Winds and Clouds Rise in Lingshu

Alternative title: <About how, except for me who transmigrated into a book, everyone around me is a Son of Destiny>

This humble one has no great talent, merely a shipper.

Resuming updates.

Purely writing for fun, writing whatever comes to mind. Do not spit fire if you dislike it.

Shen Yuxi, the Profound Heaven Sect's second-disciple, renowned cold beauty of the cultivation world, pride of heaven, with a frosty aura, looking like an otherworldly immortal who consumes no mortal food.

However, the truth is—a crystal-clear, foolish, omnivorous shipper and novel otaku who transmigrated into a book one day to become a poker-faced man, and yet still has to carry his idol baggage and be forced to transform into a "facial expression management master."

Every day he wears that iceberg face, but his inner self is wildly spamming the screen: Ahhhhh, what kind of Shura field classic scene is this!

Eldest Senior Brother is so handsome today it defies both gods and men! This angle, who gets it?!

Help, I've shipped the real deal again. Eldest Senior Brother, stop glaring at me, I get it, I won't disturb your dry tinder and blazing fire.

One day, Shen Yuxi's inner voice was unexpectedly and thoroughly exposed in front of the sect elders and direct disciples. Ever since then, the painting style of the Profound Heaven Sect took a sharp turn, changing from its original serious immortal-cultivation place into a joyful melon-eating paradise.

The cold-faced junior brother's inner theater became the entire sect's source of happiness, yet he himself remained completely oblivious to it.

Chu Shihan, the Profound Heaven Sect's eldest senior brother, a sword-spirit-root sword cultivator, young master of the prestigious Chu Clan, one of the original novel's male protagonists, a harem-style Long Aotian.

He had always appreciated his second junior brother's diligence and steadiness, until the iceberg junior brother's inner thoughts leaked endlessly, and CP fans danced right in front of the principals—the principal was left utterly bewildered: You brat, looking all thick-browed and big-eyed, actually harboring such thoughts!

Shen Yuxi was on the verge of tears: I am merely a social phat who loves watching handsome men and gorgeous women flirt and fall in love, what did I do wrong?

Chu Shihan wore a dark line on his face: Just how many husbands and wives have I been assigned in total anyway?

The crowd of sect members laughed uproariously: Hilarious, I simply cannot stop!

—The cold-faced junior brother's inner monologue, the entire sect has listened until they went numb.

This work is a fictional piece; the plot, character designs, locations, and backgrounds are all fictionalized by the author or processed for creative needs, and have no relation to any real individuals, groups, organizations, or events. Any similarities are purely coincidental.

The character behaviors, moral concepts, and social backgrounds involved in this work are fictional settings and do not represent the author's views. The content does not involve any insinuation or accusation against real people or events, and readers are advised not to map them onto reality.

The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get, so I came back to write it down clearly. I admit I cannot write well, and everything is a jumbled mess. But do not come here to curse the characters, making brainless judgments and insults based merely on the tip of the iceberg of a character's presentation—do you understand them or do I? Naturally, there are no flawless characters to begin with, and as I dislike perfect protagonists myself, I will not portray protagonists in that direction. If you mind, do not read.

Do not argue with me over any point. My current mental state is that any wrongness is never my problem, arguing means I am right. If you see anything you dislike, do not come here to complain; take a left turn to avoid the thunder, and do not repeatedly instruct me. I write solely to record brainwaves, not to become a great literary master. Thank you for your cooperation.

Those who refuse to listen to reason and curse directly without reading the synopsis will also have their comments deleted by me directly, alright?

Not recommended for any non-omnivorous viewers.

Irregular updates, irregular renovations.

The correct way to read web fiction is without a brain. Please deposit your brains here.

----Body Divider Line----

Early morning, quiet enveloped the guest chamber.

The indoor furnishings were simple yet elegant; tables and chairs made of sandalwood were arranged neatly, emitting a quaint and lustrous sheen. A set of Duo Zhi pot tea sets was placed on the table. Several landscape scroll paintings hung upon the wall.

In the air, sandalwood and medicinal scents intertwined and permeated the space. Despite the doors and windows being half-open, the medicinal smell simply refused to disperse.

