Yue Xing studied his mother for a moment, before he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You’re determined to do this?” he asked, opening his eyes again. “Even though I can look after myself?”

“Yes,” his mother said, her voice firm and unyielding. “Think about it for a moment. What do you think the Celestial Sword Sect will do once they learn that you’re a cultivator again?”

Yue Xing paused in thought. That was a good point. If the Celestial Sword Sect found out that he was a cultivator… He grimaced.

“They would consider it a slap in the face and kill me,” he said, his tone grim.

His mother nodded, wearing a solemn expression.

“Unless you leave for another province, you’ll have to face them at some point,” she said. “And even that isn’t guaranteed. Your best chance at survival is to join a powerful sect.”

Yue Xing clicked his tongue in displeasure. As much as he hated it, his mother was right. Still, he wasn’t that upset. As appealing as becoming a rogue cultivator sounded, he wasn’t opposed to joining another sect.

“So you happen to have something that will allow me to join a local sect?” Yue Xing asked in a sarcastic tone. “How convenient.”

His mother reached over and flicked his forehead.

“Brat,” she said. “When did you become so disrespectful? You were such an obedient little child.”

“I had my entire life overturned,” Yue Xing said in a dry tone. “Twice.”

His mother snorted and shook her head.

“To answer your earlier question, I do. And no, it isn’t a coincidence. I brought you to the Myriad Valleys province for a reason.”

His mother snapped her fingers. With a groan, one of the nearby floor boards wrenched itself free and before tossing itself aside. A storage pouch emerged from the resulting hole, before floating over and landing atop the small wooden table.

“This storage pouch contains some basic cultivation resources,” his mother explained. “As well as two cultivation manuals. One for soul cultivation and one for body cultivation.”

Yue Xing blinked at his mother in surprise. She smirked at him.

“I come from a clan of soul cultivators,” she said. “The soul cultivation technique in this storage pouch is one of our foundational techniques. Giving it to you is bending the rules a little, since you’re not an official member of the clan, but I don’t care. This technique should’ve been yours from the beginning.”

Soul cultivators were uncommon in the cultivation world. Most choose to cultivate their spiritual energy, their bodies, or a combination of the two. However, they weren’t unheard of.

Soul cultivators specialized in techniques that affected the soul and mind, such as illusions. They were also adept at concealing themselves from others, making them suburb spies.

That would explain how Yue Xing’s mother managed to watch over him, even after he joined the Celestial Sword Sect. He found it a little funny.

“Soul cultivators tend to have frail physiques,” his mother said. “The body cultivation technique will help you make up for that weakness.”

Yue Xing nodded. He already planned on practicing body cultivation, so this worked out in his favor. The seed of the Divine Vitality Lotus remade his body. It would be a shame to waste that.

However, he was less sure about becoming a soul cultivator.

“I’ll accept the body cultivation technique,” he said. “But not the soul cultivation technique. I don’t want to give up the blade.”

His mother smiled at him.

“You won’t have to,” she said. “Do you know anything about Moon Gazing Peak of the Myriad Path Sect?”

Yue Xing frowned. Like the Celestial Sword Sect, the Myriad Path Sect was one of the most powerful sects in the Myriad Valleys province. Many sects specialized in one aspect of cultivation. Blades, alchemy, beast taming, etc. While they might have disciples who specialized in another aspect, the sect as a whole focused on one thing.

The Myriad Path Sect did not. Instead, they practiced a little bit of everything. This gave them a lot of versatility. So, while they weren’t the best at any one thing, they were good at a lot of different things. That was how the sect rose to prominence.

As for Moon Gazing Peak, Yue Xing knew the name. However, that was it. He knew nothing else about it.

“I have an impression of it,” he said. “But little else.”

“The peak master of Moon Gazing Peak is a distant member of our clan,” his mother said. “She is a soul cultivator who specializes in the blade. You can follow her path and become both a soul cultivator and a blade cultivator.”

That tempted Yue Xing. While he didn’t think much of his mother’s clan, talent tended to run along bloodlines. That meant there was a chance he was more talented in soul cultivation than he was in spiritual energy cultivation. However, he had a few reservations.

“What if the peak master of Moon Gazing Peak doesn’t accept me as her disciple?” Yue Xing asked. “The rest of your clan rejected me. Why wouldn’t she?”

His mother held up two fingers.

