The profound, unbreakable connection of the soul pact settled between them, a silent law written upon their very beings. Jian Xuan, the man who had arrived as an arrogant, invincible force, was now bound to the young man who had so utterly shattered his pride. He slumped against the cliff, the last of his strength leaving him as the reality of his situation, and the finality of his decision, truly set in.
Li Yu stood silently for a long moment, observing his new follower. A flicker of something akin to respect entered his usually calm eyes. He had always been a decent judge of character, trusting the instincts that had allowed him to survive as a helpless orphan and navigate the treacherous world of cultivation. His instincts told him that Jian Xuan's actions, though born of desperation, were also an act of immense, almost unbelievable courage.
To be a super genius, peerless among one's generation, and to suffer such a complete and total defeat would shatter the dao heart of most cultivators, leaving them a broken mess. To not only endure that shattering but to see it as an opportunity, to humble oneself so completely as to beg for discipleship, and then to willingly offer up a fragment of one's own soul… not everyone would have that kind of courage. It was the act of a true seeker, one whose desire to advance on the path of cultivation was so absolute that it transcended pride, status, and even the fear of subjugation.
Li Yu had a feeling that this strange, unexpected alliance might prove to be far more valuable than he initially thought.
With the immediate crisis resolved, Khaos gave a faint, disgusted sniff, as if the very air around Jian Xuan was an affront to his existence. The entity's handsome, human form dissolved back into a wisp of pure, silent shadow and flowed back, returning to the Koi Sanctuary.
Juan Xuan was a bit shocked to see him just disappear like that but he just summed it up as some power the master had. He was completely tapped out on being surprised anymore today.
The forest clearing was now quiet, save for the wind rustling through the devastated trees. Li Yu looked at the broken man, then at the vast, empty sky. It was a long way back to the Green Mountain Sect. He focused his will, reaching into his Koi Sanctuary.
The air before him shimmered, and a ripple, like a stone dropped in a calm pond, spread outwards. The ripple opened, and from this unseen space, a magnificent creature emerged, gliding into the material world as if it were simply surfacing from a deep ocean.
It was Tempest.
Jian Xuan, who was just beginning to push himself to his feet, stared up at the creature with wide, appreciative eyes. It was a Skyshroud Leviathan, a magnificent, whale-like beast with a long, serpentine body that moved through the sky as if it were water. Its scales were a pearlescent, shimmering silver, and its eyes, as large as a man's head, were filled with an ancient, profound intelligence. It was a powerful and rare sky-beast, a fine mount for a cultivator of high status.
Tempest let out a low, melodic call and nudged Li Yu gently with its massive head. Li Yu patted the leviathan's snout and gestured to its broad, armored back. "We are leaving."
Jian Xuan, using the cliff face for support, managed to rise. He was still in immense pain, but his mobility was slowly returning. He gave a respectful nod and, with a surge of his remaining Qi, leaped onto Tempest's back, landing with a slight stumble. Li Yu followed, and with a powerful, silent flick of its massive tail, Tempest surged into the sky, leaving the scarred, silent forest behind.
The flight back was smooth and incredibly fast. As they soared through the sea of clouds, a comfortable silence settled over the group for the first few hours. Jian Xuan focused on circulating his spiritual energy, the high-grade pills he had taken working their magic. Li Yu sat in quiet contemplation, processing the day's incredible events and giving a chance for Jian Xuan to recover.
Eventually, it was Li Yu who broke the silence, his innate curiosity overcoming his usual quiet nature. He had a Soul Formation expert at his disposal, a living textbook of knowledge about a realm he had yet to touch.
"Jian Xuan," he began, his tone calm and inquisitive. "You are in the Soul Formation realm. I have never met a cultivator of your level before. Can you explain its nature to me?"
Jian Xuan, who had been expecting a period of cold, master-servant silence, was slightly taken aback by the direct question. He quickly composed himself, his mind shifting into that of a senior explaining the dao to a junior. "Of course, Young Master," he said respectfully. "The Soul Formation realm is the great divide. Before it, we cultivate our dantian, our Qi, our core. But at the moment of breakthrough, the soul is born as an independent entity. From that point on, the soul and the body grow together. It is not a shift of power from one to the other, but a synergy. A stronger body allows for a more powerful soul, and a stronger soul enhances the power of the body and one's Qi. The sum of both parts becomes far greater than their individual pieces."
To demonstrate, he closed his eyes. A moment later, a soft, brilliant ball of pure, white light, about the size of a fist, emerged from between his eyebrows. It floated in the air before him, radiating a spiritual pressure that was vast and pure. "This is my soul. As one progresses, the soul cannot be shaped, but it can be refined, making it purer, denser, and more powerful, which in turn strengthens every other aspect of one's cultivation."
