The Seventh Ancestor of the Three-Leaf Clover Sect, Zhou Tao, slowly opened his eyes as he emerged from his meditation chamber. A frown creased his magnificent beard as he gazed at the stone walls surrounding him. Despite spending the past three months in closed-door cultivation, he felt no closer to the enlightenment he sought. It was frustrating to the point of madness.

"Seven hundred and thirty-nine years," he muttered, his voice gravelly from disuse. "Seven hundred and thirty-nine years of cultivation, and still this barrier blocks my path."

Rising to his feet, the Ancestor stretched his limbs, feeling the familiar ache that came with extended periods of stillness. His joints creaked like ancient temple doors swinging open after a century of neglect. The sound annoyed him, a constant reminder of his mortality despite his centuries of cultivation.

Zhou Tao walked to a polished bronze mirror hanging on the wall of his chamber and examined his reflection. The face that looked back at him was that of a man in his fifties, and his beard remained as magnificent as ever, a source of considerable pride. Yet his eyes held a weariness that no amount of cosmetic preservation could hide.

"At least I don't look like the walking corpse that Li Jie has become," he muttered with a touch of petty satisfaction.

The cultivation formation that the mysterious master of Han Renyi had provided a year ago had been a true blessing. The improved Qi Gathering Circle had not only prevented Zhou Tao from losing his cultivation level but had also allowed him to accumulate enough energy to attempt a breakthrough to early Tier 5. The problem wasn't the quantity or quality of rouqi anymore - it was his comprehension of the dao that was lacking.

No matter how he approached the problem, the answer remained elusive. It was like trying to capture mist with bare hands; the closer he thought he came, the more it slipped away. True cultivation wasn't just about accumulating energy, it was about understanding the fundamental principles of existence. And there, Zhou Tao found himself woefully inadequate.

"Perhaps I should have spent more time studying the classics instead of terrorizing juniors," he mused, though there was little genuine regret in his tone. The past was the past, and he had always been more interested in the application of power than its philosophy.

As he donned his formal robes, dark green with gold trim, befitting his status, he felt a disturbance in the sect's protective formations. Something had triggered the outer alarm array, sending a ripple of warning through the spiritual connections that bound the sect grounds together.

Zhou Tao's eyes narrowed. An intruder? Here, at the very heart of the Three-Leaf Clover Sect? Either someone was incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.

Moving with a speed that no cultivator below Tier 4 would be able to follow, he left his secluded chambers and emerged into the open air of the sect compound. His gaze immediately focused on the Ancestor's Tree at the center of the grounds. There, standing before the ancient tree, was a figure shrouded in darkness.

Even from this distance, Zhou Tao could tell that the figure didn't belong to any sect member. The way they stood, perfectly still, as if they were merely another feature of the landscape, triggered a primal warning in the Ancestor's mind. Yet, there was something familiar about the intruder.

"Perfect," Zhou Tao smirked, cracking his knuckles. "I've been needing an outlet for my frustration."

Without warning, he launched himself forward, his body becoming a blur of motion as he crossed the distance between himself and the intruder in less than a heartbeat. His right fist glowed with concentrated rouqi, the air around it distorting as he prepared to deliver a crushing blow.

"Intruder! Face judgment from this Ancestor!" he roared, his voice booming across the sect grounds.

Just as his fist was about to collide with the back of the intruder's hooded head, the figure turned. The movement was unhurried, almost casual, as if Zhou Tao's attack was no more concerning than a gentle breeze.

Blood-red eyes gleamed from the depths of the hood, fixing on Zhou Tao with an intensity that seemed to pierce through his very soul.

Recognition struck Zhou Tao like a physical blow. His momentum faltered, his attack instantly abandoned as he stumbled to a halt, nearly losing his balance in his haste to abort his strike.

It was him. Han Renyi's master. The mysterious cultivator who had humiliated him a year ago, the being who had commanded the Ancestor's Tree to do his bidding. The one whose power had been so overwhelming that Zhou Tao had been reduced to performing seven kowtows in rapid succession to save his life.

"This... this humble junior greets the honored senior," Zhou Tao stammered, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

The figure's hood tilted slightly, regarding him with what might have been amusement. "Is this how you greet your benefactor?" The voice that emerged from the hood was neither male nor female, young nor old, but somehow all of these at once. "Or perhaps you require another lesson in proper respect?"

The figure raised a hand casually, and Zhou Tao felt his heart freeze in his chest. The ground beneath them trembled, and the massive Ancestor's Tree, the very symbol of their sect's power, the tree that had stood sentinel for millennia, responded immediately.

Thick, gnarled roots burst from the soil, whipping through the air like living serpents. Before Zhou Tao could even think of evading, the roots had wrapped around his limbs, his torso, his neck, binding him in a crushing embrace that left him suspended helplessly in midair.

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"No! This junior meant no disrespect!" Zhou Tao gasped, the roots tightening just enough to make breathing difficult but not impossible. "This junior was merely... startled by your esteemed presence! Please forgive this one's ignorance!"

Panic flooded his system as memories of their previous encounter flashed through his mind. The helplessness, the humiliation, the terrifying knowledge that his life was completely at the mercy of this being.

"I have performed many stupid actions in my long life," Zhou Tao continued, his words tumbling out rapidly, "but attacking you would be the most foolish of them all! This junior begs for mercy! This junior was merely surprised by your sudden appearance!"

He attempted to kowtow despite being suspended in the air, resulting in a pathetic bobbing of his head that would have been funny under different circumstances.

The figure observed his antics for a moment longer, then lowered their hand. Immediately, the roots loosened and gently deposited Zhou Tao on the ground.

