"Once, long ago, there lived a man in the Mortal World. He was an ordinary man, suppressed by the gods who ruled over all."
"These gods were not kind. They were worshipped by all beings, by mortals, by humans, by beasts both common and mythical, by spiritual entities, even by the world itself."
"The gods possessed everything that mortals desired. They had existed since the sun first rose and were blessed with eternal life and absolute power."
"All beings worshipped them, hoping to gain favor, offering countless sacrifices. A select few were granted blessings and rose above others, becoming Kings among mortals, wandering sages who lived for hundreds of years, or even incarnations of the gods themselves."
"But the ordinary man refused to offer anything. He rejected the gods, calling them Evil Gods. His defiance angered them, and they sought to destroy him, but the Heavens themselves rebelled against the gods and chose to protect the man."
"Wandering through the world, guided by the essence of the Heavens, the man began to understand the truths of existence. One day, he gazed up and became fully blessed by the Heavens. It was then that the first Spiritual Root was bestowed upon him, allowing him to store the essence of the Heavens. He named this essence, Qi."
"With the power of Qi, the man waged a rebellion against the Evil Gods, exposing their cruelty and flaws. And with the Heavens behind him, he began to bless other mortals, those who followed him, with spiritual roots of their own, so they too could store the essence of the Heavens."
"But these roots were not all equal. Some were weaker, some equal to his own, and some, surprisingly, even stronger."
"Those with roots equal to the man's could travel freely throughout the world. Those with stronger roots could even communicate with the laws of the Heavens. But the weaker ones could only contain small traces of the Heavens' essence. And so, Spiritual Roots were divided."
"There is the Mortal Spiritual Root, the lowest of all, granting only a meager ability to cultivate."
"Next is the Impure Spiritual Root, which allows one to reach the end of the First Realm."
"Above that is the Mixed Spiritual Root, enabling cultivation to the Second Realm."
"Then comes the Pure Spiritual Root, which can carry a cultivator to the Third Realm, though it becomes difficult to progress further."
"To reach the Fourth Realm, one must possess a True Spiritual Root. Only with such a gift does one have a true chance to ascend to even the Fifth Realm."
Ling Ye traced the words with his finger, lips curled into a quiet smile. He had read this book a hundred times. But today… today, it felt real.
The book before him was a classic, one that every child read to learn the legend of the first cultivator who rebelled against the Evil Gods. It was only the beginning of a much larger story, a simplified version meant for mortals.
To read the full, detailed version, one had to first become a cultivator. Not even Ling Ye, despite being a young master of the Ling Clan, had been allowed to read it, no matter how much he begged, even Wang Xin never allowed him.
"Hehe, soon I'll finally be allowed to read the full version, not just this shortened one," Ling Ye chuckled to himself, leaning back in his chair. But just as he smiled to the sky, sunlight suddenly blinded his eyes.
Shielding his face, he blinked a few times, then his eyes widened in shock.
"Damn! It's already morning!"
As he shouted, the door creaked open and in stepped Wang Xin, his maid, his friend, and the older sister figure who had grown up alongside him.
She paused in the doorway, instantly spotting Ling Ye frantically dashing toward his bed, trying to flop down and pretend he had been asleep the whole time. But one glance at the shifted chair in front of the bookshelf was all she needed to understand the situation.
"Heh, Young Master woke up early today?" she said, her voice light and teasing as she walked over to the chair and pushed it back to its original spot.
Ling Ye saw this and sighed in defeat. "Hehe," he chuckled bitterly, trying to act cool. "Sister Wang, I don't know what to say… I just woke up ten minutes earlier, that's all."
He climbed out of bed with a bright smile, but Wang Xin didn't even respond. She simply rolled her eyes as she straightened the room.
"Young Master, the sun is rising. You should bathe, get dressed properly, and come have breakfast. At 8 a.m., one of the guards will escort us to the Hall of Spirituality," she said softly, adjusting his blankets.
Ling Ye gave her a small, playful smile. "Sister doesn't want to help this Young Master get ready?"
Wang Xin glanced at him with a deadpan expression and shook her head. "If you can't even take care of the basics, how do you expect to become a powerful cultivator?"
Her words struck like lightning. Ling Ye froze, his confidence crumbling into embarrassed silence.
With a smug smile on her face, Wang Xin turned and left the room, clearly satisfied with her parting shot.
After Wang Xin left his room, Ling Ye shook himself out of his daze. A few light slaps to his cheeks helped him fully wake up. Then he walked to the adjoining bathroom, where, as always, Wang Xin had already prepared a warm bath for him.
He undressed and stepped into the tub, letting the warmth soak into his skin. After washing thoroughly, he grabbed one of the freshly cleaned robes hanging near the bath. It was a simple dark blue robe, marked with a few elegant white lines along the sleeves and hem.
Dressed and clean, Ling Ye stood in front of the mirror. He smiled softly. The robe's color and style reminded him of the robes his father used to wear.
"Hehe, perfect," he said, amused by how closely he now resembled the younger version of the father he hadn't seen in over ten years. His long, soft black hair and deep black eyes mirrored the man almost perfectly.
