When Luo Chen next met with the sect master for their regular training session, he brought up what he had discovered.
"Sect Master, I found the sealed section of the restricted library," he said without preamble. "I read the historical accounts of the First Immortal and the Celestial Tribulation."
Tian Qing was not surprised. In fact, the sect master seemed to have been expecting this discovery.
"Ah, you discovered the sealed section," the sect master said calmly. "I was wondering when you would find it. Your spatial abilities are more advanced than I had initially realized if you were able to bypass those barriers."
"Sect Master, the texts suggest that the First Immortal was scattered across reincarnations. That they are waiting to be reborn. Could I be...?"
"A reincarnation of the First Immortal?" Tian Qing finished. "I cannot say for certain. The truth of reincarnation is beyond even my full understanding. However, I can tell you something far more important."
The sect master stood and walked to a window, looking out over the sect's grounds. "There is much about myself and the Azure Cloud Sect that you do not know. The official history, which is taught to all disciples, is that our sect was founded eight hundred years ago by a cultivator named Yun Tian. This is technically true, but it is not the complete truth.
"The Azure Cloud Sect was actually founded as a repository—a place where dangerous knowledge could be stored and guarded. The sects that existed before our own had discovered something alarming. Every five thousand years or so, there emerged a cultivator of unprecedented power who threatened the existing order. The celestial powers would unite and destroy this cultivator, only for the pattern to repeat five thousand years later with a new cultivator.
"This cycle was not random. It was the work of the First Immortal."
Tian Qing turned to face Luo Chen, his expression grave and troubled.
"The First Immortal, through mastery of both space and time, discovered a method of scattering their consciousness across time itself. When they were destroyed by the celestial powers, they did not actually die. Instead, they were reborn, again and again, in a cycle of reincarnation that has repeated for eons. And in each incarnation, they attempted to reach the same level of power they had achieved before, so that they could once again challenge the celestial order."
"How is this possible?" Luo Chen demanded. "If the celestial powers destroyed the First Immortal once, why can't they do it again each time they reappear?"
"Because of the nature of their power. The First Immortal cultivates the laws of space and time. With perfect control over time, they could theoretically see their own death before it happens and take steps to prevent it. With perfect control of space, they could escape from any location, no matter how well-sealed. And with perfect understanding of causality—the axis upon which both laws rotate—they could potentially manipulate events to ensure their own resurrection in future ages."
The sect master paused, allowing this information to settle into Luo Chen's mind.
"The celestial powers learned to recognize the signs of the First Immortal's reincarnation. A unique dantian shape. An unusual affinity for space and time law. The awakening of an ability called the Celestial Eye. When these signs appeared, the celestial powers would move to eliminate the cultivator before they became too powerful.
"However, the cycle also taught the lower realms a valuable lesson: cultivators who reach the highest levels of power will always be considered threats by those who hold power. This led to the establishment of the great sects as repositories of knowledge, places where talented cultivators could be trained but also monitored. The Celestial Rankings were created to identify promising cultivators. The prohibition on dual law cultivation was established to prevent the emergence of another First Immortal."
Luo Chen's mind raced. "So the rules against dual law cultivation... they're not scientific limits, but political boundaries set by the celestial powers?"
"Precisely. The celestial powers recognized that dual law cultivation was the path that made the First Immortal so strong. By forbidding it and executing anyone found attempting it, they hoped to prevent another ascension. This is why you must be so careful, Luo Chen. If the celestial powers discover your cultivation, they will send beings to eliminate you."
"Are you saying I am a reincarnation of the First Immortal?" Luo Chen asked directly.
Tian Qing returned to his seat and looked at Luo Chen with an expression of both wisdom and compassion. "I do not know. The history of reincarnation is not perfectly understood, even by those of us who have lived for thousands of years. But I know this: you possess the potential to become as powerful as the First Immortal. Whether you are literally a reincarnation or simply someone who has discovered the same path is perhaps irrelevant. Either way, you represent a threat to the celestial order, and you will need to be careful."
"Why are you telling me this, Sect Master? Why help me, knowing what I might become?"
Tian Qing smiled sadly. "Because I believe that the power structures that currently govern the celestial realms have become stagnant. The celestial powers maintain their authority not through justice or wisdom, but through strength. If someone were to challenge that order, to reach a level of power that transcends their control, it might lead to necessary change.
"More practically, I have spent my entire life studying the First Immortal and the history of cultivation. I believe that the First Immortal was not evil or destructive by nature, as the celestial histories portray them. Rather, they were simply powerful enough to threaten the authority of those in power. I would prefer to see you reach your potential and prove that the celestial powers can be challenged, than to see you die attempting to hide from them."