C283 Initial Recognition!

A child, woven from two pure energies of black and white, stood unabashedly before the Nimbuswing.

The mighty ones of the Silvermoon Empire, Lee Yuangui included, bore solemn expressions, weighed down by heavy hearts.

After emerging from the Soul Splitting Staff and merging with a pitch-black soul deep within the forbidden area, the child had grown even more powerful.

The world was home to many unique and peculiar beings.

Yu Zhu, Ann Jieshan, and this child were no exceptions.

Initially, the child was merely a pure spirited body, but upon seeing it again, Yu Yuan sensed a stark difference.

This child brimmed with an extraordinary psionic power.

Lacking vitality, it was instead a mix of immense Soul Power and pure divine force.

It was akin to a successfully cultivated Solar Spirit.

The cultivators of the Silvermoon Empire were unsettled precisely because they recognized that, although the child lacked a true corporeal body, it was nonetheless saturated with thick, pure energy.

The Solar Spirit of legend, much like the child before them, was an entity forged from pure energy, unlike the ephemeral and elusive Lunar Spirit.

"I am a cultivator of the Silvermoon Empire, unaffiliated with the Blackfang Legion or Dragon Lake," Yu Yuan said with a slight smile. "My presence here is purely coincidental."

"Silvermoon Empire..." The child, with its alternating black and white eyes, murmured to itself before falling silent again.

Its gaze, deep and mysterious, settled on the people aboard the Nimbuswing, eventually fixing on Yan Yu.

Yan Yu, of the empire's Yan family, wore armor that suddenly burst forth with radiant light.

Startled, she looked down to discover that the "Absolute Soul" magic diagrams etched into her armor had been activated.

These diagrams served to block the penetration of remnant souls, shielding against the spiritual assaults of Lunar Spirit-level beings upon one's Mindscape.

Threads of pale green and dark yellow light flickered and danced.

Yan Yu's heart trembled, and she tensed up, asking, "What do you wish to know?"

The child's eyes shifted, the white one subtly transforming.

The white orb rolled, scrutinizing Yan Yu, and he abruptly spoke, "I wish to speak with her, and with Yu Yuan."

Before Lee Yuangui could react, the child reached out and grasped both Yu Yuan and Yan Yu.

The void appeared to fold and twist upon itself. The Nimbuswing trembled violently, and it felt as though the entire world had flipped upside down.

Yu Yuan and Yan Yu suddenly experienced a sensation of weightlessness, drifting as if they were passing through the Nimbuswing, and abruptly found themselves landing at the bottom of the ship, surrounded by an expanse of clouds.

Both were momentarily stunned, and in their confusion, it felt as though they had been pulled into another little world.

Upon regaining his senses, Yu Yuan looked down to see the ship's bottom, vast as the sky itself.

After a moment of contemplation, he had an epiphany.

He and Yan Yu were upside down at the bottom of the Nimbuswing, and they seemed to have shrunk a thousandfold within a cluster of clouds.

What was merely a cloud the size of a palm had become a wondrous little world before them.

The Nimbuswing, stretching over ten meters in length, obscured the sky, casting a canopy over this space.

"Since escaping the Moonfall Sanctuary's seal, you've undergone significant changes," Yu Yuan remarked with a hint of awe. "To isolate a little world with your own power is a feat beyond the reach of many cultivators at the Spirit Walk Stage."

"Why have you brought me here?" Yan Yu exclaimed, startled.

A boy with one black and one white eye beamed a sincere smile.

That smile was meant for Yan Yu. "Don't you remember me?"

Yan Yu looked bewildered. "Who are you?"

"Hehe."

The boy with the striking black and white eyes transformed before their eyes into the Soul Splitting Staff, with which Yu Yuan was intimately familiar.

"That staff!" Yan Yu cried out.

The boy's smile shone brightly. "Yes, I am the artifact soul of that staff."

The Soul Splitting Staff had its origins in the Moonfall Sanctuary. Eventually, it was discovered and taken out, passing through various hands until it came into the possession of Yan Lu, a member of the Yan family, as was Yan Yu.

