Chapter 14
Chapter 14 – Embers Beneath the Mountain Wind (Part 1)
The winds across the Emerald Stone Valley had calmed.
A soft fog clung to the trees, and birds that had long abandoned the mountain paths were slowly returning. Lin Sheng stood at the edge of the silent altar, robes stained, body weary. He had been in seclusion for seven days—soul-rooted, spirit-broken, yet still unyielding.
His body no longer ached, but his spirit remained quiet. Too quiet.
A piece of him had changed.
He raised his right hand. With a simple breath, a flame as small as a lotus flickered to life above his palm. It glowed not with heat, but intention. It pulsed in rhythm with the world—calm, steady, eternal.
> "This is no longer just my fire," he thought. "It listens. It remembers."
The trial within the Soul Root Realm had left something behind. Not a treasure. Not a technique. But a path only he could walk.
He clenched his fist. The flame vanished.
> "But if I stay hidden here… I will never grow."
---
🐾 The Mountain Kingdom – News Travels
Below the altar, in the Mountain Kingdom's main city of Qingnan, whispers had spread of Lin Sheng's battle with the Heaven Law envoy. No one knew the full truth. Some said he was dead. Others said he had ascended.
At the Ironhall Tavern, a dusty traveler shared a tale:
> "I saw the sky split open—red lightning pouring down like rivers. And in the eye of the storm, a boy stood alone. He looked at the heavens… and the heavens flinched!"
Across the tavern, a man in a deep blue cloak listened quietly. His eyes gleamed with interest.
> "Lin Sheng, was it?" he whispered to himself. "If the rumors are even half true… then he's already above common talent."
---
🌓 Lin Sheng's Decision
Back at the summit, Lin Sheng stood before an old, cracked stone tablet. It bore the names of fallen cultivators who had once defended the Mountain Kingdom during an old beast tide.
He remembered standing here as a boy—barefoot, slave-branded, unworthy to even bow before their names.
Now he stood taller.
Yet, he still felt… unproven.
> "I carry a flame, a body Heaven fears. But without knowledge, guidance, or foundation—I walk blind."
He took a breath.
> "It's time."
He reached into the folds of his robe and drew out an invitation token—faded gold, with the insignia of a rising cloud.
It was from the Cloudleaf Sect, one of the Five Pillar Sects of the Southern Mortal Region. He had received it during a trial three months ago but ignored it.
Until now.
> "If I want to face the Upper Realm one day… I must pass through the world's gates first."
---
🏯 Cloudleaf Sect – From Afar
Unbeknownst to Lin Sheng, the Cloudleaf Sect had already heard whispers of him. Their Grand Elder, Ji Heng, had received a report written in spiritual ink:
> Name: Lin Sheng
Age: ~16
Origin: Falling Cloud Village
Stage: Early Soul Root (unconfirmed)
Special Note: Suspected divine bloodline. Exhibits phenomena tied to flame and law during combat. Survived Heaven Law strike. Watch carefully.
Elder Ji Heng tapped his desk.
> "Send a personal escort. Not a test. An invitation."
---
🌲 Final Scene
Lin Sheng stood on a high ridge, overlooking the southern horizon. Beyond the valley lay rivers, cities, and sects—some proud, some corrupt.
But he knew his journey had only begun.
> "No more hiding."
He stepped off the cliff—light as mist, sure as flame.
The path to the sect would be long.
But he was no longer alone. He had earned the right to walk it.
Chapter 14 – Embers Beneath the Mountain Wind (Part 2)
Evening settled over the Crescent Ridge like a quiet oath. Thin strands of sunlight spilled through the red-iron trees, gilding the edges of Lin Sheng's silhouette in molten gold. Below, the Mountain Kingdom breathed in peace—for now.
He sat cross-legged on a jagged stone slab, its surface worn smooth from ancient use. This was the Old Ascension Site, once used by forgotten cultivators in the age before the Divine Break. Now, only spirits lingered, and the wind told stories few could hear.
But tonight, the wind listened.
---
🌿 The Stillness After Breakthrough
Lin Sheng had not spoken a word in three days.
Since stepping into Early Soul Root, his soul had grown still and vast like a moonlit lake. The flame within him burned lower now—not from weakness, but restraint. Control. Discipline.
He now understood the difference between power and mastery.
He traced a finger over the mark at the center of his chest—the Restart Seal embedded in his Heavenly Internal Body. It pulsed softly beneath his skin, connected to something far beyond this realm.
> "I am no longer just escaping fate," he thought. "I am beginning to design it."
---
🪵 A Visitor Beneath the Trees
A faint rustle broke the silence.
Footsteps.
Soft, deliberate, and light—someone trained.
Lin Sheng remained still.
A girl stepped into the clearing, her robes dyed the pale blue of a wandering sect emissary. Her hair was bound by a silver lotus clasp, and her gaze was calm but curious.
> "You are Lin Sheng?" she asked gently.
He stood.
> "I am."
She offered a formal bow and held out a scroll bearing the Cloudleaf insignia.
> "By order of Elder Ji Heng of the Cloudleaf Sect, I come not to test—but to escort. You are formally invited to enter our Outer Sect, no examination required. Your path has already spoken for you."
He accepted the scroll without emotion, but inside… a subtle tide stirred.
---
🌁 Doubts of the Past
After the messenger left, Lin Sheng remained alone once more. He remembered the first time he had seen a sect recruiter—when he was twelve. At that time, still a branded orphan from Falling Cloud Village, he had not been allowed to approach.
Now, four years later, a sect bowed first.
He smiled faintly.
Not in pride.
But in quiet recognition of the path he had carved.
> "A sect… is not salvation. But it is structure. Knowledge. And opportunity."
---
🔮 Decision Made
He reached for his blade—a plain, black-handled sword without a name. Not a divine weapon, but one that had tasted blood, ash, and truth.
He tied it at his waist and turned toward the south.
Toward Cloudleaf Sect.
> "I will walk through their gates not as a petitioner… but as a storm that learns to rest before the next strike."
---
🌌 Final Lines
Behind him, the wind whispered through the valley.
The mountain that once crushed him now stood at his back—silent, loyal.
And ahead…
The journey to rewrite fate was no longer a dream.
It was a road.
Stone by stone, step by step—he would walk it.