Lu Mao was crying before he even knew he was dreaming.
In the darkness of his unconscious mind, the world was silent, vast and endless like a night sky without stars. Yet in that silence, a figure appeared as she always did — slowly, gently, as if stepping through water instead of air.
A woman.
Beautiful in a way that did not feel entirely human. Her skin seemed to glow faintly, smooth and pale like jade under moonlight, and her long pitch-black hair fell down her back like a river of ink. Jewels decorated her hair and forehead, faint lights flickering within them like trapped stars. Her eyes were gentle, but ancient, filled with something Lu Mao could never understand.
She looked at him the same way every time — with warmth, with pride, and with sadness.
Then she spoke the same words she had spoken since he was a child.
"You carry the spark of the light, my son. A spark even the heavens might one day fear."
Her voice echoed softly, like bells ringing somewhere far away.
This time, however, she looked clearer than ever before. Her face did not blur. Her eyes did not fade quickly. She smiled at him, and for a moment Lu Mao felt as if he should reach out, as if he should say something, ask something, stop her from leaving again.
But as always, she only smiled.
And then she began to fade.
Lu Mao tried to speak, but no sound came out. The dream dissolved into darkness again, and as it did, tears slipped from the corners of his closed eyes in the real world, soaking into the pillow beneath his head.
He did not know why he cried when he saw her.
He did not know who she was.
But every time she disappeared, his heart felt unbearably heavy.
As if he had lost someone important.
Again.
⸻
When Lu Mao opened his eyes, the world was bright and crowded.
Two faces were very close to him.
One on his left.
One on his right.
For a moment, his mind was still half in the dream, and he simply stared, confused, until his vision cleared.
Li Xian stood on one side of his bed, silver hair flowing down her back like liquid moonlight, her expression calm but her eyes sharp and observant. On the other side stood Yan Mei, her dark hair tied loosely, her eyes filled with worry that she clearly hadn't bothered to hide.
Behind them stood the others — Bao Fu, Chen Yuan, and Marco — all gathered in his room.
Bao Fu was muttering something under his breath with an annoyed expression. Chen Yuan stood with his usual composed posture, arms folded. Marco stood slightly apart, jaw tight, eyes narrowed as if he had been expecting bad news.
Lu Mao blinked slowly.
Then he realized everyone was staring at him.
Li Xian exhaled quietly in relief when she saw his eyes fully open. Yan Mei leaned forward slightly, her voice urgent.
"Are you okay?"
Before Lu Mao could answer, Bao Fu spoke loudly from behind them.
"Who cries after waking up? Honestly, Brother Lu Mao, you scared us half to death and now we find you crying in your sleep. Very heroic."
Despite his words, there was clear relief in his voice.
Chen Yuan spoke next, his tone calm but serious. "We heard a scream. Loud enough to wake half the courtyard. We rushed here immediately."
Marco crossed his arms and snorted. "I thought you failed your circulation and went into Qi deviation."
Yan Mei nodded slightly. "We were all worried. What happened?"
Lu Mao slowly sat up, wiping the last trace of tears from his face before anyone could comment on them again. His body still felt weak, his meridians sore, but inside he could feel something new — something smoother, more complete.
He had succeeded.
He looked at them and spoke calmly. "Nothing serious. I was pushing through the Eight Gate Circulation technique to complete my Qi circulation. It was difficult, but I succeeded."
There was a moment of silence.
Then Li Xian stood up straight, her expression returning to its usual cold composure. Her silver hair moved gently as she turned slightly away from the bed.
"Being enthusiastic and taking risks is acceptable," she said calmly. "But placing your life on the line after you have already achieved your goal is foolishness. I will not have you putting yourself in danger unnecessarily. Not under my supervision. Understand?"
Her voice was not loud, but it carried authority.
Lu Mao immediately nodded. "Yes, Senior Sister. I'm sorry I worried you."
She paused for a moment, then simply said, "Good."
