Several months passed since Xiao Hua accepted Yan Xiaoyun as his disciple. During this time, his focus remained on teaching her the spear, passing down to her three profound techniques that nurtured both her form and intent.
He had yet to grant her the fire seed of the Nine Primordial Heavenly Flames or the spark of the Nine Heavenly Lightnings. Nor did he bestow upon her any Qi Method that would assist her cultivation. For now, his sole aim was to guide Yan Xiaoyun in sharpening her spear intent until it grew strong enough to give birth to a spirit.
As Lady Azure once explained, the path of weapon intent followed three stages of progression.
The first was the Heart Stage, also known as Intent Awakening. At this level, the cultivator fuses their heart with their weapon, birthing the first stirrings of intent. Every strike embodies their emotions—be it determination, anger, serenity, or unwavering resolve.
The second was the Spirit Stage, or Intent Resonance. Here, the weapon intent harmonizes with the cultivator's spirit, no longer a mere tool but a living extension of their soul. Each thrust carried resonance—spear shadows became blazing fire, roaring wind, or piercing lightning. Illusions turned real, and within the clash, a spirit beast or totem faintly revealed itself, born from the depths of intent.
Furthermore, at this stage one will understands the spear is not bound to shaft and steel—it can be any medium. Dou Qi, wind, light, or even a sound can take the spear's form. The spear is a principle, not a thing.
The third was the Dao Stage, or Intent Revelation. At this height, weapon intent aligned with the laws of Heaven and Earth themselves. Flames, thunder, rivers, and stars bent to the wielder's strike, manifesting not merely power but the true path the cultivator had carved for their chosen weapon.
One evening, atop the quiet lake within his realm, Xiao Hua stood with hands behind his back, watching Yan Xiaoyun's spear dance.
From the tip of Yan Xiaoyun's spear, a faint silhouette began to stir within the misty air—a form vague and shifting, like a bird glimpsed through clouds. It was not yet whole, not yet defined, yet it pulsed faintly with life.
Xiao Hua's gaze lingered, his expression calm yet approving. "You stand at the threshold of the Spirit Stage," he said slowly. "Your heart has already merged with your spear—that is why intent now stirs to form a shape. But it is still incomplete, for your spirit and path have yet to fully converge."
His spear shifted slightly in his hand. In that instant, sharp intent unfurled like an unseen tide. An azure dragon surged forth from his strike, majestic and overwhelming, its roar echoing faintly across the lake.
"This," Xiao Hua continued, his tone steady, "is the Spirit Stage brought to maturity, bordering upon the Dao Stage. At this level, intent no longer flickers like a shadow. It takes form, gains weight, and resonates with Heaven and Earth. For me, the spear manifests as a dragon—unyielding, dignified, boundless. It is not merely my weapon's spirit, but also my path."
He lowered his spear, his sharp aura dissipating, though his voice carried the weight of guidance.
"Xiaoyun, your intent already bears life, faint though it may be. Do not rush. Nurture it with patience, temper it through trials. One day, that hazy silhouette will take shape—clear, proud, and unshakable. When that day comes, your spear will no longer be just your weapon, but your voice."
For a brief moment, his heterochromatic eyes narrowed, catching the subtle lines hidden within the blurred outline at her spear's tip. Graceful yet unyielding, the faint impression of wings stretched outward, refusing to bow, as if yearning to rise above trials and flames alike.
'Like a phoenix…' he thought silently, though he chose not to voice it. A spirit born of grace and perseverance, destined to soar through calamity without yielding.
Yan Xiaoyun's fingers tightened ever so slightly around her spear shaft. The faint silhouette still wavered at its tip, fragile compared to the dragon that had roared forth from her master's strike. Yet instead of discouragement, a quiet fire flickered in her chest.
She bowed her head, voice calm and steady, without hesitation. "Disciple understands."
Lifting her eyes again, there was no trace of envy or complaint—only firm resolve. Though the gap between them seemed vast as heaven and earth, she did not shrink from it. Rather, she felt her heart steady, as if that blurry bird at her spear's tip had taken root within her soul.
One day, she vowed, it would spread its wings and soar beside the dragon.
Xiao Hua's gaze lingered on Yan Xiaoyun, his sharp eyes catching the faint currents of Dou Qi seeping uncontrollably from her body. Such a sign was exceedingly rare for one who had already passed the second trial.
There could only be one explanation—she stood on the brink of a breakthrough into a major realm.
After completing the first trial, Yan Xiaoyun had stepped into the high ranks of Dou Huang. The second trial had tempered and stabilized her foundation. Thus, it was only natural that within several months she would reach the peak of Dou Huang and now face the threshold of advancement.
