Life-bound Soul Ring

[Early the next morning, sunlight had just spilled over the treetops, and a thin veil of morning mist still floated through the woods.]

[You found Ah Yin, your calm gaze settling on her spiritual projection, and asked her directly, "Ah Yin, why do you want me to become the Blue Silver Emperor?"]

[If her answer amounted to nothing but romantic feelings, you would be particularly disappointed.]

[Ah Yin froze slightly, clearly not expecting you to ask so directly.]

[After a moment's hesitation, she lowered her eyes, her voice softening. "Because... you're remarkable, with wisdom and vision beyond the reach of ordinary people. And... you treat Soul Beasts with kindness and sincerity."]

[She paused, glanced up at you briefly, then quickly lowered her gaze again, a trace of uncertain hope in her voice. "I have a feeling that if you became the Blue Silver Emperor, you would surely treat the Blue Silver Clan well and lead our people further."]

["Perhaps... you could even slowly dissolve the hatred between the two races, so survival would no longer be so difficult for Soul Beasts."]

[Your gaze shifted slightly.]

[This answer pleased you more than you had expected.]

[But after considering it for a moment, you still slowly shook your head and declined politely but plainly.]

["Ah Yin, humans can never truly shelter the Blue Silver Clan."]

[Hearing your refusal, Ah Yin froze slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.]

[She had thought you would weigh it for a moment before gladly agreeing, or solemnly make a promise before accepting it without qualms. She had never imagined that, after turning it over in your mind all night, you would refuse so calmly.]

[After all, the Blue Silver Emperor was a top-tier Martial Soul comparable to the Clear Sky Hammer. Bloodline enhancement and Martial Soul Evolution were heaven-defying opportunities every Soul Master dreamed of, supreme blessings countless people could not obtain even after traversing perilous lands, gambling everything in brushes with death, and searching their entire lives.]

[Seeing her confusion, you explained patiently, "Humans have an old saying: 'Those not of our race must be of a different heart.'"]

["It means that different peoples naturally have different standpoints, and their thoughts can never fully align."]

["I'm willing to treat the Blue Silver Clan well not only because of the bond between us, but also because I understand deeply that the two races share an intertwined fate and depend on each other."]

["But that goodwill has its boundaries, too. If one day my decisions touch upon humanity's core interests, even if I ascend the Blue Silver Emperor's throne, I cannot guarantee that I won't sacrifice the foundations of the Blue Silver Clan's continued existence."]

[You paused, your voice low and clearheaded. "Besides, the human heart is the most changeable thing of all. Perhaps my resolve is firm now, but as a hundred years pass and the world changes, I may not remain the same throughout."]

["Tying an entire people's fate to an outsider's goodwill and the personal affection between individuals is too fragile, and far too risky."]

[At your words, Ah Yin pressed her lips together and lowered her head in dejection. "I understand."]

[Silence settled for a moment. The wind swept up a few blades of Blue Silver Grass, sending them spiraling down beside your feet.]

["Actually..." After a while, Ah Yin spoke again, a barely perceptible unease hidden in her voice. "Apart from our people's fate, I also have a selfish wish."]

[You raised your brows slightly, curiosity in your voice. "What selfish wish?"]

[Ah Yin turned her head slightly to avoid your gaze, her voice cautious. "If you became the Blue Silver Emperor, you would gain the recognition of the Soul Beasts and be able to move freely between the two peoples, just as I can."]

["Then we could truly stand side by side, no longer separated by the boundaries between our races, and face the wind and rain of the future together."]

[Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, and a faint blush spread to the tips of her ears.]

[After a pause, she slowly raised her eyes to the Blue Silver Grass carpeting the mountains and fields. "Also... I often listen to your stories. The sovereigns in them are independent, resilient, and dazzling. They bear their realms and countless people on their shoulders, holding up a whole stretch of heaven and earth."]

["But my nature is too soft. I lack the decisiveness and boldness a sovereign should have." Her voice sank, carrying a trace of fear she could not conceal. "I'm afraid I won't do well, that I won't be able to bear this responsibility. So I thought... I might as well entrust it to you."]

[Only after finishing did she timidly look up at you and ask quietly, "Does that... count as shirking my responsibility?"]

[Hearing this, you could not help letting out a soft chuckle.]

[So the image of the sovereigns in those stories had weighed on her until she lost her composure. Worried that she was unworthy and would fail her people's hopes, she had simply decided to entrust the burden to someone capable of bearing it, finding a successor to the Blue Silver Emperor who could truly uphold the clan's future.]

