Covering the Sky: I Prove the Great Dao Through the Gate of Immortality

Before dawn, Huo Ling'er woke up.

She lay in bed, staring at the bed curtains above her head, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. The scene from yesterday at the Heavenly Pride Pavilion kept replaying in her mind—the little brat defeating Lieyang with a single punch, as easily as drinking water. Lieyang was the number one young talent in the Fire Kingdom, a master of the Inscription Realm, with unparalleled combat power. She had once thought Lieyang was invincible. But that brat had defeated him with just one punch. That punch had no fancy moves, no complex runes, only pure power. The brute force of 120,000 jin, combined with the essence of heaven and earth from the nine grotto-heavens, formed an unmatched force.

But she knew that wasn't all there was to the little one.

When he reached the Blood Transformation Realm, he already wielded 120,000 jin with a single arm swing. Now that all nine caves have opened and he's reached the Perfect Cave Heaven Realm, how could his strength still be limited to 120,000 jin? Uncle Li had said that the Cave Heaven Realm involves drawing in the essence of heaven and earth to temper the physical body and elevate one's blood and qi. With each additional cave heaven, the power increases dramatically. With all nine cave heavens open, his power has already surpassed the limits of the Blood Transformation Realm. Although she hadn't personally witnessed the little one using his full strength, she had heard from her father that the child now wielded at least 200,000 jin with a single arm swing. 200,000 jin is twice the limit of the Blood Transformation Realm. Such power, let alone cultivators of the same level, even those in the Spirit Transformation Realm or the Inscription Realm, couldn't withstand.

She turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

She didn't know why she couldn't sleep. Was it because of shock? Was it because of resentment? Or something else? She thought about it for a long time, but couldn't figure it out. All she knew was that the little brat was too strong, so strong that it made her feel that her cultivation was meaningless. She cultivated diligently every day, never slacking off, but she had only opened three cave heavens so far. And that little brat, five and a half years old, had nine cave heavens. She was older than him, and had cultivated for longer, but her strength was far inferior. This gap made her feel powerless.

But she's not the kind of person who gives up easily.

Huo Ling'er sat up, threw off the covers, and jumped out of bed. She walked to the window, opened it, and the cool morning breeze rushed in, ruffling her long hair. She gazed into the distance, towards the Great Wilderness, a stubborn flame burning within her. She couldn't beat that brat, but she wasn't afraid of him. She wanted to challenge him, not to win, but to prove herself. To prove that she, Huo Ling'er, wasn't just a princess who would hide behind her father. She too had courage, strength, and an indomitable spirit.

She dressed, combed her hair, and left the palace.

The palace was quiet in the early morning, with only a few patrolling soldiers walking through the passageways. They saw Huo Ling'er and bowed in unison. Huo Ling'er ignored them and hurried towards the side hall where Little Dot lived.

The little one lived in a side hall on the east side of the palace, not far from Huo Ling'er's bedroom. The Fire Emperor had arranged it specially, saying it would be convenient for the two children to play together. Huo Ling'er thought her father was overthinking it; she didn't want to play with that brat. But she still went to see him every day because she was afraid he'd be bored alone in the palace and run around causing trouble.

She walked to the door of the side hall, pushed it open, and went inside.

The little one was still asleep. He lay on the bed, hugging the pottery jar, covered with a blanket, a trace of drool at the corner of his mouth, fast asleep. His hair was messy, his face was dusty, and his mouth, missing a front tooth, was slightly open, emitting soft snores. Huo Ling'er couldn't help but laugh at him. This little brat, he's actually quite cute when he's asleep.

She walked over and reached out to nudge the little one's shoulder.

"Hey, get up."

The little one didn't move and continued sleeping.

Huo Ling'er nudged her again. "You brat, get up!"

The little one rolled over, buried his face in the pillow, and mumbled, "Sleep a little longer..."

Huo Ling'er was furious. She threw off the covers, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. The little one shivered and suddenly opened his eyes.

"Who? Who pulled off my blanket?"

"Me." Huo Ling'er put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

The little one rubbed his eyes and recognized who it was. "Fat sister? It's not even dawn yet, why are you up so early?"

"I'm looking for you."

"What do you want from me?"

"I'm going to challenge you."

The little one was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard. "What did you say?"

"I said, I want to challenge you." Huo Ling'er said each word clearly and loudly.

The little one looked at her, at the light in her eyes, and suddenly smiled. "You can't beat me."

"I know," Huo Ling'er didn't deny it. "But I still want to try."

The little one thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay, I accept your challenge. But you can't cry."