And then she left the room with her usual graceful steps.
Yan Mei immediately grabbed Lu Mao's shoulder after Li Xian left.
"Are you crazy?" she said. "Why would you push yourself like that? We were all worried."
Lu Mao looked at her, then at the others standing behind her. He could see it clearly now — concern, frustration, curiosity, and something else.
Competition.
He leaned back slightly and spoke calmly, but his voice carried a quiet intensity.
"Worrying is useless once we've chosen the path of a cultivator. If not today, then tomorrow, we will all face death one way or another. If we don't train now, we will die later. I don't want to fall behind."
He looked at each of them slowly.
"I will surpass everyone here. Even all of you. So you'd better work hard too. I plan to survive and keep getting stronger."
The room fell silent again.
But this silence was different.
It was not worry anymore.
It was fire.
Marco was the first to react. He smirked, unfolding his arms and stretching his shoulders as if preparing for a fight already.
"And here I was thinking I had lost some competition," he said. "I'd like to see how well you do after we all enter Spirit Accession. I'll be looking forward to defeating you."
He walked out after saying that, clearly motivated.
Bao Fu laughed and pointed at Lu Mao. "Brother Lu Mao, you are a clever guy. I know what you are doing — trying to provoke everyone so we all train harder. But I accept this challenge. If we fight, I will definitely defeat you."
Chen Yuan adjusted his sleeves and spoke calmly. "Soon there will be a Clash of Factions event. All new disciples who enter Spirit Accession will battle each other. Everyone is working hard to reach that stage just to participate. With your speed, you might make it in time. I would like to show you the difference between us."
Then Yan Mei spoke last.
She had been silent until now, but when she turned toward the door, Lu Mao noticed something different about her. Her usually calm eyes now held a faint arrogance, and a subtle crimson aura flickered around her body.
She stopped at the doorway and looked back at him.
"Don't speak for the heavens when you haven't defeated me yet," she said calmly. "Looks like you had a good dream while lying there."
She paused, then smirked slightly.
"Looks like I need to thrash you again to put some sense into you. Then you'll remember that you won't surpass me so easily."
For a brief moment, her eyes flashed gold.
Lu Mao had never seen that before.
Then she left.
One by one, Chen Yuan and Bao Fu also left his quarters, waving casually as they went.
But Lu Mao understood something clearly now.
Everyone had accepted his challenge.
And everyone was smiling when they left.
⸻
Outside, near a large stone column not far from Lu Mao's quarters, Li Xian stood silently, looking toward the building. She had not actually left the area.
She sensed someone approaching before she heard his footsteps.
A large figure stopped beside her — Master Wu Sheng, carrying his usual bottle gourd.
He looked toward Lu Mao's quarters and chuckled slightly. "Looks like the kid knows how to motivate his comrades."
Li Xian nodded slightly without turning. "Sometimes I see a reflection of Big Brother Wu Tian in him. Even in the Sovereign Aerie, I noticed it. He has the potential to become a leader."
Wu Sheng's expression changed slightly at the mention of that name. He looked up at the sky, and for a moment there was grief in his eyes.
"Do you believe," he asked quietly, "that he was the one who killed Sky Elder with the others?"
Li Xian's expression became cold. "I do not believe rumors. I believe he was trapped in a conspiracy and murdered. And I don't think only outsiders were involved. I believe someone within our own guild was part of it."
Wu Sheng's hands tightened slightly.
"To defeat Wu Tian would not be easy," Li Xian continued. "If he was killed, it was planned by someone very high up. And I think I am getting closer to finding out who."
Wu Sheng's muscles tensed, his robes tightening around his arms as killing intent leaked into the air for a brief moment.
"If what you find turns out to be true," he said slowly, "I swear on my family line, I will tear that person apart with my bare hands. Even if I have to split this guild in two."
The air grew heavy around them, then slowly returned to normal as he calmed down.
He took a large sip from his bottle gourd and began walking away.
