"Yeah, I don't know what happened either, I just ended up like this. Did we turn into ghosts?" Henry Stone asked anxiously.

"Ghosts?" The man gave a wry smile, sighing inwardly: Is this kid really stupid or just pretending? In the cultivation world, countless brilliant geniuses spend their whole lives secluded in their caves, painstakingly cultivating, yet most of them can never reach the 'Nascent Soul' stage—yet he calls it being a 'ghost'?

Suddenly, a jolt of alarm shot through his heart, and he became wary: Could this kid be pretending to be dumb on purpose, sent by some enemy to plot against me?

But as soon as this thought arose, he dismissed it himself. This kid's nascent soul was incredibly solid, and just now he crossed dozens of meters in a single step without the slightest sign of sluggishness—clearly, his nascent soul was far stronger than mine. If he wanted to harm me, there would be no need for such petty tricks.

He chuckled and asked, "Who are you? How did you end up like this?"

Henry Stone recounted his experiences in detail. The two of them sat on that big rock, and the conversation lasted for half an hour. Henry Stone had been troubled for a long time, and finally found someone to confide in, so he poured out everything like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, even mentioning his recent worries about the villagers' conscription.

The man was utterly shocked: Struck by lightning and ended up with a nascent soul? And such a solid one at that!

Moreover, after the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the man felt that, just by staying near Henry Stone, his own nascent soul seemed to be solidifying further—at least his legs were no longer turning ethereal. This was something that hadn't happened in the hundreds of years since he had condensed his nascent soul.

Vaguely, he seemed to understand some key point. Perhaps the crucial secret lay in that bolt of heavenly lightning.

Having made up his mind, he stood up and said, "I don't know how you ended up like this, little friend, but I do have a way to solve your troubles."

Henry Stone was overjoyed. "Really!?"

The man smiled slightly. "Why don't you come again tomorrow? By then, I can give you some guidance, and as for the conscription issue, you needn't worry about it."

The man cupped his hands in farewell and drifted away. Once he was a hundred meters from Henry Stone, his legs turned ethereal again. He sighed inwardly: Just as I thought.

……

The events of the next day were just as Henry Stone had expected—the villagers were still arguing endlessly. Everyone wanted to pull the strongest villagers into their own group. After a night, everyone realized that with so many people in the village, there simply weren't enough wild beasts in the mountains to go around. Only by joining a strong group would they have a chance to collect enough animal hides.

While the other families were quarreling, Mr. Bolton took his daughter by the hand and, as if visiting neighbors, came to Henry Stone's house. Henry Stone's father and mother bustled about to entertain them, but Mr. Bolton quickly said not to bother, treating them like family and telling them not to be so formal.

Henry Stone's father was simple and honest, but his mother saw through it—he had brought his daughter here for a matchmaking visit.

Mr. Bolton's wife had specially undone her daughter's two little pigtails today, dressed her up nicely, styled her hair into twin buns, and put her in a cross-collared jacket and a pale yellow pleated long skirt—a little girl as delicate as carved jade.

Emily Bolton stood there demurely. Henry Stone's mother was quite satisfied at the sight, so she called Henry Stone and Sarah Stone over, took Emily Bolton out to play, and left herself and Mr. Bolton at home to settle the marriage arrangement.

……

In an unnamed mountain valley outside the village, a man sat cross-legged atop a giant flat boulder the size of a millstone. A faint green light stretched from the distant mountain village, spanning several peaks, and projected itself before him.

Within the green light, Henry Stone was struggling to deal with his little sister and Emily Bolton. The two little girls were fighting over a pink morning glory flower, chattering and quarreling. The wild-tempered Sarah Stone rushed up and grabbed Emily Bolton's hair bun, but Emily Bolton was not to be outdone—she unleashed the Nine Yin White Bone Claw inherited from her mother, scratching Sarah Stone's face and leaving five bloody marks without mercy.

In terms of sheer destructive power, the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" that had seen real combat with Mr. Bolton was clearly superior. Sarah Stone burst into tears. Henry Stone was at his wits' end, scratching his head, but neither girl would listen to his attempts to mediate.

Seeing this scene, the man couldn't help but smile. If Henry Stone were here, he would surely recognize this man as the one from last night. Only now, he was in his physical body, not his nascent soul.

Sensing something, the man looked up at the sky. Moments later, a deep rumble of thunder came from above the clear clouds. A cloud carriage, radiating golden light, burst through the clouds with a thunderous roar. Golden flames flowed along the carriage's twin wheels, and nine golden dragons supported it from below. In front, six magnificent golden horses, their hooves also wreathed in golden fire, pulled the carriage.

The carriage galloped down from the sky. The six golden horses neighed loudly, their hooves pounding as they came to a halt before the man.

A young man clad in golden armor stepped down from the carriage. With a casual wave, the carriage transformed into a beam of golden light and was absorbed into his golden armor.

If any other cultivators had seen this, they would have been green with envy, for the young man was wearing the "Immortal Fate Armor" that every cultivator dreamed of.

Tens of thousands of years ago, an immortal furnace from the Immortal Realm fell to the mortal world, triggering a great upheaval—earth dragons turned over, raising a towering mountain range. Within this range, a wondrous substance was born: Fate Marrow.