The young foundation establishment disciple, Yanyue Meng, should have been horror stricken when Patriarch Yao Shen called upon her to testify against the Matriarch of the Xue Family, an existence so far removed from her own meager power and status in the Heavenly Sky Sect that under normal circumstances, their paths were unlikely to ever cross.

Dongmei Xue, Major Practitioner of the Dao of Water, was an existence whose distinguished repute stretched far beyond the walls of their Heavenly Sky Sect. The few disciples fortunate enough to personally receive her care claimed that no wound or injury was below her ability to heal, as long as it was not outright fatal. It would then surprise one, as it had surprised Yanyue Meng, when she had discovered that it was not the ability that formed the cornerstone for her fame— her Water Dao Domain, The Immortal, was a perfect representation of the arrogance and pride of the legacy families, and as loathe as Yanyue was to admit it, even her hatred for the woman did not preclude her appreciation for her skill, which stood at the very pinnacle of the Dao of Water.

The Immortal Domain was as simple in application as it was domineering— any wound or injury that Dongmei Xue suffered within the bounds of her domain would be healed nigh instantly to perfection, regardless of its lethality. It did not matter if half her body was disintegrated from the elemental strike of an enemy cultivator or even if her head was completely severed from her body— as long as the integrity of her Nascent Soul was not compromised, her water element would heal the damage and restore her body to optimal condition without fault.

Had it not been for the complexity of the path she had chosen, many believed that there would be a third peak stage Nascent Soul Cultivator in the Heavenly Sky Sect, but alas, who could truly be certain about these matters. For Yanyue, who was both suited and had attuned her Qi to the water element, it would not be a lie to say that Dongmei Xue was the goal she aspired to reach by the end of her cultivation journey.

However, as she gazed into Patriarch’s eyes, she felt no fear at the thought of confronting Dongmei Xue. Her thoughts flowed with such clarity that Yanyue felt like she had snapped out of a trance— up until that moment, she had not truly realized how much being in the presence of the Council of Elders and the Patriarch had been affecting her. Her heart no longer beat a click faster with every scrutinizing gaze that fell upon her, the queasy knot in her stomach as insecurities gnawed at her from the inside, unfurled in one smooth motion.

Many connections that Yanyue would not otherwise have made thread together in her mind, as she instantly understood that this mysterious energy the Patriarch had imparted to her had to do with the Esoteric Human Dao that he had mentioned as a part of his long list of titles and accomplishments. She had also understood his intentions, but that hardly required much deliberation— Yanyue, a mere mid-stage formation establishment cultivator, had nothing of value to give to the patriarch and neither did she have any knowledge that warranted his attention. The only possible value she could provide to the new ruler of the Azlak Plains was recalling and sharing her account of the series of injustices she had been forced to suffer after entering the Heavenly Sky Sect— which she would have gladly explained to the Council earlier on without need or want of remuneration, if she had the slightest hint of faith in their ability to regulate one of their own, not to mention the impossibility of getting an audience in the first place.

The origin of the calmness flowing through her expression, thoughts and body language came from experience that was not her own, but it nevertheless reassured her to know that one of such wisdom stood behind her. The heavens could collapse, and Dongmei Xue could perhaps choose to end her puny life in the next second in but a single strike— but Yanyue would remain unmoved, like the Ancient Skytree that had existed far before the Era of Turmoil, and continued to stand rooted at the very same spot until this day. It was not apathy or misplaced confidence that guided her decision, but an understanding that terrorizing her own thoughts with scenarios of negative consequences would only hinder her judgement. Of course, understanding was one thing, and imbibing that concept into her actions and judgment an entirely different matter— She was not naive enough to believe that she could accomplish such a feat without Yao Shen’s assistance.

So she accepted the opportunity of a lifetime, and now she had nothing to lose by divulging the thoughts and memories she had shoveled into the deepest corner of her mind out of a desire for self-preservation. The legacy families already knew of her, and of the hatred that she carried within her heart for them— so she would let them hear the truth.

The memories came flooding back to her mind, as she braced herself against the waves of regret, self-deprecation and anger that washed over her in cycles, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to raise her head up and face the council members. She felt a warm dampness accumulating near the inner corner of her eyes, feeling a pang of shame rise in her chest when she realized that she had started crying— but the emotion of calm once again surged, swatting aside all shame as she faced the Council with two warm streaks running across her face.

“Patriarch Yao Shen,” she addressed, her voice sounding much more vulnerable and smaller than she’d liked it to, but her tone at least managed to stay even throughout.

Yao Shen tapped his index finger against the Eocava wood table a single time to acknowledge her address, not wanting to interrupt her story by raising his voice. The recording stone was active, and Yao Shen did not wish to make it feel like an interrogation so he remained silent.

“I…. ,” Yanyue uttered, pausing to take a deep breath as she seemed to grasp for the right words. “I come from a mortal village that is situated three hundred li away from our sect, at the border of the grand sealing formation. Spiritual Beasts do not dare to approach the formation’s periphery, and demonic sects have little reason to venture that far out east— making our small village a safe place to live. The sealing formation’s presence siphoned at the vitality of the land and the ambient Qi in the surroundings, but we had always had enough to survive,” she explained, a reminiscent look on her face as she thought back upon simpler times.

