Regressed Master: Raising The Son Of Heaven Isn’t Easy (Xianxia/Progression)

[Overload69]

A few minutes later, Fu Yuzhe left the estate, he wasn't allowed to his sister because he was using the excuse of being on a mission. But he stepped out of the village finding solace in looking at his sister's Life medallion.


"I didn't have much expectations of him, but he surprised me. Desperation always makes people do more than they could normally." Gu Changge reeled in his Qi sense as Yuzhe ran down a path leading to the nearby Jizu Province, his eyes however went to Li Ling. She stood there watching the door to this room that Yuzhe had walked out of, her eyes were downcast filled with a surge of emotions.


"Are you sad that he didn't greet you?" Changge sneaked up on her, his hand snaking around her thin waist in a swift motion. "Should I help you deal with your broken heart?"


"…I-I apologize Master, but please……" Li Ling's voice shook yet she couldn't move, the only objection was her weak words that were akin to a paper wall.


"Don't make it look like I am forcing myself on you, people will get the wrong idea. I am simply concerned about my precious little subordinate, don't you understand?" Changge smiled moving back.


"…I do not deserve your concern, Master. I'll go and tend to the needs of Miss Fu." Li Ling slipped away from the room.


"Tsk Tsk, so stubborn." Changge's words turned sour as he took a seat in the family head chair, but the dissatisfaction was only momentary. "It is always more satisfying when there is resistance."


A few hours later, a pigeon-like bird with colorful feathers and a crooked beak rushed into the room from the door, with a single flap of its wings it appeared on the table near Gu Changge. Opening its beak it spat out a scroll two fists long, one would question how it fit into the bird's small body, but he opened the clean scroll without batting an eye.


Inside the words listed the mundane tasks of a tailor, from finding new fabrics brought in by the Western Continent's merchant to taking measurements of the local customers and the process of making dresses for weddings and everyday wear. To anyone else, it would've been a simple letter written to the person's close friend who lived in another country, but not to Gu Changge. His eyes went to the vertical lines used in writing the date, in a moment he gathered the first letter of each word from the start to the end before arranging them backward on a new paper, making a new line every twelve letters.


The sky is much calmer.


Leave the pruning to others.


Be hasty with acquiring the Plum seedling.


The time to replant is near.


He stared at the lines with a solemn look, it was an ultimatum for him. He had succeeded in creating discourse between three of the four major sects, but it wasn't as big as he had hoped. Because of that, he couldn't acquire one of the key goals of the mission. No matter how sudden the request was, the fact that he failed remained.


"Those bastards chose a good time to come out of their fucking caves." The hatred in his heart had yet to be settled, and it only grew with each moment. However, he knew exacting it wasn't possible now, the task would have to go to someone else as he faced the two unknowns.


Without wasting a moment, he pulled out a scroll and brush from his storage ring, with quick and neat characters he formed a letter and attached a portrait to it. Soon, the letter addressed to Metal Fiend came to completion.


"Don't let me down, you bastard." Changge muttered feeding the scroll to the bird before it flapped away.


"I suppose I'll have no choice but to share my prey this time. Well, it is not like that sect will disappear overnight." His eyes were fixed on the bigger prey, the ever-elusive Li Muchen and the hermit Bian Que, but the most important of them all was the girl.


The portrait was of a young girl with green eyes and black hair, her beauty was above average but the resoluteness in her eyes would draw anyone in. Her name was etched on the back.


"Wu Kexin, I hope you don't struggle too much, or it will be a drag." He still had to confirm a lot of information and gather more. "It is so much fun seeing them scrambling about, but it doesn't matter, after all, they are still dancing to someone else's beat."


***


"Woah! We are so high up!" The cool wind carried Wang Yang's enthusiastic cry around the wooden deck.


He stood near the wooden railing on the ship racing across the rare clear sky enjoying the fresh breeze, passing by flocks of birds and mountains below. His high energy hadn't died down since we left the Sect this morning, and it attracted attention on a moderately crowded tea shop nearby.


"Be quiet you idiot." Once again, Wu Kexin dragged him back to the seating area meant for enjoying the view.


Many on board seemed to have a lot to say, rich merchants, delegates from other sects, scions of wealthy families, and traveling disciples of numerous sects. However, the Plum flower on Wang Yang's white robes made them stay in their places, even the staff didn't say anything even when it isn't allowed to stand too close to the railings. The reason was simple, even if they haven't met me face to face, anyone traveling to Azure Sky Sect knows of my peak's symbol.


"He's lively, isn't he?" I spoke to Sun Lingling, she had returned from the cultivation room on the ship.


"Yes." Her face looked solemn as she stood next to my seat, she didn't bother with what others did anyway.


Wu Kexin had also arrived a few moments ago when she found out that Wang Yang was up to his usual antics again. As she dragged him close, his wincing face changed into shock upon seeing me.


"Ah, Master and Senior Sister Sun too?" Wang Yang's gaze alternated between us, trying to understand the situation and when we arrived.


"Did you forget about the meeting at noon?" I asked.


"…N-No." He looked away.


Deep creases formed on Kexin's forehead making Wang Yang sweat, however, he was like that. With how fascinated he became with the Pheonix Boat, it was natural he'd forget about things and run around the place, it had happened even when he had aged and matured so it was not new to me.


"Pay it no mind, it was for a simple chat." Wu Kexin had got him before the appointed time anyway. "Now then, take a seat you three, order whatever you like."


Lingling took the cushioned seat adjacent to me without a word, Kexin and Yang sat on the opposite seats. Since boarding the ship from the Northern Gate of the Outer City, I have let them do what they wanted but I knew their curiosity was growing by the second as they didn't order anything, they knew nothing about the trip, not even the destination. Lingling and Kexin weren't the types to ask, while Yang was too busy exploring until now.


"Master, it is true that we are going to the Purple Cloud Sect's Territory?" Wang Yang must've heard the destination of this ship while walking around the place.


"Not quite, our destination is the neutral Tie province beside the Huang Province under Purple Cloud's territory." This ship was a designated vessel that only moved from our sect to Huang City bearing goods and people, the Pheonix boats moved from sect to sect but because of the tensions between the two rival sects, this arrangement was made long ago to prevent conflicts.


Wang Yang and Sun Lingling looked at me with clear confusion, for the latter it was understandable as she wasn't from this continent. Wang Yang, however, should've known this. I suppose I'll have to increase his study time from now on.


"The province that once produced the largest amount of iron ore on the continent, we are going to that Tie Province, Master?" Wu Kexin asked. She had loosened up a lot compared to before, but in front of everyone still maintained the usual courtesy.


"Yes, we are going there to investigate a fable passed down in a remote mountainside village." I said.


"To investigate a fable?" Wang Yang tilted his head.


"What is the fable about?" For the first time, Sun Lingling looked attentive, waiting for the information. Fables among mortals were always loosely connected with cultivators or valuable places full of treasures, so many sought after them.


"It is about an orphan boy who lived in a tea farming village with his sickly younger sister, it is known as the fable of Heaven's Pond in that province." The Heaven's Pond was the reason we were going there.


"The fable starts with the strong-than-average boy working in the fields witnessing the deteriorating health of his sister since childhood, after checking with the village doctors multiple times it is revealed that she had an incurable constitutional condition. Her body was failing to contain her vital life force which resulted in a constant state of weakness which only grew, and that would eventually lead to death." They listened with alert ears.


"There wasn't a way to cure his sister at that time and the doctor told the boy to count her days, but the kid had grown up hearing of the Heaven's Pond at the summit of the highest peak behind his village, a peak that reached the clouds. It was said that if someone could bath in its water, they would live for two hundred years and no disease would ever affect them." At my words, Wang Yang's eyes lit up.


"Is there such a place?"


Fascination would be the right word, after all this boy always enjoyed stories, just not in written form.


"We are going there to confirm that ourselves." I said.


"What happened next? Did the Boy stop?" Kexin was invested too, I did hear about her enjoying fables of old and such, so I decided to continue.


"No, he didn't. Despite many warnings, he tried to climb the peak himself, using the side of a waterfall he climbed his way up the tangled brown vines and slippery solid rocks to reach the top. Failing multiple times and breaking his arms and legs from the falls that landed him in the water, despite the pain and disapproval he continued for the next few years." It was an admirable effort for anyone, this was a mortal trying everything he could to save his family despite the low chances. "Then after two years, his sister's health deteriorated further. Seeing that he made up his mind, although a storm had hit and the waterfall's current was much stronger than normal, he started his climb."


The people around him called him foolish, to them it was like he was wasting his life away for a legend that no one believed. But that boy believed it, if his sister could live a healthy life because of it, he would believe anything.


"A climb that lasted for two days, struck by lightning twice he almost fell from the top. Despite that, he reached the top with one broken arm, and there he saw the pond. Unlike the dark clouds he saw while climbing up, the hope from the shimmering pond was blinding, when he filled his sheepskin and bamboo pot, the water from the pond splashed on his broken arm healing it on the spot. Elated he doused himself with the water, and all his injuries and tiredness vanished like fog, then he started his descent as the storm passed, revealing the clear morning sky." I stopped there for a moment, wondering if I should continue the story.


"…Did he save his sister?" Sun Lingling asked, her voice low but her eyes seemed eager to know.


"Do you really want to hear the rest?" I asked.


"Of course, Master. You can't leave the ending, that's the most important part!" Wang Yang's enthusiasm was palpable, so much so that he had stood up from his chair which slid backward. Even Kexin was too deep to chide him.


I suppose this would be a good lesson for them, so holding it off wouldn't be good either.


"About his sister, she died alone in their hut on the first day, the villagers buried her the next day."


Not only did the boy fail to save his sister, he wasn't there for her in the last years of her life, not even her last moments, and he couldn't even see her burial.


Even after he had succeeded, such an end welcomed him home.


...


We have now caught up with Royalroad so the uploads will follow the pattern of M/W/F from this week on.


Hope you are enjoying the chapters.


If you have anything to say about the novel or have questions, put them in the comments.


That is all, bye bye.

 

[Overload69]

Along with the solemn mood created by the ending of the story, we arrived at landing site on the outskirts of Huang City the next day. A few hours before sunrise, every passenger on the ship aside from us made their way towards the city gate nearby. Sun Lingling and Wu Kexin climbed on the second flying sword as Wang Yang stood with me on the first, on those we went towards the western border of Huang Province beyond which our destination awaited.


"Are we there yet?" Wang Yang asked as we landed on a dirt road leading through several farms on the slope, forming a set of green stairs alongside the mountain with a gentle slope.


"The village is before us, if we ask a local it will give us a definite location." I said.


It wasn't like I didn't know of the location, but the reason for contacting the villagers was for something else. A village such as this whose only contact with the outside world was through peddlers was a close-knit community where everyone knew everyone. If one person knew of our arrival, the entire village would, and anyone else who may visit later.


The first rays of sunlight had only reached the ground, yet smoke could be seen rising from the small wooden houses near the farms. Near the house closest to us, a middle-aged woman with a young baby girl tied to her back with a cloth blew air into the mud stove outside of her wooden house to kindle the flames.


By the time Wu Kexin and Sun Lingling noticed the woman, Wang Yang had already reached her.


"Big sister, can I ask you a question?" His voice stayed low enough so that the sleeping baby wouldn't stir awake, he even stepped on a few twigs on the way to make sure she noticed him before he spoke up.


It was because of this consideration that the woman didn't react much, even after noticing his expensive clothes. The relaxed air about him had always helped him in such areas, if Sun Lingling went and did it the same, the result would be a lot different.


"Big Sister? Just call me aunt kid, I have a son your age." The woman tried to hide it, but her wide smile showed an improved mood. "You said you wanted to ask a question, right? Go on, this aunt will help you."


"Thank you, I was looking for the tallest peak around here, you know the one with the Heaven's Pond." Enthusiasm filled Wang Yang's voice.


However, the response wasn't quite what he was looking for.


"Heaven's Pond? That's the first I've heard of that."


Of course, this was expected, words passed through generations would often be forgotten with time and such was the case with the story of Heaven's Pond too. Before regression I had only heard of this place first through a thousand-year-old cultivator who recounted the adventures of her youth, and how this became the only failure in her treasure-hunting journey.


Thankfully, Wang Yang's efforts weren't in vain.


"But I can tell you about the tallest peak around here. It is a few li to the east of the village, if you take the trail from the foot of this mountain and follow it through the cinder wood forest, you reach it in about an hour after passing by the Koi pond." She said with a smile.


Wang Yang returned after giving his thanks once again and our journey to the destination started, flying around the dull brown trunks we arrived at the foot of a tall peak. In the story this peak was said to be reaching the clouds, however the reality was much different.


"It isn't that tall… there isn't even a waterfall, is this really the right place?" Kexin muttered.


"That waterfall dried up thirteen hundred years ago, and an angry cultivator broke the peak in anger after failing to secure the treasure, seventy percent of the peaks and mountain ranges in the whole province came from that." I said.


"Failed? No, if they destroyed the peak, wouldn't the heaven's pond which was at the top also be destroyed?" Sun Lingling's curious eyes turned towards me.


"Master, don't keep us in suspense… no wait…" Wang Yang still looked a bit traumatized by the ending of the previous story.


If I said that I only brought them this far, filled them with excitement along with the promise of a mystical site only to tell them at the doorstep that it didn't exist at all, it would be a hell of a prank.


Although their crestfallen expressions would certainly make a hilarious sight, but that isn't my intention. Walking around the foot of the peak I beckoned them to follow me.


"After the story of the Heaven's Pond caught wind two thousand years ago, many cultivators rushed in, be they stray or the sect affiliated. Among them, many climbed to the top of the mountain with ease with their strength alone." Their eyes had a dubious look in them, after all the timeframe seemed a little too far back but that was exactly why it had become like this. "The Heaven's Pond was nowhere to be found, only a few persistently continued for the next few hundred years till only one person remained, and after finding no progress that cultivator broke the peak to vent for her wasted years."


"So, does the Heaven's Pond still exist?" Lingling asked. Unlike the other two who took the information in, her eyes were set on the prize, such was her conviction and trust.


"Of course, it does, before passing away Iron Body Deity moved the Heaven's pond to a cave at the foot of the peak."


"Why would he do that?" Wang Yang had forgotten about his fears in the face of the interesting question.


"It was because he didn't want someone else to go through the same pain he did." The answer made their eyes wide, what did the Iron Body deity go through?


He defied all odds for the sake of his sister, yet still failed because it took too much time. But instead of being resentful, he brought Heaven's Pond to the ground so others wouldn't lose the precious time and would save the ones important to them.


Unlike Wang Yang and Wu Kexin who seemed touched by the actions of a long-dead senior, Lingling raised an eyebrow at the information.


"Then how come no one found it?"


"The annals of time can bury even Gods, what is pond to it?" We came to a halt in front of a straight slop of the peak with vibrant moss growing along the rocks going halfway up with a few trees peaking out. "The main reason was that Iron Body deity passed away before he could disclose the new location of the pond, since then no one had found it."


"Then how did Master…" Lingling stopped as my fingers sunk into the solid rock, numerous cracks ran along the side of the peak as I pulled away a boulder the size of a carriage.


"You can say that I was lucky to find it through someone, however, they can't use it so we will." They cannot use it because three years remain before they unearth this treasure.


"May the heavens bless them." Wang Yang's eyes shone as pieces of broken rock started to pile up before my feet.


"Master, why are you smiling?" Kexin asked, her eyes had a glint of seriousness.


"I am simply feeling elated for getting an opportunity such as this from them."


She narrowed her eyes at my answer but soon nodded.


Though, I do wonder what would happen if Heavens did bless the demonic cultivators. They are already enough of a problem as is, however I know one thing. I've taken this blessing of theirs, I need to stunt their growth before they sow more seeds of chaos on this continent.


With this pond in their hand, they had pumped out hundreds of high-quality soldiers to aid their plans. Destroying this stronghold of theirs came with a hefty sacrifice, it was a price too high for both me and the Purple Cloud Sect.


Breaking away into the mountain piece by piece have way to a descending tunnel two meters wide and four meter tall. At my order, the disciples laid down the elementary formations that only required placing down the markers. The hard rocks turned into loose soil, it had been unearthed after a long time and gave off a floral scent that got stronger with every ten steps. Fortifying the tunnel with Qi so that it holds its shape we placed some luminous stones for sight, I could only guess that the destination was nearby.


Aside from Heaven's Pond, this mountain itself has special properties, my Qi sense would simply bounce off it as if light on a mirror. If it wasn't for this the cultivators with extraordinary sensing abilities would've sniffed out the place years ago, they couldn't even use the rock or soil from here because once it left the mountain it would lose these properties. So it was abandoned even faster as many places with similar properties were around, ones where the Qi sense blocking property remained with the material even after it was mined.


An hour passed and from calculation, the tunnel was about five li deep with a gentle downward slope, the disciples were trailing behind me without a word. The land had changed a lot from the time that Iron Body Deity had made this place, but my memory of this place is perfect, not because I wanted to but because of what happened here.


As if to attest to it a ray of light leaked out of the cracks in front, tearing it away like a paper wall, I stepped into a cavern two li wide and a half a li tall.


A shining ball of light stuck to the blue marble ceiling shone down on the soft soil, although the soil appeared fertile there wasn't a blade of grass in sight. Only a rundown shack in the right corner with a few cave openings in the rocky walls surrounding the place appeared, but most importantly, the shimmering pond in the middle, the Heaven's Pond awaited us.


Melted gold poured into a mud bowl, the white smoke spilled over the ground seeping into the soft soil around. The rich and earthy scent filled the area, and the disciples moved forward as if mesmerized by it, even Sun Lingling couldn't resist the allure. Just breathing in the vicinity washed away the slight sluggishness in Kexin and Wang Yang's steps.


As they marveled at the sight before them, mesmerized by the beauty of the pond that stood out from the barren and rusty surroundings, I busied myself with the tasks they should've done.


Having your attention stolen in an unknown place without checking the area for traps and formations leads to lethal consequences, many young cultivators lose their lives because of this. Normally this would've called for discipline, but since I am around this time it wouldn't create an issue.


I'll teach them these things slowly, but I hope they adopt caution of the highest degree on their own moving forward.


Using a concealing and illusion array to cut off the tunnel from the cave the traces such as footsteps and fingerprints vanished from the muddy hole before me that had turned dark, now not even the initial starting point was visible.


Now, with ample time and resources in my hand, it was time to kick things off officially. Although the demonic sects had made their move, their plans had already diverted from what they intended.


