In the outer sect area of the Melodic Harmony Sect, a minor cultivation sect specializing in the use of music and musical instruments for cultivation and combat, stood one of the many humble residences where outer sect disciples resided. The house was small and simple, containing only the essentials: a bed, with a table and chairs in the middle of the room. Additionally, there was a wooden box for storage at the side. There was also a door leading to a small kitchen, while the toilet and shower were housed in a separate building outside.
Inside this modest abode, Hua Meiying sat cross-legged on the bed, her eyes closed as she focused on her rhythmic and calm breathing, fully immersed in meditation. She had returned a few days ago from Yanjing City. A faint knock on the door interrupted her, prompting her to rise from her seated position and make her way to the door to answer it.
Upon opening the door, Hua Meiying found a girl standing in front of her, who was shorter and appeared younger than herself. The girl's face lit up with joy as she threw herself into a hug with Hua Meiying.
"Senior sister, long time no see," the girl exclaimed, her voice filled with warmth and familiarity.
"Yes, long time no see, Yue Xin. How are you?" Hua Meiying smiled and returned the hug.
"I am good, how about you, senior sister? How was living in Yanjing City? Did you become famous there?" Yue Xin asked.
"It's nothing special, I got some fans from my performances," Hua Meiying replied.
Hua Meiying then invited Yue Xin to enter, and they both sat at the table. Yue Xin began asking various questions, having not seen Hua Meiying for over a year since she decided to stay in Yanjing City for work.
As disciples of the sect, they received resources allocated by the sect monthly, but for outer sect disciples, the amount was very limited. Therefore, outer sect disciples needed to work and acquire additional resources for their cultivation on their own.
In the sect, there is a Mission Hall where disciples can undertake sect missions to earn contribution points, which could be exchanged for resources. Additionally, disciples can take jobs outside the sect based on their skills and capabilities. Others venture into the wild to hunt Spirit Beasts and gather medicinal herbs and other natural resources. Some even join the Mercenary Guild to undertake missions, which offer more varied and slightly better-paying opportunities.
As for Hua Meiying, she had decided to leave the outer sect and stay in Yanjing City, using her zither skills to work and gain experience in the outside world.
After conversing for a while, Yue Xin's cheerful expression turned sorrowful. "I'm sorry, I still can't return the pills and Spirit Stones," she said, her voice tinged with sadness as tears welled up in her eyes. Yue Xin had borrowed some pills and Spirit Stones from Hua Meiying to aid in her cultivation.
"There's no need to worry about that," Hua Meiying reassured her, offering comfort. "You can take it, there's no need to return it. I'm giving it to you."
"But... but..." Yue Xin couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they began to fall.
Hua Meiying hugged Yue Xin and gently patted her back. "It's okay."
After crying softly in Hua Meiying's embrace, Yue Xin looked up. "Senior sister, I heard that you're going to enter the Haunted Cave. Is that true?" she asked.
"Oh, you knew? That's right, I've registered to enter and will go tomorrow," Hua Meiying confirmed.
"Everyone's talking about it, and I overheard. Are you sure, Senior Sister? Isn't it dangerous?" Yue Xin expressed her concern.
"Yes, I have decided. If I successfully pass the trial in there, it will be good. If I fail, then it's my fate," Hua Meiying replied with determination. She had resolved not to remain ordinary. While others were blessed with great talent or born into favorable circumstances with ample resources for cultivation, she had none of that. Thus, she would compensate by working harder and taking more risks. If even a mortal could reach the Void, then she had a new ambition—to go further than just the Void. She wanted to ascend to the Immortal Realm.
Previously, she cultivated without any fiery ambitions or grand goals. She simply wanted to increase her lifespan and become stronger so she could travel the world and see more of it. However, she couldn't shake off her feelings of insecurity and inferiority, especially when she saw many outstanding cultivators outside the sect and among her fellow disciples. This invoked her competitiveness, driving her to work harder in her cultivation. Still, she couldn't compare to those with greater talent and resources, so she returned to cultivating in an ordinary manner. That's why she decided to stay in Yanjing city to work there and lead a leisurely life.
Everything changed when she met a high-level cultivator named Orion. His words gave her an epiphany and aided her cultivation, igniting fiery ambitions within her and giving her a firmer, more resolute heart. She decided to return to the sect and enter the Haunted Cave, one of the many forbidden training grounds within the sect.
The cave earned its name because it's a lair of ghosts, filled with evil and malevolent spirits formed from the yin energy within. Eerie sounds and screams could be heard emanating from its depths. To pass the trial, disciples must confront these ghosts and reach the end of the cave. Once inside, they can only exit from the cave's end goal. If they fail, they will perish and be consumed by the ghosts, their resentment and negative energy becoming yin energy that strengthens the cave.
