Chapter Twenty-One: A Century’s Return to Ruins, the Birth of a Wandering Soul

Since the day Jiang Xiaobai grasped the true essence of "cause and effect" and "protection," it felt as though several decades had drifted by in the Return-to-Ruins Cottage.

The valley remained unchanged, and time passed in silence. The spiritual fields that Jiang Xiuyuan had personally cultivated had long since transformed into a misty fairyland. The peach tree from their homeland had grown increasingly robust, its branches wreathed not merely in spiritual energy, but in a unique Daoist charm that blended the laws of this realm with the origin of Earth. When the peach blossoms bloomed, the falling petals were so vibrant that they could stir the tides of spiritual energy for a hundred miles around. The tea bushes were lush and verdant, each leaf vein seemingly imbued with the profound truths of heaven and earth; the tea brewed from them could cleanse the soul and clarify one’s intent.

Following her breakthrough, Jiang Xiaobai’s state of mind had become clearer than ever before. Over the decades, she had become obsessed with sword practice. Now, she sat cross-legged on the bluestone in front of the cave dwelling, a mundane iron sword resting across her knees, her eyes gently closed. Her presence was rounded and restrained, achieving a subtle harmony with the mountain breeze, the flora, the flowing water, and every inch of the soil.

Within the small world of the Return-to-Ruins Cottage, her swordsmanship had reached its zenith. She could understand the whispers of the wind, transforming them into the lightness of her sword moves; she could comprehend the tenacity of the stone, integrating it into the steadiness of her sword stance. Yet, her sword had never witnessed true blood and fire; it had never crossed blades with the elite sword cultivators of this realm, nor had it ever been used to protect anything other than her family. Her sword path possessed "logic," but lacked "events"; it had "bones," but lacked a "soul." This was a bottleneck born of comfort, a confusion stemming from "not knowing."

Similar to Jiang Xiaobai’s predicament, Jiang Xiuyuan had also encountered his own barrier.

After a hundred and fifty years of focused cultivation, relying on the vast sea of heritage and resources within the Penglai Immortal Palace, his cultivation base had already recovered and surpassed his peak on Earth. He had progressed rapidly, smoothly reaching the perfection of the Soul Formation stage. His soul and physical body, tempered by the pure spiritual energy of this realm, had attained an unimaginable level of strength.

However, when attempting to break through to the legendary "Dao Integration" stage, he was repeatedly thwarted.

To integrate with the Dao is to merge with the Great Dao of this world. Jiang Xiuyuan could clearly feel that his "Dao" originated from Earth and Penglai, bearing the imprint of another world. Whenever he attempted to fuse his Dao with the laws of this realm, a sense of alienation would arise, as if separated by an invisible, intangible veil. He could understand the laws of this realm and wield its spiritual energy, but he could not truly "become" a part of it.

He understood that this was because his perception of this world remained trapped in "books" and "theory." Through his studies over the last hundred and fifty years, he knew that in the East of the Eastern Region there was a Sword Sect, in the Western Desert a Buddhist Kingdom, in the Southern Border witchcraft and curses, and in the Northern Plains the Barbarian tribes, but he had never seen them with his own eyes. He knew of the rise and fall of this world over ten thousand years from ancient records, but he had never touched a brick from a city wall weathered by time.

The Return-to-Ruins Cottage was his home and his spiritual harbor, but a hundred and fifty years of settled life had also turned him into an "outsider." To integrate with the Dao of this world, one must first step into the dust of this world.

That afternoon, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the peach blossoms, casting mottled shadows. I watched Jiang Yiyi playing with a group of spiritual beasts under the flowering trees, then looked at Jiang Xiaobai, who sat as still as stone not far away, and felt a surge of deep emotion.

Jiang Yiyi’s talent lay in her affinity with all things; her Dao was one of "life" and "harmony." If confined only to the living creatures of this valley, her path would eventually become narrow. Jiang Xiaobai’s sword path had reached a bottleneck and required a wider world to be honed and verified. As for himself, he needed a long journey to measure, to witness, and to truly integrate his identity as a "stranger" into this vast land.

It was time.

"Yiyi, Xiaobai, come here for a moment." Jiang Xiuyuan’s gentle voice rang out.