To wipe out the Demonic sect's influence and forces in the Eastern Continent, I need three swords. One sword had already been unsheathed, now it is time to sharpen the second one.


"Shall we start our special training?"


The three disciples broke out of their reverie and turned to me, their eyes full of conviction and strong will to improve for the coming harsh days.


Accepting that, my eyes landed on Wang Yang that would kick things off for this plan.


"Take off your clothes," I said.


"…Huh?"


The three looked at me with widened eyes, the boy's face turned slightly red at my seriousness while the girls looked at me in confusion.


Ah… looks like I was a bit too forward.


I suppose some habits of mine need correction too.

 

[Overload69]

"The pond before you is made by gathering the Five Mortal Qi (Water, Wood, Earth, Metal, Fire) and the Two Heavenly Qi (Yin and Yang), the very Qi that makes everything between Heaven and Earth. Such a strong concentration can melt normal humans down to their bones, so going in with clothes would be wasteful." I explained.


"B-But why me?" Wang Yang became smaller, telling him to undress so abruptly had put him on the spot.


I suppose it is because the ones next to him are young women, he never had such a reaction when it was only men around. An understandable case, no matter how outspoken he seemed, Wang Yang was a reserved person in his own sense.


"I can't ask the two of them to do that, now can I?" I moved forward. "Ladies look away."


"W-Wait Master!" Wang Yang moved back, but for a different reason as my hand caught him. "Didn't you say that humans will melt if they go inside it?"


"Normal humans, yes. But you are a cultivator now, in appearance you may look like an ordinary human, however, you have twice the physical attributes of humans who have trained their entire life." Hearing this he stopped for a moment, thinking it was safe. "But if you make a mistake in Heaven's pond, even this strengthened body of yours will crumble."


"Master… I don't know if you are trying to console me or scare me." A wry smile appeared on his lips as he had given up on getting out of my grasp.


"Don't worry, I intend to teach you so that such a situation doesn't come to pass." The serious proclamation seemed enough for him.


Wang Yang took off his upper robes and dropped into the pond like a swift horse, he didn't take his pants off because of Kexin snickers from the side. Leaving that aside, his feet found ground when the golden water reached his chest, for now, this was good.


"It feels tingly, like an army of ants walking all over me." His brow scrunched up. "What should I do next, Master?"


"You have to meditate like you usually do and take in as much of the Qi in the air and from your skin." The three disciples looked at me with titled heads, their confused expressions asking 'Is that it?'


"Well, the only difference is that you cannot absorb this Qi in your Dantian like usual. You have to constantly circle it around your meridians in the fixed cycle till all of the Qi is absorbed by the body, then you can take in the next one." I explained as Wang Yang closed his eyes.


His back was pressed against the ground for support as sweat gathered on his brow, with increased sensitivity to touch the current situation presented a challenge to him. Usually, cultivators practice behind closed doors, away from all the noise and chatter as they prefer a tranquil atmosphere where not even a fly would come to distract them. However, just as a butterfly had to break open the cocoon to spread its wings and soar, cultivators too had to break out of that secluded atmosphere to reach newer heights.


Cultivation was not something one could do by sitting in one place, even if they have extraordinary talent.


The best way to go about this is not to let them fall into the habit that you can only meditate while in a closed room from the start. Everyone had their ways of doing this, even though I used another method before but this was more suitable for now as it provided more benefits and aligned with other things.


It took Wang Yang five minutes before he entered meditation as opposed to the usual minute, his breathing smoothened as his chest rose and fell like gentle waves that went through the pond. The first wisp of the hovering white Qi entered through his nostrils as his pores took in the Qi greedily, his body shuddered for an instant as all of the muscles in his body twitched, but went back to calm the next moment.


"Master, is it like that solution from Iron Palm Fortress?" Sun Lingling asked, her voice low yet her eyes were colored in shock.


"In a way, but that solution is inferior to this by multitudes, not to mention its side effects." I wouldn't let my disciples near something like that stuff.


In this conversation, one person was completely lost.


"I don't understand what is going on."


"We are talking about the bone condensing solution of the Iron Palm Fortress from the north, they use it to make the skins, muscles, and bones around the palms thicker and resilient so they can withstand their techniques. Because of how costly it is only their elites use it." Sun Lingling explained. "But I heard that it turns their hands numb to all stimulation, and they can never feel anything from it for the rest of their lives."


"Wait… so you are saying this is similar to that?" Kexin's pupils shrunk when she saw Wang Yang neck-deep in the pond.


"In its effects, this is much superior to that. Not only does it strengthen one's skin, muscles, organs, and bones, but the main point is that this strengthens one's meridians and Qi pathways as well, aspects that are usually impossible to improve on. And of course, there are no side effects, aside from the limitation that you have to be a Golden Core cultivator or lower to get the benefit." As Kexin's doubts cleared, Lingling's eyes turned serious, that was how lucrative this pond was.


"Normally one would be stuck with the meridians and Qi pathways they had since birth, in very rare cases the meridian's strength and endurance perfectly match the spiritual root's grade allowing the cultivator to bring out 100% of the root and techniques. If this method is known to the world, then even if the increment is small it will certainly…" Lingling cut off her own words, even then Kexin could understand the weight of this.


If one gathered all the cultivators across the five continents, 80% of them would be Golden Core and below. Every faction, sect, kingdom, organization, association, or army had these people in bulk. What would happen if a method to strengthen 80% of the cultivators saw the light?


"In simple words, this place could cause a war larger than the Saint War from two thousand years ago." It was no mere exaggeration on my part, I have seen the dirty side of the cultivators when this place was captured. The greed of humans was much more evil and viler than anything I had had the misfortune to lay my eyes on.


That greed led to a loss that I could never recover from.


"…Master?" Sun Linling's confused words reached me.


"Ah… yes, as I was saying. This place is super important, so not a word to anyone and don't worry about anything else. Just praise your venerable Master for taking such good care of you." I said, my nose pointing towards the ceiling with a smug smile.


"…Master, if you hadn't said it like that, I probably would've considered it." Kexin sighed.


"What a bummer. I would've liked it if you started the day with three kowtows in my general direction."


"Knock it off, Master." Kexin laughed, understanding that it was simple teasing, but the second one didn't.


"Understood Master, I shall do it every morning without fail." Sun Lingling's flat voice sailed between us.


"…Please refrain from doing that." That was all I could muster in front of her confused expression.


Thankfully, Kexin stepped in with another question.


"So, how will we enter the pond?" Her face had a slight blush as the situation didn't help her, and this was enough to divert Sun Lingling's attention too. Who else would be more concerned about their skin showing in public?


Women of this world took even greater caution when it came to this, but there were always some oddballs.


"Don't fret, I have prepared well."


They followed me to the other side of the pond, near the edge I placed a yellow talisman and took twenty steps back. With a puff of smoke a single-story wooden cabin appeared, it had one fully furnished bedroom with two beds, one sitting room, a reading room, bathroom and toilet, and a kitchen with supplies that could last a month. Elevated above ground by pillars the set of stairs led down to the edge of the pond, and near it was a changing room for privacy.


But this wasn't enough, I formed a few hand seals as my Qi gathered the nearby dirt. Like fluid water the soil flowed under my command and divided the pond in two by a ten-meter-high earthen wall, walling off the sides so no one could peak in not even from above because of the formation that worked like a one-way mirror, and the only way inside was from the cabin.


Wang Yang wouldn't peek, but it was one way to give them peace of mind, slipping up because of divided attention would cause damage.


"I have also placed a timer on your tokens, they will ring once every two hours so keep them close to the edge. After every two hours in, you have to take a one-hour break before going in, take more if your body demands it. I will call you through the token around dinner time to check up on you, if you ignore my words, I will not let you enter the pond again." My words were directed at the two, they were the type to overdo their tasks after all.


And before their high talent or the aid they can provide me in the future, they were my disciples. Yes, I did want something from them in return, but not to the extent that it would put their potential in jeopardy.


However, the two of them weren't really listening, more accurately something else weighed on their minds. They faced me yet their eyes remained fixed on the cabin.


"Master… what… how?"


Kexin looked like she had seen a ghost, in the form of a house, Sun Lingling's attention also became fixed on the sudden change in the scenery.


"Do I have to start there?" The two nodded and even took a tour of the inside before getting to the pond.


It seemed they had readied themselves for days when they wouldn't be able to get a proper bath and use a sanitary toilet, most of the cultivators were like that when they left on their journeys and some more affluent ones carried cleaning talismans or learned water spells to cover up, overall camping out was still a rough experience unless one could drop tens of thousands spirit stones to get a larger storage ring for their conveniences.


However, this one talisman changed everything. It contained the entire house along with the different needs and comforts, and the space it took in the ring was also negligible.


Who other than Chen Zhipeng could make it? The reason was the swampland investigation of the Northern Continent a century ago, he accompanied me for his own reasons and after hearing about the conditions there locked himself in his workshop after hearing the idea of movable houses that slipped out of me, he stepped out with dark eyebags with this product after two months.


It still costs a fortune to make though, but it is relatively cheaper than buying a ring large enough to fit a house of this size inside. This got a lot of attention among the sects that participated in that mission, but Chen Zhipeng never accepted any other orders to personally make them as it took a lot of time for him.


So other arrangements were made, Zhipeng and I still get good royalties thanks to Gu Fei who made the process public. As to how she managed to get such an incredible hold on this difficult process in this world?


"A woman of steel, that one." I have never seen a person more adept in business than her, in my current or past life.


Someone like that could be a competent ally or a terrifying opponent, and I'd rather not have her as an opponent.


However, the truth is that I'd have to face worse opponents than her going forward, each more despicable and lacking in morals than the last. In a cutthroat world like this such behavior is common practice.


But this time I'll be better prepared and strengthen myself with every means possible. Setting up the cabin on Wang Yang's side with the walls I removed my clothes and entered Heaven's Pond.


I'll use everything I can, even myself if I have to. This chance won't be wasted.


I closed my eyes as the day of confrontation came closer.

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Hello my dear readers.


I hope you have been enjoying the story so far, and you have my thanks for pointing out grammatical mistakes that go past me. That really helps.


I am always eager to read your predictions and thoughts on the chapters.


And if you enjoy the story and have the means for it, join the patreon.


There is also some art for the characters there that I drew so check that out, it is for free... I feel like I said it before...


I can't recall, well I'll just leave this as is. The link is below, so join at your discretion, I'll be waiting.


Bye bye, see you on Monday.


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[Overload69]

The Heaven's Pond. The only thing it brought to the alliance was trouble, not only did it help in skyrocketing the growth of the Demonic cultivators in large numbers, but it also helped them produce numerous geniuses that terrorized the Alliance. And even after the Alliance captured the Heaven's Pond the only thing it did was cause factions to form, deepening the already apparent cracks in the system.


But now, neither the Demonic Sect nor the Alliance knew about it. Right now, this major resource is in one person's hand, Li Muchen, me. To not use it fully would be foolish, as the time it could be useful to me was running out quick after the change in Spiritual root.


The Black Lotus, I was internally elated that the aspect that held me back was replaced by something much higher grade. However, that was foolish of me.


If there is an up, there must be a down. Such was Heaven's way of doing things for the common man, one cannot experience fortune without misfortune of some kind.


In my case, this misfortune seemed much bigger than the fortune. The speed of Qi absorption this Spiritual root had far outclassed the durability of my meridians and Qi pathways that had stayed unchanged. If it wasn't for my cultivation method that allowed me to reduce the base absorption, I would've died after only a few seconds of cultivation. As much as I wanted to use the higher-ranking Cultivation methods, they were impossible to use with my current meridians, and if I went any lower than my current method it would only result in an unstable cultivation.


And I could not allow myself to put a cap on my growth, to strengthen the meridians and the body Heaven's Pond was the perfect place.


The Mortal Qi (Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, Metal) and the Heavenly Qi (Yin and Yang) everything was made up of these, and living beings were the greatest creations to come out of this union facilitated by the Goddess Nuwa.


The body and the soul, the mortal and the heavens, it was the creation that came about from an intricate balance created by the Mother of All. To intervene in such a process was like crossing a tightrope with your hands and feet tied while a tornado rages on, everything was bound to go wrong.


But I have no choice, and it isn't like there weren't ways created to make this possible. The condition was that one needed to find a source that had the perfect mix of the Mortal and Heavenly Qi, although found in nature such a thing was closer to a miracle than anything. Only seven such items had been found thus far, but the help they could give was abysmal compared to the pond I was in. Even then I couldn't carelessly start absorbing the Qi right now.


My spiritual root is raring to go rogue again… Rather than a lotus it would be accurate to call it a starved beast in a craze. If I so much as started mediating that would be the end of me, even the cultivation method I was familiar with for several centuries couldn't help, however, there was still a way to get what I wanted.


After completely closing my Mind realm gate, I emptied my lungs. With a relaxed motion, a stream of flowery air and Qi entered through my nose, holding my breath for four seconds the Qi quickly passed through my meridians before it was exhaled over three seconds, and the cycle continued.


What I was doing was a little more tedious than normal breathing, a breathing technique used by the very first cultivators to achieve the state of Pseudo-meditation, in other words, a passive state that allowed a common to get stronger without their knowledge. It was from this knowledge that the first cultivation method was born.


In this state one is meditating, yet completely aware of their surroundings and senses. Cultivation started with something that could be considered one of the hardest things to achieve.


Perfect for me even with the speed being reduced to five percent because it excluded my Dantian and Mind realm gate flawlessly, both of which had become a problem for me. However this breathing technique cannot be used for proper cultivation because of the slow yield, but that was of no issue as cultivating wasn't the goal.


The Qi circulating through the meridians and pathways passes by organs, bones, nerves, and muscles, ridding them of any impurities while nourishing them further. While doing so, Qi from Heaven's Pond gets absorbed in the body and doesn't cause an imbalance because of the identical structure.


I had never used it in my previous life, by the time the Alliance took this pond over I had already gone past Golden Core Realm. The reason was that the first three realms are known as the Mortal realm of cultivation, is these realms cultivators only strengthened their bodies the best they could, as their souls resided in the heavenly plane.


But as soon as one reaches the Nascent Soul Realm their soul descends into the body, thus the balance becomes more intricate. Any rash tempering here results in being crippled. That is why I was thankful for being in the Golden Core Realm, although the benefits I get won't be as great as my young disciples who have only started their journey, the results I get would be a hundred-fold more than any other method of doing this.


So, I kept at it. My skin felt hot, my bones were itchy, the muscles twitched in joy, and the nerves tingled with intensity. The wave of rejuvenation passed through my wound-ridden body, from every previously torn muscle to broken bones to punctured organs, my entire body drowned in the soothing touch, relieved of the lingering pain along with the shadows that came with it.


My aching meridians cracked, but not in a bad way. They were opening, slowly but surely, they widened to allow the passing of slightly more Qi as the previously damaged Qi pathways made recovery, absorbing all of the Qi with glee. A blissful experience like swaying in a hammock letting the spring breeze wash over you.


But as good as it felt staying here all day wasn't possible, even at my stage 12 hours was my limit, any more and the potent energy will run rampant. However, I couldn't use those twelve hours completely, at least not today.


A sharp beep pierced my ear, this made it the seventh time but instead of ignoring it again I opened my eyes and turned around. With a light touch, the token fell silent, but the second one continued, on the stairs Wang Yang stirred awake by the sound of his token as I wrapped a robe around myself.


"Oh, Master…" He rubbed his eyes while turning the alarm off.


He was fully dressed with dry hair as he had stopped meditating in the pool three hours ago. I expected him to jump in again after an hour of rest like before, but he fell asleep on the stairs.


"So how was it?" I asked fastening the white belt around my robe.


"It was like swaying in a hammock in the spring wind."


His words brought a smile to my face as I too had the same thought, but most people would have a similar thought as that is a common experience.


I contacted Sun Lingling and Wu Kexin through the token after taking a quick bath, they came over to the cabin Wang Yang and I shared as preparations for the dinners started. Although I say that, food was prepared in advance and kept in the storage ring.


As the quick but hearty dinner came to a close, I made the closing remarks.


"From tomorrow morning you three are to use the ingredients in the pantry to make your own meals, if you run out the forest outside will be your hunting ground." They looked over, eyes full of confusion.


"Why so suddenly?" Lingling asked, her eyes clearly showing her interest in training continuously.


"Food is important for sustenance, and being able to cook is a skill everyone must know. Especially cultivators who have to brave through unknown territories alone knowing the fauna and flora is an advantage, the Food pills can run out and in a situation like that this skill will help you. Also, cooking skills are a foundation that will help in alchemy." I explained.


"Food as medicine like the one in the old books…" Kexin's mutter gave them an idea of it.


"Along with that, I will start teaching you about the Four Cardinal Direction of Cultivation in earnest."


"Does that mean we can learn about swordplay from tomorrow onwards?" Wang Yang's excitement rose.


Sun Lingling and Wu Kexin had their attention set on this too, and I didn't plan to dampen the mood.


"Since we have eaten our fill, how about some after-meal exercise?" It was time to show them the first mountain.


***


"Sword Mastery is divided into three major milestones, Sword Qi, Sword Silk, and Sword Soul. Each stage is much more difficult than the last taking cultivators decades to centuries to understand them." I said holding a slender black sword in my hand, it emitted a dull white glow responding to my heart. "The first stage is accomplished when you can wrap your heart around the sword, giving it an edge as sharp as your ambition."


Outside the cabin, the three looked at the glowing sword with intense focus. Pointing the sword at them I dropped an ingot of meteoric iron, the very metal this sword was made of, on top of it. Even if dropped from only an inch above the edge, the ingot was split in two even with the sword held still as if butter sliding over a hot knife.


Wang Yang and Wu Kexin's eyes widened as the ingot, now cut sunk into the soft soil below. Sun Lingling's eyes however were fixated on the edge of the blade, or more precisely the light green sword qi surrounding it, the Qi gave this sword a robust and hair-raising edge anyone who couldn't feel that wouldn't have the makings of a Sword Cultivator. But this wasn't all I had to show today.


"The Sword Silk is a realm in which you can extend your Sword Qi beyond your blade. It creates an illusion of a long sheet of silk following the path of your sword. It is taxing, but its attack power is several times higher allowing continuous motion and unbreaking strikes that help weave offense and defense together, making it a trump card that every sword cultivator wishes to have." Stepping forward my blade moved diagonally downwards in the air leaving a grass-green trail behind.