Compared to ordinary training grounds, forbidden training grounds can be life-threatening. For more than a century, no disciple dared to enter due to its notorious reputation. In the last thousand years, thousands of disciples had entered, but only dozens returned alive after passing the trial. Those who succeeded soared to great heights in their cultivation, having obtained tremendous opportunities inside. However, the risks were equally high, potentially resulting in death.
With steely resolve, Hua Meiying had headed to the Haunted Cave and had registered for the trial. The cave opened once a week, and tomorrow she would attempt to pass the trial inside.
"But it's the forbidden training ground. No one has tried to enter that place for the last century. People say it's very dangerous. Back then, when there were still disciples who dared to enter, almost none of them returned. Senior sister, please think again. What if something happens to you?" Yue Xin's face was filled with worry.
Hua Meiying smiled, then she retrieved a pouch from her storage ring. "Here, take this."
"Senior sister, what is this?" Yue Xin inquired.
"A gift. These pills won't help me in the trial tomorrow. I don't know if I will be able to pass the trial, and rather than bringing them with me, it's better for you to use them. Consider it a parting gift," Hua Meiying explained.
The pouch contained two small bottles of pills, each containing several pills. While they had little effect for a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator like her, they would be very helpful for a Qi Condensation realm cultivator like Yue Xin.
"Senior sister, please don't say such things. I don't want to say goodbye to you..." Yue Xin's eyes welled up with tears.
Yue Xin cried for a while, and Hua Meiying managed to convince her to take the pouch.
"Senior sister, please be careful tomorrow. I hope you can succeed and pass the trial and return alive. I will see you off tomorrow," Yue Xin said, her eyes still red from crying.
"Thank you," Hua Meiying replied.
Yue Xin then excused herself, and Hua Meiying accompanied her to the door before seeing her off. She closed the door again and resumed meditating to adjust her mental state.
As Yue Xin left Hua Meiying's house, her face remained sad and her eyes still watery. She wiped her eyes, and her expression immediately changed from sadness to cold. "Tch..." Yue Xin muttered to herself as she headed to her own house.
The next day, early in the morning, Hua Meiying headed to the Haunted Cave. Positioned on a hillside beneath a cliff, the cave was sealed by a large metallic door, adjacent to a small building where an elder who supervised the forbidden training ground resided. Disciples wishing to enter the Haunted Cave could register there, and Hua Meiying had already done so. The elder was rather surprised when a disciple wanted to enter the Haunted Cave, as it was the first time in about a hundred years. It also caused a stir among the outer sect disciples and became the topic of discussion when the news spread.
Upon her arrival, Hua Meiying approached the building and knocked. A frail looking elderly man emerged from the house; she didn't know his name, but she recognized him as a Golden Core cultivator and an elder. Hua Meiying bowed respectfully to the elder.
"Are you ready? Have you thought it through? You can still back off, you know," the elder cautioned. "Many have entered the Haunted Cave, but only a few have returned. Most of them perished inside."
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"Yes, Elder," Hua Meiying replied firmly.
"Good. Follow me," the elder instructed.
The elder then led Hua Meiying to the gate of the cave. Placing his hand on it, he infused Qi from his dantian into the gate. The inscriptions on the gate lit up, and it slowly began to open, emitting a cold and chilling breeze that caused Hua Meiying's skin to prickle with goosebumps.
"If you are prepared to die, you can enter," the elder stated, observing Hua Meiying standing in front of the cave, peering into the complete darkness. "It's also okay to back out. There are still many other ways to increase your cultivation, you know, even though the gain is smaller, it's safer," he added.
Hua Meiying shook her head. "No, I will enter," she replied firmly. Then, she turned back and glanced towards the residence area in the distance where the outer sect disciples stayed, chuckling to herself. It seemed that Yue Xin hadn't shown up, even though she said she would send her off. "Well, that's how it is," She murmured, attempting a smile despite the melancholy in her face.
Hua Meiying reflected on the nature of her relationship with Yue Xin. In the outer sect, she didn't have any friends to talk to; most of her peers from the same generation had already entered the inner sect. Some who remained in the outer sect were busy with their cultivation, others were exploring the outside world, and a few had already perished or left the sect. Yue Xin, cheerful and friendly, had approached Hua Meiying, and their friendship had slowly grown. They chatted a lot and grew closer.
Yue Xin also talked to Hua Meiying about having trouble obtaining resources for her cultivation, so sometimes Hua Meiying would help her by giving her pills. When Yue Xin came to her crying about not having any pills, Hua Meiying would readily provide them. However, one day, Hua Meiying accidentally overheard Yue Xin bragging to her friends about how she could easily manipulate Hua Meiying into giving her what she wanted by crying or lying.
