Chapter Text
“A’Yuan, when you grow up what do you want to be?” a voice asked.
“I… I want to be free.” the young boy replied.
“Free?” she slightly chuckled. “Why?”
"I don’t want to stay in this place anymore… I want to see the world where all of you live.”
Hands suddenly gripped towards Sizhui’s hand, holding on him tighter and tighter. He moaned in pain and tried to take off the hand that was squeezing him.
“Freedom? Peace of mind? Do you think you deserve that?” the gentle voice turned deeper and peirce. “After everything that you did… after everything that your clan has done… you deserve death more than anyone else, burn together with the ashes of your dead people.”
Lan Sizhui tried to pull his hand away but he was too weak to do so until the hands started to burn. Red flame engulfed as it scattered slowly towards his arms direction. The searing heat burns his skin and he can only gasp, terrified of being burned.
“Stop, please let me go. I don’t want to die. Please” he begged in tears.
“Why? You are a Wen, only death awaits your bloodline. No one cares if you’re gone.”
“Please I beg you… please someone… help me.”
“SIZHUI!!!”
Lan Sizhui opened his eyes as he gasped for air. It was a dream… a nightmare.
He heard a loud thud and that when he came back to his senses and noticed the dire situation he was in. He coughed, smoke started to fill his lungs. His room is burning. He immediately covered his nose and mouth with his blanket and when he was about to get off his bed, the door opened and see a shadow from the smoke.
“What are you still doing here? You’re about to be burned alive!” a familiar voice screamed at him but it also grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room. Everything happened so fast that Sizhui was stunned to say a thing. Outside, the servants of the Lan Clan were busy controlling the fire and on his right corner he saw Jin Ling gasping for air while Chao Xing stared at him worriedly.
Sizhui turned around and looked at his own room burning. “What happened?”
“Pull yourself together.” Jin Ling told him. “Are you planning to kill yourself? Your place is burning but you sleep like a log. You almost died.” he reprimanded. “Fortunately I was just in front and saw this.”
Lan Jingyi came rushing towards Sizhui and covered him with an outer robe as he was only in his sleep wear. He controlled the commotion in the area while Sizhui was still preoccupied with what happened. The fire in Sizhui’s room was quickly lifted and medical personnel of the Lan Clan immediately checked Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui and tended to their minor burns.
A fire in Cloud Recesses is a rare sight to happen. Everyone in the Lan Clan always ensures safety and precautions. They move and act in a very careful way to prevent accidents and chaos.
“My apologies for the accident that happened, Ling-gongzi.” Lan Sizhui vowed in respect. “It was my fault that this caused you trouble early in the morning.”
“Yeah you did and why are you so hard to wake up? I’m screaming at the top of my voice but you don’t respond at all. So annoying…” he complained.
Lan Jingyi interjected “Hey Jin Ling, it’s not Sizhui’s fault that his room was on fire.”
Jin Ling stood up and stared at Sizhui for seconds. “The fire is from within… that’s all I am saying.” he muttered and walked off.
_oOo_
After settling down to his new room while his old room is being prepared for renovation. Sizhui reported what happened to Lan Xichen, detailing everything that he can remember. Lan Xichen told him that he will assign someone to investigate if there's foul play and said that he was glad that everyone was safe.
Foul play? He wonders.
“The fire is from within… that’s all I am saying.”
Lan Sizhui visited the Library Pavilion after class, hoping he could read some books that can explain his current situation. The nightmares that keep occurring, his sleep walking and the burning sensation that he feels within him. He knew it was abnormal and there was definitely something wrong with him. He was not like this before, it just began when he started remembering his past in Burial Mounds. He wanted to have consultation with someone about his situation but since it involves him being a Wen, he can’t take a risk.
He needs to solve this on his own.
It was rare for people to talk about the Wen Clan in the present. If ever it comes out to their mouth, it only focuses on the siege that they started and the chaos it engraved on the Cultivation World. But he heard something before while doing one of his Night Hunts, the Wen Clan have a special ability that selected people in their bloodline possess.
Crimson Vein Flame
“The Crimson Vein Flame is a dormant spiritual inheritance from the Wen Clan, passed only through blood. This ancient flame is said to be the manifestation of the Wen Clan’s core cultivation path — fire-based, rage-fueled, and nearly impossible to control without emotional balance and spiritual harmony. It can purify spiritual corruption but can devour its host’s spiritual energy if the user is untrained and it grows stronger with emotional unrest, grief, or rage.” Sizhui read.
He found an older book titled “The Four Great Cultivation Clan and Their Unique Abilities” and it features the Lan Clan, Jiang Clan, Jin Clan and the Wen Clan.
“A special ability passed only through bloodline,” he muttered as he stared at his pale palm. “It… couldn’t be… right?”
When he placed the book back onto the high shelf, a dull thud echoed across the quiet room. Sizhui froze. He had dropped one. He stooped to pick it up and noticed someone lying by the window, a book covering their face. The embroidered clouds on their sleeve marked them as a disciple from the Lan Lectures. But it was the tall frame and relaxed air that gave him away.
