Destiny in Cinders

In Void Embrace, golden light broke through the clouds and washed over a cluster of nameless mountains across the northwestern ranges. The vast, ancient forest silently embraced the brilliance, shedding their inky shadows for a vibrant emerald.

Rather than waiting out the full three days, An Jing departed for Void Embrace as soon as he was clear of prying eyes. This time, he reemerged in a brightly lit patch of woods one li from his exit point to observe the surroundings. The light fog draping the mountains was the ideal cover for An Jing who planned to keep running.

The airship had already vanished from the sky. Even with their dogged persistence, the Heavenly Demon Cult wouldn't have remained stationary for two days without a single lead. But An Jing knew he couldn't drop his guard. His pursuers would likely check his location at regular intervals.

Fifteen minutes or an hour; the timing didn't matter. One stroke of bad luck and the cult's airship would be on him in an instant. This time, however, he was far from powerless. An Jing streaked through the trees once more. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Meanwhile, in a neighboring village, Xu Changjing was resting beneath a shaded tree before a venerating crowd when his eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Two and a half days... It appears An Jing's concealment has its limits. The duration is dwindling." The man in white produced the Mountain-River Registry from his robes. There, An Jing's name, marked in crimson ink, stood out prominently as it raced across the map with extraordinary speed.

"What? Did An Jing resurface?" Over in the makeshift quarters, Instructor Li lifted the leather door-flap, surprise flickering in his one good eye. "How far away is he?"

"He's close. It appears he can't move while staying hidden." Picking a teacup off the small table, Xu Changjing savored a slow sip before dismissing the villager.

He turned to Instructor Li and said, "It's unfortunate that he's moving so quickly. Supervisor Zhang is already en route from Lakelight. Once the adept with the Eye of Clarity makes his move, capturing An Jing will be a foregone conclusion. Furthermore, Keensight's Altar Master Shu and Skybless's Overseer Lie are almost here as well. Before long, all three adepts will get involved."

"All this manpower..." Instructor Li frowned for a brief moment before breaking into a hearty laugh. He gave his whistle a sharp blow, signaling his team to fall in and prepare for departure.

"Why the rush?" A flicker of surprise crossed Xu Changjing's face.

Instructor Li turned to him and said, "If we let Supervisor Zhang step in, how much of the credit will actually be ours? Old Xu, I don't have a lifearc, which means I'll never break through to the Fortification Realm. But you're one of the few from our batch who actually has a lifearc. You have to think about the future. If you manage to bring our young divine general An Jing back to headquarters, the Lord Inspector of the North will finally see you in a different light!"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Xu Changjing appeared troubled. His brows tightened and his eyes grew hazy. "My lifearc didn't reveal anything else on An Jing. It feels like our understanding of him is constantly eroding away. Given his sudden leap to the River Aura Stage earlier, do you think... he's progressed to the Tide Aura Stage?"

"That's impossible," Instructor Li said confidently, waving it off. "Absolutely impossible. Old Xu, you're an esotericist, so you don't understand the martial path. An Jing started off at the River Aura Stage immediately due to his exceptional aptitude and the solid foundation he had been tempering from a young age. Between the manor's resources and years of accumulated effort, his breakthrough was hardly a shock. In fact, we had fully anticipated this outcome.

"But the Tide Aura Stage is a whole different league! In the River Aura Stage, one's innate qi is abundant, flowing like a mighty current, but it resembles a half-filled vat. It sloshes and moves precisely because it has yet to reach its brim. And because of that, the 'water' spills out when one overextends their aura. In fact, one might even 'empty' the vat and compromise their foundation.

"But the Tide Aura Stage is like a sealed, water-filled jar. Every inch of the body becomes saturated, so there's no room for the 'water' to churn or spill. What appears as soft as water is actually as tough as steel! In fact..."

Instructor Li confidently stretched out his hand. An invisible force erupted, and a stone from the ground flew into his palm. "It's possible to draw in external spirit qi to manipulate our environment just like this!"

With a snap, the solid stone shattered into powder. Fine dust cascaded downward before swirling back up, settling into Instructor Li's palm once more.

His nimble control left Xu Changjing deeply impressed. "I study abilities and the projection of the mind and will. Though I have entered the Tide Aura Stage, I still lack the precision and finesse you display, Brother Li."

"We simply specialize in different things. While your aura is slow to mobilize, you're better at controlling spirit qi and manifesting your abilities." Instructor Li shook his head and added, "An Jing takes the martial path, and I know his talent better than anyone. Where a normal person's capacity is a mere vat, his is a reservoir. To reach the Tide Aura Stage, he would have to fill up an entire reservoir.

"An immediate breakthrough is impossible with his aptitude. His capacity for accumulating such an abundance of innate qi is precisely the reason he'll end up hurting himself if he tries to take in too much. His physique isn't strong enough at the River Aura Stage for such a sudden surge.

"Like us, he practices the Imperial Sky Seethrough Nurturing Art that's known for its ferocious and aggressive power. Without the Imperial Earth Divine Body Refinement Art to temper his body, the harder he strikes, the more he damages himself."

Instructor Li smiled as if he had everything under control. "An Jing's shrinking window of concealment suggests his internal injuries are finally surfacing. So, instead of getting sidetracked by this nonsense, we must seize him before he ruins that precious, heaven-sent physique of his!"

"You're right." The sound of such a confident, well-reasoned analysis was enough for Xu Changjing to put his worries aside and board the airship.

Beaming with joy, the villagers clutched the salt bricks and sturdy knives they left behind as they respectfully sent them off. A few lingering cultists on the ground had gathered a bunch of village children and were examining their aptitude, one by one.

Though the demonic cult was a nightmare used to silence crying children, they represented one of the few givers of opportunity for the rural mountain folk. In the remote frontier where the imperial examination and martial path remained out of reach, joining the demonic cult as a servant or rider was considered a remarkable opportunity. Those who found success within the cult often returned to their villages, bringing prosperity to their families and neighbors.

Although many who were taken would never return, no one cared. At its core, they weren't just a cult, but effectively a theocratic state in the ungovernable northwestern territory of Grand Chen.

These children were simply the tribute they exacted as tax—a blood tax. Grand Chen accepted money and grain while the demonic cult collected human lives. Many in Xishan were consumed by terror or deep-seated resentment, but there were others who sent them off with glee. In fact, the forces that they sent to infiltrate Grand Chen was but one tentacle out of many.