“Two reasons,” she said. “One, she is an outcast among the clan. Accepting you will be spitting in the face of the clan elders, which she enjoys doing. Two, she owes me a favor.” She smiled. “Don’t worry, I also included a token that she’ll recognize. Just make sure she gets it, and she’ll do the rest.”

His mother was more thorough than he expected. Her idea might actually work. However, there were still some obstacles.

“Even if she does accept me, that doesn’t mean the rest of the Myriad Paths Sect will,” Yue Xing said. “They may reject me to avoid offending the Celestial Sword Sect.”

His mother chuckled.

“Don’t worry, Xing'er,” she said. “Your mother considered this as well.”

She pulled a black circular token out of the storage pouch on the table. It had “Dark Moon Pavilion” etched into it in gold lettering.

“This is a gold-level VIP token for the Dark Moon Pavilion,” his mother explained. “Once the Myriad Paths Sect realizes you own one of these, they won’t be willing to let you go.”

Yue Xing stared at the token, his eyes wide with shock. There were three major powers that exerted influence throughout the entirety of the Heavenward Continent. Each one was backed by several powerhouses, so no one dared to offend them.

The Crafter’s Alliance, a coalition of associations which existed to protect its members’ interests. The Heavenly Jade Auction House, the wealthiest merchant organization on the continent.

And then there was the Dark Moon Pavilion, the continent’s premier information guild. People went to them when they wanted to find something, whether it was the location of a rare herb, a long lost cultivation technique, or even an entire hidden realm. Their services were expensive, but the prices were worth it. If the Dark Moon Pavilion couldn’t find something, then it didn’t exist in the Heavenward Continent.

Yue Xing also knew that it was possible to be a VIP of the Dark Moon Pavilion, though he didn’t know what exactly that meant. He just knew that it came with several perks. However, not just anyone could become a VIP of the Dark Moon Pavilion. Those were reserved for powerful and influential figures.

“How did you get your hands on something like this?” Yue Xing asked, staring at his mother in awe. “Who are you?”

His mother gave him a mysterious smile.

“What is our surname?” she asked.

Yue Xing’s eyes widened. The character for their surname, Yue, was moon.

“You mean…?” he started to ask.

His mother nodded.

“Our clan is the power behind the Dark Moon Pavilion.” She held a finger to her lips. “It’s an open secret, but don’t go around telling anyone.”

Yue Xing nodded so fast that he resembled a chicken.

“As my son, you should’ve received a jade-level token, the highest there is.” Her expression darkened. “However, those interfering old goats objected.” She sighed. “Still, at least it’s better than nothing.”

Yue Xing stared at his mother in disbelief. While he didn’t know much about the Dark Moon Pavilion, he knew that even becoming a low level VIP wasn’t easy. He didn’t know how high gold-level was, but he assumed it wasn’t far below jade-level.

If his mother considered this “better than nothing”, then that said a lot about her. Just who was his mother and what kind of life had she led?

“Now, we have some time before I need to leave,” his mother said. “So, if you have any questions, ask them now. However, I can’t promise to answer all of them, or even most of them. So, choose wisely.”

“Wait, you’re leaving already?” he asked. “We just reunited!”

His mother gave him a sad smile.

“I know,” she said. “However, we don’t have a choice in the matter.”

Yue Xing sighed. As much as he wanted his mother to stay, she was right. They didn’t have a choice in the matter.

If his mother’s clan was the power behind the Dark Moon Pavilion, then they were a significant force in the cultivation world. He couldn’t fight against them. Not yet, at least.

This meant that he either needed to play along and prove himself worthy, or he needed to become powerful enough that they couldn’t push him around. The means to achieve both goals were the same, so it made no difference which one he picked.

“Will we ever see each other again?” Yue Xing asked.

His mother nodded.

“Yes, when you reach Golden Core and travel to the Central province,” she said.

Yue Xing’s shoulders slumped.

“It’s not fair,” he said, whining.

His mother chuckled.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh,” she said. “I just find it amusing to see you acting childish again. When you were in the Celestial Sword Sect, you were always so stoic and serious. It’s good to see you express yourself.”

Yue Xing nodded. His former master had been a stern and strict man who expected much from his disciples, including the way they comported themselves. He held them to a high standard. Over time, under his former master’s guidance, Yue Xing molded himself into a cold, detached, and seemingly emotionless cultivator.

Looking back on it now, Yue Xing realized how stifled and suffocated he had felt back then. He just never noticed because he didn’t know any better.

