Blood...

River of blood...

No, a sea of blood.

Surrounded by the sea of blood, a young girl in white.

She was kneeling, by herself. Her eyes, closed shut.

A mere teen, she had pale skin, and a pleasant face... if only...

If only, she didn't seem... so tired.

Her long, white dress drenched halfway into the scarlet fluid.

Her feet, her bottom, fully dipped in such filth.

Filth no one, no sane person, would gladly associate with.

They wouldn't stay there, not for a second. Nope.

Yet, she was just... there.

Silent.

Alone.

...

...

After a long while, she opened her eyes, taking the horizon into her sight.

Filling the horizon, mountains of corpses. Men, women, children, the elderly... Their opened eyes, filled with shock and horror, as if... injustice had befallen them. Their death was unjustified, unprovoked. And as their life left their body, they had cursed the vile perpetrator...

With all their will, all their soul.

...

Ten, twenty, thirty, a hundred...

The girl already lost count of how many mountains there were. Blood flowing down such mountains, forming a sea of blood all around her.

The surroundings had no tree, no water, no cloud... as far as eyes can see. The air was stagnant, and there was no noise, no living existence.

It was a world reeking of death.

A quiet world, where only she was left...

Left within such a world, any normal person would be terrified.

Yet...

The girl, embracing her knees, did not react.

As if numb to such massacre, the sight rose no interest.

As if, the whole thing had nothing to do with her.

Why should she show any interest at all?

She tilted her head lazily.

Her long, shiny black hair went to the side, touching the sea of blood.

Soon, she completely fell sideway, splashing the scarlet liquid.

The scarlet color filled her eyes... dead eyes.

Her expression, devoid of energy, negated her beautiful face.

From pale to blue, it was a face quite close to that of a cold corpse.

Did she die already?

She sighed.

"It's... getting..."

Boring. That was what she was about to say.

Yet the word didn't come out of her mouth. Too much hassle.

Some of that scarlet liquid also entered her mouth, but she didn't care.

She didn't want to speak, nor move, nor think.

Even speaking a few words, was too much work.

Even moving was pointless, was too much work.

Even thinking about her surrounding, was too much...

Work.

...

Work?

Why should I work?

Aren't we all gonna die anyway?

Look at these people forming mountains and lakes...

Did they not work?

Look at their muscles and calluses...

They seemed like hard workers... no?

What did they achieve, in the end?

As she thought so, her head hurt.

Such thinking was close to a philosophical question, it hurt her head badly.

[Wake up.]

A familiar, yet annoyed voice called upon her, urging her to wake up.

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Who...

So, noisy...

She ignored such call, closing her eyes yet again.

...

Cold wind blew.

A jade eagle flew across the sky.

Crossing passed the high clouds, its sharp eyes gazed through a mountainous region.

Spanning thousands of kilometers, the region was vast. More importantly, the qi within the region was thick and pure. Lush, and rich with natural resources, it was a dreamland for many cultivators. It was a region known as the Pure Jade Mountain Range... The birthplace of so many famous cultivators, and home to countless spirit beasts in Core Formation and above.

Within the mountain range, lay a majestic mountain.

A truly gigantic mountain, at its bottom, was an ancient-like city. Home to over a hundred million people, commoners, and cultivators, it surrounded the mountain as if a thick belt. With its peak reaching the clouds, the mountaintop was shrouded in mystery. Most people, even cultivators, could only gaze at the mountain in deep longing. Without proper connection or cultivation, even seeing the top was not possible.

While it was not possible for many, not a few had such privilege. Close to the top, beyond the clouds, thousands of tall houses and courtyards, with hundred of giant pavilions and halls stood in place. In the very middle of the mountain, a giant gate with two Qilin statues stood guard. It was the entrance of one of the top ten Super Sects on the continent, the Jade Qilin Sect.

Established ten thousand years ago, it was the very foundation of the mountain-wide city surrounding the majestic mountain. It was said that the mountain was the home of a Dao Seeker Spirit Beast. It took the Jade Qilin Sect's ancestor seven years to fully suppress the great beast and finally brought forth prosperity in the whole region...

Down in the great city below, even powerful Core Formation cultivators, all they could do was catch a glimpse of the sect. Whenever the clouds turned thin, and light passed through, cultivators would make a commotion;

"Look! I can see the Green Jade Pavilion!"

"Hey, isn't that the Great Qilin hall?"

