It’s not the situation that’s hopeless, but the person who gives up hope.

　　During his time with the Divine Blessed Clan, Gong Kong learned a great deal from Grand Mage Tianyouzi.

　　Tianyouzi explained to Gong Kong that when one's spiritual power reaches a certain level of mastery, it becomes possible to acquire the abilities of Retro-cognition and Pre-cognition.

　　Retro-cognition refers to the power to trace the past—to perceive residual imprints, shadows, or echoes of bygone events.

　　Pre-cognition, on the other hand, is the ability to remotely perceive the future—to foresee events yet to come, or even catch glimpses of certain future fragments.

　　Tianyouzi explained that even celestial gods, despite their immense spiritual power, could only operate within their own world. Though possessing the abilities of Retro-cognition and Pre-cognition, their spiritual forms could not travel to the past or future, nor influence the course of history.

　　Wishing to investigate the site of the historic Antler-Stag Great Battle, Gong Kong was led by Tianyouzi to a vast grassland.

　　A single, solitary tree grew on this prairie.

　　Tianyouzi pointed at the tree. "Young Master, this is the very place where the Yellow Clan celestial gods met their downfall."

　　The two descended to the base of the tree, sitting with their backs against its trunk. Following Tianyouzi's teachings, Gong Kong channeled his power to activate Retro-cognition.

　　After a long while, the great battle began to surface in his mind like a series of black-and-white frames. Though blurred, the scenes faintly revealed the brutality of this infamous conflict in Mu Continent's history.

　　It was a chaotic melee raging from the ground to the skies, filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and agonized screams. Figures fought fiercely on the ground, while others chased and dueled with magic in the air. High above, enormous triangular shadows pursued and attacked one another.

　　On the ground, shadows continuously fell. From the sky, shadows rained down relentlessly.

　　Finally, Gong Kong witnessed the closing act: a tall, antlered figure descended from the heavens, holding two round objects in its hands.

　　Gong Dian had once described the final scene of the Antler-Stag Battle to Gong Kong. As this image crystallized in his mind, he understood instantly: those two spherical objects were the severed heads of the Yellow Clan and Black Clan celestial gods. Tears welled up and streamed down his face...

　　During his time with the Divine Blessed Clan, Gong Kong also used the power of Pre-cognition to glimpse what would happen in the future.

　　His spiritual form soared to an altitude of ten thousand meters, where he sat cross-legged among the clouds, meditating in deep concentration. After a long while, visions of the future finally appeared before him as scattered fragments.

　　He saw the Mu Continent engulfed in flames of war, exactly like The Great War of the Gods twenty years earlier. Figures wielding weapons clashed everywhere amidst a storm of blood, with the ground so saturated that it seemed objects could float on the blood.

　　Then the scene shifted abruptly. Fierce, towering waves hundreds of meters high surged toward the continent, destroying everything on the Mu Continent's surface with unstoppable force, as if the world itself had ceased to exist.

　　Finally, an even more terrifying vision emerged: the Mu Continent's heavens collapsed and earth split, mountains crumbled and land fractured. The very planet of Mu disintegrated, exploding into fragments. Gong Kong was stunned by the scenes flashing through his mind.

　　"Grandmother, is this the unavoidable catastrophe you spoke of?"

　　"Indeed. Young Master, the era of peace has ended. When the Yellow Clan celestial gods instructed our clan to take refuge in the Misty Mountains long ago, we侥幸 survived the greatest war in Mu Continent's history. But this time, none of us can stand aside. We must all prepare to face this catastrophe."

　　"Grandmother, as long as I live, I will never allow this world-ending catastrophe to happen."

　　"All things have cause and effect; all beings have their destiny. Some things are simply unavoidable."

　　That morning, Jiang Er received Tianyouzi's mental transmission and immediately employed the art of aerial flight, arriving swiftly outside the caves of Domepeak Fairy Vale.

　　He entered the cave and approached Tianyouzi's dwelling. Just as he raised his hand to knock, her voice resonated in his mind: "Jiang Er, come in. I want to introduce you to someone."

　　Pushing the door open, Jiang Er saw Tianyouzi and a young man in the room.

　　The moment his eyes met the young man's, Jiang Er froze in astonishment. "Heavens! You... you actually have a third eye?"

　　The young man was Gong Kong.

　　Go

　　ng Kong assessed Jiang Er with his Third Eye and was surprised to discover that despite his youth, the boy had already cultivated a remarkably high level of spiritual power. "You must be Jiang Er," he said with some astonishment. "Grandmother Tianyouzi just mentioned you."

　　Tianyouzi asked, "Jiang Er, how many years have you been in Domepeak Fairy Vale?"

　　"Honored Grandmother, I have trained here for seven full years."

　　"Very well. I have decided that from today, your training is complete. You will follow Brother Gong Kong down the mountain."

　　Tianyouzi then turned to Gong Kong. "Young Master, I now entrust Jiang Er to your guidance and instruction."

　　Jiang Er shot a sidelong glance at Gong Kong, his heart filled with defiance. He's only a few years older than me. So what if he has a Third Eye—what qualifications does he have to teach me?

　　Gong Kong's perceptive abilities detected Jiang Er's concealed disdain. Seeing the young man's arrogance, he laughed heartily and said deliberately, "Do not worry, Grandmother. I will guide him well. Little Brother Jiang Er, you can rest assured under my protection from now on."

