Chapter One: Song Changsheng (Please Add to Favorites)

Cultivation Realm of Great Qi, Ling Prefecture.

Ling Prefecture was one of the nineteen provinces of Qi, located in the remote southwest, bordering the vast Ten Thousand Mountains.

Yet even so, Ling Prefecture spanned tens of thousands of miles, its expanse crossed by three major mountain ranges—Moonwatch, Phoenixwood, and Flowing Clouds.

The Song family was one of the six major Foundation Establishment clans in Ling Prefecture. The entire Moonwatch Mountain Range fell under their domain, encompassing seven counties and over six hundred thousand mortal clansmen.

The family’s ancestral grounds were situated atop Boundless Peak, a majestic mountain soaring over a thousand zhang high. With its breathtaking scenery, lush peaks ringed with spiritual energy, dense foliage, drifting mists, and the presence of rare beasts and wondrous flora, the place exuded an ethereal charm, resembling a celestial realm.

At this moment—

Upon a cliffside midway up Boundless Peak, a youth sat cross-legged facing the sun, hands forming seals, his blue robe adorned with silver moon-cloud patterns and a gourd hanging at his waist.

This youth was Song Changsheng. He stood seven feet tall, his features refined as sculpted jade, sword-like brows giving him an air of sharpness, and his thick black hair tied loosely by a silken ribbon. He was, by all accounts, handsome and striking.

He now sat with eyes closed, steady and composed, maintaining his internal unity. Each inhalation and exhalation was notably long, yet followed a subtle, profound rhythm.

Threads of solar essence flowed into his baihui point with each breath, coursing through the three yang meridians of the hands and feet, circulating before gathering in the lower dantian, where they condensed into a mass of gray-white mist.

At a certain moment, as if touching upon some mysterious threshold, the spiritual power rapidly coursing through his meridians surged violently at his dantian. A sturdy barrier shattered instantly, causing the youth to let out a muffled groan.

Song Changsheng immediately intensified the flow of his cultivation technique. Water and fire spiritual energies whirled beside him, gradually calming the turbulent aura.

“At last, I’ve broken through to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement.” Song Changsheng opened his eyes, exhaling a long, turbid breath, his heart brimming with delight.

“Congratulations, little brother. You’re one step closer to Foundation Establishment.” Just as Song Changsheng finished his cultivation, a joyful voice sounded behind him.

He didn’t need to look; the voice alone told him it was his eldest brother from the same branch, Song Changming.

Long ago, after the Song clan’s patriarch Song Taiyi slew a third-rank great demon and claimed the Moonwatch Mountains, he took many wives and concubines and decreed a ten-character sequence for the generations: “Taichu Conceals the Immortal Path, Changqing Blesses Jingming.”

Nearly five hundred years had passed since, and the clan now boasted nearly four hundred cultivators, six of them at Foundation Establishment. The eldest, bearing the ‘Immortal’ generation name, were few in number; the youngest, of the ‘Green’ generation, were mostly still children.

The ‘Path’ and ‘Chang’ generations formed the backbone of the clan, gradually taking the reins of power.

Looking back, Song Changsheng indeed saw a middle-aged man, somewhat aged, standing in the distance.

“No wonder I heard magpies singing this morning—turns out my big brother has come to visit. May I ask what brings you here today?” Song Changsheng rose and cupped his hands, smiling.

Song Changming gave a wry smile. “I confess, I do come asking a favor of you.”

“Brother, you’re too polite. You’ve helped me much on my cultivation path. If there’s anything within my power, just say the word.” Song Changsheng gestured for him to sit on a nearby stone bench, speaking earnestly.

“Alas, it’s like this. Ever since that battle ten years ago, our clan’s fortunes have declined, and many of our external holdings are short-staffed. The clan has assigned me to oversee a mining post—who knows how many years I’ll be gone. Before I leave, I’d like to ask you to craft a protective talisman for Xier.”

With a wave of his hand, a green jade pendant and a small pile of spirit stones—perhaps a dozen—appeared on the stone table before him.

“So that’s the reason. But Xier lives here on Boundless Peak, surely she’s safe. Why bother with such a trivial thing?” Song Changsheng was puzzled.

Song Changming was already sixty-three years old. Seeing no hope for Foundation Establishment, he had married a cultivator from another family and, a few years ago, fathered a daughter named Song Xi. The talisman was meant for her.

This was precisely what perplexed Song Changsheng. The protective charm, imbued with only a faint spiritual power, might ward off ordinary mortals at best. His young niece was safe within the main clan stronghold—what need was there for such a triviality?

Song Changming’s expression grew complicated. “Xier is turning six, soon to be tested for her spiritual roots. It’s fine if she has them, but if she doesn’t, clan rules dictate she’ll be sent to live in the mortal counties. I don’t know if I’ll ever return from my post, and if she’s left alone… I can’t help but worry. Please, help me.”

Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng fell silent. The clan’s rules were strict: all mortals lived in the counties, and only cultivators’ descendants could remain on Boundless Peak. But the divide between immortals and mortals was absolute. Those without spiritual roots would be sent away. How could anyone remain indifferent to their own flesh and blood? So Song Changming sought this talisman as some measure of assurance for his daughter.

