Three months later…
Yun Xiao stood outside the Blue Soul Sword Sector, gazing at the palatial sect gates towering over the world like a heavenly palace. This was the path to heaven, the path of immortality.
Yun Xiao had thoroughly inquired about the path ahead. He learned that the road held many tests, and only those with exceptional talent and remarkable strength could pass. Those who succeeded in ascending this path would earn the right to become disciples of the prestigious Blue Soul Sword Sect.
The crowd murmured with excitement. Among the hundred-odd young disciples vying for a place, Jiang Yue stood out, dressed in a white sword robe embroidered with clouds. Her aura was more refined, her progress over the past three months astounding. She was eager to show her prowess, hoping to gain entry as one of the sect's prodigies.
Yun Xiao, smirking, murmured to himself, "Jiang Yue, do you think you can ascend the road to the heavens too?" His eyes narrowed with disdain. "You're hoping to rely on your 'Kaiyang-level' Sword Soul, make an impressive entrance, and enter the Blue Soul Sword Sect as Heaven's Chosen, aren't you?"
Yun Xiao blended into the crowd, concealing his identity. He wanted Jiang Yue to remain unaware of who he was — like a shadow lurking nearby, a nightmare in waiting.
Just then, a voice called out in front of him.
"Listen!"
Yun Xiao, smirking, murmured to himself, "Jiang Yue, do you think you can ascend the road to the heavens too?" His eyes narrowed with disdain. "You're hoping to rely on your 'Kaiyang-level' Sword Soul, make an impressive entrance, and enter the Blue Soul Sword Sect as Heaven's Chosen, aren't you?"
Yun Xiao blended into the crowd, concealing his identity. He wanted Jiang Yue to remain unaware of who he was — like a shadow lurking nearby, a nightmare in waiting.
Just then, a voice called out in front of him.
"Listen!"
In front of Yun Xiao stood a woman in a red robe. Her skin was as creamy as jade, her face soft and delicate as a peach blossom. She possessed a noble, elegant grace, but her expression was as cold as frost, making her beauty all the more striking.
"The rules are simple and fair," she announced. "The first ten to ascend this road will become Blue Soul sword cultivators, free to roam the world as they please. All others, step aside."
Under her icy gaze, the hundreds of talented cultivators in front of her dared not meet her eyes.
"You all are quite the lucky group," she added, a glint of something deeper in her gaze.
"Elder Yao, what do you mean?" A boy of about thirteen, wearing a robe adorned with jewels and emblems of high status, piped up from the crowd.
Elder Yao's previously cold expression softened slightly, and a faint smile graced her face as she looked at him.
"Because, the first three disciples to ascend will receive generous rewards," she replied, with a touch of admiration in her eyes.
"The third will receive a monster bone that has aged a hundred years; the second will get one aged two hundred years; and the first…"
Her eyes sparkled as she said, "The first will receive a monster bone aged five hundred years!"
At these words, the crowd erupted in excitement.
"A five-hundred-year-old monster bone!" someone exclaimed. "Why has the reward suddenly increased so much?"
The crowd buzzed with murmurs, eyes alight with enthusiasm.
Yun Xiao's eyes sharpened, his interest piqued. A five-hundred-year monster bone was no ordinary reward. It was said that the bones of ancient beasts absorbed Spirit Qi over the years, forming an essence that sword cultivators could use to enhance their Sword Souls. Such bones, when refined, could help a cultivator form a 'Sword Gang' — an indestructible spirit force.
For a Sword Soul to strengthen through Sword Gang layers was extremely rare. Even if a Sword Soul's level, like Jiang Yue's 'Kaiyang-level Ice Moon Sword Soul,' was predetermined by bloodline and talent, its power could be fortified by cultivating Sword Gang layers.
"Even a low-level Sword Soul, if fortified with enough Sword Gang, can surpass a higher-ranked one," Yun Xiao thought, his eyes glinting. "Perhaps this Sword Sect holds answers to unlock the secrets of my Heaven-Burying Sword Soul. That's why I've come here."
"Silence! The path opens in fifteen minutes!" Elder Yao's cold voice brought everyone back to attention. With tense hearts and steely determination, they all looked toward the path.
Who would ascend the Heavenly Road, and who would fall into the abyss?
