Prologue (Part 1)

Cloud Forest of Ink Continent.

Heavenly Secret Mountain.

Heavenly Secret Mountain is also known as Inverted Peak, named so because it is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, resembling a spinning top standing upon the earth.

It is said that during the ancient wars, Heavenly Secret Mountain, which originally hovered beyond the nine heavens, was struck down by a great being with boundless divine power, causing it to plummet and embed itself into the ground.

However, some say that Heavenly Secret Mountain was always this way, and the reason given is naturally the Heavenly Secret Hall standing atop the Flat-Top Peak. If it were not intentional, how could such a magnificent and massive complex of palaces have been built?

Immortals use craftsmanship that rivals the heavens to carve mountains and build palaces; defying the heavens and overturning the cosmos is commonplace for them. Thus, others argue that this is the very path that brought disaster upon the Heavenly Mechanism Sect—by defying the heavens, they ultimately suffered divine retribution and fell.

The rights and wrongs of the cause and effect are no longer important; what matters is that the mountain remains, the people remain, and the Heavenly Mechanism Sect still exists.

On Flat-Top Peak, the grand hall is magnificent, filled with precious imagery and radiating brilliant light.

The sound of cloud chimes rings out like celestial music drifting down, while the disciples below chant scriptures in unison. Their voices are vast, and the atmosphere is naturally solemn.

It is the time for evening lessons, and the disciples of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect are currently practicing. Suddenly, a man in green robes is seen flying in from the distant horizon, followed by a youth in white robes standing on a cloud, though he appears somewhat unsteady, clearly not a cultivator.

"Fourth Senior Brother!"

Xin Xiaoye, who is attending the evening lesson, sees the man in green and calls out to the sky.

Xin Xiaoye has a small, round face and smiles like a child; while not breathtakingly beautiful, she is very cute.

The man in green in the sky sees this and puts a finger to his lips to shush her. Xin Xiaoye realizes something and turns to look ahead, only to see Xin Ranzi's face darken: "No noise allowed!"

Xin Xiaoye sticks out her tongue and sits back down.

Over there, Qing Lin has already descended gracefully with the youth in white to Xin Ranzi's side and bows: "Master, I have brought him back."

Xin Ranzi gives a hum and stands up, saying: "All of you, continue your lessons. No disturbances."

He has already turned and walked back into the hall, with Qing Lin and the youth in white following behind.

Seeing their master leave, the disciples below begin whispering to one another.

"Who is that in white?"

"I don't know."

"It looks like a newcomer brought back by Fourth Senior Brother."

"Does that mean he's a newly accepted disciple?"

"Congratulations, Junior Sister. From now on, you are no longer the youngest."

The senior brothers and sisters offer their congratulations to Xin Xiaoye one after another, and Xin Xiaoye huffs: "As if I care!"

Yet, her face is filled with irrepressible joy; clearly, she is very happy to be relieved of her status as the youngest in the sect.

Following Qing Lin and Xin Ranzi into the main hall, Ning Ye looks at the old man in front of him as he walks.

Is he the sect leader of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect?

The old man truly looks like he possesses the air of an immortal. It is said he is already one hundred and fifty years old, yet he looks no more than fifty, his face glowing with health, with hardly any wrinkles to be seen.

The staff in his hand must be the Heavenly Secret Staff, right? The staff body is perfectly round, about thirteen feet long, and covered in strange runes. Every time it strikes the ground, a golden wheel of light rises from the floor, only to vanish in a flash.

The floor is made of some unknown stone, also inscribed with secret runes; it rings out when struck, yet is deathly silent when stepped upon.

The entire Heavenly Secret Hall is constructed from rare stones that Ning Ye has never seen or heard of, and when paired with the secret runes, it is dazzling, appearing all the more mysterious and imposing.

Xin Ranzi walks through the hall and arrives at a quiet room in the back, where he sits down.

He says to Qing Lin and Ning Ye: "Sit."

Ning Ye hesitates, but Qing Lin says: "Master has granted you a seat; no need to be formal."

Ning Ye then sits cross-legged opposite Xin Ranzi. To be honest, he is not really used to this sitting posture.