A handsome young man lay atop the bed in the corner. A brocade quilt half-covered his body, and his features could only be described as stunning. His dense eyelashes resembled butterfly wings, casting faint shadows upon his pale cheeks. His thin lips held a sickly pallor, and a head of ink-black hair spread out across the pillow like a waterfall, making his complexion look even more devoid of color.

A man in azure robes sat upon the low couch by the window, appearing to be in his thirties. His black hair was neatly bound with a hair crown, yet a few streaks of gray marked his temples. He held a book scroll, but had not turned a page for a long time, occasionally lifting his head to gaze at the person on the bed before sinking back into deep thought.

Mottled sunlight filtered through the carved window lattice, spilling into the guest chamber and showering upon the man, casting a faint halo over the tranquil space.

This person was none of the others than the current sect master of the number one sect in the Lingshu Heaven Domain—the Profound Heaven Sect, True Person Yu Qing Zhu He. And the person lying on the bed was his only direct disciple, Shen Yuxi.

The Clear Parasol Hall, where this guest chamber was located, sat upon Misty Spirit Peak, the residence of past sect masters of the Profound Heaven Sect. Gazing outward from the courtyard, seas of clouds churned beneath the mountain like rolling waves, magnificent and breathtaking. Wisps of ethereal fog wove between the mountain peaks, resembling a flowing ink-wash painting scroll.

Yet, True Person Yu Qing had no heart to appreciate this stunning scenery. His brows were deeply furrowed, and his gaze was filled with anxiety.

The Lingshu Heaven Domain towered proudly at the center of the Nine Domains, its uniquely blessed geographical position causing the spiritual Qi here to be so dense it practically solidified into substance.

This abundant and plentiful spiritual Qi acted like a massive and immensely attractive lodestone, naturally and inevitably drawing countless sects and aristocratic families to flock over, drop anchor, and stand tall here. This made the Lingshu Heaven Domain the most prosperous and bustling core region of the entire cultivation world.

Rumored to have been the site of a great battle several tens of thousands of years ago where the place now known as the Heavenly Domain resides, several great talents perished here as a result. When a whale falls, all things grow; the spiritual bodies of those great talents transformed into rich spiritual Qi, which subsequently nourished today's Heavenly Domain.

Among the numerous sects and aristocratic families, the most eye-catching was none other than the Profound Heaven Sect.

Having been established for over three years, the Profound Heaven Sect possessed a profound history. Time had not only failed to diminish its brilliance, but instead made its foundation even deeper. The sect possessed a vast number of disciples, and truth-seekers desperate to enter its gates were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river. At the once-every-three-years Heavenly Mystery Assembly, admirers flocked in numbers enough to stretch from the mountain gates all the way down the mountain, packing the Mysterious Creek Town at the foot.

This generation of the Profound Heaven Sect possessed an awe-inspiring strength that left people tongue-tied. Needless to mention Sect Master True Person Yu Qing, the remaining four managing elders were all formidable experts at the Spirit Division realm, standing at the very peak of the pyramid in today's cultivation world.

Meanwhile, the youngest of them all, the Ninth Elder Yu Xiao True Person, was the sole Integrated Body Great Talent in contemporary cultivation, and his title of Sword Sovereign resounded like thunder, known to all.

Such formidable strength cemented the Profound Heaven Sect's position in the Lingshu Heaven Domain as solid as a rock, making it difficult for anyone to shake even a fraction of it for hundreds of years to come.

However, a month ago, ripples of unease disturbed the mirror-like calm of the lake.

In his leisure time, True Person Yu Qing always loved to stand upon the Twin-Life Terrace, quietly gazing at the Twin-Life Tree to soothe his mind and body.

Yet one night, he shockingly discovered that the Twin-Life Tree, which had been deeply rooted within the sect since its establishment, was showing anomalies.

Ever since the founding sect master entered the Dao through the sword, the Profound Heaven Sect laid down its foundation of sword cultivation. Successive sect masters and elders would carve a sword scar upon the Twin-Life Tree, leaving behind their most refined wisp of sword intent for future disciples to comprehend.

