The seas churned and boiled, the surface of the ever-shifting waters bubbling under the brilliant rays of the sun-star. Just below the surface, enormous schools of brightly coloured fish swirled in the warm morning light, their scales releasing beautiful reflections.

Further below those shallow surface waters, vast forests of coral grew, stabbing out of the ground and standing proud in the sweeping currents. Many colourful creatures lived and died within these jungles of rock and sand, untold generations that would never leave the safety of the reef.

Past even that, in the shadowy underbelly of the ocean swam massive behemoths of astounding size, enormous whales and giant squid and ancient arthropodae that all fought for dominance of the vast sea and its bountiful riches.

Yet farther still, in the deepest, abyssal fathoms of the ocean floor lay chambers of festering black seawater that had remained untouched by the light of the sun for uncountable eons. Places so cold and dark no life could exist within them, save for the strangest of nightmarish abominations.

One such creature lay at the bottom of an ancient fissure in the earth, its thousand jagged-teeth laden mouths gulping down the rot-filled waters. The body of the creature, a smooth blood-red bag of flesh and veins, rippled with each gulp of black water, swelling grotesquely. Slowly the body of the creature would expand until it entirely filled the crevice, flesh swelling into each tiny crack and hole. Only then would it release the water it had imbibed, filled with trillions of sperm and eggs that would seek out new cracks and fissures to colonize.

Sadly for the creature, it was not alone inside of this crevice and it was fated to never accomplish its desire. Kneeling at the bottom of the trench was a tall man clad in the pristine white robes of a priest. His long ebony hair and white robes slowly swirled in the ever-twisting waters. As the creeping bloody flesh expanded towards the man, his closed eyelids raised, revealing the empty sockets where his eyes had once been. A strange, archaic symbol was carved into the flesh of his eye sockets, glowing with bright golden light that exploded from his eyes, dispelling the darkness of the crevice.

Immediately, the creature shrieked, a thousand screams from a thousand mouths that unleashed torrential jets of water. Its red flesh began to smoke, melting into black soot as the golden light burnt it away. Slowly, the priest's eye lids shut once more, the golden light fading away and the darkness creeping back in.

Then, the priest looked downwards. A harsh golden light suddenly erupting up from the floor of the crevice, millions of small symbols that had been carved upon the surface of the rock floor lighting up simultaneously. Each of the symbols was the same as the symbol burnt upon the priest's eye cavities. Only the most knowledgeable scholars and historians would recognize this as an ancient symbol that signified 'Heaven'.

A wide grin split the priest's face and he opened his eyelids once more, the golden light from his eyes mingling with the light from the carven symbols.

"I see... Then, Heaven has spoken. The Moon-Crying Swan Palace must be destroyed."

For the first time in ten thousand years, Haishen Yu would have to make an appearance.

---

Bing Meilu wasn't sure if there were enough numbers in existence to count the number of cultivation manuals she knew. Meanwhile, Bing Meilu did not have a single dress with her until Xia Xuefeng had given her one.

"But before I do so, tell me," Bing Meilu continued. "Why do you cultivate?"

Back when she had founded her sect, The Crystal Providence Heavenly Palace, Bing Meilu would personally interview each recruit and this would be the first question she asked them. Not only did it allow her to better understand her subordinates, but it allowed her to vet out those with detestable goals. Naturally, she had later deferred this duty to subordinates as the sect swelled exponentially.

"Well... I am from a mortal background," Xia Xuefeng began after a moment of hesitation, her eyes flickering around nervously at the admission. "We were bakers, my entire family. I don't know for how many generations, but at least since the time of my grandfather's grandfather. From the moment I was born, that was my... destiny, in other words. My father raised me to one day become a baker, just as his father had raised him. I never really liked cooking, but I never hated it either. I suppose you could say I was just content with it. The idea of doing something else had never occurred to me at all."

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"Then, one day I took a trip to my great-uncle's house in a far-off town. He was getting old and he needed someone to take care of him until he passed away. Not long after I arrived, I was cleaning the attic when I discovered an old wrinkled looking scroll. I decided to read through it and found it was some kind of meditation guide. I started following the instructions within it and a few days later, I stepped into Qi Condensation."

'That's probably solidly above-average talent, at least for the Bird Talon Continent,' Bing Meilu thought to herself. 'I only took a moment, but as far as I can remember, it was quite common for the average person to take a week or two.'

