A flicker of surprise betrayed no hint upon Wang Lin’s face, not a tremor of emotion. It was as if he had foreseen the ancient voice echoing behind him. As it spoke, Wang Lin turned, his gaze piercing the veil of falling snow.

There, amidst the jade-tinged snow of the Heavenly Peak, sat an aged man, his white hair adrift in the icy wind. He wore the simple robes of a Daoist, cross-legged upon the frozen ground, his eyes fixed upon Wang Lin.

He seemed to have waited an eternity for this moment, as if privy to the secrets of the universe, knowing that Wang Lin’s mastery of天地挪移 within the earth-fire vein would bring him to this very spot.

His eyes, clear as mountain springs, shone with ageless wisdom, peering into Wang Lin’s very soul.

As the old man observed him, Wang Lin returned the scrutiny. A barely perceptible narrowing of his pupils soon faded, revealing nothing. The elder possessed an aura of pure source, an essence laid bare. It was clear; this was not his true form, but a 本源真身, a Manifestation of Origin!

This marked the first time Wang Lin had beheld such a form in another being.

The elder’s identity became instantly clear.

“I greet you, Azure Ox Immortal,” Wang Lin intoned, his voice calm as the stillest mountain lake, his hands clasped in respectful salute.

“Unveil your Manifestation, so that I may behold it,” the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身 commanded, its gaze unwavering.

Wang Lin’s brow rose slightly. A flicker of fire ignited within his left eye, and behind him, a phantom took shape, solidifying into a 本源真身, mirroring Wang Lin’s own form, and mirroring his gaze upon the Immortal.

The moment their Manifestations locked eyes, the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身 rose to its feet. A wave of terrifying power emanated from it, engulfing the Heavenly Peak, causing the jade snow to swirl and the wind to howl.

“Indeed, a Manifestation of Origin… You are but the third being, other than myself, whom I have seen possessing such a thing…”

Wang Lin remained silent, observing.

“You are called Wang Lin, are you not?” the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身 suddenly inquired.

Wang Lin’s composure remained unshaken. He betrayed no surprise at the elder’s knowledge of his name. If Fan Shanmeng knew, then why not the Grand Soul Sect’s patriarch?

“I am he,” Wang Lin replied, his voice steady.

“…A scion of the Cave World… truly, you are not one to be underestimated…” the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身 murmured, a hint of wonder in his voice.

“May I inquire, Senior, from what origin this Manifestation is woven?” Wang Lin asked, his gaze sharp.

The Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身 smiled gently. He was not offended by Wang Lin’s inquiry, but replied, “My Manifestation is woven from the Origin of Frost. Not water, but Frost… Do you understand?”

Wang Lin furrowed his brow, studying the elder’s Manifestation intently. After a long pause, he spoke softly.

“Frost is the breath, and water the…”

A smile bloomed upon the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身’s lips, his eyes radiating undisguised admiration.

“From the moment you entered the Grand Soul Sect’s array, I knew of your presence. I watched you enter the Flame Vein Mountain, saw you reminisce with the treacherous Fan Shan. I witnessed you absorb the lord of the Earth Fire…”

“Within my Grand Soul Sect, you forged this Manifestation of Fire. In this matter, fate has intertwined you with our sect! Since such a destiny is at play, there is no need for fleeting visits. Wang Lin, become an Elder of the Grand Soul Sect! What say you?”

Wang Lin’s eyes glinted, but he remained silent.

“…In the Immortal-Astral Continent, unless you establish your own sect, you must ally yourself with one, for it is the best path to your growth, your integration into the Immortal-Astral world. You may refuse, but the day will come when you will be forced to choose!”

“My Grand Soul Sect is one of the Nine Sects and Thirteen Houses of the Eastern Domain. As an Elder, I would bestow upon you a mountain peak to serve as your personal haven! All your needs would be met by the Grand Soul Sect. Even our arts of Dao, should you meet the required conditions, would be open to you for study! What say you?” the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身 continued, his voice laced with a subtle magnetism.

The Azure Ox Immortal’s words were alluring. He made no overt threats. The fact that Wang Lin had disrupted the Earth Fire Vein, engaged the Flame Vein peak’s mistress, and ignited the Grand Soul Sect’s Earth Fire seemed of little importance.

However, the less he spoke of these events, the less he seemed to care, the more Wang Lin understood the intangible pressure that veiled his words. Still, Wang Lin’s countenance remained serene, his heart calm. He had anticipated all that might transpire when he first set out to claim the Earth Fire Vein within the Grand Soul Sect.

Within his calculations, he had accounted for the Azure Ox Immortal’s machinations. From the moment the elder appeared, his true form absent, only a 本源真身 arriving, Wang Lin had sensed his purpose.

