Destiny in Cinders

"Abilities are truly mindblowing." An Jing put Ailment Swordfinger to the test again, marveling at its power.

"Even without ailment qi, I can still fire off my vigor like a flying sword. Its power falls just short of a firearm and it also causes a minor strain on my finger meridians. But as my physique strengthens and my vigor grows, I can ditch all hidden weapons and execute this technique anytime, anywhere!"

"Such is the beauty of techniques that evolve from abilities. They're as effortless and instinctive as moving one's own limbs," Yvelbane said, chuckling at the sight of the hole left by An Jing's index finger. "Ultimately, lifearc abilities are born from the heavens. They are but a facet of the Grand Dao. Abilities acquired by cultivators may be more potent and sophisticated than lifearc abilities, but they almost always fall short in terms of universal compatibility.

"Much like how man observed the birds to craft his own wings, his creations may be swifter, steadier, and soar higher—the pinnacle of all wings. Yet, man's wings remain but a single facet of flight, a narrow interpretation of a much grander truth.

"As far as I know, many sect founders were lifearc-bearing grand-ability users. They analyzed their abilities, transforming them into teachable techniques that were passed down. These evolved into entire legacies, which, over time, became far more potent and refined than the original ability itself.

"But that was only the beginning. Soon, the immortal path of qi cultivation outpaced the constraints of lifearc abilities, giving rise to countless techniques that had nothing to do with lifearcs. In the same vein, the growth and expansion of these legacies can also enhance lifearc abilities.

"A simple flight ability might begin with basic wings, but it can evolve to rival the speed of the Golden Crow or the Peng. Eventually, it can even shatter the barriers between worlds, granting the power to traverse different realms and dominate the endless void."

At this point, a touch of wistfulness crept into Yvelbane's voice. "Eons later, Void Embrace has come full circle, returning once more to its origins, cultivation rooted in lifearcs. Only this time, the medium isn't the path of immortal qi cultivation but the martial path. Everything begins anew... The Grand Dao is a cycle, and the cycle is the Grand Dao itself."

An Jing understood the sentiment behind Yvelbane's voice. As an immortal sword spanning countless ages, it had likely witnessed the Grand Dao's evolution and its inevitable return to the start. But this only fueled his ambitions.

"So, if I can unlock the full potential of my abilities, I could establish a sect and pass down a legacy of my own. I might even become the founding master of a whole new lineage!"

"Hmm... perhaps." Yvelbane had given a brief response, perhaps out of caution or dismissal, but An Jing was unfazed. He simply laughed, turning his focus back to preparing provisions for the journey ahead.

His time in the foreign world was almost up. Soon, he would return to Void Embrace to navigate the mountains and forests. Once there, he wouldn't have the luxury of hunting for fresh prey and risk leaving a trail for his pursuers.

With time to spare, An Jing processed over ten jins of fangboar meat into jerky and packed a large supply of nutrient-rich roots. He also carefully removed the fangs and stowed them away.

The concentrated essence of these spirit beasts were ideal materials for crafting pills or weapons, and at the very least, fetched a decent price. Though this was merely a fraction of the total bounty from both fangboars, he couldn't afford to worry about the loss and only took the best part. Should feral beasts stumble upon these, such a discovery would be a gift from nature.

As the sun dipped behind the mountains, the twilight clouds slowly dispersed. The rain had subsided and An Jing's time in the foreign world was drawing to a close. With only fifteen minutes remaining, he bolted from the cave, racing toward the base of the mountain past the forest and into the plains toward any signs of civilization.

The fangboars' presence in the cave was far from accidental. The area was probably a resting spot and refuge for local wildlife. Killing the boars would inevitably draw in other beasts attracted by the scent of blood and flesh.

A single day in Void Embrace was a narrow window. He knew the beasts lured by the carcasses would probably still be prowling the area, so he had to put as much distance between himself and the cave as possible.

Back to peak form, An Jing tore through the woods at lightning speed. Birds took flight in a panic and the beasts looked confused as he blurred past them. Even the most formidable feral beasts wouldn't blindly charge into an unknown situation and risk sticking their necks out. When confronted with the unknown, the immediate instinct for all creatures, from tigers to hares, was to evade.

Inevitably, once the feral beasts caught An Jing's scent and realized it didn't belong to a dangerous opponent, they bristled with fury and chased the human who had trespassed on their territory. But by then, An Jing would have already left this world.