"You're the one who's crying!" Huo Ling'er stomped her feet angrily. "I, Huo Ling'er, have never cried before, not even once!"

The little one didn't say anything, just smiled, got out of bed, hugged the pottery jar, and followed Huo Ling'er out of the side hall.

A sliver of light was already appearing on the horizon; the sun was about to rise. One by one, the lights in the palace were extinguished, and the entire capital city awoke from its slumber. A morning breeze blew by, carrying the scent of flowers and dew. The little one took a deep breath, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Huo Ling'er led him through several passageways to an open space behind the palace. This was where she usually cultivated; several wooden dummy dummies stood there, the ground was paved with bluestone slabs, and ancient trees grew around the area, with stone tables and chairs beneath them. It was a quiet place, undisturbed by outsiders.

Huo Ling'er walked to the center of the open space, turned around and looked at the little one.

"Right here."

The little boy placed the pottery jar on the stone table, walked up to Huo Ling'er, and stood still.

"What weapon do you use?" Huo Ling'er asked.

"No weapons needed." The little one raised his fist. "This is my weapon."

Huo Ling'er bit her lip. She knew how heavy Little One's fist was. When he reached the Blood Transformation Realm, he already weighed 120,000 jin. Now that all nine caves were open, his strength had at least doubled, perhaps even more. She had heard that in the Cave Heaven Realm, strength would surge with each cave heaven opened. With all nine cave heavens open, 200,000 jin wouldn't be enough. With such power, one punch could shatter not only her, but even a small mountain. She didn't want to be seriously injured by him. But she also didn't want to admit defeat, didn't want him to think she was afraid.

"You...you can't use your full strength," Huo Ling'er said. "You've opened all nine cave heavens, while I've only opened three. It's not fair for you to use your full strength."

The little one thought for a moment and felt that Huo Ling'er made sense. "Okay, I won't use my full strength. I'll only use the power of the Blood Moving Realm."

"The power of the Blood Transformation Realm?" Huo Ling'er was taken aback. "Didn't you say that you already weighed 120,000 jin when you reached the Blood Transformation Realm? That's still too much."

The little one scratched his head. "Then... I'll use half? Sixty thousand catties?"

Huo Ling'er thought for a moment; she still couldn't carry 60,000 jin. But she was too embarrassed to bargain any further; continuing would make her seem too cowardly. She gritted her teeth and nodded. "Fine, 60,000 jin it is. But you can't lie to me. If I find out you used more than 60,000 jin, I... I'll tell Father that you bullied me."

The little one was both amused and exasperated. "Okay, okay, I promise, I'll only use 60,000 jin."

He took a small cloth bag from his waist; it was given to him by Uncle Li and contained a few spirit stones. He placed the bag on the stone table to weigh down the lid of the pottery jar, preventing it from being blown over by the wind. Then he returned to the center of the open space and stretched his limbs.

"I'm starting." Huo Ling'er gripped her short sword, took a deep breath, and then charged towards Little Dot.

Her speed was astonishing; the Crimson Flame Sword drew a crimson arc through the air, aiming straight for the little one's chest. She used her full strength in this strike, holding nothing back. Because she knew that against the little one, holding back was tantamount to suicide.

The little one didn't dodge or flinch; he simply extended two fingers and gently pinched the tip of the sword.

Huo Ling'er felt as if her sword was clamped in iron clamps, completely immovable. She gritted her teeth and tried desperately, but she just couldn't pull the sword out. Her face turned bright red, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Big sister, your swordsmanship is quite good," the little one said. "But you're too weak."

He loosened his grip, and Huo Ling'er stumbled, almost falling. She steadied herself, glaring at the little one, her eyes filled with resentment.

"Again!"

She charged forward again, this time not with a straight thrust, but with agile movements, her swordsmanship unpredictable. The Crimson Flame Sword danced in her hands, sometimes thrusting, sometimes slashing, sometimes parrying, sometimes flicking, its light like a rainbow, enveloping the little one's entire body.

The little boy stood still, blocking with only his hands. His speed was astonishing; every time Huo Ling'er's sword was about to pierce him, he effortlessly deflected it. He didn't use force, but rather skillfully neutralized the sword's power.

Huo Ling'er fought with increasing frantic pace and growing more and more disorganized. She realized that no matter how she attacked, she couldn't touch the little one's clothes. That wretched baby was like an eel, slippery and impossible to catch.

"I'm not fighting anymore!" Huo Ling'er stopped, panting, and planted the Crimson Flame Sword in the ground. "You weren't even fighting back; you were just toying with me!"

