With the stars as witness, together toward the heavens

The three staggered onward until they finally found a natural cave in a secluded mountain valley. Its entrance lay half hidden among jagged boulders and wild grass. The night wind howled past like the wailing of ghosts, but the surrounding mountains made it especially well concealed. Inside, the cave was dark, its rugged stone walls seeping cold dampness, yet for the three of them, covered in wounds, it was the most suitable place to stop.

Qin Yu laid the Spirit Annihilation Sword and the Spear of Ashen Annihilation across the ground before him. He first carefully examined the surrounding traces of presence, confirming there were no signs of demonic beasts, before slowly sitting cross-legged. His clothes were already torn to shreds, and blood still flowed from his chest and arms. His breathing was as heavy as a mountain, yet he forced himself to steady it and said slowly, "This place is well hidden. We'll recover here."

Zhao Xinyu thrust Moon-Congealing Frost sideways into the stone wall. Clear radiance flowed from its blade, bathing the cave in a luminous white glow. Its moonlight-like sword intent resonated with her presence. Her face was equally pale, cold sweat streaming down her temples, but her gaze remained resolute. She sat cross-legged not far from Qin Yu and channeled her sword intent to form a barrier, partially covering the entrance to ward off wind, sand, and any probing spiritual presence.

Yang Zheng also sat down against the stone wall, his longsword laid across his knees. He was covered in blood, his breathing weak, yet he still gritted his teeth and meditated. Spiritual power surged within him. Blood continued seeping from his wounds, but gradually clotted as his sword intent circulated.

Within the cave, the glow of spirit stones lit up one after another. Qin Yu took out several high-grade spirit stones and placed them before him. Gray light passed through his body and flowed into his dantian, repairing his nearly collapsed meridians. Zhao Xinyu circulated her moonlight spiritual power, using spiritual herbs to heal. Silver frost seemed to dance gently around her, Spiritual Qi swirling like snowflakes. Yang Zheng used his sword intent to seal in his spiritual power, gritting his teeth against the pain. His sword hummed faintly, as though answering its master's unyielding will.

Outside the valley, the night was deep, and the wind sounded like an ancient murmur. Demonic beasts occasionally roared, but none approached, kept away by the sword intent shielding the entrance. Inside the cave, though the three were badly wounded, their conditions gradually stabilized under their tacit mutual protection, as though this brief peace were the most precious respite amid the flames of war.

Spiritual power intertwined within the cave, an indescribable pressure lurking in the stillness. Qin Yu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. The Spiritual Qi in his dantian was gradually recovering, but the searing pain churning in his chest still made him frown. Just then, he suddenly felt the Fate Soul Primordium within him tremble slightly, and an unprecedented phenomenon emerged.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, a speck of gray light abruptly flickered, like a seed of fire in an abyss-chilling, keen, and beyond description. It revealed no complete form, only a faint wisp, yet that alone was enough to jolt Qin Yu's mind. The gray light seemed capable of piercing through the illusions of heaven and earth. Countless indistinct lines faintly appeared, like the paths of fate weaving into an endless crisscrossing web, reflecting every ripple in the air.

Qin Yu held his breath and focused, only then discovering that this gray light was not merely a power, but something like insight. His Spiritual Sense expanded with it. Even with his eyes closed, he could clearly perceive the paths of Spiritual Qi circulating within Zhao Xinyu and the faint fluctuations of origin power in Yang Zheng's dantian. He could even catch the heartbeat and breathing of a low-tier demonic beast lurking outside the valley.

Is this... the true ability of the Fate Soul Primordium? Qin Yu was shaken. Unlike an ordinary cultivator's simple perception, this gray light seemed able to look directly into the source of soul consciousness and fate, as though it could glimpse living beings' weaknesses and the course of their futures.

Yet the power appeared for only a fleeting instant before abruptly vanishing, like a ripple in an abyss pressed back into darkness. Cold sweat drenched Qin Yu's forehead, and he hurriedly circulated the Mystic Origin Body Tempering Art to steady his mind. He understood that the gray light was far too mysterious. Recklessly probing it could very well draw fire upon himself.