"I like these kids," he said. "Train them well."
⸻
That night, Lu Mao walked alone toward the hot springs.
The Black Dragon faction was quiet at night, almost eerily so. The gates remained closed, the training grounds empty, and only the faint sound of wind moving through broken courtyards could be heard. The faction had once been powerful — that much was obvious everywhere he looked — but now it felt like walking through the ruins of a forgotten kingdom.
Stone paths were cracked and uneven, weeds growing between them. Gardens that were once carefully maintained were now wild and overgrown, herbs and vines crawling over broken statues and fallen pillars. Empty pavilions stood in silence, their wooden beams darkened by time and weather.
Moonlight fell across everything like a thin silver veil.
Lu Mao walked slowly, hands behind his back, breathing in the cool night air. His body still ached from forcing the Eight Gate circulation earlier, and the dried blood on his clothes made him uncomfortable. A hot bath was exactly what he needed.
He followed a narrow stone path that curved behind a cluster of old trees and reached the hot spring area. Steam rose gently into the night air, glowing faintly under the moonlight.
He looked around.
No one.
The surface of the water was calm and perfectly still, reflecting the moon like a mirror.
Lu Mao nodded to himself and removed his clothes, placing them neatly on a flat rock. He stepped into the water slowly, letting out a quiet sigh as the warmth spread through his muscles. The tension in his body began to melt away almost immediately.
He walked deeper into the spring until the water reached his waist, then stopped and tilted his head back slightly, closing his eyes.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
Then the water in front of him suddenly exploded upward.
A figure rose from beneath the surface like a volcano erupting, sending water splashing everywhere.
Startled, Lu Mao stepped back too quickly, slipped on the smooth stone beneath the water, and fell backward with a splash.
He pushed himself up immediately and looked forward—
Then he froze.
Crimson hair glowed faintly under the moonlight, drifting on the surface of the water like burning silk. Water droplets slid down pale skin that shimmered in the silver light. Golden eyes looked toward him, bright and sharp, like the eyes of a wild beast in the dark.
Yan Mei.
But not the Yan Mei he was used to seeing.
She looked… different.
Her aura was stronger, wilder, barely contained. Her hair, usually dark, was now a deep glowing crimson. Her eyes, normally calm and observant, were now bright gold, almost predatory. Even the air around her seemed to crackle faintly, as if lightning was trapped beneath her skin.
For a moment, Lu Mao simply stared.
She looked like a goddess standing in a moonlit lake.
Or a spirit of thunder.
He forgot where he was.
He forgot he was standing half naked in a hot spring.
Then Yan Mei finally realized someone was in front of her.
Their eyes met.
Her expression went from calm… to shock… to absolute panic in less than a second.
She screamed, and her aura exploded outward instinctively.
A shockwave burst across the water and slammed into Lu Mao before he could react, sending him flying out of the hot spring and crashing onto the stone ground outside.
Water splashed everywhere.
Lu Mao groaned and immediately grabbed the nearest cloth, wrapping it around his waist as fast as possible.
"Yan Mei?!" he shouted. "Is that you?!"
From inside the hot spring came her extremely embarrassed voice.
"Yes! Why are you here?!"
"How would I know you were here?!"
"Nobody uses the hot spring at night! I warned everyone and even made a sign on a rock!"
Lu Mao looked around, confused, until she pointed from inside the water.
He walked over and looked closely at a nearby rock.
There was indeed a small faded cross scratched into it.
It was so thin and worn that it looked like a random scratch unless you were specifically looking for it.
Lu Mao stared at it for a few seconds.
"…You never told me," he said.
"I was embarrassed to tell you!" she shouted back immediately.
Lu Mao rubbed his forehead. He didn't even know how to respond to that.
He turned slightly, preparing to leave.
"Alright… I'll go. You can finish bathing."
He took a few steps away, but then her voice stopped him.
"…Wait."
He paused and turned slightly.
There was a brief silence, broken only by the sound of steam and gently moving water.