But then his smile slowly faded. His gaze lingered on his own eyes, those black eyes that once gave him pride now filled him with frustration. He bit his lip and clenched the robe's long sleeves in his hands.
He turned away from the mirror and exited the bathroom, walking down the quiet hallway toward the dining room.
With every step, his expression slowly calmed.
When he reached the large double doors of the dining hall, he took a breath and pushed them open.
Inside, a long table stretched across the room. Plates of food were already laid out, but the main seat at the head of the table was empty. Ling Ye's lips curled into a bitter smile as he glanced down at his sleeves again.
The main chair was always dusted and empty, even today.
He exhaled and lifted his head. Then he walked toward the right side of the empty seat and sat down quietly.
On the table before him were warm eggs, a few slices of meat, a loaf of bread, some sausages, and a bottle of water. As he stared at the food, his gaze drifted toward the chair across from him, and slowly a blurry figure began to form in his mind.
A woman, with long black hair, a violet robe, and a faint, cold smile. But what he remembered most were her eyes, dark, black, and unreadable.
He sighed and closed his own eyes.
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. Ling Ye opened his eyes and turned toward the door.
"Young Master, why aren't you eating? The food will get cold," Wang Xin said as she entered. "Trust me, you don't want to leave on an empty stomach. I speak from experience."
Her familiar warmth brought a smile back to his face.
"Okay, Sister Wang," he replied.
Ling Ye began to eat slowly while Wang Xin stood nearby, occasionally speaking with him as he ate. Their light conversation helped ease the tension in the room, and soon there was nothing left on the table, no food, no bread, not even a drop of water.
Wang Xin, seeing that Ling Ye had finished his breakfast, turned to look out the window. The sunlight streamed in gently. She pinched her fingers together as if calculating time, then spoke softly, "Young Master, in about half an hour the guide will arrive. Please be mentally prepared."
Ling Ye merely nodded, then stood and exited the dining room, with Wang Xin following close behind. They both already knew where they were heading, toward the library.
After a short walk through the courtyard and down a quiet hallway, they stopped in front of two large wooden doors. Ling Ye placed his hands on the doors and gently pushed them open.
The library wasn't particularly large, but it held a peaceful, familiar air. A brown couch sat in the center, with a small table beside it. The two walls facing each other were lined with shelves, packed with countless books. A few tomes were scattered across the floor, as usual.
Ling Ye's face lit up with a bright smile. He stepped inside and immediately walked over to the books on the ground, carefully picking them up and placing them back in their proper places.
Most of these books were collections of heroic tales from the past or detailed records of herbs, ranging from the most common to many now considered lost.
As he carried another stack toward a shelf, he spoke with a wistful tone, "The next time I enter this room will probably be after I return from the Clan Academy, right?"
The question was directed at Wang Xin, who returned a soft smile. "Yes, that's right, Young Master. And not just your precious books, even we won't see each other until after the academy ends."
"Hehe… right," Ling Ye chuckled lightly, bowing his head a little, embarrassed that he'd momentarily forgotten they would part ways for some time.
They said nothing more, but time moved quickly. Within the half hour, the library was clean and orderly. No more books lay scattered on the floor. Everything had been carefully sorted and returned to its proper place.
Ling Ye took one final look at the neatly arranged shelves, smiled, remembering about the nearly ten years he had spent here, this is the only place where he truly feels safe.
He turned towards the doors, and he stepped outside with Wang Xin beside him and with a quiet click, closed the doors behind him. For the first time in his life, they would truly stayed shut for a long time.
As they then walked toward the main entrance of the estate, Wang Xin spoke again, her voice calm and reassuring,"Don't worry. I'll take good care of it. Not a single book will be harmed."
Her promise made Ling Ye feel lighter. With her words, he was finally ready to leave home behind, for now.
Walking through the long corridors and winding passages, Ling Ye and Wang Xin finally arrived at the front entrance of the mansion. There, already waiting, stood a middle aged man with his eyes closed in quiet meditation.
The moment they stepped into the front courtyard, the man opened his eyes and looked at them.
He had sharp yellow eyes and neatly combed black hair. His sky blue robe was embroidered with thin white lines that formed an elegant pattern across the fabric, simple yet dignified.
Seeing Ling Ye approach with his maid, the man showed no sign of impatience for having been made to wait. Instead, he offered a light smile to Ling Ye, completely ignoring Wang Xin.
"Good morning, Young Master Ye. Are you ready to leave for the Hall of Spirituality?"
Hearing this, Ling Ye's face lit up with excitement. He nodded eagerly, unable to hide his anticipation. "Yes, I'm ready!"
The middle aged man chuckled softly, nodding in approval. "Ah… good to be young," he murmured to himself.
With a gentle motion of his hand, Ling Ye suddenly felt his body rise and float toward the man's side, pulled by an invisible force. Then, with another wave of the man's hand, the great doors of the estate swung open on their own.
"Then let's go," he said simply, giving no parting glance to Wang Xin.
Without another word, the two of them left the mansion and soared into the sky, flying straight toward the distant mountain where the Hall of Spirituality awaited.