Bai Yue was excited as she spread out her divine sense. The feeling was exhilarating. It had already been a year, yet within that time she had ascended from Tier 5 to Tier 9. After being stuck at Tier 5 for almost a decade since she began cultivating, reaching Tier 9 within a single year was nothing short of thrilling.
During that year, she had to juggle gaining cultivation resources, refining the Profound Nine Yin Samsara Technique, cultivating, and recruiting disciples. She breathed in deeply, taking in the flood of new data pouring into her senses.
She could feel the insects roaming in her room, see Song Xie cooking with her son on her back in the kitchen, and watch Song Yu practicing her sword forms in the courtyard while the night breeze swayed with her. Her senses spread even further, elevating her perception to a supernatural level where she could hear the flapping of wings, the croaking of toads, the slow creeping of roots, and the low murmurs of voices.
Soon enough, her divine sense covered a huge section of the village, making her feel ecstatic and blissful, as if she had achieved some level of divinity. Yet she felt her mind drain and her soul stretch under an unfamiliar toll.
Still, she observed the peaceful village, ready to withdraw her spiritual sense—but before she could, a malicious wave of energy struck her. To the west of the village, there was a beastly, almost instinct-driven Qi. This was what Bai Xing had told her was referred to as demonic Qi. And demonic Qi always followed demon beasts, filled with a malevolent and almost unclean aura.
She broke out of her meditative posture, grabbed the Moon Blade, and headed toward the western edge of the village. The nearer she drew, the heavier the oppressive pressure grew, and the more fear crept into her heart.
She had barely any battle experience, having only engaged in short skirmishes against wild cultivators at around Qi Tier 5–6. Yet now she was going to face a demonic beast whose cultivation base felt deeper and fuller. She could immediately tell the beast was in the Qi Refining stage, but it felt as though it was on the verge of breaking through.
Still, her legs pushed her faster and faster. Although cultivators passed by the village once in a while to ensure no beasts attacked, there was no one else to fight for the village now. Even martial artists, who were adept at manipulating Ren Qi (mortal qi), unlike cultivators who manipulated Ling Qi (spiritual qi, lower spirit-origin energy), were absent. The village lacked any such protectors. The only martial artist it had was Song Yu, who was barely eleven years old with a weak martial foundation.
So battling this demonic beast was left solely to Bai Yue.
Bai Yue's spirit sense collided with a foreign presence that felt familiar yet distorted, like an aching limb that threatened to devour her through pain.
Then she came face to face with the demon beast. It was a massive bear, almost three to four meters tall and five to six meters long. Its heavy weight could be felt as it slowly stepped forward.
The sheer size of the beast came as a shock to Bai Yue. Although the energy near the village was relatively rich, it was nowhere near as dense as the deep forests. Moreover, the demon-repelling formations cast by Azure Cloud City cultivators ensured that demons did not come close to living areas. The presence of this bear was unnatural.
Yet the sight of such a magnificent creature drew her in even more. The bear was covered in pure white fur, with bulging muscles that flexed with the slightest movement. Its piercing blue eyes and the subtle white-blue aura surrounding it seemed almost ethereal—but beneath that beauty lay something sinister. Frost spilled forth with each step it took.
Immediately, Bai Yue knew that the demon beast's bloodline was aligned with cold qi and ice qi, which puzzled her even more. The glacial plains, where such a beast would normally be found, lay several hundred li away.
The beast suddenly stopped its majestic march, gauging Bai Yue. Its muscles bulged and contracted, dancing as if in a taunt. Bai Yue felt a strange blend of fear and excitement rise within her. There was a pull—almost instinctual—that drew her even closer to the demon bear.
She chose to follow it, dashing straight toward the beast. The bear did the same, bursting forward with ferocious speed, cracks forming in the ground beneath its steps. It was unreal how such a massive creature could move so fast.
The beast's paw swept out with ferocity, cold qi emanating from the strike. Bai Yue raised her Moon Blade to block, almost parrying the slicing energy. She was currently embodying the water form of the Nine Yin Forms of her technique, flowing forward as she pushed toward the incoming paw.