In truth, the Soul Splitting Staff was initially in Yan Yu's possession. She had stumbled upon it and later gifted it to her nephew, Yan Lu.

Yan Yu was unaware that during the time the Soul Splitting Staff was with her, its artifact soul had already begun to stir.

During that hazy period when her spiritual wisdom was not yet fully restored, Yan Yu was incredibly dependent on the Soul Splitting Staff. She had used her own vitality to nurture it, which greatly aided the staff.

Regrettably, as soon as the artifact soul regained a sliver of its spiritual wisdom and developed some unique soul traits, it was eagerly passed on to Yan Lu, the one in whom the clan had placed great expectations.

Once in Yan Lu's possession, the unique properties of the Soul Splitting Staff began to be revealed. Yet, no one was aware that the staff's original chosen master was not Yan Lu.

It was, in fact, Yan Yu, who, in her younger years, was a plump girl who would constantly caress the staff, infusing it with strands of her vitality and often talking to herself in a daze.

Back then, Yan Yu was just an unremarkable young girl from the Yan family, plagued by feelings of inferiority. Her greatest wish was to grow up to be more attractive.

She clung to the Soul Splitting Staff every day, dreaming of blossoming with age. She fantasized that as she matured, she would become beautiful, gain the clan's approval, and be promised in marriage to a handsome young man from a prestigious family.

Unfortunately, the now grown-up Yan Yu could not be considered beautiful.

When the spirited child awoke, the first person he encountered was Yan Yu. Yan Lu took the child to the Moonfall Sanctuary for training, where the rest of his soul fragment was restored, and his intelligence was greatly enhanced.

After the child had absorbed numerous alien souls to fortify himself, he would still occasionally remember the chubby girl from his naive past, her constant muttering, and the unintentional warmth she infused into the staff.

"You, how did you change like this?" Yan Yu exclaimed in a sudden burst of emotion. "Wait, that's not right! You're a staff; you don't have a body. You, you..."

Yan Yu's words trailed off in confusion.

"I've chosen a name for myself," the child said with a smile to Yan Yu. "Taking Yan as my surname, I am called Qiling. My name is Yan Qiling."

"Qiling, artifact spirit..." Yu Yuan mused thoughtfully.

"Yan Qiling? With the surname Yan? Is it because of Xiao Lu?" Yan Yu inquired.

"No," Yan Qiling shook her head, "it's not because of him, Yan Lu, but because of you, Yan Yu! If it weren't for you transferring me to him, I should have recognized you as my master long ago, after my spiritual wisdom fully blossomed. As for Yan Lu, he never truly earned my recognition."

At this point, the Yin-Yang Acolyte known as Yan Qiling appeared deeply sorrowful.

Yan Yu felt an inexplicable pang of heartache and said hesitantly, "Yan Lu is the hope of our clan, the future of the Yan family. And I, as his elder, naturally wanted to give him the best. I never realized that you had awakened your own consciousness when your spiritual wisdom opened. I simply thought your ability to separate souls was infinitely useful and that he was more deserving of you."

Yan Lu's talent was exceptional, and he was destined to become the mainstay of the Yan family, with the potential to reach the Lunar Spirit or even the Spirit Walk state.

Such a person deserved the best resources to support his growth.

As a member of the Yan family, when Yan Yu discovered the wonders of the Soul Splitting Staff and remembered her fondness for the young Yan Lu, she gifted it to him, hoping it would reach its full potential in his hands.

Little did Yan Yu know that the artifact soul of the Soul Splitting Staff would truly acknowledge and open itself to her, and not to Yan Lu who came after.

Perhaps because of this, in the Moonfall Sanctuary, Yan Qiling ultimately chose to break free from the constraints of being an artifact, to exist independently, and to merge with the other part of the black soul. Her intelligence expanded, and she devoured the goasts and alien souls of the forbidden area, growing at an astonishing rate to become what she is today.

"I'm so happy to see you again," Yan Qiling said, facing her with a sincerity and affection that Yu Yuan had never seen before.

