Heavenly Soul

It stretched like a strip of ribbon, connecting the Golden Sun Sect and the Silver Moon Sect in a straight line. The ma.s.sive structure was carved entirely out of pure white stone and seemed to have withstood the test of time completely unscathed.

Curving over the bridge was a transparent canopy of intricate spellwork drawn with delicate, glowing white lines. This spellwork shielded the entirely of the bridge"s length from both the elements of nature and any potential unforeseen attacks.

Since the people of the Silver Moon Sect mostly stayed secluded within their sect grounds and since not many people were allowed access to the Silver Moon Sect in the first place, the bridge leading to the sect was empty right now.

The group of six leisurely made their way over it, marveling at the feeling of being suspended at such a great height over the deep blue-green of the ocean with nothing but the stone bridge holding them up.

While Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Jing Shui greatly relished the thrill of this feeling of walking so high above on this bridge without a protective railing along the edges, Chen Xiande, in contrast, only felt nervous and panicky since the earth element that he was most familiar with felt so far away here.

As his mind was invaded with paranoid thoughts of the bridge collapsing from under his feet and sinking with him into the depths of the ocean, Chen Xiande felt something unpleasant churning in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of anxious tension bubbling within him.

Sensing his beloved"s discomfort, Hei NingYu held him close as he rea.s.sured, "Don"t worry, Little Sheep, I"m here. Nothing will happen. Close your eyes if the view makes you uneasy."

And so, squeezing his eyes close to block out the feeling of being suspended in the air, Chen Xiande unabashedly dove into Hei NingYu"s embrace and let his lover lead him forward.

When they finally reached the island housing the Silver Moon Sect, Chen Xiande wanted to weep in relief. There was nothing quite as rea.s.suring as having his feet firmly planted on solid ground again.

The island in front of them was covered in well-maintained greenery, an atmosphere of peace and serenity suffusing it. The air here was fresh and crisp due to the high concentration of water-based spiritual energy, the pleasant sea breeze tinged with salt and feeling slightly cold as it brushed over them. The distant crash of waves against sh.o.r.e and the sound of sea birds calling to each other only added to this clear and harmonious ambiance.

Following a wide and well-worn path, Wu Xiao led them toward the s.p.a.cious and sprawling structures that made up the main compound of the Silver Moon Sect.

As they walked, they could see the Silver Moon Sect"s well-known Array Experimentation Valley in the distance, marked by the constant flickering of bright flashes above it.

Complex arrays constructed with a mix of circles, squares, triangles, and various polygons were built and activated in quick succession, each array blooming in vivid colors of yellow, red, green, blue, purple, and orange. If the casting was successful, the array would flash before fading away slowly on its own, but if it failed, then the array would burst into sparks like a firework. It was like a perpetual festival of luminous colors as the various arrays activated and flared above the valley in a mesmerizing succession of blazing lights.

On the other hand, the equally famous Inner Dream Corridor―which was where cultivators who received permission from the Sect Master could go to resolve any issues that hindered them from advancing―was unfortunately not visible from the path they were currently taking. And since each person who sought the Inner Dream Corridor was shown different things according to the specific knots in their hearts, no one was even sure how the corridor actually looked like.

As they walked, Wu Xiao asked Hei NingYu, "May I know which one of my sect"s Elders Sect Leader Hei wishes to speak with?"

Hei NingYu unhesitatingly replied, "I think she was called Elder Yue? She claimed to be your sect"s sect master a long time ago, or rather, the Silver Moon Peak"s peak master as it was called at that time. I don"t remember her full name."

"She said it was Yue Yi," Chen Xiande helpfully supplied. Since he"d just recently seen his lover"s memories, it was still fresh in his mind.

Wu Xiao had to stop himself from reaching up and ma.s.saging his temple. What headaches would his master"s antics end up cause him now?

"Yes, she is indeed my master, and yes, she is indeed that old. I suppose that she is already expecting you," Wu Xiao spoke wryly.

