Several hundred years ago, rumors of celestial phenomena appeared in the cultivation world. The predicament of a thousand years without a single person ascending seemed to offer a glimmer of hope, and Soul Transformation cultivators who had long lived in seclusion emerged one after another to seek opportunities for a breakthrough.
There were rumors that a Heavenly Yin Physique had been born that year, but these were later proven to be mere fabrications, and the commotion gradually died down.
Duan Mingyu, the renegade disciple of the Yingyue Sect who was believed to be hiding somewhere in the cultivation world, saw his soul lamp extinguish when he reached the age of sixty-six. It was said that the Yingyue Sect had been searching for him in secret until then; with this event, the decades-long search finally ended in total failure.
Shortly thereafter, the leader of the four great sects, the Yingyue Sect, saw its highest-ranking cultivator, the Jianglin Ancestor, finally succumb to fate. He passed away in meditation at the age of one thousand five hundred and thirty-seven. The sect elder, Qu Zhanmeng, advanced to the Soul Transformation stage and took his place.
Even so, with the fall of the Soul Transformation cultivator who had anchored the Yingyue Sect for a millennium, their leading position was soon lost. They were forced to stand on equal footing with the other three major sects. During this period, many smaller sects flourished, and for a time, the cultivation world entered a rare century of healthy competition.
The most eye-catching among them was Yunqing Pavilion, which had built its reputation on artifact crafting. Once on the brink of decline, Yunqing Pavilion produced an exceptionally young Nascent Soul cultivator, Nie Shiyun. From then on, the sect’s fortunes soared. Following him into the sect were the half-demon cultivator Du Zhi, who married Nie Shiyun's junior sister, and the mysterious "prodigy" Xuanyang, both of whom attained the Nascent Soul stage. Decades ago, even the young sect master Nie Xing’an—who had been described by his peers as "hardworking but unfortunately lacking in talent"—finally stepped into the Nascent Soul stage.
Just when everyone thought Yunqing Pavilion could not get any more prestigious, they were slapped in the face once again. Twenty years ago, Nie Shiyun entered the Soul Transformation stage at less than two hundred years of age. Aside from Zhai Bairong, who was a nominal elder of the Yingyue Sect, he was the youngest Soul Transformation cultivator in the world.
Speaking of the Yingyue Sect’s nominal elder, Zhai Bairong, the disciples of the Yingyue Sect were almost embarrassed to claim him as one of their own. Everyone knew that decades ago, Zhai Bairong had completely moved out of the cave dwelling he rarely visited anyway. When Qu Zhanmeng first advanced to Soul Transformation, Zhai Bairong still showed him some modicum of respect. But once he himself advanced to Soul Transformation, his perfunctory attitude became blatant. During one particular Elders' Council meeting, they had managed to invite him with great difficulty, only for him to bring Nie Shiyun along. Where was the logic in inviting an elder from a neighboring sect to your own internal meeting? The people of the Yingyue Sect found it inconvenient to welcome an outsider into their secret grounds, yet they dared not slight this "Great Buddha." Those three long days were spent in a state of utter dilemma. After that, unless there was a dire emergency, the Yingyue Sect generally didn't bother asking Zhai Bairong to return. In the end, all that remained in the sect was a meaningless title and a soul lamp.
"If you have to put a positive spin on it, at least he adds to the count of Soul Transformation cultivators in our sect..." And that was about it.
In any case, the cultivators in the sect comforted themselves with such delusions.
"Have you ever seen Elder Zhai?"
"Me? I only joined the sect about ten years ago. Where would I see him? Speaking of which, has the Elder actually returned in these last ten-odd years?"
The disciples of the sect were once again discussing this senior whom they had never met.
"I arrived earlier than you; I’ve seen him once!" It seemed that having seen Zhai Bairong with one's own eyes had become a point of pride for some disciples.
"Truly? Tell us, is Elder Zhai really as magnificent as the rumors say?"
Another disciple cleared his throat awkwardly. In truth, he had only caught a glimpse of a distant figure from very far away. As a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, how would he dare approach? Forget approaching; he hadn't even dared to lift his head at the time. But driven by vanity, he struck a proud pose and followed the flow. "Of course it's true. He’s even more handsome than the rumors suggest. As expected of a Soul Transformation cultivator, he is worlds apart from ordinary people..."
"I really want to see him." The newly joined disciples gathered around, their faces filled with envy and admiration.
"Just keep dreaming! You all know, right? Elder Zhai has no interest in sect affairs or us juniors. He only cares about his Dao companion."
