บท 1: Chapter One: The Black Highlands
Ten years… It's been ten years since Xiao Xue transmigrated to the continent of Lyra. When she stepped out of her house that day, she never thought it was the day that she would die.
One would think that when a soul travels through time and space, to possess another body in order to have another chance at life, they would be gifted with favorable circumstances or at least a means to survive. But when Xiao Xue first awakened in Lyra, she didn't have a clue as to where she was and how she ended up in such a place. The previous soul residing in her body was an amnesiac who understood and knew nothing but the cruelty of others.
It took Xiao Xue two years to learn the language. To fully learn how to read, write and converse with others. She could have learned sooner if she transmigrated to a different body and lived under a more favorable environment. But for some absurd reason, her errant soul attached itself to a body of a person who's treated as an outcast, a trash of society who was abused and avoided by others like the plague.
No, the former soul was not a murderer nor was she infected with an incurable disease. The reason why the person suffered such a sad fate was due to her disabled body and ruined appearance.
In the continent of Lyra strength and beauty are revered. A person with ample strength is a person glorified and respected by others. And a person who possesses beauty is a person adored and worshiped. A person like Xiao Xue, who's badly scarred, lame and has no internal strength, is treated like garbage. If she did not have a chance encounter with a Priestess from a mountain valley, Xiao Xue would have perished shortly after transmigrating to this new world.
Infernal Rise Valley, it was called. Although small, the valley was thriving and bustling with activity. The land was rich and fertile, with abundant spiritual energy suitable for cultivation. If not for the wild spiritual beasts that roamed the mountain range, the living condition within the valley could be considered ideal.
The valley is situated within a mountain range called the Black Highlands. True to its name, the Black Highlands is one of the most dangerous places within the continent of Lyra and Infernal Rise Valley was as notorious. A beast tide occurs every decade but not everyone was deterred by such circumstances. There are some who permanently settled within the valley and have been living there for generations.
An immortal cultivator once resided within Infernal Rise Valley and to protect the valley's residents, the immortal cultivator founded the Spirit Temple. A defensive matrix was set up to shield the entire valley. In order to activate the matrix the Priestess from Spirit Temple would perform a ritual, serving as the matrix's core. Spiritual energy would then be fed to the matrix by the Priestess to strengthen its defense. The ritual will continue, uninterrupted, until the beast tide subsides.
The decade's beast tide is set to occur within the year. Unfortunately, the previous Priestess passed away two years prior due to an old injury that never fully healed. A festering wound that slowly chipped at her life until there was nothing left. Fortunately, before the priestess passed away, she managed to hand down the Priestess' inheritance to a worthy successor.
When Xiao Xue was brought back to Spirit Temple no one understood or knew what the previous Priestess intended to do. The disciples believed Xiao Xue was taken in as a servant. She was kept as someone who does the chores and worked closely with the Master but with no direct relation to the temple. Who would have presumed that the Priestess would choose the lame, disfigured girl with no talent nor cultivation base as the temple's successor?
Prior to Xiao Xue's arrival there were talks within the Infernal Rise Valley. Most of the citizens believed one of the three core disciples of the Master would inherit the Priestess' mantle. It was an undisputed fact that the inheritance would eventually fall in the hands of the second core disciple, Wan Yu. A genius widely recognized as the only daughter of a famous and wealthy city lord and a highly revered beauty that could conquer kingdoms with a smile.
In truth, each of the core disciples of the Master are well-known geniuses with esteemed and lofty backgrounds. They specifically journeyed to Infernal Rise Valley in order to join Spirit Temple and grow under the tutelage of the temple's Priestess. Xiao Xue was the only person beside the previous Priestess with an unknown and questionable background. But since no one thought of the possibility of her succeeding the Master's position, no one questioned her presence.
The Priestess could not do anything about Xiao Xue's scarred face and lame leg. Although she had the desire to help mend her successor's physical appearance, she only dabbled in medicine and was not a real practitioner. She tried to use her limited connections to seek help from a godly doctor but was 'politely' declined. Pills and elixirs were hard to come by and usually cost more than the temple could spend. In the end, the only thing the Priestess could help with was to repair Xiao Xue's broken meridians.
Having severed meridians usually spelled death for a practitioner. But for a powerful cultivator, using a secret technique with soul and energy transfusion, mending broken meridians might be hard but not entirely impossible.
It was a long and grueling process, for both the Master and disciple. But both were unwilling to give up and both refused to let the other down. Ultimately, their hard work and deep gamble paid off.
Having her meridians repaired allowed Xiao Xue to harness spiritual energy and cultivate. The Priestess knew her days were numbered. In order to better equip Xiao Xue for the future she imparted most of her knowledge through rigorous training and lectures. Xiao Xue was subjected to a harsh training regimen that, at times, almost took her life.
Xiao Xue did not disappoint. She never gave up nor allowed any room for failure. She endured years of severe treatment before she was able to accept the Priestess' inheritance.
Regretfully, months after Xiao Xue successfully consolidated her newly acquired strength, the Master passed away in her sleep. The Priestess went quietly with a satisfied and peaceful smile on her face.
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