The 本源真身 was bait, designed to tempt Wang Lin. The words of welcome were merely a prelude, a preamble to the true offer.

Seeing Wang Lin’s continued silence, the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身 smiled once more, and continued,

“Furthermore, I am the one best suited to aid you, for we both possess Manifestations of Origin. I can share with you the deepest secrets of these forms…”

These were the words Wang Lin had awaited. His gaze sharpened, but he remained silent, neither refusing nor accepting, his eyes fixed upon the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身.

“I give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn for your contemplation!” the Azure Ox Immortal’s 本源真身 declared, raising his right hand. The jade-tinged snowflakes swirled, coalescing before him into a stick of jade-snow incense. It burned without flame, slowly melting, indistinguishable from true incense.

Time trickled by. When the snow-incense had been reduced by half, Wang Lin spoke.

“How could you know that I would emerge here, upon my departure?”

“My Grand Soul Sect possesses a divine art, known as ‘Soul-Derivation Dao.’ With this art, one can deduce many things… The Immortal-Astral Continent is replete with individuals of extraordinary talent. Among these, there are many methods for unraveling the threads of fate. Within my Immortal Clan, Daoist Master Shang of the Imperial City’s Uprising of Dao is foremost amongst them.

He, with his solitary strength in calculation, could stand against three of the grand Daoists of the Imperial clans of the Ancient Kingdom!
The Soul Weaving Arts of my Grand Soul Sect are but a glimpse into its vastness. Their true purpose lies not in divining the fates of others, but in altering one’s own, rendering oneself unreadable to the threads of prophecy.” The venerable Azure Ox, his true form radiating serenity, offered with a gentle smile, “If you desire to learn, I can impart them to you… but time wanes. I await your decision.”

Wang Lin glanced at the dwindling Snow Incense, his eyes gleaming with a sudden resolve. He stepped back, his Source Essence mirroring his movement, and with a ripple at his feet, vanished from the peak of Mount Heaven.

The Azure Ox did not attempt to stop him, his expression unchanged. He watched Wang Lin’s departure, shaking his head slightly.

“If, before the incense is consumed, you are truly the one foretold by our ancestor when he led the Grand Soul Sect to this Bull Heaven Continent, choosing the Earthfire main vein for its foundation, you will return. For here I possess the arcane arts and the knowledge you seek. But if you do not return, then you are not he… and so it shall be,” he murmured, closing his eyes.

The Snow Incense continued its slow, inexorable descent.

Far from Mount Heaven, upon a mountain peak veiled in emerald forests a month’s flight for Wang Lin, a distortion rippled in the air. He materialized, stepping into the void above the jagged landscape.

Mountains dotted the realm, an irregular tapestry that stretched as far as the eye could see, a typical sight of the Bull Heaven Continent.

“Soul Weaving Arts… whether this magic is truly real, a test shall reveal!” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed as he surveyed the land, detecting no immediate threat. Though life stirred, none possessed the power to challenge him.

The wind howled, its breath rustling through the trees of the forest, a symphony of nature.

As he turned to leave, Wang Lin froze, a sudden revelation striking him. He peered down at the earth, at the chaotic tangle of mountains below.

The earth seemed ordinary, unremarkable.

But Wang Lin’s pupils constricted. A primal fear gripped him as he stared at the land, and he raised a hand, unleashing a gust of wind. The trees on the mountains swayed, and in that instant, the mountains and their swaying foliage formed a single, distinct character!

A simple character: “Wang”

Silence stretched, then Wang Lin’s eyes lit with a strange light. He vanished once more, merging with the air. He reappeared further away, near the borders of the Azure Dragon Sect, a place he had visited before, where he absorbed the first branch vein of the dragon soul and encountered Du Qing.

“That location, where the earth formed the character ‘Wang,’ I have never been. There are many interpretations, but now I come to a place I have already visited. I will see if another miracle shall occur!” He materialized in the sky, his gaze fixed on the land below.

A jolt ran through him, his mind reeling as he stared at the ground.

The land, scarred by the withering of the Earthfire vein, was riddled with fissures. These fissures formed a character: “Lin”!

It could only be discerned from a great height. Wang Lin closed his eyes, convinced that the fissures were natural, not man-made. This phenomenon was a force beyond explanation!

He vanished once more, this time without a destination. He reappeared in a place unfamiliar even to him.

He unfurled his spiritual sense, finding no patterns or symbols. Below him, a river snaked through the land, its course unremarkable.

A breath of relief escaped him, but soon, his expression hardened. He saw an ancient stone bridge, now a ruin, spanning the river. It was a testament to time, mostly collapsed, with only a fragment remaining on the bank, upon which stood a stone tablet, its inscription barely visible. The name of the bridge.

He descended, landing beside the tablet, and his blood ran cold.

“Return Bridge…” he whispered.