"I know, I know. Elder Nie Shiyun of Yunqing Pavilion, right?" There wasn't a young cultivator alive who didn't know that.
"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let the senior elders hear you."
The upper echelons of the Yingyue Sect had an extremely complicated attitude toward Nie Shiyun. To put it simply, this guy had abducted their elder! But the man was terrifyingly powerful, and when he occasionally deigned to craft artifacts, he would offer them a token, negligible discount as a gesture of goodwill. Thus, the people of the Yingyue Sect harbored their resentment in silence.
"In short, such great figures are not people we can easily meet."
The new disciples looked solemn and nodded with great gravity.
In the eyes of these cultivators, Soul Transformation masters lived in seclusion, remained in closed-door cultivation for years, and were profound and mysterious. When they spoke, they surely carried an ethereal air that warned others not to approach.
At that very moment, the elusive senior Nie Shiyun, whom they were discussing, was... fishing.
"When you live for a long time, you have to cultivate more hobbies. Otherwise, life is too boring," Nie Shiyun himself said. "It’s so dull without a smartphone..."
Nie Shiyun also liked reading leisure books at home, but ancient leisure books were limited. Anyone would get tired of them after several decades. So, after staying indoors for too long, he would head out with Zhai Bairong. Externally, they claimed to be traveling the world; internally, it was just "slacking off." One day they would go fishing, and the next they would plant trees.
Zhai Bairong didn't have as many varied interests as Nie Shiyun. He was content with reading storybooks and occasionally writing or painting at home. But if Nie Shiyun invited him out, he would naturally accompany him.
"Is there even any fish here at all..." Nie Shiyun stared at the motionless surface of the water.
"You could just apply a bit of spiritual power as bait."
"Then there would be no point!"
Zhai Bairong slowly turned a page of the book in his hand. The spring breeze blew through his hair just right, making it seem as though the page had been turned by the wind itself.
"Then you shall just have to keep waiting."
If a passerby saw them from afar, they might have thought this scene belonged to a farmhouse in the lower realm.
The two of them thoroughly enjoyed these quiet and peaceful days. Cultivation was important, of course, but at the Soul Transformation stage, they had reached the pinnacle of this world. No matter how hard they worked, there was nowhere else to go.
Both Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong knew that Nie Shiyun possessed the Purple Silk Immortal Raiment. Decades ago, Nie Shiyun had even deciphered the ancient texts regarding its repair. In the original story, Duan Mingyu, who had gone to the Upper Realm alone, had used some method to reopen the passage and reunite with the others. From this, it was clear that the ascension passage could be repaired.
On a certain night when they discussed the future, Zhai Bairong, lying beside him, had said to Nie Shiyun with total trust: "I believe you can definitely do it. If you want to go, then go. I will wait for you here."
"I'm not going," Nie Shiyun had said firmly without hesitation. Although Nie Shiyun had a bit of ambition, he also believed in living in the moment. Moreover, barring accidents, a Soul Transformation cultivator could live for fifteen hundred years. The road ahead was still long; things like breaking through and ascending could be discussed later. And so, time flowed slowly.
"Ah, a total zero catch."
The sky had darkened. Until the very end, Nie Shiyun insisted on not using spiritual power and relying purely on technique. As a beginner, his luck today wasn't great, and the bamboo basket beside him was empty.
"Try again tomorrow morning. Perhaps a change of location will be better." The light was dim, and Zhai Bairong had long since put his book away, simply watching Nie Shiyun from the side.
Nie Shiyun nimbly stowed the basket and fishing rod back into his spatial storage. Turning to see Zhai Bairong staring at him, he laughed. "Is it boring just watching like that?"
"No," Zhai Bairong said with a light smile. "Watching you, I never feel bored."
Nie Shiyun felt a tug at his heart and couldn't help but lean in for a kiss. "You certainly have a way with words..."
"Mm... Alright, let's go. We're outside," Zhai Bairong’s lips were captured, and he could only manage a few broken, muffled words in the gaps.
"There's no one here. Besides, if someone accidentally sees us, they're the ones who should turn and run." Nie Shiyun didn't let go.
"That may be so. Mmh... still, let's wait until we... get back..."
Nie Shiyun finally had his fill of mischief and stepped back. Zhai Bairong shot him a look, casually straightened his collar, and lightly wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, as if nothing had happened.
Even though their daily intimacy had become as habitual as eating or drinking, Zhai Bairong’s ingrained, old-fashioned etiquette still refused to yield at key moments... It was quite tantalizing.
Nie Shiyun couldn't help but wonder if, over such a long time, his preference for certain aspects of Zhai Bairong had developed into a full-blown fetish that was now spiraling out of control.
