The Choice

Time rolls on, the great wheel of time turning ceaselessly, an eternal constant of the universe.

In the river of time, how many heroes have been washed away, and how many upheavals has the mortal world seen? As the long river churns, does it still remember the few waves within it? Perhaps nothing remains, and even if something did, the river of time would not care for those tiny ripples.

Thus, ten years passed without notice. Perhaps for the vast cosmos, this short span of ten years means nothing, but for an infant, it signifies earth-shattering change.

Yes, Ling Tian was ten years old. At ten, he already stood one and a half meters tall, the little one growing more spirited by the day. His features were delicate, his skin pure as jade—he seemed less like a boy and more like a girl in his lively, refined beauty.

A smile often graced Ling Tian's tender young face. His eyes were bright as stars, sparkling with life, and they frequently flickered with light. His long lashes made him all the more endearing.

Over these ten years, Lingyun and his wife taught Ling Tian to speak and write. The little one was incredibly clever, learning everything quickly and mastering it at once. But he was also quite mischievous and restless, often turning Lingyun's small courtyard into a scene of chaos—if there had been chickens and dogs there to stir up.

During this decade, many strangers tried to sneak onto Qingyou Peak. Their clothes varied widely, clearly not from near Qingyun Mountain. Perhaps since the "Heaven and Earth Divine Object" incident (see side story for details), the Five Elements Sect or other distant powers wanted to probe the backgrounds of Lingyun and Ling Tian.

But the moment these people set foot on Qingyou Peak, they were crushed by a fierce killing intent that made their hearts tremble, forcing them to retreat in terror.

As time passed, no outsider dared to step onto Qingyou Peak again.

In short, beneath the calm surface of Qingyou Peak, undercurrents surged. But Ling Tian knew nothing of this.

One day, Ling Tian was playing alone in Lingyun's small courtyard.

The little one was full of energy, looking at flowers, touching grass, and occasionally leaping up to startle a few fluttering butterflies or scare off some small birds.

"Hehe..."

Seeing the butterflies flee, Ling Tian beamed with joy, his big eyes narrowing into crescent moons. He didn't even mind the bits of grass clinging to his clothes.

"Chirp chirp..."

From the sky came the clear calls of several Spirit Birds.

"Hmm, why can't I fly? If I could fly like Daddy, then I could play with you all." Ling Tian furrowed his brow slightly, pouting as he fell into thought.

Looking up at the birds in the sky, Ling Tian's imagination soared. Sunlight fell on his face, and beads of sweat refracted the light, making him sparkle even more brilliantly.

"Daddy says I'll be able to fly someday. I wonder how long that will take?" Ling Tian muttered softly.

"I wonder how my parents in the Immortal Realm are doing. I hope they're okay." Suddenly, Ling Tian's tone shifted. His eyes grew deep, filled with worry—an expression utterly unlike a child's.

"The Heavenly Lords of the Immortal Realm will surely send people down to catch me. Since I could come down, others can too." Ling Tian recalled his time in the Immortal Realm. These were things no infant should remember, yet he did—a testament to his uniqueness as the Son of God and Demon.

"I'll have to keep a low profile. Maybe pretending to be an ordinary person is the best disguise. Go ahead and search, but one day, I'll make you regret this, hmph." A sharp glint flashed through Ling Tian's eyes, then vanished as he resumed the look of an innocent, naive youth.

Well, except for the faint, sly smile lingering at the corner of his mouth.

So it turned out that Ling Tian's seemingly simple demeanor was a deliberate act to hide his true self. Perhaps only this way could his "escape" continue.

"My current parents are pretty good too. I can't let them see my worries and make them anxious. Hehe, playing the good child isn't so bad." With that thought, a warmth spread through Ling Tian's heart.

This single thought of Ling Tian's would add much warmth and familial affection to his destined path—a path rough yet extraordinary.

"Hehe, I wonder how Daddy plans to arrange my life?" Ling Tian tilted his head, looking every bit a gentle, innocent child.

What Ling Tian didn't know was that as he thought these things, Lingyun was discussing his future with Humei:

"Let Tian'er join another main peak," Lingyun said calmly.

"Squeak squeak..." Humei hopped about anxiously, clearly disagreeing with Lingyun's decision.

