Bright Hall of High Heaven Pavilion
Inside the Bright Hall of High Heaven Pavilion, silence ruled the air.
Xia Ning Chang sat cross-legged, her eyes tightly closed, her slender hands forming a cultivation seal. Inside her dantian, spiritual energy surged like a restless sea, flowing again and again through her meridians.
Yet no matter how stable her breathing looked, her heart was not calm.
The scene of Yang Kai's death replayed endlessly in her mind.
His blood.
His broken body.
His final presence disappearing before her eyes.
At that time, she was completely helpless.
That helplessness turned into pain.
The pain turned into hatred.
And hatred pushed her into endless cultivation.
Since that incident, Xia Ning Chang had not stopped training even for a single day. Her cultivation speed increased at an astonishing rate. For ordinary disciples, this would be unbelievable—but she was not ordinary.
In this world, there existed ten kinds of special bodies.
Xia Ning Chang possessed one of them.
Her body was born for refining medicine and pills, naturally compatible with spiritual energy. If this were not a small world, her growth speed would be even more terrifying.
Still, the faster her strength grew, the deeper the scar in her heart became.
She clenched her fists slightly.
"Yang Kai…" she whispered inside her heart.
"My junior brother… I swear, I will take revenge for you."
Once, she was a shy girl, pure-hearted and gentle, afraid to even raise her voice.
But Yang Kai's death changed her.
That incident carved a deep wound into her soul, slowly transforming her personality.
The innocence faded, replaced by cold determination and silent rage.
"If I want revenge," she thought,
"then I must become strong. As fast as possible."
With that thought, she forcefully guided her spiritual energy again.
But at that moment—
Her spiritual energy suddenly became chaotic.
Dark thoughts flooded her mind. Anger, grief, hatred—everything merged together. Her aura trembled, and a faint demonic energy leaked out from her body.
She was walking on a dangerous edge.
Far away, her master was busy handling pavilion treasury affairs when his expression suddenly changed.
"This aura… demonic energy?!"
Without hesitation, he vanished from his place and rushed toward Xia Ning Chang's residence.
But he was still too late.
Before he arrived, Xia Ning Chang had already lost control. Her eyes were cold and unfocused as she attacked several sect disciples who tried to stop her. Though she did not kill them, they were badly injured and thrown aside like broken dolls.
This was the Separation and Reunion Stage.
A stage that decided a cultivator's future path.
At this realm, one could become either a righteous cultivator—or fall into the demonic path forever.
Evil cultivators who began cultivation with demonic energy were less affected.
But for righteous cultivators, falling into demonic energy meant madness.
Once corrupted, their minds became uncontrollable. They attacked without reason, driven only by destruction.
Fortunately—
Xia Ning Chang had not fallen completely.
Her master arrived in time, forcefully suppressing the demonic energy and stabilizing her state. With great effort, he pulled her back from the edge of darkness.
If he had arrived even a moment later, the result would have been irreversible.
Meanwhile, in a Small Village
Beside a quiet river, Luo Zheng sat on a flat stone.
Next to him was the blue-eyed girl.
The river flowed gently, reflecting sunlight like broken silver. A cool breeze passed through, carrying the scent of grass and water. The atmosphere was peaceful and calm.
Neither of them spoke.
After a long while, Luo Zheng finally broke the silence.
"I came here to thank you," he said softly.
"You saved my life."
He took out a small jade stone and placed it in her hand.
"I don't have anything valuable," he continued.
"But this jade contains a special defensive formation I refined myself. If you face danger one day, it may save your life."
Luo Zheng was started learning Formation making when he was in Tong Xuan realm. He knows the basic level formation and a bit understand low level formation.
The girl looked at him quietly, her blue eyes calm like a deep lake.
For some reason, Luo Zheng felt a strange mystery around her.
Inside his heart, he sighed.
"I asked the whole village about her," he thought.
"They say she has no parents. The village master found her in the forest and took her in. She has lived here for almost five years."
He had checked her aptitude.
No cultivation.
Broken meridians.
Impossible to practice.
Luo Zheng stood up.
"There's nothing more I can do here," he said.
"I will take my leave."
But his true thoughts stayed unspoken.
"I don't know any method to repair broken meridians… what a shame," he thought bitterly.
"If one day I find a way, I will give you back your cultivation."
Then another thought followed, heavier than the rest.
"I never thought I would fall in love in this world.
But you are mortal… and staying with me only brings danger.
I can't even protect myself in this cruel world."
Without turning back, Luo Zheng left the village and continued his journey.
His destination—
High Heaven Pavilion.
According to his memories, a Cave Heaven Inheritance would soon appear there.
As he traveled, his mind worked rapidly.
"So much time has passed… has the inheritance already been taken?"
"No. According to my calculations, it shouldn't be."
"And Yang Kai is already dead. No one else should obtain it."
His eyes narrowed.
"The real problem is how I will enter."
"And after taking the inheritance and the Soul Warming Lotus… I must return to the Upper World."
Capital City
In the southern part of the capital, countless eyes were focused on the sky.
A space corridor had appeared in midair.
It was pitch-black, like an endless abyss, yet violent space energy poured out from it, twisting the surrounding air.
High-level cultivators stood solemnly, observing it closely.
From far away, low-level cultivators gathered in large numbers, whispering and pointing, unable to hide their excitement and fear.