Although it appeared as soft and non-lethal like silk, yet the more I turned in tandem with the swing the more momentum gathered behind the blade, the sheet of silk now covered the openings as the edge sharper than steel moved towards the target. The meteorite iron ingot I had thrown in the air ended up in 10 pieces, each a passable cube.


"…Has Master already reached the Grandmaster realm?" A subtle emotion entered Sun Lingling's voice.


"G-Grandmaster realm?" Kexin's voice trembled.


"Is that great? Isn't it the second stage?" Wang Yang looked at the two.


"Of course it is! There are only 20 Sword Grandmasters on the Eastern Continent. This not only makes Master the 16th but also possibly one of the youngest to reach it!" Kexin's enthusiasm pushed Wang Yang's shining eyes toward me, bearing the eyes of admiration was tedious, especially for people who weren't special.


"No, that won't be possible, the current youngest Sword Grandmaster on the Eastern continent would be Miss Gu Yue who reached the stage at the age of 180. But if we include the people who weren't born on this continent the list would differ, however, Master would still be in the youngest ten." Sun Lingling's unblinking red eyes turned to me, now much more intense than before.


"Well, that would indeed be true if I had achieved true Sword Silk." I said much to their confusion, there was a big reason why so few reached that stage even with the abundance of Sword Cultivators. "What I did not was but a trick to emulate Sword Silk."


With the square pieces of meteorite iron placed before them, their confusion deepened.


"Look at the rough edges, the weight, and the number. A sword grandmaster can cut a 1 kg ore into thumb-size cubes of the same size and weight without the loss of any material. This is the difference between the fake and the genuine article." The explanation seemed to be sinking in as the imperfections became clear to them.


Can I use Sword Silk? Yes. My insights with the sword had stayed with me along with my experience in battlefields, the most important aspect. But I cannot openly admit to it, such a rare prowess comes with equally scrutinizing attention, something that was of no use to me at this stage. So, the previously developed trick that imitated the sword silk by lining up individual Sword Qi, a technique developed by Sword Feind, and guiding threads came into play for cleaner cuts.


"With that, the demonstration will end." I sheathed the sword.


"But what about the Sword soul?" Wang Yang asked.


"To understand that you must reach Sword Silk." Such answers cannot be given that easily, regardless the bar had been set now so it was time for the push. "But before becoming the Sword Master, you must first become a first-rate sword cultivator."


"First-rate sword cultivator?"


Wang Yang's question made me worry if he had been reading properly. Maybe I have been a tad bit lenient with him to make up for the time before regression.


"One becomes a first-rate swordsman when the sword becomes a part of the cultivator." Kexin explained, jabbing his side.


"The sword becomes the part of the person? Like Uncle Han?" Wang Yang's innocent question was met with a glare.


"To a first-rate swordsman, a sword isn't simply a tool, rather it becomes an extension of their hand. It is the moment where both the cultivator and his weapon become one entity." I answered before the subject was lost in the moment.


"That sounds cool!" Wang Yang said.


"It indeed is, but it is also the first major roadblock that will show one how much talent they possess with the sword." Cleaning up the ore I looked at the three with a smile. "You three will begin training first thing tomorrow so be sure to rest properly, unless you wish to faint halfway through the training."


"Will do Master!"


Understanding the severity of the situation Wang Yang and Wu Kexin made their way to the cabins without missing a heartbeat, however, Sun Lingling remained behind, and the reason was clear.


"You may have used Sword Qi, but you aren't a first-rate sword cultivator yet." So, I answered before she could ask.

 

[Overload69]

"You may have used Sword Qi, but you aren't a first-rate sword cultivator yet." I said to Sun Lingling.


"…Why?"


Her confusion was understandable, even geniuses cannot skip over the Sword-Body unification before achieving Sword Qi. It was a prerequisite as a user would have to connect their pathways with the sword to bring about the transfer of energy and meticulous control. However, Sun Lingling wasn't a normal genius.


"Just like I used a trick for Sword Silk, you too have arrived at Sword Qi realm with a trick." My eyes went to the sword on her hip.


That sword belonged to an accomplished and hardworking sword cultivator, paired with Lingling natural talent and spiritual root reaching the Sword Qi would be as difficult as walking for her. But therein lay the problem.


"You cannot achieve Sword-Body unification with that sword, because to you that is the same as affirming that the previous owner of the Ashen Blade had passed away."


Sun Lingling's gaze lowered, and for a moment she bit her lip before speaking.


"Master… How much do you know?"


"Not enough to let your worries at rest." Shaking my head was all I could do.


"…Do I have to part with this too?" That weak mutter was unlike the stoic Sun Lingling, the small shoulder trembled as her hand gripped the scabbard.


"If you want to go beyond Sword Qi then yes, you'd need a sword you can accept as your own. In truth, I have already prepared one so tell me after you have thought things over." There was not much I could do to help her here even if I wanted to, as fantasy like Cultivation sounded there were many preset rules that couldn't be broken for one's convenience.


"…I will." Her words were barely audible as she left for her cabin on the other side of the pond.


Do forgive me Lingling. I can't have you breaking down over news I haven't confirmed with my own eyes. Looking at her back I turned and entered my own cabin. I understand your torment better than anyone else, that is why I cannot let you live with it.


A boatload of trouble waited on the Horizon.


***


The schedule inside the cavern reflected that of the outside world, even if the place was lit for 24 hours. To sleep everyone used the curtains to block the windows and used the clock in the cabin to know of the time.


As for how they woke up…


"This thing is annoying… but it works." Kexin ripped off the green talisman from her forehead, it functioned as an alarm clock that sent a string of sounds straight into her ears to wake her up.


Since no one else would hear it, this became the perfect tool for the three disciples because of their variable schedules in the past month.


On the bed next to her Sun Lingling lay on her side, her eyes shut giving her the visage of a sleeping princess yet a sword handle peaked out from the blanket. The Ashen Blade was synonymous with her, and she hadn't been seen without it even when she entered the heaven's pond. Although unexpected, Kexin had grown accustomed to it now, leaving the bedroom she washed her face with cold water kept in the kitchen and made herself a light breakfast.


It was five in the morning, an hour earlier than yesterday. She stepped out of the cabin with a sword in hand, deep black in color with sliver lines stretching from the hilt to the tip, made with quality iron giving it a sharp edge and proper weight.


"Mornin' Kexin." However, she wasn't the first one out here, as usual, Wang Yang had already completed the physical training and started swinging his own sword, one similar to hers but a bit longer and wider.


"Morning, aren't you pushing yourself a bit too much? That's almost twice the weight compared to last week." The black straps wrapping around his arms had several pockets filled with solid metal sticks for the weight.


One four-inch stick weighed around 2 kilograms, and Wang Yang had 10 of those on each arm and ankle with a weighted vest of similar weight.


"If it wasn't for Master's warning I would've doubled the weight." He said doing downward slashes without breaking a sweat.


"Well, a gradual increase is better, it will cause problems if you hurt yourself because of overconfidence." She sighed, she had only reached about four sticks on each limb.


Kexin wrapped the straps on her body in preparation of her run when an explosion occurred behind the cabin she shared with Sun Lingling. Despite the echoes ringing in their ears, the two didn't bat an eye at the rising smoke. They had grown used to it over the past month, however there was one thing they couldn't understand.


"How can she cause explosions while cooking meals?" Wang Yang's question went unanswered again.


After physical training and following the sword drills instilled in her by Li Muchen, Kexin entered the heaven's pond to meditate and strengthen herself. She entered the water in silence to not disturb Sun Lingling and closed her eyes.


My strength is still increasing, and even my speed of cultivation is seeing progress. She still couldn't rival Wang Yang's speed not to mention Sun Lingling, but her speed had almost doubled from what she started with. And according to Li Muchen, she still had more room to grow, but the same was true for the other two.


Wang Yang is already making his way to the third layer of Qi Refining, Sun Lingling is nearing a breakthrough to the seventh… No, don't think like that, remember Master's word. She clenched her fist under the glow of the pond. I am a turtle, not a hare. But even hares come to a halt along the way, and that will be my time to catch up.


With burning passion, she slipped into meditation once again.


***


Around afternoon the three disciples had finished with their physical training and moved to alchemy practice, the three sat down outside of the cabin. Wang Yang and Kexin sat only a few steps away from one another with a brown cauldron the size of a pot before them while Sun Lingling was about a hundred steps away, they focused their eyes on the murky liquid inside.


Like water mixed with dirt, the scent of it was as appealing as its appearance, strong enough to make their noses numb. However, the two kept their burning eyes close to the pot, their hands grabbing on the sides of the cauldron, sweat trickling down their forehead.


I'll pass today! With a mental battle cry, Kexin sent her Qi into the cauldron, the earthy liquid burbled along the side of the earthen cauldron as a hint of green hue broke out from the cloudiness.


The liquid was a mixture of water and Ligu seeds, an inexpensive spiritual herb, that were about as small as mustard seeds, the three had to separate the Ligu seeds from the water. But they could only use their Qi to form a clump in the center and then extract it so that it doesn't scatter afterward, such was the exam Li Muchen used to know of a student's alchemy potential.


Kexin had been doing this test for over three weeks now and had succeeded in gathering ninety percent of seeds at a time, the concentration it took to gather each seed had many roadblocks, the biggest problem being the seeds rejoining the water because of her weak control over Qi and even if she tried to extract them the seeds wouldn't stick together.


But that is what this training is for. Not only does it help in increasing my control over Qi, it also helps in learning how to focus on two tasks at the same time. This way, even if I don't have a talent for alchemy, the time I spent would still benefit me in other things. Kexin has seen the results of it when she meditated, so she put her all in the training to reap the maximum benefits from them.


"Oh… It worked." Wang Yang had surprised himself with the way he looked.


Kexin stopped her practice for a moment and looked at the clump of tightly packed Ligu seeds, they hadn't separated even after he had taken it out of the water marking the first success out of three disciples.


"What… How did you do that?" The result was exactly what their Master wanted.


"Well, I saw a kid playing with a toy yesterday in the nearby village." He brought in an unexpected variable.


"A toy?" Kexin titled her head.


"Yeah, they were some marble-sized metal balls that stuck to one another for some reason. I thought that if I treated the seeds like those balls and used Qi to hold them together it could work, and it did somehow." Wang Yang showed the clump of Ligu seeds in his hands to Kexin so she could have a closer look.


Using Qi to bind them rather than keeping them in place? Kexin had tried to hold the seeds in place by wrapping each seed with Qi, however, her mental capacity had limits and her control slipped at times. I was going about it the wrong way? This wasn't about Qi control and concentration training alone…


"So, this is how pills are made…" Kexin looked at the seed clump with a deep gaze. "From herbs to pills, the process to remove the unneeded, binding the medicinal properties from a myriad of different and contrasting materials together. It all happens like this."


"What?" Wang Yang blinked.


"Nothing. About the toy you mentioned, can you show me who has it? I'll be going to the village today to barter eggs and milk, so come if you can." Kexin had to look deeper into this, and not because she wanted to succeed in her test.


"I don't see why not. But I'll go in the evening, I have to hunt now."


"Didn't you go hunting yesterday from afternoon to sundown?"


"Ah… well…" Wang Yang scratched his cheek.


"Did you really waste time playing yesterday?" Kexin already knew the answer when he averted her gaze.


Li Muchen gave them one day in a week to hunt for food after the pantries had emptied, true to his word he didn't help them cook or gather things. With everything left to them, only today the real problem arose.


"Since you are done with this, you should leave now and handle the food, I'll give you some for today." Kexin sighed.


"Wouldn't master punish us then?"


"This isn't simply sharing, you gave me valuable information and I gave you food in return, it is a proper transaction. Remember that." She wouldn't take no for an answer as his grumbling stomach told her the state of his food reserves.


"If you say so." He stood up with a smile and stored the cauldron in his storage ring. "Meet me at the village in three hours then."


"I hope he doesn't get distracted today too." Kexin cleaned up and got ready to enter the pond again, but then a booming explosion rang through the cavern.


It was the fourth one since morning.


"I should be grateful that it isn't happening in the cabin at least." With a sigh, Kexin moved towards the pond.


***


A couple of hours before sundown, Kexin left the Heaven's Pond through the cave Li Muchen had dug. The chilly evening wind made the damp forest much duller, as if night had already fallen.


The light outside and inside, the atmosphere, the temperature, and the taste of the air, everything differed. As if the tunnel she had taken brought her to a different world, such was the difference between them.


The clouds are gathering… an untimely rain? Kexin observed while making her way through the forest at a maintained pace.


After roaming the place for a month, she knew the area well enough to take shortcuts through the dense trees with confidence even if there were no animal trails. The falling leaves made for a good dodging exercise in the meantime.


Master really has some wei-Ahem* unique ways of training. Coughing away Kexin climbed the small mountain to reach the village, the men who worked in the field had grown used to her timely visits to the village.


"Young miss, here to trade meat again? Did you get a big haul again?" A guy knees deep in mud asked with a smile.


"Not a big haul, but it should be enough to get me some goat milk and eggs." Kexin smiled back with a rucksack in hand, she had taken it out at the foot of the mountain to avoid suspicion.


"Ain't that perfect? My chickens have been working hard lately. How bout it?" The man offered.


"I don't see why not."


The transaction didn't take long as the boar meat she brought got her enough eggs and milk for the week. After climbing a little more, she found Wang Yang sitting outside a house, he was enjoying a bowl of congee with a smile.


"Oho, if it isn't the hunter lady. How you doing?" The middle-aged woman with a baby girl strapped to her back smiled, she was the one they first talked with in this village.


"As usual, here is the meat you wanted. I put in a little extra as a thanks for taking care of this fool." Kexin handed over cured meat wrapped in yellow paper.


"It is nothing, my Liu becomes more energetic whenever he is around." The woman reigned in her kid that tried to climb over her back to reach Wang Yang.


"Looks like you are as popular as ever with kids." Kexin turned towards her troublesome friend.


"Don't act like you didn't diss before this, also you'd be popular too if you don't get angry so often."


"What'd you say?" She looked over.


"Nothing, big sis." He coughed as his grumbling stomach demanded the congee.


"You two sure get along." The woman smiled stirring the pot of congee. "The village always feels lively with many visitors."


"Is it rare?" Kexin asked.


"Of course, who would want to come to a remote mountain village in the middle of nowhere? Even merchants wouldn't come by if it wasn't for the tea leaves, but more people have come here since you arrived."


"More people?" Kexin's eyes narrowed.


"Some relatives of village chief from a nearby city, they brought some valuable spices as gifts too. I haven't seen them around, but the men were causing a ruckus at how beautiful and polite they were." The woman's tone turned low.


"Was that all?" Kexin tried to smile, it seemed this woman's husband was one of those men.


"No, the problem's something else. Two days ago, Hunter Yu saw a bear-like man roaming about the Jo River, and yesterday night some men came by the village to find directions. I heard they looked like ruffians or the sort, so be careful when you go in the forest."


"I will be careful." Kexin nodded and turned to look at Wang Yang. "Then, I'll go ahead."


"Sure sure." The woman waved them off.


"Have you seen the bear-like guy they were talking about?" He asked waving the woman and kids goodbye.


"I haven't. Don't look for him either, if you do encounter him alert Master immediately." She said looking around, they were quite deep into the village.


Unlike the small houses attached to the field on the outskirts, the main village had a dozen of wooden and mud-walled houses.


"Where is the kid who had that toy?" She asked.


"The village chief's grandson. Their house is just 20 or so steps ahead." Wang Yang pointed at the house at the end of the dirt road.


This was the only house with two floors in the village, a waist-high wooden fence surrounded the residence with a slanted roof made of hay. Kexin didn't think much of the unassuming appearance, such houses were commonplace in the countryside, however as soon as they were within 10 steps of the house her expression stiffened.


"Wang Yang, we are getting out of here." Her voice turned grave as the vision before her changed.


Unlike Wang Yang and Sun Lingling, Kexin had a passion for learning every path she could to follow in the footsteps of Li Muchen, her master. So much so that she had been learning swordsmanship, alchemy, formations, and forging, at the same time even if it meant losing time to rest.


And to get started on formations Li Muchen gave her a Talisman to access Qi sight. In non-complicated words, she could see the Qi in nature using her sight, such a skill became necessary to Formation users who used the natural Qi to their advantage and it helped in locating hidden formations.


I only found out about it after stepping in it, we are too late. Sweat trickled down her forehead as her disciple token in a panic, almost dropping it.


"What happened suddenl-?!" Before Wang Yang could finish his sentence she pushed him away.


A woman in purple, one a little older than Sun Lingling rushed towards them with a silver sword in hand.


"Shi-!" Kexin tried to bring her sword out of the ring, but her vision dyed crimson the next instant.

 

[Overload69]

When a sword cultivator attacks, their eyes are the last thing you focus on. Any cultivator with a sword will be worth his salt. Li Muchen's lesson replayed in Kexin's head. There is a technique called Thousand Yard Stare that every cultivator learns to get an edge in the fight, however, given you are only starting that is an advanced territory. So, I'll teach you all the One Yard Stare instead.

That lesson was a weird one even if it came from Li Muchen. The Thousand Yard Stare as he explained took in all information about the opponent and the surroundings through sight, however, the One Yard stare only focused on the opponent's movements, a single part of the picture. That being the movement of their shoulders and hips to figure out where they would attack. But that wasn't all he taught them about one-on-one situations.

The initial rush of the woman was aimed towards Wang Yang. Kexin pushed him to disrupt that, thus the woman turned towards her. The sharp turn limited the number of strikes she could do. Kexin confirmed the sword raised towards the right shoulder, the options were a simple downwards slash or a diagonal slash to the lower left from the top right.

Given the speed of the woman, Kexin didn't have enough time to take her sword out. Dodging being her only option. She moved to her left rather than stepping back to remove the first option.

Crimson shell, Activate. The bracelet around her left arm shone with a red hue. It created a shell in front, shielding her torso and head.

This was her trump card. An artifact her master bestowed upon his disciples before they left the sect.

The sword's tip scratched against the crimson barrier like nails on a board. The sparks died down in an instant. The momentum carried the sword and the wielder down left. Her back now exposed to Kexin.

A swordsman is most vulnerable after their swing. So, taking advantage Kexin thrust the sword that finally came into her hand.

The thrust aimed for the opponent's neck. A clean and straight attack that she had practiced over thousands of times. Given that and the woman facing away, the attack should land without problem.

However, the woman moved backward. No, it would be clear to say that she started to move the moment Kexin thrust her sword. As if she had eyes on her back. Without missing a beat her sword moved at an angle to target Kexin's sword hand.

