"No—no, Grandfather! What are you trying to give me—wait, don't—!"
Gwwap!
That was the sound of the translucent pill sliding down her throat, forced in while her mouth was open mid-protest.
Yue Ling stumbled back, hands clutching her throat in disbelief. Her curiosity had delayed her escape, and now her grandfather had seized the chance to act. The pill—the key to unlocking the seal on her cultivation—had been swallowed.
"You tricked me!" she screeched, already spinning on her heels to bolt for the inner room's door.
But she didn't make it.
A sharp stench rose from her skin—like something was burning away from within. Her body froze. She looked down in shock.
Her skin was… glowing.
Then it happened all at once.
Her tendons snapped open. Her spiritual roots, sealed since birth, tore through the binding mechanism with a surge of power unlike anything Grandfather Yue had ever seen. The air twisted with the pressure of unleashed cultivation energy, thick and overwhelming, flooding her body like a raging storm.
"Aaahhh—!" Yue Ling's scream pierced through the chamber. Pain tore through her limbs as her body trembled, struggling to contain the violent storm rising from within her.
Grandfather Yue stepped forward instinctively, but even he faltered. His lips parted in disbelief.
"This… this is too much," he muttered. "Even for a divine bloodline…"
Just then, a flicker of ancient energy pulsed at Yue Ling's ear. The ring—still disguised as an earring—detected the dangerous fluctuation in her body. It stirred for the first time in years, then shot straight into her consciousness.
Within her spiritual sea, it no longer spoke. It simply acted—its only mission now was to prevent its master from exploding or descending into madness.
And then, the impossible happened.
The bloodline that was never meant to awaken until two months later… cracked open.
The surge intensified. Air, energy, essence—all poured into her unprepared core. Her meridians flared wildly, threatening to burst.
Grandfather Yue, still stunned, barely snapped out of his trance when Butler San's voice rang sharply behind him.
"Master! You've already planned to rebuild her tendons. This was bound to happen. Now help her before she burns out!"
With a shared nod, both men channeled their spiritual energy—waves of power lacing the room, coiling around Yue Ling to suppress the rampant storm.
The ancient ring, sensing their aid, erupted with light. In an instant, it formed a cocoon around Yue Ling—a glowing flower-like shell of spiritual energy, wrapping her in layers of protection.
To the eye, she looked asleep. But inside, her body was undergoing rebirth.
"She's cocooned herself," Butler San whispered, wiping sweat from his brow.
"No," Grandfather Yue replied, voice thick with emotion. "She's transcending."
As peace returned to the small world within, far beyond its borders, ripples of her awakening echoed.
The Tribes of the West looked to the skies.
The Spiritual Beasts of the Northern Woods howled into the wind.
And deep within the Heavenly Palace, a celestial mirror cracked—its reflection warped by a fate that had just shifted.
Something unforgettable had begun.