Li Yu looked at the ball of light with keen interest. "So, all Soul Formation cultivators have a soul like this?"
Jian Xuan nodded. "Essentially, yes. The size and purity may differ, but this is the form a human soul takes when it is born."
"What about a nascent soul?" Li Yu asked, his voice casual.
"A nascent soul?" Jian Xuan's expression became serious. "They are not legends, Young Master, they are very real. But they are also incredibly rare. From what the ancient texts say, a nascent soul is not born from the cultivator's own power, but is granted by some heaven-defying opportunity or inherited from an ancient bloodline. It is a soul that has a true, living form from the moment of its birth. Very few people have one. In all my travels, I have never met, nor even heard of, a single person in our current era who possesses one. Though if someone had one, they would probably hide it so it's not too surprising."
He paused, his explanation finished, and then his eyes widened as the true, horrifying implication of Li Yu's question dawned on him. He stared at Li Yu, his face a mask of dawning, incredulous horror. The boy had asked the question with such specific, knowledgeable curiosity. It couldn't be…
"Young Master…" Jian Xuan's voice was a dry, trembling whisper. "You… you ask about a nascent soul… It can't be, right? You have… a nascent soul? At the Core Formation realm?"
Li Yu met his terrified gaze with a calm, steady one. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. "I do," he said simply. "But I cannot bring it out on command yet. It is shaped like a leviathan."
The confirmation hit Jian Xuan like a physical blow. His world, which had already been turned upside down, was now further shattered. A nascent soul. In a Core Formation cultivator. It was a violation of cultivation. And it was shaped like a leviathan? It didn't make any sense. A nascent soul's form was said to be a reflection of one's innate talent or bloodline. For a human to have the soul of a divine beast… it was unheard of. The boy was an anomaly wrapped in a mystery, sealed inside an impossibility.
After a long, stunned silence, Jian Xuan finally found his voice. "Young Master, I… I have no words. Your existence… is a miracle."
Li Yu simply nodded, accepting the statement as fact. He too found himself diverting more and more from what the known cultivation path is said to be. "You said you can summon your soul. That is a soul technique for humans?"
"Yes, Young Master," Jian Xuan answered, still reeling. "Such techniques are incredibly rare, as directly manipulating one's soul is dangerous. The only one I possess is the one you saw, a suppression technique called 'Soul Dominion'. It allows me to manifest my soul externally to exert pressure on my foes."
"Brother Jian," Li Yu said, his tone polite and respectful, "would you be willing to share that technique with me? Perhaps by studying it, I can find a way to bring my own leviathan soul out under my own control. It flew out one time but that was when I first awoke it and ever since then I can't get it to come out again."
Jian Xuan did not hesitate for a second. His new master had asked nicely, but even if it had been a command, he would have obeyed. This was his chance to prove his value. He immediately produced a blank jade slip and poured his knowledge of the precious, rare technique into it before respectfully handing it over. Li Yu took it and tucked it away, planning to review it later.
Curiosity satisfied on one front, he moved to another. "Tell me about the Eastern Continent."
Jian Xuan took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts, grateful for a topic that didn't involve the complete shattering of his reality. "In many ways, it does not seem so different from here, Young Master. We have sects, clans, empires, cultivators who seek the dao. The main difference, as I mentioned, is the absolute dividing line between the lands of beasts and the lands of men. Our histories are filled with devastating wars against the demonic beast empires, and the current peace is a fragile one, maintained by strict borders and mutual fear."
He paused, considering. "In terms of power… it would seem that the Eastern Continent is, on average, slightly stronger. I have met a few other Soul Formation experts in my travels there. Since arriving here, you and your… master… are the first I have encountered that are at or above that level." He quickly raised a hand. "Of course, that is only my limited observation. It could just be that I have never run into one here, not that your continent is actually weaker. As my meeting with you has reconfirmed, there are always hidden experts everywhere."
He offered a bit more about his own background. "I am not from a major sect. My master is a reclusive, wandering expert. He only ever took two disciples in his life: myself, and my senior sister, though her talent is not as great as mine."
They spent the rest of the journey in a comfortable silence, Li Yu contemplating the new information and Jian Xuan contemplating the sheer, illogical existence of the young man before him.
As the sun began to set, the familiar, majestic peaks of the Green Mountain Sect came into view. Tempest began its long, graceful descent, spiraling down towards the valley that housed the sect. They had returned.