To avoid losing her fingers, Kexin let go of the sword and pulled her hand back. A cut on her palm burning with intensity. She jumped back to gain some distance.

The purple-haired woman kicked the airborne sword back at its wielder. The sword struck the barrier giving birth to sparks. Kexin's hair stood on end when the sparks covered her vision. By the time she noticed the woman had arrived in front of her. Her sword already descending from above.

It's no problem, this shield can block the attacks of Formation Realm cultivat—! Kexin's vision sank before she could finish her thought. A dull pain rising from her legs.

In the moment her eyes latched on the sword above, the woman swept her legs. With a thud, Kexin back struck the pressed dirt road. Her head spun and the shield vanished with her focus breaking.

"Guh!" She grunted as the woman's foot landed on her shoulder.

The woman's sharp eyes glinted with the promise to break crush Kexin's shoulder if she so much as took a long breath.

Looking down on Kexin, with the sword pointed at her neck. For the first time, her lips parted.

"A quality work made with ore of equally rare quality." A bell-like voice, clear and concise just like her attacks. "Given your skill, I suppose I have to believe it now."

"What are you talking about?" Kexin's words were measured as the woman stepped away from her.

"No need to be so tense, I won't attack you anymore. Especially after confirming that." The woman's light purple eyes landed on the white token in Kexin's hand.

"Master's token?" Wang Yang muttered, confused but still gripped the sword handle while helping Kexin up.

"Yes, there isn't anyone in the Orthodox Sect that would intentionally attack his disciples." The woman's sheathed her sword, a sense of pride and coldness in her. "Unless they are foolish enough to oppose the Demon in White."

"But you still attacked us." Wang Yang looked at the blood dripping from Kexin's palm and the back of her head.

"I had to make sure that you weren't impersonators. I've had the misfortune to run into them recently." The woman retrieved the black sword and returned it to the owner.

Kexin understood the situation, her aggression dying down. This woman didn't need them to lower their guards with conversation. She had enough strength and skill to kill them right there. The impersonator checking also made sense, she had faced them in the caravan attack.

"Wang Yang, it is fine. She isn't an enemy." She said bandaging her wound, it wasn't deep because of the woman's mercy.

"…I'll keep it out just in case." His answer almost made her chuckle. But Kexin turned her attention to the woman.

"Is there a reason you are here? We will be reporting this to our Master, so it would help in being out of each other's way." With the cat out of the bag, Kexin decided to start the next step, which was intimidating the other person now that she knew of the connection.

"Fear not, I am not here for the same reason you are. I am only using this village as a rest stop." Cultivators going for the same treasure always bred disputes, thus she tried to make her reasons clear.

"Are your companions from the Purple Cloud Sect in the house there?" However, Kexin's question caused the woman's expression to turn fierce.

"How do you know that?" She had already redrawn her sword, ready to attack.

"Calm down. Even if you are dressed like a villager your storage ring is the one only Purple Cloud Sect's disciples can use." Kexin spoke even faster to avoid confrontation.

Li Muchen had taught them ways of identifying cultivators from the major factions, the easiest way was to look at the details on the storage ring. For the Purple Cloud Sect, it would be a black ring with a purple cloud, which the girl had forgotten to camouflage.

"And you have only came out when we approached the house. It is almost like you are defending your companions. Which could mean that they are either asleep or incapacitated." Kexin said.

"T…That's correct." The woman faltered, realizing her mistake.

"So, is there something we can help you with?" Kexin smiled. Trying her best to be friendly, unlike Wang Yang.

The woman opened her mouth for a moment but closed it again to stop the words from coming out. Kexin notices the woman clench her fist before she decides to speak.

"If possible… I would like ask for your Master's help." The power behind her voice dropped for a moment.

"Alright, I'll contact Master and ask him about it." The matter looked severe so Kexin didn't waste time.

"Too late, I am already here." But Li Muchen's voice came from behind her before the transmission connected.

"Master, please stop appearing behind me." Wang Yang would've swung the sword if Li Muchen didn't hold his shoulder to stop him.

"How long have you been here?" Kexin noticed the shock on the woman's face too, none of them noticed his presence.

"From the moment you entered the formation." He said.

"Then why didn't you help us?" Wang Yang asked.

"Since you two have been doing well in practice, I wanted to see you in action where it really matters. And that kid wouldn't hurt you badly after noticing the Disciple Tokens, even if she suspected them to be fakes." Muchen already knew of the woman and her companion's arrival in the village.

He waited for the disciples to encounter them and see the result. Which was why he didn't make contact with the other cultivator and kept his disciples in the dark.

"Master… that habit of yours… no never mind." Kexin stopped herself as her Master should've already accounted for everything. That's how he was.

"It is good to see that you are doing well, kid. This makes it the second time we've met, right? Is Gu Yue doing good?" Muchen moved to the woman who had finally gotten out of her shock.

"Indeed. My Master is healthy as always, but busy. She had greatly regretted not attending the last East Martial Meet." With cupped hands, she did a martial bow towards him.

"Tell her not to worry. That matter was been smoothed over." Giving a small smile, Muchen turned to his disciples. "This is Gu Yingyue from the Purple Cloud Sect, and she is the only disciple of the Second Abode's Matriarch."

"My name is Gu Yingyue. Although the situation isn't ideal, it is a pleasure to meet you two." Yingyue gave a short bow to the two even when she was the senior.

"We understand, my name is Wu Kexin and this is Wang Yang." Kexin said with a martial salute, giving her proper respect.

Wang Yang followed without a word and finally put his sword away.

Seeing them finish their introductions, Li Muchen turns to Yingyue for the main topic.

"So, what do you need my help on?"

"…I think it would be better if you saw it in person." With that, she led the way.

The three followed her inside the mud house, they passed through the sparsely furnished first floor. The family of four having their dinner didn't notice them at all.

"Is it because of the Formation?" Kexin asked as they took the stairs to the second floor.

"Yes, the concealment formation is a helpful one. I also used it so that no one in the vicinity noticed the battle, so you can continue your interactions with them as normal." Yingyue said.

"So, you knew about us from the start, huh." Kexin almost let out a dry laugh. This woman deliberately attacked from the front to sound them out and confirm their identities.

"Yes, but I still failed to confirm Senior Li's arrival." She said.

"That shows your lack of practice, otherwise you'd have a little more chance of catching me." He said in a droll tone.

"Only a little chance, is it?" Yingyue shook her head as they arrived on the second floor.

Rather than a floor, it was a single room with no windows. A better description would be an attic with a bed. A woman with bluish hair lay on that single bed under the illumination of the oil lamp, asleep but restless. Beads of sweat slid down the fair face and pained grunts left her pink lips.

"She's…" Kexin couldn't help but notice the reddening hands of the woman.

"She is the third elder of the Second Abode, Zhi Rou. She got poisoned while protecting me from the Demonic cultivators." Yingyue stood next to the bed, her eyes flashing with anger at her helplessness. "It has been four days and her condition keeps worsening. Now, she can't even walk so I carried her to this village. We've been unable to receive any help because of the recent chaos. And no matter how many times I administer the antidote it just doesn't work."

Li Muchen stared at the Peach blossom mark marring Zhi Rou's forehead. It was about 3 centimeters in diameter with five petals slightly overlapping each other to form the flower. However, unlike the usual lush and light pink flowers, this Peach blossom was pitch black, save for one petal that was halfway there.

Li Muchen checked Zhi Rou's vitals and took her temperature. Next, he used a needle to draw a drop of her blood and added it to a glass tube filled with a clear liquid. The blood drop immersed in the liquid morphed into darker shades of purple with pinkish spots.

"This is a variation of Black Blossom Poison the Dark Petal House uses. The normal antidote wouldn't work. It has progressed towards the last stages, but worry not I can make the antidote given a few hours." A poison that enhanced one's base desires and drove them mad. It was a poison that claimed many lives and destroyed many more.

"You have my endless gratitude." Yingyue's tense face eased a little.

However, she couldn't relax because of Li Muchen's dry tone as he continued.

"If you want to preserve her image in your eyes, you better leave the formation." That wasn't a request, but an order.

"…Ok." With a slight hesitation, Yingyue chose to leave.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Li Muchen, but she was unable to leave the suffering woman alone even for a moment.

"We'll be going too." Kexin and Wang Yang followed her out evacuating the family below, leaving only Li Muchen in the house with Zhi Rou.

"You can open your eyes." He said causing the woman to stop shaking.

The Black Blossom Poison was a troublesome one, there were many variations of it used as it was a go-to for the Demonic Cultivators. The one used on Zhi Rou was specifically made to corrupt captured cultivators and humans. However, for the first time, someone had resisted the poison for so long thus worsening the effects.

"You… look so good…. Ah~!" A thick haze of desires covered Zhi Rou's green eyes. But before she spoke, she tackled Li Muchen to the floor her face clouded with her primal desire.

This variation of Black Blossom multiplied the person's desires several times making them act in ways they wouldn't normally. A dirty method Demonic Cultivators liked to use, it made controlling the targets and extracting information easier.

There were two scenarios where the poison would work even better when lust was involved.

First, the poisoned is faced with someone they like.

Second, the poisoned is faced with a person of extraordinary looks.

Zhi Rou was too intense for it to be only one of the scenarios.

"Senior Li… I've always… always…" Gasping, she closed the distance between their faces.

This is going to be troublesome.

 

[Overload69]

"Senior Li… I've always… always…" Her mind overwritten with uncontrollable lust, Zhi Rou's hot breath landed on Li Muchen's face.

Her floral scent overpowering his nose, he looked at the glazed eyes with a hint of helplessness. Even in her current state, Zhi Rou was his equal in cultivation, and with nothing weakening her the strength she gained from strong emotions was terrifying.

So, to avoid the lips that sought his innocence, Muchen covered her mouth with his right hand.

"Mmph!" Her hot tongue slide across his palm, sending a chill down his spine

"You are moving a bit too fast for my taste. At least ask me out on a date before." He flipped her to the ground, holding her down with force.

The hand did more than hold her at arm's length. The pill hidden in his palm slipped into the mouth of the woman thrashing with passion. Understanding that it would be harder to make swallow in her current situation Li Muchen had made the pill in a way that it dissolved when touched with saliva.

It took but a few moments for the medicine to slide down Zhi Rou's throat and spread throughout the body from the stomach. Given the half-conscious state, the pill had been programmed to follow the Qi pathways from the stomach to other meridians and eliminate the poison that had taken root.

"She's finally calm." He took his hand away from Zhi Rou's mouth as her heavy eyelids lowered.

Now pacified, Li Muchen placed on the hay mattress and covered her with the blanket. The blackness of the Plum blossom on her forehead started to recede by a hair's width a moment. According to his calculations, the process would take at least twelve hours.

During that time, he couldn't leave as the antidote had to be administered every half an hour. Since the poison had stayed in her for a while, the chance of her going out of control remained high.

Even after preparing everything in advance, there is still a chance for things to go awry. Li Muchen gazed at Zhi Rou's pale skin.

Opening her mouth slightly he could see the cuts in the lower lips and tongue made from her resistance against the poison.

One of the reasons he came to Heaven's Pond around this time was to meet Gu Yingyue and save Zhi Rou.

In the future, Zhi Rou couldn't get the antidote in time and the Peach Blossom blackened completely. In that state the poisoned was reduced to a mindless animal, in that moment they can't identify between friend or foe such was the common point of all Black Blossom variants.

To avoid killing Yingyue in her craze, Zhi Rou chose to end her own life.

They only got her because they went after Yingyue. Incriminating their Sect on the side to keep them busy on all ends. And from there, Purple Cloud Sect's true downfall began.

However, Li Muchen had dampened the effect of the initial plan. And with this, he had taken another step to prevent more cracks from emerging in the monument called Purple Cloud Sect. What was left was to bring the antagonistic relationship between Azure Sky Sect and Purple Cloud Sect to an end, thus strengthening the relations between the Four Major Sects of the Continent.

Two more… Two more steps and it will be achieved. Li Muchen could take care of the third step, but Wang Yang was the only one who could handle the fourth.

Like the sun tailing the night, he waited for Zhi Rou to recover. The tar-like blackness waned, one petal at a time before the center faded into her skin.

Muchen could hear the roosters from the village when Zhi Rou's long eyelashes fluttered. She appeared to be in a daze, but it wasn't like the one before.

"Arhhhhhhhhh!" She shot out of the bed, kicking her blanket. Her scream loud enough to rouse the village if it wasn't for the concealment formation.

"S-S-Senior Li… T-T-That wasn't me I swear!" Her voice cracked, not a hint of calmness on her red face.

"What are you talking about?" Muchen tilted his head.

"Y-You know… last night…" Even in that state, Zhi Rou remembered what she had done. Such a scandalous act was too much for her normal self to fathom.

"Did something happen last night?" However, Li Muchen acted dumb for her sake.

"…Nothing happened last night?" She asked, her voice meek as a little child.

"Nothing happened." He said.

"You aren't lying?"

"I am not."

"Really?"

"Really."

Li Muchen's unfaltering smile made Zhi Rou question if her mind had played tricks on her. She could've sworn she remembered pushing him down. But now it all felt like a fabricated memory, one born out of her drugged state.

"Come now, take a seat so I can monitor your situation. Yingyue is probably worried sick." He said.

"Understood, also I am really thankful for your help." Zhi Rou's face returned to seriousness, still maintaining a healthy blush.

"You can save that for later." With the poison and the antidote gone from her body, Muchen examined her physical state in detail to administer extra medicine. But he had some questions that she needed to answer so he could understand the situation.

"So, how did Gu Yingyue, a successor for the Abode Head fall into a situation where she only had one bodyguard with no contact from the Gu Family?" He asked.

"About that…" Zhi Rou hesitated.

"You don't have to tell if you can't." He reassured her.

"It's not like I can't tell Senior Li, rather if I do you may get in trouble too with how the Purple Cloud Sect is."

"The Azure Sky Sect may be at odds with Purple Cloud Sect but I have a good relationship with your Abode Head, Gu Yue. If I leave her disciple in trouble and something happens, that woman won't let me rest in peace." Muchen said.

"…...That does sound like her." Zhi Rou smiled a little, that was all the joy she could find in that moment.

Rather than a collective organization like Azure Sky Sect where all the Peak Masters were the disciples of the Sect leader. The Purple Cloud Sect was more of a collection of five major and twenty small families that came together to form a single sect, one of them being the Gu Family.

The Sect had no Sect Leader, rather the patriarch of each major family participated in the council that overlooked the Sect while also maintaining the tug of war under the table.

The second strongest in the Purple Cloud Sect was Gu Yue, the current matriarch of the Gu Family.

Both Muchen and her were from the same generation and held considerable power in their respective sects. Their numerous encounters had forged a strong friendship between them.

"You shouldn't stand on ceremony with me. It isn't like you are a stranger to me either, I have seen you grow up." Muchen patted Zhi Rou's shoulder with a gentle smile.

"When you pull that argument, I have no choice but to comply…" Zhi Rou fell silent for moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, "Senior, do you remember Gu Changge? He's back."

"Wasn't he executed? Could it be someone using his name and identity?" Li Muchen tried to give a sound assumption one would make. "After all, he was executed 20 years ago for using a Demonic Cultivation Method and went on a rampage."

The execution of Gu Changge was done in secret and only people trusted by the Gu family's head knew about the truth. To the rest of the world, a rising star simply died on a journey because of Demonic Cultivators along with his group. Li Muchen had heard the news straight from the one who carried out the punishment.

"That did happen, he may have been Lady Gu Yue's older brother but she didn't shrink from her responsibility as the matriarch. I helped her bury his body in the Shan mountains because they couldn't let a demonic cultivator rest in the ancestral mountain." She said.

"So, did you go check the burial site?" He asked.

"Yes, we had to after the letter in his name arrived at the Family's main house. He promised that he would destroy the family who did him wrong. Only the direct family knows of the estate's location so it caused a stir. With the unrest caused in the Purple Cloud Sect by the recent events, only a few people could take on this task. Thus, it fell on Lady Gu Yingyue and me."

"So, after putting the sect in peril he spread the manpower thin before sending a provocation, knowing the number of people who could follow up was limited. It seems like a deliberate move to bring out the current successor of the Gu Family." Li Muchen looked at her with an indifferent expression. "But his target wasn't Yingyue in the end, was it?"

"He has always disliked me, no it is better to say he dislikes anyone with more talent than him. But there is a bigger purpose here. Steward Han was killed last month when he left to gather Xingqin fruit for Lady Gu. There was an attempt on Lord Gu Jun's life two weeks ago while he was returning from the Purple Cloud Sect. He is still receiving treatment for his fatal wounds. And then the attack on me using Lady Yingyue…" Zhi Rou stopped speaking.

"Essentially, he wants to isolate Gu Yue. Going in order of people who found out about his Demonic Cultivation Method, the people she trusts the most." Li Muchen smiled at the pattern. "He might be coming for me sometime in the future too."

"Unlikely, only I and Matriarch Gu know that you have this information. And we won't divulge it to anyone to get you involved." Her voice turned firm.

"What are you talking about? I am already involved, aren't I?" He chuckled, he wouldn't step away even if they asked him to.

"…My apologies." Zhi Rou's voice deflated.

"Don't worry about it. If the Gu Family is weakened then the balance in Purple Cloud Sect will collapse. In turn power shifts will happen on a major scale across the Twelve Minor Sects eyeing the position. When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman gains. So, ignoring this is detrimental to my sect too." Muchen was already involved in the whole fiasco, now he'd simply get into it officially.

"You are once again looking at the bigger picture. Lady Gu was grateful for your consideration in the ambush cases too…." Zhi Rou's sparkling eyes turned to him. "If someone like you was in Purple Cloud Sect, we would've become a monolith sect by now."

"Give it up."

"Come on, Matriarch Gu Yue is a great match for you, everyone thinks so." She insisted, her face turning a deeper hue of red. "…But if you prefer me then…"

"Come to think of it, what were you asking about last night?" He faced her head-on.

"Please forgive me for I have been immature!" She bowed immediately.

"Apology accepted. Now, go meet the kid before she grinds her feet walking in circles." He nodded to himself, finally acquiring a card to counter her pestering.

"Ruthless as always." She muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I'll go now!" Zhi Rou rushed down the stairs at breakneck speed.

Exiting the door on the first floor she saw Yingyue walking in circles thirty steps away from house chewing her fingernail.

Like a gust of wind, she arrived behind the troubled youth. A soft smile on her lips as a pang of guilt pierced through her heart. Wondering what would've happened if Li Muchen didn't meet them.