Seeing her advance, the beast opened its wide maw, a grin forming. Its muscles bulged once more as it surged forward, leaving an icy trail in its wake—every blade of grass freezing into glass. Bai Yue dropped low, narrowly avoiding the heavy charge, still moving with the fluidity of her water form, like wind playing with her loose hair.
Just as she thought she had evaded the assault, several thin, needle-like projectiles shot toward her. She twisted her body unnaturally, evading the torrent by mere inches. Her eyes flicked toward them, realizing they were frozen blades of grass from before.
But before she could react further, the bear spat something from its maw.
It appeared to be made of pure white light, brimming with a terrifying, cold authority. It looked as though the bright moon above had descended, gathering momentum as it fell.
Immediately, a terrifying premonition clawed at Bai Yue. She began channeling her energy, shifting from her water form into mist form as a vast wave of fog enveloped the area. She exhaled a dense cloud from her mouth, then switched into her shadow form to conceal herself. Channeling her energy into the surrounding darkness, she sought cover—but she stood in the open. The only trees that could have hidden her lay beyond the bear, while behind her stood the village walls, which would stand no chance against such a beast.
The condensed ball of light pulsed, as if breathing in and out, before erupting into a massive wave of energy that tore through the mist and shadows Bai Yue had conjured. The force hurled her backward into the stone wall surrounding the village, cracks spiderwebbing from the point of impact.
Bai Yue coughed up blood, unable to steady herself. She was still dazed, struggling to understand what had happened. The wave had seemed to target only her, leaving everything else untouched.
The bear's icy eyes bore into her as confusion clouded her thoughts.
Then a low female voice reverberated.
"Lunacy."
Immediately, the large orb of light began to tremble and shake violently before splitting—two more orbs forming from it as they revolved around each other.
Bai Yue was confused by the scene, but before she could process it, two more bears formed—each with the same bulky muscles, lean mobility, and piercing icy blue eyes.
Suddenly, all three lunged at the dazed Bai Yue. She immediately snapped back to her senses and began to sprint, yet the three bears barreled toward her. As she ran, the image of the green forest she thought she was heading toward dissolved, replaced by a glacial plain stretching endlessly in every direction, white as far as the eye could see.
She wasn't sure what was happening. Was she trapped in an illusion? The village was gone, and so was the forest. She channeled her energy into her divine sense, trying to gain a clearer perception of her surroundings, yet she could feel nothing but the frigid cold.
Bai Yue's mind churned as she realized the landscape looked strikingly similar to her inner world. Her thoughts drifted back to a year ago, when Bai Xing had first truly introduced her to the cultivation world—imparting crucial knowledge while helping her awaken her dormant Ice Phoenix body.
Suddenly, the three bears appeared out of thin air, striking in sequence with a barrage of rapid paw attacks before vanishing again, leaving her gasping for breath as she struggled to steady her wounds.
From the brief exchanges—both in the village and here—she could tell that their techniques seemed to originate from the same source.
Then a thought crossed her mind.
Was this bear… one of her soul fragments?
That would explain why she felt such an unimaginable pull toward such a dangerous creature on the verge of forming its demon core. Although the creature was at Tier 9 of Qi Refining, it was well known that a Tier 9 demon beast was equivalent to a Tier 13 human cultivator—meaning she was essentially facing a beast at the threshold of the Foundation stage.
When the thought settled—that the bear might be one of her three soul fragments, split during the incomplete use of the Ninefold Technique to break her seal and awaken her Ice Phoenix body—she felt a sense of relief.
She quickly steadied herself, taking a confident stance as she held her Moon Blade vertically. A dim blue glow enveloped her as she activated her spirit form, calling upon the power of her soul and mind.
The bear appeared out of nowhere once more, unleashing another barrage of attacks. At first, the strikes landed, but as she maintained her focus, she began to fall into a strange rhythm—one that allowed her to withstand and respond to the full force of the bear's assault.
Then, suddenly, the bear disappeared.
Bai Yue remained still, her eyes closed, a faint smirk touching her lips.
"It seems that you are indeed a part of me."
