A tall black steed made its way through a sea of yellow sand.
Riding on its back was a young woman in a plain white dress. A short black sword hung at her waist, and her hair stirred in the wind. Though she wore a veil, the nearly perfect contours of her face were still faintly visible through it.
The young woman's eyes were exposed.
They were melancholy, cold eyes.
She had left Myriad Immortal City more than a year ago, and her cultivation had risen from the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm to the mid-stage of the Martial Spring Realm.
In just over a year, she had advanced a full two minor stages.
Just over a year ago, before her master entered seclusion, he had left a task for each of her senior brothers and sisters.
Finally, her master's gaze had settled on her.
When those compassionate, world-weary eyes fell upon her, Zhong Yumo felt as though her heart was about to stop.
"Yumo."
Her master softly called her name.
Zhong Yumo steadied herself as best she could, then answered in a calm voice:
"Your disciple is here."
"The task I am giving you is to discover what it means for you to embark upon the Path of Immortality."
That was what her master had said.
The meaning of embarking upon the Path of Immortality.
She remembered her master asking her the same question two years ago.
"For you, Master."
Back then, Zhong Yumo had answered without the slightest hesitation.
Hearing that, her master had fallen briefly silent before shaking his head.
"That answer will not do."
Why?
Why wouldn't that answer do?
What Zhong Yumo had said was truly what she felt in her heart.
She lowered her head to look at the short sword at her