Lingyun's star-like brows furrowed slightly as he patiently explained, "Qingyou Peak has only Tian'er as a child. He's alone here. I'm afraid without peers to play with, he'll become withdrawn and eccentric. I want to give him a happy childhood. After all, once he starts cultivating, the environment will turn brutally harsh."

Humei stopped and gazed into the distance at Ling Tian playing in the courtyard. She squeaked a few times, her eyes filled with deep affection and reluctance.

"Sigh, how can just the two of us be enough for him? If this child doesn't interact with the outside world, how will he ever venture out on his own? He can't stay under our wings forever." Lingyun's brow furrowed even more. He glanced at Humei and continued, "Besides, Tian'er should start cultivating soon. It's good for him to learn something at the other main peaks."

"Squeak." Humei snorted disdainfully, her face full of contempt.

"Yes, yes, the Qingyun Sect's cultivation techniques and such are worthless. What we teach him is a thousand, ten thousand times better. But it's still good for him to see other sects' methods. My original sect believed in embracing all rivers, absorbing the strengths of each school. That way, one can draw parallels and better comprehend the Dao of Nature." As he spoke, Lingyun's face darkened, as if recalling some painful memory.

Humei lowered her head too, clearly reminded of something sorrowful.

"Squeak squeak." Humei's eyes were full of questioning, tinged with a hint of pleading.

A trace of reluctance flickered in Lingyun's eyes as he said softly, "The earlier a child starts cultivating, the better. It allows him to connect more deeply with the world's spiritual energy. If we wait another two years, I'm afraid we'll miss his optimal window."

"Squeak." Humei's face lit up with joy, as if she'd thought of something.

"Teach him ourselves first? But I need to refine pills recently, so I might not have the time. Our injuries..." Lingyun trailed off.

Humei jumped around, acting spoiled.

"Oh, you. Sending Tian'er to another main peak doesn't mean he'll never come back. Whenever we miss him, we can go visit him. We both know Object Flight, so it won't take long." Lingyun smiled helplessly, continuing to comfort Humei.

Humei squeaked a few times, her tone full of grievance.

"The child has to go out and see the world beyond sooner or later. I'm afraid we can't stay with Tian'er forever." Lingyun soothed her gently, then paused before adding, "Besides, Tian'er is no ordinary mortal. We can't let a piece of Unpolished Jade gather dust just to keep him by our side."

"Squeak." Humei reluctantly gave in, but the reluctance in her eyes only deepened.

"Alright, we'll send Tian'er to another main peak in a while. I need to prepare a few things for him anyway. I'm a bit uneasy letting him go alone." Lingyun said with a smile.

Humei's eyes narrowed happily as she leaped onto Lingyun's shoulder, rubbing her tail against his cheek.

"A month from now. A month should be enough to prepare most of what he needs," Lingyun added.

Humei could only nod helplessly.

A month passed in a flash. During that time, Humei was even kinder to Ling Tian, staying by his side all day. A hint of reluctance occasionally flickered in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by deep, loving affection.

"Tian'er, come here." That day, Lingyun called over Ling Tian, who had been playing outside with Humei.

"Mm, Daddy, what is it?" Ling Tian bounced over to Lingyun.

"Tomorrow, I'll be sending you to learn from the other branches. Have you decided what you want to study?" Lingyun gently wiped the sweat from Ling Tian's brow, his voice full of affection.

After that day, Lingyun had told Ling Tian he would send him to the other main peaks, letting him choose for himself.

Ling Tian pouted, lowered his head, stared at his toes, and said weakly, "Daddy, can I not go?"

"No." Lingyun's expression turned stern.

"Oh, then I want to go to Qingyun Main Peak." Ling Tian said, a little aggrieved.

Lingyun's expression softened, and he asked with curiosity, "Why do you want to go to Qingyun Main Peak?"

"Uncle Qingyun and the others said that Qingyun Main Peak has the best alchemy among the nine main peaks. I want to learn alchemy." Ling Tian's eyes flickered, then turned resolute.

Ever since the "Heaven and Earth Divine Object" incident, Green Cloud Master and the others had frequently visited Qingyou Peak to see Lingyun.

At first, everyone took Ling Tian, the Heaven-Sent Child, very seriously. Besides, Ling Tian was lively and endearing, so naturally they told him some things about the Qingyun Sect.

