Chapter Nine: The Primordial Soul Clan

"Absurd!" Lady Li shook her head and laughed. "After arriving in this world, the Soulkind spent decades in fierce combat before overthrowing the dominance of human civilization. In that time, the wars claimed more than thirty-two billion human lives, and over ninety percent of the Soulkind perished as well. When humanity lost its supremacy, the Soulkind did not supplant it; instead, they merged into human civilization, becoming indistinguishable from one another. Pureblood Soulkind are now rare, and the term 'Original Soulkind' refers merely to those of pure lineage. The mythic explanations are nothing but legends fabricated by the people of Soul Mountain, stories to give hope to those pursuing the will of the Soulkind amid hardship."

"Impossible! My sect father once said he witnessed the immense power of the Original Soulkind guardians with his own eyes!"

"Indeed! The Soul Sect leader—your father—did witness the power of the Original Soulkind," Lady Li affirmed, leaving Bu Jingxian both surprised and doubtful. "Lady Li… you know my sect father?"

"We met only once," said Lady Li. Then she continued, "The legends of Soul Mountain are not without cause. Many of the Original Soulkind possess powerful and unique abilities, inherited through their bloodline. However, not all Original Soulkind have such powers, but those of impure blood can never awaken the latent strength within their lineage. This may lead people to believe every Original Soulkind possesses some special power."

Bu Jingxian finally accepted her explanation and hurriedly thanked her, "Thank you for your guidance, Lady Li. I was reckless earlier."

Lady Li paid no heed, continuing to hammer at the iron spike, her face smiling. "Guess why I mentioned the Original Soulkind?"

Bu Jingxian pondered and hesitantly replied, "Could it be that I am of the Original Soulkind?"

Lady Li’s smile blossomed. "You are indeed a clever child."

Bu Jingxian was stunned, then sighed softly, "It isn’t surprising if I am of the Original Soulkind, given my sect father’s lifelong pursuit of the Soulkind will. But unfortunately, I possess no special power."

"The Soul Sect leader’s first wife was from a prominent human family. She exhausted her fortune to help him realize his ideals of the Soulkind will, and ultimately, her entire family was forced to flee the Chen Kingdom because of him. Your father met your master, Elder North Spirit, at that time—together, they became sworn brothers and endured hardship for a year. Afterwards, your father inadvertently witnessed the power of the Original Soulkind and learned he had missed the crucial period to awaken that strength in himself. In despair, he placed all his hope in his descendants. However, his first wife was human, so their two sons and daughter were of impure blood and could never possess the power of the Original Soulkind..."

Bu Jingxian now realized Lady Li must be connected to Elder North Spirit, and certainly knew his sect father far more than a passing acquaintance. Her revelations were meant for a purpose. He had never known his father had a wife, nor that he had two brothers and a sister.

Lady Li’s expression grew solemn, her gaze steady as she continued, "In his agony, the Soul Sect leader made a mad decision. One night, he personally killed his wife, who had followed him for years, given everything, and endured endless hardship. He also killed his two sons and daughter. Your master parted ways with him because of this. To honor his deceased wife, the Soul Sect leader killed your birth mother at your birth, and never remarried."

Bu Jingxian’s hands grew cold, yet he forced himself to remain calm and keep hammering the boulder. He wanted to rebuke Lady Li, to call her words madness, yet restrained himself from such irrationality. If it is true, it cannot be false; if it is false, it cannot be true. Without means to verify, anger is pointless.

"Your master devoted his life to pursuing the power of the Soulkind will, swearing to stand with your father. Later, he believed your father had fallen to the path of demons, and that is the root of his initial misgivings about you," Lady Li said, pausing to wipe sweat and rest. She smiled, "Half a year ago, Elder North Spirit entrusted me: should he and the Flying Immortal Sect leader perish in the west, I should relay what he originally meant to tell you and your two senior brothers."

Just then, Bu Jingxian noticed a metallic object emerging from the shattered stone—the sealed contents were about to be revealed.

"When you were accepted as a disciple, Elder North Spirit had concerns. He instructed Ling Luo to bring six King Sect tokens and one Soul Sect token."

Bu Jingxian’s movements slowed; he never imagined there was such truth behind the tokens he faced when becoming a disciple.

"Your eldest brother is broad-minded, never jealous or petty, and wished to help you. So he secretly switched a God Sect token and hinted for you to choose it. But you were too suspicious, thought he set a trap, and rejected the God token. You also failed to pick any of the five King tokens, and ended up taking the Soul token."

Bu Jingxian recalled that event with emotion, now realizing the master had always intended to give him a chance. His heart surged with gratitude.

"I never blamed my master or senior brother—it was my own doing."

Lady Li laughed and shook her head. "No!" She pointed at Bu Jingxian and spoke earnestly, "You are mistaken. Elder North Spirit actually hoped you would abandon the six King tokens and choose the Soul token. When you did, he felt it was destiny."

Bu Jingxian’s hammer paused, unable to grasp his master’s intentions.

"When Elder North Spirit roamed the world, there were no God or King arts—he practiced the Soul art. Later, after a deadly battle with the Flying Immortal Sect leader, he fought alone against many foes for seven days. Finally, my husband sacrificed himself to cripple Elder North Spirit’s Soul art cultivation. The God and King arts appeared only afterwards, but your master never resigned himself. He always believed, had he practiced one more layer of Soul art back then, the outcome would have been different."