This Twin-Life Tree had endured thousands of years of wind and rain alongside countless natural disasters, and ordinary magical artifacts could not possibly leave the slightest mark upon it.

Yet this time, right before True Person Yu Qing's very eyes, the trunk of the Twin-Life Tree had split open without reason, revealing a shocking and terrifying gash.

This crack was positioned dead center, precisely at the halfway point of the trunk, resembling a ferocious and hideous wound.

The bizarre thing was that the depth of the fissure far exceeded the sword-intent carvings left behind by past sect leaders and elders, as if it had been caused by a mysterious and powerful force forcefully hacking down at it.

The Twin-Life Tree was of extraordinary significance to the Profound Heaven Sect. The founding sect master had used supreme divine abilities to tightly bind the sect's fortune with this spiritual tree, and from then on, the sect's fortune was accurately manifested through the Twin-Life Tree.

Today, the canopy of the Twin-Life Tree towered high, blocking out the sun and sky. Looking at it from afar, it did not look like a tree, but rather more like a soaring ladder leading to the firmament. Its imposing and awe-inspiring momentum was the true portrayal of the Profound Heaven Sect's vigorous development and its zenith of power.

However, the ferocious fissure that had appeared without warning on the trunk was just like a bolt from the blue, heavily striking the heart of True Person Yu Qing and causing him to be filled with deep anxiety.

Seeking peace of mind, True Person Yu Qing resolutely used the sect's fortune as a conduit to cast a divination. Yet, to make his complexion turn ashen, three divinations in a row all turned out ominous; the hexagrams pointed to what was feared to be a calamity of sect annihilation.

True Person Yu Qing was unwilling to believe this cruel omen, yet he did not dare to lower his guard. He hurriedly executed the Water Mirror Secret Art to contact his close friend, the master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Xuanji Zi.

Within the water mirror, Xuanji Zi's complexion was as solemn as frost as he quietly listened to True Person Yu Qing's anxious narration. Once True Person Yu Qing finished speaking, Xuanji Zi fell into a long silence, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze along with it.

For a long time, Xuanji Zi slowly opened his eyes, which were brimming with helplessness and the exhaustion of having lived through vicissitudes.

He raised his hand and gently waved it in the empty air. In an instant, the clouds and mist within the water mirror surged and churned like waves, and the scene suddenly changed, abruptly presenting a tragic picture akin to a living hell: the cracked earth was like a ferocious giant beast's opened mouth, wild flames burned unbridled, and billows of thick smoke surged straight into the sky.

Rivers had dried up, replaced by a torrent of flowing blood that emitted a sickening stench. Countless living beings struggled in agony and shrieked in despair amidst this blood and raging fire.

Above the sky, intertwining flashes of lightning and peals of thunder unfolded, and bolts of black lightning resembled ferocious, dancing dragons that mercilessly and wantonly tore the firmament apart.

This... what on earth is this? True Person Yu Qing was terrified to his core, his voice trembling involuntarily.

"The Heavenly Dao is about to collapse." Xuanji Zi's vocal cords sounded like rubbing rusted iron, hoarse and dry. His withered and twig-like fingers slowly traced the edge of the water mirror. "This is not the ordeal of the Profound Heaven Sect alone; the entire Nine Domains will face a calamity of annihilation."

The scene in the mirror twisted and transformed with his words. Beneath the blood-red firmament, figures of cultivators flying on swords could be seen plummeting down like birds with broken wings.

"I had long anticipated that this day would come." Xuanji Zi sighed slightly. "Over these years, I have deduced heavenly secrets day and night, exhausting my heart's blood. Although I have left behind a few countermeasures, the situation is far too perilous, and it is truly hard to place much hope in them."

Before his voice had even faded, his wide sleeves suddenly vibrated violently, as if they were struck by a powerful force. As for the water mirror that foretold the future, it could not bear the burden either; with a crisp crack, the mirror surface abruptly burst open with countless cracks, and tiny flecks of shattered brilliance escaped from the fissures.

"Has this matter been made known to the other sects?" True Person Yu Qing took half a step forward, the worry in his eyes dark like ink, and eagerly pursued the question.