Xin Ranzi looks at Ning Ye. The youth before him is not old, yet he carries himself with neither arrogance nor servility. He lacks the panic of an ordinary mortal first ascending the mountain, nor does he have the typical pride of a youth; instead, he possesses a rare composure, revealing a calmness that does not belong to his age.

Now, Xin Ranzi is beginning to believe what Qing Lin said.

"You are Bai Yu?" he asks.

"Yes, disciple Bai Yu greets Master," Ning Ye says.

Unexpectedly, Xin Ranzi shakes his head: "Your words are somewhat untrue; this is not your real name."

Ning Ye is stunned. He knows that cultivators often possess strange abilities, but he did not expect them to be able to detect even this. After a moment of silence, he says: "This disciple had another name in the past, but the matters of the previous life are already in the past. The name Bai Yu, though chosen later, is the only name I use here, so it is not entirely false."

Xin Ranzi nods: "That is the truth. Your origins indeed have mysterious aspects that I cannot see through, but that is not strange. After all, you were brought here by it..."

As Xin Ranzi speaks, he reaches out and points at Ning Ye.

Ning Ye's body trembles, and a brilliant light suddenly erupts from within him. Then, an object emerges from Ning Ye's body.

It is an ancient palace the size of a model, antique and elegant, though it looks damaged in many places. Yet, it conceals an inner radiance, flickering with an endlessly mysterious luster; one can tell at a glance that it is no ordinary object.

Xin Ranzi is visibly excited: "Thousand Mechanism Hall... it really is the Thousand Mechanism Hall..."

Even though he had already known the result, seeing the Thousand Mechanism Hall again at this moment, Xin Ranzi still cannot hide his excitement.

The Heavenly Mechanism Sect of the past was once an ancient immortal sect, and at its peak, it shook the universe, with ten thousand immortals bowing in submission.

However, prosperity inevitably leads to decline. To consolidate their status, reach the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dao, and create unparalleled glory, the Heavenly Mechanism Sect resolutely decided to use the power of an entire realm to forge the Thousand Mechanism Divine Palace. Yet, just as the Thousand Mechanism Hall was nearing completion, it was besieged by ten thousand immortals; the hall was shattered and vanished in the battle, ceasing to exist.

To restore the glory of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, successive sect leaders had been striving to recover the Thousand Mechanism Hall.

Unexpectedly, today, Xin Ranzi finally laid eyes upon it.

Xin Ranzi attempted to seize the Thousand Mechanism Hall, but it remained unmoved, merely hovering beside Ning Ye.

Ning Ye lowered his head and said, "This object has already recognized this disciple as its master..."

As he spoke, his heart was filled with trepidation and anxiety; it was arguably the greatest gamble of his life.

Xin Ranzi perceived his inner thoughts: "Are you worried, afraid that I might kill you to seize the treasure?"

Ning Ye gritted his teeth and answered directly, "Yes."

Xin Ranzi asked with a smile, "If that is the case, why did you make that choice back then?"

"Because this disciple chose to believe in the character of my master and senior brother," Ning Ye replied.

"The path of immortality is heartless; to trust someone so casually only proves your foolishness."

"That is why this disciple did not trust casually, but spent a year getting to know you."

"A year is still too short."

"I also wished to know you for longer, but the will of heaven is such, and fate plays tricks on people."

"Perhaps, even heaven could not wait any longer, or more likely, heaven also wanted to see your choice..." Xin Ranzi said with profound meaning.

The first time Qing Lin and Ning Ye met was one year ago.

That day, Qing Lin was galloping on horseback, the cool breeze brushing his face, slightly tempering the boiling blood in his heart.

This bloodlust was the lingering aftermath of his recent annihilation of eighteen fierce bandits from the Cloud Water Stronghold. Just as he was feeling proud, he saw a woodcutter drinking in a small pavilion by the roadside.

Merely by glancing at the woodcutter, Qing Lin felt that the man was extraordinary.

Although he wore coarse linen clothes, they were kept spotlessly clean. Most strangely, he wore his hair in a short crop, looking like a monk, yet he did not abstain from wine or meat.

