When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

The "Emperor's Sword," symbolizing the inheritance of the Southern Cang royal family, is formless and shapeless, with no specific appearance. Its appearance changes according to the needs and desires of its wielder.

At this moment, a long sword made entirely of platinum hung in front of Chu Xianlan.

The sword is long and smooth, with golden lines spreading out from the spine to both sides like the veins of a leaf flowing with life. The blade is bright and gleaming, radiating a faint golden light from the inside out, both bright and soft.

Chu Xianlan's heart trembled. That was probably the most beautiful sword he had ever seen in his life, apart from the Untethered Boat. Every part of its construction perfectly suited his taste, as if it had been tailor-made for him.

The same is true.

The inability to wield a weapon was the boy's greatest regret, and so the Emperor's Sword responded to his wish, transforming into a true sword that belonged to him.

As his fingertips touched the sword, a pure aura spread before his eyes, like a drop of water flowing into the ocean, returning to the tranquility of its origin.

Long before the witch doctor revealed the truth that he had no spiritual root, Chu Xianlan already knew that Jin Ling was the first spirit of heaven and earth to appear by his side and borrow his power.

He never imagined that Jin Ling hadn't left, but had remained in his... body from beginning to end.

and many more.

—The Emperor's Sword is formless yet can transform into all things.

And isn't the Golden Spirit Transformation Technique he cultivates very similar to the characteristics of the Emperor's Sword?

When Yi Chen found this unorthodox martial arts manual for Chu Xianlan, the master and disciple studied it day and night, but they didn't have high expectations. Who would have thought that the manual would actually come in handy by a twist of fate?

But... thinking about it carefully, it seems that no one else in the cultivation world uses such an evil method to cultivate, besides him!

"You are the Emperor's Sword?" Chu Xianlan blurted out. "Why have you never shown yourself before?"

"I've always wanted to truly communicate with you, but unfortunately..." Jin Ling's voice softened, seemingly carrying a hint of nostalgia.

"Xianlan. For many years, I have existed as the lifeblood supporting your foundation. Only when you reach the Nascent Soul stage and your soul is stable can I temporarily withdraw from you and meet you."

Where does everything come from, and where did it originate?

Fate has its own predetermined course.

The Emperor's Sword exists to protect the bloodline of the Southern Cang royal family; therefore, emperors throughout history have received the Golden Spirit's blessings.

The old emperor probably never dreamed that the Emperor's Sword, which belonged to him and was hidden on the border of the Northern Underworld, had left that ancient temple nineteen years ago.

From the moment the late emperor defied the will of Heaven and arbitrarily replaced the spiritual roots of his twin sons, the protection of the Emperor's Sword could no longer manifest in him. It was this beginning of cause and effect and sin that pushed the late emperor into the hands of the Crown Prince, leading to his utter destruction.

The Heavenly Spiritual Root encompasses all things and cannot be borne by anyone but those chosen by Heaven's Mandate. No matter how convincingly the Southern Cang royal family tries to deceive, they cannot erase the eyes of Heaven.

On the day the spiritual root was changed, Jin Ling sensed something and traced it back to the imperial city according to the law of cause and effect.

The abandoned infant was on the verge of death, severely injured and on the verge of death; it was too cruel. So the Emperor's Sword voluntarily merged into the infant's body, saving him and becoming a part of his continued life.

Chu Xianlan's eyelashes trembled slightly as he stared blankly at his palm. Before meeting his master, he thought he had never been favored by the heavens and was the one who was abandoned. His fate of struggling since childhood could only be summed up by the word "miserable".

It turns out... he had received help from Jin Ling from the very beginning, but he had never known it.

"After that, you slept in my space for five years. During this time, I repaired and nourished your damaged spiritual roots and heart meridians little by little, which consumed most of my power, and I could no longer continue to provide you with protection..."

As Jin Ling spoke, the surrounding scenery gradually changed. Chu Xianlan saw the small village from her earliest memories, the familiar gambling den, and the scene changed several times. A little child was diligently carrying water in the backyard.

"Finally, I sent you to a small village far from the capital, where you became the golden spiritual root within you. You lived up to my expectations, surviving and growing into adulthood, until you reached this day."

After hearing this story, Yan Ling immediately began to doubt Ling Sheng.

We are all spirits of heaven and earth, so why do I feel that there is such a big gap between us and the Golden Spirit?

It's like the difference between playing house and actually running a family!

"So...you named me too?" Chu Xianlan seemed at a loss for words, asking blankly, "Chu Li, Chu Xianlan?"

Jin Ling smiled faintly and said, "It was left to you by your mother."

"……Mother?"

Quite unfamiliar words.

"Long before you were born, Empress Chu had already chosen your courtesy name and nickname. Although she was the empress, she was no different from any other mother in the world, and she longed for your arrival in this world every day."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ling interrupted.

"Empress Chu, oh, you let Xianlan take his mother's surname?"