"Dream on! That's an ordinary section elder's hall."

"Ah? How could that be? It looks too grand to be ordinary!"

"Hmph! Poverty limits imagination. Even an ordinary elder's hall looks majestic to you,"

"Ah? You're also down here with me. How do you know it's not the Great Qilin Hall?"

"The Great Qilin Hall is located on the top, shrouded by thick cloud. How could ordinary cultivators like us catch a glimpse of it?"

"Hey, isn't that person there wearing the sect's uniform? How envious..."

The people discussed in avid interest.

The sect had multiple halls directly under the supervision of a Soul Formation Elder. Each hall was tasked with training talented disciples for the sect. The discussed Great Qilin Hall, however, was the most famous. It was directly led by the sect master himself, so their disciples were a level higher than others.

As the discussion went on, the cultivators shared what news they happened to hear regarding the Great Qilin Hall. It turned out, last month, the famed Inner Disciple of the Great Qilin Hall managed to establish her foundation at the age of sixteen. Many gasped at the news. Some even questioned its validity, calling it mere rumors.

Many didn't blame them.

It was too surprising and overbearing.

Even geniuses in great clans barely made it to Foundation Establishment at such age. Such a person usually was a direct heir. Yet an Inner Disciple managed to achieve that? And the news even stated that she was merely a commoner, with a family background to back her up.

Her name was...

"Xiao Lin? Never heard of her. Who is she?"

"She's a northerner, so I've heard."

"Really? Filthy... Sorry, I mean, is she a beauty?"

"Maybe. I heard she didn't belong to any famous clan,"

"How could it be? A nameless disciple managed to achieve Foundation by 16?"

"You jest! Even becoming the sect's Outer Disciple is hard. An Inner Disciple is prestigious!"

"Still... Such a person wouldn't be unknown before this?"

"Well, that's because she was overshadowed by a certain person..."

"A certain person? Who?"

The people in the streets, restaurants and pavilions alike, seemed to be discussing the same thing. They said;

"Well, that person used to be the sect's prime hope. She was the sect's direct heir,"

"Oh! I know her! She's famous four years ago... What was her name again..."

"Uh, so what's the relation between this one and this girl Xiao Lin?"

"Huhu, how things have changed... How ironic."

"Stop leaving me hanging and finish already, old Wang!"

"Well, that Xiao Lin girl, that new genius... used to be that heir's..."

"W-what! That can't be true!"

"Did they switch talent or something?"

As the old man called Old Wang revealed what he knew, the listeners could not believe their ears.

The discussion went on. Things became heated and listeners became excited. It seemed there wasn't that much entertainment for cultivators, or perhaps they were just curious. As they did so, up in the mountain, beyond the clouds...

...

Fierce beast, with jade eyes, staring unto the unknown.

As if a mix of lion and dragon, its appearance gave off constant pressure and inspiration to those around it. A body of a horse, and thick twin horns, it was the mystical Great Qilin. With humongous physique, it was a monster able to completely raze cities to dust.

Fortunately, the one on top of this mountain, was merely its statue.

As if guarding the location, it was the Great Qilin Hall. This hall was truly gigantic. It was the prime location for the top Inner Disciples of the sect to practice, after all. They had different age groups, but the youngest age group was around twenty or younger.

Today, a young girl went out from a small alternate door of the hall. Seemingly around sixteen of age, she turned her head to her left, seemingly avoiding the crowd gathering further in front of the huge hall door.

She was low-key, and with her simple dress, she blended in with the surrounding.

However, she did not go far.

Her presence still caught the attention of the many young disciples around the hall.

"Elder sister Xiao Lin!"

"Elder sister, wait for us!"

Seeing the girl in green, over a dozen or so teenagers rushed towards her. Boys and girls, all around her age, gathered around her. They were Qi Refinement disciples of the sect. Excitement filled them, they rushed toward her. Seeing the dozen or so rushing towards the spot, more and more young disciples gathered, surrounding her.

Seeing their excitement, the girl seemed a bit anxious. This girl, was very one discussed in the topic of many cultivators recently, Xiao Lin. Forcing a smile, she greeted them;

"G-guys, what's up?"

"Congratulations, elder sister, for your recent breakthrough!"

""Congratulations!!""

All of them saluted together, all in deep respect.

Their action took her by surprise. She thought of letting 'that person' know first, yet it seemed... some elders and senior disciples took liberty with the news.

