As he spoke, Qin Nan casually glanced at the spatula Yi Feng had gifted him, intending to store it away properly.

Yet that single glance froze him in place.

His pupils dilated, eyes widened in sheer disbelief, his entire body trembling violently.

"This... this is..."

His gaze locked onto the spatula before him, his words stumbling incoherently.

The familiarity of this spatula struck him like a lightning bolt—so vivid it felt like something he’d only encountered in dreams.

It was the very same ladle Qin Lan, the ancestral elder of the Qin family, had once revealed during their last meeting.

Back then, just one glimpse of that ladle—its shape and the profound aura it exuded—had seared itself into his memory.

Though this spatula differed slightly in form from that ladle, the sensation it evoked was identical to the one Qin Lan had summoned that day.

The resonance of a divine blade.

The submission of all creation.

"Yi Feng gave this to me... How could he possess such a spatula?"

"After all, the ladle Elder Qin Lan presented was crafted by that enigmatic senior! Could Yi Feng have some connection to that revered figure?"

Qin Nan’s mind reeled with shock and confusion.

But then—

A staggering possibility dawned on him. His body stiffened, eyes bulging like a bull’s.

"Yi Feng... Could Yi Feng actually be... the very person Elder Qin Lan spoke of?!"

The thought sent him staggering backward, his palm slamming against the ship’s cabin for support.

His mind went numb.

He could scarcely believe his own deduction.

Yet the more he pondered, the more plausible it seemed—no, the more undeniable.

Because suddenly, every inexplicable detail about Yi Feng fell perfectly into place.

For instance, Qin Nan had never been able to see through Yi Feng’s cultivation or origins, sensing only an inscrutable mysticism around him.

If Yi Feng truly were that senior, of course he wouldn’t be able to perceive anything!

Then there was Yi Feng’s unshakable composure—utterly unfazed when learning they were trapped in peril, showing no relief upon their escape.

Clearly, such trivial dangers as a spatial prison meant nothing to him.

If he didn’t even regard it as a threat, how could he have been in danger to begin with?

"Now it all makes sense."

"Yes, it must be."

Trembling, tears welling in his eyes, Qin Nan murmured, "Yi Feng is the senior our Qin family has been searching for—the one destined to elevate us to glory!"

"He must have known we were in danger during our search and came to rescue us."

"Yes, that’s it! Now that I think back, that mysterious force draining our cultivation and vitality vanished the moment he arrived."

"This also explains why the spatial prison and the life-devouring energy disappeared without warning."

"After all these millennia, the senior hasn’t forgotten our Qin family! Not only has he been watching over us, but he saved us in our darkest hour and even gifted me this priceless treasure before leaving."

Overcome with realization, Qin Nan cradled the spatula reverently and rushed to the deck, dropping to his knees in the direction Yi Feng had departed.

He kowtowed three times, his forehead striking the wood with resounding thuds.

The memory of his past disrespect—addressing the senior so casually as "Brother Yi"—filled him with bitter regret.

He cursed himself for failing to recognize Yi Feng’s true identity until it was too late.

Their family’s greatest benefactor had stood before him, and he, Qin Nan, had been blind as a bat! He’d missed every chance to show the proper reverence and fulfill his family’s duties.

"Senior," he vowed, voice thick with determination, "the Qin family will prove worthy of your grace. I, Qin Nan, swear not to disappoint you. I’ll hone my culinary skills until the day we meet again—and prepare a feast worthy of your palate."

His fingers traced the spatula’s surface lovingly, eyes alight with fervor.

Then—

A jolt surged through him.

As a cultivator at the peak of the Dao Realm, he felt his breakthrough arriving effortlessly, as natural as flowing water.

"Could this be... my ascension to Semi-Sage?"

Qin Nan lifted his head in awe, watching the gathering storm clouds above—an unmistakable sign of heavenly phenomena accompanying his elevation.

"Thank you... Thank you, Senior."

Overwhelmed, he kowtowed repeatedly.

He knew better than anyone: though he stood as the foremost expert in the Heavenly Domain, the gap to Semi-Sage had once seemed insurmountable.

This sudden breakthrough could only be attributed to Yi Feng’s influence.

And it wasn’t just his cultivation that had transformed.

The greatest gift was the revolution in his very soul.

Especially when he had previously believed he was doomed to die, the transition from unwillingness to fear, and finally to calm acceptance, had greatly elevated his state of mind.

This was why his current breakthrough now felt like a natural progression.

No wonder.

No wonder Senior Yi Feng had long since released the spatial cage and the devouring force but chose not to tell me, staying with me on the boat for sixteen days.

He was tempering my state of mind.

He was pushing me to grow…

Qin Nan was so moved that tears streamed down his face, wishing he could immediately offer his life to Yi Feng.

"What virtue or ability do I, Qin Nan, possess?"

"To have Senior waste his time personally nurturing my state of mind."

"How can I ever repay such kindness?"

Boom.

The celestial phenomena grew increasingly intense, with dense clouds flickering with lightning.

Beyond that, scattered points of light drifted across the sky, stretching for tens of thousands of miles.

"What is this?"

"Someone is breaking through to become a Saint?"

"Heavens, someone in the Heavenly Domain is about to ascend to Sainthood!"

"Which old monster is it?"

"Find out, quickly—who is it?"

The overwhelming celestial phenomena immediately sent shockwaves throughout the Heavenly Domain, and countless factions began to take action.

After all, the emergence of a Saint often led to a major reshuffling of power in certain regions.

Meanwhile, at the Qin Family’s Heavenly Island.

Qin Lan, accompanied by several half-Saint experts from the clan, appeared in the skies above the island, staring in astonishment at the dense clouds above.

"Which fellow cultivator is about to ascend to Sainthood?"

Qin Lan couldn’t help but murmur.

His eyes betrayed unconcealed shock and envy.

Those who became Saints through cultivation couldn’t compare to innate Saints.

But even their breakthroughs would trigger celestial phenomena.

The scale of these phenomena also indicated how far the Saint could go in the future—the grander the phenomena, the greater the Saint’s future achievements, and vice versa.

When Qin Lan himself had broken through to Sainthood, he had also triggered celestial phenomena.

But what he had caused paled in comparison to what was unfolding now.

Then—

He was horrified to realize that the celestial phenomena were rapidly moving toward Heavenly Island.

In other words.

The one about to ascend to Sainthood was rushing toward Heavenly Island at breakneck speed.

What? What for?

Qin Lan’s expression darkened immediately.

Did they think their celestial phenomena were so impressive that they had to come flaunt it in his face?

Because, honestly, Qin Lan couldn’t think of any other reason why this person wouldn’t just find a quiet place to complete their breakthrough instead of charging toward Heavenly Island.

Did they not fear he might strike them down?

After all, no matter how terrifying the celestial phenomena, they were still in the midst of breaking through—it didn’t mean they had instantly become a Saint.

Historically, the breakthrough to Sainthood often triggered fierce battles.

Once the identity of the ascendant was known, rival factions would spare no cost to eliminate them before they succeeded, knowing that if they failed, they would never have another chance.

Allied forces, on the other hand, would go all out to protect them.

Neutral factions might also lend a hand, seeking to curry favor with the future Saint—after all, offering help in desperate times was far more valuable than adding flowers to a bouquet.

And right now, Qin Nan was racing toward the Qin Family precisely because he understood this.

He had never imagined that what he thought was merely a breakthrough to half-Saint would instead propel him straight to Sainthood.

But there was no time to celebrate—his only priority now was to return to Heavenly Island and complete his breakthrough under the protection of his clan.

That was the only way to ensure survival.