Jiang Yuxuan
Lan Sizhui hadn’t expected to see him here, let alone napping with a book on astrology . He moved quietly, trying not to disturb him, but the fallen book had done its damage. Yuxuan stirred, peeled the book off his face, and sat up, his dark eyes locking onto Sizhui with mild curiosity.
"You reading this?" he asked, picking up the fallen book in his smooth, low voice.
"I’m not," Sizhui answered softly.
Yuxuan shelved the book and the one he had been using as a pillow, then returned to his seat this time, flipping through a different volume with more intent. Sunlight poured in from the window, catching his cheekbones, illuminating his sharp features. It was distracting. Too distracting.
He once met Jiang Yuxuan during a Night Hunt a few months ago. He was accompanied by two other cultivators and they were on their way back to Yunmeng. They coincidentally ate in the same restaurant, at a separate table. That time it was big news about Jiang Cheng adopting someone to be the future heir of the Yunmeng Sect.
As they were eating, Jin Ling arrived and went straight to Jiang Yuxuan’s table and challenged him to a sword fight in the middle of the meal. Most of the customers in the restaurant that time were cultivators and they all heard Jin Ling say those words. He said he’s going to test if Yuxuan is suitable to be the next leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. At first, Yuxuan ignores him, pretending that he can’t hear Jin Ling but that makes him furious and he tries to convince him to draw his sword.
Yuxuan didn’t want to deal with Jin Ling’s childishness but the young master forced him to do so and they had a sword fight in front of the restaurant they were eating. Curiously, Jingyi and Sizhui together with other cultivators inside the restaurant watched what happened and it just led to Jin Ling’s shameful defeat.
Jiang Yuxuan has exceptional sword fighting skills that even Jin Ling, someone who was trained under the hands of great and prominent teachers of the Lanling Jin was defeated. Lan Sizhui can still remember Jin Ling’s frustration. He clasped his wrist while eyes glared at Yuxuan as he looked up at the man who showed him what it feels to be a loser.
Sizhui turned to leave, his notes clutched tightly, but paused when he heard a sudden mutter.
“This is boring.”
He glanced over his shoulder.
Yuxuan stood again and placed the book back on the shelf with a sigh. His expression barely changed, but the disinterest was evident.
"What kind of book are you looking for? Maybe I can recommend something," Sizhui offered.
“I don’t know,” Yuxuan replied.
“No preferences at all?”
“I pick based on the title. If it seems exciting, I read. If the contents aren’t…” he shrugged. “I stop.”
He paused, then added almost offhandedly, “Maybe something about Cultivation Clan. Like the one you had earlier.”
Sizhui’s eyes widened slightly. He noticed?
“I… I’m just curious about the topic lately,” he said. “Be… besides, we have an assignment about special skills of the cultivator clan so…” Sizhui stuttered. He didn’t want to look suspicious reading books about Clans but he can’t think of any excuse to do so especially when that question came abruptly.
Yuxuan smirked, “Relax, it’s not like I’m going to tell anyone whatever you are researching about… it doesn’t matter to me anyway.”
Yuxuan said nothing more after that, and for a moment, Sizhui thought the conversation was over until another unexpected question came.
“I heard about the fire that happened in your room this morning. By any chance, are you friends with Jin Ling? I was told he came to help you.”
Sizhui blinked. “We’re just… acquaintances.” he replied. He didn't know how to describe his relationship with Jin Ling and he thought acquaintance is the most suitable.
"Acquaintance, huh?" he echoed, his tone unreadable. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and returned to where he’d been sitting.
Sizhui’s gaze lingered on him, thoughtful.
Jiang Yuxuan is someone who is not easy to read, his eyes gave little away, and his presence felt like a wall: quiet, composed, and impenetrable.
_oOo_
The following day, the students gathered at the Training Grounds under the blinding Gusu sky. The air was crisp, the wind cool against their cheeks. Kin Laoshi stood in front of them, his tall frame casting a long shadow against the white-paved courtyard.
“Today, we test your spiritual weapons,” Kin Laoshi began. “As you know, a cultivator’s sword reflects not only your skill but your spiritual essence. Once you form your Golden Core, your sword becomes more than steel—it becomes a vessel of your soul, your spiritual energy.”
A cart creaked in from the side. Upon it sat a large bluish stone, reflective in patches where the sun hit. Five Lan disciples unloaded it onto the ground with careful reverence. Everyone’s eyes were set on that beautiful giant stone.
“We’re going to cut stones today.” Kin Laoshi pointed out as he came closer to the giant stone.
“This is the Reflected Stone, it is a magic tool to test someone’s skills and abilities level in a spiritual way,” he explained. “Everybody, come closer to the Reflected Stone and touch it.”
