Chapter 9 - Forging the First Blade!

"I'm here to learn cultivation!"

The moment Yu Yin said this, the situation changed completely! The aggressive Yu Jingli stopped in her tracks, her jaw slack with disbelief. She tried to say something, but no words would come out. That was how surprised she was! As for Yu Xiuying, her interest was caught by this development. She looked up at Yu Yin, curious as to what would happen next.

After a few more moments of silence, Yu Jingli finally aroused from her stupor and start laughing hysterically!

"YOU want to learn cultivation?! Are you serious?! All this time you've just been lazing around, refusing to cultivate no matter how much the elders counselled you to, and now you just barge in here today and claim you want to learn cultivation?! Don't make me laugh Yu Yin!"

The soul power fluctuations around her intensified as she moved further towards Yu Yin, her eyes narrowing more and more.

"Now tell me the REAL reason you've shown your face here!"

Never once did it occur to Yu Yin that she wouldn't believe him. However, he couldn't bring himself to be surprised by the predicament he was in. After all, everything she had said was true! Yu Yin was truly feeling fear right now. He took a few steps back in retreat as she ferocious Yu Jingli approached, his heart palpitating with terror. This version of his grandmother felt very, very real as if she was truly standing there, threatening him within his soul abode. He plucked up his courage and spoke again.

"No, Grandmother! I really want to cultivate; this is the truth!"

Yu Jingli stopped in her tracks and frowned.

"You've truly had a change of heart?"

She stood there, contemplating the matter in great detail. Yet, she didn't let up her domineering soul power, which was still looming over him though and making him feel under massive pressure. She seemingly came to a conclusion and gave Yu Yin a sharp look.

"So that means from this point, you're committing to cultivation. Do you vow to dedicate your life to cultivation and vow reach the highest realm of power that you can before your death?"

She looked incredibly serious right now, more so than Yu Yin had ever seen her. Her gaze was like a thousand needles prickling into him. If he dared speak crap at this point, he was sure that she would fly into a rage, inciting unimaginable consequences. Right now, Yu Yin wouldn't even let out a fart in front of her, for fear of her killing him.

"Yes, yes! I agree to do all of those things grandmother so please believe me."

"...."

Upon saying this, the room of fog descended into yet another bout of silence. He looked up to find his grandmother shocked speechless yet again and his mother's attention was now completely on him, a bright glimmer in her eye!

"Ah!"

Yu Jingli let out a small shout. Any pressure pressing down on him disappeared as if it was never there in the first place! She withdrew her soul power completely and her mouth widened to form a brilliant smile. She let out a joyous laugh.

"I Yu Jingli, have been waiting for this day for 16 years! What Yu Family trash? Our boy is transforming into a diamond in the rough!"

She did a little twirl while she was absorbed in her happiness, making Yu Yin's eyes widen completely in disbelief. She turned to Yu Xiuying, widely smiling.

"Did you hear that *Ying'er?! Your son is going to become a soul cultivator! A soul cultivator Ying'er, a soul cultivator!"

His mother let out a gentle laugh and looked at Yu Yin affectionately.

"Yes Mother, I heard it all!" said Yu Xiuying.

At this point, another tremor spread throughout the soul abode, this one much more violent and vigorous than the last. It was accompanied by the sound of a chiming bell which resounded directly into Yu Yin's ears as if it were right next to him. He only had two minutes left in his soul abode! Yu Jingli seemed to notice the bell chime as she let out another laugh and began to walk out of the room of fog.

"You'd better hold up to your word brat! The next time I see you you'd better at least be at the [Awakened Soul] realm or else you'll be in trouble with me!"

"I promise I will!" Yu Yin said. Best to keep up good appearances for now. He intended to keep this promise anyway.

With that she walked through the double doors behind him, not forgetting to pat him on the shoulders on the way out. Yu Yin was now alone with his mother. Although he knew that she was just a phantom formed by his memories, he was still very nervous. His mother smiled at him and stood up from her throne. She walked down towards him and hugged him.

"Yin'er, Mother is proud of you, you know that?"

His heart skipped a beat. In all his life, his mother had never once acknowledged anything he had did much less hug him praise him like this! Was this Mother really the one from his memories? Yu Xiuying released him from her arms and looked at him amiably.

"I won't keep you from your soul for too long Yin'er, I just want to know one thing before you go."

She took a step back and suddenly had a solemn expression on her face.

"Why do you wish to cultivate?"

Yu Yin thought a little bit before replying. If they were having this conversation an hour ago, the answer would be that he wanted to escape the dark prison. Now, however, his answer was different.

"I'm unsatisfied with what I have right now. Although I lived in such an extravagant palace and had enough gold to buy anything I desired, I'm not happy with that."

He looked his mother in the eye.

"That wealth was all superficial. It could have been taken from me at any time and I would have been powerless to stop it.”

He took a deep breath before continuing.

“First of all, I want my wealth to be real. Mine and mine alone.”

