Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Yan Zaizen's eyes widened slightly. "How did you get here?" This was a genuine question as he inspected the body of white fur. It belonged to a canine, no more than a little pup. It had to be at least a few weeks old. Its fur contained traces of dirt and mud, clearly indicating its poor living conditions thus far. 

He was currently three stories high, at the edge of a roof with no entrances. How did this little dog get here?

"Urrhmm!" A cute whimper rumbled from its throat as it nudged the edge of the food platter. Its bright black eyes shone without a hint of impurities or ill-intent as it regarded Yan Zaizen. Yan Zaizen couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity in his heart as he witnessed this, emotions welling in his soul. 

"You're lost, aren't you?" He asked, reaching out to touch its fur. But, it took a few abrupt steps back with a whimper here and there, displaying vigilance. Chuckling with a lighthearted air, Yan Zaizen felt this dog was polite, respectful, and cautious. It wanted food, but it didn't dare steal. 

Rumble!

Just like his stomach before, the little pup's stomach rumbled in hunger. "You're hungry too," he smilingly said. With a push of the platter, he offered what was left. The pup's eyes lit like a sun before digging in. It seemed that once offered to eat to its delight, it showed no restraint. How innocent.

While it quietly devoured the fruits and meat leftovers with its pink tongue and small white teeth, Yan Zaizen finally got a clear look at its breed and gender. It was male, and seemed to be a crossbred between a husky and a mastiff. Its puppy stage was abnormally cute, and its dirty and muddy hair made it seem like a wild hedgehog. 

"So you're the loyal type?" Yan Zaizen remarked. But, his mind kept trying to figure out how this dog with its tiny legs and fragile body made it to the rooftop of a third story building without him noticing. It was almost as if it appeared out of nowhere. Rubbing his chin, he became lost in thought.

"He did it! He did it!" A very loud shout resounded. It originated from the Soaring Sword Sect's ongoing qualification assessment for disciples. This brought his attention away. Below, on the Earth banner platform, Long Bailin was heaving heavily with a sword in his hand. The young disciple of the sect was kneeling, a hint of unwillingness in his gaze as he stared daggers at Long Bailin.

Long Baili had a triumphant smile. He brandished his sword with grace, before sheathing it. His eyes roamed to soak in the reverence of the crowd until he met Long Wulin and the beauty's figures. His gaze lingered, flashing contempt and pride. 

While Long Wulin didn't show any outward expression, Yan Zaizen could see the light within his eyes. It was intent to exceed and prove his worth, but only to himself and the world. This form of intent felt quite shocking.

"Nascent Dao?" Yan Zaizen murmured softly as he recognized the aura of a developing Dao. While it was in its most infantile state, it was present. 

"The Dao is the path to the heavens. Whether its your own or another's, it was required. However, one's own Dao was the strongest and held boundless potential." Yan Zaizen emotionally spoke. The energy that a Dao emits can improve all cultivation paths and acts as the connecting seams to a Heavenly Shrine. 

This young man had a Nascent Dao, his own Dao forming. If he succeeded, he would be a true elite of this world. His future was inestimable and limitless as long as life still existed in his soul. 

Clatter!

The puppy had finished its meal, turning the remains into bones or nothingness. Yan Zaizen was taken aback as he glanced at its slightly protruding belly. It laid on its back and yawned out in content, rolling back and forth while using its tiny paws to rub its belly.

"How cute…" he couldn't help but remark. Grabbing the puppy, he placed it on his lap. Unlike before, it held little vigilance to Yan Zaizen, not reacting much, and only nuzzled his thigh until it got into a comfortable position. With a yawn, it smacked its lips and laid down its head. 

Watching the puppy about to sleep, Yan Zaizen softly chuckled as he rubbed its dirty fur. "You truly are innocent," his words contained a hint of nostalgia. When he was young, he was ignorant of many things and wished for little. Besides perverted thoughts and food, the only things he cared about was Ya Qinqan's happiness, his parent's burial tomb, and his little life.

When he was inadvertently and forcefully brought into the cultivation world by his master, he met his Senior Sister Lin Feilin and Senior Brother Shin Xuanji. Her drive for the future pushed him to truly devote his mind to cultivation and led down a brilliant path.