As he sprinted, all three orbs surrounding the broken sword in his sea of consciousness finally died. A powerful tugging seized him, a pull that seemed to originate from his soul or perhaps something even deeper and more primal.

A silver light erupted, forming mysterious patterns and sword strokes around his entire body. The next second, An Jing vanished. In the distant cave, only the dying embers of a fire remained, alongside the butchered remains and carved skeletons of the two fangboars.

Within Void Embrace, floating in a spacetime rift as an orb of light, An Jing looked out upon a mountain range composed entirely of shimmering silver lines. There was a spherical zone centered on the point where he had first entered the foreign world, stretching out to a one-li radius.

"So this is the range of all my potential entry points."

Through the broken sword, An Jing realized he could appear anywhere within this spherical pocket of space, whether it be mid-air, underground, or anywhere in between. He could even materialize within a boulder, so long as he could bear the force of his own body bursting the rock apart. However, An Jing couldn't do that now, and with only ten breaths to decide, he chose to materialize in a secluded ravine deep within the mountains.

The fading sun bathed the mountains and forests surrounding Direlife Manor in a rich, dark-gold hue. A faint silver arc traced the air, widening into a doorway. An Jing stepped through, materializing in a dense thicket. He had previously observed the terrain around Direlife Manor during his daily training. Once he had oriented himself, he surged forward, vanishing instantly into the shadows of the trees. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After breaking through to the Aura Realm and awakening his spirit roots, An Jing's physique was enhanced in every respect. His strength, speed, and senses were all heightened. Despite carrying a bunch of supplies, he could easily jump over two-zhang boulders and even cover a distance of three zhang in a single bound in the mountain's rugged terrain.[1]

By channeling his aura into his legs and utilizing Profoundstep, An Jing could ghost past every barrier at full speed in absolute silence. In a mere seven or eight minutes, he covered nearly ten li at a full sprint without breaking a sweat. He had only expended some aura and could easily keep up the pace for another hour.

An Jing's decisiveness certainly spared him a great deal of trouble. Barely eight minutes after he returned to Void Embrace, the silence of the woods was broken by the dry crunch of grass and twigs. From the deep shadows of the brush, two soldiers clad in brown armor silently emerged.

"Nothing? That's strange."

The patterned armor blended perfectly with the wild. The younger soldier scanned the surrounding foliage but found no trace of animal activity.

"The formation clearly detected the presence of a medium-sized human or creature," he muttered, sounding puzzled.

"Maybe it's a feral beast like the cloud leopard, something that can hide and float above ground." Speaking with a steady voice, the other soldier observed their surroundings. His dark-green armor shifted to a brown color. It was a chameleon-like spirit armor that mimicked the environment.

Finding nothing, the steady soldier remained unfazed, as if he was used to such anomalies.

"The powerful formation sealing off Direlife Canyon to prevent a heavenly friend infestation is airtight, so even wild animals would be detected. But the fiendwatch formation is only sensitive to fiend qi. As long as they're fast enough, common spirit beasts or feral beasts can slip through before the formation even registers their presence. Look."

Just then, the soldier spotted a cluster of crushed leaves and twigs. He leaned down and carefully sniffed. "Something was here, but it wasn't a fiendspawn or a fiend. The lingering breath is pure and clean, smelling of fresh greenery. It's probably some kind of spirit beast."

"Should we go after it?" The other soldier asked eagerly. He was clearly a rookie.

The more experienced soldier sighed, "It's not a fiendspawn, so why bother? We're the Counterfiend Guard, not one of the Pentacolor Guards. Catching a spirit beast won't earn us any merit. It'll just interfere with our patrol duties. And so what if we catch it?"

The unspoken message was loud and clear. When he considered his own strength against that of a spirit beast and considered their wages, the younger soldier had to admit that the veteran knew better.

"Then we..."

"We drove away a feral beast that strayed into the restricted area," the older soldier said. "To safeguard the formation's stability, two devoted members of the Counterfiend Guard fought a fierce battle against it and had to consume a large amount of their recovery pills."

"So that's how it's done!" The younger soldier caught on. "I see!"

The two soldiers moved on.

As the hours drifted by, the sun finally dipped below the horizon, and the full moon claimed its throne in the night sky. In the pale, blue moonlight, a Crimsonguard soldier emerged from the shadows like a phantom.

1. The zhang 丈 is a unit that is about ten chi 尺. ☜