Chapter 027: Choices of a Past Life

In the Sea of Memories, amidst that endless and desolate expanse of dim stars, a second luminous star finally appeared, only slightly smaller than the first. Xu Xuan understood that each star represented a profound memory fragment from his previous life, while the countless grains of stardust surrounding them were scattered, trivial recollections.

With practiced ease, Xu Xuan willed himself into the second star.

In an instant, his consciousness seemed to pass through the cycle of reincarnation; after a fleeting sensation of weightlessness, he found himself in a strange new scene.

He felt himself seated in a pitch-black, chilling cave. The rock walls around him were harder than fine steel.

Isolation. Desolation. Darkness.

That frigid atmosphere sent a shiver through Xu Xuan’s soul, and he immediately realized that he had once again become his younger self from a previous life.

Suddenly, a portal of light opened in the rock wall, and an indistinct old man stepped inside.

The moment the old man entered, Xu Xuan felt an overwhelming pressure, as mighty as a mountain—thousands of times stronger than the spiritual force the elegant female examiner had exerted before. He could scarcely imagine the magnitude of this old man’s power.

“My disciple, if you can let go of your obsession, I will let you leave,” came the aged voice.

“Ten levels of Body Refinement—I will never give up. No one can stop me.”

Xu Xuan felt his soul merge with the youth’s body, filled with stubbornness and resentment.

“Hmph. If you will not repent, then I sentence you to meditate here before the wall for three years,” the old man intoned, his voice brimming with anger and bitter disappointment.

“I will never give up!” The youth’s reply rang out forcefully, with not a hint of retreat.

“Very well!” The old man laughed instead of showing anger. “Let us see how long your obstinacy lasts. Once these three years have passed, you will miss the best opportunity for cultivation and become nothing but a mediocrity.”

The youth that Xu Xuan had become sneered coldly, remaining silent.

“The restrictions on this Cliff of Reflection require the spiritual power of the third level of Qi Refinement to barely be dispelled. I leave behind two precious ancient texts—one for the Immortal Path, one for the Martial Path. The choice is yours. Do as you will.” With that, the old man’s form passed through the portal of light and vanished in a flash.

Once more, the cave was left in darkness, with only Xu Xuan’s former self sitting alone on the ground.

“Master, you are forcing me,” the youth muttered bitterly at last, his expression complex as he approached the two ancient tomes.

Taking one book in each hand, he felt a surge of information pour into his mind. He exhaled long and hard. “I have no other choice. If not for this, then Junior Sister Li...”

After a moment, he began to leaf through one of the ancient texts.

The two books, Immortal Arts: Twelve Discourses and The Martial Canon, were both rare and precious entry-level manuals for the Immortal and Martial Paths respectively, capable of guiding one to the Spirit Refinement stage.

Suddenly—

Under the torrent of information, Xu Xuan was pulled from the scene and returned to the Sea of Memories.

Seated cross-legged upon the second bright star, he closed his eyes and absorbed the influx of memories.

After a long while, Xu Xuan opened his eyes and exhaled deeply. “Ten levels of Body Refinement... Did my past self really persist until the end?”

“What if it were you—what would you do under such circumstances?”

The figure of his former soul appeared, clearer than ever before, though the features still remained indistinct.

“Three years—that could mean missing the prime window for cultivation, a loss that would affect one’s entire life. Given my past self’s devotion to cultivation and longing for immortal arts and divine abilities, I’m afraid...” Xu Xuan paused, a sudden realization shocking him. “Did my past self give up?”

In such a predicament, is it better to pursue a fleeting desire or secure a future?

Having immersed himself in his former life’s emotions, Xu Xuan knew that what his past self truly longed for was not body refinement, but the myriad transformations of immortal arts. Even the Martial Path appealed more than a mere obsession with physical training.

Moreover, there was the beloved Junior Sister Li—tranquil as an immortal, close to perfection—a woman impossible to let go of.

His persistence had stemmed from Dragon-Serpent’s Nine Transformations and the ten levels of Body Refinement, the legacy left behind by his father’s dying wish.

“To give up?” The remnant soul of his past self sighed long and deep. “Yes—and no.”

“Then what happened in the end?” Xu Xuan drew a deep breath, growing ever more curious about his former self.

What choices had that peerless, almost godlike figure made on his path of defiance?

“I remember little. Only a vague sense of the direction I took remains. If you wish to know, you must cultivate to a higher level and restore more of your past memories.”

