Not many people on this small sealed world knew this, but the universe was governed by what were known as The Heavenly Principals. They were a set of laws and principals that the universe followed to remain balanced. These laws dictated that achieving greater power became more difficult the more power one accumulated. If cultivation were easy at every level, it would disrupt the cosmic balance.
The heavens did not like disorder.
The Heavenly Principals were akin to the fundamental building blocks of existence, an invisible tapestry woven from laws that threaded together and created what everyone knew as reality. They were the universe’s way of maintaining equilibrium. Not even the Jade Emperor himself could go against the Heavenly Principals. Their existence had been around since the universe was built, a cosmic harmony to ensure order and balance on both macro and micro scales. While these principals were esoteric and hidden, their influence was felt by all.
At the heart of The Heavenly Principals was the fundamental truth. The pursuit of greater power came with an inherent challenge. The universe, in all its wisdom, dictated that as individuals climbed the ladder of cultivation and accumulated more chi, they would encounter increasing difficulties. This cosmic design was not arbitrary but a reflection of the profound wisdom behind existence.
Imagine a river flowing downstream, its current steady and unwavering. Each pebble in the riverbed, each bend of its course, contributed to this steady flow. So too did The Heavenly Principals maintain the flow of cosmic energy. If cultivation were effortless at every level, if seekers of power could ascend without tribulation, it would be akin to tossing boulders into the river’s path. Chaos would ensue and the river would lose its steady flow.
The heavens were stewards of order and balance, the Jade Emperor their avatar upon which their laws were upheld. Disorder was a disturbance to this cosmic equilibrium. It was a disharmony that rippled through the universe, affecting not only cultivators but every facet of existence.
That was why the Asura Clan, the Jade Emperor’s greatest enemies, were considered persona non grata among the Nine Heavens. They sought to disrupt order, to destroy it. That was their purpose in life and the reason for which every other person in existence sought their end.
Going back to the matter at end, cultivation was less like climbing up a staircase and more like climbing up a ladder with missing rungs. The further up you went, the less rungs were there to grab onto, and the harder it became to climb.
All this to say that Wu Meiying had finally reached a roadblock in her cultivation. She was at the peak of the Deva Realm, a good half step from reaching the Seeker Realm, but she was unable to progress further at the moment.
A person’s cultivation was affected by more than just time and effort. Natural talent, the cultivation method used, and luck all played key roles in a cultivator’s ascension.
Circulation of Time’s Heavenly Dao Cultivation Method was one of the most esoteric cultivation methods in all the Nine Heavens. It allowed her to not only read a person’s past, present, and future, but she could directly manipulate time. Theoretically, she could reverse the universe’s time, reverting all to what it had been before the Primordial Beginning. Of course, that would require more power than any one person could possess. Even if every person in the Nine Heaven’s combined their powers, it still wouldn’t be enough to reverse the universe’s time, but it was still theoretically possible.
Due to the uniqueness of her cultivation method and the dangers it presented to the cosmic balance of the universe, cultivating was far harder for her than most people. That she had reached the Deva Realm at such a young age was a testament to her talent.
Wu Jian had a similar problem. Nine Heavens Spatial Severing Cultivation Method was incredibly dangerous and could cause catastrophic damage if it fell into the wrong hands. The ability to cleave through space was not a power that could be underestimated. A cultivator with enough power could literally slice through the very fabrics of this universe. Of course, just like reversing the universe’s time, cutting through the universe required more power than someone could gain in their lifetime. However, the fact that it was possible at all meant that the Heavenly Principals imposed heavy restrictions on anyone using it.
Because she could not ascend to a higher realm yet, Wu Meiying was not cultivating.
Instead, she was playing tag with Youmei.
A soft smile lit her face as she stood within the center of a forest, trees surrounding her on all sides, a canopy above blocking out the sun. Soft shadows were cast on the ground, swaying and changing shape. She did not pay attention to them. Her eyes were closed since sight was useless right now. Youmei was too well-hidden to be found with eyesight.
I can’t even tell where she is using time either…
Youmei was hidden within the forest’s shadows. The Shadow Realm was a plane that Wu Meiying could not touch at the moment, for she lacked the power to reach in. That meant she could not sense Youmei so long as she remained within the shadows. It wasn’t good to rely solely on her powers over time anyway. Using such a powerful ability made people complacent. They became lazy and arrogant, believing themselves to be infallible. She did not want that for herself.
Where will she come up from…?
Wu Meiying shifted against the ground, the grass tickling her bare feet. She curled her toes and felt the blades pass between them.
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Furrowing her brow, she listened to the sounds of the forest--the leaves as they rustled in the breeze, the birds chirping as they flitted through the branches. Then she tuned out her hearing. It wasn’t necessary here. Youmei would pounce before she heard her coming. Instead, she focused purely on her sense of touch. She could feel the air on her skin, dry and cool. The breeze was coming from the west and it buffet her hair.
The air suddenly shifted.
Wu Meiying leapt aside, feeling a pressurized burst of air pass by her, then reached out and latched onto something soft. Loud yowling echoed around the forest as Wu Meiying opened her eyes. She smiled at Youmei, who now lay face first on the forest floor. What she had grabbed was the young girl’s leg.
“Ufufu. You’ve gotten much better, but you’re still too young to catch me unawares.”