Since it turned out they were all here to meet his master, Wu Xiao promptly changed the direction he was heading towards and led them all through a hidden, less-traveled road.

"I don"t think I have to say this, but whatever you see beyond here must stay secret from the outside world," Wu Xiao warned.

Though Jing Shui had already come here a lot during his stay at the Silver Moon Sect, he had still maintained its existence a secret even though he didn"t understand why. Chen Xiande was similarly confused, but also promised to keep whatever he saw hidden. The others also pledged a vow of silence.

Nodding, Wu Xiao led them further in to the area housing the Silver Mist.

As they walked, the path gradually opened up, leading them into a wide and flat area. In the middle was a building that was constructed low on the ground so that it could weather storms better. Its walls were a cool white and its roofs lined with dark turquoise tiles. Wide arched doorways and huge windows lent the whole place an airy feel.

On either side of the path leading up to the building were flower gardens lined with carefully cultivated bushes. Blossoms in a variety of colors bloomed amid the shiny green leaves, sparkling with dew and looking very refreshing.

As Wu Xiao led them into the building, the figure of a teen girl suddenly dashed towards them, unerringly colliding with Wu Xiao despite his attempts at dodging her.

Wu Xiao sighed and pushed the girl back while admonishing, "You"ve been here for a few months already and yet you haven"t learned any manners. How many times do I have to tell you to stop running in the corridors like this?"

The girl grinned uncaringly, two little tiger teeth cutely peeking out as she demanded, "Dorm Manager, tell me that story again, the one with the s.p.a.ceship battles and wormholes!"

His lips twitching at this brat"s audacity, Wu Xiao got out through gritted teeth, "First of all, this is not a dormitory, so you can stop calling me that. This is a sect and I am the Sect Master, you little twerp. Get it straight. And second, we have guests."

The girl looked behind Wu Xiao at the group of cultivators, then turned her head back and said breezily, "Yeah, so?"

Wu Xiao bopped her on the nose as he reminded her, "Two words: information seal."

Blinking her eyes as if suddenly realizing something, the girl showed a look of chagrin, "…Oopsie? Well, if they"re your friends, then they won"t talk outside, no?"

Another heavy sigh escaped Wu Xiao. Why did his sect have to be so troublesome?

"Go inside and play for now," he instructed the girl in a patient voice. "I"ll have one of your seniors tell you the story later. They know it better than me anyway."

Flashing a bright smile as her guilt dissipated, the girl hugged Wu Xiao and said a quick thanks before dashing back into the depths of the building.

A strange silence claimed the place.

Then Qinghe spoke, "You have an information seal on this place?"

Shrugging, Wu Xiao answered, "Yes, and it"s enforced by the authority of the Sentinels."

Everyone turned to look at Wei Xiang as one.

Wei Xiang easily admitted, "Yes, it"s true. No information learnt within the confines of the land allotted to the Silver Mist is to be disclosed or acted upon in any way in the world outside. In short, an information seal has been placed on the entire Silver Mist. It isn"t some sort of spell but a law that is strictly enforced."

Chen Xiande frowned as he asked, "Why so much secrecy? And what is this Silver Mist?"

Hearing the question that had been plaguing him being asked out loud like this, Jing Shui"s interest was also piqued.

Wu Xiao hesitated, then looked carefully over the group of people he"d brought with him. His personal judgment was that they were all very trustworthy, so he supposed he could tell them. Anyway, most of them were either in a high enough position to already know, like Hei NingYu and Wei Xiang, or had found out on their own, like Qinghe.

Having made his decision, Wu Xiao turned and resumed walking into the Silver Mist compound, striding through its s.p.a.cious and light colored hallways.

As the group followed behind him, Wu Xiao began explaining, "Silver Mist is the name of a very secretive subdivision within the Silver Moon Sect. Silver Mist is comprised of seers, or cultivators who can see through the mists. To put it in broader terms, they have the ability to see the future. They use this ability to constantly monitor for approaching threats and calamities so that we can make appropriate preparations in advance."

