In the quiet dimness of the archive, Xiao Shengming—Little Life—continued flipping through the ancient tomes. The books covered obscure arts, forgotten cultivation paths, and even dangerous forbidden knowledge. One particular technique left him uneasy. It hinted at refining methods—perhaps Blood Refining or Soul Refining—that required sacrificing mortals as ingredients. Or... perhaps it was some Heaven's creation, beyond the understanding of mortals.
Shaking off the dread, he moved toward the lowest shelf. There, tucked in a corner with torn pages and dust, he discovered an old book titled Seals. Curiously, it wasn't protected by any restrictions. He picked it up.
"Sealing one's cultivation temporarily?" he murmured.
Though it seemed nearly useless, he decided to read the whole manual and commit it to memory. Knowledge, after all, was never truly wasted.
Nearby, another book caught his eye. It was clearly low-grade and old, authored by someone only at Core Creation Realm - Initial Stage. The man's dream had been to travel the entire world, so he developed a formation art—but his weak cultivation prevented success. Before he died, he sold the technique at auction. The highest bid was only ten silver stones.
Its name?
"Where the Door".
A formation art that allowed the user to return instantly to any place they had visited before. The technique manifested as a glowing door. To activate it, the user needed to picture the location in their mind and speak the word: "Open."
Little Life scoffed. "Seems fake." He tossed it aside.
Currency System (for reference):
Mortals:
100 Copper = 1 Silver
100 Silver = 1 Gold
10 Gold = 1 Gold Ingot
1000 Gold = 1 Diamond
Cultivators:
1 Spiritual Coin (Jade) = 50 Silver
1 Spiritual Badge (Blue Jade) = 10 Gold Ingots
"Hmm. Useful to know," he thought. "I can probably borrow some silver from Sister Shuye later."
Meanwhile…
Outside, in the dead of night, Xiao Shui—Little Water—sat cross-legged, cultivating under the starlight. Suddenly, he clutched his chest and vomited blood.
"Ugh... the backlash finally came." He wiped his mouth, his expression pale. "Thankfully, it happened now and not in front of Brother Life... He still thinks merging our bodies has no side effects."
Little Water had absorbed all the backlash alone—keeping it hidden to protect his brother.
"But now... how do I hide this injury?"
Just then, a message arrived. It was Little Life, sharing the sealing technique from the archive.
Upon seeing the word Seals, Little Water's eyes sharpened. He immediately began memorizing and cultivating it. The art had three core uses:
Seal an enemy's cultivation temporarily.
Seal one's own cultivation temporarily.
Cripple both the enemy and oneself permanently.
Inspired, he began to experiment, merging all three seals within his spiritual consciousness.
By dawn, Little Water had successfully created a new seal. This unique version could seal others permanently or make the seal temporary, depending on intent. When used on oneself, the body would appear mortal—but the soul would remain immortal. However, the seal could only be broken when the user's will deemed it absolutely necessary.
As the sky brightened, Shuye approached Little Water with Xiao Feng (Little Wind).
"Is Little Life still in the archive?" she asked.
"He might be sleeping in there," Little Water replied with a shrug.
Shuye smirked. "Sleeping, huh? Then let's catch him red-handed."
The three quietly entered the archive and split up to search.
On the upper floor, Shuye tiptoed toward a figure slumped over a table near the window. It was Little Life. But when she drew closer, she paused—startled.
Tears streamed silently down his cheeks as he slept, a soft sadness etched into his face.
She didn't wake him. Instead, she gently placed a blanket over him and turned away, leaving without a word.
From behind a nearby pillar, Little Water had witnessed the entire scene. He stayed silent and followed her down shortly after.
Later, in the dining hall, the trio sat together with warm tea and a simple breakfast. Clan members bustled around in the background.
Shuye teased, "Little brothers, remember one important taboo: If you ever call me old, you'll lose all your gold!"
The whole table burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Great Elder is so funny!"
After eating, the group walked together. Shuye glanced at the two brothers.
"You don't think I'm an old lady in her 40s, right?" she asked. "Let me tell you—though I'm called Great Elder, I'm actually only 21."
Little Water nearly choked on his tea. "Why are you telling us this? And isn't it rude to ask a lady her age?"
"Oh? So you know that much?" she grinned.
From inside the archive, Little Life heard their playful voices. He stepped out and stretched.
"Good morning, everyone."
Shuye immediately caught his hand and dragged him to eat. After the meal, he spoke seriously.
"Sister Shuye, thank you for your hospitality, but... it's time we leave. We need to find a sect or clan that can support our cultivation."
"Don't worry," she smiled. "With your talents, you'll be accepted into any mid-level sect easily."
"Don't exaggerate."
"I'm only being honest."
A pause.
"I'll prepare some money for your journey," she added.
Little Life nodded. "Thank you. And... please take care of Little Wind."
Shuye smiled. "Of course. I'll treat him as my own—"
"Brother?" Little Life asked.
She gave a complicated smile.
Later that morning, the group gathered at the edge of the camp. It was time to say goodbye.
Little Life bowed. "Sister Shuye, I will remember your kindness forever. Even... if I cease to exist someday."
Her smile trembled. "Don't speak of death so lightly. Live well—for yourself, too."
She handed them two spiritual bags, each worth 5000 silver or 100 spiritual coins.
"Farewell, little brothers. May fate bring us together again."
Little Wind stepped forward, tears brimming in his eyes. He hugged his brothers tightly.
"I'll cultivate hard with Sister Shuye. I won't disappoint you!"
Little Life patted his back. "You never have."
But Little Water leaned close to Shuye and whispered, "I know what you're doing with my brother."
Shuye's face turned red in shame.
He added, "I won't say anything. Just... take care of him."
With that, the two brothers turned and walked into the rising sun, waving goodbye as Little Wind stood beside Shuye, wiping his eyes.
They were headed toward new lands... to reunite with the other brothers.
[To Be Continued...]