A rabbit was roasting on a rack, and he held a wine flask in his hand.

The fragrance of the wine overflowed, rich and aromatic.

As the scent reached his nose, Qing Lin could not help but blurt out, "Fine wine!"

The woodcutter looked at him: "So, you are a connoisseur of wine. It is rare to meet a drinking companion; why not come over and have a cup?"

Hearing this, Qing Lin dismounted, and with a casual wave, the horse transformed into a small wooden toy, landing in his hand.

Qing Lin carried the wooden horse as he walked over. The woodcutter showed no fear, merely watching him with clear, bright eyes, his gaze steady and devoid of terror.

Qing Lin asked, "Are you not afraid of me?"

The woodcutter countered, "What is there to fear?"

"I am a cultivator of immortality."

The path of immortality is heartless, and immortals have never been purely benevolent; they possess both good and evil.

However, because immortals are naturally powerful and bound by no laws or constraints, human nature often decays while arrogance grows.

If one encounters a benevolent immortal, it is fine, but if one encounters an evil one, killing at the slightest disagreement is common, and killing without a word is even more frequent.

Precisely because of this, mortals retreat whenever they see an immortal, and few would take the initiative to invite one like this woodcutter.

Although Qing Lin prided himself on his character, he did not expect mortals to be proactive or warm toward him, hence his question.

The woodcutter replied, "You smelled the wine. If I did not invite you and you wanted to drink, wouldn't that give you even more reason to kill me? It is better to invite you proactively; perhaps it might spare my life."

Qing Lin laughed heartily: "That may be so, but few people remain calm when encountering an immortal. Since you have the heart, I shall not stand on ceremony."

Saying this, he walked over, picked up the woodcutter's flask, and tilted his head back to drink without minding that the other had already sipped from it.

As the wine entered his throat, a fierce warmth filled his chest. Qing Lin felt the aftertaste was endless and smiled: "I have never tasted this wine before; it must be your own brew, right? A fine craft indeed."

The woodcutter ignored him, sitting alone by the railing and gazing into the distance, murmuring to himself: "I have a flask of wine, enough to comfort the dust of the world; I would pour it all into the rivers and seas, to gift to all the people under heaven."

Qing Lin was stunned, blurting out, "What spirit! The wine is good, but the poem is even better. I have never heard this poem before; did you write it yourself?"

The woodcutter shook his head: "Someone else wrote it; I dare not claim the credit."

Qing Lin looked at the woodcutter earnestly.

In this day and age, life is difficult, and people struggle for survival, rarely reading poetry or books.

Although the woodcutter claimed he did not write the poem, judging by his words, actions, and demeanor, he was clearly no ordinary person.

Qing Lin became intrigued by him, discussing wine and poetry with him, and was shocked to find that the man's learning was rare in this world, truly not an ordinary person, which piqued his interest even further.

After drinking the wine and eating the meat, he tore off a rabbit leg and strode away.

Three days later, Qing Lin returned, appearing directly at the woodcutter's home—a dilapidated little wooden hut.

He brought a sheep with him.

The woodcutter did not ask how he had found him, simply taking out the wine he had brewed earlier.

And so, one provided the wine, the other the meat, and the two of them feasted to their hearts' content.

In this way, Qing Lin learned that the woodcutter was named Bai Yu, a mortal who had suddenly appeared in Cloud Forest half a year ago. The reason he said "suddenly appeared" was because the man claimed he had simply woken up there, having forgotten all his previous memories.

Qing Lin did not press him, choosing to drink instead.

From then on, every time Qing Lin set out or returned, he would visit the woodcutter to trade meat for wine.

As time passed, their friendship gradually deepened.

Whenever they drank their fill, they would chat about everything under the sun.

Qing Lin would talk to him about the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, and the woodcutter would recount stories of his own experiences.

What surprised Qing Lin was that although Ning Ye was young, he had seen so much; many of the stories he told were things Qing Lin had never even heard of.

Some of these were things even immortals could not achieve, such as a network that allowed people in different places to speak and communicate with one another.

