Beast Clan – Bai Family Territory
This time, Yingge had truly made his brother proud. The fourth tail feather had fully formed, swaying in the flames of the pool and sending out shimmering ripples of fire with each movement.
Yingge himself was overjoyed. "Finally, I've reached the fourth rank! Now I can go find Xiao Zhuzhi!"
He then flew out of the flaming pool, briefly transforming into a fiery phoenix as he circled once around his elder clan brother. He even made sure to proudly show off his four long, dazzling crimson tail feathers, which trailed elegantly behind him.
"Brother, brother! I've reached the fourth rank!"
A rare smile appeared on Bai Jue's face, enhancing his already refined and elegant demeanor. He nodded in approval as Yingge shifted back from his illusory form to his true one, landing lightly on his shoulder.
Still brimming with excitement, Yingge affectionately nuzzled his head against Bai Jue's cheek. In response, Bai Jue gently patted his little head and praised his diligent cultivation efforts:
"Well done, Yingge. Reaching fourth rank this quickly is impressive. But don't grow complacent. The next steps will only grow more difficult."
"I know, Brother."
"Then, how's the refinement of that phoenix bloodline going?"
Yingge fluffed his wings proudly. "It's purer than you expected. I've only refined about a third of it, and it still pushed me to fourth rank."
He leapt up and down on his shoulder excitedly, then looked up with eager eyes.
"Brother, you promised me. Once I reached fourth rank, you'd take me to see Xiao Zhuzhi!"
Bai Jue Zhūnzhǔ paused mid-motion, then gently cradled her in his palm. He tapped his tiny forehead with a finger.
"When have I ever broken a promise?"
Yingge grinned, eyes squinting from happiness. But the next words from his brother made his wings droop.
"However... something has changed. Your Xiao Zhuzhi came to the beast territory a few days ago on a sect mission. The task is difficult, and there's no clear return date. You likely won't be able to see her for a while."
He hesitated, then added, "But she did visit the territory especially to check on you. She asked me to tell you to focus on your cultivation. Once her mission is complete, she'll come back to pick you up."
Yingge brightened a little at that. Still, he asked, unwilling to let it go, "Brother... I'm at fourth rank now. Can I help her?"
Bai Jue Zhūnzhǔ shook his head, a touch of helplessness in his expression.
"That's the second thing I needed to tell you. Your Xiao Zhuzhi has already reached the peak of early Divine Transformation. Even among human cultivators, her speed is almost unheard of. If you truly want to fight beside her one day, then you'll need to keep pushing forward."
This time, Yingge didn't seem so downcast. He flapped her wings lightly and chirped, "She's amazing! She always said, 'Keep a low profile as a person, but make your actions loud.' I never really understood that, but it sounds just like her. She didn't even have a Core when we parted, and now she's already at Divine Transformation!"
A small smile flickered in Bai Jue's eyes. Shan Yunzu was indeed remarkable, dual path cultivating both Dao and demonic paths. And she was even willing to guide his precious Yingge. That, he thought, was a great blessing for his younger brother.
"So, since your friend is so amazing, you can't afford to fall too far behind, can you?"
"Right! I'll train hard, Brother!"
"Good. But don't rush. You need balance in your cultivation. I'll give you a few days off—go see your friends and show off that fourth-rank aura of yours."
It was rare for Bai Jue Zhūnzhǔ to joke, especially with his younger brother.
"Brother, that was just me venting! I didn't mean it!"
"I know. Still, go relax for a bit. When you return, I'll begin teaching you combat techniques. After that, you won't have time to meet friends."
"Okay! Thank you, Brother!"
With a joyful cry, Yingge spread his wings—now an inch longer than before—and flew off in search of his companions.
"I'll go see Xiaoyue first, then Song Song, and then I'll meet up with Fishy..."
Bai Jue listened to Yingge's chattering schedule with a faint smile. With a wave of his hand, a white crane from their clan vanished into stealth and silently followed after, serving as Yingge's hidden guard.
Ming Valley
After imprinting the Divine Soul chapter of the Primordial Chaos Art into her mind, Jian Dan began circulating the technique under the protection of Mó Yuè Zhǎn.
Unlike earlier chapters, the Divine Soul portion focused less on energy refinement and more on spiritual strengthening. It helped open minute channels within the body while sharpening the soul.
After reaching the Divine Soul realm, one's spirit could leave the body. This chapter of the art taught how to fortify that spirit and eventually divide it, creating an autonomous secondary soul. As long as one fragment remained, they could survive.
Of course, such a powerful technique came with risks. If the soul was split too many times, the fragments could develop separate wills. Eventually, they might even compete for control, leading to madness—known in casual terms as soul fracture.