"Eh?" Jing Shui exclaimed. "Wait, if I understand correctly, then this is the building belonging to this Silver Mist, right? I"ve already been here before, so how come I didn"t know about this?!"

Wu Xiao let out a helpless chuckle. "Ah-Shui, the people of the Mist are used to secrecy. Many of them have suffered at the hands of those who sought their power for selfish reasons or discriminated against them horribly because of their strange ability. They do not tell other people about it if they can help it. As their sect master, the decision to reveal their secrets is always left to me, and now I have decided to tell you about it."

Jing Shui frowned. Then all those people from here who had been friendly with him before…had they all kept this from him because they didn"t trust him?

A smooth palm cupped Jing Shui"s cheek and lifted up his face. "Ah-Shui," Wu Xiao spoke in a warm voice, "the children from the Mist were afraid that you"d start avoiding them if you learned of their abilities. It has happened to them before, so they had their reasons for doing this. Don"t blame them and give them a chance to explain later, alright?"

The frown on Jing Shui"s face slowly smoothened. "Alright," he agreed softly.

Smiling, Wu Xiao let go and turned back around to continue walking. "My master, the Elder Yue that everyone is here to see, is also a part of the Silver Mist, just like how all sect masters of the sect more or less usually are. Her visions are some of the most accurate and she constantly goes around manipulating events using the things she sees in her visions of the future. She might seem very rude or nosy, but she is only trying to help people in her own way, so try not to take offense."

As Wu Xiao stopped talking, silence once again claimed the group.

Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Hei NingYu had already known about all this, so they saw no reason to comment. Chen Xiande simply digested all this with a look of concentration on his face.

On the other hand, Jing Shui wore a worried expression as he asked, "Wu Xiao, you said that all sect masters of the sect have this ability. Then…can you see the future too? Did it also cause trouble for you before?"

Wu Xiao looked at his lover with surprise. "No, I had a very ordinary childhood. My ability is not that troublesome, so it went unnoticed for the most part. Ah-Shui, you don"t have to worry about me."

Hearing this, Jing Shui let out a breath in relief.

As the group walked deeper into the building, they pa.s.sed many huge arches leading to other corridors or large common rooms. Hanging from these arches in layers were huge, billowing gauzy curtains in white, grey and silver, giving the impression of floating mist or churning sea foam. It made one feel as if they were drifting among weightless clouds, the feeling ethereal.

Suddenly, voices interrupted this serene atmosphere, chattering over each other excitably using unfamiliar and strange terms.

"d.a.m.n, I can"t wait for anime to be invented…"

"Girl, that"s like so many days away."

"Don"t you mean millennia? Like seriously dude, get your s.h.i.t together."

"Time has no meaning to us. All will return to the void."

"Think of that the next time your favorite show is postponed again."

"I can"t! That s.h.i.t is evil! Why do they gotta keep doing that to my babyyyyy!"

"Ah, censorship is so annoying to get around. I hate crabs!"

"But red velvet cake looks really good. I wonder how long it"ll take before I get a taste…"

"Ice cream just looks like colorful goop though, how good can it be?"

"Hey! Don"t diss my creamy goodness! Don"t hate it till you taste it."

"…You haven"t tasted any either though."

"I taste "em with my eyes!"

"Isn"t that just called looking? It"s not like you put that stuff into your eyes like eye drops."

"Wait, are eye drops even invented yet?"

"Eh? Maybe we have an herbal version?"

Qinghe and the rest didn"t even know what to make of this nonsensical conversation, while Jing Shui and Wu Xiao acted like it was nothing unusual, having long since gotten used to it.

Stopping with a hesitant look on his face, Jing Shui firmed his resolve and stepped forward, drawing open the light curtains and revealing the large room beyond from where these chattering voices originated.

