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

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Overload69]

The ship carrying Azure Sky Sect's disciples and Elders reached the outer sect city. The moment of their landing wasn't grand. There weren't any large banners or people throwing flowers at their feet. However, the disciples stretched out and smiled full of heart; finally, they had returned home.

As youths who had spent most of their years in this sect, to them it had become their home, more than their birthplace. Even Muchen, as old as he was, couldn't help but crack a smile when he came back here.

He found peace in knowing that he had somewhere to return to. His home. It was in front of his eyes. And, it would only get better.

The same peak that didn't see anyone else aside from him, his junior disciples, and his disciple, now had torrents of people moving along the lone stairs unwinding down the steep slope. Elites from Lotus Peak and Chrysanthemum Peak carried inscribed wood and pipes made of rose gold metal to one of the terraces on the southern side.

Chen Zhipeng worked on the Heaven's Pond project, calling it Heaven's Spring, or so Muchen had heard from Li Xianquan.

"Why did you leave the naming to him?" Muchen asked the embarrassed Grand Elder.

"I was too busy, and he seemed eager." He smiled impishly; no doubt this was on purpose. Now, the entire sect would call the facility of Muchen's peak by that name. "It's not that bad a name; the disciples think it is domineering."

"Well… let us forget about that." The dice had left the hand. "Any problem during transportation?"

"None so far, rather the disciples seem more eager to share the wonderful treasure with their fellows. I allowed them to have a dip in, and they couldn't be happier to work." Xianquan smirked. "After the spring's construction is done, I plan to let the disciples who participated in the Eastern Martial Meet enter as a training. Once the word spreads enough, we'll make it accessible through the mission hall."

"That's reasonable." Muchen had nothing to add on that front; Xianquan always had an eye for these things.

"Also, I plan to add a few cultivation rooms and a dining hall. I'll leave them under your jurisdiction."

"Now that is excessive." Muchen shrank back; the peace of his peak was threatened.

"Plum Peak needs a revenue stream. You can't keep paying the sect tribute from your personal wealth forever; it will reach 100,000 spirit stones from next year." Xianquan said.

"I actually can." Muchen didn't bat an eye at the increase of 5,000 stones. Xianquan already knew how much he made thanks to Zhipeng. "Even the Elders have accepted defeat at this point, you should too."

"Please do not fight me on this, Senior brother. I do this for the comfort of our precious disciples." A righteous glint appeared in his eyes.

"Sure, Sure." Muchen nodded along. This seemed like a done deal, no matter what he said.

"Well, how is Sister Huang?" Xianquan asked.

"You noticed, huh."

"If the person most strict about her report after every expedition doesn't arrive, even the walls would notice," Xianquan added. "So, what happened?"

"I am surprised you haven't heard about it yet." Muchen smiled, full of pride.

"What can I say, a certain individual worked very hard to keep it a secret." Xianquan's hollow laugh ended soon after.

Once Muchen told the happenings from the Eastern Martial Meet over a bottle of wine, Xianquan sat in his place, fiddling with the empty cup. The more serious the matter, the less he spoke; that's how he was.

"Hua Bo, huh." However, that silence usually carried rage or sorrow. "He was a decent fellow. Too bad how he turned out."

"You aren't that far from him in age," Muchen added. "Stop acting like an old man, you aren't even married yet."

"How can I marry when my Senior brother hasn't settled down yet?"

"Why can't you? Just look at Jiahao."

"Brother Hua is one of a kind."

"That is true." Muchen smiled. That junior brother of his said he wanted to marry Mingzhu out of the blue; none of them saw it coming, not even Mingzhu.

"Go and talk with Huang Bai, take a few mooncakes with you," Muchen added.

"I'll go after Sister Liu is done." Xianquan must've noticed Liu Zhi's movement.

"That brat will use this chance to laze around, shut her down after a day for me." Muchen could see the orders in Osmanthus peak pile up.

"Will do." Xianquan smiled as Muchen stood up, then he spoke again. "Making sister Bai listen, was it necessary, big brother?"

"What have I taught you about wounds, Xianquan?" Muchen asked, forgetting the usual formalities.