　　"Hah! Brother Gong Kong," Jiang Er retorted, "with me assisting you, no one would dare to bully you."

　　"Jiang Er! Do not be disrespectful to Gong Kong," Tianyouzi admonished. "Pack your belongings tomorrow morning and depart for Windwood Citadel with the Young Master and Yao Gang."

　　"As you command!"

　　The next morning, Jiang Er changed into the attire of the Gongyou Clan, finished packing his belongings, and set out from the caves of Domepeak Fairy Vale with Gong Kong and Yao Gang, beginning their descent down the mountain.

　　They had originally planned to descend to the mountain's base first, then ride camel-horses to Windwood Citadel.

　　Gong Kong found Jiang Er clever and quite likable, but the young man was arrogant and reluctant to submit to others. Seeking to teach him a lesson, Gong Kong proposed, "Jiang Er, how about a wager? Shall we test our spiritual power?"

　　"I'm willing. How shall we compete?"

　　"Young Uncle Yao Gang and I will travel together. You go alone. None of us will ride camel-horses—we'll each use our abilities to see who reaches Windwood Citadel first. The first to arrive wins; the last loses. What do you think?"

　　"Hah, no problem! What are the stakes?"

　　"If I win, you kneel, kowtow three times, call me 'Elder Brother,' and follow my words without question from now on."

　　"And if I win?"

　　"Damn it, if you win, I'll bow to you as my elder brother and obey your every word."

　　"Agreed! But one thing is unfair—I don't know where Windwood Citadel is."

　　"Simple. I'll use mental transmission art to send you its direction and location. Since I'm older, I'll give you a head start—you may go first."

　　"Accepted! I won't lose to you. I'll take the lead!" With that, Jiang Er employed the art of aerial flight, rising mid-air before swiftly soaring toward Windwood Citadel.

　　Only Gong Kong and Yao Gang remained at the scene.

　　Seeing no one else around, Yao Gang knelt down on one knee to apologize. "Third Young Master, I was wrong—both Xiao Cheng and I deceived you. We set a trap and brought you to the Misty Mountain Range against your will."

　　Gong Kong hurriedly helped Yao Gang to his feet. "Uncle, please don't say that. How could I accept such an apology from you? I grew up under your protection—I owe you more gratitude than words can express."

　　Noticing Yao Gang's lingering guilt, Gong Kong added, "Uncle, you and Xiao Cheng were only following orders. My coming to the Divine Blessed Clan turned misfortune into blessing—I've gained immensely. So rather than blame you, I should be thanking you."

　　"Third Young Master, you are too kind. I would be grateful enough if you simply hold no grudge against me."

　　Yao Gang paused, then continued, "Jiang Er is highly talented and has cultivated remarkable spiritual power—he stands out among the Divine Blessed Clan's youth. It's no wonder he's somewhat arrogant. By challenging him, were you aiming to humble his pride?"

　　"You're right, Uncle. The boy is quite likable, but too proud—he doesn't respect me yet. Damn it, it's time to temper his arrogance and show him there's always a higher mountain."

　　"What art do you plan to use to win? From what I know, few in our clan can surpass Jiang Er's mastery of aerial flight."

　　"I'll use the Art of Spatial Passage. I've just learned the essentials from Grand Mage Tianyouzi these past days, but haven't tried it yet."

　　"The Art of Spatial Passage? I've heard it's an escape art requiring immense spiritual power. To teleport accurately to a specific location, one must first remotely view the path, then use advanced magic to instantly traverse it."

　　"Correct. This art doesn't allow one to go anywhere at will—the path must first be seen through remote viewing. It consumes tremendous spiritual power, so it shouldn't be used lightly. Attempting it with insufficient power even carries risks. Today I'll attempt it."

　　Gong Kong sat cross-legged on the ground, using his Third Eye's remote viewing ability to first discern the path from their current location to Windwood Citadel. After contemplation, he realized his current spiritual power wasn't sufficient to reach the city in a single passage.

　　So he set several points along the path, focused his energy, and activated the art using his spiritual sight. A passage portal opened. He and Yao Gang stepped through, initiating the first instant traversal. When they emerged, they were already deep within the Southern Gorge Forest.

　　After several more passages, taking only the time needed to drink half a cup of tea, they arrived beneath the walls of Windwood Citadel.

　　Gong Kong and Yao Gang had already finished lunch on the city battlements and were leisurely basking in the sun when Jiang Er finally descended from the sky, dust-covered and weary.

　　"Hey, you there! What's your name and business at Windwood Citadel?" Gong Kong pretended not to recognize Jiang Er, questioning him sternly.

　　"You... you two arrived long ago?"

　　"Ah! So it's Little Brother Jiang Er. Guards, lower the drawbridge and open the gates!"

　　Entering the city, Jiang Er immediately knelt before Gong Kong and kowtowed three times. "Elder Brother, I yield."

　　"Hah! Little Brother, from now on you'll follow my words without question."

　　"Following your orders is fine, but only if you prove stronger than me in every aspect."

　　"What? Still not convinced?"

　　"I yield in the art of flight. But I'll still compete with you in everything else."

　　Damn it, Gong Kong cursed inwardly. He had to admit Jiang Er's tenacity—he hadn't expected the young man's pride to run so deep.