Beastbound Hollow. Hidden deep within the crater of an ancient, long-dormant volcano, the cave was shrouded in an unsettling stillness. Only the faint crackle of energy emanating from the intricate markings on the stone walls broke the silence. Devor and Yulin sat across from one another, the tension between them thick with emotions left unspoken.

  "Are you really sure about this?" Yulin asked, her gaze lingering on the nine black boxes laid out between them.

  Devor took a slow breath, his fingers grazing the cool stone beneath him. The weight of his decision pressed down on him, but his resolve was unwavering.

  "I'm sure," he said, his voice steady, though it barely masked the turmoil inside. "Senior Sister, sell four of the seeds for Spirit Stones. Use the rest to get the Earth-Grade Seeds I told you about."

  Yulin scrutinized him, her sharp eyes searching for any trace of doubt. She knew how much this meant to him—the countless nights he’d spent in the garden, obsessively trying to turn the impossible into something real.

  "Alright," she finally replied, her voice gentle, yet tinged with hesitation. With careful hands, she gathered the black boxes, sliding them into her Spatial Ring. "The sect gives a fair trade, as long as they’ve got the stock. But... are you really okay with this?"

  "Thank you, Senior Sister," Devor said, his tone steady as he brushed aside her concern. "I’m sure about this." His words were sincere, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of regret that he couldn’t quite suppress.

  Yulin’s expression softened, but her worry remained. To her, Devor wasn’t just another disciple. He was family—stubborn and brilliant, but so often blind to his own flaws.

  "About that Sword Technique you were thinking about," Yulin said, her tone shifting to something more serious. "I’d recommend pairing it with a Body Refining Technique. Strengthening your body will make your swordsmanship much more effective."

  Devor frowned and crossed his arms, mulling over her suggestion. "I’d rather focus on one thing at a time," he said after a pause. "Once I’ve got the basics of the Sword Technique down, I’ll think about Body Refining."

  Yulin's eyes sharpened, her patience clearly wearing thin. "That’s a mistake," she said, her voice firm and direct. She leaned forward, her brows drawn in with the weight of experience. "Sword training does help strengthen your body, but only a little. If you combine it with Body Refining, the benefits double. The two techniques work together, not against each other."

  Devor opened his mouth to argue, but hesitated. Her words were logical, and he couldn’t ignore the sense in them.

  "I’ll bring you a Body Refining Technique next time we meet," Yulin continued, her tone leaving no room for discussion. "You’ve got great potential, Devor, but you’re too absorbed in your Spiritual Plants. You forget that strength is the foundation of survival in the cultivation world."

  Devor sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew she was right, even if he didn’t like hearing it.

  "Without real power, how are you going to protect what you’ve got?" Yulin pressed, her voice a mix of frustration and concern. "Do you think I study Alchemy and Martial Arts just for fun? No. I do it because being a one-dimensional cultivator is asking for trouble."

  Devor lowered his head, a flicker of shame crossing his face.

  Yulin noticed but didn’t relent. She had held back for too long, but after everything that had happened to him, she couldn’t stay quiet anymore.

  "Being a Spiritual Farmer is important, I get that," she said, her voice softening but still firm. "But it doesn’t really build your strength. It’s one of the weakest paths for a cultivator. That’s why so few people take it seriously. It’s useful, sure, but it won’t save you when things get rough."

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  Her words hit Devor like a physical blow. He’d always prided himself on his work as a Spiritual Farmer, on his ability to nurture life and create thriving ecosystems. But now, hearing her harsh truths, he couldn’t deny the weaknesses in his approach.

  In the world of cultivation, Spiritual Farmers were essential for providing resources—raw materials for alchemy, formations, and more. But their contributions often went unnoticed compared to the power and prestige of Alchemists, Combat Specialists, and others who commanded respect.

  Devor clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. Yulin’s words hurt, but he knew they came from a place of care, not malice.

  "I understand," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I’ll think about what you’ve said."

  "You’d better," Yulin responded, though her tone had softened. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "I’m saying this because I believe in you. Don’t waste your potential by limiting yourself."

  Devor nodded slowly, meeting Yulin's gaze with renewed resolve. "I won’t forget. I’ll figure it out, Senior Sister."

  When compared to fields like Alchemy, which refined a cultivator's control over energy, or Forging, which built their physical strength, Spiritual Farming was undeniably limited. It might offer a slight boost to energy control, but the gains were so minimal that they hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things.

  "In the end, the cultivation world is all about real power," Yulin said, her voice sharp and unyielding. "Even if, by some miracle, you managed to become a Sage through farming alone, a stronger cultivator could take everything you've built with a single blow."

  Her words struck Devor like a cold gust of wind. The bluntness of her tone cut deeper than he expected. Yulin, who had always spoken with warmth and compassion, now seemed distant, almost indifferent. It wasn’t her anger that unsettled him—it was the raw truth in what she said.

  Yulin, who had once shielded him from the harsher sides of cultivation, was no longer pulling punches. She wasn’t going to coddle him anymore. If he kept following his current path, he’d be crushed by the unforgiving world of cultivators.

  "What will you do when you face an enemy? If you get the chance to strike first, where would you aim?" Yulin demanded, her sharp gaze never leaving him.

  Devor hesitated, his mind racing for an answer, but every response he came up with was met by a disapproving frown or a shake of her head.

  "Wrong!" Yulin snapped, her voice sharp. "You don’t hesitate. You don’t overthink. You strike where it hurts the most—where your enemy is weakest. That’s how you survive!"

  Her words stung, not out of cruelty, but because they exposed how naive Devor had been. For almost an hour, Yulin tore through his defenses, pointing out his flaws, his blind spots, and the uncomfortable truths he had avoided for far too long.

  To Devor, it felt like being thrown into a storm with no shelter. But for Yulin, this was necessary. She had held her frustrations inside for far too long. Her words weren’t meant to break him—they were meant to wake him up.

  When Yulin finally finished, her expression softened. She exhaled deeply, her shoulders relaxing. A rare, genuine smile crossed her face, a sharp contrast to the intensity of her earlier tone.

  Devor blinked, confused. Was that... relief? Had he just become her emotional outlet?

  What he didn’t know was that Yulin had been deeply worried. For weeks, she had watched as Devor seemed trapped in his routines, pouring all his energy into Spiritual Farming and neglecting the broader path of cultivation. When she saw the perfectly maintained Spiritual Land in his cave, her fears only grew.

  To her, it felt like the sect wasn’t pushing him hard enough, letting him stay stagnant. But when Devor asked her to bring him sword techniques and foundational knowledge, something in her shifted.

  He was moving forward. Slowly, maybe hesitantly, but he was taking steps to leave his past behind and embrace the path of a true cultivator.

  That simple realization lifted a weight from Yulin’s chest.

  "I’ll return in a month," she said, her voice softer now. "Don’t waste this chance, Devor."

  As Yulin walked out of the cave, Devor stayed seated, his gaze lingering on the now-quiet entrance. A warmth spread through his chest—unfamiliar but comforting. It was the warmth of care, of family. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  He rubbed his nose, blinking away the sudden moisture in his eyes.

  After a moment, he turned his attention to the pile of scrolls and manuals Yulin had left behind. Among them was the Sword Technique manual she had spoken of so passionately.

  "If I want to survive… if I want to protect what’s mine... I need power," Devor muttered to himself, his voice quiet but filled with resolve.

  With new determination, he opened the manual and began reading, absorbing every word with intense focus.

  Unbeknownst to him, as he studied, his Ultimate Comprehension ability quietly advanced to level three, subtly enhancing his understanding.