"That we have to take proper care of them until they are healed," Xianquan answered. "If not cared for, they fester and make things worse."

"Therein lies your answer." Physical or mental, if wounds aren't taken care of, they both fester.

Before his regression, Muchen was too late to notice that festering wound. A wound that eventually became a rift and broke the Azure Sky Sect, starting from Huang Bai's death.

"As sensitive as Sister Bai is, I can only thank you for the tough decision." Xianquan bowed.

"I hope you do more than thank me for it." Muchen chuckled.

"That's hard to do." Xianquan smiled awkwardly. "Even if big brother changes for the worse, there is only one way for me to move on from you."

Ever since he had assumed the position of Grand Elder, Xianquan had become more diplomatic. He had gained poise and elegance. Coldness and wisdom. However, he had lost the directness from before. So, watching that glimpse return, Muchen couldn't help but ask him the question.

"What would I have to?"

"Kill me. That might work." Xianquan said.

"Might?" Muchen raised his brow.

"Who knows, I might turn into a vengeful spirit and haunt big brother till he straightens his ways."

"That's hilarious." Muchen smiled.

"Isn't it?" Xianquan followed suit; it had been years since he had heard that hearty laughter.

"If something like that happens, I expect you to continue as if I don't exist," Muchen said.

"If it were one of us in Hua Bo's shoes, would you do the same, big brother?" Xianquan looked up, his eyes shining brilliantly.

"I wonder, maybe I'd drink a few cups of wine, remembering the good times." Muchen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Now that's certainly hilarious." Xianquan shook his head.

He didn't look at him, but Muchen could feel the gaze. The eyes filled with uncertainty, eyes searching for an answer.

"You've seen a glimpse of it, didn't you?" Muchen saw the qi concentrated on his little brother's eyes. "The future."

"A little." Xianquan's eyes burned a mystic purple; the Celestial Eyes had worked faster than last time. "The Tiger will descend the Southern mountain."

The Tiger, is it? Muchen took a deep breath. This was much faster than last time. His actions had changed things, but that didn't matter at this point.

"We'd better sharpen our spears then," he said.

"Spears? I thought you'd say to prepare the nets." Xianquan tilted his head.

"Well, the situation has changed, so the method has to follow," Muchen added. "I will be entering closed-door cultivation for a month."

"What?" Xianquan shot up from his seat. "But who will overlook Zhi—I mean, the construction of Heaven's spring?"

"You can handle it, Grand Elder." Muchen patted his younger brother's shoulder and started for the door.

"If you keep pushing things on me like this, I will really just ignore you when you turn evil," Xianquan shouted.

"That's the spirit." Muchen only smiled and exited, ignoring the turbulent qi in the Lotus Peak.

***

The day passed as Muchen steadily handed out tasks to his disciples and prepared for things that'd happen during his absence. It wasn't anything too large, like sect conspiracies or battles, just day-to-day problems and necessities.

Wang Yang did show regret when Muchen told him to get dinner from outside till he returned from cultivation, but he relented soon after. The young boy had more of his focus on the new manual he had found. Muchen had little interest in Shan Dian Martial Manual; he had read it previously after Wang Yang had mastered it.

In simple terms, it was a manual created for the next son of heaven by the previous son of heaven. It served Muchen little purpose to know of the techniques in there, with his body and root, even replicating them was a distant dream. He thought so even now, because those techniques required the usage of all five elements.

However, if there was one thing Muchen had learned about life, aside from the fact that it's a series of trainwrecks, it was the ability to not get hung up on treasures. A treasure he can't use was as good as dirt for him; any time trying to make it work was a waste.

With those enlightened steps, he entered cavern Beta. A series of caverns hidden below the nexus of tunnels he had created along the sect's border. Not even Xianquan knew of these.

The slick floor welcomed his feet, doing everything to make him slip, but unsuccessful. A red iron door, as thick as a bull, slid open with a thud, screeching on the steel rail.

Inside the dusty room was a chair, a man tied to it with qi-constricting ropes and chains. Thin silver needles stuck into his spine and joints to restrict any movement below the neck.

"Finally have time for me, do you?" Gu Changge glared through his disheveled hair.

