Chapter Thirty-One: Stirring of the Infant, Birth of Chaos

Hongjian was instantly dumbfounded. That man turned out to be the fugitive who had escaped from the Demon Refining Prison, and she had even helped him obtain a "Weak Rain Pill" from the Xianyun Sect. The facts were laid bare before her eyes—there was no room for doubt.

This was truly a calamity she had brought upon herself. Fortunately, there had been a barrier between them at the time, and Shi Qingxiang had been discreet enough. Otherwise, even if her own sect’s elders had shown her momentary leniency, suspicion would be unavoidable by now. Good deeds are rewarded—Shi Qingxiang was lucky to end up with Dai Mingchi, and all turned out well in the end. Best to let this matter be and hope it never reaches another soul.

Now that he was a notorious, vicious fugitive, it was only natural to suspect his involvement in Yao Zhen’s disappearance. Hongjian, having grown up with little exposure to the cruelty of the cultivation world—her only real encounter being that day in Huanhua Hall when Xing Wuya publicly executed Gao Hongxin—found this hard to believe.

The incident left her deeply shaken. She touched the conch the man had left her—"Fujian"—her feelings a tangled mess. She wished there were a pile of sand into which she could bury her head and ignore the world.

Days passed. Hongjian found herself a powerful master, and with two senior brothers to guide her at all times, her cultivation improved greatly. Even Fang Zheng benefited considerably. If it weren’t for the matter of Yao Zhen, she would have found her current life wholly satisfying. After uncovering that man’s true identity, Hongjian had hesitated about continuing to practice the techniques he had taught her. Yet, those few lines of incantations related to the soul were impossible to forget. Many nights, she would wake to discover she was cultivating that nameless art in her sleep.

Since she could not control this, and it so far seemed harmless, Hongjian decided to let matters be. She was young, and would not obsess over such things—as long as no one discovered her secret, all would be well.

But despite her caution, someone still noticed something amiss.

One day, Hongjian was with her senior brother Jian Hui, who was explaining the relationship between a cultivator’s spiritual power and divine sense. After a lengthy lecture, he finally summed up, “For someone in the Qi Refining stage, to perceive everything within thirty feet with eyes closed is already the pinnacle. After Foundation Establishment, this range increases several times. When one forms a Core, as our master has, their divine sense can envelop the entire Snowdrift Cliff. By the Nascent Soul stage, like our grandmaster, one can send out their divine sense with eyes closed and perceive everything happening atop Late Tide Peak with perfect clarity.”

Hongjian was astonished. Her first thought was, “Oh no, Elder Jin is at the Soul Transformation stage. Does that mean he’s aware of everything that happens in the entire Dan Cliff Sect? Were my actions at the Rocky Shoals nothing more than an attempt to deceive myself?” But then she reconsidered—if he truly knew, why would he allow that mysterious figure to come and go freely? And during her time in Huanhua Hall, he treated her so kindly. Clearly, he didn’t know.

Jian Hui, noticing her face flicker with a spectrum of emotions, chuckled. “Of course, that’s just a saying. Our master is always busy cultivating—he doesn’t have the time or energy to exhaust his divine sense monitoring everyone. Besides, just as our eyes can be deceived, so too can external divine sense. Try it yourself—if you attempt to probe me with your divine sense, I’ll immediately sense it. And if I’m determined for you not to see something, you won’t—your cultivation is still too shallow.”

He grew solemn as he concluded, “Now you see how vital the strength of divine sense is for cultivators. Only those whose divine sense far surpasses their peers can hope to challenge higher realms. Unfortunately, this depends on innate talent—most cultivators must accept whatever the heavens grant. Secret techniques to enhance divine sense are exceedingly rare and, if one appears, it inevitably provokes bloody strife.”

Hongjian stared at Jian Hui in shock, but he only smiled at her with a hint of meaning and said no more.

Only then did Hongjian realize Jian Hui’s intention. Somehow, he had noticed that her divine sense exceeded that of her fellow Qi Refining apprentices. He deduced she possessed a secret art for cultivating the divine sense, and so was subtly warning her to be cautious and not reveal herself.

So, Senior Brother Jian was, in fact, a rare and good-hearted person.

Hongjian was unsure how to respond. Jian Hui’s words made her acutely aware that her every move might be under the scrutiny of some senior expert. She steadied herself and chose to feign ignorance, thanking Jian Hui respectfully for his guidance. He only nodded and silently watched her take her leave.

From then on, Hongjian became secretly vigilant, never again daring to reveal her divine sense in front of others. Jian Hui also kept her secret, telling neither Qin Baoxian nor even mentioning a word to their master, Yan Changqing.

Because of this, Hongjian grew closer to Jian Hui, often visiting him.

Gradually, Hongjian discovered that Jian Hui seemed to have no friends and rarely courted favor before their master. He secluded himself in his quarters most days, and his relationship with Second Senior Brother Qin Baoxian was merely cordial.

Recalling the rumors about Jian Hui, Hongjian, who had previously known little about him, now felt sympathy for him. Before each conversation, she would carefully consider her words, afraid of touching on his sorrows.

One day, while cultivating alone in her residence, Hongjian suddenly sensed an unusual shift in the flow of spiritual energy outside. She opened her eyes in surprise. Sun Yougong, the sect leader’s senior, presided over Late Tide Peak, where the spiritual energy was among the densest in Dan Cliff Sect—thus, any disturbance was especially apparent, as if the mountain’s very essence had been stirred.

Hongjian’s divine sense could not reach far, and she had no experience in such matters, so she had no idea what was happening. She stepped outside in confusion, only to hear Qin Baoxian’s voice call out from a distance, “Don’t fret, junior sister—someone is forming a Nascent Soul.”

Before his words had faded, thunder rumbled distantly from the sky. Were it not for the clear blue overhead, Hongjian would have thought a storm was imminent.

Standing high up, Hongjian gazed far to the east, unobstructed, and saw that the source of the spiritual disturbance seemed to come from the depths of the Endless Sea. Her heart leapt—someone was forming a Nascent Soul within the Endless Sea!

Such a commotion was bound to become known throughout the land.

Sure enough, within moments, there was a reaction from Brocade Peak. A voice resounded across all the peaks of Dan Cliff Sect: “Demon scum, how dare you cause trouble in Dan Cliff Sect! Surrender now and I’ll spare your life!”

Hongjian turned toward the sound, just in time to see a streak of silvery light shoot through the air, flashing toward the Endless Sea—it appeared the sect leader, Ling Xuzi, was taking action personally.

Before Hongjian could look away, a dragon’s roar sounded, and a massive blue-glimmering water dragon appeared atop Brocade Peak, bearing two or three people as it rapidly pursued after. Hongjian’s heart tightened—such an impressive mobilization!

Though she could not see clearly who stood atop the water dragon, the artifact was famous: it was the Dragon Shadow Chariot of Jin Donglou, a Soul Transformation master. With these powerful experts in pursuit, could that person truly succeed in forming a Nascent Soul?