Chapter 1

Chapter 1

On the day of the Ascension Ceremony, the first black snow fell upon Kunwu Mountain.

The snow landed in my palm but did not melt; it only left behind a faint, metallic scent of cold blood.

I knelt in the center of the Heavenly Inquiry Platform, listening as the three thousand Immortal Sects congratulated me in unison.

“Little Junior Sister is truly blessed to be able to knock upon the Heavenly Gate alongside Immortal Venerable Xuanwei.”

“It takes a century to produce a single natural Spirit Bone. Kunwu Mountain is going to make a great name for itself this time.”

They were all smiling as they spoke, as if I weren’t a person, but a long-awaited auspicious treasure finally come to fruition.

I looked up and saw my Master standing at the end of the jade steps.

Immortal Venerable Xuanwei was dressed in white, clutching the Frostbloom Sword in his hand. His features were so cold they seemed untouched by the world of mortals.

He rarely looked at anyone.

But that day, he kept his eyes fixed on me.

A sudden sense of unease fluttered in my heart. I reached up to touch the jade hairpin in my hair.

He had placed it there himself last night.

“Ah Heng,” he had said, “do not move about tomorrow.”

At the time, I had teased him, “I’m not a three-year-old child.”

He had looked at me for a long time before saying, “If you truly were three, that would be for the best.”

I hadn’t understood then.

Now, I understood a little.

The medicinal cauldron beneath the Heavenly Inquiry Platform suddenly rang out.

*Dong.*

The sound was light, yet it felt as if it had been struck directly against my bones.

My knees buckled, and I nearly collapsed.

The Sect Leader, standing beside me, said warmly, “Ah Heng, stay steady.”

The Sect Leader had the most benevolent face and always spoke without haste.

But when his hand pressed down on my shoulder, I smelled blood.

I turned to look at him.

There was a small dark red stain on his cuff, as if he had just touched a fresh wound the night before.

“Sect Leader Uncle,” I lowered my voice, “did the Back Mountain Medicine Hut open its furnace last night?”

He smiled faintly.

“Today is the Ascension Ceremony. Opening the furnace for a sacrifice to the heavens is an old tradition.”

I wanted to ask more, but Master suddenly began walking down the jade steps.

The crowd fell silent instantly.

He stopped in front of me and looked down at my hairpin.

“The pin is crooked.”

He always spoke like this-short, detached, devoid of emotion.

Yet, I felt a strange sense of relief. As long as he was still as fastidious with me as before, I felt that things couldn’t be that bad.

He reached out to straighten the jade hairpin for me.

When his fingertips brushed the top of my head, I heard a very faint cracking sound.

The jade hairpin split open.

A tiny black nail was revealed inside.

I froze.

Master’s hand had already pressed down.

The moment the tip of the nail pierced the center of my brow, the world went white with pain.

Subconsciously, I grabbed his sleeve.

“Master, what is this?”

He did not answer.

The Sect Leader sighed beside us.

“Xuanwei, do not delay any longer.”

I looked up.

The array markings of the Heavenly Inquiry Platform lit up beneath my knees, circle by circle, as if someone had buried a fire within my shadow.

That was no Ascension Array.

I had seen half a page of a remnant diagram in a forbidden book within the Scripture Pavilion.

The Return to Origin Bone Refining Array.

It used a living person’s Spirit Bone as a catalyst to boil the flesh and lock the soul, eventually forming a pill.

Once the pill was complete, the one who consumed it would gain immortality.

My throat tightened.

“Master.”

He looked down at me.

I asked, “Who are you trying to refine?”

The wind blew softly against his sleeves.

He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

“You.”