Others were things immortals could do, such as mechanical devices that could fly through the sky or burrow into the earth, or long-range weapons that could kill without a trace.

Most of the time, Qing Lin simply regarded these as made-up stories, but Ning Ye's tales were remarkably consistent, which was rare. Since one told them interestingly and the other listened happily, they got along famously.

Qing Lin knew that Ning Ye was definitely no ordinary person; after all, it was hard for an average country bumpkin to have such insight, and even if he were making up stories, he wouldn't be able to weave them with such detail and intrigue—not to mention his claim of amnesia.

The problem was that the other party seemed to have no intention of hiding this fact.

It was like telling a lie while knowing full well it had flaws, yet not bothering to cover them up.

Fortunately, Qing Lin was a free-spirited man; since the other didn't say anything, he didn't ask, and the two of them settled into a silent, tacit understanding.

A year later.

A quiet morning.

Ning Ye was sitting at home, lost in thought. Floating right in front of him was an object: an ancient bronze mirror. The mirror was solemn and archaic, containing vast phenomena within, yet it remained hidden and dormant. Various strange images flashed across the surface, all vanishing in an instant, impossible to grasp.

Suddenly, with a loud boom, something fell from the sky, smashing a large hole through his roof.

Ning Ye was stunned, only to realize it was Qing Lin.

He was covered in blood, still smiling as he landed, but upon seeing the ancient mirror, he clearly froze: "Kunlun Mirror?"

The Kunlun Mirror was one of the ten divine artifacts within the Thousand Mechanism Hall.

The Thousand Mechanism Hall was a supreme sacred object forged by the Heavenly Mechanism Sect using the power of an entire realm. It held infinite mysteries and was known as the "Thousand Mechanisms," encompassing all the wonders and secrets of heaven and earth. Among them were ten divine artifacts, each with unique abilities, and the Kunlun Mirror was one of them.

In ancient legends, this treasure had the power to traverse time and space. Perhaps there was some exaggeration, as time paradoxes existed even in this realm, but it was a fact that it could traverse the vast expanse of the universe.

It was precisely this object that had brought Ning Ye from his original world to this place. However, that single traversal had exhausted all the energy the Kunlun Mirror had accumulated over ten thousand years, making it impossible for it to manifest the power of time-space travel again in the short term.

The moment he saw the Kunlun Mirror, everything became clear to Qing Lin.

The two of them stared at each other.

Suddenly, Qing Lin smiled.

He coughed up blood and said, "I know now... why you wanted to be friends with me..."

Although he was a cultivator, he was severely injured; he could not use his spells, and his life force was fading fast. Having discovered such an important secret of the other man, he no longer harbored any expectations.

He looked at Ning Ye calmly and said, "Can you do me a favor? After you kill me, send my body to the Heavenly Mechanism Sect. In return for you sending me back, my master will take you as a disciple. With the Thousand Mechanism Hall in your possession, it will be as if you have returned to the Heavenly Mechanism Sect."

Ning Ye slowly stood up and walked to his side.

Beside his hand lay a woodcutter's axe.

With one swing, everything could be resolved.

Qing Lin looked at him calmly, as if waiting for his fate to arrive.

He was even smiling—a happy, relieved smile.

He said, "Do it."

He no longer hoped that Ning Ye would spare him.

Ning Ye slowly picked up the axe and pointed it at Qing Lin.

His hand was trembling slightly.

Then, he swung the blade.

Slash!

The coarse blade sliced through Qing Lin's clothes, revealing the wounds all over his body.

He walked over, took out a medicine basket, and began to apply medicine to Qing Lin.

"You..." Qing Lin was stunned.

"Shut up!" Ning Ye said in a low voice. "Do me a favor: hold your breath and circulate your energy. Although I am no immortal, I know a thing or two about healing; you just need to cooperate..."

And just like that, Qing Lin survived.

Ning Ye took care of him for seven days.

By the third day, Qing Lin was already able to use his spells, but he did nothing, simply fulfilling the duties of a patient and silently cooperating.

From beginning to end, the two of them never spoke another word.

Seven days later, Qing Lin had fully recovered from his injuries.

