The Choice

Time slipped by, and the great wheel of time turned round and round without ever stopping. This was an eternal, unchanging truth of the universe.

How many heroes had been swept away in the river of time, and how many upheavals had shaken the mortal world? The river churned on, but did it still remember the few ripples that had once disturbed its waters? Perhaps nothing would remain. Even if something did, the river of time would pay no mind to those tiny ripples.

And so, ten years passed before anyone knew it. Perhaps ten short years meant nothing to the boundless universe, but for an infant, they brought changes enough to turn heaven and earth upside down.

That was right: Ling Tian was ten years old now. He already stood five feet tall, and the little fellow had grown livelier by the day. With his delicate features and skin as fair as jade, he hardly looked like a boy; he seemed more like a lively, pretty little girl.

A smile often graced Ling Tian's tender face. His eyes were bright as stars, and every glance made them sparkle. His clear eyes twinkled from time to time, and his long eyelashes made him all the more adorable.

Over those ten years, Lingyun and his wife had taught Ling Tian to speak and write. The little fellow was exceptionally clever; he learned everything quickly and mastered it at once. He was also quite the mischievous, energetic handful, often turning the little courtyard where Lingyun lived upside down—as if there had been chickens and dogs there to begin with.

Over those ten years, many strangers had tried to sneak onto Qingyou Peak. Their clothes were unlike anything worn nearby, and they clearly weren't from the area around Qingyun Mountain. Perhaps, ever since the "Heaven and Earth Divine Object" incident (for details, see the side story), the Five Elements Sect or some more distant power had wanted to investigate Lingyun and Ling Tian.

But as soon as these people set foot on Qingyou Peak, a fierce killing intent would press down on them, leaving them trembling with fear. They could only retreat in alarm.

As time went by, no outsiders dared set foot on Qingyou Peak anymore.

In short, beneath Qingyou Peak's peaceful surface, undercurrents swirled. Ling Tian simply knew nothing about any of it.

That day, Ling Tian was playing by himself in the little courtyard where Lingyun lived.

The little fellow was full of energy. He looked at the flowers and touched the grass, sometimes leaping into the air and startling a few fluttering butterflies or scaring off a few little birds.

"Hee-hee..."

Seeing the butterflies flutter away, Ling Tian beamed. His big eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and he didn't care at all that a few bits of grass clung to him.

"Chirp, chirp..."

The clear calls of a few spirit birds rang out from the sky.

"Hmm, why can't I fly? It'd be great if I could fly like Father. Then I could play with you, too." Ling Tian furrowed his brow and pouted, lost in thought.

He gazed up at the birds in the sky, his imagination taking flight. Sunlight fell across his face, and the beads of sweat on his skin caught the light, gleaming like crystal.

"Father said I'll be able to fly someday, too. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait?" Ling Tian muttered under his breath.

"I wonder how my parents in the Immortal Realm are doing. I hope they're all right." Suddenly, Ling Tian's tone changed. His eyes grew deep, filled with worry; he hardly seemed like a child.

"The Heavenly Lords of the Immortal Realm will surely send someone down to capture me. Since I was able to come down, naturally someone else can come down, too." Ling Tian recalled what had happened in the Immortal Realm. Babies weren't supposed to remember such things, but he did. There was no denying that, as the Son of God and Demon, he was quite unlike others.

"I can only keep a low profile. Maybe posing as an ordinary person is the best disguise. Go on, search all you like. One day, I'll make you regret it. Hmph." A flash of menace crossed Ling Tian's eyes, then vanished. He returned to looking like an innocent, bewildered boy.

Still, a faint, crafty smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.

It turned out that the seemingly innocent Ling Tian was only pretending, using that appearance to conceal himself. Perhaps only that way could he keep going down his path of "escape."

"My parents now are pretty nice, too. I can't let them see what's on my mind and make them worry. Hee-hee, I suppose being a good kid for now isn't so bad." Ling Tian felt a faint warmth in his heart.

That single thought added warmth and family affection to the rugged yet extraordinary road that lay ahead of him.

"Hee-hee, I wonder how Father plans to arrange my life?" Ling Tian tilted his head, looking every bit like a gentle, young child.

