Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain &Dhael Ligerkeys
The group of four people decided to find a nearby place to adjust their breathing after some discussions; after all, the process of opening the entrance to the Severed World had caused both Ni Guang and Luo Lan to consume a great deal of their Saint Qi just now. In a place like this, which was filled with crisis, they needed to maintain their peak condition in order to cope with whatever they may encounter next.
Fortunately, there was not any obvious danger nearby, so Ni Guang simply led the group to the bottom of a ravine to conceal themselves.
The ravines here were quite deep and narrow, spreading out in all directions like a series of long canyons. After flying down and looking up, only a faint light could be seen, indicating they were at least a couple thousand metres below the surface.
At the bottom of the ravine, a chilly wind gusted continuously.
Yang Kai and Xue Yue were still at full strength, and although they were not Origin Kings, their strength wasn’t weak, so they were responsible for standing guard.
Ni Guang and Luo Lan each chose a location not far apart, took some pills, and sat down cross-legged to meditate.
Yang Kai guarded Luo Lan while Xue Yue guarded Ni Guang, each side performing their own duties.
The world seemed silent, with only the noise of the blustering wind echoing through the gully adding to the eerie stillness.
Xue Yue glanced around from time to time, seeming a little nervous.
Regardless of how high her cultivation was or how strong she was, she was still a woman. So, in such a gloomy environment, she instinctually became more vigilant.
Yang Kai wore an indifferent look as he simply closed his eyes and released his Divine Sense to monitor the surroundings to avoid any accidents.
Time passed slowly, and after an unknown period, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes…
He found himself lying on a bed, one that was wooden and quite uncomfortable. Looking up, he saw a simple roof which had holes in it and was leaking air everywhere. Turning around, the furnishings in this house were extremely sparse, with only a simple table and a chair, nothing else.
The scene felt quite familiar. Yang Kai could not help showing some doubt on his face as his mind felt hazy, making it impossible for him to think straight.
He instinctively felt that something was wrong, as if he had forgotten something important, and tried hard to remember, but this only caused a sharp pain in his head.
He could not even remember what he was doing before.
Shaking his head, Yang Kai got up from the simple wooden bed before opening the door and walking out. Standing in front of the small house, he took a look around…
Memories suddenly flooded back to him like a tide, and Yang Kai immediately recalled that he was currently a Trial Disciple of High Heaven Pavilion, but because he had been here for almost three years yet failed to meet the requirements of the Sect to become a formal disciple, he could only do odd jobs to earn a living while doing his best to cultivate at the same time.
There was a broom outside the house, and at this moment, the sky was not yet bright. It seemed to be the darkest hour before dawn.
Yang Kai could not help chuckling before stepping forward, picking up the broom, and beginning his day’s work.
The Sect had various roads which lead from the Contribution Hall, to the Training Hall, the Martial Skills Hall, and so on. All of which had the shadow of Yang Kai’s busy figure. All the roads were cleaned by him as he was the lowest-level disciple of High Heaven Pavilion, little more than a labourer.
As the sun rose and the day became light, many of Yang Kai’s fellow brothers gathered around, ready to challenge him.
In the end, a Junior Brother who only had a Fourth Stage Tempered Body cultivation won the right to challenge him, proceeded to trounce Yang Kai, then left.
Lying on the ground, breathing heavily, feeling his weakness and physical pain, Yang Kai slowly clenched his fists.
Subconsciously, his gaze shifted towards a big tree not far away.
Atop the big tree, there was a figure standing quietly, her face difficult to see because it was covered by a thin veil. Her figure was slim and there was a small sapphire which adorned her brow, giving her a pure and flawless appearance.
Yang Kai looked at her quietly, inexplicably feeling that this woman was incredibly important to him, but unable to understand why he felt this way.
Their eyes only met for a moment before the veiled woman’s body flickered and disappeared.
The disappearance of this woman caused Yang Kai to feel a little pain in his heart, as if it was being gripped by a strong hand, making it difficult for him to breath. Yang Kai shook his head and picked himself up off the ground with difficulty, collected his broom off the ground, then step by step returned to his little cabin.
In the end, he failed to meet the Sect’s requirements before the time limit and ultimately failed to become a true disciple of High Heaven Pavilion…
Having been expelled from High Heaven Pavilion, Yang Kai quietly packed up his things into a small sack then descended the mountain road he had walked countless times before.
Standing in front of the mountain gate, Yang Kai looked back at the plaque engraved with the three words ‘High Heaven Pavilion’ and paused, as his thoughts fluttered.
He was only fifteen years old now, but his future had already been lost.
At the base of the mountain, a group of Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters were walking over, headed by a certain person holding a sword in her hand, her temperament as cold and clear as ice jade. She was like an ice fairy, exquisite and unblemished. She wore a pure white dress which was unstained by even the slightest bit of dust and was like the bright moon around which the stars gathered. Standing in the middle of her group, which was laughing and chatting, she soon arrived near Yang Kai.
Perceiving his abnormal state, the lead woman stopped, turned to Yang Kai, and lightly opened her lips, “Junior Brother, are you descending the mountain?”