[Though there was a hint of evasion in such thinking, it could hardly be called irresponsible.]

[You reached out and made a gentle stroking motion over her head, your voice growing softer. "Ah Yin, I've always believed you're the being best suited to becoming the Blue Silver Emperor."]

[Ah Yin blinked in surprise and looked up at you. "Why?"]

[You explained, "You're gentle and kind, revere life, and can empathize with most living beings between heaven and earth. You may seem delicate, but once you have something you want to protect, you have the courage to face death."]

["Even I might not be able to do that."]

[Ah Yin stared with her clear, deep-blue eyes, finding it hard to believe, and asked timidly, "R-really?"]

[You nodded gently, your tone certain. "Yes. You must believe in yourself. You can surely protect your people well and become a truly great sovereign."]

[After a pause, you added sincerely, "Besides, I've always thought of you as family. Even if I don't become the Blue Silver Emperor, I'll always stand behind you and help you however I can."]

[Ah Yin stared at you in a daze. Her lips moved, but for a time, she could not speak.]

[Only after a long while did she draw a deep breath, suppressing the fear in her eyes and replacing it with resolve and tenderness. "Su Yi, there's a gift I want to give you."]

["What gift?"]

["Close your eyes first."]

[Though curious, you closed your eyes as she asked.]

[A moment later, a faint, cool touch suddenly settled between your brows, refreshing and moist, with the faintest hint of vegetation and gold.]

[You instinctively opened your eyes.]

[A drop of blood, condensed like flecks of gold, slowly seeped out from deep within Ah Yin's true body and, guided by her will, merged into the space between your brows little by little.]

[At the same time, Ah Yin unleashed her Blue Silver Domain at full strength, drawing upon the power of the Ancestral Land.]

[As though answering some ancient summons, the surrounding Blue Silver Grass extended its vines toward you, winding around you and weaving together in tightening layers until they formed an enormous ball of vines that wrapped you tightly inside.]

[Warm motes of light quietly rose from each blade of Blue Silver Grass, like fireflies on a summer night or a river of stars hanging upside down, drifting in countless streams into the ball of vines.]

[As the motes poured in, the lustrous vine walls gradually became translucent, spreading a soft blue-gold radiance until they finally transformed into a huge cocoon of shimmering light.]

[The cocoon slowly rose, lifting you steadily into the air.]

[Vast blue light brimming with life surged in from every direction, seeping through the pores all over your body in fine strands, warm and unceasing.]

[Your body felt as though it were immersed in an extremely warm, gentle ocean, swaying softly with the waves.]

[At first, only the surface of your skin felt that warmth. As time passed, the warm current slowly seeped inward through your tissues-muscles, organs, meridians, bones... every part of your body was gently suffused and enveloped.]

[Old impurities accumulated within your body were gradually washed clean and expelled amid that unending vitality. The tiny hidden injuries left by past battles and training, the development of cultivation methods, and Self-Created Soul Skills were also soothed and healed little by little in the warmth.]

[There was not the slightest pain, only the security and ease of being entirely enveloped in vitality, as though you had returned to the very beginning of life. Even your breathing grew long, soft, and slow.]

[Time flowed silently onward. Your body grew lighter and lighter, as though it had shed every burden, and your consciousness sank with it, gradually descending into the deepest reaches of your life's origin.]

[Within this warm, quiet chaos, faint light suddenly rippled outward around you in layers.]

[One Soul Ring after another emerged of its own accord-yellow, purple, purple, black.]

[The four Soul Rings slowly revolved inside the cocoon, spreading overlapping halos of light.]

[Countless streams of pure blue light brimming with life continued gathering toward you, swirling around your body, compressing and condensing until they finally formed a massive blue ring of light that pulsed slowly in time with your breathing.]

[The ring of light continued contracting and collapsing inward, shrinking ever smaller while its radiance grew more solid and brilliant, its color deepening little by little from pale blue to dark indigo.]

[At last, its radiance abruptly drew inward and fully condensed into a deep, shadowy black, becoming a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring wreathed in the breath of life.]

[It slowly descended and hovered quietly around your waist, staggered alongside the other four, their radiance reflecting off one another.]

[This Soul Ring had condensed from the origin of your own life, connected to your bloodline and attuned to your soul. At its formation, it was approximately fifteen thousand years old, but it could continue growing as your cultivation increased.]

[This was-a Life-bound Soul Ring.]