Yue Xing spent the next several hours traveling through the wilderness, looking for a safe place to stay. His enchanted robes kept him warm and the fasting pills nourished his body, taking care of his hunger.

After searching for a while, Yue Xing found a narrow, but deep, cave located within a small hill. It was perfect for his purposes. However, out of caution, he reigned in his excitement. He pulled a small torch out of his leather pack and lit it, before checking the cave for any inhabitants.

To his relief, the cave was empty. In fact, it looked like it had been uninhabited for a while now. Good.

After that, Yue Xing set about making the cave safer. First, he found some rocks and formed a small wall at the cave’s entrance. While this wouldn’t stop any potential intruders, it would at least slow them down.

Second, Yue Xing used his sword artifact to carve a formation at the cave’s entrance. He wasn’t an expert in formations, but he knew enough to set up a basic illusion formation to hide the cave’s entrance.

When he finished, he used a few spirit stones to power the formation. It pained him to use his few precious spirit stones like this, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

After inserting the last spirit stone, the air at the cave entrance rippled before the illusion took place. Now the cave entrance looked like the rest of the hill, as if there was no cave at all. While this illusion wouldn’t trick cultivators above a certain level, it was enough to suit Yue Xing’s needs.

Once he ensured his safety, Yue Xing went to the deepest part of the cave before sitting down to rest. Carving the formation with a mortal’s strength had been more difficult than he expected, and he needed a moment to catch his breath. The light from the torch danced upon the cave wall as the flame flickered.

A part of him found his current state amusing. When he was still a cultivator, creating a basic formation would have taken him little time and effort. It gave him a greater appreciation of the struggles mortals went through, something he never considered before.

When Yue Xing finished catching his breath, he took the storage pouch out of his leather chest and retrieved the jade box from within. It was sealed with a paper talisman. Despite this, Yue Xing still sensed that it contained something profound and holy.

With great care, he pulled away the sealing talisman and opened the box. Inside, resting atop a small cushion, sat a glowing green lotus seed. It filled the air around it with the smell of vegetation and a sense of vitality. Yue Xing felt more energetic just by breathing it in.

This was the seed of a Divine Vitality Lotus, one of the rarest and most sought after natural treasures in the cultivation world.

The petals of this lotus could heal any kind of bodily injury. It could even bring a person back from the brink of death, as long as they still had even a single breath left. When refined into a pill, the petals could also extend a person’s lifespan by a century. This affected even mortals.

Best of all, for Yue Xing’s purposes, consuming the seed of a Divine Vitality Lotus cleansed one’s marrows, restored one’s body to peak condition, and strengthened it. So not only would it restore Yue Xing’s dantian, but his body would be stronger than ever.

He found the seed by chance a short while ago, while exploring a hidden realm. At first he intended to gift it to his master, but he never got the chance.

After Yue Xing returned to the sect, Liu Chen framed him for some crime, a common occurrence, and their master punished him for it. Yue Xing found the Book a little while later. That was when he decided to keep the seed for himself.

Yue Xing shook his head and focused on the present once more. With some trepidation, he swallowed the seed. It took effect right away. He felt it burrow itself into his body, entering his dantian.

From there, the seed filled Yue Xing’s body with vitality and started repairing it. He felt it as the seed knitted his dantian back together and reconnected his severed meridians.

At the same time, the seed cleansed him of impurities and refined his body. His bones, his blood, his flesh. None of them remained untouched. The seed cleansed and remade his entire body, infusing him with its powerful vitality.

It felt like a rebirth.

To Yue Xing’s surprise, none of this hurt. In fact, a comforting warmth filled his entire body. It was as if he floated in the waters of a sun-drenched sea, the water soaking him to his very bones. Yue Xing sat there, reveling in the feeling.

He didn’t know how long it lasted. It might’ve been minutes, hours, or even days. Yue Xing lost all track of time.

When it finished, he took a moment to bask in the sensation. His body felt better than ever. Stronger, faster, and more durable. In fact, Yue Xing felt that his physique surpassed that of the average early Qi Refining cultivator.

He wanted to laugh. The Divine Vitality Lotus truly was a heavenly treasure.

Most of all, Yue Xing felt that his dantian was whole again and his meridians no longer severed. He was whole again. Before he knew it, tears of joy pricked his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. They washed his pain and despair away, leaving him light-hearted.

After a while, Yue Xing opened his eyes to wipe the tears away. However, that was when he noticed the layer of foul-smelling gunk that coated his entire body. The impurities that the seed had expelled.

Yue Xing would’ve felt annoyed, since the gunk had stained his robes, but he was still too happy to care. So what? Stains could be washed away. All that mattered was that he could cultivate again.

He was whole again.

***

When the euphoria from his rebirth faded away a little, Yue Xing cleaned himself and his robes up. Afterwards, he put out the torch and sat down. Many people were afraid of the dark, but not him. He always found it soothing. Comforting, even. And thanks to his enchanted robes, he didn’t need to light a fire for warmth.

Once he settled in, Yue Xing considered his future. Where would he go from here? What did he plan to do? Get revenge on Liu Chen?

This tempted Yue Xing. This tempted him a lot. He felt confident in succeeding. Liu Chen might have the System, but the Book gave Yue Xing insight into his former junior brother’s mind. This, combined with the knowledge of the future that the Book provided, gave Yue Xing a significant advantage.

However, he decided against it in the end. Not out of fear or any lingering affection he might have felt for his former junior brother. No. He just didn’t want to bother.