Just a month ago, she managed to break through to Foundation Establishment.

It was a feat not many dared to even dream of achieving at such a young age. Being able to show promise early on was crucial. The reason was that early age, before twenty, was considered the golden age for constructing the body and thus, the cultivation path.

Only a few top disciples managed to achieve it before twenty. Even excellent Inner Disciples of the sect only achieved it in their twenties. While it was already a month since, it was the first time she went out since she was too focused on stabilizing her condition. She did not tell anyone at all, but such news could not be suppressed even if she wanted to.

The news was spread by the elders and senior disciples attending the Great Qilin Hall.

It was just the first step onto the path of cultivation, but still... It was considered a blessing after all.

"Congratulation, elder sister!"

"Congrats junior, I knew you have potential,"

"Don't forget us when you join the higher class soon!"

"Yeah, with elder sister's potential, being an elder is a sure thing!"

"An elder? Elder sister could even be Ancestor's disciple! What elder!"

"Right! The hundred-year event, just two years away..."

"Yeah, yeah! Who else is qualified?"

The disciples surrounding her rained her with praises and their high expectations. A bit awkward, she entertained them for a while, before realizing her immediate business.

"Thank you, everyone. Thank you, I'd like to chat, but I must hurry..."

Refusing the goodwill of hundreds of her peers and even seniors was difficult, but she had to do it. She had been in seclusion for three months already. She was worried about a certain someone. Did she take a bath daily? Did she eat properly? She didn't make a mess of her bed again, right?

Is she still sleeping till the afternoon?

Did she avoid her pills and skip her cultivation session again?

Recalling the face of other maids attending to that person, she knew that could be the case. Others weren't as attentive as her. They already grew weary and disappointed with that person, so their work was only so-so.

Seeing her in a rush, the crowd reluctantly gave way. However, seeing she was heading to a certain mountain peak, one of the girls spoke out;

"E-elder sister, do you have to attend to her?"

Her question surprised the others. They were thinking the same thing, yet dared not say it. Since someone was brave enough to start, the others chimed in;

"Y-yeah. You're already in Foundation. You can leave such a job to others,"

"Right. You shouldn't be her maid anymore. She's a lost cause, while you..."

"Sister, you're our sect's new hope! You can't waste your time attending to her!"

"That's right! If she's bullying you, let us..."

Xiao Lin halted.

She knew well what they meant.

Going there and attending to that said person, she was indeed wasting her time. This precious time, could best be used for either studying or cultivating. She was in her prime after all. She needed to establish her position as a new genius in the world, otherwise...

Many opportunities would be forgone, lost.

However...

"She's not bullying me,"

That last statement she caught on bothered her the most.

Turning around, she smiled at them, albeit bitterly.

"Nobody forced me to do this. I do this cause I want to, so…"

They thought that person was bullying her, not giving her enough time to cultivate. Not only that, there were nasty rumors… Rumors that Xiao Lin didn't even want to hear. Rumors such that, due to jealousy, that person was giving her a hard time, even threatening her with expulsion should she protested. She didn’t know who the bastard who initiated such nasty rumor, but if she caught that devil…

“Please do not spread such a rumor. If not because of the young lady, I wouldn’t even be here,”

When they implied that she should sever her current relationship with that person, she trembled. She gritted her teeth. She was angry, yet, she didn't blame them.

After all, what do they know?

She still remembered, as clear as day. Back then, eleven years ago...

It was a life filled with hunger and cold.

All-day, dirty, despised... every time she woke up, there was nothing to look forward to. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she was a 'filthy northerner' after all. There was so much hatred among people because of the recent invasion and war. She could not comprehend what that meant, but all she knew was... Nobody would take pity on her, especially not there.

It would be fortunate enough if she could get some edible leftovers from the trash before the dogs did. Barely surviving in the back alley, with no one else to depend on... A hand was extended to her.

A gentle, warm hand...

The hand she missed even to this day.

No, especially today.

It's been three months, after all.

'Young lady...'

Didn't bother explaining anymore, Xiao Lin leaped into the sky. With her newfound cultivation, she decided to fly on her own without using any flying artifact. With her turning her backs on them, the crowd looked on in silence.

They felt there was injustice, but...

They could not comprehend, why Xiao Lin, the genius of the sect, could not separate herself from that person. Someone who, even the sect elders had lost hope for...

A lost cause.