"Do not act like a disgruntled mistress. I am a busy man." Muchen walked into the dry room that smelled of piss and feces, pushing off the putrid air with his qi.

"If I were a woman, I'd spit on your face." He barked, puke stains running down his neck.

"If you were a woman, I'd pray for your husband to reach heaven; he needn't experience hell twice." Muchen shook his head, looking at the gnashing teeth with a dismissive smile. "Not that you did anything worthwhile as a husband."

"You killed your wife and refined her corpse for cultivation, tried to do the same with your grandniece, who took her first steps. You disrespected your bloodline, conspired against the orthodox sects, and tried to kill young disciples, the future of the Eastern Continent." Muchen could list a hundred more such crimes, but Changge hadn't committed them yet. "Truly, you are a disgrace."

"Why are you talking like that?" Changge spat.

"Talking like what?" Muchen tilted his head.

"Talking like you are the epitome of the righteous path. Be honest with me, you cut a deal with him, didn't you?" Changge asked.

"Him?" Muchen's eyes narrowed.

"What did he not even give his name?" He chuckled. "I am talking about Bai, he provided me with the lamp, sent the Sun Cult to set up my base, and restarted the Heaven's puzzle. Only he knew every detail of my plan, the details you used, only he could tell you about everything."

"So, what is it that you sold your soul for? Power? Safety? Status? Talent?" Changge glared, however, Muchen's eyes only reflected pity. There was no anger, there was no coldness. Just pity.

"I've made no such deal; I haven't even met this Bai yet." Even before regression, Muchen had heard of the name Bai, or better known as White Tiger, but never met the man himself. This Bai and the 'He' Hua Bo talked about, he believed they were the same person.

If so, how would Bai know of the White Demon this world was yet to see?

"No way… You lie. How could you best me like this without…"

Muchen turned to the rambling of the crazed Changge. The downfall of a prideful man was never pretty, but this went beyond ugly.

"You bastard… why did you? Why did you come after me if it wasn't for Bai?"

"Because I am a vengeful spirit." Muchen smiled.

"What?" The gear in Changge's head stopped turning.

"A vengeful spirit, you know? The spirit of the deceased that does everything to get their revenge?"

Muchen would've explained more, but Changge threw a fit.

"I fucking know that you piece of shit!" His voice turned hoarser than his face. "Why the fuck are you a vengeful spirit? What did I do to you? I didn't even know you fucking existed?!"

"That's a pity." Muchen's smile didn't reach his eyes. "You should've kept it that way, and maybe, maybe I would've let you carry out your remaining shit stain of a life in some pig pen."

"Hey! Come back here, you son of bitch! Hey!"

Muchen started for the door, treating his shouts for the buzzing of a fly. The Gu Changge he faced wasn't this pathetic; he didn't show even with a blade to his neck, he never lost his cool, even as a man confined to a chair facing an army. But there was one thing that didn't change in Muchen's mind for this man: hatred.

Changge was the agent of chaos that the Demonic Sects from overseas had planted in the Eastern Continent. A little wound that festered enough to affect the entire land. Muchen lost Huang Bai and Hua Jiahao to this bastard's schemes.

However, when he killed him, that anger didn't die down, because his death served no purpose beyond the surface. Even now that he had stopped Gu Changge before he wreaked havoc, before his endless schemes, that hatred burned strongly in his chest.

What was the truth about his regression? Was it truly a reversal of time and space, or was he thrown into a world that mirrored the one he had lost?

Muchen had never prayed to any god or Buddha, but he prayed that it was the former. Because if it were the latter, everything he did and planned to do had no meaning. That anger in his heart would keep burning bright until the day it consumed him again.

But until he found the answer to that question, Muchen wanted to hold onto that anger. That anger defined him. It fueled him. And he needed that anger to reach the clue that would reveal the secret of his regression.

"Bai, huh," Muchen muttered as the door closed behind him. "I wonder what his next move is."

The time to reset the board had come.
...
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[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Overload69]

"You certainly took your time dealing with things. Do you not want to cultivate anymore?" Yae snapped the moment Muchen started the stairs to the basement of his estate.

"If I could shut myself in a cave, I would've done that." He rolled his eyes, footsteps echoing in the white hallway. "Just sleep if you are bored."