"Ah." Nie Shiyun blinked, his unhealthy imagination interrupted. It was a communication crystal in his space. He had categorized them, and only Xuanyang’s was kept separately in his spatial dimension rather than in a storage ring.
"What is it?"
"It's Xuanyang," Nie Shiyun said briefly, taking out the crystal.
Xuanyang had suppressed his cultivation for a long time, finally advancing to the Nascent Soul stage at the bone age of thirty-five. A Nascent Soul cultivator could manifest with a younger physical appearance—what mortals called "returning to youth." Most cultivators chose to stay at the physical age they were during Foundation Establishment and didn't bother with excessive changes. Occasionally, there were those with peculiar tastes who chose to appear as children or white-haired elders.
In the year he formed his Nascent Soul, Xuanyang’s physical body had already taken on the appearance of a human youth of about fifteen or sixteen. At least to outsiders, it didn't look too strange. After being forced into "seclusion" for so many years, Xuanyang was finally liberated.
Many disciples of Yunqing Pavilion had seen Xuanyang when he was a child, but later they almost never saw him. Everyone assumed this prodigy was cultivating diligently in seclusion. In reality, those in the know were well aware that Xuanyang was practically chasing Shen Yan all over the world. Ever since the misunderstanding in his childhood, he was like someone who wouldn't turn back even after hitting a wall, stubbornly following one path to the end. Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong treated it as a passing whim and didn't interfere. Even Shen Yan himself treated it as a child throwing a tantrum and didn't take it seriously.
Occasionally, Shen Yan felt miserable. Xuanyang was like a piece of "dog-skin plaster," even more difficult to shake off than when he was being hunted by Soul Summoning Valley. But since Xuanyang harbored no ill will, Shen Yan couldn't bring himself to kill him. He could only flee overnight whenever Xuanyang caught up. In this cycle of chasing and running, time had passed incredibly quickly.
"Didn't he go looking for Shen Yan again last year? There shouldn't be any accidents," Zhai Bairong said, puzzled. "Could something have happened to Shen Yan?"
Nie Shiyun didn't take it to heart, casually crushing the crystal. "Xuanyang is already at the Great Circle of Nascent Soul. Shen Yan is a Nascent Soul cultivator himself. What could happen? I think the biggest problem Shen Yan has is provoking Xuanyang. I really should thank him for not sending me regular bills for mental distress..."
"Nie Shiyun! Come quickly! I can't suppress my cultivation anymore! Come help me guard the formation! I don't want to be struck to death! Aaaaah!"
Xuanyang’s anxious shouting reached Nie Shiyun’s ears.
Nie Shiyun: "...That idiot!"
"What's wrong?" Seeing Nie Shiyun’s face change in a second, losing his previous calm and showing a look of urgency, Zhai Bairong asked.
"He couldn't control his cultivation and is about to advance! I warned him long ago that his foundation was unstable and that his advancement to Soul Transformation should only be done after the sect was fully prepared. God knows what wilderness he’s run off to now! He probably doesn't even have many Dharma treasures on him!"
The distance was too great, and Nie Shiyun couldn't immediately sense where Xuanyang was. He sent a message back, but perhaps because there was no time left to prepare, there was no response from Xuanyang’s end.
Fortunately, a contact from Shen Yan arrived soon after. Luckily, the two of them were together. Although he realized the situation was dire, Shen Yan remained quite calm. He quickly told Nie Shiyun their location and said he had set up a basic array for Xuanyang, which, combined with the treasures on his person, should hold out for a day or two. However, since his cultivation was lower than Xuanyang’s, approaching a Soul Transformation lightning tribulation recklessly would likely result in him being blasted to pieces before the other person. He could only place his hopes on Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong.
"This tribulation... it looks very bad." Shen Yan looked up to see dark, heavy clouds gathering rapidly, almost blotting out the sky. He had never seen such a terrifying situation.
Previously, they had argued over a familiar topic, and Xuanyang had gotten so angry his feathers practically stood on end, prattling on incessantly. Shen Yan was used to it and didn't think much of it. But he hadn't expected Xuanyang’s spiritual power to suddenly go berserk right then and there, followed immediately by the arrival of the tribulation clouds, catching them completely off guard.
"It's so far! That stupid bird Xuanyang, what kind of mountain gully did he run off to! Let's go, quickly."
"Alright."
The two Soul Transformation cultivators, who usually feared nothing in heaven or earth, were uncharacteristically panicked. Throwing everything else to the back of their minds, they rushed toward their family's "silly bird" at their maximum speed.
***
