"If you're afraid, then why did you agree to join the sect? You could have stayed here in the village with the others."
Just like Tian Yang's memories, Yuan repeated his words to Meng Lili.
"Although I am afraid of the cultivation world, there is something I am even more afraid of— the feeling of being powerless," she responded with a solemn look on her face.
Yuan watched everything unfold as usual, silently wondering when he would finally be allowed to begin the last trial.
However, he quickly realized that, unlike regaining his memories, which occurred in the blink of an eye, he was now reliving them second by second.
Every movement, every breath, every word that was uttered—Yuan felt himself living through it all, as though the past had become reality.
Time continued to pass, and the events unfolded just as they had before, from entering the Immortal Monastery to performing chores in the Bamboo Garden.
Then he began his life as an Outer Court disciple, constantly pushing himself to the limit in the hunting grounds, where he met Elder Sun.
After many years, he finally became an Inner Court disciple, and before he knew it, he was already preparing for the upcoming Core Disciple examination. To ready himself, he chose to train in the Desolate Continent, a land infamous for its brutal environment and fearsome beasts.
On his way to the Desolate Continent, he encountered a particular young lady and her family.
"I am Inner Disciple Huang Xiao Li! It's an honor to meet you, Senior Brother!"
After their fateful meeting, Tian Yang and the Huang Family boarded a ship bound for the Desolate Continent.
Unfortunately, during their journey, they encountered a Flying Leviathan—an infamous, rare sea beast that had dragged countless ships to their doom and devoured innumerable lives.
Although they had managed to escape the ship with a flying treasure before the Flying Leviathan destroyed it, they were unable to escape its attention, and it quickly chased after them.
During the chase, they encountered a second sea beast, an entity of incomprehensible might, far beyond anything they understood.
While Tian Yang and Huang Xiao Li managed to escape using a life-saving treasure Tian Yang hadn't even known he possessed at the time, the rest of the Huang Family was not so fortunate.
Unaware that her family had already perished, Huang Xiao Li traversed the Desolate Continent with Tian Yang, hoping to find them.
Tian Yang's relationship with Huang Xiao Li deepened over the course of their journey, and the two eventually became lovers.
But their blissful days were short-lived. The Gold and Money Bandits appeared, forcing them into a desperate escape. And as if fate itself were against them, a barrier suddenly rose around the entire continent, sealing it off entirely and preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
Huang Xiao Li was killed by the bandits during the chase, and Tian Yang would have lost his life as well if not for Kulas' intervention.
"I'm Kulas, what about you?"
After learning the situation from Kulas, Tian Yang agreed to enter Han Zexian's Tomb with him.
Right before the tomb opened, Tian Yang encountered Elder Sun and learned about the life-saving treasure she had secretly given him.
However, instead of feeling grateful, Tian Yang was furious. He blamed Elder Sun for Huang Xiao Li's death, because if he had known about the treasure beforehand, they would never have attracted the bandits' attention, and he might have even been able to save her family.
Elder Sun was so shocked by Tian Yang's outburst that she couldn't even say anything before he left, ending their relationship there.
Once the tomb opened, Tian Yang and Kulas entered and undertook its trials, obtaining numerous valuable treasures and learning powerful techniques that greatly increased their strength. Their bond strengthened through it all, evolving from friendship into something akin to brotherhood, especially after they clashed with Gu Lim.
Tian Yang also met a unique woman named Ren Xia, who was Kulas' fiancée at the time.
"Not only are you not fearful of the Immortal Clans, but you even dare to go against them… What an interesting man…"
However, Kulas and Ren Xia showed obvious disdain for one another, largely because their engagement had been arranged by their families, and the two didn't like each other.
Ren Xia joined their journey briefly before going her own way, and Kulas had achieved his goal at Han Zexian's Tomb with Tian Yang's help, obtaining the Great Mammoth Body Refinement technique.
Eventually, they discovered the location of Han Zexian's legacy and made their way to it. However, the Immortal Clans had arrived first and already seized the entire site.
Tian Yang had no intention of getting anywhere near the place, especially since he had killed Gu Lim and was being hunted by the Gu Family.
However, Han Zexian's legacy had other plans for him and forcefully dragged him to the entrance.
Since he was powerless against the Immortal Clans, Tian Yang had no choice but to enter the mountain that housed Han Zexian's legacy—a place only he could access, having received the legacy's approval.
Inside, he discovered the existence of beings far beyond their comprehension and even learned the method to communicate with one of them.
While Tian Yang spent many years secluded within the mountain, Kulas was captured by the Immortal Clans and subjected to relentless interrogation and years of torture.
When Tian Yang finally left Han Zexian's tomb after many long years, he immediately sought out Ren Xia, hoping to learn what had become of Kulas.
That was when he discovered the truth of Kulas' fate.
At this point, Yuan wondered if the final trial was just going to show him all of Tian Yang's experiences.
And since he was still missing many of Tian Yang's memories, he hoped that would be the case.
Some years later, Tian Yang and Ren Xia worked together to free Kulas from the Immortal Confinement Dungeon.
After that, Tian Yang and Ren Xia continued messing with the Immortal Clans until a particular rumor of a certain individual began to spread.