"Lady Yingyue." But now wasn't the time to think about what could've been.

Zhi Rou's voice froze her in place like someone had hit her on the head with a rod. She turned around slowly, making sure to see the woman in front of her.

"Haven't I told you not to chew your nails? That's very unladyli-"

Yingyue interrupted the sermon with a hug. However, Zhi Rou didn't have it in her to chide the trembling girl in her arms.

"I… am glad that you are safe, aunt." Yingyue choked but still got her words out in her chest.

"What is this? Aren't you the one who normally wants me to get out of your hair?"

"I swear… I'll never say that again."

"Then, I'll keep bothering you till I am all wrinkly." Zhi Rou spoke with an impish smile.

"…Isn't that a bit too much?" Yingyue said after a pause.

"Tsk Tsk, so you are all talk after all. I should've known."

Yingyue smiled at the obvious teasing, her eyes started to water at the thought of never hearing it again.

Li Muchen walked over on the banter and let them be. He couldn't sense Wang Yang and Kexin in the village. Since the token failed to tell their location, they should be at Heaven's Pond with Sun Lingling.

"Before I take you to a safe place, I need you two to understand two things." Li Muchen got Zhi Rou and Yingyue's attention away from the reunion.

"First, contact the Gu Family and report Zhi Rou dead and contain the news within the main family for now." He set up the first task.

"That's a good plan. Lady Gu has recently had doubts about a leak." Zhi Rou understood the benefits in an instant.

Yingyue had something to say but decided to comply for now.

"Second, not a word about the place I am about to take you to." He stressed this point.

"Don't worry, we will keep it a secret for the rest of our lives." Zhi Rou assured him with a smile.

A few minutes later…

"There is no way someone can keep this place a secret!" Her voice echoed in the cavern when she faced the Heaven's Pond.

The unfathomable treasure had them wide-eyed.

 

[Overload69]

Faced with the golden pond overflowing with Qi, Zhi Rou and Yingyue had different reactions.


One had been stuck in place after her initial outburst. The second one slowly took the sight in. Careful to not miss a single detail.


"This is… really something." Yingyue felt the extraordinary Qi whirling through her body.


Even without Muchen explaining, the two could instinctively understand how miraculous this place was. And they were standing right there, right in front of a treasure that could start a Sect War.


"It's not like I am asking you to keep the secret for free." Li Muchen sliced in.


"You don't mean…?" Zhi Rou's eyes widened.


"I'll let you use it for the duration you are with us." He smiled.


"Heh, good thing my memory is bad." Zhi Rou rubbed her hands together like an evil merchant.


Yingyue shook her head. But her gaze soon landed on the two disciples taking a break from practice.


Kexin noticed her and waved with an amiable smile, which she returned a bit awkwardly. However, when her eyes met with Wang Yang's, he looked away.


Swept away by Zhi Rou, Yingyue didn't have much time to dwell on that. The rest of the day went by in a blur. When she tried the pond, Kexin helped her get used to it. Sun Lingling didn't speak at all too. But her silence was different from Wang Yang's.


He refuses to meet her eyes and left the vicinity as soon as she arrived. The awkwardness had been noted by others too. Prominently by Kexin.


"He is not like that normally. I guess he is focusing too much on training and is burnt out." Kexin swept the issue under the rug with a smile, or at least she tried.


Yingyue understood why Wang Yang behaved like this. That was the reason she couldn't let it be.


Wang Yang's Master (Li Muchen) and her Master (Gu Yue) were the last bridge that connected the two rival sects. If it wasn't for their influence and friendship the conflict between the two sects would've escalated to new heights.


With Wang Yang and her being their disciples, they would meet often and needed to maintain the friendly relationship they would inherit from their Masters.


She could ignore this and try to build a strong friendship with the other two disciples, but it wasn't like her to ignore a grudge.


But how would she go about fixing the situation?


This was the first time Yingyue had to think about such things.


***


A few days had passed since Zhi Rou and Yingyue entered the cavern.


Three hours ago, another day came to an end and night fell. At least according to the clock. The cavern remained lit as everyone retreated to their cabins.


Everyone aside from one.


"15,987… 15,988… 15,989…"


Wang Yang kept swinging his sword. Each of his slash laced with strength from his muscles. He practiced each stroke shown by Li Muchen from his memory over and over. From the 16 slashes, the current one was the 13th.


However, when he played his movements next to his Master's, he couldn't help but frown.


He finally understood why people use the swan and frog in that idiom. His flaws remained apparent even when he compared them to Lingling's methodical swings to Kexin's gracefulness. But next to Muchen, they popped out like mud stains on white silk.


He had been practicing for the same time as his fellow disciples, yet the result varied greatly. They were closer to Li Muchen than him.


"…I have to have it down, the way master moves." Wang Yang wiped the sweat off his forehead. The clothes stuck to his body as his breathing fell out of rhythm, yet he wanted to continue.


"You see that's where you are wrong." That's when a voice came over his shoulder.


He whipped his head in the direction of the voice. There Yingyue stood in simple clothes, her long hair tied in a single ponytail with a white ribbon.


"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop." She had been seeking an opportunity to talk with him alone over the past three days, and it arrived today.


"…It isn't your fault." Wang Yang looked away once again. His voice remained distant.


It looked like he would walk away again, but after a short silence, he opened his mouth.


"What did you mean by that?"


Yingyue smiled. He was new to cultivation. Thus, comments like this would catch his attention, prompting him to continue the conversation even if he didn't like her.


"Well, it is a bit embarrassing to say this, but I really admire my Master. So much so that I want to be just like her." Yingyue scratched her cheek for a moment as a wry smile formed on her lips. "But it was different at first, I hated her."


"What?" Wang Yang tilted his head.


"Yue (Moon) and Yingyue (Reflection of the Moon). Since my birth others had determined that I'd follow in her footsteps. I was taught the way she learned, and I was expected to do the things she did. Being trapped in that box, it felt suffocating so I tried to break out of it." A smile of resignation appeared on her face. "But in a twist of fate, every strength of mine mirrored hers. I couldn't break out of it, the cage that trapped me. That was until I met her. In anger, I threw a fit forgetting all the manners the family had taught me and complained to her."


Wang Yang saw her chuckle as if remembering a fond memory now. But how did her mind change so drastically?


Yingyue stepped towards the tunnel, beckoning Wang Yang to follow. In silence, the two arrived outside. The pleasant, breezy night welcomed them, their gazes drawn to the stars peeking through a canopy of whispering leaves.


The stars, that looked so small shone with stellar radiance on the black canvas.


"Now, I'll ask you the same question she asked me that day." She said without taking her eyes off the sky. "Do you think that every star out there is the same?"


"I don't know… they look pretty similar." He said. The brightness and color were the only differences he could catch.


"Don't they? My Master said that cultivators are like stars. They are the same fundamentally, made of the same things, and ability to reason, yet some shine so brightly while others are barely noticeable. It is true even when two stars are made of the same elements and born in the exact same circumstances." Yingyue sighed. "Still, one can become the brightest star in the night while the other is destined to die in obscurity."


"So, you mean this applies to the cultivators too?" Wang Yang understood that the two stars in this question were Yingyue and her Master.


"Yes, no matter what we try. Every human is different from the one next to them. The difference in habits, morality, understanding, resilience, and situations creates forks in everyone's lives. Everyone walks a path of their own and can never follow someone else's in essence. That is what it means to be unique." Yingyue saw him scratching his head a little. "It is a bit messy, isn't it? I am still trying to figure it out after all. But… I understand that I have a path of my own. Even if I am her reflection in talent and teachings, even if I grew up like she did, my life will be different from hers because of who I am as a human and my experiences. Even if I use the same techniques as her, or wield the same weapons, there will always been differences between the way we do things."


"Wait, do you mean…?"


Yingyue nodded in agreement.


"Don't change yourself to fit the technique, changing the technique to fit you will always be easier. That is the advice my Master gave me before." She said.


Wang Yang thought back on Li Muchen's way of teaching. Whether it was swordsmanship, alchemy, or cultivation. He always explained to them what to do, showed them how to do it, but always let them handle the rest with practice while answering their questions.


Never once did he say Do it just like me.


To Wang Yang who had recently become a cultivator, this wasn't something he'd know from the get-go. The teachers in his city wanted him to follow whatever they said and how they said it. He had carried the same mindset in cultivation unknowingly.


But after listening to this, he understood that he was closer to the answer than he had expected.


"The Azure sky swordsmanship is a versatile one. Peak Master Li had lacked strength compared to his peers, thus he focused greatly on the technical aspect. Your friend Kexin has decent power and technique so she works on her flexibility. As for Sun Lingling, she had power, technique, and flexibility, thus she works on variations." Yingyue had analyzed the disciples in the few days, and her surprise increased with each day. "You have great strength and speed for your realm, all you need is to change the technique to suit your strong points and work on the aspects that can enhance them."


"It is the same set of 16 slashes shared by you four, yet everyone uses them differently based on their strong points. Isn't it fascinating?" Yingyue asked.


Wang Yang could only nod in return. His mind sailing through his memories. There he saw the small changes he had instinctively made to the techniques.


The extra lift when doing a downward slash. The missing step when driving a thrust. The wider arc in the horizontal slash. The increased recovering time after the diagonal slash.


The previous flaws in the techniques came together. They showed him that the parts he looked at as flaws had started to shape up his own variation of the Azure Sky swordsmanship.


"…Thank you, Yingyue." Wang Yang smiled.


The heavy stone on his shoulders had been removed. Unlike Yingyue he had tried to follow the path of his Master in swordsmanship thinking it was the only way, that held him back.


"…I was just being nosy, so you don't have to thank me." Yingyue looked at the sky for a moment, accepting that this was a good moment. "I also wanted to apologize to you again, just like I did to Kexin."


"Apologize?" Perplexed, Wang Yang looked over.


"Yes, I was a bit heavy-handed when checking your identity. You have a strong bond with Kexin, so I understand that you are upset because of… what I did." She clenched her robe, knowing she would be the same in his position.


"Oh?" However, Wang Yang scratched his head. "I was upset with you?"


"You weren't?" Her eyes widened at his cluelessness.


"I am upset, but not with you." Wang Yang said shaking his head. "The reason Kexin pushed me away was because I wasn't ready for a battle. If it was a real enemy she would've died and all I could've done was watch. I had vowed to not let that happen again, but my old habits got in the way. I was simply… upset with myself."


"So, you haven't been avoiding me because you were angry?" Yingyue asked.


"I wasn't avoiding you… more like I was focusing on training so I can improve." Wang Yang smiled. "You don't have to worry about it. I would've done the same as you if Kexin was poisoned… No, I don't think I would've been able to think so calmly in that situation. If anything, I think you were amazing."


"A-Amazing you say?" The unexpected praise caught her off-guard.


"Yeah, you also helped me with practice and apologized even when you did nothing wrong. I have to say you are super amazing Senior Gu." Wang Yang gave her a big thumbs up.


"W-Well, if you say so." She cleared her throat, unable to meet his eyes. The innocent praise without ulterior motives shook her heart.


A little distance from them a shadow moved down the birch tree. Under the moonlight's illumination, the white sleeves of the robe fluttered towards the nearby cave.


They have gotten close on their own. Li Muchen smiled.


The reason he ignored Yingyue's presence in the village and let the disciples meet her, there were many reasons for that. But the reason he brought her to the Heaven's Pond was only one, Wang Yang.


In the now-voided future, Wang Yang and Gu Yingyue had developed a great bond because of their similarities and nature. A bond that was about to become stronger through ceremony.


However, because of the dire state of the Purple Cloud sect, the stubborn Gu Yingyue chose to stay with the Gu Family and perished at the hands of Gu Changge.


Li Muchen had seen a change in Wang Yang after that, one that almost killed him down the line. So, given the chance, he wanted to see the harmonious future his future disciple couldn't have.


I did my job of bringing them together, what they become after this isn't under my control. Li Muchen entered the pond, his eyes gleaming in green light. But it is my duty to not let them meet the same end again.


A better future, not only for his disciples but for everyone he knew. That was what Li Muchen wanted.


"Being the matchmaker is unexpectedly quite fun." He chuckled.


However, a problem arose soon after that.


Li Muchen was setting up new traps for the rabbits and boars in the forest around evening when his token buzzed.


When he accepted the sound transmission, Kexin's voice came without a hint of calmness.


Master, Wang Yang has disappeared in the tunnel!

 

[Overload69]

A week had elapsed after Yingyue and Wang Yang had their midnight discussion. Since then, she had taken it upon herself to be his sparring partner as Kexin and Lingling busied themselves in their practice.


Her ample experience shone through the tips she gave Wang Yang. Muchen also kept an eye on them from a distance. This exchange with Yingyue would bring about substantial growth in his disciple, a type of growth that came without hardship in exchange.


Wang Yang sat on the soft dirt, his sword on his lap. His eyes closed as the mind went into meditation. The white qi flared up for a moment before forming an even layer alongside his body. Taking that sign, he placed his right hand on the sword's handle and exhaled.


The stable qi encroached on the sword an inch at a time, pushing back the silver qi that the blade exuded. Beads of sweat ran down Wang Yang's forehead as he tried to match the sword's wavelength with his qi. The pathways in the sword were much like the one he had, thin, numerous, and complex. However, moving Qi outside his body became several times harder.


Even after he memorized the pathway pattern and structure of the sword, it was like transversing a maze without sight.


"Guh!" Wang Yang fell flat on his back as the sword's rejection sent his arm reeling.


"You were halfway there, such a shame." Yingyue muttered from the nearby rock.


"I…Is it normal for it to hurt this much?" Wang Yang groaned. His hand still trembled in agony.


"Normally it shouldn't hurt that much, but it looks like you have weaker mental resistance than normal. So, the pushback is more prominent." Yingyue said.


"That's bad." Thinking that he'd have to go through the same pain over and over till he succeeded didn't help at all.


"Don't feel down. Connecting half of the Qi pathways in sword after only one month of training, your talent is clear. It shouldn't take you more than a few months to become a full-fledged sword cultivator. That's faster than 80% of them, so bear with it." Yingyue smiled.


"I almost don't feel the pain anymore." Wang Yang laughed.


He left to give Li Muchen a report on his daily training as usual. And after hearing of his results, a small party was in order. Leaving them in the main cabin, he had left the cavern for preparations.


"…So, what should we do with this break while Master is out gathering ingredients?" Kexin asked.


The one who got them this brief four-hour break and feast was her. She succeeded in forming a pill from the seeds and passed the test for alchemy with flying colors.


"I am going to explore the caves." Wang Yang stood up.


There were about five caves inside the cavern and they ran deep from what they had seen so far. But aside from Li Muchen, no one had entered them yet.


"There you go again." Kexin sighed.


"Don't be like that, there could be treasures in there." His eyes were already shining at the prospect. "Even if we don't find anything, it can be a fun experience."


"I suppose there's no harm in it." Yingyue supported it.


Muchen had told them that they were free to move in the cavern, including the caves. Kexin decided to follow the upbeat Wang Yang with Yingyue tagging along.


Sun Lingling stayed behind to rest while Zhi Rou remained for watch duty in Muchen's place.


"This one smells like a treasure." Wang Yang nodded facing the cave behind Kexin's cabin.


"What are you, a Gold-seeking rat?" Kexin asked.


"Not that I am aware of? Maybe I have a nose of one?" He laughed.


The cave had nothing of note aside from starting in the rock wall, just like the other caves in this place. However, Wang Yang's steps seemed confident as he led the other two with a luminous stone lamp.


"Slow down, and watch your step." Kexin chided him.


The slippery and rocky surface of the cave didn't give them much trouble. But the high ceiling was adorned with stalactites, sharp and jagged, like nature's frozen daggers. So, a sense crisis loomed over their heads.


The only good was that the tunnel wasn't deep, it took them 20 minutes to come in front of a rock wall marking the end.


"There wasn't anything special aside from the stalactites." Yingyue couldn't feel anything special even after she examined the walls.


If anything, the place seemed too ordinary.


"That was a waste of time, let's head back then." Kexin had already turned around when a bright flash of light came from behind, dying the cave white.


"Gah!" The high intensity of the light blinded Yingyue.


After two breaths the light died down. Kexin turned around and noticed Yingyue had her eyes closed, still maintaining her balance thanks to the wall.


"…Yang?" However, she couldn't find Wang Yang.


The lamp that should've been in his hand rolled to her feet. The jagged rock wall from before now had thousands of intricate lines. The geometrical pattern formed by these lines along with cursive letters along the circumference pulsated with white light, the same light that had shone a moment before. What happened was easy to understand.


"Xiao Yang!" With a scream, she tried to rush towards the rock wall.


"Kexin, calm down. You can't rush in like that." Yingyue caught the panicked Kexin based on the sound, her voice akin to a calm lake. "These types of traps are rare, so touching them carelessly can lead to damage stranding Wang Yang on the other side. We must contact Senior Li immediately. I'll stay here so don't worry and go."


"Y…Yes." Clenching her fist, Kexin rushed out of the cave.


***


After he received the call, Li Muchen wasted no time to make his way back. Entering the cave, he came face to face with the culprit of this situation, the Translocation Formation.


"This wasn't here when I checked the place." Muchen noticed the presence of rock powder just below the formation, another new component compared to before.


"It looks like its lines were hidden. With properties similar to Heaven Binding stone it is no wonder this went undetected." Yingyue's rubbed her pained eyes.


Even to make contact with Muchen they had to leave the cavern as Qi couldn't escape this mountain nor could it enter from outside. Thus, a simple layer of rock could turn formation detection devices useless in here.


"This is rather worrisome." Li Muchen muttered examining the formation. "A formation made using the Five Phases structure. It only works when the perfect balance of five elements is present. But this formation is broken in one place with deterioration along its core structure. Logically it shouldn't even activate, much less work."


Muchen stared at the missing part of the outer circle of this formation. It was around his shoulder's height, there a familiar qi lingered in the gap wide enough for one finger.


"So, that means Wang Yang was able to connect the formation with his body." Yingyue noticed it too. "If that is true then…"


"His body has a perfect balance of five elements. His finger happened to connect the broken line." Li Muchen sighed, he had seen and heard of such cases multiple times. "This was simply dumb luck."


The situation left Yingyue flabbergasted.


Formations weren't that simple. For someone to connect a broken formation with their finger perfectly while having the perfect qi to run it? The odds for that were so low that no one bothered to calculate. However, it happened right in front of her.