Lounging around on the floor, windowsills, chairs, tables, and divans were many disciples, all of them either chatting animatedly with each other or engaged in bizarre actions.

One of them held a feather, slowly plucking its strands one by one as he kept mumbling to himself. Another was throwing a handful of gla.s.sy marbles onto a large map, intently peering at where each of the marbles landed and carefully noting it down. Yet another was staring at the ceiling with wide, unfocused eyes, a stick of candy held in her little mouth.

"There are more stars out today," she muttered around the candy. "Are they breeding in the sky?"

Without missing a beat, Wu Xiao replied, "The number of stars remains the same. It is you who seems to have attained a breakthrough, so your ability must have grown stronger. That"s why you are able to see more of them than before."

"…Oh," the girl said, then continued staring at the ceiling as if she could see through it to the vast cosmos beyond.

Sitting on the windowsill, a young man was intently looking at a blank jade tablet as if the mysteries of the universe were recorded within it. In a flat voice, he turned to Wu Xiao and spoke, "Sect Master, it"s all eight directions. You have to remember it ah. Using eight points makes it the most stable."

Feigning understanding, Wu Xiao solemnly nodded. "Yes, I"ll remember. Thank you for telling me."

The young man showed a shy smile then went back to looking at the flat rectangle of jade in his hands.

A voice suddenly cut through the mystical atmosphere in the room. "Ah, it"s Xiao Jing!"

Several heads turned in Jing Shui"s direction with widened eyes. Some of them hastily tried to hide their strange tools of divination as they peeked at him with guilt and fear, afraid that he"d find out about their weird abilities and think them unnatural.

Jing Shui sighed, then spoke with annoyance, "I already know about the Silver Mist, so there"s no need to hide it now."

Several pairs of eyes looked at Wu Xiao, shooting him glares filled with betrayal. Wu Xiao blinked back innocently as if all this had nothing to do with him.

Taking a deep breath, Jing Shui continued speaking, "So what if you have such an ability? Did you all really think I"d push you away because of something like this? Hmph! I"m not that narrow-minded!"

After a moment of stunned silence, several people jumped towards Jing Shui, not giving him time to escape as they rubbed his head, pinched his cheeks, patted his back, or simply hugged him with tears flowing.

"I should have never doubted you, Xiao Jing!"

"Ah, our little school prince is so adorable!"

"As expected of a tsundere with a marshmallow heart!"

"Xiao Jing, what shampoo do you use? Your hair smells so nice~"

Wu Xiao unceremoniously pulled his Ah-Shui out of those grabby pairs of hands and scolded, "Stop molesting my lover and return to work, you brats!"

Giggles and laughter sounded as the group dispersed into the room, resuming whatever they had been doing before with wide smiles on their faces.

The visiting cultivators could only stand there and stare at this strange group with complicated expressions as they watched all this.

Now that this issue was satisfactorily resolved, Wu Xiao pulled Jing Shui along with him and finally exited the room, then continued leading them all towards Elder Yue once again.

As the group followed behind Wu Xiao, Qinghe couldn"t help but ask what was in all their minds, "Sect Master Wu, why does the way the disciples of the Silver Mist speak seem so different? And why do they use such strange words?"

Rather than answering right away, Wu Xiao asked in return, "Xiao Feng, tell me, what do you think is the ability of Silver Mist?"

"Isn"t it seeing the future?" Qinghe replied with a confused look on his face.

Wu Xiao shook his head as he said, "It"s partially correct, but not quite. The Silver Mist"s ability is to see through the misty veils of time and s.p.a.ce. They can see the future, but that"s only one aspect of it."

Qinghe frowned in contemplation, then his eyes widened as realization struck him. "When you say time and s.p.a.ce… don"t tell me, they can also see the past? And see through to other worlds?"

Shooting him a surprised look, Wu Xiao chuckled. "As perceptive as always, aren"t you, Xiao Feng? Yes, it"s precisely that. And they are particularly fixated with watching a type of world that"s…very different from ours. That"s why the way they speak and the topics they discuss might seem odd to those of this world."