But for some reason, Lingyun hated these visits. After he lost his temper a few times, the Qingyun Sect members no longer dared to come to Qingyou Peak rashly. Later, seeing that Ling Tian had nothing unusual about him, they concluded he didn't carry the "Heaven and Earth Divine Object" and their attention toward him faded.

What no one knew, however, was that Green Cloud Master often stared blankly at Qingyou Peak, a strange glint in his eyes, no one knew what he was thinking.

"Alchemy? Why do you want to learn alchemy? Alchemy is very tedious. How could a little kid like you endure that kind of boredom?" Lingyun looked genuinely curious.

Ling Tian was restless, spending all day playing and laughing on Qingyou Peak. Clearly, Lingyun didn't believe his active son could tolerate that kind of monotony and solitude.

"I want to make Daddy a pill for his cough." Ling Tian's expression turned serious. "Daddy, you cough a lot. Even though you always hide it from Tian'er, thinking I don't know, I've seen it."

"Heh heh, what a good child." Lingyun's face was full of relief, and he gave a light cough.

"Squeak squeak." Humei had somehow jumped onto Ling Tian's shoulder, her expression a mix of excitement and joy, looking at Ling Tian with even more affection.

But Lingyun shook his head, a trace of gloom hidden beneath his relief, though it vanished in an instant.

"What, is it not okay?" Seeing Lingyun shake his head, Ling Tian asked softly.

"It's okay in theory, but alchemy requires Alchemy Fire. You don't even have a golden core yet, so how could you have Alchemy Fire?" Lingyun said with a gentle smile.

"Oh." Ling Tian's face fell with dejection. It wasn't an act—he really hadn't known alchemy had so many requirements.

"But—" Seeing his dejection, Lingyun changed his tone. He didn't want to crush the little one's enthusiasm.

"But what?" Ling Tian grabbed Lingyun's sleeve, feigning impatience.

"Haha, just as impatient as your mother." Lingyun couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing Ling Tian's eagerness, he didn't drag it out. "You can cultivate while learning the basics of alchemy. The art of alchemy is vast and profound—there's a lot to study. By the time you've grasped some introductory knowledge, you'll probably be not far from the Golden Core Realm."

Ling Tian was overjoyed, hopping around happily.

"Besides—" Lingyun hadn't finished.

Ling Tian quickly stopped, his eyes darting as he looked at Lingyun and listened carefully.

"Qingyun Main Peak is the main lineage of the Qingyun Sect. Although it's famous for alchemy across the Five Elements Domain, its other techniques and cultivation methods are no weaker than the other four branches. You can learn other things there too." Lingyun smiled.

"Mm, okay, Daddy. I'll study hard and definitely become the greatest alchemist in the Qingyun Sect." Ling Tian's face was full of heroic ambition. Seeing such an expression on a child's face was almost amusing.

What Ling Tian didn't know was that even if he became the Qingyun Sect's alchemist, he could never heal Lingyun's injuries. But naturally, Lingyun wouldn't dampen Ling Tian's good intentions—learning alchemy was still a fine pursuit.

"That Green Cloud Master fellow's Sword Flight Technique is pretty good too. If you learn it, you can fly around like me, hehe." Lingyun continued his tempting.

"Uh, Daddy knows Tian'er wants to fly?" Ling Tian's little face was full of embarrassment at having his little secret exposed.

"Of course. What could possibly be hidden from your greatest, wisest, most enlightened, and smartest father?" Lingyun began to boast.

"Hee hee, shameless." Ling Tian made a funny face. Even Humei on his shoulder covered her eyes with her front paws, mimicking Ling Tian's expression.

"Hmph, I was going to take you for a flight later, but it seems someone doesn't want to fly." Lingyun threatened, putting on a fierce tone.

"No, I want to fly!" Ling Tian pouted, a little impatient.

"Call me 'good Daddy' and I'll take you." Lingyun was immensely pleased with himself.

"Good Daddy." Ling Tian barely suppressed the urge to gag and forced the words out.

"Haha, good. Let's fly." With a long laugh, a Jade Flute was summoned from beside him, growing with the wind until it was over ten feet long.

"Let's go." The flute shot away with a whoosh.

Instantly, the sound of a child's laughter, a middle-aged man's hearty laugh, and a fox's squeaks spread across Qingyou Peak, startling a few birds into song and sending several fierce beasts fleeing with long roars.