Zhao Xinyu was using Moon-Congealing Frost as a guide, moonlight protecting her body as spiritual herbs and spirit stones gradually brought her wounds under control. She opened her eyes slightly, seemingly sensing something, and looked toward Qin Yu, only to find his expression grave, as though he were struggling with some power within him. She asked softly, "Senior Brother Qin, are you... all right?"

Qin Yu slowly opened his eyes. The gray radiance had already dispersed. He forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. My injuries have stabilized somewhat." He said nothing of the phenomenon just now, knowing that if word of the gray light spread, even the White Cloud Sect might not be able to shelter him.

Yang Zheng laughed heartily. Though his breathing was still weak, he patted his chest. "Brother Yu, don't worry. The three of us made it this far, and we even joined forces to kill that black dragon. No matter how great the calamities ahead, they won't crush us brothers."

Zhao Xinyu paused slightly, but Yang Zheng's smile softened her gaze considerably. Moonlight shone in her eyes, where a trace of unusual radiance seemed to flicker.

The three quietly recovered in the cave, the wind howling outside, the valley like a barrier separating them from the mortal world. Yet deep within Qin Yu's heart, the shock of that gray light continued to echo, as though foreshadowing a future path more perilous and extraordinary than he had imagined.

Firelight flickered within the valley. The campfire bathed the depths of the cave in gold and red, its leaping flames seeming to wash away the gloom of their bloody battle with the black dragon. Qin Yu hung a piece of meat cut from the black dragon on a stone fork and infused it with Spiritual Qi. The flames rose, carrying wafts of a peculiar fragrance.

The black dragon meat had originally been dark and hard, gleaming like metal, but beneath the flames, it gradually gave off a distinctive aroma. The flesh took on a golden-red sheen in the firelight, spiritual patterns flickering across its surface. Occasionally, pale purple arcs of lightning intertwined with the flames, crackling with a sizzle, as though a divine weapon were being tempered in the fire.

Zhao Xinyu's and Yang Zheng's eyes were already shining. Zhao Xinyu's lovely face flushed slightly in the firelight. She swallowed and said softly, "This dragon meat... really is extraordinary. Its scent alone makes my blood stir."

Yang Zheng stared so hard his eyes nearly bulged, his throat bobbing as he leaned toward the fire with a grin. "Brother Yu, isn't it ready yet? If it doesn't finish cooking soon, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back."

Qin Yu chuckled. The battle spear in his hand shifted slightly, its tip turning into spiritual light as it tapped the flames and made them burn higher. As time passed, the surface of the black dragon meat gradually roasted golden, its skin crisp while crystalline spiritual light shone from within, sparkling like gems. Its aroma grew intensely rich, filling the entire cave and surging straight into their minds.

At last, Qin Yu cut off a piece of dragon meat and handed it to Zhao Xinyu. "Try it first."

Zhao Xinyu gently accepted it, her slender fingers trembling slightly. She took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up. A surging wave of Spiritual Qi, accompanied by the rich fragrance of meat, poured into her meridians. Her spiritual sea was instantly nourished, and even her recent injuries began healing at an astonishing speed. She could not help murmuring, "This... even spiritual pills can't compare to this effect!"

Yang Zheng could no longer restrain himself. He grabbed a large chunk and bit into it, grease filling his mouth as he mumbled between chews, "Ah-this taste... I've never eaten anything this heavenly in my life!"

Qin Yu tore off a piece as well, feeling the dragon meat turn into rolling streams of heat that surged through every limb and bone. His meridians expanded as though seared by fire, and the origin power in his dantian actually seemed to grow purer again, as though every shred of meat contained the spiritual marrow of heaven and earth.

The three ate with satisfaction written all over their faces. In the firelight, the cave seemed no longer a refuge, but a hall hosting a grand feast. The air held not only the fragrance of dragon meat, but also the exhilaration and warmth of surviving a calamity.

Zhao Xinyu looked up at Qin Yu, a trace of softness in her eyes. "If we could often sit together like this in the future, I wouldn't be afraid even if the heavens collapsed and the earth split apart."

Yang Zheng chuckled and patted his chest. "As long as Brother Yu is here, we can eat dragon meat and fight dragon demons. What else in this world is there to fear?"

Qin Yu only smiled faintly and looked up at the night sky beyond the cave, silently thinking, This brief peace truly is wonderful.