Yang Kai turned his head and looked towards the source of the voice, but after seeing the other person’s face, he could not help feeling startled and blurting out, “Su Yan…”
As soon as he spoke this name though, Yang Kai became startled. Although he had been in High Heaven Pavilion for three years now and was familiar with this Eldest Senior Sister, even witnessing her heroic posture many times, the two of them had never exchanged a single word.
After all, the Eldest Senior Sister of High Heaven Pavilion was a lofty, aloof existence while Yang Kai was just a Trial Disciple, there was too much of a difference in strength and identity between them to simply casually chat.
He did not know why he would suddenly call out the other party’s name, and with such familiarity, as if he had called it countless times. It was as if he had done so in a state of dream-like reverie.
Su Yan’s brow furrowed, but her expression did not change much; however, the few Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters who were accompanying her, who were all not weak, immediately cast contemptuous eyes towards Yang Kai.
One of the more hot-tempered Senior Brothers even coldly snorted and without the slightest trace of politeness snapped, “Eldest Senior Sister’s name is not one you are qualified to call out!”
As soon as these words fell, a palm slapped towards Yang Kai.
A residual palm wind blew past him as Yang Kai was lifted up and thrown through the air, tumbling a few times before hitting the ground, blood overflowing from his mouth, his clothes covered in dust, making him look quite dishevelled.
Yang Kai was indifferent to the physical pain though and continued to frown as he fell to the ground, as if he had fallen into deep thought.
He did not understand why things were like this, all so familiar yet at the same time completely unfamiliar to him…
A fragrant wind brushed past Yang Kai’s nose in the next second as he saw a pair of jade feet land not far away. Looking up, he could see the beautiful and awe-inspiring image of Su Yan standing before him, like an immortal fairy.
“Eldest Senior Sister, don’t bother with him!” The Senior Brother who hit Yang Kai before coldly snorted with an unhappy look on his face.
Su Yan did not respond to him though and instead stretched out her hand to Yang Kai, as if she wanted to help him up.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before reaching out, taking Su Yan’s palm gently, and picking himself up.
The Senior Brother who already had a low opinion of Yang Kai now wore a twisted face as he glared at him with clear rage and hatred. Never had he expected that he had allowed Yang Kai to touch Eldest Senior Sister’s hand because of a simple beating.
Yang Kai stood dumbly on the spot while Su Yan stretched out her hand and patted the dust off his body, the seemingly eternal coldness on her face giving way to a slight warmth.
This gentle appearance stunned Yang Kai into a kind of trance.
“The outside world is extremely dangerous. After Junior Brother descends the mountain, he should set off as early as possible and be careful on the road. The sooner you depart, the earlier you will return,” Su Yan exhorted lightly before taking a deep look at Yang Kai then turning around and continuing on towards High Heaven Pavilion.
Yang Kai just stood in place and watched her leave, his heart feeling inexplicably empty as her figure slowly faded.
From the distance, the ridicule of the Senior Brother who had hit Yang Kai drifted over vaguely, “Eldest Senior Sister, that guy is just a Trial Disciple who was expelled from Sect and will never return, there’s no need to worry about him…”
“Is that so…” Su Yan’s voice sounded lightly. “He should be back.”
The beautiful woman’s figure continued into the distance until it finally disappeared.
Yang Kai’s gaze turned towards a different spot next, and in a remote corner, he saw another familiar Senior Sister wearing a green dress and a white veil covering her face standing there quietly.
A sudden gust of wind blew past at that moment, moving her veil and allowing Yang Kai to see her red lips moving slightly, as if she was saying something to him.
However, they were too far apart and Yang Kai was unable to hear what she said clearly. Before he could ask though, this Senior Sister disappeared.
In the end… all he ever learned about this Senior Sister was her name.
Xia Ning Chang!
For some reason, this was a name he felt he would remember for the rest of his life.
Yang Kai picked up his bag which had fallen to the ground, turned around, and strode away.
Yang Kai did not take part in the Yang Family Inheritance War in the Central Capital because he wasn’t strong enough and was unable to win over any support. Even participating would have been pointless.
His Eldest Brother Yang Wei successfully became the next candidate for Yang Family Patriarch with his own extraordinary strength and prestige, earning him the hopes of the family and their vigorous training.
Time flew by and soon, Yang Kai turned eighteen.
His father, Yang Ying Feng, and his mother, Dong Su Zhu, arranged a marriage for him. The other party was a woman from his mother’s family, and they were considered a good match.
Yang Kai did not have much choice in the matter of course. His persistent pursuit of the Martial Dao had yielded almost no gains, and as a member of the Yang Family, he had to at least contribute something to the Yang Family by leaving behind descendants.
He married the woman smoothly and fathered a few children.
During the day, he would work hard in one of the Yang Family’s businesses and at night he would return to his home and spend a pleasant time with his family. His wife and children were always obedient and respectful to him.
He lived a very happy family life.
But… somewhere in Yang Kai’s heart, he could not help feeling something was wrong.
He felt that his life shouldn’t be like this, that he should have had some kind of Heaven defying opportunity which set him on a completely different path.
He tried to dispel such absurd thoughts but found that, like wine, the longer they fermented, the stronger they became, not dispersing but instead threatening to burst out at any moment.