She swung her blade, releasing a wave of profound energy that cut through space itself, shattering it into a thousand fragments.
Immediately, the expanse dissolved, and the familiar scent of nature reached Bai Yue's senses. She opened her eyes to find herself dangling, held within the beast's maw as it ran through the forest.
She immediately swung her sword backward, nicking the bear's flesh as she maneuvered herself out of its jaws.
The bear, seeing its plan disrupted, suddenly roared—a terrifying boom that shook the surrounding area. Bai Yue felt her body wanting to bend toward the beast.
"Dominion."
The deep female voice echoed with a low rumble.
Bai Yue felt an even heavier pressure descend upon her, yet her energy flickered brilliantly as she prepared to launch an attack. Without hesitation, she shifted forms.
"Metal form."
She stood against the pressure, her figure turning into a blur as she drove thousands of sword strikes into the bear in a relentless barrage. Many of her attacks were superficial, but a few cut deep, staining the beast's beautiful white coat with crimson trails.
The bear was momentarily stunned by the sudden display of refined swordsmanship, yet it did not relent.
"Crescent Descent."
The bear called out as it swiped its paw. A wave of cold, white qi sliced through the area, freezing and cutting everything in its path. Bai Yue felt an intense sense of dread as the arc made its way toward her. But just as she tried to evade, she felt her body slow—everything around her seeming to grind to a halt.
"Absolute Stillness," the bear uttered.
Bai Yue's body immediately froze, yet the terrifying arc continued barreling toward her without interruption. She struggled, her mind racing for a way to escape such a deadly attack.
She couldn't move, let alone attempt to block.
Then she remembered—the ninth form of the Profound Nine Yin Samsara Technique: Night. It carried a similar effect, the power to still everything. She poured her energy into crystallizing the Night Form. She had never successfully used it before—but she had no choice now.
Otherwise, she would be gone.
"Night Form."
Bai Yue's energy churned as darkness began to emanate from her, spreading outward and quickly engulfing everything. She felt all the other eight forms condense into this one, allowing her to mobilize ice, shadow, metal, mist, spirit, moonlight, water, and all her other forms, swallowing the bear's attack.
The bear, confronted by this counterattack and its own freezing abilities turned against itself, faced a barrage of varied assaults. It began to feel fear.
Sensing its end might be near, it decided to take a gamble. It braced itself and let out a guttural, almost primal roar.
Immediately, a massive wave of pressure radiated from the bear, crushing and shattering trees, rocks, and anything else in its path. Bai Yue was flung a great distance, her body feeling as though it were breaking into pieces from the force of the throw.
Suddenly, a huge spectral form of the bear appeared, growing exponentially until it towered like a small mountain, glowing with blue, icy light. Then it condensed into a puff of clouds. Slowly, the clouds began to gather and swirl around the area.
Immediately, Bai Yue understood what was happening. The bear demon had activated a Human Transformation Tribulation. The sound of bones snapping like twigs echoed as the bear's once-beautiful fur began to shed. Amid the chaos, a small point formed near the bear's head, like a distortion in space. In the blink of an eye, it grew—from the size of a grain to that of a plum, then a persimmon.
The point was pitch black, allowing no light to enter or escape, like a pool of pure darkness. As the mass fully materialized, the dark clouds above began to rumble, and searing-hot lightning tore through the area, striking and burning everything around the bear.
With every strike, the bear groaned in agony, desperately trying to defend itself, though its weakened defenses were easily shattered.
Bai Yue watched in shock, dodging stray bolts of lightning as she struggled to maintain her footing. Soon, the first ball of darkness split into two, unleashing another wave of lightning while the bear continued to writh with bones breaking and reforming. A third ball of darkness emerged, and with each new sphere, the bear began to shrink, its fur disappearing, and its form growing more human. By the seventh ball, the bear bore an uncanny resemblance to Bai Yue herself.
All doubts she had harbored about the bear demon not being one of her soul fragments vanished. Immediately, a wave of pain washed over Bai Yue.