"Sleep? Do you know what I've been doing in that damned cave for this long?!" Her anger echoed in the hall. "I hate the word sleep, I loathe it! Don't you dare suggest that again."

"Well, we can't have you running around the sect for now, even Plum Peak has become more active now. So, go figure." Muchen shrugged.

"…" Exasperated, Yae narrowed her sharp eyes. "Is it just me, or are you becoming more animated?" She must've found his reactions strange.

"It's just practice," he said.

"For what?" Yae jumped and slapped his cheek with her paw. "As it stands, I find your tone disrespectful."

"Do you want to continue this argument, or do we get to cultivating?" He deadpanned.

"Cultivation, of course!" Yae's tail swished across the back of his head as stars appeared in her eyes.

This fox had a plan of her own. Muchen didn't doubt that. But he had a plan too. The first of those plans was to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Because his preparations weren't complete, he decided to stop at the peak of Golden Core.

Changge, weakened from constant usage of Heaven's puzzle, shaken from being shadowed so perfectly, and fearful of the numerous Li Muchen mistook him for a Nascent Soul realm cultivator in that moment.

Muchen wanted that to an extent, because he had to break Changge's will. He had to drill in the latter's head that he had no chance of victory, as he would not stop scheming as long as he saw a sliver of a chance. That man would run away, bow his head, and lick someone's feet if he had to, because as long as he lived, he'd get the last laugh.

At least that was the Changge Li Muchen knew.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Yae jumped down from his shoulder and pointed towards the oak door in front of them, her tail swaying aggressively.

Muchen opened the door that reached the high ceiling, every inch etched with inscriptions and formations of the highest quality. The inside was no different. The bone-colored walls featured formations and talismans, with waves of Qi pulsating through them, all connected to the two spirit stones embedded in the ceiling and floor, positioned parallel to each other.

"Where did you find such big spirit stones?" Yae's eyes had a little surprise; each of those stones was as big as Muchen himself, light fractioning off from their carved and polished faces.

"My Master had them." Muchen was the first to receive his personal cultivation room; the juniors got theirs later.

"That modest-looking one held such wealth?" Yae muttered.

"When you are as old as my Master is, wealth piles up." Muchen closed the door and walked towards the center of the room. "I've already connected the Heaven and Earth Formation to this one; there should be no issue, I think."

"You think?" Yae raised a brow.

"I never tinkered with this before, but I've been told it shouldn't be an issue." Muchen smiled at the unimpressed fox. "What? You scared or something?"

"Scared? You are a funny kid." Yae chuckled, baring her fangs. "I would've long given up if I were one to give into fear."

Muchen picked up Yae and placed her on his shoulder. Although a ticking time bomb and the creature that tore his sect apart, he felt a strange sense of kinship with this hyperactive fox. To the point that he couldn't understand why, or maybe he did understand.

"Yae, do you trust me?" He asked.

"Not one bit." She spat.

"That's great." Muchen smiled, stepping into the air.

In a few steps, he hovered in the middle of the two spirit stones and sat in the lotus position; the ample qi in the room formed a cushion below him, keeping him afloat.

With a deep breath, Muchen closed his eyes. The hour of rebirth had arrived. As if one with his mind, the room whirred itself to life. He could feel, no, see the bright bands of qi rushing through the inscriptions.

Air thinned out, and smog covered the room, smothering him. Soon, only concreated qi entered his lungs, it flowed through his blood and reached every cell in his body. The route of his nerves, the structure of his organs and bones, and the essence of his blood. Everything about him seeped into the golden core before him.

The black lines etched his body on the core, as if a master sculptor with hammer and chisel worked on the details. Each line took time, but Muchen never blinked.

He watched the golden core for days, maybe months. Time became irrelevant. This core housed something important. It was the ground that held the seed. A seed that had germinated and now wanted to break through the first barrier.

Muchen reached upwards in the darkness. His hands clawing at the surface that caged him in.

Solid, but also crumbly. It slipped through his fingers, but Muchen kept clawing away. He dug and dug until his nails fell off and regrew, over and over. It seemed like an eternity, but also a mere moment.