"But… but my master never taught me a single move…" Bu Jingxian was incredulous, unable to believe the Soul art could wield such power.

"Your master was orphaned and wandered alone from childhood. No one helped him; he endured countless hardships and never had anyone teach him martial arts. The Soul art has no moves—it is only a mental method, not a set of techniques. How could he teach you any moves?" Lady Li saw Bu Jingxian stunned and continued, "Elder North Spirit’s hopes for you surpassed those for anyone else, including Ling Luo. Why not teach others the Soul art? Your master, Li Kuang, was proud and arrogant, and his greatest pride was the Soul art. The Soul art also symbolized and embodied his lifelong pursuit of the Soulkind will. Soul art—the will of the Soulkind—is the art of the heart. Li Kuang was not always invincible, but never truly defeated. Passing you the Soul art, he hoped you would diligently cultivate it, inherit his undefeated legacy, perhaps even achieve true invincibility. Li Kuang was a pursuer of the Soulkind will, and you—are the hope he could not fulfill."

Bu Jingxian felt a lump in his throat. All that had happened on Soul Mountain through the years, the cold face of Elder North Spirit, and his hidden intentions were suddenly clear from Lady Li’s words.

His master’s coldness was deliberate; allowing the disciples of the North Spirit sect to scorn the Soul art was deliberate; letting him live in mediocrity was deliberate. Elder North Spirit worried the Soul art’s prominence would provoke jealousy and danger. No one on Soul Mountain knew Bu Jingxian’s true appearance—if someone plotted against him, who would recognize him once he washed away the mud? No one knew his Soul art; no one knew his face.

Lady Li took a dagger, cutting open the metallic object that Bu Jingxian had cracked. The blade was astoundingly sharp, easily carving a circular hole in the metal. She reached in and pulled out a stack of yellowed books, one after another, until more than thirty volumes emerged. She packed them all into a basket.

"Your mishap today was not fate—I meddled in midair," Lady Li said while rummaging through her bundle. She looked up and smiled at Bu Jingxian, seeing his bewilderment, and continued, "Your master knew Princess Tianlai was rushing to North Spirit Mountain to aid Ling Luo, so he sent a swift letter entrusting me to stop you from going to Zhengdu. I had intended to make you fall straight from your horse off the cliff, but considering your fiancée Zheng Linran was near, I abandoned the plan, thinking her betrayal would dissuade you from heading to Zhengdu."

As she spoke, Lady Li produced a black token engraved with a soaring dragon and handed it to Bu Jingxian. "Your master does not wish you to remain in Zheng Kingdom—there is no place for you there. Ling Luo will hinder your growth invisibly, and Zheng Linran, even if she does not betray you, even if forced into marriage, will only sap your will and offer no help. This is the Soul Sect Master’s token your master left for you. If you cultivate the Soul art to the fifth layer or above and strike the token’s emblem, you will receive what he entrusted to you. Well, my task is complete. Thank you for helping break open the boulder."

Bu Jingxian suppressed his anger and questioned, "Lady Li, I nearly fell to my death!"

"As long as I am here, no one can easily die from a fall," Lady Li said, tying her bundle and asking Bu Jingxian to help carry it. He grumbled, "What could save someone from a cliff fall? Unless Lady Li is a celestial who can fly!" As he spoke, a white light suddenly burst behind her, and with a sudden rush of wind, the light exploded into a pair of enormous, radiant wings.

Bu Jingxian stared in astonishment as Lady Li gripped his shoulders. His body began to rise, ascending faster and faster.

He watched the cliff bottom recede, the boulder shrinking to insignificance, still unable to accept the reality before him.

"This… this… Lady Li, are you a celestial being?"

The flight grew swifter; the roaring wind drowned all sound. In moments, they soared past the thousand-zhang cliffs.

Lady Li flew him close to the treetops, gliding down the mountain at high speed. The rush of the landscape made Bu Jingxian recall the ideals of the Soulkind will; it convinced him those aspirations were not fantasy.

In no time, Lady Li brought him to the forest at the mountain’s base.

Once his feet touched solid ground, he turned to look back, only to see the glowing wings swiftly fold, vanishing into her body.

Lady Li took the bundle from Bu Jingxian and cheerfully bid farewell. "Farewell, until fate brings us together again. I am no celestial; these are merely the powers of the Original Soulkind bloodline."

Bu Jingxian took a step to pursue her, but thought better of it, knowing Lady Li had no intention to travel with him. She had said she was entrusted by Elder North Spirit, and her journey lay toward Zhengdu or Chudu, not his path. Though little had happened today, the impact was overwhelming; he could not organize his thoughts.

He recalled Zheng Linran’s cold resolve, remembered Ling Luo, and the words Lady Li spoke. His feelings for his sect father altered, complex and bittersweet; he was grateful for his master’s years of care, inspired by the Soul art’s true power.

All these emotions finally distilled into a sense of surviving calamity—or, more truly, a rebirth and anticipation for the future.

He realized heaven had not treated him unfairly, that he had always been favored by fate.

As he began his descent, he understood: today was the beginning of his journey.