“Aawwwwwww. I really thought I had you.”
Wu Meiying let go of the leg, and Youmei rolled onto her back, then sat up. She placed her hands on the ground and stared up at her with glittering eyes.
“You’re so amazing, Big Sis! Even Master can’t find Youmei so easily.”
“Yes. Well, I have a lot more experience at locating hidden people than Jian does.”
Several thousand years worth of experience. In all of her reincarnations, the vast majority of Wu Meiying’s life had been spent on the run, enemies hounding her every step. If she did not learn how to locate them, she would die. Most of her deaths in previous reincarnations were not because she had been killed, but because Wu Jian had been killed, and she killed herself in order to reincarnate with him.
“Anyway, why don’t go back home? You must be getting hungry.”
As if suddenly realizing it was empty, Youmei’s stomach chose that moment to rumble. Wu Meiying giggled as Youmei held a hand to her stomach and rubbed it.
“Um, Youmei is very hungry.”
“Then we should get something to eat.”
They traveled back toward her pavilion. If she was being honest, Wu Meiying wanted to stay in Wu Jian’s abode since it smelled like him, but she couldn’t afford to stay outside of the pavilion’s protections for too long. Her pavilion had been built to her specifications and she needed to remain within it for a good portion of time.
Upon landing on her mountaintop, Wu Meiying frowned when she saw someone standing before the pavilion, hands on their hips and nose haughtily raised. They turned around as if noticing her presence. Raven hair framed a beautiful face with vivid green eyes and skin like jade. She wore the robes of the Heavenly Sword Sect, but they were far more elaborate than what even most of the elders wore. She, of course, recognized this woman, and though she frowned internally, she put on a smile as if to pretend this woman’s presence did not bother her.
“Elder Mei Qi? You honor me with your presence. Do you require something from me?”
Wu Meiying did not offer this woman a martial bow. It was petty of her, but she did not like Mei Qi and Mei Qi made no effort to hide her dislike of Wu Meiying. Theirs was an antagonistic relationship and had been such ever since she arrived.
“Oh, it’s nothing much. I merely came here because I heard you were spending a lot of time with that new boy… what was his name again? Jian Who?” Mei Qi tilted her head as though trying to remember, then shrugged when Wu Meiying refused to rise to the bait. “Well, whatever the case, I wanted to advise you against showing such blatant favoritism. You’re going to make that poor boy’s life here much harder than it needs to be.”
Wu Meiying smiled as though she didn’t realize what this woman was trying to do. “Thank you for your concern, but you don’t need to be. Jian Wu isn’t so weak that he would get discouraged by hardships. If anything, he welcomes them.”
“Oh? Is he a masochist? I did not realize that was your type?”
Still maintaining her smile, Wu Meiying shifted the conversation. “I’m glad to see you’re doing better. I remember what a wreck you were after you returned from Divine Moon Hall. You stayed locked up in your pavilion for over a month. I was quite worried.”
Mei Qi’s smile twitched. “Your concern is appreciated. As you can see, I made a full recovery while you were away to watch the tournament.” Her eyes shifted from Wu Meiying to Youmei. “By the way, it seems your little friend does not like me very much. You should tell your magical beast that it should not act so disrespectfully toward an elder.”
It was hard to fight off the smile as she glanced at Youmei. The young panther was hiding behind her as she glared and hissed as Mei Qi. Magical beasts had amazing senses. Their enhanced senses were a product of their cultivation and evolution.
Magical beasts possessed an inherent sensitivity to the flow of chi around them. This heightened perception allowed them to detect fluctuations in the environment caused by the presence of living beings, especially those with hostile intent. It was an evolutionary ability that was crucial for their survival since most magical beasts lived in the wild.
“You’ll have to forgive Youmei. It is not her intent to be disrespectful; she is merely wary of people she doesn’t know.”
“Hmph. Well, see to it that she does not act like this the next time we meet.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Mei Qi did not remain for much longer. She soon left with a huff, making Wu Meiying wonder why she had been there in the first place. She did not believe for a second that Mei Qi had arrived merely to warn Wu Meiying against showing Wu Jian so much favoritism, but she couldn’t fathom the woman’s purpose.
Closing her eyes, she extended her perceptions and chi. When she opened her eyes again, she caught sight of thousands of beautifully flowing ribbons, many of which were different colors. She reached out and touched one. Visions flowed into her mind; they were of a handsome young man coming by to see her, only to leave when he realized she was not there. She touched another one. It was a vision of the sect master coming by. She was in that vision, talking to him about sect-related matters.
It’s not here…
Wu Meiying had already expected that, but she still felt disconcerted as she walked into her pavilion. She decided to do a quick sweep of the pavilion just to make sure nothing was out of place. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong, but she also wondered if she should trust her senses.
“Big Sis… Youmei doesn’t like that woman,” Youmei suddenly said.
“Oh?” Wu Meiying raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Youmei looked at her seriously. “She smells wrong.”
Black yāomó panthers had an incredible sense of smell, which mixed with their ability to detect chi and allowed them to sense those with hostile intent. People, whether they knew it or not, released pheromones. It was not something a human could prevent. Youmei could smell those pheromones.
She rubbed Youmei’s head. “I don’t like her either.”