Jian Dan was familiar with the theory. In the magnolia space, the founder of the Jian clan, Jian Qingyue, had left behind a soul fragment to pass on the family's techniques. Once the task was completed, the fragment returned to the original soul.
But Jian Dan, who had come from the Dharma Ending era world into the cultivation world, believed that the body and soul were crafted by the heavens to match. Carelessly dividing them was not prolonging life, but a final burst before destruction. She didn't agree with the concept.
Still, disagreement did not mean she would forgo the training. In a realm where soul cultivation techniques were rare treasures, she wasn't about to waste one.
With an abundant supply of spiritual energy, even a single cycle of the technique yielded results. Her soul grew just a little denser—subtle, but proof that the art was sound.
With that reassurance, Jian Dan continued forward under Mó Yuè Zhǎn's guard. She alternated between the Heavenly Demon Art and the Primordial Chaos Art, gradually refining her cultivation.
Mó Yuè Zhǎn thrived in this environment. While Jian Dan cultivated, the blade nibbled at the surrounding demonic energy. When she finished, Mó Yuè Zhǎn began devouring it in earnest to replenish itself.
Along the way, Jian Dan encountered more and larger magic crystals. She collected a handful as she went.
The deeper she traveled, the more the terrain changed. Vegetation began to appear, along with scattered remains of various creatures. Jian Dan examined them closely.
Most of the bones belonged to large beasts, each easily twice her height. Some, more delicate and slender, appeared to be the remains of flying beasts.
The most shocking discovery was the carcass of a black beetle. Jian Dan had firsthand experience with those—when the barrier in the Chilang Secret Realm broke, she had personally destroyed a giant black beetle using the light cannon from the warship. Its remains were later handed over to Jian Jun Zhūnzhǔ.
Clearly, the creatures of this valley had once fought with the beetles. Whether the conflict arose from territory disputes or a deliberate culling was unclear.
While she was pondering this, a bestial screech echoed in the air.
Jian Dan stood at once and released her spiritual sense, but with the suppression still active in the valley, she saw nothing.
"Mó Yuè Zhǎn," she called softly.
A flash of light answered her summon. The blade came to her feet, and Jian Dan stepped atop it. In the blink of an eye, she soared in the direction of the sound.
===
Hi everyone~ Just dropping by with a little update ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡
One of my other translation projects, titled My Daughter is the Empire's Lucky Charm, is now fully translated!
Yup, I've completed the whole thing! ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶
It's still updating on the site, but you can look forward to daily releases until the end.
As for my next project, I'll be diving into a post-apocalyptic rebirth story. The female lead is a mother who survived two years after the world ended, only to be reborn before the apocalypse began. In her first life, she was mistreated and used by her husband and his mistress. But in this second life, she's determined to protect her daughter and live for herself. Revenge? Oh, absolutely. But her child comes first.
Like most apocalypse+rebirth stories, she has a space with still-time storage. Alongside her daughter, she forms a small survival team: a male gym instructor, a college student, a women (I forgot her exact pre-apocalypse jobs) with her grandmother. Oh, and if I remember right... there's a dog too!
This isn't a zombie apocalypse, by the way—it's a full-blown natural disaster apocalypse.
What left the deepest impression on me was the twist near the end. I honestly didn't see it coming. Without spoiling too much, let's just say that by the final chapters, most of humanity is wiped out by a disaster so bizarre and illogical... it actually works as a narrative gut punch.
After that novel, I plan to return to ancient Chinese historical fiction, specifically set during the Qin Dynasty and though it shares some vibes with Lucky Charm, but it's at least twice as long. Expect more intense kingdom-building, politics, and national development!
I'm also eyeing a novel where the female MC is the daughter of Wu Zetian, the first Female Emperor in Chinese history. I haven't read it yet, but the premise sounds fascinating, so I've added it to my list of upcoming translations. Both are fairly long works, but I think you'll enjoy them!
On the flip side, I've decided not to pick up that popular novel about a female police officer transmigrating to ancient times, fleeing danger, and becoming an empress. While the story has its strong points, the heroine's core beliefs just don't align with mine. I enjoy kingdom-building and strategic development, but one of her major principles really grated on me. And since translation is more than just a one-time read, forcing myself to work on something I clash with would feel like mental torture (´-﹏-`). I wouldn't be able to bring my best to the table that way.
I might also start working on a yuri-themed ancient historical novel—daily updates, maybe one chapter per day. That one's still in the planning stages though, so no promises yet!
Thank you for reading my ramblings and for supporting my work! Stay tuned for more exciting stories ahead~ (≧▽≦)💕