"Second, I want to become somebody that all existence looks up to, a national treasure of the universe, idolised and valued by all! People looking down on me is unacceptable. How could I allow those less wealthy than me to think themselves above me?"

"And it seems that the only way I can achieve these goals is by cultivating to the peak!"

“Although I must begin cultivating now due to unfortunate circumstances, the pursuit of cultivation is the true reason I left the family in the first place. It was so I could achieve these 2 goals.”

At this moment, Yu Yin truly looked like an exhaled immortal preaching the truth about the dao. His words sounded extremely profound and they actually had an effect on the fog around him, causing it to roll away from them at a shocking speed, leaving them in a world of white! His mother considered his answer before revealing an overjoyed smile.

"So your Dao Heart is one of value and idolisation..... Yu Yin, you really have grown up!"

Yu Yin had a blank look on his face when he heard her say this.

'Eh?.... What's a Dao Heart??'

Another tremor suddenly appeared! This tremor quaked the entire land and sonorous chimes of bells could also be heard incessantly across the soul abode. However, unlike before, this time the tremors didn't stop but instead continued endlessly. Yu Yin only had a minute left!

His mother quickly snapped out of her trance and put a serious expression on her face.

"Quick, you don't have much time left! Your soul is just behind the throne over there, hurry or it'll be too late."

With that, she walked towards the double doors like the few phantoms before her.

"Good luck on your future endeavours Yin'er, I'll be rooting for you!"

After she said those words, she disappeared through the doors, not appearing again. Yu Yin put his mother out of his mind and rushed towards the throne. Behind the throne, he finally saw his soul for the first time. It was a sphere of white light and inside it could be seen a miniature version of Yu Yin, which was sitting in the lotus position with its eyes closed. As he only had 30 seconds left, Yu Yin had to be swift in awakening it. He pointed his hand towards it and started murmuring the first verse of the chant that was recorded in the cultivation manual.

.....

The moment that Yu Yin started chanting, shocking changes occurred in the outside world. Layla was sitting in front of Yu Yin's static body with an anxiously, staring at him without even stopping to blink! Thoughts of the Silver Qilin horns had long left her mind and now all she was concerned about was his success or failure. At this crucial junction, where only a few precious seconds would decide her fate, a rumbling sound could suddenly be heard coming from Yu Yin's body! The limited energies of heaven and earth in the dark prison started gathering towards him from all corners and directions! It was if these energies were soldiers that had been called to assemble! Slivers of white light could be seen all around, flying towards him at a rapid speed. Layla observed her surroundings in shock. These slivers of heavenly energy were much, much thicker than they were when she cultivated, even in the outside world! The rate at which he absorbed them would also cause any experienced cultivator to faint in shock

Her eyes shone with a bright light as she watched Yu Yin greedily suck the wasteland of darkness dry of any energy it had. He was like a greedy black hole, devouring any silver light that approached!

"And so it begins…”

She gave him a second look, a faint smile stretching across her face.

....

Inside the soul abode, Yu Yin was still chanting with his eyes closed so he was unaware of his surroundings. The entire soul abode was shaking from the tremors and the deafening chimes of bells were resounding everywhere without pause. At this point, the silver slithers of the energies of heaven and earth entered his soul abode and began to converge in front of Yu Yin at a shocking rate! Strands upon strands of heavenly energy gathered around and formed a silver sphere of light in front of him. The sphere ceaselessly absorbed more and more energy, becoming bigger and bigger until it was 2 meters in diameter and just as tall as Yu Yin! Just like that, all the energies of heaven and earth around his true body had been greedily absorbed in a matter of seconds! At this point, only 15 seconds of time remained!

Yu Yin opened his eyes and viewed the giant sphere, checking out its quality. Satisfied, he moved on to the second verse of the chant. This verse was used to convert these energies of heaven and earth into his own soul power! His words seemed to contain a trace of natural law, as the sphere of heavenly energy began to compress itself in response to the chant. It shrunk until it was only half a meter in diameter, the energies inside churning and grinding against each other at a speed impossible to describe as if it wanted to refine itself to perfection! The more the sphere did this, the more its colour began to resemble Yu Yin's deep green eyes! After a matter of seconds, their colours matched completely and the heavenly energy was no longer heavenly energy but was instead Yu Yin's soul power. At this point, he only had 7 seconds left!

Yu Yin's emotions were a mixture of anxiousness and determination as he urgently began chanting the third verse of the chant. His soul power scattered into the air and began to re-converge into a different shape. It began to form an outline of a huge blade at least 2 meters long!!

Only 5 seconds remaining!

The outline began to become more defined. Unlike Layla's long black scimitars, It took the shape of a long crescent blade twice the size of him!

Just 3 seconds left!!!

The crescent blade was now complete. It was a milky white colour with emerald patterns decorating its hilt. A green tint could be seen on its edge.

1 second...

With the blade now formed, Yu Yin's eyes shone with a bright light. He pointed towards his soul.

"GO!!!"

The blade shot towards his soul at an incredible speed, closing in on the miniature figure inside...