Chapter One: The Sect of the Way

Year Nine of Qianyuan, Grain Rain.

At the gates of the Dao Sect, a long table had been set, bearing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Ding Yi sat idly in his chair, looking rather bored.

These were the days of the Dao Sect’s decennial entrance examination for new disciples. Menial tasks such as keeping records inevitably fell to fourth-generation disciples like him, whose cultivation was lacking.

He heard footsteps approaching. Without looking up, Ding Yi casually picked up a brush from the rack and dipped it in ink.

“Name?”

“Shen Yu.”

“Place of origin?”

“I don’t remember.”

Ding Yi paused, clearly displeased, and lifted his head.

The newcomer wore a blue robe. At first, the voice had sounded low and steady, but to his surprise, it belonged to a young man. The youth’s features were delicate, almost refined, yet what stood out most were his eyes—so calm and tranquil that they bordered on indifference.

Ding Yi scribbled a random place name onto the paper and said, “Follow the stone path ahead—that’s where the examination is held.”

...

By the waterside pavilion where the examination took place, an ancient bronze mirror stood upright on a stone platform.

From time to time, individuals would step forward to touch the mirror, which would then emit lights of various colors, though most were blue-green.

Shen Yu sighed softly to himself. After all these years, they were still using such flawed methods.

“Shang Yingluo!” called a middle-aged man in white from within the pavilion. In the crowd, a plump little girl with her hair twisted into two buns squeezed forward. She reached out her fair, chubby right hand and lightly touched the bronze mirror.

A dazzling light burst forth. First blue-green, then orange, and soon after, blue—the blue beam shot straight into the heavens.

As the colors changed, whispers rippled among the assembled youths.

“An Earth-grade Dao body! My heavens, it’s an Earth-grade Dao body.”

“Tsk, tsk… With talent like that, she’ll be in the top hundred of this examination, no doubt.”

“Top hundred? Did you see the group that arrived yesterday? Compared to today’s, there’s just no competition.”

In the pavilion, Ming Jian, the third-generation disciple overseeing the entrance test, nodded slightly. A promising seedling indeed.

From a distance, Shen Yu glanced at the little girl’s delicate face, unbothered by the color display. Yet, when he noticed her two buns, his sharp brows lifted slightly, as if he’d found something amusing.

The little girl kept her hand on the mirror. The blue light grew deeper, verging on transformation.

Ming Jian watched with growing confusion, then disbelief. The blue light pulsed and gathered, but did not shift as anticipated.

The girl’s cheeks flushed, and she grew visibly tired—the ebb and surge of light seemed to drain vast reserves of her will.

Ming Jian sighed and spoke gently, “That’s more than enough. You can let go now.”

She only pursed her lips, stubbornly refusing to release her grip or speak.

From the edge of the platform, Shen Yu watched. He saw her determined expression, considered for a moment, and then directed a true, intent gaze at the ancient bronze mirror.

He hadn’t given it any thought since arriving at the plaza. Now, however, he looked at it in earnest.

With a thunderous crack, the brilliant blue light shattered. Countless threads of violet energy converged, forming a thick pillar of purple that soared into the sky.

A roar of awe erupted from the crowd, mingling with the long-suppressed excitement in the middle-aged man’s voice from within the pavilion.

“Heaven-grade Dao body—Shang Yingluo!”

The girl with buns in her hair stood beaming at the edge of the platform, dimples deepening in her baby-cheeked face. Yet in her large eyes, confusion flickered.

For reasons unknown, she turned and caught sight of the blue-robed youth’s retreating figure.

...

This was Shen Yu’s first time at the Dao Sect. After a long slumber, he awoke to find three millennia had passed.

Back then, he had another name: the True Immortal Tai Xuan.

Three thousand years ago, atop the highest peak, he had survived eight bolts of the most fearsome ascension tribulation under heaven. Only the final, annihilating thunder remained before he could step into the fabled realm of immortality.

But it was all shattered—by a sword, a spear, and a ruler.

It was the owners of these three immortal artifacts who severed the path of ascension and struck down the True Immortal Tai Xuan, who had glimpsed the immortal realm.

Now, was he the reincarnated remnant soul of Tai Xuan, or the spirit of the immortal artifact Qing Xuan, inhabiting a human vessel?

Perhaps only by finding the artifact Qing Xuan could he know for certain.

He had heard the Dao Sect in the southwest possessed a place called Treasure Cliff, where countless spirit treasures were kept. So he came to see for himself.

The Dao Sect was nestled deep in the southwestern mountains, one of the Nine Sacred Grounds of the Wilds of Mountain and Sea, a place sought by countless seekers of the Dao.

Crossing the square and climbing a few steps, he reached the edge of a cliff. Beyond it lay the true inner sanctum of the Dao Sect, guarded by the Grand Yin-Yang Formation.

The little girl bounded to the cliff’s edge, her twin buns bobbing rhythmically.

Spotting the blue-robed youth ahead, she tiptoed over and suddenly leapt up, patting Shen Yu’s shoulder with the easy familiarity of a small adult. “Hello! My name is Shang Yingluo.”

Shen Yu glanced at her but said nothing.

“Uh...” Shang Yingluo stuck out her tongue, a little embarrassed, but soon chirped cheerily, “Did you see? I passed the test!”

Still, the youth in blue remained silent.

The little girl puffed out her cheeks, a touch annoyed. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

Shen Yu’s expression flickered with curiosity. He asked, “Has the enmity between humans and demons vanished? Demons dare to seek the Dao at the holy ground of humankind?”

A light breeze rustled the leaves, filling the air with a soft sigh.

The second greatest secret in Shang Yingluo’s heart had been revealed as though it were nothing. She froze, mouth agape, stunned where she stood.

“Ah!”

A moment later, a sharp shriek rang out. The girl turned and sprinted toward the distant woods, her twin buns sticking straight up like a startled fawn.

Far from the cliff, she finally stopped, flustered and glancing about. Spotting a small mound of earth, she dove behind it, leaving only her twin buns visible.

After a while, she peeked back and saw the youth still sitting quietly by the cliff, unmoved.

Tilting her head and blinking uncertainly, she hesitated, then crept closer, step by tentative step.

Seven or eight paces away from Shen Yu, she twisted her fingers and called out in a clear, sweet voice, “Hey, aren’t you going to catch me?”

Without turning, Shen Yu replied, “And why should I?”

She glanced around nervously and said, “Because... I’m not human.”

Shen Yu gazed at the blue sky, his tone serene. “On the road to the Great Dao, all races are pioneers.”