Then she spoke again, quieter this time.
"You can come back. I know you have questions… about how I look right now. I should explain."
Lu Mao hesitated.
He really did have questions. Her aura alone felt completely different from usual, stronger and more unstable. And those golden eyes… he had never seen them before.
After a moment, he walked back slowly, keeping his towel tightly secured, and stepped back into the water, but this time he stayed near the edge while she remained deeper where the water covered most of her body.
Only her shoulders and neck were visible above the water.
Her crimson hair floated around her like strands of fire.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
Lu Mao could hear her breathing — slightly faster than usual.
She was nervous.
That surprised him more than anything.
Yan Mei was almost always calm and composed, even during fights. Seeing her nervous felt strange.
Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke.
"I inherited this from my mother," she said quietly. "It runs in our bloodline. I come from the Vermilion Lightning Bloodline."
Lu Mao blinked. "Vermilion Lightning Bloodline?"
She nodded slowly, her golden eyes reflecting the moonlight.
"Long before the current cultivation era, during the Age of Storm Sovereigns, there was a woman known as the Thunder Goddess. She wasn't called a goddess because she was divine, but because no cultivator alive could stand against her lightning."
Her voice was calm, but there was pride hidden in it.
"When she fought, storms formed without clouds. Thunder roared without rain. Lightning moved through the sky like serpents obeying her commands. Entire battlefields would turn into oceans of lightning."
Lu Mao listened quietly, completely focused.
"Her descendants inherited her bloodline," Yan Mei continued. "The Vermilion Thunder Physique. My mother inherited it. And so did I."
She looked down at the water for a moment before continuing.
"A few nights every month, the bloodline energy becomes unstable. My hair turns crimson, my eyes turn gold, and my aura becomes harder to control. That's why I bathe at night when no one is around."
She looked back at him slowly.
"Do I look… strange to you?"
Lu Mao looked at her properly this time.
Crimson hair.
Golden eyes.
Moonlight on water.
Steam rising around her like mist.
She didn't look strange.
She looked breathtaking.
He looked away quickly, suddenly feeling very aware of the fact that they were both in a hot spring at night, alone.
"…You don't look strange," he said awkwardly. "…You actually look more stunning."
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then Yan Mei's face turned bright red.
Her aura flared wildly again from embarrassment, and before Lu Mao could react—
BOOM.
Another shockwave blasted him out of the hot spring for the second time that night.
He landed on the stone ground again, staring at the sky.
After a few seconds, he started laughing.
From inside the hot spring, Yan Mei shouted, "Stop coming here at night!"
Lu Mao laughed again and stood up, picking up his clothes.
"Then warn me properly next time," he replied before walking away.
Behind him, hidden in the steam and moonlight, Yan Mei slowly sank deeper into the water until only her eyes were visible above the surface.
Her golden eyes followed him until he disappeared down the path.
She touched the water lightly with her fingers, small ripples spreading across the surface.
"…More stunning, he says…"
Her face turned red again.
And the water around her crackled faintly with tiny sparks of lightning.
⸻
The next morning, Lu Mao sat cross-legged in his room, trying to cultivate.
Soft morning light filtered through the wooden window, falling across the floor in pale golden streaks. The room was quiet, almost too quiet, broken only by the faint rhythm of his breathing.
He closed his eyes and began circulating his Qi.
But it did not flow smoothly.
It stuttered.
It wavered.
His thoughts were not still.
Again and again, his mind returned to the same image—
Moonlight.
Water.
Crimson hair drifting like fire.
Golden eyes watching him.
Yan Mei.
His breath lost rhythm for a moment. The Qi in his meridians trembled, turning uneven as it passed through the gates.
He frowned slightly and tried again.
Slower this time.
But the distraction remained.
He exhaled quietly.
Then—
A voice.
Ancient.
Calm.
Heavy.
"Desire… is not weakness."
Lu Mao's eyes opened instantly.