"Your aura is growing unstable," Xiao Hua said calmly, though pride flickered faintly in his eyes. "It surges higher with each breath, alternating between strong and weak. The Dou Qi within you leaks out in waves. From the looks of it, you can no longer suppress it—your breakthrough is upon you."
He allowed a small smile to touch his lips. "There is no need for hesitation. Take your retreat here. None will disturb you."
"I understand, Teacher."
Yan Xiaoyun drew in a deep breath, her expression firm. She sat down cross-legged, eyes closing, her breathing gradually evening out as she surrendered to the pull of her breakthrough.
Until now, her focus had been consumed by spear intent; cultivation itself she had set aside. Now, at last, both paths converged.
Xiao Hua nodded once, the faint smile still tugging at his lips, before his gaze shifted toward the little girl played joyfully with five-colored flames and four-colored lightning, their light dancing around her small figure. Beside her, watching with gentle affection, stood a fairy-like beauty whose presence alone could topple nations.
Though faint and weak, the aura of the flames and lightnings did not escape Xiao Hua's eyes. They were of the same origin as the nine Primordial Heavenly Flames and nine Heavenly Lightnings he himself possessed.
"Quite unexpected…" Lady Azure's voice stirred within his mind, cool yet tinged with intrigue. Her perception lingered on Xiao Yuyan, though she refrained from manifesting her figure—unwilling to reveal herself before Yan Xiaoyun, Xiao Hua's disciple.
"Your daughter has actually inherited them by bloodline alone…"
Xiao Hua's eyes softened as he watched the nine-colored flame flicker in his daughter's small hands. A faint sigh escaped him. "At least she does not have to endure the agony I once bore. For my daughter—and for any children yet to come—I would rather they never taste such pain."
"With such a tyrannical bloodline, I believe they will," Lady Azure replied quietly, a sigh hidden beneath her even tone. "Only, in what shape and form, none can say until they grow. The harsher the gift, the harsher the trials it invites. Heaven always demands its due."
She did not intend to dampen his mood, but truth could not be avoided. In her heart she knew—those born with such overwhelming inheritances would one day be tested, whether by lightning tribulation or calamities yet unseen.
Whether they will be struck by the Lightning Tribulation or something else, this is something they can only knew during their growth and not now…
"Even so…" Xiao Hua's lips curved into a faint, bitter smile, his eyes still fixed upon the child's gentle laughter. "It is enough that it does not occur while they are still children. For now, that much is a fortune I will guard with all I have."
"Anyway, you must absorb the remaining Primordial Heavenly Flames if you wish to unlock the second level. Do not forget this, child…"
Lady Azure shifted the subject, knowing Xiao Hua had grown sentimental, weighed by concern for his daughter's future.
Xiao Hua nodded faintly at her reminder, a small smile lingering on his lips. Just then, the air before him rippled with spatial fluctuations. Shaking his head helplessly, he stretched out his hands, already knowing who would come.
In the next instant, Xiao Yuyan tumbled out from the ripple, landing neatly into his embrace. Her bright eyes darted left and right before settling on him. The moment they did, she broke into innocent laughter, her childish joy filling the air.
"Have you completed the task your mother gave you?" Xiao Hua asked softly, pinching her tender cheek with gentle affection.
"I have!" Xiao Yuyan nodded eagerly and pulled out a delicate silk fan, embroidered with falling blossoms and phoenixes soaring amidst drifting clouds.
"Sister Xiaoyun taught me how to make the phoenixes and clouds!" she said with pride, laughter spilling out in her sweet, lively tone.
"Hehe… it seems Xiaoyun has quite a gift for teaching." Xiao Hua chuckled warmly, gratified by the closeness between his disciple and his daughter.
He still recalled Yan Xiaoyun's stunned expression the day she first learned he had a daughter who appeared to be five years old. Though the truth of his bloodline was difficult for her to accept, she eventually did so, albeit with no small amount of disbelief.
Since then, whenever she took respite from cultivation or training, she would spend her time with Xiao Yuyan, cherishing her like an affectionate elder sister.
Even so, Xiao Hua was inwardly startled. For Xiao Yuyan to already display such elegant mastery in her embroidery—stitching phoenixes, drifting clouds, and falling blossoms into a single piece—was beyond what he expected. His disciple had only begun teaching her two months ago, yet she had already reached this level.
As Xiao Hua was lost in thought, he noticed Xiao Yuyan shyly holding out the silk fan toward him, her head lowered, silently seeking his approval. Gently setting her down upon the lake's surface, he reached out to rub her small head.