What Ling Tian didn't know was that just as he was thinking about this, Lingyun was discussing his future with Humei:

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

"Yip, yip..." Humei hopped about uneasily, restless and clearly opposed to Lingyun's decision.

Lingyun furrowed his starry brows and patiently explained, "Tian'er is the only child on Qingyou Peak. I'm worried that if he has no one his own age to play with, he'll grow lonely and eccentric. I want him to have a happy childhood. After all, once he begins cultivating, the world will become extraordinarily harsh."

Humei stopped and gazed into the distance, watching Ling Tian playing in the courtyard. She gave a few soft cries, her eyes filled with deep affection and reluctance.

"Alas, how can it be enough for him to have only us? If he never interacts with the outside world, how will he venture out someday? He can't stay sheltered beneath our wings forever." Lingyun's brow furrowed even more. He glanced at Humei and continued, "Besides, it's time for Tian'er to begin cultivating. It would be good for him to learn a few things on the other main peaks."

"Yip, yip." Humei scoffed, her face full of disdain.

"Yes, yes, the Qingyun Sect's cultivation methods and the like are all worthless. What we can teach him is a thousand times better. But it's still good for him to see the techniques of other sects. My former sect believed in embracing a hundred rivers and learning from every school. Only then could one draw inferences from many examples and gain a deeper understanding of the Way of Nature." At this, Lingyun's expression darkened, as though he had recalled some painful memory.

Humei lowered her head as well, clearly reminded of something sorrowful.

"Yip, yip." Humei looked at him inquiringly, her eyes pleading.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Lingyun's eyes. He spoke slowly. "The earlier a child begins cultivating, the better. It'll help him connect with the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. If we wait another two years, I'm afraid he'll have missed his best time to cultivate."

"Yip, yip." Humei brightened, as if she had thought of something.

"We teach him ourselves? But I need to refine pills soon, so I'm afraid I won't have the time. And our injuries..." Lingyun trailed off.

Humei bounced around and began acting cute.

"You, honestly. We're sending Tian'er to another main peak, not away forever. Whenever we miss him, we can go visit. We can both use Object Flight, after all. It won't take long to get there." Lingyun smiled helplessly and continued to comfort Humei.

Humei gave a few cries, her voice full of grievance.

"Sooner or later, the child has to go out and see the world. We may not be able to stay with Tian'er forever." Lingyun gently soothed her, then paused before adding, "Besides, Tian'er is destined to be no ordinary person. We can't let this Unpolished Jade gather dust just to keep him by our side."

"Yip, yip." Humei reluctantly gave in, though the reluctance in her eyes only deepened.

"All right. We'll send Tian'er to another main peak after a while. I need to prepare a few things for him anyway, and I'd feel uneasy sending him off alone." Lingyun smiled.

Humei's eyes narrowed slightly. She happily leaped onto Lingyun's shoulder, her tail brushing against his face.

"Let's give it a month. That should be enough time to get most of the things ready," Lingyun added.

Humei could only nod reluctantly.

A month passed in a flash. During that month, Humei doted on Ling Tian even more and stayed by his side all day long. A hint of reluctance would occasionally flicker in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by deep affection.

"Tian'er, come here." That day, Lingyun called to Ling Tian, who was playing outside with Humei.

"Mm, Father? What is it?" Ling Tian bounced over to him.

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

After that day, Lingyun had told Ling Tian that he planned to send him to another main peak and let him choose for himself.

Ling Tian pouted, lowered his head, and stared at his toes. "Father, do I really have to go?"

"You do," Lingyun said sternly.

"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?"

"I heard Uncle Qingyun and the others say that Qingyun Main Peak is the best of the nine main peaks at refining pills. I want to learn alchemy." A determined glint shone in Ling Tian's eyes.

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

At first, everyone had thought highly of Ling Tian, the Heaven-Sent Child. Besides, he was lively and adorable, so they naturally told him a few things about the Qingyun Sect.