The campfire flickered in the valley. The aroma of black dragon meat had yet to fade, but the cave gradually quieted. Qin Yu leaned against the stone wall, regulated his breathing, and spoke.

"Let's rest properly here first. By the way, you can take out the spiritual weapons and cultivation arts the sect rewarded you with and study them now. Use this chance to familiarize yourselves with them, so they'll be useful in future tournaments or when you encounter danger."

At his words, Zhao Xinyu grew serious and took a short sword from her storage pouch.

The short sword was snowy white throughout, its blade only two feet long, yet it radiated a keen, cold gleam. Compared with the divine sword she had just obtained, [Moon-Congealing Frost], it naturally lacked that soul-seizing sharpness, but it was still a finely crafted weapon, suitable for everyday practice and familiarization. In the firelight, it resembled the lingering shadow of a cold moon, stirring the wind with a gentle swing.

She then took an ancient book gleaming with pale silver light from inside her robes. Its cover bore the large engraved characters: "Soul Blade Void-Breaking Art."

Zhao Xinyu softly read the title, her mind instantly drawn by the vast fluctuations of soul power. Her brows knit slightly as she carefully leafed through the cultivation art, her calm expression gradually turning to shock.

"This cultivation art... truly is extraordinary." Zhao Xinyu looked up at Qin Yu and Yang Zheng, resolve flashing in her eyes. "The Soul Blade Void-Breaking Art is a soul-power attack art. I must break through to the initial entry stage of the Soul Foundation Realm before I can truly wield it. It has three levels, from condensing a soul blade, to spreading soul waves, to uniting blade and soul. Ultimately, it can even break advanced illusions and annihilate an enemy's soul."

She paused, gently stroking the blade, her voice low but clear. "The first level, Soul Blade Emergence, condenses soul power into invisible Blade Qi to shatter illusions and kill enemies. The second level, Soul Wave Expansion, can attack an area spanning dozens of zhang at once and break intermediate illusion formations. The third level, Blade-Soul Unity, can even cut through the protective Spiritual Qi of someone at the same realm and tear apart Fate Soul defenses."

The flames crackled inside the cave. Zhao Xinyu's voice carried an icy resolve. "If I can master this art, even if I encounter another opponent like the one at Pure Fragrance Garden, I will never again let anyone take a fatal blow for me."

As she spoke, her eyes shone like cold stars. Reflected in the firelight, she seemed to become one with Moon-Congealing Frost's cool, pure sword intent in that instant.

Listening beside her, Yang Zheng clicked his tongue in amazement and could not help exclaiming, "Senior Sister Zhao, that art of yours sounds far more formidable than my Heng Mountain Sword Art... but reaching the Soul Foundation Realm will probably take a bloody struggle."

Qin Yu nodded and said gravely, "But that is precisely why it suits you best. Junior Sister Zhao, remember this well: cultivating this art may be harder for you than for anyone else. But once you succeed, your strength will stand above others at the same realm."

Zhao Xinyu said no more. She only smiled faintly, holding the Soul Blade Void-Breaking Art in both hands as though cradling the hope of her future.

The campfire illuminated the cave, the fragrance of dragon meat lingering around them. As soon as Qin Yu finished, Yang Zheng gave an honest chuckle and grinned.

"Brother Yu, then I won't stand on ceremony! My hands have been itching for ages. I want to see just what treasures the sect gave me."

With that, he carefully took a sword from his storage pouch.

The blade abruptly erupted with crimson-gold radiance. Intertwining lightning and fire danced wildly across the cave walls, while a low rumble of thunder seemed to sound in the air. A streak of purple-gold lightning flashed within the crimson lightning crystal on its hilt. As Yang Zheng tightened his grip, lightning-fire power suddenly spilled along the blade, tracing a crimson-gold arc through the air. Sizzle-boom! Sparks scattered, as though lightning and fire had ignited the void.

"Well, look at that! This sword's just like my temper-fierce as can be!" Yang Zheng's eyes widened, excitement filling his grin.

Next, he took out a thick ancient book patterned in crimson. Faint fire patterns burned across its cover, which prominently displayed the large characters: "Thunder Flame Battle Art."

