.

During her down time, Reyn would sometimes switch places with her shadow and go to work or simply eat breakfast with the beggar man at the park, who happened to be named, Lín He. As it would turn out to Reyn’s grand embarrassment, she would learn that Lín He is not a beggar but just a lazy old man. Regardless of that point, Reyn didn’t trust Lín He’s coincidental appearance as he wasn’t exactly what he appeared to be either. But for now, Reyn would continue their association as it is always better to keep your enemies close and your friends closer.

As such, Reyn’s switching places with her shadow clone would only be limited to once per week given Ye Ming’s current crucial state in training. In fact, Ye Ming was improving by leap and bounds as just the day before, Ye Ming had successfully climbed the cliff in just under 5 minutes. Naturally, Reyn couldn’t allow the kid to get cocky and added weights to his cliff climbing exercise.

During one of their sparing session Reyn’s eyes suddenly flicker with surprise and so unexpectedly, but rather purposefully she catches Ye Ming’s fist with her bare hand and says, “Enough! Meditate until nighttime.” And without waiting for Ye Ming’s reply, Reyn heads into the log cabin.

Ye Ming blinks in surprise and slowly lowers his arm as he calls out to the retreating figure, “Yes, Master.”

Ye Ming hastily sits down in the middle of the clearing and does as he is told. The wilderness sound’s in the background soon fade away from his mind one by one. Time trickles slowly by until he once more is on the verge of hearing something just out of his hearing’s reach. Suddenly, a sharp, egg cracking sound is heard causing Ye Ming to almost to faint at the sharp pain.

Not allowing himself to lose this vital breakthrough moment, Ye Ming grits down on his teeth and remains still. The cracking sounds grow even more louder and painful as his ears and body feel as if about to explode under the pressure. However, suddenly the pressure lifts with a final crack as a wonderous breeze flutters across his face causing Ye Ming to open his eyes.

Ye Ming blinks with surprise at finding himself standing next to a tall tree floating on an island in the middle of endless darkness. Bright golden lights surround the tree as a river of those pulsing lights vanish into the tree truck to be breathed back out as globes of azure colored light.

Taking a deep breath of the energy charged air, Ye Ming even feels his body and mind become refreshed as the exhaustion simply disappears from his body. Satisfied, Ye Ming sits down cross legged on the soft green grass covered ground and leans back to rest against the trunk of the tree. Ye Ming instinctively finds himself matching his breathing in and out as the flow of time seems to cease. It’s as though the Tree and Ye Ming, slowly became one until Ye Ming no longer needed to breath with his body, but instead just merely through the majestic tree.

An unknown amount of time goes by, but when Ye Ming opens his eyes once more to his surprise he finds himself once more in the dark mountain clearing. Ye Ming blankly glances around unable to believe he was back. Grinning with disbelief, Ye Ming flexes his body and grins cheerfully at feeling his body enter the 1st rank of cultivation. Finally, he had started on his path back to road of cultivation! With a tired, but satisfied grunt, Ye Ming climbs to his feet and stretches his stiff body, before returning to the log cabin.

Reyn had made potato stew for dinner and hands Ye Ming a warm bowl the moment he walks in through the open door. Ye Ming hungrily finishes the soup and holds out his bowl for another serving as Reyn once more wordlessly fills his bowl to the brim. After a while, Ye Ming asks, “Master, what is that Tree?”

Reyn smiles and says, “That is the World Tree seed I planted into your chest. It’s finally matured enough for you to begin to absorb mana. Were you able to match your breathing to your World Tree?”

Ye Ming nods his head and says, “I felt as though I didn’t even need to breathe anymore, but instead it would simply be enough to breathe through my chest.”

“You literally won’t need to breathe in the future once your tree grows large enough and at which point your World Tree will breathe for you as it draws in the mana of the world,” Reyn replied as she glances at the fireplace, before adding, “From now on, Ye Ming, I will expect you to complete your regular training on your own by dawn. Afterwards, you will train and meditate on your own except for our regular sparring sessions in the afternoon. And given your current strength tiger-sama is no longer a worthy opponent for you, you no longer need to play with him.”

Ye Ming perks up at those last words and cheerfully says, “Of course, Master.”

Reyn snorts at Ye Ming’s cheerful expression but does not burst the poor kids bubble as she watches him hungrily eat. Finished eating, Reyn motions for Ye Ming to follow her outside. In her hand, Reyn holds several different colored flower petals in her outstretched hand. “Now, that you have awakened your World Tree it is time to test your innate elements.”

Ye Ming blinks in bewilderment as Reyn motions to him to pick a flower petal. Annoyed at Ye Ming’s bewildered expression, Reyn flatly says, “Just pick the ones that feel right to you.”

Ye Ming instinctively avoids touching the rose petal and gently picks up a small thistle and a dandelion. “I thought that would be the case,” Reyn muttered to herself. Glancing up at Ye Ming, Reyn plainly states the results, “You have an affiliation for Lightening, which should come as no surprise to you. But surprisingly, you have an affiliation to Wind as well.”

Ye Ming blinks with surprise and excitement as he says, “Really?”

“Yes,” Reyn drily answered back.

With wide curious eyes, Ye Ming asks, “Then what are master’s element affiliations?”

“None of your business,” Reyn firmly growled back.

Ye Ming blinks in surprise at the response as Reyn grumbles, “Given your abilities I guess I’ll teach you my own self-created technique.” Reyn pauses to mutter under her breath as she privately comments to herself, “That would have been hell-a handy back then.”

Luckily, Ye Ming failed to overhear Reyn’s last words as Reyn grabs a stick and draws a perfectly symmetrical circle around herself. “The Sphere Domain is its very own domain. For within the sphere there is none that can defeat you. For as long as ye remain standing, ye are more than yourself but a God within your own domain,” Reyn firmly declared.

Ye Ming’s eyes widen as Reyn continues, “Don’t fear being caught by your enemies. For it is within that fatal nearness that the table can be turned. All that is needed is a single move and the game is won. The first stance is Sphere Strike, soft like water and hard like stone.”

Reyn lets out her held in breath and merely moves her arm back and then straight forward as she opens her hand up into a palm strike. A blast of energy surges outward as the energy explodes straight outward and vaporizes the tree’s in front of her into ashes.

Ye Ming just gapes as Reyn lets out an unhappy sound. “Sheesh, I used less than 1/100th of my full strength,” Reyn privately grunted to herself. It’s not that she was unhappy at Ye Ming’s response. But rather, she was unhappy that Ye Ming was impressed by her pathetic display of power. How could a Demon King’s subordinate be so easily impressed?! It is pitiful in her opinion, really.