Hearing this, everyone felt shocked. They could see through to other worlds as well? None of them had ever considered that such a thing might be possible before.

Unable to curb his curiosity, Qinghe asked with sparkling eyes, "You said they like watching a particular world that"s different from ours. In what way is it different?"

Wu Xiao felt that this situation was too surreal as he tried to explain about another world to his fellow cultivators. "That world is very young compared to ours and has very scant amounts of spiritual energy, barely worth mentioning. So without the use of spiritual energy to make their lives easier, the people of that world had to develop complicated machinery that"s much more intricate and profound than what can be found in our world."

Chen Xiande frowned and piped up from the side, "It almost sounds like the machinery that the ancients left behind, but even those use spiritual power, don"t they?"

"Yes. But rather than spiritual energy, the machinery in that world runs on…how do I explain this?" Struggling with putting the concept of electricity into words, Wu Xiao finally said, "It"s a kind of low powered and weak lightning that they control using various complicated methods."

Jing Shui looked doubtful as he asked with disbelief, "…That sounds too unbelievably fantastical. Are you sure that such a strange world actually exists?"

Laughing, Wu Xiao a.s.sured him, "Yes, yes, such a world really does exist! And Ah-Shui, though you say that that world seems fantastical, maybe to the people of that world, it is our world that seems to be the more mythical one."

The group pondered on these new and profound revelations in thoughtful silence.

In a way, it was easy for them to now understand why an information seal was placed over the Silver Mist. After all, if information from different worlds made its way into this world, then what would follow would be chaos. The methods or inventions from a different world, especially weapons or techniques that could be used to cause harm, would temporarily destabilize society"s morals as everyone ran to learn this new knowledge because of its novelty and end up hurting themselves or others. By the time the Sentinels could regulate it and pa.s.s laws according to the potential danger, the damage would have already been done.

Introducing different ideas from different worlds, where the people operated with different mindsets and ethics, into this world, would only bring disaster if this information wasn"t treated responsibly. Therefore, for now, until a better method of handling this new knowledge was found, the information seal was absolutely necessary.

As they kept walking while sunk in contemplation, Wu Xiao suddenly announced, "We"re here."

They had stopped in front of a slightly weathered white wooden door embellished with dried flowers, paper b.u.t.terflies, and seash.e.l.ls, these decorations making the solemn white door seem somewhat childish.

After knocking on the door twice, Wu Xiao directly pushed in. "Master, you have guests."

The inside of the room was steeped in a shadowed gloom, feeling strangely hushed and comfortable. Large swathes of gossamer thin fabric stretched from corner to corner and wall to wall, making it seem as if a large spider had made its nest inside.

Using one of these swathes of fabric as a hammock, Elder Yue was lying lazily, a leg dangling off the side. Clamped between her teeth was the tip of a flower stem, the large, fully-bloomed flower at the end of the stem bearing pure white petals tinted with lilac at the edges. Her long stretch of curly silver hair flowed down from her head, waving gently in the air as the hammock swung to and fro.

Her head c.o.c.king to the side, Elder Yue opened her mouth to let the flower fall. Her eyes appeared to flash silver due to the reflected light, seeming unfathomable and eerie. But then she blinked and the feeling was gone.

"So you lot are finally here!" she exclaimed in her usual teasing voice that sounded like the silvery peals of bells. "Xiao Xiao, lead them to my receiving room. Quick, don"t dawdle now!"

Saying so, Elder Yue jumped down from her hammock and landed softly on the ground before heading for the doorway.

Rolling his eyes inwardly, Wu Xiao nevertheless obeyed his master and turned around, leading the group to the receiving room situated at the side.

As the door closed, leaving the room at the mercy of shadows once more, the fully-bloomed flower lay on the floor, its bright white petals seeming to glow in the dark.