Saints, the first path the cultivators take in controlling their own destinies. The Saint Souls they have resting in their energy palaces grants them power and leads them to greater heights.

There were different Saint Souls and all of them hold different strengths. One can have a sword Saint Soul that grants an increase in sword qi. One can have a beast that grants immense strength in fights. Some even manifest the elements of the world like wind, fire, ice.

Wang Ling's Saint Soul was unique and can grant unknown manifestation of effects that will greatly help him in combat. Being a cultivator aiming for the peak, Wang Ling's Saint Soul greatly reflects his path.

A being that seeks harmony with himself and the world but is still ready to face everything with his swords if necessary. Wang Ling stood before the golden Saint Soul in front of him and found it truly interesting how his current Saint Soul became like this.

His previous Saint Soul was more direct and reeks of death. It was a sword that was covered with blood that looked like it was flowing. Wang Ling used that Saint Soul of his to wreak havoc all over the realm and that bloodied sword was the reflection of his bloody past and bloody path.

But right now, his Saint Soul was different. It was a golden figure of a Devil and a Holy Lord, representing the two qi that belongs inside him. This Saint Soul of his was unique in many areas.

To start, his Saint Soul was not complete and will evolve in the future with every improvement of his cultivation. Wang Ling was sure that his Saint Soul will drastically change as time goes on, as to how that change will reflect himself, Wang Ling did not know.

Wang Ling made his white flames made his Heavenly Flames surround his Saint Soul to purify any impurity that may get near it. He then proceeded to spread his Hell Flames all over his body to refine his body further than it already was and also heighten his immunity to flames.

Wang Ling's body had already been refined to the very limits. But Wang Ling knew that this refinement was the 'true' limitations of his body refinement. His body can still be refined further he just doesn't know how he should proceed with it.

With his previous experience of thinking that his proficiency in the sword was already the peak of the world thereby capping his sword mastery to level-4 Sword Heart, Wang Ling will never again see things in such a way.

The only thing he would look at would be forward, he did not want to let his mastery of anything stagnate. If he narrowly views things, he will always be left with the feeling of being at the peak when there was a path he could still take.

Opening his eyes, Wang Ling saw the Black Tiger Cauldron in front of him and kept it inside his old storage ring. The storage ring he was still currently using was the one he got from the Green Pavilion of the Azure Skies Kingdom.

He didn't want to let this ring go because it gets the job done and manages to hide his identity of being a member of some noble family. If he can fare with an old ring, Wang Ling will pass the chance of changing into a new one.

After all, wearing an old-looking ring was something that no bandit will ever bother to attack. Unless that bandit was some nobody, Wang Ling can avoid useless bickering with those poor bastards and get on his way.

Wang Ling checked his clothing and it was still the ordinary-looking robes of the past, but this time, it was made using materials that could withstand the flames of celestials. It was designed ordinarily but because of the luxurious materials that was used in the process of creating the robe, it still looked something a noble would wear.

Being someone from the streets, Wang Ling never got used to wearing luxurious looking robes with all those intricacies attached to the robes. A robe was both clothing and armor, if ever you want to survive in a war, one must make oneself as inauspicious as possible to attract less attention.

This idea made him nod at his family in approval when he learned that the robes they wore leaned on simplicity rather than being too eye-catching.

Wang Ling went out of the Alchemy Pavilion where he had been training for the past few days and was greeted by Wang Yue and Bai Xue who was munching on a beast core she got from Wang Yue. Wang Yue looked at Wang Ling with puppy eyes.

"Are you really going to leave today, Older Brother?" Wang Yue had already heard of Wang Ling's declaration the other night but still, she didn't want for her dear brother to leave her side.

Although she had not seen him for more than 2 years, Wang Yue had only become more attached to him than ever before. Wang Ling lightly flicked her forehead.

"I need to go else my cultivation will stagnate. Also, you best temper your temperament further, you shouldn't cry so much if you wish to travel the world and beyond."

Wang Yue nodded her head with a heavy feeling in her heart. Wang Ling saw her acting like some child wanting more affection and could comfort her with a pat on the head.

[Have I babied her too much?] Wang Yue was a cultivator now, she needs to have a strong heart so Wang Ling was wondering if she had been babied by the house for far too long.

Although kind-heartedness was nothing bad. If she continues with that sort of kindness, it would only be a matter of time before Wang Ling dies if ever she leaves the family.