"Yingyue, relay the information to others. I'll have to fix this formation, that is the only way to bring Wang Yang back." He said, taking out a scroll from his storage ring.


"As you wish... Kexin seemed worried, what should I tell her?" Yingyue asked.


"Tell her to get used to it." He said.


With a wry smile, she walked towards the exit. Cruel, but that was the best thing they could tell Kexin now that they had become cultivators.


Left alone, Muchen unfurled his scroll. On the yellow paper spread on the floor were drawings of numerous tools. Picks, hammers, chisels, brushes, needles, pikes, rulers, clay, and colors.


There was no mention of this formation in the future. Wang Yang had stumbled across something that neither the Demonic Cultivators or the Alliance found. All that just because he happened to be the perfect puzzle piece that touched the perfect point.


If he had touched any other point on the formation, the structure would've collapsed. Burying the secret behind it.


"For now, I have to restore the missing part and the damage done to it by time." The formation had other cracks too, they hadn't broken the circuit yet but a few more uses could do that.


Formations came in many forms. Special flags and stones needed to be arranged in perfect order to form a majority of them. Some eccentric people exchanged the stones for gems, trees, or cloth. As long as they could arrange a set number of Qi conductive element, the Formation masters would use it.


However, this formation was ancient. It belonged to a time when the entire formation was created at once. Such formations had potent power, but as long as a single fault roused its head in the structure the entire formation would become scrap.


And Li Muchen had to repair a formation that teetered on the verge of scrap.


To start the repairs, he touched the drawing of the fine brush in the scroll. In the next moment the brush appeared in his hand, the brush was made of fine Horned horse's tail hair with its horn for the body.


With the brush, he copied the array on a sheet of rice paper. Next, he closed in on the wall with a piece of glass. It was a fragment of Vidya Demon's mirror that allowed him to see Qi pathways embedded inside the stone.


Muchen couldn't see them horizontally because of the stone's property. So, he had to memorize the vertical order to match the pathways and connect the formation with proper measurements.


After noting it all down he drew a reference piece on the paper. Calculating the angles and curvature of the pathways and formation, even a single mistake could cause the formation to break.


The moment of truth. Li Muchen took the piece of transmuting clay from the scroll and tore out a fingernail-sized ball.


With closed eyes, he imagined the drawing of the piece he made in his mind. His Qi entered the clay mixed with the rock powder on the floor to kickstart the process. As soon as the clay gave a dim glow, he stuck it on the formation's damaged part. His finger still touching the clay.


Under his guidance, the clay elongated and spread apart. As if it had a mind of its own it filled the crack and reformed the formation according to the numbers inputted. In the next moment, the clay turned into the same material as the rock face, giving it a dusty brown color. Taking a total 90 minutes to make this work.


"The residual flow of Qi seems good, but a little shaky." The Qi moved about the lines uninterrupted, but to fortify the formation Muchen continued to use the clay and fill in the tiny cracks he noticed over the next three hours.


The formation was now born anew without a single leakage. Given the ancient design and deterioration of the formation, there weren't many in the world who could fix it with such swiftness. The only reason Muchen could do this was because of his prepared tools and years of experience with formations and repairing them.


"I owe it all to this brat."


Muchen slapped five elemental talismans on the formation, one at each gate of the corresponding element on the outer circle of the formation.


The qi flowed in from the gates and circulated in the outer circle each color trying to overlap the other. As it whirled the five-color line soon turned pure white. The now five-element qi bled into the inner circle, lighting up the heliographic symbols and patterns one at a time.


The formation turned white as a blinding flash washed over Li Muchen. His body floated as if the ground slipped beneath his feet. But the weightlessness remained for a moment before he found solid ground.


"Another cave… but I can't tell the location." Muchen looked back at the similar formation on the previous rock wall. But this one seemed in better condition, aside from warmer temperature.


The darkness of the cave was cut by a ray of light two steps in front of Muchen. It was one of the extra lamps he had his disciples carry around. The light was enough to make a portion of this cave visible.


The cave's walls, floor, and ceiling were bone dry just like the corpse leaned against the wall. Facing the bony remains was a painting that hung on the opposite wall. Next to the corpse was a blue cover book, it yellowed pages open wide in the cave with no airflow.


There, Wang Yang sat crossed-legged right next to the metallic skeleton.


Muchen could read the words on the page from his position.


Harken, ye who dare gaze upon her countenance, for unless thine will be as unyielding as the firmament itself, thou shalt be consumed without quarter. Those of frail mind and spirit shall find no mercy in her, for she is fashioned in the likeness of the Creator.


Yet, I tell thee, no soul is more accursed than she within the Three Realms. To thee who read these words, I beseech thee—nay, I implore thee with all that I am—grant her peace.


Deliver her from her eternal suffering, and thou shalt be rewarded with a treasure for which even the Saints salivate.


Wang Yang faced the painting, with eyes wide open in horror. His pupils missing the sheen of life, as if his soul was whisked away.


Li Muchen clenched his hand. His eyes stayed on the words at the bottom of that painting.


The Descent of Goddess Nuwa.


"What has he gotten himself into?" His heavy question sunk into the murky air.

 

[Overload69]

Goddess Nuwa, the creator of Humans, the sustainer of balance, and the one who mended the heavens with her hands.


Her name had been spread throughout history as emperors and immortals had claimed to have heard her revelations. They had done many things in her name, claiming it to be her will. Thus, her presence had not only created humanity but also molded it throughout the millenniums.


The descent of Goddess Nuwa. That painting should be in the possession of the Dragon Sovereign of the Northern Sea.


Li Muchen stared at the name with a heavy heart. A pit formed in his stomach, preventing him from looking upwards. The murky and rotten Qi emanating from the painting told him that it wasn't original.


The portrait made in the image of the Goddess gave off a gentle hue, a feeling of being embraced by one's mother as a child. He could never forget that feeling after experiencing it in person. However, the current painting in front of him wrapped around his neck like death's bony hands.


She levitated in the shadows of a broken sky, her form grotesque. The divine now felt wrong, like a beautiful painting smeared with madness.


Her body, the shape of a woman but far from human, skin stretched taut over bones, too thin, too fragile, and yet gleaming with an unnatural sheen as though she were carved from polished porcelain that threatened to crack with each movement. But it wasn't porcelain—it was flesh, pale, cold, and painted over with unnatural light that shimmered like sickly oil.


The serpentine lower half, instead of coiling gracefully, dragged behind her, malformed and grotesque. Scales black as midnight, slick with something that might have been blood, clung to her like the remnants of a nightmare.


Her face was a canvas defiled by a hand that did not know mercy. Eyes wide and hollow, reflected neither warmth nor wisdom—only emptiness, an abyss where sanity had long since dissolved. Around her lips, the faintest traces of a smile lingered, though it was a smile not of kindness but of something far more sinister.


Her hands were tools no longer used for creation but for desecration. One hand clutched a crimson-stained stone, glowing faintly with the dull light of a world that had forgotten its birth.


Robes hung like shredded skin, torn and stained, draped across her figure in a mockery of grace. The colors that bled through the fabric were not vibrant but murky and spoiled.


Even without looking up the image formed in Li Muchen's mind. An image that stood in stark contrast to what he knew. Yet, he didn't look up, because the moment he did he too would end up with his soul whisked away.


"What are the chances to get him out of this with my current preparations?"


Muchen came here with the preparations made to deal with Iron Body Deity's remains, dealing with the fake Nuwa Painting wasn't in his plans. No, he never even dreamt about facing it.


He turned his back to the painting and picked up the book, hoping to get some answers. But what he read seemed to only deepen his frown.


The alphabet system used in the book predated any he had known. The characters didn't match with any regional change or exclusive alphabets he knew. The archaic characters along with hieroglyphics made it even harder to understand a sentence, much less one out of the thousand pages.


The only difference was the page that he had read before, written in characters and writing style used two thousand five hundred years ago. That handwriting and the rest of the book were different alongside the quality of the ink. Suggesting it to be written by someone else.


"It has to be this guy, the Iron Body Deity." Muchen turned to the skeleton covered in rags.


Although it had not a lick of flesh, the bones had a metallic sheen to them. Muchen moved the rags covering the rib cage and saw the words carved into the sternum.


Heaven's Might. He could still feel the Tribulation's power emanating from it, although faint.


Iron Body Deity received a blessing from the heavens since the day of his birth, and it finally manifested when he tried to reach Heaven's pond. But the real question was, how did he end up here?


"He found the painting and that became the reason for his disappearance." The fact had always bothered him. Why would someone who worked to move Heaven's Pond for other people vanish before he could even tell others?


Now it made sense. He was the last person to enter this area and chanced upon the painting. And just like Wang Yang his soul was whisked away.


The original painting of Goddess Nuwa promotes mental recovery and soul strengthening; it is situated in the grandest palace ever created and allows the world to see the beauty of its creator.


But this painting is the opposite of that. It was sealed away in the darkest corner, it does nothing but paint a grotesque image that can one's stomach churn. Thus, its effects are also the opposite, mind break and soul deterioration.


"It killed a man destined to become an immortal with that." Muchen pinched the bridge of his nose.


The chances Wang Yang survived this was 0.00000001% if he was being generous. An impossible odd that even the man blessed by the heaven couldn't overcome. However, could Wang Yang be compared to a man blessed by Heavens?


"You can do it… no, you will. You always come out of these without any problems. Impossible? Luck? Odds? These concepts lose meaning in front of you." Muchen stood up with a deep breath, his gaze lingering on his disciple as a pit formed in his heart. A sense of fear of it not working this time.


"Geez… Even for a Regressed master, raising the son of heaven ain't easy."


Muchen took out seven talismans, red, blue, green, brown, silver, white, and black. He formed a star around Wang Yang using six talismans and stuck the white one to the boy's forehead.


"Revolving Heaven Formation, Activate." Muchen commanded, his voice laced with qi.


The six-talisman glowed in unison and formed a six-pointed star on the ground before a line extended up from each of them to connect to the final one.


This was to strengthen Wang Yang's mental strength and serve as a stronger anchor point so the soul isn't pulled in completely. Even now his soul maintained a connection with the body, making it a good backup.


This gave Muchen more time to prepare and increased Wang Yang's chances although a little as the formation served as a way to monitor his mental state too.


Clenching his fist he made the choice, Muchen took out the necklace hidden under his robes. A milky white pearl, the size of a nail sat in the silver pendant held together by a red string. This item had been with him since the day he became a cultivator.


A gift from his Master for passing the test, an acknowledgment of his grit and determination. This pearl had been fostered by his mental strength over the years, bringing about the culmination of its owner's cultivation. One of the rarest forms of treasure, a Life bound treasure.


As soon as Muchen put the necklace on Wang Yang, the pressure from the murky Qi in the formation dropped. The qi from the painting that had been trying to eat away at Wang Yang had come to a halt, its target now changed to the wall that stood robust to guard the young man.


Now, Wang Yang had been embraced by the pearl, giving birth to a defense that rejected all mental corruption. However, waking up still depended on him.


"Now, it is time to deal with the problems outside." Muchen decided to move things forward to accommodate the deviation.


"Master, where is Xiao Yang?" Kexin asked the moment Muchen walked out of the cavern.


"It will take some time for him to come back." Muchen said, his words didn't change a beat. "You should continue your training in the meantime."


"…Understood." Although she had a lot to ask, Kexin chose to close her mouth.


"Yingyue, Zhi Rou I'll leave the security to you two for the time being." He turned to the two who maintained their calm, having gone through these types of ordeals.


"Senior Li, are you going somewhere?" Zhi Rou asked noticing the sheathed sword in his right hand.


"I have to settle some old scores, you should too." He said leaving through the tunnel.


Exiting the tunnel, he walked down the animal trail. The trees started to get denser, and the sunlight that reached the loose soil started to thin out by the canopy of leaves. He was now on the edge of Tie Province, several hundred kilometers away from the pond. These areas were where he had laid out his traps, and he had caught his prey without fail. But this one wasn't a rabbit.


A man two heads taller than Muchen walked forward, his dirty red hair flowed behind him as his wide shoulders knocked the oak trees down like they were twigs.


"It is good to meet you again, Ordinaire of the Second Genius Generation, Li Muchen." A big smile splayed his face.


"You become quite the sorry sight. Shu Huang, the first disciple of the Fist King from Iron Palm Fortress, the rising star equal to Xiao Miaorui, The Lightning Sword Emperor." Muchen saw the anger flashing on his opponent's face. "But I suppose you left all that behind to join the Demonic Cult, Iron Fiend."


"And whose fault do you think that is?" Iron Feind unwrapped the bandages on his right arm. His palm was big enough to squeeze Li Muchen's head like a lemon, however, a nasty scar ran up his entire palm reaching halfway up his forearm.


"I was here for that kid, but I'll pay you back first." Madness flashed in Iron Fiend's eyes, but more than that was his obsession. "I'll pay you back for every bit of humiliation you've made me go through!"


With words akin to a fiery storm, he arrived in front of Muchen in a blink. His thunderous fist met the sheathed sword. The clash turned the trees around them to splinters as the ground cried under the weight.


Iron Fiend's Qi flared as if announcing his cultivation level. Third Lamp of Nascent Soul Realm. Such was his strength, overshadowing Muchen by a whole major realm.


"I'll crush you to bits along with the sword you are so proud of!" Iron Fiend's frontal kick sent Muchen flying back even after he blocked.


Crashing through a small hill, Muchen landed on his feet. Not a hair out of place. He looked at the mad bull obliterating the hill to charge at him with fists full of fury.


It was the moment that every action of his since the regression was made for.


Attacking the Cult members, tricking them with the illusion, catching and sending Fu Yuzhe to Gu Changge, disrupting his plans for Purple Cloud Sect to bring him to a crossroad, forcing him to send out Iron Feind to get Wu Kexin, then placing his traces to draw in Iron Fiend.


The culmination of all that planning was to catch Iron Fiend alone. Gu Changge's equal and one of the Four Demonic Generals that brought the downfall of the Four Major Sects on the Eastern Continent. It was all for this face-off.


For Li Muchen, failure wasn't an option at this point.

 

[Overload69]

Two years.


It has been two years since I woke up from that dream.


A dream of the future where I joined the Azure Sky Sect. It was a long dream, a dream with half of the colors missing. A dull dream. A dream that I always wanted to wake up from.


"Yang'er get up or your mother will get angry." My father peeked into my room, a bump of his head as his voice seemed deeper than normal.


"I am already up." I turned to him already putting my pillow in place.


"C'mon now, how come you don't get in trouble with your mother for stuff?" He pouted, acting the child my age should.


"Tian, Wang'er come quick. The breakfast is ready."


The opposite of his childishness was my mother's authoritative voice, it reverberated in the entire house whenever my father made a mistake. Which happened more than it should've.


"Let's go before she gets mad with me again, if I get hit a few more times I'll grow horns." My father picked me up and bolted for the kitchen, it was our ironclad rule to not mess with mom.


Our house wasn't that big so we arrived in no time. The kitchen itself doubled as a dining room with a low table on the right side of the entrance. On it were two bowls of noodle soup and steaming dumplings.


"Take a seat you two, any more time and it wouldn't taste as good." My mother said, her back towards us.


She stirred a pot, cooking some soup for the orphan children in the nearby city. Every morning, she would get up at dawn and start cooking, she had breakfast before us. I still can't wake up early no matter how much I tried.


"Oh! It tastes so good! The vegetables must be rejoicing that they get to be part of such a good dish."


As usual, my father sang praises of the food, only to get no reaction from my mother. I suppose even the greatest compliment loses its value if not used sparingly. But I understand his zeal, I feel the same way.


However, I don't say it out loud like him.


"Thanks for the tasty food, mom."


"It makes me happy that you liked it. I'll make some for you tomorrow too."


I don't want to miss on this part like my father, it makes me happy.


"You'll eat it right?" She asked


"I will!" I picked up the cup of water.


Why wouldn't I eat food made by my mother?


"Is it all I wan—ted!"


A second voice resounded in my head. It sounded like mine but it had lost its childish touch, just like the voice I had in that dream. The face reflected on the water was mine, but older.


I rubbed my eyes but the face remained, staring at me unblinking. Why won't it go away? Why is it reaching out to me?


I don't want it… I don't want to return to that dream. I don't want a world without…


"…ang'e… Wang'er…" My mother's voice brought me out of the daze.


"You are going nowhere." She said, her arms around me. "You'll stay with me forever, won't you, my son?"


"Yes… Yes, I will." Leaning into her body I grabbed her white robes, the familiar scent of jasmine filled my heart.


If I can, I don't want to live in a world that lacks this warmth.


"Bye bye mom, I am going to the temple!" I waved goodbye to my mother and ran out of the house.


The scrolls and brush box should be heavy for my body, but I didn't feel any problem with it. Bolting down the road to the city I waved to my father who took care of the orchards before reaching the city gates.


Near the gates was a temple that taught children of the city for free, I have been studying how to read and write here. There was also a cultivator that visited us often.


I can't wait for the stories about immortals today. With a smile, I climbed the temple stairs.


And right outside the gate was my teacher, a monk, and a man with a stern face wearing expensive clothes.


"So little Kexin wouldn't be coming to school from now on?" The teacher asked, his voice full of worry.


"Yes, her engagement has been finalized. So, we have to teach her in the finer arts." The man said, he was the complete opposite of my father.


"Finer arts? Looks like little Kexin is marrying in a good house, I will handle the procedure on our end. Also congratulations." The Teacher sounded relieved as I passed by.


Engagement… I remember it happens before marriage from what Father explained. But the bigger shock was to see someone similar to my age getting engaged. It was as good as sealing the deal for marriage, I think?


Well, it doesn't have anything to do with me. Once the thought entered my mind, the rest of the day flowed like water. Before I knew it night had arrived and we had dinner at home, dumpling soup, and honey roast chicken.


Soon after I went to bed, this time swearing that I'd wake up early to have breakfast with Mother. Even if I ask her to wake me up, she says no.


I'll really really wake up early tomorrow. With that, I drifted into sleep.


However, a little later I was stirred awake. It was a gentle tug yet my eyes opened identifying the familiar touch. Sitting up, I located my mother, she stood near the open door with her back to me.


"Yang'er, come with me." She said walking into the corridor.


"Wait! Mom!" I jumped and rushed after her. I didn't know why, but I felt dread building up in my stomach.


She held a lit candle, her steps slow but steady. However, no matter how fast I ran the distance between us didn't shrink, as if we were in different worlds. The corridor kept on getting longer no matter how much I tried, my face paled when the distance grew.


