Qingzhou Academy, the sacred land of Qingzhou City, was vast and sprawling, built against a mountain and backed by the Tianyao Mountain Range. Even the outer disciples of the academy had their own private courtyards.

  Ye Futian returned to the area where the outer disciples resided, entering his own courtyard with Yu Sheng quietly following behind.

  "Yu Sheng, I think I'm going to give up," Ye Futian suddenly stopped and said in a low voice.

  "Even without awakening your destiny, you're still a genius," Yu Sheng replied, looking at the young man in front of him. When Ye Futian claimed to be a Destiny Mage, everyone thought it was a joke. Only Yu Sheng knew it was no laughing matter.

  Ye Futian was indeed a Destiny Mage.

  "Of course, I know that. It's just... I can't help feeling a bit unwilling," Ye Futian said with a bitter smile. "Three years have passed. If I continue like this, I'll really fall behind you. It seems I need to start working harder."

  "Let's go. Time to cultivate," Ye Futian said, turning to look at the taller youth behind him. Yu Sheng, with his larger-than-average build, naturally exuded a powerful aura.

  The two walked to the cultivation area within the courtyard. Ye Futian sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and in an instant, a dazzling flow of energy surrounded him. The spiritual energy in the surrounding area seemed to go wild, rushing toward Ye Futian's body like a tidal wave. Yu Sheng sat behind him, quietly observing. At this moment, Ye Futian was like a terrifying vortex, devouring all the spiritual energy around him. If anyone else had seen this, they would have been utterly shocked.

  The powerful flow of energy coursed through Ye Futian's body, heading toward a specific area in his mind—his Destiny Palace.

  Within the Destiny Palace lies the Destiny Soul, the mark of a Destiny Mage.

  At this moment, inside Ye Futian's Destiny Palace, there stood a towering ancient tree with lush green leaves. The surroundings, however, were barren. As the spiritual energy poured in, the ancient tree greedily absorbed it all. The green leaves rustled without any wind, as if alive.

  Beneath the ancient tree, a faint figure materialized—Ye Futian's consciousness. He looked at the tree and whispered, "After absorbing spiritual energy for three years, you've shown no change. All you do is take. From now on, I won't channel any more spiritual energy into you."

  With that, Ye Futian's consciousness disappeared, and the spiritual energy that had been flowing into his body began to spread to his limbs and bones instead of entering the Destiny Palace.

  The powerful spiritual energy began to refine his body, preparing him for the Body Refining stage. But at that moment, something unexpected happened. A strong pulling force emerged, and in an instant, the spiritual energy reversed its flow, rushing back toward the Destiny Palace.

  This sudden change caused Ye Futian's body to tremble, and a wave of intense frustration washed over him. For three years, he had been sending all his spiritual energy to the Destiny Palace, yet it had shown no change. Now, it was forcibly taking the energy, preventing him from cultivating?

  Determined to resist, Ye Futian tried to fight back, but the overwhelming force ignored his efforts, relentlessly sucking in all the spiritual energy. Even his vital energy was being drained. In just a few moments, his face turned pale.

  "Damn it!" Ye Futian cursed. As the spiritual energy flooded into the Destiny Palace, he felt his mind shaking violently, as if something monumental was happening inside. He tried to enter with his consciousness, but it was instantly torn apart by a violent force.

  "Ah..." A low groan escaped Ye Futian's lips. Yu Sheng immediately stood up, watching the drastic changes happening to Ye Futian. Not only was Ye Futian's body undergoing a transformation, but even the spiritual energy around him was being sucked in. The plants and trees nearby were withering at an alarming rate. Realizing what was happening, Yu Sheng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He sat down behind Ye Futian, placing his hands on his back. In an instant, a powerful suction force began to drain the spiritual energy from his body.

  Finally, is it awakening?

  When Ye Futian woke up, he felt extremely weak. He opened his eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight. It was clear that a night had passed.

  "What... happened?" Ye Futian sat up, noticing the withered plants around him and Yu Sheng sitting nearby, looking exhausted as he regulated his breathing.

  Recalling the events of the previous day, Ye Futian closed his eyes and focused his consciousness on his Destiny Palace. His body trembled as he saw the once-barren Destiny Palace now bathed in moonlight, with a vast landscape stretching out before him. The ancient tree stood tall, its leaves greener and more vibrant than ever, as if filled with spiritual energy.

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  "The World Tree," Ye Futian murmured, his consciousness forming a faint figure beneath the tree. Could it be that his father hadn't been lying?

  His father had once told him that their ancestors included a legendary Destiny Mage whose Destiny Soul was the World Tree, capable of absorbing the spiritual energy of all things. However, the family's legacy had been lost over time, and Ye Futian was the only one who had inherited this ancient talent.

  "If that's the case, then the Great Freedom Visualization Technique must also be real," Ye Futian thought, feeling a surge of excitement. He began to recite the obscure incantations he had memorized since childhood. Soon, his mind became clear, and his thoughts flowed freely, reaching out into the world around him.