If it were truly as Xuanji Zi said, the impact would by no means be limited to the Profound Heaven Sect alone. Instead, it was like an invisible giant net encompassing the life and death of the entire cultivation world. If the various sects could be united at this moment to pool their surging strength, perhaps—

"Never." Xuanji Zi slowly shook his head, his expression growing increasingly solemn as if he were bearing a load of a thousand jun, pressing down on him until his figure seemed to shrink by a fraction.

He furrowed his brows slightly, his gaze revealing deep helplessness. "Since ancient times, great chaos has often arisen because of prophecies. If this matter becomes known to everyone, it will inevitably cause panic among the populace. By then, the entire cultivation world will surely descend into chaos and plunge into a state of irreversible doom. Therefore, I can only make indirect hints and touch upon it obscurely."

After all, unable to bear seeing his friend lose sleep and peace of mind over the matter of the prophecy, Xuanji Zi pondered for a moment before his expression turned complicated and hard to decipher: "There is a one-time magical treasure in my pavilion named the Heaven-Peeking Treasure. Although it cannot directly resolve the catastrophe, perhaps it can help the Profound Heaven Sect avert it slightly. You may send someone to retrieve it."

With that, he slowly lowered his head, and a deep sigh spilled from his chest cavity.

True Person Yu Qing understood in his heart that these words from his friend carried more than a bit of comfort. Yet, faced with a destructive calamity, how could he willingly give up easily even if there was only a sliver of hope?

After much deliberation, he decided to dispatch his most valued direct disciple, Shen Yuxi, to travel in secret to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and retrieve that magical treasure.

Shen Yuxi set out immediately upon receiving the order, successfully obtained the magical treasure, and embarked on his return journey. Yet who could have anticipated that on the way he would unexpectedly encounter a Nascent Soul peak-stage demonic cultivator who had fallen into madness?

Although Shen Yuxi was endowed with extraordinary natural talent and could be considered a youthful prodigy, he was still young after all, and how could he possibly be a match for this heinous fiend? Under their exchange of blows, Shen Yuxi naturally fell into a disadvantageous position and suffered a heavy loss.

Fortunately, True Person Yu Qing arrived in time, slew the demonic cultivator, and rescued his disciple, who was at death's door.

However, the magical treasure that had been obtained with such difficulty unexpectedly fused into Shen Yuxi's body during the chaos. When True Person Yu Qing arrived, he happened to witness his disciple heavily injured and unconscious, with the magical treasure radiating brilliant golden light and slowly merging into his body.

After the incident, True Person Yu Qing hurried to ask Xuanji Zi for the reason.

Upon hearing this, Xuanji Zi let out a long sigh and said that the magical treasure had long been set up to automatically seek out a thread of survival for the Profound Heaven Sect. Now that the magical treasure had chosen Shen Yuxi on its own, it meant that this disciple was precisely the crucial figure tied to that thread of survival for the Profound Heaven Sect's existence.

"Matters have reached this point; everything is the will of Heaven. Let nature take its course." Xuanji Zi concluded this conversation with these words.

Yet ever since then, seven days had already passed, and Shen Yuxi still remained unconscious and unresponsive.

While True Person Yu Qing was lost in thought, the eyelashes of the person on the bed fluttered gently like butterfly wings. That minute movement, in this quiet room, felt like a thunderclap that instantly clutched True Person Yu Qing's heart.

He hastily put down the book in his hand, stood up with a swoosh, and strode toward the bed in long strides.

Shen Yuxi slowly regained consciousness. His awareness seemed to be heavily wrapped in a layer of mist, sluggish and heavy, and he only felt as if his head had been savagely struck by a heavy hammer, swelling and throbbing with a splitting pain.

His gaze started from the intricate and exquisite bed canopy, slowly shifting downward, landing bit by bit on the familiar figure beside the bed.

By the green jade pillow, the faint fragrance of orchids had not yet completely dissipated, and its elegant aroma seemed to soothe his mind and body.

Shen Yuxi instinctively wanted to prop himself up. However, the moment he exerted force, it was as if heavy mysterious iron stones were pressing down relentlessly upon his meridians. A piercing, numbing ache instantly spread from his meridians throughout his entire body, and even his fingertips felt as though they had been struck by an electric current, causing him to let out a soft groan.

