Xiao Wei stood silently in the ancient cave, his gaze fixed on the unmoving Shadow Soldier. The process of possession was far more complex than Xiao Wei had imagined. Even after half a day, there had been no visible change—no movement, no aura, not even a flicker of consciousness from within the Shadow Soldier.
Yet, Xiao Wei wasn't impatient. He understood that anything involving souls—could not be rushed.
"I can't do anything now, I guess I'll just wait."Xiao Wei muttered to himself, glancing one last time at the Shadow Soldier standing like a lifeless statue.
With that, he walked to a corner of the cave, chose a relatively smooth rock, and sat down cross-legged. He closed his eyes slowly, drawing in the ambient Spiritual Energy that still lingered thickly in this cave. Despite the herbs been plucked from here, the cave's natural Spiritual Energy had not yet dissipated. The death of Shi Ming and Monsters had nourished the land, saturating it with dense Spiritual Energy.
Two days passed in a blink.
When Xiao Wei finally opened his eyes again, his vision was sharp and clear, like a lake after the storm. He was ready to breakthrough to the next layer of the Martial Apprentice Realm but he didn't breakthrough because of the Shadow Soldier.
He turned his head and looked at the Shadow Soldier.
It stood exactly where it had two days ago—frozen in place, its posture rigid, the shadows around it barely moving.
"I guess this will take time"Xiao Wei murmured with a sigh.
Then he raised his hand. A ripple of Spiritual Energy flickered in his palm, and with a surge of thought, he summoned a spatial ripple from his Storage Ring.
A large cauldron appeared before him, this was his Tier 5 Cauldron.
As he ran his fingers along its surface, memories stirred.
The cauldron had not come to him through effort or luck, but rather from the hands of a mysterious man named Mo Fan—a Cultivator shrouded in secrecy, who gifted him the cauldron in exchange for some wine, and disappeared after that.
Xiao Wei still remembered Mo Fan's threat that if he try to run with it or try to sell it, he would kill him.
Even now, Xiao Wei wasn't sure whether Mo Fan was an enemy, a benefactor, or friend.
But Xiao Wei shook his head.
"No point thinking about it now. That man... if he wants something from me, he'll show up again. Until then, I'll use what I was given."Xiao Wei muttered to himself.
After that, Xiao Wei didn't waste more time as he start practicing Alchemy on the herbs he picked from the cave.
---
Somewhere far away, in a grand chamber within a majestic palace...
The chamber was vast, its ceiling lost in the mists of swirling spiritual energy. Dozens of glowing formation runes floated in the air, casting a warm golden hue over the black-stone floor. In the center of the hall stood a circular jade table, surrounded by spiritual lamps that shimmered like starlight. Two figures sat facing each other.
One of them was Mo Fan—dressed in a flowing white robe embroidered with a black phoenix crest, his demeanor lazy, as if the weight of the world barely interested him.
Opposite him stood a middle-aged man with a powerful frame and piercing eyes. His long black hair was tied into a high warrior's knot, and the aura surrounding him made the air feel heavy. His name was Lu Bu, Mo Fan's sworn brother.
"Mo Fan, where is my cauldron?"Lu Bu's voice echoed in the chamber like a thunderclap.
Mo Fan didn't flinch. He poured himself a cup of Spirit Tea and took a slow sip before replying.
"Brother, when did it become your cauldron? I was the one who forged it and give it to you. By all rights, it belongs to me."Mo Fan said with a relaxing manner.
Lu Bu's eyes narrowed. His Spiritual Energy flared subtly, causing the table to groan under the weight.
"Don't play words with me. You know exactly what I mean. That cauldron is a Tier 5 artifact—refined from Tier 5 Beastfire Stone. I spent ten years gathering the materials."Lu Bu said.
Mo Fan raised a hand casually.
"Calm down, brother. Don't be so possessive. Your cauldron is in very capable hands. I promise to return it to you… in five years."Mo Fan said.
"Five years?! You vanished with my cauldron months ago, and now you tell me you'll return it after five years?"Lu Bu took a step forward, his fury erupting.
In a blink, Lu Bu grabbed Mo Fan by the front of his robe.