In the shifting firelight, Yang Zheng opened the cultivation art. An intertwined presence of lightning and fire immediately rushed toward him, even causing the temperature inside the cave to rise sharply. Lightning-fire runes flickered across the pages, as though ready to leap from the book and merge with heaven and earth.

Zhao Xinyu looked at the Crimson Firmament Sword in his hand and nodded slightly. "The Crimson Firmament Sword paired with the Thunder Flame Battle Art really does suit you. You're already a straightforward cultivator with strong explosive power. This art and spiritual weapon can bring out your full potential."

Yang Zheng chuckled, held the sword with both hands, and tried circulating the cultivation art. With a boom, flames exploded the instant his blade descended, thunder rolling. The scorching Sword Qi even branded a charred mark into the cave wall.

"Haha! Now that's satisfying!" Yang Zheng threw back his head and laughed. Bathed in lightning and fire, he resembled a god of war immersed in blazing thunder, his fighting spirit boiling.

Qin Yu smiled faintly, silently reflecting, Junior Sister Zhao has Moon-Congealing Frost, and Senior Brother Yang has obtained the Crimson Firmament Sword. All three of us now hold divine weapons. In the future, we will surely stir the winds and clouds.

The night was deep, firelight flickering inside the cave. Qin Yu sat quietly cross-legged and slowly unfurled the ancient cultivation scroll. Pale blue patterns of flowing wind were engraved across its surface, as though countless tiny breaths of wind circled among the stone walls. The scroll had barely opened when an exceptionally crisp, cold wind poured from the void, making the fire crackle. The firelight on the rock walls suddenly stretched, as though slashed apart by invisible blades.

The laws of wind between heaven and earth had actually been stirred in an instant!

Qin Yu's mind jolted as he stared at the first line on the scroll.

"With wind as the blade and consciousness as the eye, wield the wind and command fate; sever souls and cut off opportunity."

The four characters thundered, shaking his heart and soul.

As he began comprehending it, the Spiritual Qi within him involuntarily moved with the wind. Spiritual currents in his dantian were drawn like rivers by an invisible force, circulating faster. Suddenly, the air around him turned sharp. A transparent wind blade slashed out with a hiss, carving a groove over a foot deep into the cave wall and pulverizing rock into sand!

Brilliance blazed in Qin Yu's eyes as he thought to himself:

Is this the elementary Wind Blade Slash? It's so fast the naked eye can barely catch it. If I use it in a real battle, the enemy might not even have a chance to react!

He focused again, circulating the Spiritual Qi in his dantian and guiding the wind around his body according to the art. In an instant, his body seemed to merge with the wind, his movements incomparably light. As his figure flickered, he actually left a phantom wind silhouette inside the cave.

This was the initial manifestation of the support skill Wind Shadow Spirit Evasion-clothing oneself in wind, one's movements as nimble as a phantom.

As his cultivation deepened, the words on the scroll gradually resonated with his Spiritual Sense, and the shape of a vortex appeared in the void. Qin Yu slowly raised his hand, merging his dantian's origin power with the fluctuations of his Fate Soul. In an instant, a whirlwind condensed in his palm, sweeping up stone chips and sparks before booming into a storm vortex ten zhang across, scattering the entire campfire.

Qin Yu panted for a moment, wild joy and shock showing in his eyes.

It truly deserves to be called a peerless cultivation art... If I can completely master this Mystic Origin Wind-Wielding Art, then once I unleash the Mystic Wind Soul-Annihilating Slash, even formidable enemies at my realm will meet their end in bitterness!

He slowly ceased circulating the art, and the cave gradually grew calm again, but the heroic fervor in his heart refused to settle.

That night, Qin Yu truly stepped onto the path of wielding wind.

The campfire crackled, its flickering light illuminating the valley cave. The exhaustion after battle had already dispersed with the wind. Now the three sat cross-legged, each cultivating their newly acquired arts. Spiritual Qi surged through the air and spiritual lights interlaced, like a miniature cultivation ground.

Zhao Xinyu sat upright beside the fire, Moon-Congealing Frost resting across her knees, her eyes closed and her breathing long and even. A cold gleam flashed at her fingertips. A threadlike wisp of soul power slowly condensed in her palm, gradually lengthening into an illusory soul blade over a zhang long, translucent ice blue, like congealed moonlight.

