Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change
Liu Zai Hang looked at Scarlet King with clear admiration for his composure and muttered in a low voice:
"This kid really interests me."
Liu Zai Hang moved, grabbed Scarlet King, and flew deep into the sect. They descended at a massive, traditional Chinese palace located forty-four billion kilometers away from the prison. Within five seconds, Liu Zai Hang was standing before the palace gates. He set the small Scarlet King down on the ground and smiled.
"We'll begin your training now. I'll explain the Primordial Origin World and cultivation within this vast existence."
Scarlet King asked indifferently:
"How big is this palace?"
Liu Zai Hang replied:
"Thirty million kilometers in size. To a small disciple, it probably looks enormous."
Scarlet King shrugged and thought to himself:
(In the Immortal Dimensions, even small houses span entire universes. This palace is nothing more than a speck to someone like me who has seen everything.)
[Inside]
Scarlet King sat within the vast palace, in an open-air training chamber atop a high mountain.
As Liu Zai Hang shattered blue primordial stones around Scarlet King—while Scarlet King cultivated—he spoke:
"We train closer to heaven and earth. That's why training grounds are built on mountains: they're quiet, isolated, and suitable for cultivation. They allow one to approach the Dao and raise one's cultivation level."
"In this world, dimensions expand infinitely and at immeasurable speed, starting from the First Dimension. Their size can be considered infinite. The higher the dimension, the faster this immeasurable expansion becomes—and the gap between levels is terrifying."
Scarlet King asked without stopping his cultivation:
"And the primordial stones?"
Liu Zai Hang replied:
"Naughty brat—don't ask questions while cultivating. Primordial stones are divided into red, green, blue, purple, and white/black. Every dimension contains the same types of stones, but the quantity and purity of qi within them differ, which is why their colors differ."
"For example, in the Second Dimension, one red primordial stone is equivalent to ten white/black stones from the First Dimension, due to the difference in qi quantity and purity. There are primordial stone mines, but they're extremely rare—especially blue and purple ones. White and black stones exist only in the Immortal Dimensions. This sect owns four mines: two red, one green, and one blue."
"The First Dimension consists of infinite universes due to immeasurable expansion. And how do dimensions expand? Because of the Primordial Chaos that exists outside dimensional boundaries. That is where the Chaos Clan resides—one of the four fundamental enemies of existence. The others are the Sacred Collapse Court, the Inverse Existential Demonic Dimensions, and darkness itself."
Scarlet King thought calmly:
(I need to keep asking questions so I don't seem like an ancient being reborn.)
Liu Zai Hang continued, glancing at Scarlet King as he took out a purple primordial stone and crushed it. Qi flooded the air, which Scarlet King absorbed smoothly.
"There are twenty-two dimensions in existence: the classical existential dimensions we inhabit now, and the inverse existential demonic dimensions. In the Second Dimension, infinite universes are formed, and within each universe exist infinite universes. The Third Dimension is the same—universes within universes—repeating all the way to the Eleventh Dimension. Both dimensional domains share many similarities."
"Each dimension has its own laws, flow of time, and qualitative superiority. The same applies to universes within dimensions: every universe has different laws, time, and rules, yet all are governed by the laws of the higher dimension they belong to."
Liu Zai Hang stopped crushing stones and tapped Scarlet King on the forehead. Scarlet King's expression didn't change—blank, like a corpse moving without breath, emotion, or feeling. Only the goal mattered; everything else was noise.
Liu Zai Hang said:
"Training for today is over. It's time to eat. We'll have charred chicken—you'll see your master use the Path of Fire."
Scarlet King asked with feigned curiosity:
"Master, you cultivate the Path of Fire, but the other disciples don't cultivate any path. Why?"
Liu Zai Hang replied as he grabbed a chicken and set it ablaze with scorching blue flames:
"That's because I've reached the Path Initiation Realm, which finally allows one to choose a cultivation path. The other disciples haven't reached this realm yet, so they can't choose theirs."
"There is one primary cultivation path you can cultivate, twenty-two secondary paths you may cultivate, and an unlimited number of side paths. However, cultivating too many side paths is dangerous if you can't control them."
"There's also the Path Completion Realm—it determines your fate: whether you continue cultivating or not. It's one of the realms of the Third Dimension. If you fail there, you'll never cultivate again, because you won't be able to surpass it."
Liu Zai Hang's voice lowered, a trace of danger surfacing:
"The only person who ever broke this rule… was the Devil of Rebirth—who possessed three primary cultivation paths: the Path of Rebirth, the Path of Perseverance, and the Path of Benefit."
"Power Stones + rating, please"