The students did as Kin Laoshi told them and upon touching the stone they all had the same reaction. The stone is pulsing, beating like it was a living being.
“I… is it alive?” Huifen asked.
“It’s warm and vibrating.” Chao Xing added.
“ Muriga , the real name of the Reflected Stone, is actually a spiritual beast from the underworld.” Kin Laoshi answered. “It is very rare in the human realm but it is abundant in the world below. It is tamed and only feeds on spiritual aura from the living and the dead. It shrinks when it is not fed enough until it dissipates in thin air and dies but it grows bigger and bigger the more it eats.”
Kin Laoshi told the students to back off as he is about to explain more about the Reflected Stone.
He stood in front of the stone, released his sword named “Sodo” and positioned himself. “You just need to give it a swift slash. The stone will show five different possible results.”
“First, if you were able to make a scratch that means you have no to minimum spiritual energy on you. Usually this is the level of cultivators under the foundation building. Second, if you are able to cut it partially then you have already graduated in the foundation and are now currently on your initial core formation level. Third, if the cut is deeper than the previous one, then you are at the late stage of core formation level which means you’re almost set to golden core formation. Fourth, if you cut the stone in half, that means you formed your golden core and fifth if the stone scattered into pieces then your golden core is already stable and has the possibility to upgrade to a more complex level of cultivation which is the Nascent soul. “
“That is just the basic way to use the reflected stone, it can test what’s your current level as a Cultivator but it has a higher functionality, it can test the level of your spiritual sword. As you all know, the level of your spiritual sword varies to your level as a cultivator. The results will depend on each cultivator so I can’t tell how the reflected stone will react. In Lan’s history, there are few who were able to achieve the fifth result despite still being in the stage of core formation and one example is the current Pathweaver Council’s Spark Weaver Lan Wangji and he did it at age 13 years old.”
The students collectively murmured.
“Whoa… Pathwarden Lan is really one of the best cultivators in history,” Chao Xing whispered in awe.
Kin Laoshi started calling the students one after the other to test their levels and skills. The first student is Haoyu Tengfei. He stood in front, released his sword and did as his teacher said. He did a swift slash and the result was a ten inches deep cut on the stone. Tengfei stared at the stone and the cut slowly vanished.
“What happened?” Tengfei asked. “The cut disappeared.”
Kin Laoshi called another student and this time it was Huifen. Like Haoyu Tengfei, she also did a swift slash and it cut a little lighter but it also made her look at the stone and to her hands. There is an odd sensation as she does the slash. The stone doesn’t feel heavy, it feels like she just cut something soft but with a solid consistency.
The third person Kin Laoshi called is Lan Jingyi. Jingyi stood up and went in front of the Reflected Stone. All the slashes that Huifen and Haoyu Tengfei made have already vanished. Lan Jingyi took a deep breath and positioned his sword named Yingxiong (means ‘hero’). With a swift slash, Lan Jingyi was able to cut almost half of the Reflected Stone, making the students amazed considering the fact that he hasn't formed his golden core yet.
Lan Jingyi’s lips curved while looking at the cut he did to the stone. Did he really do that? His eyes immediately turned towards Lan Sizhui who looked proud of what he did.
“He has potential but how come he didn’t have his golden core yet?” Jin Wumei muttered. “Is there something wrong with his training so far? Or his lifestyle? There are so many factors that can affect core formation…” she added. Chao Xing stared at her as she was in the middle of her thoughts. Jin Wumei loves studying about Golden Cores, so everything related to it fascinated her and now, Lan Jingyi seemed to be her new study material to understand its specific details.
“Jiang Yuxuan, next.”
The courtyard stilled.
The student everyone was looking forward to was finally called. Yuxuan walked with unhurried steps, drawing his sword Zhuang—a straight, obsidian-black blade with an etched line running down its center.
Jin Ling’s vision followed Ruiqin as he went in front of the stone. He considered Yuxuan as his rival and since he met him and started challenging him to fight, he never won a single battle. He’s always one step above him thus he's always being compared to him. They are both heirs of their respective Sect but one is born natural while the other is through legality. But it’s quite insulting for Jin Ling that Yuxuan is way stronger than him when he was given proper training since young and Ruiqin was nothing but a normal civilian.
Yuxuan unsheathe his sword. He raised it.
Slashed.
His fellow junior cultivators expected him to do great but to their surprise they still underestimated him. The stone didn’t just crash into pieces…
It disintegrated into powder.
A stunned silence gripped the class.
Even Jin Ling, who had been watching with a mixture of apprehension and rivalry, could only stare. His fists clenched.
“That’s…” someone whispered. “Is that… possible?”
“The fifth level… at that intensity?” Wumei murmured. “That’s beyond the stable Golden Core. That’s…” She trailed off. Nascent Soul potential.
Kin Laoshi narrowed his eyes. “Exceptional.”
Ruiqin said nothing. He calmly re-sheathed his sword and returned to his seat without a word, the dust from the shattered stone still floating in the air behind him.