  In his visualization, rich spiritual energy appeared, and he could even see different colors representing various elemental attributes. Each color symbolized a different type of spiritual energy.

  "Fire," Ye Futian focused on the fiery red spiritual energy. The World Tree in his Destiny Palace turned a fiery red, glowing brilliantly. Instantly, the fire-attribute spiritual energy surged into his body, flowing through his organs and meridians, bringing with it an intense heat.

  "Wood attribute," Ye Futian shifted his focus to the green spiritual energy. In an instant, wood-attribute energy flooded his body, rapidly restoring his depleted vitality.

  "Metal, earth, wind, water..." Ye Futian continued to experiment. After a while, he finally stopped and opened his eyes, staring blankly ahead.

  "Is this... real?" Ye Futian looked at his hands, unable to believe what had just happened.

  "Of course, it's real. You are... an all-attribute mage," Yu Sheng said, his fists clenched tightly, veins bulging from the excitement. His eyes were fixed on Ye Futian. "And not just that, you're an all-attribute Destiny Mage who can cultivate both martial arts and magic."

  "In that case, my talent is..." Ye Futian's eyes sparkled with excitement.

  "Unparalleled," Yu Sheng said firmly. "There's no one else in Qingzhou City like you."

  A bright smile spread across Ye Futian's face. After so many generations, the ancestral talent had finally awakened in him. Was this destiny? A Destiny Mage, blessed by the heavens.

  "Let's go," Ye Futian suddenly stood up and headed out of the courtyard.

  "Where to?" Yu Sheng asked.

  "The back mountain," Ye Futian replied, referring to the Tianyao Mountain Range behind Qingzhou Academy.

  "The back mountain is full of fierce beasts. What are we going there for?" Yu Sheng asked.

  "We'll stay near the edge. With you here, what's there to fear?" Ye Futian was already walking out, and Yu Sheng followed without another word.

  The Tianyao Mountain Range was a vast and treacherous area, filled with dangerous beasts. Few knew how deep it truly was. It was said that Qingzhou Academy was built against the mountain to protect against the beasts that roamed there, and it also served as a training ground for the academy's disciples.

  At noon, the two youths reached the peak of a mountain at the edge of the Tianyao Mountain Range. Standing on a large rock, they looked down at the majestic academy below. Ye Futian let out a long breath.

  "Three years," he murmured. Knowing he was a Destiny Mage, how could he be content with only cultivating martial arts? But with his Destiny Soul showing no change, a sense of loneliness had always lingered beneath his confident exterior. Now, it was finally over. He would move forward toward his dream of becoming a powerful Destiny Mage.

  The sun blazed overhead, shining down on Ye Futian. The young man looked up at the sun, his narrowed eyes filled with confidence.

  The essence of the Great Freedom Visualization Technique lay in observation and imagination.

  Now, he would visualize the sun.

  Ye Futian stood on the mountain peak, visualizing the blazing sun. Soon, the sunlight transformed into solar flames, enveloping his body and then penetrating deep within. A domineering solar fire flowed through his organs, meridians, and limbs, filling his entire body.

  Yu Sheng watched as Ye Futian's body seemed to turn into a figure of fire. A smile appeared on his usually stoic face. The sleeping dragon was finally awakening.

  Crackling sounds echoed as Ye Futian's skin turned red from the intense heat. Under the solar flames, his body underwent a continuous transformation.

  After a long time, Ye Futian's skin became translucent, as if glowing with fire. Inside his body, fiery dragons surged through his meridians, colliding and creating thunderous roars. The commotion was immense, but fortunately, they were alone on the mountain peak, with only Yu Sheng to witness the spectacle.

  The sheer magnitude of the transformation was astonishing.

  As the sun began to set, Ye Futian's body was completely enveloped in flames. Inside, it felt like a storm was raging, and his bones continuously emitted cracking sounds. When the sun finally disappeared, Ye Futian stopped and slowly opened his eyes. A flash of fire shot out from his pupils.

  "Three realms in a single day," Yu Sheng said in awe. After three years of suppression, Ye Futian had finally unleashed his potential. Using the power of the sun to refine his body, he had broken through the Body Refining and Meridian Opening stages, reaching the fourth level of awakening—Iron Bones. His body was now as strong as tempered steel.

  "This is too overpowering," Ye Futian muttered. Normally, it would take months for someone to refine their body to such a level. But as a Destiny Mage, using the Great Freedom Visualization Technique to harness the power of the sun, combined with his Destiny Soul, he had achieved it in half a day.

  He felt an overwhelming surge of power. Standing up, Ye Futian walked over to a large ancient tree on the mountain peak. With a swift punch, he struck the thick trunk. In an instant, the tree shattered into pieces, collapsing with a loud crash. The spot where his fist had landed was charred black.

  "Even those at the Divine Strength stage wouldn't be able to withstand a single punch from you," Yu Sheng said, watching the scene with admiration. The fifth level of awakening, Divine Strength, granted immense physical power, but Ye Futian's punch far surpassed what an ordinary martial artist at that level could achieve.