For some reason, however, Lingyun greatly disliked their visits. After he lost his temper a few times, the people of the Qingyun Sect no longer dared to come to Qingyou Peak without warning. Later, they found that Ling Tian seemed to be nothing special and concluded that he didn't possess the "Heaven and Earth Divine Object." Their interest in him faded as well.

What none of them knew was that Green Cloud Master would often stare blankly toward Qingyou Peak, a strange look in his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Alchemy? Why do you want to learn alchemy? It's very tedious. How could a little child like you endure the loneliness?" Lingyun asked, full of curiosity.

Ling Tian was so energetic, running around and playing all day on Qingyou Peak. Lingyun clearly didn't believe that such an active boy could endure that kind of tedium and loneliness.

"I want to make pills to cure your cough, Father." Ling Tian's expression grew serious. "You cough so often. You always hide it from Tian'er and think I don't know, but I've seen it all."

"Heh, what a good child." Lingyun's face was full of relief. He coughed softly.

"Yip, yip." Humei had somehow leaped onto Ling Tian's shoulder. She looked both moved and delighted, and her gaze at Ling Tian grew even more affectionate.

Lingyun shook his head. Relief mingled with a faint sadness in his expression, but it vanished in an instant.

"What is it? Can't I?" Seeing Lingyun shake his head, Ling Tian asked softly.

"You can, but alchemy requires Alchemy Fire. You don't even have a Golden Core yet, so how could you possibly have Alchemy Fire?" Lingyun replied with a smile.

"Oh." Ling Tian looked utterly crestfallen. He wasn't pretending; he truly hadn't known alchemy came with so many requirements.

"But..." Seeing how dejected he was, Lingyun changed tack. He didn't want to discourage the little fellow.

"But what?" Ling Tian grabbed Lingyun's sleeve and pretended to be impatient.

"Haha, you're just as impatient as your mother." Lingyun couldn't help smiling. Seeing how eager Ling Tian was, he stopped teasing him and said, "You can cultivate while learning the basics of alchemy. The art of alchemy is vast and profound, with plenty to learn. By the time you've mastered a little of the basic knowledge, you'll probably be not far from the Golden Core Realm."

Ling Tian was overjoyed and hopped about happily.

"And besides—" Lingyun began.

Ling Tian quickly stopped and looked at him, listening intently.

"Qingyun Main Peak is the central peak of the Qingyun Sect. It's famous throughout the Five Elements Domain for its alchemy, but its other arts and cultivation methods are no weaker than those of the other four sects. You can learn other things there at the same time, too," Lingyun said with a smile.

"Mm, all right, Father. I'll study hard and become the greatest alchemist in the Qingyun Sect!" Ling Tian declared with boundless confidence. Seeing that look on a little child's face was almost enough to make anyone laugh.

What Ling Tian didn't know was that even if he became an alchemist of the Qingyun Sect, he still wouldn't be able to heal Ling Tian's injuries. Lingyun simply couldn't bear to turn away Ling Tian's kindness. Learning alchemy would be a good thing in any case.

"Green Cloud Master's Sword Flight Technique is pretty good, too. Once you learn it, you'll be able to fly around just like me. Heh-heh." Lingyun continued to tempt him.

"Uh, Father, you knew I wanted to fly?" Ling Tian's little face flushed with embarrassment. His little secret had been found out.

"Of course. What could possibly escape the notice of your greatest, wisest, most open-minded, and cleverest father?" Lingyun began to boast.

"Hee-hee, shame on you!" Ling Tian made a face. Even Humei, perched on his shoulder, covered her eyes with her front paws and copied his expression.

"Hmph. I was going to take you flying in a little while, but it seems certain people don't want to fly after all," Lingyun threatened, pretending to be fierce.

"No, I want to fly!" Ling Tian pouted, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Say, 'You're a good father.'"

"Good Father." Ling Tian managed to hold back the urge to gag and forced the words out.

"Haha, good! Let's fly!" With a long laugh, Lingyun summoned a Jade Flute from beside him. It grew in the wind until it was over ten feet long.

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

At once, a child's laughter, the hearty laughter of a middle-aged man, and the fox's cries rang out across Qingyou Peak, startling a few birds into song and sending several beasts fleeing with howls.