Wang Ling had always rationally viewed things. He saw Wang Yue as someone soft, in both literal and figurative terms. She was too soft for her own good and her kindness might lead to her downfall in the future and Wang Ling does not want to see that.

Being a cultivator, Wang Yue will face a lot of hardship along the way. Her hardships will include her training, meeting walls in cultivation, separations, and even death of those who are dear to her.

Although Wang Ling will do everything in his power to make sure the last one will never happen. Wang Ling still wanted to prepare Wang Yue for the most horrible scenarios he could think of.

Bai Xue hopped on Wang Ling's shoulders and the three of them head on over to the front gates of the Main House. Wang Ling saw Butler Sun over the front gates smiling at him.

He bowed at Butler Sun to show his respect and Butler Sun smiled and patted him on the shoulders, "I wanted to have Qigang or any of my disciples come with you but they are currently in seclusion… do you really not want me to come with you?"

"Please continue looking after Wang Yue while I am away and wait for Mother and Father to come out of their seclusions. Also, I can't have Butler Sun leaving, we need someone communicating with the Yan Clan after all."

Butler Sun was hesitant but in the end, he had to give up his idea of leaving with Wang Ling. Instead, he passed him a storage ring containing cultivation resources such as stellar stones, souls of saints, and blood vials.

Wang Ling accepted the cultivation and gave Wang Yue a final hug before quietly floating up and as he reaches a certain height. Wang Ling flew away with his Soaring Devil innate technique.

Wang Yue watched as her older brother flew away and hoped him the best. Wang Yue then turned around and went back inside. She had a goal of her own now and was hoping to soon reach those goals.

For her to reach those goals, Wang Yue would need to work harder.

Flames burned inside her eyes.

=====

Wang Ling flew away from the Main House and after an entire day of flying got down and took out the jade that was also the map of the realm.

Wang Ling focused on the central regions of the realm.

He was looking at the Frost Domain which was at the northernmost part of the realm. It wasn't close to any of the three continents. The three continents were closest to the west, east, and south. There was no continent near north that is except for a single island called [Turtle Island].

The Thunder Domain was on the northernmost part of the westernmost part of the central region. There were ten domains in the central region and these domains were segregated to the four general directions.

Two at north: [Frost Domain] and [Desolate Domain]. Two at South: [Air Domain] and [Dark Domain]. Three at east: [Flame Domain], [Holy Domain], and [Water Domain]. And another three at west: [Thunder Domain], [Earth Domain], and [Devil Domain].

All of these go and form a circle, creating a circle towards the right with the Frost Domain as the uppermost domain it goes like so: Frost Domain, Desolate Domain, Flame Domain, Holy Domain, Water Domain, Air Domain, Dark Domain, Earth Domain, Devil Domain, and Thunder Domain.

Thunder Domain was nearest towards the Frost Domain and the Thundergod Academy was near him and because Wang Ling also wanted to get something in the academy, he chose to head for the academy first.

But before that, he had some agenda he will need to go through and took out a list with four different names of different sects: [Devil Revering Sect], [Shadow Claws Sect], [Chaos Union], and [Bandit Den].

These four were powers that was starting to build their connections in the Frost Domain. Although these forces only have Grand Saints as their strongest power, Wang Ling looked at them with a grave expression.

These people have been creating trouble all over the Frost Domains for quite some time now. They are people who dabble into jobs like kidnapping, taking hostages of innocent nobles, rape, and pillaging of towns and more gruesome crimes.

In Wang Ling's perspective, it was an unwanted sight and he was in need of some cultivation resources.

"Bai Xue, do you want to get some resources before we head to the academy? I get their souls and you get their blood, what do you say?"

Wang Ling asked Bai Xue and handed her the list and forces with its information attached.

Bai Xue read through it and smiled before committing the whole thing into memory then burning the paper to cinders.

"Let's go!" Bai Xue was enthusiastic.

Wang Ling nodded his head and head out for the nearest force in their vicinity, Shadow Claws Sect.

Not everything in the cultivation world was as colorful as it seems as to how gruesome it truly was, Wang Ling's past reflected that. In this era… Wang Ling was planning on recreating his actions once more to get resources for himself and Bai Xue.

As for how dark the cultivation world truly is, only those who venture it will ever know. But Wang Ling will once again venture this darkness and Shadow Claws Sect will only be his start.