As the middle aged man flew through the sky with Ling Ye beside him, Ling Ye struggled to keep his eyes open. The force of the wind was too strong, pressing hard against him, forcing him to shut his eyes tight.
Beyond just the pressure, the air was scorching hot. Sweat quickly drenched Ling Ye's body, dripping down his back and forehead. Naturally, this change didn't escape the notice of the middle aged man. He merely chuckled and gave a casual wave of his hand.
Ling Ye didn't see the gesture, but he instantly felt the difference. The intense pressure that had been suffocating him vanished in an instant, allowing him to open his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the vast, clear blue sky, with the sun shining brightly above. Glancing downward, he saw just how high they were flying. The mansion he had lived in his whole life had already faded into the distance.
It had shrunk so small he couldn't even tell if Wang Xin was still there watching, or if she had already turned away
His gaze wandered over the mountain ranges surrounding the mansion. The further they flew, the grander the view became, until even the mansion itself looked like a mere speck in the distance. The beauty stole his breath, until the heat crept back in, dizzying and oppressive.
The heat pressed down like an open furnace.
"Too hot!" he muttered to himself, trying to cool himself down by fanning at himself with his hands. But even the wind was warm, offering no relief.
Just then, he heard a soft chuckle beside him.
The middle aged man's lips curled into a knowing grin, amused by Ling Ye's visible discomfort, "Need some help?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement.
Ling Ye simply nodded, not bothering to say anything. With another light laugh, the man reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small blue pill, about the size of a rice ball.
"Swallow this. It'll help," he said, tossing the pill toward Ling Ye.
At first, it looked like the man had missed, he hadn't aimed for Ling Ye's hand. But just as Ling Ye reached out to catch it, the pill gently shifted midair and landed perfectly in his palm.
"Thank you," Ling Ye said sincerely, glancing at the middle aged man beside him. His eyes were wide with surprise, still processing what had just happened.
So Qi can do something like that? he wondered to himself. Curious, he examined the small blue pill now resting in his hand. Despite its effects, there was nothing mysterious or otherworldly about its appearance. Still, Ling Ye already had a good idea of what it was.
"This is an alchemy pill, right?" he asked.
The middle aged man simply nodded, offering no further explanation.
Seeing that the man didn't want to elaborate, Ling Ye chose not to press the matter. The heat, however, was another issue, his body was growing more uncomfortable by the second. He held the pill tightly in his sweat drenched palm for a few more moments before deciding he couldn't take the heat any longer.
With one quick motion, Ling Ye swallowed the blue pill.
The effect was almost immediate. The oppressive warmth faded into something almost comforting. His body stopped sweating, though his clothes still clung to his skin, soaked.
Fortunately, at the speed they were flying, the air quickly began drying them.
His eyes widened. The blazing heat dulled to a soothing warmth, as if a cool stream flowed through his veins. Now that he was no longer struggling against the air pressure and heat, he could finally lift his gaze and take in the view around him.
They had traveled far from the mansion, and ahead of them rose the majestic formation of the Nine Circling Mountains. Seeing those nine towering peaks from this distance left Ling Ye awestruck, his eyes shining with wonder at the breathtaking beauty of the world around him.
"These must be the Ancestral Mountains… the Nine Peaks, the foundation of the Ling Clan," Ling Ye thought, his mind sorting through the limited knowledge he had.
Since childhood, Ling Ye had often gazed at the Nine Peaks from the courtyard of his mansion. But because the peaks were so far away, he could only ever make out their silhouettes on the horizon.
Now, seeing them up close, so clear and immense for the first time, he couldn't help but feel a growing excitement in his chest.
"The Nine Peaks house the Nine Halls of the Ling Clan," he recalled silently. "And together, they guard the clan's most sacred ground, the Hall of Spirituality, which rests at the center of the surrounding peaks."
Just remembering this made Ling Ye's heart beat faster.
With every passing moment, the distance between them and the Nine Peaks shrank. The closer they flew, the more majestic the mountains appeared, ancient and awe inspiring, like guardians carved from the heavens themselves.
And then, finally, they began their descent toward one of the towering peaks.
As they smoothly landed, Ling Ye felt himself regain full control over his body. The sensation of solid ground beneath his feet was refreshing, almost grounding. But that comfort lasted only a moment before his gaze lifted toward the towering peak in front of him.
"Young Master, this is where we part ways," the middle aged man said, his voice cutting through Ling Ye's thoughts of the Nine Mountains.
Ling Ye turned to him and offered a polite bow, a gentle smile on his face, "Thank you for bringing me here, Senior. Please accept my salute."
"Hehe, Spare the thanks, boy." the man chuckled. "I'm just doing my job, the clan pays me to escort you. And aren't you a young master of our Ling Clan? A salute? Spare me that, really."