He was thrown into an unknown land, nearly married off, schemed against, turned into a slave, made his first true friend, met his first love(although he hadn't known at the time), became an expert, met the Xiantu Realm's Lord, and more. Much, much more.

He was lost in his memories when a commotion too loud to ignore resounded. Below, Long Wulin seemed to have had an epic battle against the Heaven banner female disciple, and edged out an unexpected victory. Even the examiner had a shocked expression, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Long Bailin's mouth was agape, his eyes shaking and his aura was slightly disorderly. From the light in his eyes, it seemed to event was causing his mental state to become distorted and unhinged. Yan Zaizen could see flaming hatred and fear within his eyes. This fear stemmed from Long Wulin's potential and current strength.

"It's likely he'll act to kill this Wu fellow now, but as he lacks personal strength, he'll probably instigate members of their sect." Yan Zaizen felt the entire event was intriguing. Then, a notion occurred in his heart. However, it was faint. 

The puppet awoke due to the commotion and rolled onto its back on Yan Zaizen's thigh. Its pure eyes looked at Yan Zaizen's own and he felt a trembling in his heart. While it didn't speak, it conveyed an unfathomable feeling to his heart. It was incredibly familiar yet he couldn't pinpoint it.

"You're...not normal, are you?" As he regarded this white puppy once more, he realized that sentence was truer and truer. He simply could not discover what. However, he felt like his impulse before meeting the puppy's eyes were clearer and refreshed. 

He laughed softly to himself. "Fine. Since the Herculean Physique's initial stages only need hard work and time, I can do that anywhere. Be it here or a sect. So, let's enter a sect! I want to see how this Long Wulin's fate will change and why I sense a familiar aura from his body." After deciding thus, he picked the puppet up into his arms and stood at the edge of the roof.

He thought, "this puppy, Long Wulin, and that familiar sensation. There is definitely something happening here." He felt his path was driven, maybe even with fate's hand. His eyebrows slanted slightly at the thought, but he felt that fate wasn't set, but likely influenced events by the various universes themselves.

While this soul and body wasn't a Non-Entity, his original body was. As for his original soul, the Black Hole made it even more unfathomable.

With a push, he leapt off the building and landed on the ground. His legs were immensely powerful, so dropping from three stories was a minor matter. An animalistic giggle resounded, as the puppy in his arms waved its small paws and wore a smile. It seemed to say, "Again, again!"

Yan Zaizen couldn't help but still be taken aback at how cute this little fellow was. Unfortunately, its dirty fur made it look like a wild pup, unwanted and abandoned by its family. Holding the puppy closer to his chest, he said, "Let's get you cleaned up first."

A few minutes later, Yan Zaizen arrived at the center of the commotion with a white puppy in his arms, its clear eyes and cuteness attracting all sorts of gazes. Thanks to Yan Zaizen's Herculean Physique and original moulding, he was as handsome as ever with amber-gold eyes as gorgeous as stars. With pearly white teeth, he noted the examiner had nearly finished examining all the young children. Out of the hundreds he inspected, only eight were placed together at the side. The rest were with their parents, some even crying as they felt they had let down their parents wishes.

The Heaven, Earth, and Man banners were still there, but the Heaven banner's female disciple was in the midst of recovering after that intense battle with Long Wulin. There was someone who thought to take advantage of her weakness, but their heads were severed from their body, sent to the netherworld within seconds.

Since then, no one dared to challenge her.

When Yan Zaizen arrived, he truly did bring all sorts of attention to himself. His looks and aura were profound and contained a hint of imposing. The examiner took a pause when he noticed Yan Zaizen, his eyes flashing with surprise.

"A body refiner?" The examiner said softly. A body refiner was referred to someone who took the Fiendgod Path, cultivating their vital energies and bloodline of their bodies. In the Xiantu Realm, the Fiendgod Path wasn't that popular, but it existed. The three most popular paths were the Beastial Path, Essence(Heavenly) Path, and Soul Source Path.

Of course, the Soul Source Path was still very minor in comparison to the other two.

Yan Zaizen had vital energies borne and refined by the Immortal Herculean Method. While the method didn't focus on vital energies, it cultivated the body and produced a unique type of vital energy. He didn't bother correcting the examiner. He simply smiled and said, "I wish to challenge the Earth banner, is that okay?"

Unbeknownst to him, this was his first step to a sequence of events that will lead him to facing the Heavenly God himself!