"Wha-… where are we?"

Ye Fan rubbed his forehead and squinted his eyes to help them adjust to the drastic change in light levels. He inspected his surroundings.

"Woah."

Ye Fan was speechless at the sheer amount of supernatural beauty that surrounded him. Everything was vibrant and pleasing to the eye. Behind him were lush green trees and a smooth jade path lay in front of him. At the end of the path, Ye Fan could barely make out a vast building in the distance. To his right lay a clear pool, its surface contained the image of a golden dragon flying through the air. Seeing this, he was frightened and quickly looked away. On his left was a red bamboo forest, its dense grouping made it so Ye Fan could barely see any light leaking through the other side. Something about it gave Ye Fan an uneasy feeling. Everything in this new place was truly extraordinary, even the blades of grass had an ethereal feel to them. Besides the dragon image in the pool, he didn't spot any other signs of life. Looking at his feet, he was standing on a flat rock that could seat four people comfortably. It was barely a foot in thickness. Besides its flatness and size, there was nothing remarkable about it.

Taking in a deep breath, Ye Fan could feel a strange energy permeate his insides. His meridians were widened. Although this was usually a painful ordeal for someone that hasn't cultivated, the energy was so gentle that Ye Fan didn't feel any pain. Ye Fan closed his eyes to savor the feeling. The gentle energy flowing through his pores strengthened his meridians and tempered his body. Despite not having cultivated before, Ye Fan now had the body of a cultivator in the very beginning stages of the Mortal Realm.

Although the Qi was gentle and dense, it could only do so much for Ye Fan without him using a cultivation method. He had to be careful even if he had a cultivation method. Blindly absorbing the overwhelming Qi would cause his meridians to burst, cutting off his path in cultivation. The Qi was gentle but good things have to be taken in moderation.

Standing up, he brushed off his pants and walked in the direction of the building in front of him. The other alternatives gave him an odd feeling so he temporarily put them in the back of his mind. Ye Fan hopped off the edge of the flat rock onto the jade path. Although it was smooth, his feet could still feel traction as if the mirror-like surface wasn't polished jade but a flat dirt path.

An abnormally cold breeze landed on Ye Fan's nape causing him to yelp in surprise and turn around. His eyes scanned the still lush green tree tops but found nothing abnormal. With suspicion in his eyes, he turned around slowly and scanned his surroundings. Landing on something abnormal in the dense red bamboo forest, his eyes flickered with surprise but acted as if nothing was out of place. Ye Fan walked on the path with hurried steps. He had not even made more than a few paces when a very familiar-sounding voice rang out.

"Wait… Why are you running?! I know you saw me."

Ye Fan's figure stopped immediately. Hearing the voice was a good indicator but he needed to confirm it with his own eyes. Ye Fan's eyes widened as he saw the familiar figure and he exclaimed in wonder and astonishment.

"M-Master?!"

The figure that Ye Fan had spotted and pretended to not see stepped to the edge of the red bamboo forest. Wearing blue and white silk robes, his Master wore an awkward smile; his standing figure was barely lit at the edge of the bamboo forest.

By instinct, Ye Fan was about to run over to the bamboo forest and admit his mistakes but the uneasy feeling continued to grow. Ye Fan had already made a step unconsciously while he was sorting out his thoughts. Standing up straight, Ye Fan reluctantly chose not to take another step. Seeing the hesitation on the youth's face, his "Master" yelled out once more.

"Hey, Disciple! Come over here."

With the odd way of addressing, the uneasy feeling grew and Ye Fan's hesitation continued to grow. Ye Fan decided to voice his doubts cupping his hands in respect.

"Who are you, Fellow Daoist?"

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With the thought of this man possibly being his master, Ye Fan didn't turn hostile but instead treated his "Master" warily and with due respect. His "Master" smiled wide and continued to press Ye Fan.

"Fan'er. Come over here. I've already given you permission."

Holding an amused expression, the familiar figure held his right hand behind his back and beckoned toward Ye Fan with his left hand. As he continued to hear that familiar voice coupled with the familiar figure, Ye Fan's gaze continued to grow more conflicted. There was something odd about his "Master's" mannerisms and way of speaking, but that voice and that figure couldn't be more familiar to him. And those words, they seemed to imply the conversation that they had on the mountain. Although he hadn't known his Master for a long time, the feeling of closeness that came from his Master couldn't be faked. His Master had transported him into this strange place. There shouldn't be any form of harm.

With confidence in his Master's wisdom, Ye Fan walked towards the bamboo forest. His uneasiness continued to grow with every step, but Ye Fan suppressed the feeling with all his conscious might. Showing mental fatigue, Ye Fan stopped a few paces away from the edge of the bamboo forest. The figure standing in the bamboo forest could now be fully seen.