Liu Chen was the protagonist of “Crushing Prodigies and Ascending to the Heavens”, but that didn’t mean Yue Xing needed to make him the center of his life. He’d rather focus on his own improvement and increasing his strength.

Of course, if the opportunity to get revenge on Liu Chen presented itself, Yue Xing wasn’t above taking advantage of it. Just because he wouldn’t make a proactive effort to get revenge didn’t mean he had forgiven his former junior brother.

Still, there was something that always bothered Yue Xing. Why was someone like Liu Chen the protagonist of “Crushing Prodigies and Ascending to the Heavens”? Why had the System chosen him? Both in the story and in reality, his junior brother was petty and vindictive.

According to the Book, the reason why Liu Chen targeted prodigies and crushed them underneath his foot was simple. Back on his old world, Liu Chen had been envious and resentful of anyone he considered better than himself. Smarter, stronger, wealthier, etc. It didn’t matter. If they were better than Liu Chen somehow, he despised them. However, he couldn’t do anything about it except stew with impotent rage.

This resentment carried over into this life, after Liu Chen reincarnated. With the System’s help, he acted on these feelings in order to satisfy his ego.

In fact, this was the same reason why Liu Chen targeted him. Yue Xing wasn’t a cultivation prodigy. Not even close. In fact, his talent for cultivation was rather average. He had a Triple Spirit Root(water, wood, fire), also called a True Spirit Root, which was good enough for him to join a major sect but nothing special.

However, he had an exceptional talent for the Way of the Blade. This earned him praise from his master and his peers, which drew Liu Chen’s ire.

That was all. That was enough for Liu Chen to turn Yue Xing’s life into a nightmare. From that perspective, Liu Chen seemed more like a villain than a hero.

Yue Xing shook his head and let out a rueful smile. He made a resolution to not let Liu Chen become the center of his life, and here he was, thinking about his former junior brother. Rather than continue wasting his time, he was better off focusing on his future path.

Which path would he choose?

Join another sect? That wasn’t likely. The Celestial Sword Sect was one of the most powerful sects in the entire Myriad Valleys province. Once word spread that he had been expelled, and it would spread, no other sect would accept him for fear of offending his former sect.

It looked like Yue Xing would have to become a rogue cultivator. This was an arduous and difficult path. Without the backing of a powerful sect or clan, rogue cultivators could only rely on themselves. However, this hardship hardened them. Rogue cultivators that reached great heights were often feared and respected figures.

Yue Xing wasn’t afraid of hardship. He endured a lot over the past several years, thanks to Liu Chen’s underhanded methods. It tempered his resolve and hardened his will. In this regard, Liu Chen’s actions benefited him.

With a path chosen, Yue Xing considered his other wants, the desires he felt but never acted upon. His former master expected him to always be cold, detached, and disciplined. Yue Xing, in an attempt to earn his former master’s approval, obeyed without question. And yet, a part of him always regretted suppressing his desires.

His biggest regret was never visiting his mother. He knew where she lived. She still remained in his home village, which stood not too far from the Celestial Sword Sect. However, his former master told him to forget the mortal world and sever any lingering familial ties.

So, what was holding Yue Xing back now? He was no longer part of the Celestial Sword Sect. Neither was he a disciple of his former master. He was unfettered, free to act as he wished.

After years of holding back and suppressing himself, this felt liberating.

In that moment, Yue Xing vowed to live a life without regrets. Even if it brought him pain and hardship, or even death. He would live by his own will and conscious, no one else’s.

Like adding fuel to a fire, the ember of hope in his heart brightened after he swore this vow.

With that, Yue Xing closed his eyes to sleep.

***

The next day, Yue Xing put thought into action and headed towards his home village. Rather than start cultivating right away, he decided to wait. He left his mother to become a cultivator. He wanted to return to her as a mortal. It felt right somehow.

The journey proved easy and uneventful, though it took him a few days. His heart felt lighter than ever. Most of the terrain surrounding the Celestial Sword Sect was grassy plains, interspersed by the occasional small forest. This made the sword-like mountains of the sect stand out even more.

Yue Xing’s home village was a small farming community located within one of the many valleys that gave the Myriad Valleys province its name. When Yue Xing arrived, at a little before noon, a wave of nostalgia washed over him. The village remained much as he remembered it.

A collection of small wooden huts, built sturdy against the cold winters, with small trails of smoke rising from each one. There were a few new additions, but those were the only changes. Even after almost twenty years, his memories of the village remained clear.

The villagers themselves hurried about their business. Yue Xing considered walking into the village to say hello, but he decided against it. At this point, they were all strangers to him, and he to them. Instead, he walked in another direction.

Yue Xing and his mother lived about a mile outside the village proper. He never found out why. As a child, he never thought to ask. It never occurred to him that this was unusual until he became an adult.

After walking for a little while, Yue Xing saw his childhood home. It looked like the other huts in the village, one situated at the edge of a small forest, exactly as he remembered it.

Yue Xing walked up to the front door and knocked. His body felt taut with nervousness. He hadn’t seen his mother in almost twenty years. While he didn’t know her exact age, she must be middle-aged, or nearing it at least. What if he didn’t recognize her? Or worse, what if she didn’t recognize him?

The thought froze him. However, movement from within the house caught his attention. Moments later, the door opened and a woman stood at the threshold. The moment she saw him, the woman smiled.

“Xing'er! You’re home!”

Yue Xing froze, his response stuck in his throat. The woman standing before him, his mother, looked exactly as he remembered her.

She hadn’t aged a day.