However, the heart in his chest thumped louder with every clump he removed. It grew to the point that it was the only thing he could hear. It told him that he was about to reach it. The end of this road, but also the beginning of a new one. He thrust his hand forward with a silent roar, a roar in his mind.

What seemed like a metal wall as thick as the world, cracked like glass. Shards flew, and Muchen saw the light. The first ray of sunlight kissed his skin. A harsh light, he thought. Almost blinded by it. But the coldness in his body melted under the heat. He turned around, feeling a gaze.

Behind him was himself. The Muchen that watched the Golden Core, and the Muchen that broke through it. They were the same, but also different. One a human, the other a lump of smoke. One had hands and feet, while the other only stubby fingers and a tail. One was a giant, and the other the size of a newborn.

One was the body, and the other, the soul.

That's me. Their thoughts echoed in each other's heads.

They reached out on instinct, like a creature that had seen its reflection for the first time. The warm finger rushing with blood met the small finger made of cold, illusory smoke.

"Don't you…" The little one spoke, his tongue twisting, "dare lose again."

"You don't have to tell me that," Muchen said, his lips forming a smile, mirroring the little Muchen.

The smoke whirled like a tornado and seeped into Muchen's fingers. The sky cracked and fell apart at the seams. He floated above a bronze platform. The sun crashed in the back, sinking into the abyss, but he couldn't care less.

The cold rushed in, but a flame lit up in his heart. A flame so hot, yet it didn't burn him. It only spread. Transversing through his veins and covering his organs, it exited through his mouth and covered his skin.

The pale blue flame burned bright and alone in the dark, illuminating the new world.

Li Muchen finally reached the First Lamp of Nascent Soul Realm, stepping onto the next stage of cultivation.

***

Two months had passed since Wang Yang's Master entered closed-door cultivation. The harsh winter passed, and the first flowers bloomed on the Plum Peak, making the eastern face a sea of vibrance and butterflies.

Along those flowers came a lot of visitors, though on the southern face, away from the Estate, hidden in the northern rocky cliff.

Heaven's Spring, Wang Yang had heard the gossip about it in the small New Year's feast held at Lotus Peak a month and a half ago. The elders who showed up saw Lingling as the representative of Plum Peak, as she was the eldest disciple, leaving Wang Yang to his devices. To that he was thankful.

The few times he exchanged pleasantries, even though with fellow disciples, felt unnatural. Thankfully, Chen Liang came and took him to the corner to talk; there, he found other familiar faces. The Chang twins and even Senior Hao, all busy with small talk and visitors.

However, all they talked about that day was Heaven's spring, not just them, but the entire hall seemed to know no other topic. Wang Yang didn't understand at first; he was only told about the construction of a few pagodas, one of them being a branch of Jade Hall he was to eat at.

Only when the construction ended, and he entered the place, that things click.

To think it was Heaven's Pond. Wang Yang thought back on his stay there; he had so much fun. Sure, he felt terrified when the formation activated, and he found a weird cave with that painting.

But that was part of being a cultivator, or so his Master said. So was being curious, and Wang Yang felt a burning curiosity about how that golden water flowed out when he twisted the cap of this thing called a faucet. The stream ended by itself when the inscribed bronze tub filled around the top line, leaving a few inches from the rounded rim.

He heard that the Chrysanthemum Peak Master had made this system in collaboration with another gentleman, someone he wouldn't name. However, all that curiosity dried up when Wang Yang heard of the price needed for two hours of cultivation in the tub.

"A thousand spirit stones… how many noodle bowls is that?" His brain short-circuited when Chen Liang said the price was fair after he experienced Heaven's spring.

Even that calm senior turned envious when he learned that Wang Yang could enter the place free of cost; the same applied to Sun Lingling. Their master knew how to take care of his disciples; what could he say? Maybe that also wasn't a good thing to say?

Seated on the veranda after a hard day of reading and mock battles with Hua Mei, Wang Yang stretched at the veranda. Butterflies fluttered about the ever-so lively garden, flying about the flowers from all over the continent. Looking at the clear azure sky, he sighed.

"That's a heavy breath for someone so young."