She gave a soft, low cry. "Soul Blade Slash!"

In an instant, the soul blade sliced through the air. Even the firelight split in two, the remaining flames twisting as though swept by wind, while an icy mark appeared on the stone wall.

Zhao Xinyu opened her eyes slightly. A thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead, but her eyes shone. "So this is the first level of the Soul Blade Void-Breaking Art... Soul Blade Emergence. It really can sever protective Spiritual Qi."

On the other side, Yang Zheng had already risen, the longsword in his hand reflecting a bluish-white glow in the firelight. He abruptly regulated his breathing, merging Spiritual Qi with his sword momentum. Flames faintly kindled along the blade, while wind and lightning curled around its edge.

He gave a low shout, his sword momentum crashing down like a collapsing mountain and making even the firelight tremble. "Heng Mountain Sword Art-Mountain Crushing the Summit!"

Then his sword edge turned. Fire and lightning intertwined as he delivered a booming slash, his Sword Qi like a blazing whirlwind carrying rolling thunder, leaving arcs of incandescent white light in the air.

Though the sword light struck nothing solid, it shook stone chips loose from the cave walls and sent the campfire swaying violently.

Yang Zheng withdrew his sword and panted, but his gaze was firm. "Lightning and fire merging... this really is a new transformation of my Heng Mountain Sword Art!"

Beside them, Qin Yu sat quietly cross-legged, his hands forming seals as his Yuan Transformation Realm origin power circulated like the tides. He unleashed no moves, only continuously tempered the cluster of Origin Qi in his dantian to stabilize his realm.

Yet with his breathing, every breath of wind inside the cave was drawn into motion. Wind swept the campfire's flames skyward, as though all heaven and earth moved according to his will.

Qin Yu slowly opened his eyes, a keen gleam flashing within them. His presence was as sharp as a blade, making both Zhao Xinyu and Yang Zheng start slightly.

My Yuan Transformation Realm... has completely stabilized, Qin Yu thought. The next step is to comprehend the deeper wind methods of the Mystic Origin Wind-Wielding Art.

In the firelight, their presences differed, yet all were equally blazing. Zhao Xinyu's soul blade carried an icy chill, Yang Zheng's sword radiance bore the might of lightning and fire, and Qin Yu's wind was invisible and traceless, yet governed the movement of everything within the cave.

At that moment, they were no longer the inexperienced disciples who had just entered the sect, but the beginnings of powerful cultivators gradually revealing their edge.

Inside the cave, the firelight still danced, faint fluctuations of Spiritual Qi filling the air. Zhao Xinyu slowly withdrew her sword. The soul blade's radiance gradually dispersed from her palm, and she gently exhaled a white breath. She looked up at Qin Yu and Yang Zheng, clear light still rippling in her eyes.

"Although Soul Blade Slash is sharp, it takes a moment to condense. If I use it rashly in battle, an enemy could easily seize that opening." Zhao Xinyu looked serious, yet there was a trace of gentleness in her expression. She smiled at the two of them. "But with you here, I'm not afraid."

Yang Zheng laughed heartily and flicked the sword in his hand, traces of lightning-fire power still clinging to its blade. In the firelight, he stood as solid as a small mountain. "Junior Sister Zhao, you're treating us like strangers! If anyone dares bully you in the future, I, Yang Zheng, will be the first to charge in, whatever their identity or realm."

He had barely finished when the lingering lightning-fire presence between the cave walls burst with a crack, scattering sparks and bringing a powerful momentum.

Qin Yu smiled faintly, his expression as calm as ever. He reached out and pressed a hand against the battle spear. Its shaft resonated with his presence, and the faint howl of wind rose in the cave.

"Junior Sister Zhao, your soul blade sword art is incomparably sharp, but somewhat lacking in close-range defense. If you combine it with movement techniques before unleashing it, evading first and striking afterward, you'll surely bring out greater power."

With that, his gaze fell on Yang Zheng, his voice low. "Junior Brother Yang, your sword momentum is indeed weighty, but against a truly formidable enemy, relying only on direct clashes could put you on the back foot. If you introduce more of the wind's nimbleness into your slashes, your sword momentum will no longer be a dead thing, but a living mountain."

