Chapter 23: Plans for the Future
Chapter 23: Plans for the Future
Bang!
The wooden door slammed shut behind Xiao Chen, the sound echoing through the small compound like a final declaration of escape. He stood still, back resting heavily against the door, chest rising and falling as though he'd outrun his own thoughts. For a moment, he was truly alone — away from the suffocating gazes, the endless expectations, and the ceremony that had become a battlefield for his soul.
His home was modest — a single-story wooden house, weathered by years of neglect. The walls, once lovingly painted, now bore pale scars of time. A solitary window framed a view of the Xiao Family's vast courtyard. There, a dummy — an old wooden training dummy — stood silently. Its body was marred by jagged scars, splinters jutting out like the bones of a dying warrior — a silent testament to Xiao Chen's frustrations and relentless discipline.
Without a word, Xiao Chen crossed the creaking floor and entered his room. It was neat, uncluttered — a reflection of his disciplined mind. A small bed sat in the corner, its sheets smoothed down like a soldier's cot.
He sat heavily at its edge, hunching forward. One hand lingered below his lips, fingers tracing his chin absentmindedly. The other rested limply on his lap. His brows furrowed deeply, eyes glazed as he drifted into thought.
"I didn't notice before... but she was right. Something's wrong with me."
The words echoed hollowly in his mind. He had brushed it off earlier, but now the truth gnawed at him like a persistent wound.
A year ago, he was just a boy — eager, bright, respectful. A child who smiled at his elders, who basked in praise like sunlight. He used to care… about family, honor, fitting in.
Now?
Now he was indifferent. Cold. Detached.
Status? Reputation? Power? Relationships?
None of it mattered. All that remained was the martial path — the endless pursuit of strength. Attachments, emotions, even pride — all felt foreign… burdensome.
Yet deep down, something hollow gnawed at him — the creeping realization that his humanity was fading, piece by piece.
"I've become arrogant… self-centered. But why?"
Then the chilling thought struck him — his bloodline.
The Heavenly Yin-Yang Dragon Bloodline.
"Maybe… it's the bloodline. And it's becoming serious."
He recalled that moment in the family hall — when his gaze met Elder Xiao Mei's. There had been no pride in her eyes. Only fear. She'd muttered a single word — "Monster."
Back then, he'd shrugged it off. But now… now he wondered — What had she seen? What was inside him that even a seasoned elder feared?
He exhaled slowly, breath trembling. "I don't have time for this. Who would I even ask? Who would understand?"
Then the memory surfaced — The Golden Chaos Dragon King had told him to seek him once he reached the Martial King Realm. "That's where I'll find my answers."
Resolute, Xiao Chen stood. "But first… I need to calm my mind."
---
With measured steps, he walked toward the most sacred space in his home — a small room tucked away at the far end. Before the door, he paused. His eyes softened. His breathing steadied. For a moment, he seemed like the boy he once was.
He bowed lightly, paying silent respect, then pushed the door open.
The room was simple — empty, save for the intricate array inscribed upon the floor. Faint glimmers danced across the delicate lines, drawing in the spiritual iQ of Heaven and Earth. This was his Cultivation Room a place dear to him.
Xiao Chen approached reverently. Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged at the center, sinking into a perfect lotus position. He exhaled — not air, but tension, connecting to the vast expanse of spiritual energy around him.
This wasn't cultivation.
This was for his mind.
His soul.
His soul force dove inward — through memories new and ancient. For minutes, he searched… until he found it.
"Ethereal Harmonic Mantra."
Simple. Crude. Perfect.
A mantra not for power — but balance. A chant to restore harmony between heart, mind, and soul.
Xiao Chen inhaled, then began. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but steadily, it grew — syncing with the pulse of the array.
Suddenly, the air changed.
The spiritual iQ trembled, drawn by the mantra's pull. Wisps of silver and gold rose from the array like ethereal smoke, curling around him. Glowing runes shimmered, drifting lazily, some passing through him, others hanging like celestial stars.
The ground pulsed rhythmically. The air grew lighter — time itself seemed to slow. The spiritual dome expanded, isolating him from the world.
And in that moment… Xiao Chen felt it — perfect stillness.
His thoughts quieted.
The ache in his chest eased.
For the first time in a long while… he found peace.
---
Hours passed. Night deepened, blanketing the estate in silence.
The moon hung high, veiled by drifting clouds, casting a pale glow. Not even the wind stirred. Only the hum of the array gave life to the suffocating stillness.
The scarred dummy outside stood as a lone sentinel, its wooden frame bathed in ghostly moonlight.
When Xiao Chen finally opened his eyes, the sun had long since risen. Noon's golden glow bathed his home.
But his expression was different — no longer clouded by doubt. His gaze was sharp, steady… like a blade freshly reforged.
"I know what I must do… I know the path I must take."
His thoughts turned to the two supreme techniques he'd obtained from the legacy tomb of Supreme Immortal Long Tianyi.
The Heavenly Refining Art — a technique focused on the refinement of energy and essence, but more terrifyingly, it was designed to tame the violent, chaotic will of supreme bloodlines. Its purpose was simple — absolute control. To force even the wildest bloodline to kneel.
Then there was the Holy Martial Scripture — its counterpart, built upon the vast, mysterious principles of the Yin-Yang Dao. Its focus was not the body, but the soul — refining divine essence until it transcended mortality.
Yet, until now, Xiao Chen had only scratched the surface of the Holy Martial Scripture, using it once — during his awakening. As for the Heavenly Refining Art, he had feared it. Feared that his rapid cultivation would ruin his foundation if he dared use it.
And then, there was the Heavenly Yin-Yang Devouring Physique — a divine body he had obtained from refining the blood essence of the Heavenly Yin-Yang Dragon, a physique blessed with limitless potential, yet woefully untouched. He hadn't even begun to grasp its true nature. However he knew that such a physique, once awakened, would obliterate bottlenecks and allow him ascend realms like a dragon breaking through the heavens. But… was that truly the path he sought?
he hesitated.
"No… power gained too easily breeds arrogance. That's not cultivation — that's borrowing fate."
For the first time, clarity dawned. Xiao Chen wasn't just any cultivator chasing fleeting power. He grasped a truth most ignored — the trinity of existence:
Energy. Body. Soul.
Three paths. Three forces shaping the world. Yet most tread only one.
"If I chase only energy… I'll face no challenges. My physique alone makes me invincible. But I'll waste my potential. I'll never truly grow."
His fists clenched. His eyes burned with unshakable resolve.
"No. That path is not for me."
The room trembled as Xiao Chen rose, his voice resonating with power.
"From this moment on, I forge my own path — the Trinity Path of Cultivation!"
"Energy! Body! Soul!"
"I will walk all three paths together — mastering them as no one ever has. Where others choose one… I shall conquer them all."
His gaze turned skyward, a sharp grin tugging at his lips.
"I will temper my body until the heavens themselves fear my flesh. I will refine my energy until I command the elements. I will polish my soul until gods and ghosts alike bow their heads."
The air vibrated with his declaration — as if the world itself bore witness.
"I shall carve a path no one has dared tread — a path not to mere kingship… but to supremacy! My name will echo through the heavens… not as a prodigy, not as a genius… but as the one who defied the heavens and won! That is my Legacy!"