Hearing those words, Ling Ye stopped mid-bow and chuckled softly, "Then, Senior, could you tell me where I should go next?"
"An outer disciple will come to guide you to the Hall of Spirituality. Just wait here for a moment… and hold onto this."
As he spoke, the man flicked a small object through the air. Like the blue pill earlier, it didn't fly wildly but instead glided smoothly into Ling Ye's open palm.
It was a token, green in color, with a single character engraved on it: "LING." As Ling Ye examined it closer, the token shimmered faintly with a soft glow. Before he could study it more, the middle aged man's voice rang out again.
"Keep that token with you. An outer disciple will recognize it and guide you. With that, my task is complete. If you choose the same Hall Peak as I did, we may meet again soon. If not, well, perhaps fate will bring us together later."
With those final words, the senior turned and flew off toward one of the distant peaks, leaving Ling Ye standing alone.
Holding the glowing token tightly in his hand, Ling Ye reflected on the man's final words, slowly beginning to understand their deeper meaning.
"Does that mean… if someone awakens their spiritual root, they're allowed to join one of the Nine Halls?" Ling Ye murmured to himself, falling into deep thought. "Which hall does Father belong to?"
He tried to recall anything he might've overheard or read about his father's affiliations, or the Nine Halls in general, but apart from their names, his mind drew a blank.
"Haa…" Ling Ye sighed, frustrated. No matter how hard he tried, nothing came to mind. He didn't know which hall his father belonged to, nor what any of them truly stood for. Left with no choice, he decided to simply wait until the outer disciple arrived to guide him.
Roughly ten minutes later, a young man descended the mountain path toward where Ling Ye stood waiting.
The youth wore a simple black robe and appeared to be around Ling Ye's age. Upon seeing the token in Ling Ye's hand, he smiled politely and gave a respectful bow.
"Greetings, Young Master Ling. Please follow me closely, we're heading to the Hall of Spirituality."
With that, the young man turned around and started walking without waiting for a response. Ling Ye blinked, caught off guard by the abruptness, but quickly followed.
Three hours passed in silence. The outer disciple moved with practiced ease, while Ling Ye's legs ached with every step, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on, relying on sheer willpower to keep up.
The young man didn't speak a single word during the journey. When Ling Ye tried to talk, the outer disciple just ignored him, not once did he glance back to check if Ling Ye was still behind him.
He wasn't used to this kind of disregard. In the mansion, people bowed when he walked past. Here, he might as well be invisible.
Eventually, they passed the base of one of the towering Nine Peaks and entered a small, peaceful forest. The scenery shifted, quiet and almost dreamlike. Birds chirped softly in the distance, and patches of golden sunlight streamed through the trees.
Even so, the forest was filled with beasts.
Ling Ye spotted many creatures he'd only read about in books. Some were infamous for being bloodthirsty predators, but the moment their eyes met his, those same creatures froze, turned pale, and bolted in fear.
Seeing this, Ling Ye wanted to ask the outer disciple for more information, but he quickly decided against it. After all, the disciple hadn't even glanced at the beasts that fled in fear, why would he bother answering questions?
Though he burned with curiosity, he stayed silent. This subtle moment made Ling Ye feel the difference in treatment very clearly.
From his childhood until now, no one had ever dared defy his wishes. If he asked for something, he would receive it, unless, of course, it concerned cultivation. Everything about cultivation was strictly off-limits for mortals.
Ling Ye had once asked many questions to Wang Xin after she awakened her spiritual root, only to be rejected each time. She never answered, only repeating the same words, "Once you become a cultivator, you'll be able to read all the books you want."
As he thought about Wang Xin's words and the outer disciple's cold attitude, Ling Ye's understanding of the world slowly began to change.
"Even though I hold the status of a young master, even though I live under the protection of the clan, cultivators can still ignore my wishes and treat me however they like," he realized. And with that realization, rather than feeling discouraged, Ling Ye grew even more determined.
After what felt like hours of silence and aching steps, the forest path ended and beyond it stood a structure that stole his breath, the Hall of Spirituality.
Everything Ling Ye had read in books, everything Wang Xin had told him about this sacred place, came rushing back to his mind. The Hall of Spirituality opened only once a year to the entire clan, on this very day, the Day of Spirituality.
It was said to be blessed by the heavens themselves, capable of bestowing spiritual roots upon any member of the clan who entered it. In all the thousands of years of Ling Clan history, only a rare few had ever left the hall without receiving a spiritual root.
Standing now before the legendary hall, Ling Ye clenched his fists tightly.
His black eyes gleamed like obsidian warmed by starlight, filled with hope and expectations. Taking in a deep breath, he stepped forward, past the trees, past everything he once knew, toward the unknown, and the root of his future.