"It didn't take long for me to notice the benefits. I felt stronger, healthier, bolder. I started showing off my newfound strength, lifting huge rocks, winning races, beating people in spars. I quickly became a local celebrity. When I went shopping stores started giving me discounts and when I was walking in the streets strangers would recognize me. It was something I had never experienced before, and it was amazing. Then, my Great-Uncle died and it was time to go home. To go back to just being a normal baker's daughter. That was when I realized I was no longer quite content with that anymore. It might sound silly but... I don't want to be just an ordinary person anymore. I want to be the kind of person who does something notable, the kind of person people study about in history books."

Bing Meilu nodded her head in understanding. Fame was a fairly common motivator for people to cultivate. Indeed, the glory and renown one gained from slaughtering enemies and dominating the land was something all cultivators sought. Bing Meilu herself had been very well known for destroying so many sects. When most sects won a battle or war, they would usually just subjugate the enemy or tax them. There were certain unwritten rules about 'not going too far' and 'allowing an enemy space to retreat'. Naturally, there were some good reasons for this. Sects usually held dangerous trump cards held in reserve for only the most desperate of times, and no one wanted a Pyrrhic victory.

However, Bing Meilu had always belonged to the school of 'cutting the grass and pulling the roots'. If an enemy attacked her, the only option was to eradicate them and their power base to ensure they never had the chance to take revenge. Perhaps the Deathless Domain would have been more peaceful if more people followed her philosophy. It seemed every week some sect would declare a war of vengeance over a slight a billion years old.

"A perfectly reasonable motivation," Bing Meilu replied. "Then, let our deal be concluded. I will write down the instructions to a strong cultivation manual. Follow it zealously and you will have a bright future."

After spending so much time studying Xia Xuefeng's Qi aura, Bing Meilu felt she knew the type of constitution she had. She was someone with a decently powerful affinity for Yin, which was rather common amongst women. However, less common was Xia Xuefeng's clear affinity for blood-Qi. If Bing Meilu had been her teacher, she would have immediately begun to teach her a cultivation manual centred around that attribute.

Now, exactly which cultivation manual should Bing Meilu give her? First, she considered the Ruptured Veins Frozen Skin Manual. It was a technique left behind by an ancestor of the Moon Crying Swan Palace, though it had long since been forgotten to history, save for Bing Meilu who had found it in the Palace Master's treasury. However, after careful consideration, Bing Meilu dismissed the idea. Xia Xuefeng did not have the physical constitution required to cultivate such a manual.

The Mantra of Gulping Flesh? A Cultivation Manual only a hair's breadth away from Immortal, the Mantra seemed fairly well suited for Xia Xuefeng. Of course, only those who really enjoyed eating human flesh could master the Mantra to its fullest. Any form of mental hesitation or remorse would water it down.

"How do you feel about eating raw flesh? What about human flesh?" Bing Meilu questioned, looking at Xia Xuefeng.

From the flash of confusion and disgust on her face, Bing Meilu received her answer. That too was dismissed.

Finally, The Butcher Sage's Legacy Tome came to mind. After a moment's thought, Bing Meilu could not identify any problems with it. It wasn't quite as strong as the Mantra of Gulping Flesh but it was still pretty powerful for a technique that could be found on the Bird Talon Continent.

"I think I have a manual perfect for you. Go fetch me some ink and paper and I will write it down for you," Bing Meilu commanded.

"...What was that about human flesh?" Xia Xuefeng finally asked, looking quite worried.

"Nothing much, I was just thinking," Bing Meilu said, waving her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it."

"... Uh-huh," Xia Xuefeng nodded, slowly turning around. "... I think I'll go get the paper now."

"Of course," Bing Meilu replied, walking back into her tent. "Then I shall wait for you."

Once inside, Bing Meilu grabbed the wooden bedside table, moving it in front of the bed and sitting down while she waited. Nearly ten minutes later, Xia Xuefeng returned, carrying a wooden box. She stepped into Bing Meilu's tent, bowing her head respectfully.

"I've brought what you wanted, Young mistress," Xia Xuefeng said.

"Hand me the box," Bing Meilu instructed, gesturing with her hand.

Xia Xuefeng nodded apprehensively, gingerly placing the box in Bing Meilu's hands. Considering the box was not very heavy, Bing Meilu wondered why the girl seemed so nervous, before turning down to open the box.

Within it was a stack of bamboo paper, a brush and a few bottles of ground ink. Bing Meilu grabbed a sheet of paper, setting it down on the bedside table. She lifted the brush from the box, dabbing it in the ink bottle. Then, Bing Meilu brought the tip of the brush down to the surface of the paper-

"Young mistress," Xia Xuefeng suddenly exclaimed, looking up at Bing Meilu with a fiercely determined gaze. "I've thought deeply about this but... Please take me with you to the Moon-Crying Swan Palace!"