"It is beautiful, Yuyan. I will keep this embroidered fan at my side forever." His voice carried warmth as he praised her work.
Her face blossomed with joy at his praise. Laughing in delight, Yuyan summoned five-colored flames and four-colored lightnings, weaving them into dazzling forms—divine beasts, flowers, and birds—dancing vividly across the river's surface. Every movement was controlled and deliberate; though playful, she remained careful, aware that Sister Xiaoyun was in the midst of a critical breakthrough.
"Yuyan is a good child…"
As Xiao Hua lowered his daughter and let her play, an elegant voice drifted beside him. The words carried warmth, yet they made him smile somewhat dryly.
"Even I find this situation unexpected…" Turning, Xiao Hua's gaze softened as he looked apologetically at Xun Er, who had quietly remained after leaving her seclusion and arrive here.
"Don't worry, I am not upset." Xun Er giggled softly, her laughter as gentle as falling jade beads. She reassured him, then added in a quieter tone, "After spending time with Yuyan, I only began to yearn for a child of our own. It leaves me… slightly dispirited about my condition."
Though she had advanced to the peak of Dou Zun, her ancient bloodline had yet to stabilize. Until she reached Dou Sheng, bearing a child would endanger both her and the infant. Thus, she could not help but feel a faint pang of sorrow when faced with the sight of Xiao Hua's daughter.
"Then we will make it happen once you step into Dou Sheng," Xiao Hua said firmly, his eyes glinting with seriousness before suddenly narrowing. "But when the time comes, you must give me little Xun Er—not little Xiao Hua."
Xun Er blinked, stunned, before laughter spilled from her lips. "And what if I wish for little Xiao Hua? Or what if fate grants me only little Xiao Hua?"
"Then we shall continue until we have both." Xiao Hua's voice grew low, carrying a strange heat. His hand moved with lightning swiftness, sliding around her slender waist and drawing her close, making her let out a startled yelp.
Her cheeks flushed as she shot him a faint glare, but her resistance melted quickly. Leaning against his shoulder, she allowed herself to rest in his warmth. Together they watched Yuyan playing under the silvery moonlight, her sweet laughter rising above the cold night breeze—a simple yet fleeting moment of tenderness amid the vast paths of cultivation.
While watching, Xiao Hua's heart was filled with astonishment. Xiao Yuyan's control over flame and lightning had already reached a level of elegance far beyond her age. Even the embroidery in her hands left him speechless—only two months ago, Yan Xiaoyun had taught her the basics, yet she could already weave phoenixes, drifting clouds, and falling blossoms into a single harmonious pattern.
"Her dexterity is extraordinary, whether in the arts or in the control of flame and lightning," Lady Azure's calm voice resonated within his spiritual sea. Even she found herself marveling at the child's natural talent. "At this pace, her control will soon rival that of fifth-tier alchemists."
Xiao Hua nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on the laughing Xiao Yuyan. A flicker of reminiscence stirred within his eyes as he recalled the moment she had once conjured a small phoenix of flame, letting it dance freely in the air, while lotus blossoms of fire drifted skyward.
"It is not only her flames and lightning… even her spatial control is astonishing," he murmured, both proud and deeply astounded.
He fell silent for a moment, his eyes thoughtful, before asking in a low voice, "Sister, what do you make of the dream she keeps having?"
He remembered Xiao Yuyan's words vividly—how in her dreams, a mysterious figure taught her the manipulation of flame and lightning, and even imparted a Qi Method. The troubling part was that the figure was always the same: a beautiful woman with long black hair. Her features, clothing, and face remained indistinct, but her wings were unmistakable—the wings of the Celestial Feather Race.
This had startled both Xiao Hua and Lady Azure, for usually, Xiao Hua himself was the one to appear in his daughter's dreams, guiding her whenever he was in deep cultivation. Yet whenever he was absent, this unknown woman appeared, instructing Yuyan with profound clarity.
What unsettled him further was that Xiao Yuyan's bloodline resonated with the mysterious figure. That meant the woman was indeed of the Celestial Feather Race. But such a thing should have been impossible, for Xiao Hua was the first ancestor of the bloodline. Even the System confirmed that no one before him had ever possessed it.
This enigma weighed heavily on their hearts, and for now, both he and Lady Azure agreed not to reveal it to Cai Lin, the Little Fairy Doctor, or Ya Fei. They feared that doing so would only burden them with needless worry.
"I have, but it is only a hypothesis…" Lady Azure's voice sounded low and measured within his spiritual sea. "Perhaps the woman is a figure from the future, drawn here through the resonance of your bloodline. Yet such a connection could only manifest within dreams, to avoid entangling major karma."