With those words, the remnant soul faded into the starry sea of memory and disappeared.

Carrying a profound sense of doubt, Xu Xuan continued to sift through and absorb the new fragments of memory.

Even as a youth of fifteen or sixteen, his previous incarnation’s memories far exceeded his own—talent, birth, experience, all on a different level.

After taking in the additional memories, Xu Xuan decided to practice the fourth transformation of Dragon-Serpent’s Art there in the Sea of Memories.

The fourth transformation, the Art of Entwine, was designed for close combat. Xu Xuan had barely mastered it, and had yet to reach full proficiency. Had he done so, his battle with Xu Yuan would have been far easier.

After several hours of cultivation, he made significant progress. Exhausted, Xu Xuan fell into a deep sleep.

He slept straight through to noon the following day, undisturbed by his parents or his sister.

After washing up, he was greeted by his bright-faced, pure and lively sister, who rushed over joyfully. “Brother, you’ve received the Academy’s admission token! In four days, you can go and begin your studies there!”

“Admission token?”

Under Xu Huilan’s envious gaze, Xu Xuan accepted a round metallic badge, slightly larger than a spirit coin.

In the center of the badge was an image of a mighty figure soaring through the heavens. To the left were the characters for ‘Pinghua Academy’, and to the right, ‘Huanglong Dongfang’. The engraving was deep and powerful, exuding an aura of absolute dominance.

“Heh, the Academy’s background is indeed extraordinary,” Xu Xuan mused as he touched the badge, feeling the intricate patterns of the array etched on its surface. The materials alone were worth hundreds of spirit coins.

Xu Xuan’s father and mother beamed with pride and satisfaction, the thought of their son soon entering the Academy filling them with honor. To bring glory to their clan, to hold their heads high in the village—what greater joy could there be?

“Mother, I promise I’ll work hard, so you can all move to town as soon as possible,” Xu Xuan whispered to his mother, Wang Yu.

Wang Yu’s smile was radiant, though she knew well how difficult it was to move into town. Cultivation families monopolized the spiritual veins, making land and housing in town prohibitively expensive—at least tens of thousands of spirit coins.

Xu Xuan’s desire to move there stemmed mainly from the town’s superior cultivation environment, where the spiritual energy was more than twice as dense as in the village.

Moreover, ever since Xu Dahu had attacked him, Xu Xuan had been on guard. The enmity between their families could not be resolved—he was determined to destroy his foe and avenge past humiliation with blood.

That night—

Inside a lavish chamber of the Xu family’s grand residence, the lights shone brightly from a night-luminescent pearl worth over a thousand spirit coins.

Xu Yuan sat gloomily, hatred etched on his face, while two servant girls nervously brought him medicinal decoctions.

“Master, Xu Dahu requests an audience,” a guard announced.

“Xu Dahu?” Xu Yuan’s eyes flickered coldly as he considered.

Soon, a burly man entered, his voice low and powerful. “Xu Dahu, paying respects to Master Xu—”

“No need for formality. What brings you here?” Xu Yuan waved the servants away.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” Xu Dahu said earnestly. “After being publicly defeated and humiliated by that boy, does Master not harbor hatred and a desire for revenge?”

Xu Yuan’s face contorted with anger before he spoke harshly. “To say I don’t hate or want revenge would be self-deception! I’d tear that boy limb from limb and take his pure little sister for myself, tormenting her to vent my anger!”

“But with Xu Xuan’s current strength, it’s not easy to strike openly at him. Our Xu family does not rule the village alone. Besides the three great clans, there’s also the law-enforcing village chief...”

Xu Yuan gritted his teeth, all traces of his usual refinement gone.

“If we’re to strike, it must be carefully planned. But if he enters the Academy, with his rapid progress, he will soon have us all underfoot,” Xu Dahu finished, the worry clear on his face.

“True enough. But since you’re here, what solution do you propose?” Xu Yuan’s expression grew calm and gentle again.

Xu Dahu lowered his voice. “Master, you know who really runs the Academy.”

“You mean the Dongfang family of Huanglong City? But such a mighty cultivation clan is far beyond the reach of small village families like ours,” Xu Yuan replied, frowning.

“Hehe, has Master Xu forgotten what happened three years ago...” Xu Dahu’s smile was sly and self-satisfied.

(End of the second chapter. Another chapter will be posted at midnight.)