Seven Years Ago — Somewhere in the Mortal Realm
The skies were quiet above the mortal world, veiled in lazy drifting clouds and the scent of pine. On a nameless cliff, where the wind whispered tales of fallen clans and forgotten glories, a man in pristine white robes sat cross-legged on a boulder, sipping tea from a gourd he'd carved himself.
Jiang Chen.
A being whose mere breath could collapse mountain ranges.
A 9th-step cultivator from the exalted 9th dimension.
And for seven years, he had done... nothing.
He let out a sigh that stirred the grass around him.
"Seven years. I've been stuck here seven full years. Babysitting a rootless mortal child while hiding my presence from Saints and old ghosts." "Master, you really owe me a furnace of immortal wine."
From behind him came footsteps—three distinct presences cutting through the atmosphere like threads of fate.
He didn't turn around. He already knew who they were.
"So… you all really came."
The first to emerge was a serene woman wrapped in violet robes, her eyes glowing faintly like twin galaxies.
"Senior Brother Jiang Chen," she said with a smile. "Don't be so cold. When word spreads that our master's grandson walks the mortal world, how could we not be curious?"
She was Yin Mian, the eldest junior, a being at the peak of the 8th step of the Dao Bridge.
Next was a broad-shouldered youth with wild red hair and a massive sword strapped to his back. His aura surged with the chaos of recent breakthrough.
"I just entered the 7th step of the Dao Bridge," he said gruffly, bowing slightly. "Figured it was time to see what sort of brat carries our master's blood."
He was Feng Yue.
Last came a slender girl with curious eyes and a cloud-blue flute tied to her waist. Her cultivation was subtle, but Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly at the ripple around her soul.
"You stepped into the Fourth Step of the Dao Bridge already?"
She beamed. "Barely. Void Crossing stage is hard to stabilize. But I couldn't resist. The child of Tianfang… must be interesting."
She was Ruolan.
Jiang Chen finally cracked a smile.
"Master's grandchild really is stirring up waves. You're seven years late though. The clan's already fallen. The survivors just fled."
He looked toward the distant seas where mist covered the horizon.
"But finally... things are beginning to move. The boy's fate is about to stir."
He paused and drew out a small mirror-shaped artifact from his sleeve. Its surface shimmered like liquid crystal, and faint Dao runes pulsed within.
This was no ordinary tool. It was a divine observation mirror—capable of displaying scenes from any part of the world he attuned it to, and recording everything it saw into permanent memory.
Jiang Chen tapped it lightly, and the mirror's surface displayed a shifting image: the Bai Clan entering Hidden Mist Island, their desperate struggle, and Bai Tian Long watching silently.
He smiled faintly. "At least Master will get to see this later. Maybe even miss us a little."
He activated the recording function with a flick of his divine sense.
"Year 7. The Bai Clan has entered the island. Hidden Mist awakens. The young master's fate stirs."
"This young master really has a tough life."
---
Now — Hidden Mist Island
The Bai Clan named their new refuge Hidden Mist Island—a land forgotten by time, protected by spiritual mists and unseen from divine sense. But it was no sanctuary of peace.
Mist rolled like an eternal tide across the wild forests. Beasts had made this island home long before the Bai Clan arrived. Some descended from creatures trapped here by accident, others native to the primordial spirit of the land.
Their power ranged from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, and one monstrous predator had reached Golden Core.
Bai Wu stood on a crag of mossy stone, robes tattered, staff clenched, eyes sharp.
"Form groups of five. Scout north and west. Do not engage beasts unless absolutely necessary."
The younger generation obeyed. But trouble was inevitable.
A pack of Flame-Tailed Thundercats—Foundation Establishment grade—attacked the northern patrol. Roars echoed, vines burned, and defenses barely held.
Elsewhere, a Sky-Spined Venom Wolf, late Foundation Establishment, ambushed a scouting team.
Bai Wu appeared in a flash, striking swiftly:
"Yin-Wood Thunder Spell!"
Roots surged up from the earth, glowing with Yin energy. Purple lightning snapped through the air, crackling into the wolf's heart. It died before it could howl.
This was one of Bai Wu's earliest self-created techniques—developed in Qi Condensation, but powerful even now.
Then the real threat appeared.
A Golden Core Realm beast—the Spirit-Eyed Forest Python—descended from the island's heart. Its aura coiled around the jungle, suffocating. Its golden eyes glinted with intelligence.
The two Bai Clan Golden Core cultivators stepped forward. Though their cores were stable—having broken through decades ago—they had yet to master their Golden Core techniques or raise Immortal Beast companions at golden core stage.
Their strength was insufficient to face a genius or a beast of the same realm.
The python lashed out. They barely survived.
"Patriarch!"
Bai Wu moved, sword drawn. Though weakened to early Golden Core level, his will had not faded.
He activated the scripture he had cultivated since youth:
Five Element Yin-Yang Thunder Sword Technique
Channeling only three elements:
Wood Elemental Energy
Yin Elemental Energy
Thunder Elemental Energy
He invoked his second-stage custom technique:
"Yin-Wood Thunder Magic!"
The strike arced through the sky. The beast reeled.
But it wasn't enough.
Then came the final blow:
"Yin-Wood Minor Dharma Power — Fourth Form: Witherbolt Cage!"
Thundering roots bound the python, lightning danced across its flesh, and the monster shrieked.
The python crashed to the ground—dead.
Bai Wu stood bleeding, breathing heavily. But the jungle fell silent.
Even injured, he had reminded the world who he was.
---
Bai Tian Long — Among the Mist
Farther away, Bai Tian Long stood silently at the cliff's edge, watching the clan warriors fight to carve out safety in this savage paradise.
Fires burned. Screams echoed. Beasts fell.
And he... did nothing.
No sword. No qi. No power.
He clenched his fists.
"Why was I born into this world?"
For all his will, all his learning, all his calm—he remained a bystander. A useless piece in a world that only respected force.
But still...
Inside him, something stirred.
For as long as he could remember, there had been a small light inside his soul. At first dim. Then steady. Then flickering stronger with each passing season.
Now... it had grown.
So bright that his entire soul felt illuminated.
Yes , he had inner vision it was something only innate martial artists or immortal cultivator who has awakened his or her spiritual root .
But for some reason he had it to
It was something only cultivators began to glimpse after stepping on the path of immortality.
But Bai Tian Long had seen it for years.
This was his secret.
He had told no one—not even his grandfather, parents or siblings .
He didn't understand it. But he knew—
It would change everything.
and it was better not to tell anybody about this secret, at not until he is strong enough
to protect himself, the precaution is not against family but just a worry of a mortal -begger having immortal inheritance and everybody knows about it .
We can all guess what fate has in store for him.
In a world ruled by strength, in a land of beasts and blood, this hidden light was his only answer.
So keeping this a secret is a must.
In this world of dog-eat-dog, where the law of the jungle ruled all, he would find his path.
---
One Month Later — Hidden Mist Island
Time passed. Wards were raised. The Bai Clan began to breathe.
And on a cliff bathed in starlight, Bai Tian Long sat cross-legged.
He had turned 16.
He had no spiritual root. No flowing qi. No immortal beast. But within him, a silence deeper than mist and storms had begun to shake.
The night held its breath.
Then—
[SYSTEM INITIATED]
---
End of Chapter 4