Yan Yu, burdened with guilt, struggled to find the right words.

"Don't blame yourself, the past is behind us, and I'm doing quite well now," Yan Qiling reassured her with a gentle smile. She seemed to suddenly remember Yu Yuan's presence and added, "I wanted to join that battle in the distance." It was as if she was greeting Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan responded, "Once I leave the Moonfall Sanctuary, I'll no longer be able to control the Soulforge Matrix or the Soulforge Pool. I'm just a humble cultivator within the Golden Sanctum."

Yu Yuan said, "Once I leave the Moonfall Sanctuary, I can no longer control the Soulforge Matrix. Without it, I can't operate the Soulforge Pool, and I'm just a minor cultivator at the Golden Sanctum level."

"Do you think I'm like those people on the ship?" Yan Qiling asked with a smirk, "I left Gloomhollow just before you entered. By the time all the seals were lifted, the place was littered with skeletons. The dead were all from the Subtlety and Lunar Spirit realms, including some truly influential figures."

Yan Yu's expression darkened slightly.

She had never imagined that the recent horrific events in Gloomhollow within the Serpent Spine Mountains were connected to Yu Yuan.

Now, although her appearance hadn't become more beautiful, her exceptional level of cultivation made her one of the high-ranking members within her clan, granting her access to certain secrets.

She had heard about the catastrophe in Gloomhollow, knew many had perished, and was aware that the Sacred Hands were conducting a covert investigation.

Rumors even suggested that members of the Ebon Star and Sunlit Order had discreetly arrived, searching for any trace of evidence.

Yu Yuan had entered Gloomhollow and survived?

As she looked at the young master from the Yu family of Asvetaesi, Yan Yu's gaze grew increasingly serious. She then recalled what Yan Lu had said to the Yan family elders upon his return.

Yan Lu had been forthright in front of the elders, declaring that the most fearsome individual of the new generation within the Silvermoon Empire was not Lee Yu.

Nor was it Su Yan, Lin Zhuyun, Van Le, or even himself.

It was the relatively unknown Yu Yuan!

Yan Lu had even claimed that aside from his current lower realm, Yu Yuan surpassed others in many respects!

The Yan family elders, known for their lofty standards and rigid stubbornness, had placed their hopes on Yan Lu as the key to the family's resurgence.

His high praise for a younger member of the Yu family from Asvetaesi incited anger among the elders.

Yan Lu, who had initially intended to assist the Yu family in Yu Yuan's absence, ended up causing the Yan family to stand by and watch the Yu family's plight due to his excessive admiration.

Before encountering Yu Yuan and hearing Yan Qiling's words about Gloomhollow, Yan Yu hadn't found anything particularly remarkable about him. However, now, due to Yan Qiling's emphasis on the matter, she began to reflect deeply on her nephew's demeanor and grew to genuinely admire Yu Yuan.

"Thunder Sect, Winter's Bite, Dragon Lake, and the commander of the Blackfang Legion," Yu Yuan paused briefly before suddenly asking, "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on no one's side," Yan Qiling responded with openness, gravity, and sincerity. "I want the Silverfrost Dragon dead! His Dragon Soul would be immensely beneficial to me. As for the Thunder Sect, Winter's Bite, and the commander of the Blackfang Legion, whether they live or die is of no concern to me."

"Hmm," Yu Yuan murmured, shrugging his shoulders encouragingly. "Then give it your all. We've made each other's acquaintance, and since I was the one to send you off, I hope you fare well."

"The two powerhouses from the Thunder Sect and Winter's Bite are in cahoots with the Silverfrost Dragon. Even if I were to strike from the shadows, I'm not very confident," Yan Qiling confessed, her smile taking on a sycophantic quality as she spoke obsequiously to Yu Yuan. "But if there were another being of equal power to assist me, our odds of success would greatly increase."

Yu Yuan kept his composure, feigning ignorance, "I'm not sure what you're referring to."

"The one who left with you, I know she only obeys you," Yan Qiling said, her face alight with hope.

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