Song Changsheng had never faced such circumstances and saw the talisman as unnecessary, but to Song Changming, it was a last safeguard he could leave his child.

“I understand, brother. I’ll do my utmost.” Song Changsheng swept up the jade pendant with a flick of his sleeve but pushed the spirit stones back.

“No, proper accounts even among brothers. This is your rightful payment.” Alarmed, Song Changming tried to push them back, but Song Changsheng stopped him.

“Brother, I’m still Xier’s elder. Let this charm be my gift to her. Once you’re out in the world, you’ll need every spirit stone. Keep them.”

Cultivators needed immense spiritual energy to advance, but the world’s laws were incomplete, and spiritual energy was chaotic, making absorption difficult except atop spiritual veins.

The higher the grade of the vein, the denser the energy and the faster one could cultivate.

Boundless Peak boasted Ling Prefecture’s only third-grade spiritual vein, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. Outside, however, one often found only first-grade veins—or none at all.

In such conditions, spirit stones became essential for progress. Their value was considerable, and for ordinary cultivators, a dozen was no small sum.

Song Changming was deeply moved. “Then I’ll thank you, brother.”

“No need for thanks. Won’t you stay for a drink with me?” Song Changsheng smiled, then unfastened the gourd at his waist.

“Hahaha! A fine brew from Sixth Aunt herself—I’ve been longing for it. Of course I can’t refuse.” Song Changming’s eyes lit up.

Song Changsheng smiled. His mother’s spirit wine was precious, and if not for his brother’s departure, he’d never part with it.

He produced two small cups, and the brothers drank together on the cliff until late morning, reluctantly parting ways.

Returning to his courtyard, reeking of wine, Song Changsheng’s mind remained unusually clear. He shut his door and sat quietly.

His awareness soon entered a state of utmost tranquility. In his sea of consciousness, a pristine jade slip floated silently.

Drawn by his spiritual force, the jade slip unfurled, revealing line after line of densely packed scripture.

Song Changsheng formed a hand seal, and as the alcohol in his body transformed into pure spiritual power, he began comprehending the scriptures within the jade slip.

This slip was a Daoist scripture known as the “Mystic Canon of Creation,” supremely profound.

In his previous life, he had been an orphan taken in by a Daoist temple on Blue Star, living with an old priest for twenty years. On his deathbed, the old priest gave him a blank jade slip.

The first time he opened it, he disturbed the mysteries of heaven. Nine bolts of heavenly thunder descended from the sky, striking him to ashes.

Fortunately, the jade slip protected his soul, carrying him through the void to the Ziyu Realm, where he was reborn into the Song family.

At first, his soul was muddled, indistinguishable from any ordinary child. Not until the great battle ten years prior—when, at six, he witnessed his father Song Luyan fall—did he awaken his past life’s memories. It was then he realized the jade slip had always been present in his mind.

He began to study its contents, finding them to be Daoist classics that reached to the very source of the Dao, each word brimming with supreme mysteries.

When he first drew spiritual energy into his body, he comprehended a method called “The Sutra of Profound Yin-Yang Radiance,” which allowed him to absorb solar and lunar essence and form primal energy in his dantian.

This primal energy was wondrous, able to harmonize the water and fire spiritual energies within him.

His dual water-fire spiritual roots were both his strength and his weakness: they allowed him to absorb energy faster than others, yet as water and fire conflicted, he had to expend great effort to keep them in balance.

This greatly slowed his progress, but since beginning to cultivate the “Profound Yin-Yang Sutra,” the issue was resolved.

Not only did it harmonize water and fire, but it also promoted their fusion, greatly accelerating his advancement—enabling him to reach the late stage of Qi Refinement by sixteen.

Yet, though the Daoist scripture was exquisite, comprehending it required spiritual power, which was why he always drank abundant spirit wine beforehand.

Time ticked by. Just as his spiritual energy was nearly depleted, the scripture suddenly shone with radiant light. The ancient characters for “water” and “fire” leapt off the page, bursting from his sea of consciousness and merging into his palms.

Song Changsheng opened his eyes. A flash of brilliance passed through them as he murmured, “Water and Fire Command?”

Looking at his palms, he saw the character for “water” appear on the left, “fire” on the right. A gentle urge of spiritual power, and the water and fire energies of heaven and earth began to roil. He sensed that, with a mere thought, these forces would obey his will.

“What a marvelous secret art—being able to command water and fire adds a powerful weapon to my arsenal,” Song Changsheng said, delighted.

“There’s definitely a pattern to this. I ponder the Daoist scripture often, but most times it’s fruitless, yielding only a slight increase in insight or spiritual strength. Yet, every time I break through a realm, I seem able to comprehend a new technique or secret art.”

“At my first spiritual awakening, I gained the ‘Profound Yin-Yang Sutra.’ Breaking through to mid-stage, I learned the ‘Breath Concealing Art.’ Now, upon reaching late stage, I’ve grasped this wondrous ‘Water and Fire Command.’”

“I wonder, when I reach Foundation Establishment, what supreme technique I’ll realize?” Song Changsheng felt a surge of anticipation.

After a brief rest, Song Changsheng took out the green jade pendant from his storage pouch and began refining the protective charm…