Yang Zheng paused, then understanding dawned, his eyes lighting up. "Right! Steady as a Mountain is good, of course, but if a mountain can move with the wind, then it's a living mountain! Brother Yu, you've opened my eyes."

Zhao Xinyu listened, her cheeks faintly reddened by the firelight, and softly added, "Actually, I think Senior Brother Yang's sword momentum has an unyielding strength, like a mountain ridge that no wind or snow, however fierce, can crush. If it can merge with lightning and fire, it would become a mountain bearing heaven's might, surely even more terrifying."

At her words, Yang Zheng scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled guilelessly, but an indescribable warmth flashed in his eyes at Zhao Xinyu's praise.

Qin Yu watched them quietly, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. He said no more, only silently firming his resolve: no matter how many powerful enemies the future held, he would protect these two companions who stood beside him.

The fire crackled, their laughter and conversation echoing through the cave. Zhao Xinyu's gaze was clear as the moon, Yang Zheng's laughter bold as a mountain, and Qin Yu's stillness like the wind. Their presences gradually blended together, as though deep within these pitch-black ruins, they were one another's strongest support.

The firelight illuminated their faces, and the road ahead.

The fire burned on into the depths of night, until only sparks flickered bright and dim inside the cave. The three sat quietly, the lingering fragrance of roasted meat and the fading echoes of Spiritual Qi fluctuations filling the air.

Zhao Xinyu gently raised her head. Moon-Congealing Frost lay across her knees, reflecting a cool, lonely light, yet her gaze was utterly resolute. "We survived this journey not through any one person's strength, but through our trust in one another. I, Zhao Xinyu, swear that whatever hardships we encounter in the future, I will never abandon you."

At her words, Yang Zheng suddenly struck his chest with a fist, his voice loud and sincere. "I, Yang Zheng, swear the same! Whoever dares bully our brothers and sisters, I'll protect them with my life. Even if our enemies are strong enough to defy heaven, I'll stand in front of you. You're my family, my greatest support on the path of cultivation."

Qin Yu was silent for a long time, his fingers gently stroking the shaft of the Spear of Ashen Annihilation, the firelight revealing the sharpness in his eyes. He slowly spoke, his voice low and firm. "I, Qin Yu, cultivate the Dao in this life neither for fame nor profit. If I must name my most important reason, it is to protect those worth protecting. You two are among them. Whether mountains collapse and the earth splits, or heaven and earth fall into silent annihilation, I will never retreat."

The three looked at one another, not a trace of hesitation in their eyes.

Zhao Xinyu extended her hand, slender yet firm.

Yang Zheng's large hand came down over hers, carrying the weight of a mountain.

Qin Yu placed his hand on top last, his strength steady as the wind, yet gathering boundless power within it.

"From this day forward, whether the road ahead leads to immortals or demons, the three of us will remain of one heart in life and death!"

The campfire burst with a boom, as though heaven and earth bore witness. Firelight shone upon their faces, kindling an indelible radiance.

At that moment, they were no longer merely fellow disciples, but true companions bound by life and death.

The fire gradually died down, their oath echoing through the cave, as though even heaven and earth were listening. The night wind howled outside the valley, yet could not scatter the resolve within their hearts.

Zhao Xinyu gently sheathed her sword, a soft gleam passing through her eyes. She looked at Qin Yu and Yang Zheng, as though she had already come to regard them in her heart as the most important place she belonged.

Yang Zheng laughed heartily, though his eyes were somewhat moist. He said quietly, "Meeting you in this life is the greatest blessing I, Yang Zheng, have ever had."

Qin Yu said nothing more, only raised his head to look at the night sky beyond the cave entrance. The river of stars stretched without end, myriad paths intertwining, and his gaze was deeper than the stars above. Yet only one thought remained in his heart: No matter how powerful our enemies become, I will never let this oath gather dust.

The fire turned completely to embers. Leaning against the rock wall, the three quietly fell asleep. Beneath the night sky, the wind sounded like a song. Far away, the Immortal Vein Ruins still rumbled, and at that moment, the great wheel of fate slowly began to turn...