That sound was as faint as the flapping of a gnat's wings, yet it appeared exceptionally clear in this serene room.

However, Shen Yuxi's face did not reveal much of a painful expression; he merely paused slightly, while his body involuntarily trembled violently.

Seeing this, a trace of heartache flashed across True Person Yu Qing's eyes. He immediately gathered spiritual energy at his fingertips and gently yet swiftly probed into Shen Yuxi's body to sort out his meridians, which had once again fallen into disarray.

The spiritual energy traveled through the meridians, and wherever it passed, it felt like burning fire; the pain it brought was no less than before.

Shen Yuxi blinked his eyes hard, yet stubbornly made not a single sound, merely enduring the waves of pain that surged like a tide. Large beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead, dampening the hair at his temples, but he still endured it tenaciously, his resolute expression resembling a statue.

At last, the protracted sorting of spiritual energy came to an end. Shen Yuxi only felt a warm current flowing slowly within his body; the throbbing pain gradually subsided, and his mind finally recovered its clarity.

He gazed at the patterns on the canopy for a long time before finally snapping to his senses and realizing that he had already returned to the Profound Heaven Sect.

Shen Yuxi slowly turned his head. On his pale-as-paper face, his lips were slightly chapped from dryness. He looked toward True Person Yu Qing, his voice hoarse as he spoke, "This disciple has been incompetent; please punish me, Master."

True Person Yu Qing looked at Shen Yuxi, his eyes full of concern and heartache, and spoke in a soft voice, "You are still young, yet you encountered a Nascent Soul peak-stage demonic cultivator. Being able to hold on until I arrived was already no small feat. Returning safely is the greatest fortune; do not reproach yourself."

Full of concern, True Person Yu Qing leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking tightly onto Shen Yuxi as he softly inquired, "How do you feel? Does it still hurt terribly?"

Shen Yuxi said in a hoarse voice, "It is nothing."

Yet, the moment his voice fell, a clear and exaggerated voice echoed without warning inside the room: "Ouch, ouch, ouch! It hurts to death! All my bones feel like they're falling apart! Mas—ter—!" The voice dragged out a long, lingering tail, shattering the originally somewhat solemn atmosphere.

This voice mixed with a hint of exaggeration and banter, resembling a child who had suffered every grievance outside returning home to act spoiled before his elders, caused True Person Yu Qing's wide sleeves to stall slightly.

Putting aside just how heartbreaking his beloved disciple's words sounded, the mere two words "Master" at the end of the phrase were as winding and melodious as nine turns and eighteen bends, lingering and poignant enough to stir strange feelings in anyone, sounding so unnatural that it made True Person Yu Qing's entire body uncomfortable.

Yet the disciple before him had his thin lips tightly pressed together, his expression still as calm as water without a single trace of emotional fluctuation visible. True Person Yu Qing could not help voicing his doubt, "...Qingming?"

"Disciple is here." The young man raised his eyes in a daze, and this time there was no strange sound again.

One had to know that Shen Yuxi was consistently aloof and reticent, resembling an immortal banished to the mortal world, always projecting a composed and introverted demeanor amid his words and actions, maintaining an unruffled appearance at all times.

Such a frivolous utterance spoken from his mouth felt as unbelievable as the sun rising from the west. This deviated vastly from the disciple whom True Person Yu Qing knew well on ordinary days.

True Person Yu Qing felt somewhat dazed for a moment, suspecting whether something had gone wrong with his ears.

Yet right as he was full of suspicion and furrowing his brows slightly, that voice unexpectedly exploded clearly in his mind once again: Strange, why does Master keep staring at me? Did I commit some offense?

He instinctively fixed his gaze on Shen Yuxi, only to see the other person's lips firmly closed and utterly motionless, showing no sign of making a sound whatsoever.

True Person Yu Qing's heart turned cold; this was definitely not ordinary spiritual sense transmission. The cultivation gap between him and Shen Yuxi was vast, with Shen Yuxi merely at the Golden Core stage while he himself, as a powerhouse of the Spirit Division stage, possessed extremely acute application and perception regarding various techniques—if it were ordinary spiritual sense transmission, how could he possibly fail to discern it?