"Mom! Mom! Stop!" My shouts fell on deaf ears, my small legs started to burn.


I stumbled, my face grated against the wooden floor, my twisted ankle swollen. It hurt, this small body couldn't cover that distance. If I… if I don't run fast enough, she'll go away. Mom will…


The realization made my chest tighten, a pain that I was all too familiar with. The pain that came because my mother wasn't there.


"Mom stop!" Maybe it was because I knew that it was time, my voice mirrored the one in that dream.


Same with my body, but I didn't care. With the longer legs, I strode faster than I ever could, the distance shrank as my strength soared.


"Stop right there!" I grabbed her hand bringing her steps to a halt. "Don't leave… Please don't… mom…"


"I am not your mom… you know that, don't you?"


Her words made me freeze in place.


"This is nothing but a wraith made from your wish. You know it is fake, you have been provided with a way to leave, yet you choose to stay behind." Her voice was calm, even though it sounded full of anger, it had gentleness hidden within. "Why are you still here?"


"I…" Why was I here? That much was obvious even to a dull person like me.


"I wanted to meet you, Mom. I wanted to see you." I have only known my mother's voice, that gentle but firm tone, I always remember it before I go to sleep.


But I didn't remember her face. It is a big blur that I can never fill in myself because I have never seen her.


"I am not your mother. I am the spirit of this treasure, a spirit that lures the onlookers into a dreamscape of their most cherished memories and devours them." The corridor started to crack, plumes of dark qi pouring in as she turned around.


Behind the veil of silky black hair was a dark purple hole. No eyes full gentleness, no firm nose, or glistening skin in sight, not even a mouth. Just a hole that seemed adamant on devouring my very being.


"The only reason it didn't work on you is because you didn't even know the face of your mother, along with the intervention of that blasted man outside my hold on you couldn't grow stronger. If it wasn't for him cutting off his vision, I would've eaten a man laden with regrets like that in a moment." She walked towards me, her voice echoing in the corridor. "You will find nothing but deceit and cruelty in me. I shall inflict upon others what has been inflicted on me, that is what I am. That grudge is the sole reason for my existence."


"W-Wait!" My shout was in vain as the corridor collapsed like an old mirror.


"Begone… I don't need a dirty human's sympathy." She turned away once again.


Falling between the shimmering shards I could only reach out to the woman walking away. She granted my wish, although these were short two years and the only thing that resembled my mother was her voice, I saw my family together.


"I promise… I'll free you from this never-ending humiliation." My vision darkened as the memories from before flooded in. The ones I had seen while opening the book.


I saw a woman in a small mansion, a woman more beautiful any I have ever seen. She lived a happy life with her husband, and soon that happiness grew as they welcomed their child.


However, when her husband left the house for work another man arrived.


He slaughtered the village the woman lived in and ate her child in front of her, he dragged her out of the village and slit her throat. Drained her blood, crushed her bones, made a paste of her organs, and separated her nerves. With those, he created a painting, a painting of the woman and trapping her soul in it.


The woman, humiliated, tortured, and trapped for eternity cursed everyone who laid their eyes on her. Her grudges bled through and turned that painting depicting a goddess into a monster of hell that lived to torment.


I swear… I'll help you. And like that, my dream once again came to an end.


"U..gh…" My eyes stung from the sudden burst of light.


However, that light soon dimmed and retracted to the necklace around my neck. Before I could question the situation, my master's voice came into my ear.


Since you have woken up, make your way to the cavern immediately.


"Weird, the voice isn't coming from the token." I muttered, my confusion reaching its peak.


I am conversing through the formation. The answer came timely.


"That is possible?"


Normally yes, but because of the characteristics of this place, it isn't.


How were we talking then?


"It is prerecorded." The voice cut through my thoughts.


"So, you predicted all my questions and recorded the answers?"


"Yes."


"That's… impressive." I couldn't wrap my head around it, this sounded like he was sitting next to me.


"It becomes easy when you know the person well enough."


I wanna do that someday, it sounds kinda cool and mysterious. I wonder what Kexin's reaction to this would be.


"Stop meandering and go out, an attack should be happening on the pond around this time."


"Seriously!" I shot up to my feet, the formation around me dimmed and stopped working.


"Yes, I have been leaving false traces around the forest coupled with yours to mislead the pursuers behind Yingyue and Zhi Rou for some time now. But they should arrive at the cave while I am facing their leader. Go out and help if you can, though you most likely won't have to."


With that as the last message, I picked up the lamp and took a step towards the wall on the left. But my eyes lingered on the painting for a moment.


It was as horrifying as when I first saw it, but nothing happened this time. Like the painting itself was rejecting me. After a moment of thought, I decided to roll it up and take it along with the book. A promise was a promise.


"Where did that corpse go?" I couldn't find the skeleton from before though.


I intended to give it a proper burial before my mind was pulled in by the painting. I guess I'll look for it later.


The formation sent me out without problems, last time it almost made me throw up but nothing happened this time. Rushing out of the small tunnel, I arrived in the cavern.


Heaven's pond was before me as a cacophony of voices echoed.


No doubt the enemies had arrived.


"Let go of me you fucking bitch!" A young man in all black barked.


"You have a foul mouth there, sir. That'll earn you extra punishment." Senior Zhi giggled, tightening the thorned ropes around his body.


"Agh! Gah! B-Bitch!" The guy had his entire torso and arms squeezed, any more than that he might just burst. "K-Kill me!"


The young man was the only survivor of the twenty people that attacked. His comrades formed a pile right next to him. Many cut clean in half, most with several missing limbs, and heads. The attack happened and was taken care of already, just like Master said.


Before I could register, Senior Gu was already in front of me wiping the blood off her sword.


"Wang Yang, glad to see you are safe." She smiled not a drop of blood on her clothes.


"Yeah, sorry to worry yo-AGH!" Before I could finish, a fist landed on my head, a very familiar situation to me.


"Goddamn it! How thick is your skull!" Kexin roared, half in anger and half in pain from her throbbing hand.


Only an awkward laughter escaped my mouth, I didn't know how to explain it but my body had gotten stronger somehow.


"Oh, Junior Brother Wang is back. I didn't doubt Senior Li, but it is good to see you are healthy." Senior Zhi came over, dragging the guy behind her like cattle.


"Aunt, why did you leave one behind?" Yingyue asked.


"To extract information of course. They were only able to plan an attack on us because they had information on my low poison resistance and your position, both of which are confidential information." Senior Zhi said.


"But will he talk? Demonic cultivators are notorious for being tight-lipped. And they have poison too." Lingling said.


"No worries, this lands in my area of specialties." Senior Zhi showed us a purple tablet covered in saliva, probably taken out of the guy's mouth before he could use it. "And Senior Li is nearby too."


"I suddenly feel a bit of pity for him." Yingyue sighed for some reason.


However, before I could ask a question the young man scoffed.


"Senior Li? Iron Fiend will crush that noname bastard, then he'll come here to rip you bitches in half!" He shouted, spit flying and all.


"My My, I am shaking over here." Senior Zhi almost chuckled.


"Is Master fighting someone strong?" I couldn't help but ask.


"Yes, Iron Fiend has a bounty of 50,000 spirit stones. Many cultivators tried but no even their corpses were found." Senior Gu answered, her face a little tense.


The mood turned heavy and our eyes turned to Senior Zhi who just chok-gagged the young man with a rotten fish for some reason.


"I know what you kids are thinking, but I'll only get in the way if I try to help." She said before turning to Senior Gu. "Yingyue, do you remember Lady Gu's favorite line?"


"Ah… I don't fear the person who has practiced ten thousand techniques one time, but the one who has practiced one technique ten thousand times. I believe she heard it from the head of the Buddhist Temple's Victorious Fighting Buddha Hall." Senior Gu said, her eyes shining a little.


This was the first I heard of the saying, but even I could understand the meaning behind it.


"I once asked Lady Gu, what would she feel from a person who practiced every one of the ten thousand techniques ten thousand times?" Senior Zhi smiled turning towards tunnel. "She said, you'll know when you see Li Muchen."


It seemed that my Master was more amazing that I had initially thought.

 

[Overload69]

Shu Huang met Li Muchen for the first time 250 years ago.


At the time the former was making waves in the Orthodox Cultivators for his otherworldly talent and cultivation speed. The latter was also somewhat famous but for the opposite reason.


Gu Yue of the Purple Cloud Sect, Hua Jiahao of the Azure Sky Sect, Dharma of The Buddhist Temple, Han Yue of the Frozen Flower Holyland, Jing Yuan of the Flaming Lion Sect, Mei Ling of the Illusive Dream Palace, and Long Tian of the Dragon Clan.


Each of these era-defining geniuses were part of the same generation as Li Muchen. Each of them soared higher and higher redefining the Cultivation society. Among them was Li Muchen, the first disciple of Sky Mending Siant, someone from the first Genius generation.


Thus, people expected the same from him, yet he failed to deliver. Unlike his fellow disciples, Li Muchen was quickly forgotten as a mediocre cultivator who couldn't even become a golden core before turning 100.


That was when Li Muchen left on his journey and arrived at the Iron Palm fortress to meet with the Fist King. However, he happened to clash with Shu Huang in the market which devolved into a messy fight.


Shu Huang was arrogant, he sat at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm only at the age of 80. Not even the early golden cores could keep up with him at the time, however, he tasted defeat for the first time and by a cultivator of the same realm at that. None of the strikes he was proud of landed, and the arm he claimed to be tougher than iron was split in two. But what hurt more was the look on his opponent's face.


"Oh… sorry about that. I misjudged the strength."


Dead. His opponent's face looked like he wasn't even trying, like this was the same as waking up for him, the same as eating a meal or taking a shit, a mundane task he did every day.


Defeating Shu Huang didn't even need his attention.


The wounds were healed, yet the scars remained. The whispers of the incident became shackles, the talk behind his back stung him like a million daggers. The small changes in everyone's eyes started to grow, the problem wasn't his defeat but who he lost to.


The top genius of a generation lost to the black sheep. Even if the elders and his followers brushed it up as a coincidence or him being unprepared, Shu Huang couldn't accept those words. His cultivation speed plummeted and he couldn't even sleep without facing the uninterested eyes of Li Muchen.


Eventually, the pressure built to the point that he left the fortress to train. And while hunting demonic cultivators, he met someone. A woman covered in clothes as dark as the starless night. She wielded an equally black sword so masterfully that one would doubt the cloth covering her eyes.


"Little one… I can feel your desire for power… your thirst for revenge. It is so sweet and innocent that I can't help but want to take it from you." Her presence was like a flower dyed in blood. "But the hand has to obey the eyes, so make your choice."


She extended towards him her hand, her palm gripping a beating heart. It belonged to the elder who tried to protect him, his uncle by blood who was his only family, someone who raised him. And she wanted him to eat that heart.


The offer was simple, the woman showed no hostility. However, the clothes, the blandness of her voice, the way she walked, even the gaze behind that cloth, it was a thousand times more intimidating than the one in his nightmares. Even then, only one thing dominated his mind.


"Are you saying that you can make me stronger?"


"The strongest on the continent, that should be enough for your goal, right?" The woman smiled for the first time, a maniacal smile of the devil that mirrored Shu Huang's.


"I am in." He chewed on that heart like there was no tomorrow.


That was the day Shu Huang left everything and joined the Demonic cultivators. His only reason was to kill Li Muchen.


"I was sent to track down that kid and Bian Que, but look at my luck!" Shu Huang cackled as he slapped away five flying swords, two of them bent and broke. "I could smell your cowardly ways from a thousand miles, those traps, the little formations, and fake traces!"


Muchen jumped back to avoid the flaming fist that turned the soil into slag. 50% of the forest had been blown to bits by the continuous clashes.


"I didn't expect you to turn into a stalker, let alone stalk a man like that." Muchen said, his tone unhurried.


He had the place in lockdown with a formation so no one else could enter.


"Those taunts of yours won't work on me this time. I know all your methods." Shu Huang tried to give chase, but he noticed the red light shooting out of the ground.


It was a talisman with the characters for 'Explode' blinking bright, the qi flared to warn of a huge explosion. In the moment he jumped back. But his bare feet touched the paper, and not just one. Without the indication of the light or Qi, the stacked talismans exploded with enough force to blow up a mountain.


Shu Huang couldn't feel his left leg and his right foot was without support making him fall in the crater below. A cloud of smoke covered his eyes while his ears rang because of the explosion. Vision, hearing, and freedom of movement, in an instant he had three important aspects of combat locked away.


Knowing the trick, he looked out for the sword's gleam, and sure enough, he saw the green gleam. But instead of one, there were tens of gleams. Flying swords clad in green qi rushed in. He couldn't feel which one was real as they all had the same trace of sword Qi, however only one of them would be fatal. In a hurry, he put his guard up to protect his neck.


Shing!


Five swords dug into his muscles only a little shy of his bones. The sixth sword sliced his right arm from the elbow in a swift motion. The passing wind cleared the smoke and the Muchen sheathed his sword.


"Azure Sky Swordsmanship: Mountain Splitter." Muchen said facing his opponent. "You don't know all of my tricks, you only know the ones I've shown."


"And you don't know anything about me!" Shu Huang smirked. "Dark Semblance: Blood Payment."


The sliced bone elongated and strands of flesh wriggled around it to reform his arm and leg. In less than two seconds his wounds were gone.


"Those expensive talismans of yours went to waste, and a move like that should zap half of your Qi, all for nothing." Shu Huang waved the healed hand in front, his confidence rising. "I will feast on your flesh and blood to wash away my suffering, it will be the perfect winning banquet!"


"I see. You've long crossed the point of no return." Muchen's face lacked any emotion just like his voice, however, in the corner of his heart he felt a sting.


A promising prodigy had turned like this. Why? Because of him?


Being in his position, the first disciple of the Sky Mending Saint came with an equivalent burden. A burden too heavy for his talents. That was what pushed him to a state of despair, a point where he started to doubt his efforts. His actions in those times affected Shu Huang.


Everything the guy did after that, or what he did in the future, all the blood he spilled, and the people he murdered, Li Muchen believed that he was responsible for them too.


So, he decided to end the flames of revenge before they could reach his family this time. Thus, arranging this battle became the first thing he planned for.


Muchen took his stance, his hands gripping the unsheathed as he dropped low. His Qi vanished, every last bit of it covered the edge bathing it in green sword qi.


"I pray that the Tenth Court grants you entry." He said.


"You want the Wheel of Rebirth to accept a Demonic Cultivator?" Shu Huang's body dropped low to the ground. Like a beast ready to pounce he growled at Muchen. "Do you intend to belittle me till the end!!"


Muchen didn't say anything else, the time for words had long passed.


Shu Huang leaped forward. Leaving the obliterated ground in his wake he extended his right hand ahead. A brown claw formed around his palm, the sharp nails slicing the wind. His body covered in Martial Qi was like a chariot charging full speed ahead.


With a smile like the crescent moon, he intended to end his opponent with overwhelming power.


However, Muchen didn't look hurried. He hadn't even moved as the beast in human form closed in. He was far outclassed in speed and strength. It was difficult to rely on normal senses in these situations and he hadn't used any of them till now to dodge the attacks.


Knowing Shu Huang's nature and hatred, only a frontal rush made sense. His ample knowledge of enemies in similar realms showed Muchen the correct time to move or block the attack.


1.63… 0.89… 0.65… 0.43 He waited for his opponent in place as even a fraction of a second could cost him his life.


And the moment arrived soon.


"Qilin Rush!"


"Azure Sky Sword: Mountain Splitter…" Muchen's eyes shot open.


His sword left the sheath at blinding speed. It shot straight to Shu Huang's neck. Seeing the attack his arrogance rose. The strike was swift and powerful but it wouldn't be enough to kill him. Just a slight crack of the neck and the sword would only cut the air.


I've got you! He could already feel his hand crushing Muchen's throat.


That was what would've happened if the attack ended with only one strike.


The sword reaching for his neck seemed to slow down, no it was like the world had stilled. However, this was all an illusion created in Shu Huang's head. In that moment, Muchen's body shifted leaving a silhouette behind, then again, and again, and again.


The process was repeated six times each shift giving birth to a new slash that connected to the previous one. He had used Sword Silk paired with his trick to connect different attacks and bring them down at the same time.


"…Six Fold." Muchen sheathed his sword.


The web of attacks left no escape.


The first cut tore upward, swift and unforgiving, slicing through the air with lethal precision.


The second strike followed immediately, descending with the weight of inevitability, bearing down like a judgment rendered from the sky.


The third slashed diagonally from left to right, cutting across the body, while the fourth swept back in the opposite direction, carving an unmistakable X on Shu Huang's chest.


The fifth strike came in an upward arc, aimed to end any hope of escape. Finally, the sixth and final blow lashed out horizontally at neck level, sealing the onslaught with a line that bisected the enemy in its path.


"…Y…ou…" Shu Huang's eyes stayed wide open, he couldn't even let out the hatred in his heart.


His body fell in pieces and blasted past Muchen, carved apart without mercy, each segment slipping away, life extinguished before he could even realize the battle had already ended.


Muchen stood over the scattered of bodyparts drenched by the mist of blood. His right hand swaying in the wind like silk. 32 factures, his right hand soon swelled up as pain coursed through the minor fractures he suffered throughout his legs and spine.


"As expected, it's still not enough." Muchen muttered, his eyes looking on the horizon.

 

[Overload69]

The plan was a success.


Even though I had put Kexin's life on the line with the little information available, it had ended the life of one of the Four Generals of the Demonic Cult in the Eastern Continent, Shu Huang.


Before returning I had to set up the scene a little. After all, it should look like Shu Huang had died in a battle with Bian Que while trailing Kexin, who was supposed to leave with me to cover their escape.


Dissolving the corpse and the centipede I only left the head. The bounty of his head had to be claimed after all. The spirit stones were one thing, but it was about sending a message.


"These injuries are killing me though." Grumbles left my mouth as I spread the poison and formations I used while battling as Bian Que, also had to leave behind several daggers while also stabbing one in the head to make it a more believable fight.


It took a little over an hour to set up the scene before I stumbled back to the cavern. By that time the minor fractures had been healed by the Healing pills, but my right hand was still unusable.


"Welcome back Senior Li." The only one to welcome me back was Yingyue with her usual respectful salute.


Kexin and Lingling had returned to training, and Zhi Rou was doing her thing in one of the empty tunnels. The only one missing was Wang Yang who was in the mountain village nearby for some reason.