“Our village was under the protection of one of the subordinate sects of the Heavenly Sky Sect, and a few months after my thirteenth birthday, I met my first cultivator— a young man dressed immaculately in azure robes flew across the sky upon a flying sword, and few words could describe that experience. I had heard of the tales, of course— of mighty cultivators that can uproot mountains with the swipe of a hand and fly upon their divine swords to slay the evil that plagued our lands, but to see it in front of my eyes….. It was different, in ways that I cannot explain, and in that moment I was almost certain that it was the path I wished to pursue in this lifetime,” Yao Shen saw the spark in her eyes, one that all those who stepped on the path of cultivation shared. A calling that spoke to them from the moment they witnessed another harnessing the laws of the natural world, until it became a yearning, and eventually, an obsession.

“My prayers were answered, as few visited these barren lands without purpose— he had indeed come on behalf of the Heavenly Sky Sect, to test if there were any mortal children with enough latent talent to be admitted into the sect. I, naturally, passed his test with ease. However, there was one other that passed the test along with me,” Yanyue’s voice abruptly cut off, as fresh, hot tears started streaming down her eyes.

“My sister,” she whispered under her breath, her expression wavering as the emotions of regret and self-loathing clashed against the undercurrent of ‘calmness’ shielding her, the latter barely eking out another victory— but only by the slimmest of margins.

“What happened?” Yao Shen finally asked, choosing to provide direction to their conversation— he did not wish for his newest disciple to dwell upon these memories for too long, for he saw how it tore at her from the inside.

Yanyue sniffled, Yao Shen’s voice providing a welcome distraction that she could direct her attention to. Marshaling her resolve, she cleared her mind and focused only upon the question that had been poised to her— she would not let her own weakness be what prevented the truth from coming out.

“My sister was not as talented as I, but it was originally rare enough for a mortal family to produce one with the potential to step upon the path of cultivation, let alone two, sisters at that. Mother and father were overjoyed when the cultivator had announced the results, knowing that their two beloved daughters would experience much more in their lives, go on to accomplish far nobler purposes— and they too could rest easy, for the Sect would provide for their parents until the end of their mortal lives, lavishing them with mortal wealth. She joined the Outer Sect’s Dao Impartment Hall, where she would end up attuning Wind Qi, while I joined the Inner Sect’s Skytree Dao Hall, attuning Water Qi as my chosen element,” Yanyue explained melancholically, wondering how her parents would feel if they realized that the world of cultivators was just as narrow minded and selfish as the mortal world, if not more. They were no race of noble saviors like in the fables recited to her as a child had depicted them to be, that illusion shattered the day she had learned of the treachery of the legacy families.

“In the outer sect, my sister was pressed to keep pace with her peers as we grew older, but she clung to the desire to cultivate with every fiber of her being— and to ask her to cease her pursuit of the Dao would destroy her, much like it would myself. One could not simply return to their mundane life after bending and shaping the natural elements to one’s will, and so I never had the courage to ask her to. I had been blessed with a strong affinity for water, so I would train myself in the healing arts. As my sister’s explorations in search for natural inspiration got riskier, the missions she took for the sect harder, I would stay by her side and make sure that she returned,” Yanyue’s expression turned increasingly crestfallen, so much so that Yao Shen had no difficulty in guessing at the eventual outcome.

“So I approached the Healing Hall for guidance,” She spoke, each of her words spoken slowly and with purpose. “I was young back then, no more than an a peak stage Qi Establishment Cultivator back then— young, naive and stupid. The Healing Hall directed me to purchase a healing technique rom the Dao Repository Hall, but when I asked for its cost I was perplexed— it would cost a Foundation Establishment Disciple years, perhaps decades, before she would be able to purchase the technique, let alone a Qi Establishment Cultivator. It was only later, when a woman bearing the mark of the Xue family approached me, did I understand the situation. She wished for me to pledge my silent allegiance to the Xue Family, and serve her family’s interests for the next eighty years in exchange for the healing technique. I, in a moment of misplaced pride and foolishness….. refused,” Yanyue gazed at Yao Shen, or rather more accurately, the recording stone within his hands, her expression frail and vulnerable.

“Within a week, the Xue family destroyed my reputation within the inner sect, spreading spurious rumors that I had abandoned a fellow disciple to his death when faced with a spiritual beast, claiming that I used my healing techniques to torture outer sect disciples, among other such insidious claims— they made sure that no inner sect disciple would accompany me on missions outside the sect, offer me assistance or even interact with me. That made it impossible for me to take the missions that offered higher rewards, making it even harder for me to support my sister. My sister only took larger risks, until a few years later when she lay bleeding in my arms, the horn of a dead spiritual beast embedded in her chest."

“All I wanted….. All I ever wanted, was to be able to heal her. Was that truly such….. a great ask?” She asked, as the strength left her body and she collapsed to the ground, her question addressed to the Matriarch of the Xue Family without any malice or anger within…. just exhaustion.

Just exhaustion.