"Indeed. Chu is a prominent surname in the world, so it's not inappropriate to use it for a child." Jin Ling responded, and a faint light flashed, revealing a line of elegant and beautiful handwriting in front of Chu Xianlan.

"Xianlan, you always thought that the character 'Li' was not valued and meant separation, but that's not the case. The character 'Li' means 'a fire that never goes out when separated from its source'."

A new life is born, its flame never extinguished, soaring upwards, bringing peace and joy.

Perhaps in the beginning, every child of the Southern Cang royal family was expected to achieve great things, but the late empress's sincere heart was ultimately betrayed. If the old emperor had not made the wrong decision back then, perhaps the current situation of division and fratricide would not have occurred.

It completely distorted the fate of the four children.

Chu Xianlan remained silent for a long time before rubbing her temples.

He murmured to himself, "The fire will never go out..."

Glass is beautiful, but it is very fragile.

Removed from the fire... very good.

He is a craftsman who deals with furnaces and hammers, forging everything from fire to temper and refine stubborn iron into sharp blades. The inextinguishable flame is the best symbol of this.

He liked it very much.

As Chu Xianlan thought this, the doubts that had lingered in her heart for many years slowly dissipated. However, another question arose in her mind.

"Uh, the precognitive dream I had was also related to you?"

Since we've already met Jin Ling, we might as well take this opportunity to find out everything once and for all.

Chu Xianlan simply couldn't connect the description of her master's explosive power in her dream with the all-powerful Jin Ling.

But after thinking it over and over...

To be honest, there's really no other reason.

Isn't the purpose of precognitive dreams to guide him to find the spirit of heaven and earth?

Jin Ling suddenly fell silent, not answering immediately: "Well..."

Chu Xianlan: "..."

"I cannot communicate with you directly, but I can guide you to rebuild your Heavenly Spiritual Root through dreams," Jin Ling explained simply.

This explanation sounds reasonable, but it seems to omit many important details!

"But all I dream about is my master!" he couldn't help but exclaim.

A drop of fragrant sweat...

Entangling Curse! Drunken Spring Mist!

And... there are also... baby males and baby females!

Is that right?

Even now, Chu Xianlan can still clearly recall every detail of the precognitive dream, and he wishes he could gouge out his own eyes—this shows how much damage those dreams, which he couldn't tell anyone, had caused him.

If you're going to ask for a dream, why not just say what you really want to say?

The Emperor's Sword swayed up and down, seemingly somewhat embarrassed. "Just as Flower Spirit is proficient in illusions and Flame Spirit is proficient in weapon crafting, danger foresight is my ability."

"The reason I used dreams related to Yi Chen to guide you is because," Jin Ling paused briefly, then changed the subject, "I've tried other types of dreams, but you wouldn't care at all."

Hua Ling: "Oh?"

"Only things related to Yi Chen... can make you care about them."

Hua Ling: "Oh?"

Seeing Chu Xianlan's astonished expression, Jin Ling added, "It was a last resort. I could only hide the message I wanted to convey in those dreams in a slightly exaggerated way. Although the method wasn't very...elegant, fortunately, the result was good. Besides, now you and your master are also..."

"Aaaaaah!"

The second half of the sentence was forcibly interrupted by Chu Xianlan, who was completely terrified.

Yan Ling, who was listening with great interest, picked at her ear and tsk tsk.

Times have changed; even he has become desensitized.

I don't understand why this kid is so sensitive to a secret that everyone knows.

But Chu Xianlan was really devastated.

His mind worked quickly, and many ideas sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. If... I mean if, Jin Ling had stayed in his body all along, would that mean that Jin Ling knew everything that had happened between him and his master?

Hua Ling was incredibly perceptive and quickly realized this as well, gazing at the Emperor's Sword with an envious and infatuated look.

Jin Ling coughed lightly at the right moment and kindly changed the subject, "Don't worry, I'm mostly asleep and can only sense things in the outside world. Um... I don't know much about what's going on between you and Yi Chen."

Chu Xianlan took a deep breath frantically.

Let's stop this dialogue that's detrimental to unity.

Suddenly, Hua Ling's face turned pale. "Wait! Have we forgotten something? There's still a dragon outside!"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Yan Ling waved her hand dismissively. "Our leader Jin Ling stopped time with a single move. This little dragon is nothing to us."

The next second, Jin Ling said, "I didn't stop time; I only slowed down the flow of time through space."

"What!?" Yan Ling choked!

Chu Xianlan walked to the nearest cultivator and carefully observed him with her divine sense.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the other person was not completely still; his body was moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

Although the speed inside the space was slowed down infinitely, everything outside remained normal, and the dangerous situation did not change in any way.

...that is to say.

Once they leave this place, everything will return to normal. Weilong is heading straight for him and his master, and his master… without hesitation, chooses to stand in front of him, taking all the blame for him… perhaps…

dead.

The fear of that moment returned to her heart, and Chu Xianlan's expression gradually darkened as she lowered her eyes to stare at the Emperor's Sword in her hand.