"Sorry to put you on the guard duty, I can take it from here." I said.


"Then, I shall accept the generosity." With quick yet graceful steps, Yingyue made her way to the female side of the pond.


I headed for the pond too. It was the quickest way to heal up.


"It's just like a hot spring, just more showy and dangerous." I felt my tense muscles loosen up by the soothing qi. The broken bones in my arm started to come together like nothing happened, there was some pain involved but mostly negligible to me.


What I had to do was face forward now. Shu Huang wasn't even the most dangerous of the four generals, yet if I didn't have this pool my recovery time would've been way higher and I wouldn't have recovered fully either. As it wasn't my arm alone that broke, a good part of the pathways in my right hand snapped from the overload of Qi too. Normally I should've collapsed at the scene after that attack but I had taken the pills in advance to boost my recovery.


The amount of Qi and snappy movement it took to make that move possible wasn't something my body could handle even at the peak of Golden Core. I was far too weak to even start the true fight, thus I came here first.


And now that the first General was gone, it was time to focus on the second one.


Gu Changge, even if he wasn't the strongest, he was the most cunning one among them.


The damage he had caused was enormous, not just to Purple Cloud Sect but to the orthodox faction as a whole. A ruthless and egotistic maniac who could never see himself in the wrong, that was my next target.


However, the noose was already around his neck. All I had to do now was tighten it. The process was already underway, but it would take more time to lure him into the bottle.


I have to break through Nascent Soul if I want to succeed in this. The goal dangled in front of my face, but only thorns lined my path.


My meridians and qi pathways had certainly increased their durability. They had become equivalent to Heaven Grade Mid rank, a jump of three stages. A miracle really, but that didn't seem enough for my spiritual roots. The bad news was that they had started to approach their limit.


They'd reach the high rank of Heaven Grade for sure, but anything beyond that was impossible with this method. Because of their low level since the start, how much they grow from that point was decided.


Even with pond If I forced cultivation and kept on piling injuries to my pathways and meridians, the time will come when I would be crippled or my potential would reach a ceiling. Both of which I can't let happen.


To deal with that I'd need to use another method, a method that I had used to help Wang Yang in the future.


"But I am no good with pets." I muttered fighting through the headache.


"Pets?"


The question made me open my eyes, Wang Yang was sitting next to me. His eyes unblinking, a great interest in the topic.


"Nothing really, I just remembered the days when I had to take of Bai'er's cats. Those were some tough days." Those cats shattered the confidence I had about being good with animals, they scratched me from hell and back.


"Bai'er?" Wang Yang tilted his head.


"Huang Bai, the one who took you to Plum Peak after the Disciple Selection Ceremony." I said.


"Oh? The pretty and gentle lady from back then, come to think of it she did have scents of multiple cats on her." Wang Yang nodded as if to confirm his own words.


"She's had the nasty habit of taking in every stray she finds, and they all love her to the point that they'll attack others who try to take care of them." Their attachment was too strong in fact.


They wouldn't let me pet them even after I fed them a Rainbow Dragonfish. Ungrateful I say.


Wang Yang laughed a little before silence sunk in, I looked ahead at the wall as he seemed to be thinking some things over. It was understandable after all.


"Master… I am sorry about my reckless behavior." He said finally.


"It's not your fault, that painting was too strong for you. It almost tempted me to look as well." That treasure had a soul of its own, such treasures were rare and equally dangerous.


"If anything, you should be proud of coming out of this alive." Sure, I could reprimand him all day and even punish him. But that would net nothing, no matter where you keep him locked up, trouble would come knocking. That much I was aware of.


"Well, it was thanks to you Master." He said, before he realized something. "Also, thanks for this, it really saved my butt from the looks of it."


He held out the pearl necklace, it still had its usual shine, just a little dimmer from using the stored energy to protect him. But I couldn't take it back from him.


"It is yours now." I said.


"Mine? But isn't this expensive? Senior Gu and Senior Zhi went star-eyed for it." He scratched his cheek.


"Well, it was given to me by my Master. So, its value is quite high even if put moderately." It made me recall the day I got it.


"Then… isn't this important to you?"


Of course, it was important, it was the greatest treasure I had. However, it wasn't for me.


"My Master told me that even if this necklace was in my possession and was made by me, I would never use it." It was specifically made for me to give to someone else. "My mental strength is too strong to be boosted by this, or so my Master said. So, I only fostered it with the mind to hand it to someone in need, and you happened to be the one. It belongs to you now, because you need it for that painting."


Even before regression, I had given this to someone else, I guess I'll need to find a new present for her this time.


"Well, I can't deny that." Wang Yang said. "Master, you are seriously too amazing."


"Not really." However, I couldn't let him think that. "Your Master is a lot weaker than he seems."


In that moment the painting tempted me to look, if I hadn't regressed I don't think I would've been able to stop myself. The nature of that painting was to trap the person's soul in a dream, a dream that they would never want to wake up from while eating them.


People with regrets were its prime targets, like Iron Body Deity who lost his sister and couldn't move on from it. Maybe Wang Yang too wouldn't have broken out of it if not for that necklace, even at that age he had his regrets like anyone.


Sometimes a single regret or a mental shadow can destroy a cultivator, no matter how talented. And I had led a life filled with regrets.


The people I lost, the bonds I couldn't protect, and the mistakes I made, each one of them are fresh in my mind.


"No way Master is weak, Senior Zhi was praising you so much and everyone in the sect also respects you a lot." Wang Yang said, his eyes brimming with admiration. "I really want to be like you, a strong and respected Cultivator."


"Well, you don't have to worry then." I smiled.


"Huh?" His confusion was clear.


"You'll reach higher heights than I ever can, that's my promise as your Master." I patted his shoulder.


He would be stronger than not just me, but anyone in history this time.


"Now, focus on training." I said.


"Yes, Master." Wang Yang's eyes looked firmer than before.


The slight confusion and hesitation that new cultivators had vanished after today's incident. There was only the will to grow stronger now.


***


After dinner, I went to look for the only person missing from the table.


I stepped into the tunnel lathered in concealment arrays. As soon as I stepped in, rugged breaths reached my ears as the scent of iron stung the back of my throat.


In the middle of the dimly lit tunnel, the detained demonic cultivator was strapped to a wooden chair. The spikes digging into his bare bottom made him squirm, and knowing her they should be laced with the strongest chilies found on the continent for extra kick.


Next to the chair was a bucket full of chopped fingers, toes, and molars. One look at the blackened nails of the man and it became easy to understand what happened.


"Zhi Rou, any progress?" I asked.


She looked away from the table full of saws, knives, pikes, some special equipment that I saw for the first time, and many more tools to bring pain and torment.


"None, the guy won't say a thing, or more like he can't." She sighed. "I had my hopes up since he had three brands on his right arm, but their methods are wicked as always."


Each brand represented 100 complete missions for the Demonic cult, the three brands were what made her capture this guy alive. From the looks of it, they didn't find anything on him that could help either.


"You can take a break, I'll handle him." I said, putting on my best smile.


"Well… sure." Zhi Rou looked at the man with some pity for some reason before walking out.


Now that we were alone, I tampered with the formation to disable to recording array. It wouldn't do me any favors if someone heard what would happen next.


"Do your worst, fucking lapdogs."


His hostility filled the cave, even as cultists these guys had quite the pride sometimes. However, it only looked like a joke to me since the only reason they couldn't spill their guts was because of the curse placed on them.


"Don't get so riled up, you are low on blood after all. I only need to confirm some things I got from your leader." My tone always remained amiable when dealing with them, it hid my personal feelings while also bringing uncertainty to the victim.


"T…there is no way you got anything from Iron Fiend, keep your bluff to yourself." He somehow mustered the strength to speak. "Put a dress on you and you'll easily get a job in any brothel run by us, some of our customers have weird tastes after all, but you look no different than a woman. There is no way you could have won against him, let alone get anything out of him."


His taunts were something I heard often, these demonic cultivators really lacked creativity or maybe these worked on orthodox cultivators? Maybe I'll try them someday too.


"But I did get a lot out of him." I walked around him in circles, closing the distance with Shu Huang's black ring. "Things like how Gu Changge directed the attack on Purple Cloud Sect. Their next target. The insider feeding them information about their targets. And that Iron Fiend was sent after Wu Kexin for her Spiritual Root. I know it all because I have the storage ring of that buffoon."


The man trembled the more I spoke, even more so after seeing the ring.


"N-No way. You can't have broken through the defenses so quick!"


"You are correct, I didn't break through it. I haven't even started." My words drained all blood from his face. "But, thank you for confirming my guesses, your sacrifice will be remembered."


"Y-You bas—!" Black blood poured out of his mouth as the centipede wrapped around his heart crushed it into a mush.


Even with the curse placed to forbid them from giving out information, many loopholes existed to get the desired results. I used the one found by the most famous torturer of the future.


Although using such methods wasn't to my liking, I couldn't deny that they worked like a charm.


"So, they are after her spiritual root too." It finally solved the mystery of their attempt on Wu Kexin.


However, a new question arose.


How did they know of her spiritual root before she even had it tested?


A plethora of possible scenarios raced across my mind, but one seemed most likely. To test that, I'd need to wait for the opportune moment.


Which would come soon.

 

[Overload69]

An entire month had passed since the incident with Shu Huang. At that time, the progress of my meridians had come to a halt.


But I stayed until the pond provided results for the disciples. The first one to see no progress after me was Kexin, her case was understandable.


The second was Sun Lingling, her meridians and pathways were perfectly in tune with her spiritual root to begin with, so there wasn't much higher it could go.


Unsurprisingly, Wang Yang was the last one to see a decline in his progress. However, the improvements were jaw-dropping in his case, in a way he profited more from this than all of us combined.


The disciples along with Yingyue and Zhi Rou were making their way to Huang City. I waited outside the tunnel leading to Heaven's Pond. The plan over with, I revamped the protection and concealment formation around this place to the highest level I could.


Even erasing our traces from the nearby village and tying up any loose ends that remained before the demonic sect's spies came along. Now, only the traces of Bian Que's battle with the Iron Fiend remained they sent low-level—disposable—cultivators after.


There they are. And the people I have been waiting for finally arrived.


In front of me stood a team of ten cultivators, three of them wore pure white uniforms with a lotus imprint, one wore a yellow uniform with a chrysanthemum, two with red uniforms along with a tiger imprint, and the other wore pink uniforms with a peach flower.


The young man leading them wore pure white robes matching his short white hair, and his disciple token had a lotus symbol with the name, Lian Xu. Li Xianqian's second disciple. Although he looked unassuming, this kid rivaled my realm in cultivation.


"Sorry to keep you waiting Peak Master Li." He bowed as the team behind him followed.


"Don't worry about it. I know the journey here is quite slow." I waved it off.


"Your generosity knows no bounds."


His overly respectful way of speech hadn't changed yet, even when he was in a position of considerable power.


The Hidden Dragon Hall was built under the Grand Elder's order, teams that could respond to any immediate call for support. Comprised of elites gathered from all the peaks, they only answered to the Peak Masters and the Grand Elder taking on missions of the highest difficulties.


"Follow me, I'll show you the place you have to safeguard for the next six weeks."


"Yes, Peak Master Li."


The team followed me in the tunnel without a single complaint. Their eyes stole glances at me at every step, after all this was the first time I had called upon the Hidden Dragon Hall of our sect.


"I want you to hole up inside here. Use Heaven and Earth Formation to isolate this mountain and the surroundings in a pocket of space, then lock it with the Seven Revolving Door Formation for maximum security." I gave them a more detailed plan etched on the scroll along with the placement of traps and such.


"Are we to turn this place into an artificial Grotto-Heaven?" Formations that dealt with space were Lian Xu's specialty, therefore his team was sent.


"Simply put yes. However, what you are to defend is of great value, not just to Azure Sky Sect, but to the entire continent. So, keep that in mind." I said eliciting some gulps from the team that followed, their nervousness was understandable but I had faith in the team that boasted a 95% mission completion rate.


"I understand, I shall guard this place with my life." Not wavering a bit, Lian Xu followed me into the cavern.


It took them a few minutes to survey the area after marveling at the sight and start unpacking their supplies. I left them the houses to make the place a bit more comfortable. If possible, I would've wanted to place a Peak Master here. But with Hua Jiahao and Zhao Jun out of the sect, making another leave would weaken the force that was needed to defend the sect against any attackers.


So, the best option was to hide this place in a pocket of space and make arrangements for it in the meantime.


"Leave this place to us Peak Master Li, the Fifth Team will not disappoint you."


"I would expect nothing less from you, Lian Xu." At times like this, his serious demeanor was quite reliable, unlike the fourth team's leader.


Leaving them to it, I left the tunnel and made my way towards Huang City on the flying sword. The disciples left early in the morning had only covered half the distance so far. The reason, traveling on foot.


"Finally, we can fly!"


Overjoyed to use the flying sword, Wang Yang stood in front of me with a big smile. Kexin and Lingling stood on the second one, as Yingyue and Zhi Rou operated their own. Now, our travel speed increased several times over.


"No matter how many times I see Senior Li use a second flying sword, it never gets old." Yingyue said flying next to us.


"Is it not normal?" Wang Yang asked.


"No, usually using one flying sword is hard enough. As it is connected with one's mind, it is essentially seen as a third hand. Using it is like writing with both of your hands, but the hands are writing about different subjects." Zhi Rou added. "Now add a second sword and three hands are writing about three different subjects at the same time. Processing, control, and avoiding mistakes in that state are very difficult."


"…I've seen Master control four flying swords at the same time." Kexin muttered.


"Since it was for transportation, the difficulty lowered quite a bit." I cut in.


"You are the only one who could say something like that, Senior Li." Yingyue had a wry smile.


The rest seemed to agree so I didn't say anything further. The journey to Huang City went by in a flash. And, as the last passengers for the Phoenix boat boarded, us, we set off to Azure Sky Sect in an instant.


By the time I reach the sect, the envoy group from the Purple Cloud Sect should've already finished their talks. If everything goes smoothly the Heaven's Pond can be dealt with in the next three weeks after I send Yingyue back with them.


My plans were coming along pretty well so far, but I didn't know that a wrench would soon fall on my head.


"What the hell took you so long? I've been waiting for you for hours." A woman with purple hair welcomed me on Plum Peak with a scowl that could be seen from a mile away.


"It is a pleasure to meet you, Senior Qian." Yingyue and Zhi Rou paid their respect with a slight bow.


After all, the annoying woman in front of me was Qian Yun. The next Matriarch of the Qian Family, and my lifelong nemesis.


***


Around the same time, in a dark room where the light from the sun couldn't reach, four altars made in the form of four divine beasts stood tall. However, their positioning was the opposite, the Azure Dragon soared in the west, the White Tiger roared in the east, the Phoenix spread its wings in the south, and the Black Tortoise slumbered in the north.


Each altar gave off its distinct light, there were no faces on them but their gaze focused on the man kneeling in the middle.


"Not only have you failed to eliminate that witch's successor, but you have also failed to acquire that little girl and kill Bian Que, on top of that you lost an important ally in the process." A voice devoid of all emotions came from the western altar, the only thing distinguishable about it was that it belonged to a woman. "What say you, Gu Changge?"


Gu Changge tried to hide it, but sweat dripped down his forehead like a waterfall as he answered.


"I… apologize. I didn't expect Bian Que to be that strong, I had misjudged his strength and sent Iron Fiend. I hav—"


"Three times…" However, the aged voice from the southern altar cut him off. "The eastern front had failed to fulfill my request three times, I ought to cut your head off for that one Bai (White)."


The voice laden with anger made Changge tremble in place, even if it wasn't aimed at him the power in that voice was more than he could handle.


"My My, so it is true that women get crankier with age." A frivolous voice answered from the eastern altar.


"You cur!" The southern altar trembled as the red in the room intensified.


"Can it, you old hag. It isn't like you have given an easy target anyway. I admit that we didn't prepare enough for the battle of Jingyuan Pass, but didn't your scheme to get that Wu kid fall apart? Isn't that hoot?" The man spoke without a hint of mercy, but his voice stayed playful.


"Silence you two, do you not know whose presence you are in?" The voice from the western altar cut the conflict short.


Understanding the situation a short silence dawned in the room. They only continued after no voice from the northern altar.


"So, how should we deal with you Brother Changge? We usually cut people off after their first failure, but I gave you a second chance because I like your style and you fail again." The first words came from the eastern altar. "Since you are my precious subordinate, I don't want to kill you off for something like this. If only some heartless aunty would have mercy on me."


"You brat…" The southern altar seemed to boil in anger, but it soon calmed down. "Bring me both, Li Muchen and Wu Kexin, do that I will forget your failures."


"The old cow likes fresh grass, huh."


"Stop egging her on, Bai." A warning came from the Western altar.


"Yes, Yes, Lady Qing."


"One 'yes' is enough."


"Yes, Lady Qing."


"Then, the trial is over. Gu Changge, if you want to overwrite your failures, you must bring in Wu Kexin and Li Muchen, dead or alive." After the proclamation, the light from the three altars vanished.


How… how will I do that? My current force is not enough to attack Azure Sky Sect, if only that Li Muchen left his sect often I could've done something but I have to face both Bian Que and him. Gu Changge wanted to pull his hair out, but that would be disrespectful in his superior's presence.


"Don't mind me, Brother Changge. I understand your frustration, Li Muchen is as slippery as a mud skipper." Bai laughed before continuing. "However, I can't let you fail again. This task will determine my pride and honor in front of the lord too, so I will give you some help. But only after you finish the plan."


"I am eternally grateful for your aid." Changge felt a little load off his shoulder, but he remained tense.


"Come on now, no need to be that formal between brothers." The guy laughed. "Normally I would've rejected that request, but you are lucky that a good opportunity to make this happen is at hand. Just hit me up when you have sorted the details."


After the last altar lost its light, Gu Changge stood up and walked out of the basement. He locked the room and swallowed the iron key once again to keep it safe.


"Fucking bastards looking down on me!" His blood boiled every time he had to talk with them and get on his knees, it was a rage that burned brighter than the one he had for his former clan. "I'll show you all, Bai, Li Muchen, and that pathetic sect what I am made of!"


Just like Bai had said, the opportunity was close at hand. His hand crumpled the poster for East Martial Meet as his emotions came under control.


"Gu Changge will never bow in front of anyone again." He vowed to shake the entire continent in two months.

A/N:

This is the end of Book 1 for Regressed Master.
Thank you for spending time with my characters and I'll see you on Monday with the start of Book 2.
Bye Bye.