Meanwhile, Elder Yao guided three people to the front of the group: the young boy who had spoken, another youth named Jiang Yue, and a third figure with dark, chilly eyes — Ye Guying, known as the Sword King of Blue Soul.
When Elder Yao saw Ye Guying, her icy expression melted into a gentle smile. "Sword King Ye," she said with respect.
Ye Guying, his hands clasped behind his back, glanced at her and nodded, as if such deference were his due.
"Is this the girl you mentioned?" Elder Yao inquired, her voice filled with deference as she gestured to Jiang Yue.
"Yes. She goes first," Ye Guying replied, his gaze settling warmly on Jiang Yue.
Elder Yao's eyes widened. "Kaiyang-level Sword Soul?" She looked at Jiang Yue in amazement. The mortals who possessed a true Sword Soul were one in ten thousand. To have one at the Kaiyang level was a gift from the heavens itself.
"Miss Jiang, your future is boundless," Elder Yao said with admiration, her previous frostiness melting as she looked at Jiang Yue.
"Thank you, Elder Yao," Jiang Yue replied with humble grace. Today was her day to shine. She had trained rigorously for months, and now, under Ye Guying's guidance, she was confident she would secure first place.
"Brother, I'll do my best to secure first place," Jiang Yue said, glancing at Ye Guying with determination.
Ye Guying nodded, his face impassive. "I have given a five-hundred-year-old monster bone as a tribute to the sect," he said. "That bone is meant for you, if you succeed."
Jiang Yue's heart filled with gratitude and resolve. Such a powerful artifact was invaluable, and she knew it represented both an honor and a great responsibility.
As Jiang Yue turned back to the crowd, her gaze fell upon a young man standing quietly at the edge. Dressed in plain white, he radiated a calm presence that seemed to outshine everyone else.
"Could there really be someone this handsome?" Jiang Yue thought, a strange feeling stirring within her. This youth looked otherworldly, like an immortal come down to grace the world of mortals.
Compelled by his aura, she moved closer to him, unable to resist asking, "What is your name?"
The young man gazed at Jiang Yue with a distant look, his expression unreadable.
"Not quite the carefree type, are you?" Jiang Yue quipped, trying to lighten the air.
"Unfortunately, I am," Yun Xiao replied, a small nod punctuating his words.
She felt a strange discomfort, a prick of irritation at his calm reply, especially with a name that stirred something in her. Shrugging it off, she turned back to Ye Guao, her interest waning.
"Interested in him, are you?" Ye Guao's voice teased, his eyes darting toward Yun Xiao with a smirk.
"Don't talk nonsense," Jiang Yue replied flatly, dismissing his comment.
"You have such poor taste," Ye Guao scoffed. "That guy is all flash, no substance. Doesn't even compare to a fraction of my brother's talent!"
"I just asked his name, that's all," she replied, exasperated.
"Fine, fine," Ye Guao said with a shrug, his eyes still on Yun Xiao. He admitted to himself, albeit reluctantly, That guy really is… annoyingly handsome.
He couldn't help but notice how nearly every young woman around them, at least nine out of ten, was stealing glances at Yun Xiao.
This face… it should only belong in the heavens! How could there be anyone like this in the human world? In this world, faces of beauty are plenty, but usually only among women—yet Yun Xiao stands out as a unique case. It's as if the heavens themselves shaped this man! A beauty rarely seen in men.
"Must be a spineless one! Just wait; when I run into him, I'll use my Golden Star Sword Soul to show him what real strength is!" Ye Guao sneered to himself.
Meanwhile, Yao Elder announced the start of the ascension to the Heaven's Path. Over a hundred young cultivators surged forward, eager to be first on the road to heaven.
Jiang Yue remained calm, focused only on the climb, while Yun Xiao looked up at the path ahead, filled with shadows and fog—a perfect setting for ambushes and battles.
"With Ye Guying's training, you've grown strong. But… you're not safe from me yet, my pursuit begins!" Yun Xiao's eyes gleamed as he disappeared into the mist-shrouded forest.
Just as he set off, Yun Xiao felt something move on his chest, an odd, furry sensation.
"What on earth?" he murmured, confused. As he checked, he felt something soft. Pulling it out, he was startled.
A small creature with pitch-black fur and large blue eyes, a bit like a cat but not quite, and with two small horns on its head, stared back at him.