His two daughters came to his side. A smile still lingered on Jiang Yiyi’s face from playing with the Moonlight Rabbit, while Jiang Xiaobai opened her eyes, her gaze clear and tinged with inquiry.

"Father, what is it?" Jiang Yiyi asked curiously.

I looked at my two daughters, who had grown into graceful young women, and said with a smile, "Father was thinking that we have lived in this valley for a hundred and fifty years."

He paused, his gaze becoming deep and distant. "The Return-to-Ruins Cottage is our home, our roots. But a home is a harbor, not a cage. Father wants to take you out to travel, to see the mountains and great rivers of this world, to see the swords of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Zen of the Little Thunder Sound Temple, and the literature of the Jixia Academy. Go and experience for yourselves what true cultivation is, and what the vast, bustling world of mortals is like."

His voice held a trace of nostalgia. "Just like when we were on Earth, when Father took Yiyi around the world, seeing the Sahara Desert and hearing the rain in the Amazon. Do you still remember those days, Yiyi?"

Jiang Yiyi’s eyes brightened instantly, as if stars were flickering within them. To her, the memories of Earth were a distant and warm fairy tale. She nodded vigorously. "I remember! Father even took me to see the aurora! I’ve always wanted to go out and play like that again!" She was filled with a child’s pure curiosity and longing for everything in the outside world, and the thought of embarking on an adventure like those in the stories made her leap with joy.

Jiang Xiuyuan’s gaze shifted to Jiang Xiaobai.

Jiang Xiaobai was silent for a moment, but a fiery light ignited in her eyes. She stood up, gripped her sword tightly, and spoke in a voice that was quiet yet incredibly firm, "Father, I want to see what true masters of the sword path are like." Her eyes held undisguised fighting spirit and longing. The frustration of her bottleneck made her crave a breakthrough more than anyone.

Seeing my daughters' reactions, I smiled with satisfaction.

"Good. Then we shall prepare and embark on a 'journey through the cultivation world'."

Once the decision was made, action followed swiftly.

I first sent out a message through the secret channel established with Old Daoist Chen. I did not specify how long we would be gone, only stating that I would be traveling and my return date was uncertain. I suspended the supply of Peach Blossom Brew and medicinal pills, but maintained our cooperative relationship with the Hundred Herb Valley regarding medicinal herbs, requesting that they store any rare herbs on my behalf.

The leaders of the Hundred Herb Valley, though regretful, could only respectfully agree and promised to continue honoring the agreement.

Next, I began to reconfigure the protective array of the Return-to-Ruins Cottage. Instead of choosing a more powerful offensive array, I combined a top-tier concealment illusion array from the Penglai heritage with a spiritual gathering array.

Once the array was activated, the entire valley would effectively "disappear" from external perception, becoming nothing more than ordinary, rugged mountains. Even if a powerful cultivator passed by and scanned with their divine sense, they would only feel that the spiritual energy here was mediocre and would never discover the hidden paradise within. At the same time, the array would maintain the abundance of spiritual energy in the valley, ensuring that the peach trees, tea bushes, and Jiang Yiyi’s spiritual beast friends remained safe and sound.

Jiang Yiyi was responsible for saying goodbye to her "beast pet paradise." She gathered all the spiritual beasts and, in her own unique way, told them that she was going on a long journey. She entrusted the treasure-hunting rat king, who had the highest cultivation level—already at the Golden Core stage—to act as the "head steward," tasked the wind-listening birds, who excelled in flight, with "patrolling," and instructed the Moonlight Rabbits to continue tending to the common spiritual herbs... Though the little animals were reluctant, they obediently accepted the arrangements, expressing their loyalty and protection in various ways.

Everything was ready. On a night filled with starlight, I stood in front of the cave dwelling and took one last look at the home I had built with my own hands and lived in for a hundred and fifty years. I waved my hand, and the protective array started silently. The pavilions, terraces, and spiritual fields before my eyes were instantly shrouded in a thin mist, then merged with the surrounding mountain scenery, leaving no trace behind.

"Let’s go."

I took the hands of my two daughters, and the family of three, like the most ordinary travelers in the night, quietly walked out of the valley and into the vast darkness.

The Return-to-Ruins was behind us, and the vast world lay ahead.