The little one looked at her and shook his head. "I wasn't playing a trick on you. I just didn't want to hurt you."

"You—" Huo Ling'er was so angry she couldn't speak. She knew the little guy was telling the truth; if he had fought back, she would have been on her knees long ago. But she still felt wronged. She had been so earnest and hardworking, yet in front of him, she didn't even have the right to let him fight back.

Her eyes reddened, and tears welled up. She didn't want to cry; she had promised herself she wouldn't. But the tears wouldn't listen and rolled down her cheeks.

The little boy panicked. He was most afraid of girls crying, especially Huo Ling'er. He didn't know what to do, and stood there helplessly, wanting to reach out and wipe her tears, but not daring to.

"Fat sister, don't cry. I...I didn't mean to."

Huo Ling'er wiped away her tears and glared at him. "Who's crying? I'm not crying! It's just sand in my eyes!"

The little boy looked around; there was no sand. But he didn't expose him; he just nodded. "Oh, it's sand."

Huo Ling'er took a deep breath to calm herself down. She drew her Crimson Flame Sword, sheathed it, and walked to the stone table to sit down.

The little one followed her and sat down opposite her.

"Fat sister, you're actually very strong," the little one said. "Your swordsmanship is amazing, but you're a bit weak. If you worked on your strength, you'd definitely be stronger than Lieyang."

Huo Ling'er looked at him, at his earnest eyes, and a complex emotion welled up inside her. She knew the little one was trying to comfort her, but she chose to believe him. Because he was the little one, the number one in the Blood Refining Realm, and the one who had opened all nine caves of the Cave Heaven Realm. His words carried weight.

"Do you really think I'm stronger than Lieyang?"

"Really." The little one nodded vigorously. "Your swordsmanship is worse than his, but your cultivation level is lower. Once your cultivation level increases, you will definitely be able to defeat him."

Huo Ling'er remained silent for a long time, then smiled. "Okay, I believe you. I will try my best."

The little one smiled too, revealing a bright smile despite missing a front tooth.

"Hey chubby sister, are you hungry? I'm hungry."

"Are you hungry again? Didn't you just drink animal milk this morning?"

"That little bit of animal milk isn't enough! I'm not a little bird; a tiny bit will fill me up."

The little red bird, perched on a branch, rolled its eyes upon hearing this. It felt offended, but it couldn't be bothered to argue.

Huo Ling'er stood up and patted her skirt. "Let's go, I'll take you to have breakfast. There's a shop in the capital that sells particularly delicious spirit porridge."

"Does animal milk taste better?"

"It tastes better than animal milk."

"That's a lie. Animal milk tastes the best."

"How would you know if you've never even tried it?"

"I just know."

The two bickered as they walked out of the open space. The morning light shone on them, casting long shadows. A little red bird flew down from a branch and landed on the little one's shoulder, its eyes half-closed, looking as if it hadn't woken up yet.

The Fire Emperor stood by the study window, watching the two small figures disappear at the end of the corridor, a slight smile playing on his lips. He had heard the news of his daughter challenging the little one, and he had seen her run out crying. He had wanted to comfort her, but then he realized it wasn't necessary. Because that child had already done it for her.

"Ling'er, you've made a good friend," the Fire Emperor said softly.

Li Chenzhou stood beside him, hands behind his back, saying nothing. He watched the direction where Xiaobudian and Huo Ling'er had gone, his gaze calm. He knew that Xiaobudian had won this battle. Not just the challenge, but Huo Ling'er's trust and friendship. This victory was far more precious than defeating any prodigy.

He suddenly remembered something. The little one had promised to use only the power of the Blood Refining Realm, but his current Blood Refining Realm power was no longer the original 120,000 jin. The essence of heaven and earth in the Cave Heaven Realm tempered his body day and night, making his blood and qi more than twice as strong as when he was in the Blood Refining Realm. Even if he deliberately suppressed it, using only the power of the Blood Refining Realm, that power would still be over 150,000 jin. 150,000 jin was still too much for Huo Ling'er. Fortunately, he didn't retaliate, only parried and dodged. If he had really retaliated, even with just one punch, Huo Ling'er would have been bedridden for three days.

Li Chenzhou shook his head and remained silent. That child, though careless with his words, was sensible. He knew when to be serious and when to hold back. This sense of proportion was more precious than any talent.

The morning light grew brighter, and a new day began. Huo Huang and Li Chenzhou stood by the window, gazing into the distance, each lost in their own thoughts. They both knew that the road ahead was long, and many hardships and obstacles awaited that child. But they also knew that that child would walk step by step, reaching a place unseen by anyone else.