Why had he gone along with that nonsense for so long? To earn his former master’s approval? What a joke. It didn’t stop his former master, as well as his former martial siblings, from abandoning him in favor of Liu Chen.

Yue Xing shook his head at his past self’s foolishness.

“I vowed to live a life without regrets,” he said. “No more holding myself back. I will laugh when I feel like laughing, I will eat when I feel like eating, and I will act when I feel like acting.”

His mother gave him an approving look.

“Good,” she said. “That is the attitude a cultivator should have. What is the point of becoming an immortal if we repress our desires and emotions? They are part of what makes us human. The key is to rule over one’s emotions and desires instead of being ruled over by them.”

Yue Xing nodded in agreement. That was the kind of cultivator he wanted to be. Not cold and detached like his former master. Even now, he still respected the man. However, Yue Xing didn’t want to become him.

“Now, enough playing around,” his mother said, a serious expression on her face. “Ask your questions. We won’t have another chance like this for a long while.”

Yue Xing took a moment to think it over.

“Who is my father?” he asked. “You mentioned a lot about your clan, but you never mentioned anything about the man who sired me.” He paused. “Unless that’s something you can’t tell me about yet.”

His mother nodded with a solemn look on her face.

“It is,” she said. “All I can tell you is that he is a powerful figure in the Central province. For anything more than that, you’ll either have to wait until we meet again or figure out the rest on your own.”

Yue Xing opened his mouth to ask his next question, but the words didn’t come out.

“You want to know why your father and I didn’t get married?” his mother asked.

Yue Xing narrowed his eyes at her.

“Did you read my mind?”

His mother smirked.

“No, but it’s all over your face.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that either. The story behind your birth is a long and sordid one. There’s no point in telling you until after you’ve become acknowledged as a member of our clan.”

Yue Xing nodded. As expected. He was an illegitimate child of a cultivation clan. That alone suggested that the circumstances of his birth were… unusual. However, knowing this didn’t make it any easier to accept.

“Is there anything you can tell me?” Yue Xing asked, frustrated.

His mother reached over and grasped his hand. Her touch felt warm, even though this was a puppet body.

“I’m sorry,” his mother said. “If I were a better mother, none of this would have happened to you.”

“Nonsense,” Yue Xing said. “You’re an amazing mother.”

His mother paused before responding.

“I hope you still feel that way when you learn the truth.”

She opened her mouth to say more, but then she paused. Her expression turned annoyed.

“Our time is up. I have to go.”

Yue Xing started.

“Already? Isn’t this too abrupt?”

“Yes. My watcher insists.” His mother smiled at him. “Stay safe and be happy.” She gestured to her body. “And keep this puppet. It’ll be useful if you ever decide to follow my footsteps and study puppetry.” She shrugged. “If not, then sell it. It should earn you a fair amount of spirit stones.”

A thousand words danced upon Yue Xing’s tongue, but he kept them all to himself for now. He would say them the next time he saw his mother. Instead, he said what mattered most.

“I… Yes, Mother. I love you.”

His mother gave him a bright smile.

“I love you too, Xing'er.”

With that, the light from his mother’s eyes faded away. Her body slumped forward, but Yue Xing caught her before her head hit the table. Rather, the puppet’s head.

Before his very eyes, the puppet’s form shifted and morphed. It became a blank and featureless wooden mannequin that wore coarse hemp clothing. No traces of his mother’s form remained.

Yue Xing sat there for a while, feeling more alone than ever.

***

Far to the west, in the Central province, a beautiful woman wearing black robes hovered in the sky. She looked to the east, a complicated expression on her face. Hovering next to her was a man with a similar appearance. He also wore a set of black robes.

“Are you sure about this, Zhizhi?” the man asked, his voice deep and rich. “You could’ve kept watching over him.”

The woman nodded.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m sure. It’s better this way. Once he joins the Myriad Path Sect, Haolian will watch over him in my place.” Her expression hardened. “Besides, returning now gives me more time to prepare for Xing'er’s arrival.” She looked at the man. “Will you help me, Big Brother?”

The man nodded.

“Of course, Zhizhi,” he said. “Xing is my nephew. I want him to be accepted by the clan as well.”

Yue Zhiling nodded.

“Good. In that case, let’s get started.”

With that, the two of them flew off. However, not before Yue Zhiling took one last look towards the Myriad Valleys Province.