This sudden situation made the doubt in True Person Yu Qing's heart roll larger and larger like a snowball.

Yet years of cultivation allowed him to quickly calm down, unassumingly suppressing the astonishment in his heart while pretending as though nothing was the matter.

After conducting conversation for another moment, True Person Yu Qing grew increasingly certain that the overly lively voice, which even carried a hint of slight complaint and banter, genuinely and truly came from this disciple of his who had always remained as composed and self-restrained as a bright moon and clear wind.

True Person Yu Qing pondered that if this matter were rashly reported to the disciple, it might cause him to add burdens for no reason, so he decided to temporarily set it aside without mentioning it.

Hearing that voice incessantly complaining of the pain, True Person Yu Qing ultimately found himself unable to sit idly by, gathering spiritual energy at his fingertips once more and pressing it onto Shen Yuxi's forehead. This time his action of sorting the meridians was much slower compared to the previous instance, and amid the operation of spiritual energy the pain Shen Yuxi experienced was no longer that fierce, resembling a spring breeze gently sweeping across the injured meridians.

After finishing the sorting, he flicked his wide sleeves lightly and placed a bottle of azure green medicinal liquid gently on the desk: "This medicine can suppress the burning pain in the meridians. Rest at ease these past few days, and as for other matters this Master will naturally handle them without need for excessive worry."

"Many thanks, Master."

True Person Yu Qing was just about to leave when he abruptly sensed his spiritual sense vibrate, and the young man's bright, exultant voice poured clearly into his ears: All right! Master is the best! It would be even better if next time you don't hand tasks like flags over to me!

True Person Yu Qing was greatly startled in his heart, though his expression showed nothing as he offered a few more injunctions and flicked his sleeves to depart.

With a solemn expression, he lingered outside the side room for a moment and gazed toward the room where Shen Yuxi resided. He pondered inwardly: Could it be... caused by that magic treasure? But why did it happen so abruptly, causing Qingming's inner voice to be transmitted uncontrollably?

Since it is heavenly mystery, let things follow their natural course then. True Person Yu Qing could not help emitting a faint sigh.

Matters having reached this point, numerous puzzles intertwined in his mind like a tangled mess, and even racking one's brains made it difficult to find a clue. Under such circumstances, the only option was to choose to trust his good friend's judgment.

Only, variables sprouted thick and fast in the interim; just to be safe and avoid unforeseen accidents, for the time being he had better keep the disciple by his side to look after him at all times, so that his heart could feel somewhat more secure.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○Profound Heaven Sect

The number one sect of the Lingshu Heaven Domain.

Established over three thousand years ago, it is a sword cultivator-dominated sect. Although the sect contains courses in all subjects, the founding sect master entered the Dao through the sword, thus establishing the sword cultivation foundation of the Profound Heaven Sect. Especially after Ninth Elder Feng Lingyu attained veneration through a single battle ten years ago, it became the signboard for sword cultivators, and the fame of other courses was suppressed.

As the top-most sect of the Lingshu Heaven Domain, it takes guarding all living beings as its own responsibility, possessing a mind encompassing the world and righteous awe. The disciples under its banner share a pure and untainted heart, and the sect rules are stern. It also strives to maintain peace among the various sects and noble clans of the Heaven Domain.

○Disciple Attire

Outer sect azure green, inner sect light blue-green, personal disciples ultramarine.

Attire requirements are not very strict, being enforced only on important occasions. Many disciples like to purchase extra dharma garments.

○Heavenly Mystery Assembly

The once-every-three-years initiation assembly of the Profound Heaven Sect. The initiation features ninefold trials; typically passing three stages allows smooth entry into the Profound Heaven Sect. The fourth stage enters the outer sect directly. Anything above the sixth stage basically results in the elders fighting to accept them as personal disciples.

The current generation's senior disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect, Chu Shihan, and second disciple, Shen Yuxi, both broke through all nine trials consecutively, possessing outstanding talent and a resilient disposition.