"See that you remember your place," the figure said, turning away as if Zhou Tao was no longer worth their attention.

Relief washed over Zhou Tao like a cool tide, leaving him weak-kneed and trembling. He remained on all fours, not daring to rise until given permission, his magnificent beard trailing in the dirt.

"When you're done playing with your pets, we should get to work," a new voice said, light and youthful but with an undercurrent of something hard to place that made Zhou Tao's spiritual sense tingle.

Zhou Tao's head snapped up, his eyes widening as he beheld the newcomer. Standing beside Han Renyi's master was a young boy, perhaps eleven or twelve years of age, with stars twinkling in his hair.

"It... it cannot be," Zhou Tao whispered, his voice caught between awe and disbelief.

Though he had never seen this figure before, any cultivator in the Starhaven Realm would recognize him from the descriptions passed down through the generations. The immortal messenger of the Celestial Sovereign, the divine intermediary who had guided their ancestors in the earliest days of cultivation. The being whose disappearance had coincided with the Celestial Sovereign's own.

Astralis.

The implications hit Zhou Tao like a hammer to the skull. Han Renyi's master wasn't merely some wandering Tier 5 cultivator with unusual powers. He was connected to Astralis himself, the immortal messenger who had vanished from the world centuries ago. This wasn't just a powerful expert; this was someone with ties to the very foundation of their world.

As Zhou Tao's mind raced, attempting to process this revelation, he found himself reassessing everything he thought he knew about Han Renyi and his master. The boy wasn't just some lucky merchant's son who had stumbled upon a powerful patron. He was... what? Chosen? Selected by forces beyond Zhou Tao's comprehension?

Ideas began to form in Zhou Tao's mind, strategies and plans taking shape even as he maintained his posture of subservience. If he could somehow curry more favor with Han Renyi's master, the potential benefits were incalculable. Access to lost techniques, guidance from beings of unfathomable power, perhaps even a path to breaking through his cultivation bottleneck.

"Han Renyi," he thought feverishly, "I must secure Han Renyi's position within the sect."

The young man was currently a Legacy Disciple, a position of considerable honor but still far from the highest echelons of power. That would need to change. Immediately.

"Making him an elder would be the obvious move," Zhou Tao mused internally, "but that might not be enough. Sect Master? Yes, that would demonstrate my sincerity. Li Jie has been looking tired lately anyway. It would be a kindness to relieve him of his burdens."

The fact that such a move would also place Zhou Tao closer to Han Renyi, and by extension, his master, was merely a fortunate coincidence.

While Zhou Tao plotted, the cloaked figure and Astralis approached the Ancestor's Tree. The ancient tree seemed to rustle with excitement despite the absence of wind, its branches swaying gently toward the mysterious figure like a pet eager for its master's touch.

“It’s nice to see you too,” the hooded figure murmured, placing both hands against the trunk of the massive tree, and immediately a soft blue glow began to emanate from the point of contact. The light spread upward through the branches and downward through the roots, until the entire tree pulsed with a gentle azure radiance.

Zhou Tao watched, mesmerized, as the tree practically preened under the figure's touch. He had never seen the Ancestor's Tree respond this way to anyone, not even himself, and he was supposed to be its caretaker by right of blood and position.

The ritual, for Zhou Tao could think of no other word to describe what he was witnessing, continued for several minutes. Eventually, the blue glow faded, and the figure stepped back from the tree. It turned to face Zhou Tao once more, those blood-red eyes boring into him.

"Remember to behave," the figure said, voice echoing strangely as if coming from everywhere at once, "and pray that I don't need to pay a personal visit to correct your behavior again."

Zhou Tao prostrated himself immediately, pressing his forehead to the ground. "This junior will not disappoint the honored senior! This junior will ensure that Young Master Han is treated with the utmost respect and given all possible advantages within the sect!"

"See that you do," the figure replied, then turned to Astralis. "We've finished here."

The immortal boy nodded, a mischievous smile playing across his lips as he regarded Zhou Tao's prostrate form. "This one's quite the performer, isn't he? I almost believe he means it."

And then, without any visible method of transportation, both figures simply vanished, as if they had never been there at all. The only evidence of their visit was the faint blue glow that still clung to the Ancestor's Tree, slowly fading like the last light of sunset.

Zhou Tao remained on the ground for several moments longer, wanting to be absolutely certain they were truly gone before he dared to rise. When he finally stood, his knees protesting the extended contact with the hard ground, he found himself face to face with the Ancestor's Tree.

Something had changed in the ancient tree's aura. It seemed more... aware, somehow. As if the ritual had awakened a deeper consciousness within it. And that consciousness was now focused entirely on Zhou Tao.

"Great Ancestor's Tree," he said, attempting a respectful bow, "this junior is honored to be in your presence." The words felt strange in his mouth; he had never before addressed the tree as if it were a sentient being.

The tree's branches rustled again, despite the still air. Zhou Tao felt a strange pressure building around him, like the moment before a lightning strike. Instinctively, he began to back away.

"I should... check on the disciples," he said, continuing his retreat. "Ensure they're practicing diligently. Yes, that's what a responsible ancestor should—"

He never finished the sentence. With a speed that defied its nature, one of the Ancestor Tree's roots whipped out of the ground and slapped Zhou Tao with the force of a rampaging spirit beast. The impact sent him flying through the air, his magnificent beard trailing behind him like a flag, before he crashed through the wall of the nearest building.

As disciples rushed to investigate the commotion, they were treated to the sight of the Seventh Ancestor, once the most feared cultivator in the sect, lying in a heap of broken wood and plaster, dazed and muttering about impertinent plants.