"You… what are you?" Yun Xiao asked, holding the creature by the scruff.
"I'm your father, that's what!" the little beast declared, its eyes fixed on Yun Xiao.
"Wait, what?" Yun Xiao was thrown off—hadn't this creature just said something about "drinking from grandma" in a rough voice?
He noticed his bronze coffin, the one he always kept with him, was nowhere to be found. Could it be…?
"Are you the copper coffin?" he asked, dumbfounded.
"Coffin your little sister!" it retorted, and then, lowering its head, shouted, "Chiyue, come out!"
Yun Xiao looked down at the creature's chest and blinked. Another mouth appeared, lined with sharp teeth and glowing red eyes. From that mouth came the same rough, gruff voice.
"Dao, the baby's thirsty!"
A long, drooling tongue shot out from the chest mouth, reaching toward him.
"My…what on earth!" Yun Xiao stared in shock. This creature—two faces in one body?
The head with blue eyes called itself "Lanxing," while the chest, with red eyes and a savage mouth, went by "Chiyue."
So, two beings in one body?
Yun Xiao had only a faint understanding of this "double-headed beast" in his hands but was starting to piece together the mystery.
"So, you're the coffin lid, and it's the coffin body?" Yun Xiao clarified, determined that they were connected to the bronze coffin he carried.
"Heh, maybe you're not completely clueless," Lanxing replied with a smirk.
"Why do you keep calling me 'Dao'?" Yun Xiao asked, still puzzled.
"Dao, or Creator Immortal—it's you!" Lanxing's deep blue eyes gleamed as he sized Yun Xiao up.
"Creator Immortal?" Yun Xiao repeated. Meanwhile, Chiyue, finding nothing else to "drink," settled for gnawing on a tree root, muttering about hunger.
"What does 'Creator Immortal' mean?" Yun Xiao asked, still not fully grasping.
"The one who fed me!" Chiyue chimed in, puffing up proudly.
"Quiet!" Lanxing slapped Chiyue's big, bloody eye, which glared back indignantly, threatening to bite him.
They tussled in front of Yun Xiao, a battle of one body at war with itself, looking a bit like a strange case of split personalities.
"Enough!" Yun Xiao interjected, hiding his exasperation. "Let's focus—what's this about the 'Seed of Creation'?"
Lanxing took a deep breath, clearly irritated by Yun Xiao's apparent lack of memory.
"You… don't remember anything from your previous life?"
"No," Yun Xiao replied calmly. He wasn't reincarnated; he'd simply come back to life within this immortal corpse, a bizarre twist of fate.
Lanxing squinted, then sighed. "Fine, listen closely. Your former self, the Creator Immortal, was once the mightiest being, betrayed by six Ancestor Gods who tore your body apart. They cast you into the Kunlun Mountains' purgatory, where your body was burned in immortal fire for millions of years, shedding life-giving 'good fortune rain' across the realms. They bathed in that rain and grew strong while scattering pieces of you—Seed of Creation—across the world."
"Good fortune rain…" Yun Xiao muttered, stunned. The history books described 'divine rain' that could awaken talents in those it touched. Could it be that all these 'talented' people were born from fragments of his former self?
"Correct. Those with these unique powers you see, like Ye Guao, inherited Seed of Creation talents—pieces of the Creator Immortal's abilities," Lanxing explained.
"So, if I gather these Seeds, can I… rebuild my former strength?"
"Yes!" Lanxing's eyes shone. "Your path to becoming whole again starts with retrieving these Seeds. Take back what was yours, reclaim your talents, and one day, face those who betrayed you!"
Yun Xiao nodded slowly, a determination beginning to grow within him. "Alright, but let me be clear—I am not Dao. My name is Yun Xiao."
Lanxing only chuckled, dismissing the statement. "Father said you are, so you are."
Yun Xiao sighed, caught between laughter and exasperation.
Suddenly, Chiyue perked up, sniffing the air. "Milk!"
Yun Xiao looked around, realizing there were faint sounds coming from the distance. He pushed through a stand of withered maple trees, following the voices.
There, amid the fallen leaves, a young girl in blue knelt on the ground, her body trembling. Blood dripped from a deep gash on her leg, staining her torn trousers. Standing in front of her was a smug-looking boy in golden robes, about thirteen years old.
"Ye Guao," the girl sobbed, "please… let me go!"