"I'll take it back now."Lu Bu snarled.
With a swift motion, he take out a glowing dagger from his storage ring and stabbed it into Mo Fan's heart.
The body fell to the ground with a dull thud—but before it even touched the stone floor, it dissolved into motes of light.
Lu Bu snorted, unconvinced.
"A clone technique? You never change."Lu Bu said before he turned around to look at Mo Fan reclining on a soft cloud-shaped cushion, holding the same jade teacup as before
"Brother Lu Bu, you really know me too well."Mo Fan said with a cheeky grin.
Lu Bu walked over his arms behind him.
"I know you gave my cauldron to your nephew? Do you honestly believe that boy can become an Alchemist?"Lu Bu asked.
Mo Fan's smile faded just a little, his eyes glinting with a rare seriousness.
"I don't know. But if he manages to find and enter the Cloud Village in the Mo Empire… then maybe he has a real chance."Mo Fan said.
Lu Bu raised an eyebrow.
"You think too highly of him. Even you and I were rejected during our first attempt. And even later, when we got in, we were only accepted as outer disciples. No masters, no special treatment. If it weren't for our senior brothers and senior sisters helping us in secret, we wouldn't have lasted."Lu Bu said.
"Don't talk about those years. I'm trying to forget that hellish experience."Mo Fan said, his voice lowering, an involuntary shiver running down his spine.
Lu Bu burst into laughter.
"Haha! You mean you're trying to forget that time when Elder Sister Yu made you scrub the forging room with a toothbrush for a month?"Lu Bu said with a laugh.
"I had nightmares for years. That woman was scarier than most Monsters."Mo Fan groaned.
"Still... I miss those days. I miss our senior brothers and sisters."Lu Bu said, his gaze drifting upward as if seeing through the stone ceiling toward the heavens.
"Yeah... I miss them too"Mo Fan's said, his gaze softened as looked at Lu Bu for a moment, then said quietly.
"If you miss them so much, then break through to the Martial Ancestor Realm in the next few months. We can ascend to the Upper World together. I'm almost ready. I don't want to be the only one getting lectured by them when I return."Mo Fan said.
"So you're done with your preparations in the Mo Empire?"Lu Bu grunted.
"Almost, but before I go, I plan to visit Mystic Mountain one last time—to meet my daughter."Mo Fan replied, setting down his teacup.
"You're going to see her before you ascend? You always talk tough, but when it comes to family, you're a soft-hearted fool."Lu Bu's eyes softened.
"And you're one to talk? You nearly crippled a Sect Elder son because he insulted your wife"Mo Fan retorted with a laugh.
"Fair enough."Lu Bu chuckled.
"But tell me this—do you really think anyone will accept your nephew as a disciple? You think he'll have the luck of your sister Mo Chen, getting accepted on her first try?"Lu Bu asked.
Mo Fan fell silent at the mention of his sister. His expression became wistful.
"Maybe... he can."Mo Fan said, his voice was softer now.
Lu Bu clapped him on the back.
"Don't be sad, brother. I have an idea. Let's bet on it. If he gets selected in his first try, I'll gift that cauldron to him permanently. If not, you forge me a new Tier 6 cauldron."Lu Bu said with a smile.
Mo Fan's mouth twisted into a grin.
"You really want to play big, huh? I just advanced to Tier 6 as a Blacksmith, and now you're already asking for a masterpiece?"Mo Fan muttered.
"A bet's a bet"Lu Bu said, grinning.
The two stared at each other for a moment, then broke into loud laughter. The tension in the room faded, replaced by the warmth of old camaraderie and shared memories.
They sat together, sipping tea, reminiscing about their days in the Cloud Village, their battles, their failures, and the bonds forged through fire and blood.
The two old cultivators sat side by side, their conversation drifting from the boy's future to their shared past.
---
Deep within a secluded cave hidden in the inner region of Tiger Mountain, the passage of time went unnoticed by the outside world.
In the cave, the air was filled with herbs smell and sound of soft flicker of fire come from within the cauldron, and near the cauldron a youth sat cross-legged in Cultivation, which is none another than Xiao Wei.