After this incident, Hua Meiying's attitude toward Yue Xin subtly changed. Although Yue Xin remained unaware that her secret had been exposed, she continued to act friendly with Hua Meiying while trying to get something in return. Hua Meiying, perhaps for the sake of having someone to talk to and ward off her loneliness, decided to play along and pretend she still didn't know about Yue Xin's true nature. She maintained a facade of friendship, though she kept her distance and was not as close to Yue Xin as before.
"I am truly pathetic," Hua Meiying mumbled to herself. To allow myself to get tricked just to have a "friend" like Yue Xin, and to think that she would come and see me off... Perhaps she's already looking for someone else to trick, Hua Meiying thought to herself.
There were many ways for disciples to acquire more resources, and some, like Yue Xin, resorted to unscrupulous methods.
Hua Meiying then cupped her hands and bowed. "Thank you, Elder, for opening the Haunted Cave for me," she said before excusing herself and entering the cave.
She was resolute and firm in her decision; she would enter and succeed in passing the trial. If she failed, then she would simply meet her end there. However, if she succeeded, she planned to bury her old self inside and be reborn as a new person, leading a completely different life.
That's why she had previously given a parting gift to Yue Xin to sever her karma with her and move forward. Hua Meiying also had no intention of interacting with Yue Xin in the future if she managed to pass the trial.
She didn't want to live an ordinary life; her ambitions were set high, aiming to ascend to the Immortal Realm. The Haunted Cave would be her first small step toward achieving that goal; it was a do-or-die for her.
"Mmm... Good luck," the Elder said as he watched Hua Meiying disappear into the darkness of the cave. Her figure slowly faded from view as the gate closed behind her. "Sigh... The current generation is truly pathetic. Only one disciple has dared to enter the Haunted Cave in a hundred years, and she seems so ordinary," The Elder lamented, not having big hope or expectation from Hua Meiying, before returning to the building beside the metallic gate.
...
The White Crane Sect, a minor cultivation sect, is located not far from Yanjing City. Its outer sect area surrounds the inner sect area, and it's the largest section of the sect. Many people, both mortals and cultivators, reside here, and the area is divided into numerous residential and commercial districts, bustling with activity just like a city.
In one of the many parks in the outer sect, filled with flowers and trees and situated alongside the banks of a small river, with clear water, a young man and woman sit together on a bench. They are shielded from the sunlight by the shadows of the trees, while enjoying the refreshing breeze. They talk and laugh, the atmosphere filled with happiness.
The young man retrieved a fine silk pouch from his storage ring. "Junior sister Ling, here, for you," he said, handing her the pouch with a shy, red face.
"Senior Brother Jian, what is this? A gift for me?" Xia Ling's smile bloomed as she asked happily.
Liu Jian nodded shyly.
Xia Ling then accepted the pouch and opened it, revealing a Rank-2 dagger beautifully crafted with intricate designs.
"Senior Brother, this... this dagger is too precious. I can't accept it. You should keep it for yourself," Xia Ling said, hesitant.
"It's fine, you should accept it. This dagger is of no use to me; it's custom-made for you," Liu Jian insisted.
"But this dagger is too precious. I don't deserve such a gift," Xia Ling protested, her gaze scrutinizing the blade. The blade gleamed with beauty, and the intricate craftsmanship of the scabbard matched its elegance. The handle was of a small size, seemingly custom-made to fit her hand perfectly. Inscriptions adorned the dagger's surface.
"No, you totally deserve it because you're important to me. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, so you should accept this dagger and use it to protect yourself," Liu Jian said with a serious expression, recalling the time they were attacked by Vermillion Clawed Bears and nearly lost their lives. He had developed feelings for Xia Ling, and he didn't want such an incident to occur again.
"Important to you..." Xia Ling murmured, her face turning red along with her ears as she looked down shyly. "Then I accept it, thank you..." she said in a small voice, then she stored the dagger along with the pouch in her storage ring.
Realizing what he had just blurted out, Liu Jian turned his face away, feeling embarrassed. He attempted to change the topic by awkwardly mentioning the weather. Xia Ling couldn't help but giggle at his flustered attempt.
"Oh, yeah, there's another gift for you," Liu Jian continued, still feeling shy. He retrieved a silver hairpin from his storage ring, its design resembling a flower. "It's nothing special, just a trinket I saw while strolling the streets of Yanjing. I bought it on a whim. It's nothing compared to the dagger, but I hope you'll like it," he said casually.
Before Liu Jian could finish, Xia Ling eagerly took the hairpin. "Thank you very much, Senior Brother Jian. It's so pretty, I love it," she exclaimed, placing it in her hair.