On the day he recovered, Qing Lin disappeared.

He vanished just like that, suddenly, without saying a word.

Looking at the empty bed, Ning Ye sighed and sat down.

He sat there, motionless, for a long time that day.

Three days later, Qing Lin reappeared.

Upon seeing Ning Ye, the first thing he said was, "Come up the mountain with me; Master wants to see you."

In the quiet room, Xin Ranzi looked at Ning Ye.

"If that incident hadn't happened, would you have revealed the Thousand Mechanism Hall?" he asked.

Ning Ye shook his head slightly: "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I don't know." Ning Ye answered with great certainty: "The human heart is unpredictable. Even immortals cannot fathom it, and as a mortal, I cannot either. I don't know about others, and I don't even know myself."

"But you still decided to take the risk."

"Because he is my friend."

Xin Ranzi smiled: "In your heart, is a friend more important than the Thousand Mechanism Hall?"

"Yes!" Ning Ye replied earnestly.

The candlelight illuminated Ning Ye's resolute face.

Xin Ranzi felt quite satisfied.

He practiced a secret art that allowed him to sense that Ning Ye's words were sincere.

This left Xin Ranzi feeling very pleased: "Very good. You are loyal and righteous, yet not a fool. You are cautious when you should be, and you take risks when necessary. It is no wonder the Thousand Mechanism Hall chose you as its master."

As Xin Ranzi spoke, he pointed toward the Thousand Mechanism Hall. A streak of brilliant light flashed within the hall, and then an ancient bronze mirror emerged from it.

Xin Ranzi sighed with emotion: "The Kunlun Mirror..."

Perhaps sensing the summons of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, the Kunlun Mirror emitted a crisp chime, giving off a sense of joy. Numerous peculiar golden characters appeared on the mirror, rotating in the void.

"The Heaven Asking Art!" Seeing the golden characters on the ancient Kunlun Mirror, Xin Ranzi trembled with excitement.

The Heavenly Mechanism Sect possessed nine divine arts, each corresponding to one of the nine great treasures within the Thousand Mechanism Hall, though one divine object lacked an associated art.

However, after the Heavenly Mechanism Sect was destroyed, the nine divine arts were lost along with it.

Today, the Heavenly Mechanism Sect only retained fragments of three divine arts, and the Heaven Asking Art was one of them.

Relying on these fragments, the Heavenly Mechanism Sect had gradually transformed from the number one immortal sect of ancient times into a small sect primarily focused on divination and secondary to mechanical craftsmanship.

And now, what appeared on the ancient Kunlun Mirror was the complete Heaven Asking Art.

The Heaven Asking Art was a technique of divination; it was said that when cultivated to its peak, one could know the past and the future. The space-time ability of the ancient Kunlun Mirror—the path of time—was not about time travel, but rather precognition.

The complete Heaven Asking Art, combined with the Kunlun Mirror, was said to allow one to know the past and future—though, of course, it was impossible to know everything, otherwise the ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect would not have fallen.

Unfortunately, because the Kunlun Mirror had recognized Ning Ye as its master, even Xin Ranzi could not use it for divination. However, being able to recover the complete Heaven Asking Art was enough to satisfy him.

His gaze toward Ning Ye became filled with warmth: "You are excellent. From this day forward, you are my ninth disciple. Remember to keep the matter of the Thousand Mechanism Hall a secret; do not let anyone else know."

From this day on, Ning Ye officially entered the Heavenly Mechanism Sect.

The Heavenly Mechanism Sect was a small sect with few members. The sect leader, Xin Ranzi, had a total of nine disciples, and when counting branch disciples and servants, the entire sect numbered no more than a hundred people.

Despite this, the atmosphere within the Heavenly Mechanism Sect was quite harmonious.

Xin Ranzi placed great importance on Ning Ye, viewing him as the person who would lead the future revival of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect. Consequently, Ning Ye received excellent treatment, and whenever there were rare treasures, he was the first person they thought of. Ning Ye's aptitude was originally ordinary, but under Xin Ranzi's careful cultivation, his progress was rapid.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

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