Wang Yang's heart leapt in his mouth; at least it used to whenever this happened before. But he had grown used to Lady Hua's abrupt appearances in the past two months.

"I was pondering over the difference between learning through books and learning through experience." Wang Yang said.

"Were you now?" Lady Hua crossed her arms.

"…I was hungry and wondering what to get for dinner." He admitted.

"Now that I can believe." She smiled, unlike before, her brow wasn't so tense, her forehead less creased, and even her eyes seemed less sharp.

She is very beautiful. Wang Yang never had the leeway to think about this, but he had seen a lot of beauty since he started cultivating.

Lady Hua had a coolness about her, her measured, silent steps, the narrowing of her eyes that never missed a detail, and the subtle movements of her fingers. She carried herself like a gallant warrior, but with the silence of a shadow. A beauty you'd like to know more about, but one that'd always elude you.

On the other hand, Sun Lingling's beauty was cold. From her eyes to her walk, she moved like the blizzard. Approaching her was impossible. A beauty only meant to be admired from afar, get too close and you'd get frozen, or worse, cut down.

Senior Gu Fe, however, was the opposite of Sun Lingling. Aside from the fact that you'd die if you approached her too, however, one couldn't help but dive in because of her allure. That's what Wang Yang felt from their short interaction, and he wanted to do anything more with her.

Then there was Gu Yingyue, dependable, affable, and warm. Like a fireplace on a cold night, you couldn't help but want to get close. Wang Yang wondered how she was doing right now. They had exchanged a few letters before she started her expedition to hunt Gu Changge, which was the last he heard.

"You're thinking of something useless." Lady Hua said, now standing before him.

"Just thinking about the types of beauties in this world." In the many interactions he had with her, Wang Yang understood that hiding things from Lady Hua wasn't possible.

"…"

"…" The two blinked in the sudden silence filled with the chirps of baby birds in the nearby tree.

"That wasn't a joke, huh?" Lady Hua sighed. "You can continue your lovesick thoughts after you tell me where Hua Mei went. It is time for her training."

"I don't know, Senior Hua left hours ago." Wang Yang added. "And I wasn't having lovesick thoughts."

"Is that so?" Lady Hua tapped her chin, eyes digging into him.

"Afraid so." Wang Yang averted the eyes.

"That's a pity. Any changes with your body?" She asked.

"Still stuck at the peak of the Qi refinement realm." A bitter smile appeared on his lips.

"Hmm, if my husband were here, he might've been able to help." Lady Hua added. "Among his fellow disciples, he was the only one to go beyond the 10th refinement." He could hear the pride in her voice. "You should be happy, this is a feat no one else in the sect has achieved after him."

Wang Yang did read a note related to this by the man himself, thanks to Lady Hua, but he couldn't understand a thing. Not because the content was too complex, but rather the opposite. Peak Master Hua had reached the 13th stage of Qi refinement, three more than normal. He compared the feeling to taking a hot bath after ten days of continuous training.

When Wang Yang tried to understand the feeling, doing harsh training for ten days and ending it with a hot bath, all he got was a sore body for a month and second doubts about his own intelligence.

I am already on the fifteenth stage. Am I missing something to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm? Everyone is advancing so much faster; even Senior Sun has reached the second stage of Foundation Establishment. The Chang twins and senior Chen spend their time training and frequenting Heaven's Spring. Wang Yang wondered as a shadow was cast over him. Will I never progress beyond this?

However, the darkness wasn't limited to his mood. The sky followed suit. Surprised by the darkness that only came around at night, Wang Yang looked up as it was still noon.

A sea of dark clouds gathered, shrouding the Plum peak in a thick shadow. Flashes from the streaks of lightning replaced the sun, giving moments of brightness as they ran through the bellowing clouds, kicking up cold whirlwinds.

Are people standing there? Wang Yang could scarcely make out the silhouettes of the three people hovering at the edge of the dark clouds.

Just as he wondered what had happened, Lady Hua yanked him to his feet. Hua Mei, who had hidden herself in the garden, under her left armpit.

"Call your senior sister, this is no time to stay still." She looked at the darkened skies with a grim look. "The tribulation is upon us."
...
Here's the invite link. I hope to see you there soon: Discord
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