"From the future?" Xiao Hua's eyes narrowed, his tone sinking. "Even if I have touched upon reincarnation and gained some understanding of it, how could my bloodline suddenly wield such an ability—to reach through time itself?"
"That is precisely what troubles me," Lady Azure admitted, her tone deep in thought. "Even undergoing millions of reincarnations should not be enough to twist one's bloodline into something capable of this. Such a transformation defies all logic."
As the two pondered in silence, another voice stirred—cool yet suffused with quiet warmth. Xue Yue's presence rippled through his spiritual sea.
"Perhaps… before this life, you had already reincarnated countless times, carrying your memories intact with each rebirth."
Xiao Hua's brows rose sharply. "Before this life? Sister Xue Yue, are you suggesting that I reincarnated innumerable times before arriving in the Great Thousand World, before descending to the Dou Qi Continent—retaining memory after memory?"
Yet if that were so, why did he remember his past on Earth, but nothing of those supposed lifetimes in between?
"Perhaps," Xue Yue replied softly, though her tone carried uncertainty. "It is only conjecture. But remember—your race was born from the merging of your soul, bloodline, and newly forged bones. If there are answers, they may lie hidden deep within your soul itself."
Xiao Hua's gaze hardened, a glint of solemn resolve flashing in his eyes. "Flame, Thunder—you heard Sister Xue Yue. Search our soul for any trace of those clues. I will oversee the affairs of the mansion in the meantime."
"Understood."
Flame and Thunder immediately ceased what they were doing. Their figures flickered and vanished, reappearing beneath Xiao Hua's residence. There, they sat cross-legged, diving into the depths of their shared soul in search of hidden clues.
Xiao Hua exhaled a long breath, forcing the storm within his heart to settle. He did not wish for Xun Er to sense his turmoil. Yet, as if she had already seen through him, a cool jade-like warmth touched his hand.
Turning, he found her leaning silently against his shoulder, a gentle smile curving her lips. She said nothing, only offering her presence.
At that sight, the heaviness in his chest lightened. He lowered himself into her soft hair, drawing in the faint fragrance of the fairy-like beauty, and together they quietly watched Xiao Yuyan's innocent laughter while Yan Xiaoyun continued her breakthrough.
Xiao Hua knew it would take time before Flame and Thunder uncovered anything, so patience was the only choice. For now, he could only focus on the affairs of the Moonlit Chaos Mansion and cherish the fleeting peace with his family.
In truth, he was glad he had brought Ya Fei along; without her, managing the mansion would have been near impossible. More than once, he had marveled at her skill in governance—simply listening to her insights had taught him much.
…
Few days later, as Xiao Hua was handling documents with Ya Fei beside him, a message from Xun Er arrived.
"Your clan is inviting me? For what?"
Xiao Hua frowned. The summons was unexpected—there seemed no reason for the Gu Clan to suddenly call for him.
Xun Er pressed her temple with her jade-like hand, a faint headache rising before she answered in an exasperated tone. "They are concerned about our relationship. After all, you have yet to visit the Gu Clan, and you already have a child with Cai Lin. Naturally, they worry whether our bond is still secure…"
"Only now they decide to concern themselves with this?" Xiao Hua rolled his eyes, a cold snort escaping his lips.
"Well, that part comes from the elders." Xun Er sighed, then her expression softened into slight embarrassment. "But… my father wishes to see you."
Xiao Hua's lips pressed into a thin line. Meeting the Gu Clan's elders was troublesome enough, especially after their broken promises, but facing Gu Yuan—the Clan Leader and Xun Er's father—was a different kind of awkwardness altogether. Introducing himself so late left him uneasy.
"You should at least meet Sister Xun Er's father." Ya Fei's gentle voice chimed in, amusement glittering in her eyes as she watched his awkward expression.
"This way, you settle two matters in one stroke—reassuring the Gu Clan elders about your bond with Sister Xun Er and formally introducing yourself to her father."
She giggled softly, covering her lips with a hand. "Besides, our sworn older brothers and sisters have come out of seclusion and advanced to 7-Star Dou Sheng. Nothing major will happen here, even if you leave for a time."
Xiao Hua pondered quietly before giving a small nod. It was true—this was something he could not avoid forever. Better to face it and settle the matter thoroughly.
"…But I will have to prepare a gift," he finally said, his tone firm. "It would not do for my relationship with my father-in-law to begin on a distant note."
-------|
Read 20 Advanced Chapters in Patreon:
http://patreon.com/GodYato