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Dark night. A light. The sky ignited. The clouds exploded. Shattering. Screams came. The sect elder lay dead. Witnessed on the Golden Sword Peak.
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When Hua Qingqing finally reached the top, the first thing she noticed wasn't the view, it was the sun.
After walking through the cold shadow of the mountain, the sudden light was blinding. The golden rays burst across her vision, forcing her to raise a hand to shield her eyes. For a brief moment, she felt as though she had stepped into another world.
Long Tianyu arrived a few moments later. When he saw her standing there, sunlight glowing around her body like a halo, he froze. The wind brushed her hair across her cheek, and the rays painted her body in soft gold. A goddess. For that heartbeat, Long Tianyu forgot the air, the climb, even the world around him. He simply stared, his thoughts blank, his heart thudding louder than the wind.
The others arrived shortly after. They also covered their eyes against the light, blinking rapidly until the brightness softened and the world around them came into view.
And then, one by one, their breath caught for an entirely different reason.
Below them stretched a world they had never imagined. A sprawling range of mountains stood endlessly into the horizon, each one unique—some crowned with white snow, others carpeted in lush green forests. Veins of rivers glistened like gold under the sun, cutting through valleys that shimmered with mist. The peaks far away to them stood into the clouds like giant spears of stone.
Even the air felt different—clearer, purer, humming faintly with the rhythm of qi itself.
"This…" Hua Qingqing whispered. "It's beautiful."
They all stood in silence, their eyes wide. None of them had ever seen beyond their valley village. To see the world spread before them like this—it was overwhelming, humbling, and inspiring all at once.
Long Tianyu was the first to laugh. His voice rang out, clear and powerful, echoing off the cliffs. "Hahahaha! Yes! This—this is what cultivating should be! Getting stronger, exploring, seeing new horizons!"
His laughter was contagious. Soon, the others were grinning too—Chen Jie with his loud bark of a laugh, Lin Yue covering her mouth as she giggled, Nong Xuanfeng chuckling quietly with pride. Even Song Xue smiled faintly.
For a while, they just stood there, letting the sun warm their skin, the wind whip through their clothes, the vastness of the world soak into their hearts.
Then, almost naturally, something stirred among them.
It began with Hua Qingqing. She closed her eyes, the mountain breeze brushing against her face. The sunlight was warm, and she felt it seep through her skin into her body. Her qi responded instinctively, flowing faster, brighter.
The others felt it too. A pull—from the heavens, from the earth beneath them, from the sunlight dancing around their bodies.
Without a word, they all sat down, cross-legged on the rocky surface of the summit. The world went silent except for the wind and the steady rhythm of their breathing.
And then, it began.
The air above the mountain started to shimmer. Threads of golden light drifted from the sunlight itself, drawn to the children as if by magnetism. Their bodies glowed faintly, each surrounded by golden qi fluttering like ribbons in the wind.
Qi rushed into them, fierce and pure. The sunlight qi, refined by the altitude, entered their meridians with a force they had never felt before. It coursed through their bodies, filling every channel, pressing against the limits of what they could hold.
Long Tianyu's eyes snapped open, glowing faintly. "It's… happening," he murmured.
Their three spiritual cores—one in the stomach, one at the heart, and one between the brows—began to resonate. The qi circulated faster, spiraling through the meridians like rivers during a storm. The mountain itself seemed to respond—the wind roared, the air trembled, and clouds began to swirl above them in a slow, powerful spiral.
Down below, Song Ming noticed the strange phenomenon. He looked up, his old eyes narrowing. "The clouds… they're moving," he whispered. "In circles…"
A flicker of worry crossed his face, but then he smiled softly.
Back atop the mountain, the children were surrounded by light. Each of them felt their spiritual cores expand, glowing brighter with every breath. The three centers of qi—stomach, heart, and brow—aligned perfectly, connecting as one.
Their bodies trembled, the strain immense, but they held firm. The storm of qi around them reached a climax, swirling with golden light and heat.
Their auras stabilized, glowing brilliantly for a moment before dimming. One by one, they opened their eyes.
They had done it.
They had reached the Body Unification Stage.
The qi within them no longer felt foreign or wild—it was theirs. Their meridians pulsed with strength, their spiritual cores burned with power, and their connection to the world around them felt complete.
But the breakthrough didn't stop there.
The qi storm grew larger, covering a large part of the peak of the mountain.
The qi around them—now thick and heavy like mist—continued to pour in, drawn by the harmony of their spiritual cores. The dormant cores at the heart and brow flared to life, amplifying the flow of qi by immense degrees. Their bodies glowed like miniature suns, their energy radiating outward in shimmering waves.
Below, villagers gasped as the clouds above Shadowjade Mountain spun faster and faster, a golden vortex forming in the sky once again. This time much larger.
As suddenly as it began, it stopped.
And then—
BOOM!
A shockwave of qi rippled across the summit, shaking loose pebbles and sending a gust of warm wind sweeping down the slopes.
The light faded, the storm of energy dispersed, and silence returned to the mountain.
When the dust settled, the children sat in quiet awe. Their clothes fluttered softly in the gentle breeze, their skin faintly luminous. They could feel it—qi no longer escaped them like before. It stayed in their cores, flowing naturally through their bodies. Their cores amplified it, refined it, made it part of them. The Elementary Qi Stage.
They were cultivators now. True cultivators.
Lin Yue wiped a tear from her cheek. "We did it…" she whispered.
Long Tianyu smiled, still catching his breath. "We did." He looked around at each of them—their faces shining with pride, relief, and wonder. Then he grinned mischievously. "You know what? When we're strong enough, we have to bring Teacher up here."
Everyone blinked.
"Think about it," Long Tianyu continued, his eyes gleaming. "Imagine us flying down like immortals, picking him up, and carrying him to the top. Just to show him this view in person."
For a second, there was silence—then Nong Xuanfeng burst out laughing, his deep voice echoing. "Hahaha! That's a good one. I can see it now—Teacher clinging to your back, shouting for you to slow down!"
Even Song Xue giggled, shaking her head. "You're hopeless, brother Tianyu."
But she didn't say no.
The others laughed too, and soon the summit was filled with warmth and joy once more.
They spent the rest of the day there, sitting on the mountain's edge, eating, talking, and cultivating under the endless sky. The view stretched forever, and for the first time, they truly felt like they belonged somewhere beyond the small confines of their home.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson, Long Tianyu stood. "Before we go," he said, "let's leave something behind."
He reached over his shoulder, unstrapping the bundle on his back. The Twinshadow Pulse Swords gleamed faintly as he drew one of the blades. He walked over to a large flat stone near the cliff and pressed the tip of the sword to its surface.
Fragments of stone flew as he began carving his name.
The others watched quietly, then one by one, they joined in. Using the sword, they etched their names into the mountain itself—Long Tianyu, Hua Qingqing, Lin Yue, Chen Jie, Nong Xuanfeng, Zang Liu, Wang Mei, Song Xue, Xiao Chi.
Nine names, standing as proof that they had been here.
When they finished, they stood together, gazing at their names. The sun dipped low, the breeze sweeping across the mountaintop, tugging at their hair and clothes.
None of them knew what their futures held—where they would go, what dangers awaited—but at that moment, standing side by side, they felt invincible.
Long Tianyu looked out toward the horizon, his eyes full of determination.
"Soon" he said softly, "we'll see what lies beyond those mountains."
The others nodded, silent.
The sun shone down on them, golden and warm.
High atop Shadowjade Mountain, nine young cultivators stood beneath the heavens—their journey only just beginning.
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End of volume 1 - Xincheng Village