Besides the difference in clothing and hairstyle, the figure was indistinguishable from his Master. His tanned skin had a reddish tint that came from the red bamboo and was dimly lit by the few rays that got through the dense bamboo forest. The figure had his hair untied and let down, streaming like a silky black waterfall. He held a gentle smile firmly and a barely disguised sparkle of curiosity could be seen in his eyes. Fantastical golden embroidery lined the blue-white silk robes as the figure reached his left hand through the gap in between the bamboo stems.

"Take my hand. We're going to start your training."

Hearing these words, Ye Fan's heart leaped in his chest. But no matter how hard he tried, his instincts seemed to be screaming at him to not reach out and take the hand. Ye Fan's figure trembled as he tried his best to will himself to reach out but to no avail. After about a minute of waiting, the figure's expression turned a bit awkward. Scratching his face with his pointer finger, he sighed and spoke up.

"Well, I tried. See you in the future, kid."

Hearing these words, Ye Fan stopped struggling and his expression turned for the worse. He immediately jumped back and took a defensive stance with his right palm facing the enemy. Although he was a mortal with the body of a mortal stage martial artist, any beginner-level martial artist could wipe the floor with him. The stance was just to provide a sense of security. Ye Fan questioned the figure with a fearful tone.

"Who- Who are you? What- What do you want?"

Seeing Ye Fan's fear and trepidation, the figure laughed heartily. The curious spark in his eyes seemed to grow as he promptly replied.

"What do I want? That's something your master knows best. That selfish prick! Taking all the resources for himself!!!"

Ending his statement with a furious roar, the figure's eyes turned black with glowing red pupils. Black demonic Qi swirled on his figure and his blue-white robes were encased in an ominous darkness. Pitch-black flames wrapped the red bamboo and instantly reduced the culms into ashes but sprouts grew and the towering stems were formed once more, seemingly keeping the demon entrapped.

Ye Fan's face turned a few shades lighter as he landed on his butt stunned with fear. His heart was pounding and he was frozen with fear. He had experienced the supernatural world through his master but never had he experienced something so terrifying.

"Stop scaring him. You don't have any power here."

A soft but rebuking voice rang out in the clearing from behind Ye Fan. Hearing this voice, a gentle calming effect came over him as he felt his body unfreeze. Getting to his feet with trembling feet, Ye Fan saw a beautiful figure come into view. Wearing blue-white robes, a fairy-like figure came into view. Her piercing emerald green eyes and jade-white skin were the first things that Ye Fan noticed.

"Peh, why do you have to remind me of such a horrible reality."

With mild annoyance in his expression, the figure spat on the ground beside him. The demonic figure retrieved his Qi and his figure returned to the state it was in before. He sat down on the ground. His left knee was raised and he rested his left arm casually on it while his right knee was extended to the side with his right hand resting on his thigh. It was a casual position that fit his carefree attitude.

Ignoring the demonic figure after her initial statement, the fairy turned her gentle gaze toward Ye Fan and addressed him with care.

"Are you all right? I’m sorry I was late. If I was just a bit earlier, you wouldn't have to experience this."

"Who- Who are you?"

With a dazed expression, Ye Fan could barely compose himself to ask the question.

Smiling at the dazed little boy, the fairy continued to hold his hand and answered him with satisfaction.

"I'm your Master's Martial Niece. You can call me Elder Sister Lan."

The fairy reached out her delicate hand. Ye Fan grabbed it and was pulled to his feet with a firm grip.

"Hey, Elder Sister Lan. Hand that kid over to me."

The figure in blue-white robes had cupped his left hand at the side of his mouth and directed his sentence toward the fairy. Ignoring the figure's voice, Elder Sister Lan waited for Ye Fan's answer.

"Ok… Elder Sister Lan."

Ye Fan's response was shy and faint. His face was flushed red at Elder Sister Lan's beauty and didn't dare to stare at her for too long, taking glances every few seconds. Elder Sister Lan giggled and gently pulled him along while explaining to Ye Fan.

"Your Master sent me here to get you. He's worried that you got into some trouble on the way. I'm glad I could make it before any real damage was done."

Hearing these words, Ye Fan cast his gaze on the ground in a futile attempt to hide from his embarrassment. With Ye Fan not looking at her, Elder Sister Lan's gentle gaze was conflicted as a spark of jealousy flickered through her eyes before she quickly composed herself. With firm and fast steps, she guided Ye Fan toward the building in the distance.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, the figure in the bamboo forest held his head with his left hand resting his left elbow on his leg. He yelled at Ye Fan's rapidly shrinking figure.

"If you ever change your mind, let me know! The Primordial Heavenly Demon is always taking in talents!"

As the two figures disappeared from view, the self-proclaimed Primordial Heavenly Demon conjured a wine gourd with the character for sword written in beautiful calligraphy on the side, uncapped it, and took a deep swig.