"Uhh... you're welcome," Liu Jian replied, wondering why Xia Ling seemed more pleased with the hairpin than the dagger, the hairpin was just an ordinary accessory meanwhile the dagger much more valuable. He had purchased the hairpin based on the advice previously given by Hua Meiying.
"How do I look?" Xia Ling asked after putting on the hairpin.
"You look... beautiful," Liu Jian said, his face turning even redder.
Xia Ling's smile brightened. "Once again, thank you."
Xia Ling was genuinely happy with the hairpin. While the dagger was undoubtedly more expensive and likely cost many spirit stones due to its custom-made nature, the hairpin, in contrast, was inexpensive. Despite this, Xia Ling found the hairpin to be more special to her, and she vowed to cherish it. She could tell that Liu Jian had put a lot of thought into choosing the hairpin. She knew that Liu Jian was not someone who understood much about accessories, yet he managed to select one with a tulip ornament, which happened to be Xia Ling's favorite flower. It was evident that he had chosen it carefully, making it a gift filled with love and consideration.
After a while, they resumed their conversation, no longer feeling awkward or embarrassed. Liu Jian felt happy, content, and blissful. He hoped that this kind of day could last longer, where he could be together with his junior sister, experiencing the bittersweetness of love and enjoying their youth, all while cultivating on the side. How great would that be?
Unbeknownst to Liu Jian and Xia Ling, a figure hidden behind a tree secretly watched them from afar. "Hmph! You won't be lucky next time. I will make sure you both are dead," the figure muttered before turning and leaving.
...
In Yanjing City, two major factions of similar strength, influence, and wealth always competed against each other for dominance: the Liu family and the Chen family.
And within the inner area of the Chen family estate, there was a training ground reserved for core family members. The sounds of intense combat emanated from this area, where a young man, drenched in sweat, was engaged in rigorous training. Executing his movements and combat techniques, he ruthlessly destroyed wooden logs, boulders, and wooden mannequins positioned across the training ground, delivering powerful punches, swift kicks, and a flurry of sword strikes.
"[Crimson Serpent Sword Style]!" the young man exclaimed as he unleashed a barrage of sword strikes, reducing a big boulder to countless small pieces.
After he finished his training, he plunged his sword into the ground, gasping for breath as he wiped the sweat from his face. Chunks of boulder and wood littered the ground around him. This young man's name is Chen Rongwei. His previous injuries have healed, and now his demeanor has changed greatly. His face now looks serious and cold, no longer showing his previous playful smiling face. He was also no longer arrogant, mocking, or bullying others, nor was he playing around with girls or being a playboy. He no longer drank and played around in the city as he used to. Now, he was diligent with his cultivation and practicing combat, and he no longer relied on pills to boost his cultivation.
Chen Xianlong had been observing Chen Rongwei secretly for a while before finally revealing himself and approaching his son.
Noticing someone suddenly appeared behind him, Chen Rongwei turned to see his father. "Greetings, Father," he said, cupping his hands and bowing respectfully.
"Mmm..." Chen Xianlong nodded, looking at Chen Rongwei. "How is your training going?" he inquired.
"Everything is going smoothly, Father," Chen Rongwei replied.
"That's good," Chen Xianlong said, his expression unreadable but inwardly very satisfied with Chen Rongwei's change. Seeing his son no longer wasting his potential by playing around and causing trouble everywhere he went, but rather training hard and cultivating diligently. It seems that Chen Rongwei's encounter with Orion had a good effect on his son. After being dispirited for a few days following the incident, Chen Rongwei changed, and Chen Xianlong was satisfied that his son had turned a new leaf. "I heard you want to enter the White Crane Sect. Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes, Father. I will diligently cultivate there and won't bring shame to our Chen family," Chen Rongwei affirmed, still respectful as he bowed.
"Good. Then I will arrange it," Chen Xianlong said before walking away.
"Thank you, Father," Chen Rongwei said, raising his head as he watched his father's figure recede into the distance. His eyes flashed with a dangerous glint. He then turned and walked towards a nearby boulder on the side, resuming his training. Showering a flurry of punches towards the boulder, it cracked little by little. His killing intent flared for an instant before disappearing again. With a final punch, the boulder shattered.
Chen Rongwei clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, looking at the shattered boulder. "I will make you all pay," he muttered. He then dashed to another nearby boulder, kicking it and using his combat technique to destroy it, before continuing to demolish other boulders.
As he thought about the Chen family, his father, his brother, Liu Jian, Hua Meiying, and finally Orion, he smashed another boulder using his right fist, shattering it. All the boulders in the training ground were destroyed. He opened his right fist, which was now bloodied. I need more power, Chen Rongwei thought to himself as he watched the sky above.