Origin beyond heaven

The Mysterious Girl

The moon hung high above the Lin Clan, silver light spilling across Spirit Mountain, bathing the trees and stone paths in a quiet glow.

Most of the clan had long since fallen asleep, only the chirping of insects and the occasional rustling of leaves disturbing the silence.

Inside his courtyard, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged beneath a willow tree. The Origin Scripture floated quietly before him, its ash-gray cover returned to its ordinary appearance, concealing every trace of the miracle that had occurred moments earlier.

With each breath he took, countless strands of Heavenly Qi drifted past him, and he ignored every one of them. Instead, his spiritual sense reached beyond the familiar energy of Heaven, finding deep beneath it faint strands of pale gray Origin Qi, like tiny streams hidden beneath a mighty river. Slowly and patiently he guided them into his body, the gray strands flowing through his meridians before gathering within his dantian. Each strand compressed upon itself, becoming denser and purer.

Several hundred meters away, on a quiet cliff overlooking the Lin Clan, a young girl sat beneath a pine tree, her eyes closed as she cultivated, soft blue spiritual energy revolving around her body like flowing water.

Suddenly her eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes. "Hm?"

A faint look of confusion appeared on her delicate face. Just now, she had sensed something, lasting only an instant, yet completely different from Heavenly Qi. It carried no pressure whatsoever. Even so, it caused her naturally sensitive spiritual perception to stir.

"What was that aura?"

She rose gracefully to her feet, her clear eyes sweeping across the mountain, but she saw nothing, the strange aura having already disappeared. For a moment, she wondered if she had imagined it. She closed her eyes once more, and silence surrounded her. Just as she was about to sit back down, a second ripple spread through the night, even fainter than before, like a single drop of water falling into an endless ocean.

Her eyes snapped open. "It came again."

Without hesitation, she followed the direction from which the mysterious fluctuation had originated, moving lightly through the forest, her footsteps almost soundless. The moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting shifting shadows across the ground, and the closer she drew, the stranger the feeling became.

She finally reached the edge of a quiet courtyard. Through the partially opened gate, she saw a lone figure sitting beneath a willow tree. The young man remained perfectly still, bathed in moonlight, cultivating in complete silence. The mysterious aura was coming from him.

The young girl did not enter immediately. Instead, she stood quietly outside the courtyard, observing the lone figure beneath the willow tree. His breathing was slow and steady, and there was no spiritual pressure or Heavenly Qi gathering around him. To any ordinary cultivator, he appeared to be doing nothing at all, yet her keen spiritual perception told her otherwise. The strange aura she had sensed earlier had disappeared the moment she arrived.

"Was I mistaken...?"

She frowned slightly. Just then, the young man slowly opened his eyes, and the two looked at each other in silence, neither speaking for a brief moment.

Lin Yuan was the first to break the silence. "You've been standing there for quite a while."

The young girl blinked in surprise, not expecting him to notice her so quickly. A faint smile appeared on her face as she stepped into the courtyard. "My apologies. I didn't mean to disturb your cultivation."

Lin Yuan slowly stood up, only now getting a clear look at her. She wore a simple pale blue robe without any extravagant ornaments, her long black hair tied behind her with a white ribbon, swaying gently under the calm night breeze. Her appearance was beautiful, but not in the breathtaking way that made people stop and stare. Instead, she possessed a quiet elegance that made others feel at ease.

Lin Yuan searched his memories, certain he had seen her before, but he couldn't remember where. His sealed memories once again refused to yield an answer.

The young girl noticed his thoughtful expression and smiled gently. "You were at the Awakening Ceremony today, weren't you?"

Lin Yuan nodded. "I was."

"I remember you." She hesitated before continuing. "Everyone else left after the ceremony. But you're here cultivating." There was no mockery in her voice.

Lin Yuan looked at her for a moment. "So?"

She lowered her gaze briefly. "I just thought... if you haven't given up, then perhaps you shouldn't listen to what everyone said today."

Her words were simple, yet they caused Lin Yuan's heart to tremble ever so slightly. During the Awakening Ceremony, after he awakened the Origin Scripture, everyone had ridiculed him. No one had encouraged him or believed in him, even though he was the genius of the main family branch. The only voices he remembered were those filled with disappointment and contempt.

Yet this young woman, someone he had never spoken to before, had come to encourage him without asking for anything in return.

She reached into the sleeve of her robe and took out a small jade bottle. "I don't know if it'll help much, but these are Spirit Gathering Pills. My master gave them to me. You can have them."

Lin Yuan looked at the bottle. Spirit Gathering Pills, for an ordinary Qi Gathering cultivator, were considered quite valuable, and offering them so casually to someone she had just met was no small gesture.

He slowly shook his head. "Thank you. But I don't need them."

The young girl seemed surprised. "You don't?"

Lin Yuan smiled faintly. "No. I've already found the path I wish to walk."

For some reason, although she couldn't understand what he meant, she felt an unusual confidence in his words. It was as though, even after the entire world had abandoned him, he had never abandoned himself.

The night breeze stirred the willow branches between them, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

The young girl looked at the jade bottle still resting in her palm before letting out a soft laugh. "It seems I worried for nothing." She returned the bottle to her sleeve. "I thought today's Awakening Ceremony would discourage you."

Lin Yuan looked toward the moonlit sky. "It did."

His answer surprised her.

"But discouragement and surrender are not the same thing."

She silently repeated those words in her heart, a faint smile unknowingly appearing on her face. "You speak like someone much older than your age."

Lin Yuan smiled without replying. If she knew he had lived for thousands of years, she would probably think he had gone mad.

The young girl suddenly remembered something and bowed politely. "I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Su Qingyue. I am a disciple of the Azure Cloud Peak. May I know your name?"

"Lin Yuan."

She nodded. "So you're the Lin Yuan everyone was talking about today."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. "I hope they weren't praising me."

Su Qingyue couldn't help but laugh. "No. They weren't."

Her laughter was clear and gentle, carrying none of the ridicule he had heard throughout the day. For the first time since his reincarnation, Lin Yuan found himself smiling naturally.

After a while, Su Qingyue looked up at the moon. "It's getting late. I should return before my master notices I'm gone." She took a few steps toward the gate before suddenly stopping, turning around to look directly at Lin Yuan. "I don't know what kind of path you've chosen. But I believe in one thing." She smiled. "A cultivation technique doesn't decide a person's future. A person's heart does."

Lin Yuan was slightly stunned. Those words were remarkably similar to what the Grand Elder had said before the Awakening Ceremony.

Without waiting for his reply, Su Qingyue waved lightly and disappeared into the moonlit path outside the courtyard.

The courtyard became quiet once more. Lin Yuan watched until her figure vanished among the trees, and only then did he withdraw his gaze.

"Su Qingyue..." He softly repeated her name.

Suddenly a fragment of memory flashed through his mind. A battlefield. A sea of blood. A young woman in pale blue robes standing alone against countless enemies. Then darkness. The memory shattered before he could see her face clearly.

Lin Yuan frowned. "My memories... they're sealed again."

He closed his eyes, trying to recall more. Nothing. Only one thing remained: in his previous life, Su Qingyue had died young, long before she could reveal her true talent.

He slowly opened his eyes. "If fate has given me another chance, then yours can change as well." His voice was calm.

Far beyond the Lin Clan, on a distant mountain peak hidden beneath the darkness, a cloaked figure stood silently, his gaze fixed in the direction Su Qingyue had departed.

A cold smile crept across his lips. "So... we've finally found her."

His figure dissolved into the night like a shadow.

Unaware of the people spying her, she continued walking beneath the moonlight.