After the seven balls of darkness finished forming, they plastered themselves along the bear's spine, from the base of the tail to the crown of its head. Bai Yue felt a pang of pity for the now-unconscious demon and walked toward her. Scooping her up, she decided to find a secure hiding place. After undergoing such a tribulation, greedy cultivators would surely seize the chance to attack a weakened demon and harvest its core for extraordinary benefits.
The Human Transformation Tribulation was well known—its occurrence detectable to anyone within at least a hundred li.
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After hours of running through the forest like a madwoman, Bai Yue finally found a secure cave, abundant with spiritual energy and far enough from any living area. She nestled herself inside and sealed the entrance with a rock. Using formation flags and a formation plate she had brought along, she created low-level formations to conceal herself.
Then she turned her gaze to the demon-turned-girl. The girl was an exact copy of her—from her white hair to her pale skin, to her build.
Bai Yue felt an overwhelming sense of attraction toward the bear demon in human form. Yet another heavy weight pressed upon her. It had been her first battle, and she needed to replenish her lost energy. She sat down to meditate.
But as soon as she did, she found herself back in her inner world.
There, a girl rested upon a massive tree in the middle of the white void
"You're back," Bai Yue said to the slumped woman.
It was Bai Xing. After introducing Bai Yue to the cultivation world and teaching her the Ninefold Bloom Technique, Bai Xing had disappeared, leaving Bai Yue to her own devices.
"I see you are progressing well," Bai Xing said lazily.
"It's slower than expected, but we're getting through it."
"I enjoyed your battle. Now, all that remains is to finish the job."
"To finish the job? What do you mean?"
"Do I have to remind you? I thought you had already figured this out. Now that one of your soul fragments has been drawn to you through Law Resonance, you need to end it—so it can return to the whole. Otherwise, you risk it coming back to harm you, due to the nature of the Profound Nine Yin arts."
"But…"
"Didn't you say you would do anything for power? If you kill her, your cultivation will be greatly enhanced. Her demon core—though unstable—can be used as a base for your Foundation Pill."
The conversation ended abruptly. Bai Yue found herself back outside, facing the weakened demon girl, who breathed shallowly. She looked pitiful and frail, and Bai Yue couldn't help but sympathize—how could she not, when this was a part of herself? But if the girl recovered…
Bai Yue gripped her Moon Blade, aiming for her heart, ready to strike—but she hesitated for a moment, questioning whether she was doing the right thing.
Suddenly, the vision went black. A spectral form of the bear appeared, maw wide, ready to devour her. Terror surged through Bai Yue, and her hand finally moved.
The girl whimpered weakly before her body slumped to the ground.
Guilt overwhelmed Bai Yue—it felt as if she had killed a part of herself. But before she could dwell on it, the girl's body dissolved into white-blue specks that flowed swiftly into Bai Yue. She felt a wave of immense energy surge through her, her cultivation rising. Yet that wasn't all. Memories that didn't seem to be hers flooded her mind, and something in her chest hardened as another part of her body began to open.
It was one of the Seven Primeval Apertures. Legends said that if one could keep even a single aperture open, they could harness the Law Essence within it to form the Zifu: the Violet Palace. This would allow the transformation of Spirit Qi into True Spirit Qi in the dantian—this was the essence of foundation building.
Bai Yue entered meditation, consolidating the new memories, energy, and cultivation. Before she knew it, two years had passed in closed-door cultivation. Her strength had soared from Tier 9 to Tier 13. Once she felt her base stable, she made her way back to the village—only to find it gone, erased from existence.
At first, she wasn't sure she was in the right place, so she walked on until she reached a nearby town. There, she learned of the tragedy that had befallen the area: a powerful sect had razed the surrounding villages in search of the demon beast. Rage and guilt churned within her as memories of the Song family resurfaced. The six months she had spent with them had brought a rare kind of joy—but now they were gone.
A question Bai Xing had once asked her returned to her mind:
"Why do you cultivate?"
She pondered it, feeling the weight of it, yet found no answer. She decided to leave it for now.
Her mission was clear. She needed to join the Azure Cloud Sect, and the upcoming tournament would be her best chance.