"But to be ruled by desire… is."
He straightened his back unconsciously.
"Elder… it's you. I can hear your voice again."
Silence followed.
Then the voice returned, slower this time, each word deliberate.
"Your breath… is broken."
"Your mind… is loud."
"Your Qi… follows your thoughts."
"And your thoughts… are scattered."
Lu Mao lowered his gaze slightly, listening carefully.
"Control the heart… before you seek to control the heavens."
The words sank deep.
"Do not force the flow."
"A forced river… destroys its own path."
"A guided river… reaches the sea."
Lu Mao closed his eyes again immediately.
This time, he did not push.
He guided.
His breathing slowed… steadied…
The Qi began to move again.
First gate.
Second.
Third.
Not fast.
But smooth.
Like water flowing through a narrow channel.
His thoughts gradually quieted.
The image of Yan Mei faded into the background.
His breath aligned.
His Qi followed.
Silence returned within him.
After a while, the voice spoke again.
"You learn… quickly."
Lu Mao did not open his eyes this time.
"Master… how can I hear you now?"
A pause.
Then—
"Your Qi… has reached me."
"My voice… was always there."
"You simply… could not listen."
Lu Mao absorbed that slowly.
Then he asked, careful, respectful—
"How should I address you, Master?"
The answer came without hesitation.
"I am… Mo Tianze."
A slight pause.
"One who once stood… above kings."
"One who once walked… among emperors."
"Names fade."
"Time buries all."
"You may call me… Senior Mo."
Lu Mao's heart tightened slightly.
"Senior Mo… you said Seven Realms. What are—"
The moment the question left his mind—
The world distorted.
A sharp ringing filled his ears.
The air grew heavy.
His Qi trembled violently.
Senior Mo began—
"Realms… beyond—"
Pain struck instantly.
Lu Mao clutched his head.
"Stop!"
Everything ceased.
Silence returned just as suddenly.
After a moment, the voice spoke again, quieter.
"…Not yet."
"You are not ready… to hear such things."
"Some truths… are heavier than strength."
"Some knowledge… breaks the unprepared."
Lu Mao took a slow breath, recovering.
Senior Mo continued.
"Grow stronger."
"The answers… will come."
"When you can bear them."
Lu Mao nodded slightly.
"I understand…"
Then the voice shifted, turning firm.
"Listen."
"Do not speak of me… to anyone."
"Not friend."
"Not master."
"Not soul."
"I do not belong… to this world."
"I am… a remnant."
"A distortion."
"If I am seen… by the wrong eyes…"
A brief pause.
"…I will cease to exist."
Lu Mao's expression hardened.
"I understand, Senior Mo. I won't tell anyone."
Silence.
Then, quietly—
"Senior Mo… guide me in cultivation."
This time, the pause was longer.
When the voice returned, it felt distant.
Ancient.
As if looking at him from across ages.
"Child…"
"You see yourself as behind."
"Because you measure… what is in front of you."
"A narrow view… breeds small thoughts."
Lu Mao listened, unmoving.
"You do not walk… their path."
"You were never meant to."
A pause.
Then—
"You come from a lineage… not of low standing."
"A lineage… before which worlds have bowed."
"You carry a legacy… not given lightly."
"Not inherited by chance."
Lu Mao's heart began to beat faster.
"It is not power… yet."
"It is a seed."
"A door."
"A trial."
"You must grow… to claim it."
Silence filled the room.
Then—
"For now… you feel behind."
"That is fine."
"A blade… is not forged in a moment."
"Nor is a mountain… raised in a day."
Another pause.
Then the final words—
"Walk your path."
"Grow steadily."
"And you will rise…"
"Above all."
The voice faded.
The room returned to stillness.
Lu Mao slowly opened his eyes.
The sunlight had shifted across the floor.
Time had passed.
He sat there quietly for a moment, feeling the calm flow of Qi within his body.
Then he exhaled.
For the first time—
His mind was truly steady.