Deep within a hidden forest not far from the Heavenly Sword Villa lay a secluded basin, concealed by towering cliffs and a canopy so dense that even sunlight struggled to reach its depths. It was a peaceful place, untouched by the outside world, where only the rustling of leaves and the distant songs of birds broke the silence.
At the edge of a rocky ledge stood an eighteen-year-old girl.
Li Xuan looked down at the thick pile of leaves below her, her hands trembling slightly. The drop was not especially high, but to someone who had spent her entire life avoiding heights, it felt like an insurmountable cliff.
She swallowed nervously.
"Mother… do I really have to do this?" she asked, forcing herself to keep looking forward instead of down. "I'm… scared of heights."
Standing below with her arms folded, Yufeng let out a quiet sigh.
Li Xuan had lived as a servant for most of her life. She had never cultivated, never learned martial arts, and had certainly never been trained as an assassin. Compared to ordinary disciples, her starting point was far behind.
But skill could be taught.
Technique could be practiced.
Fear...
Fear had to be conquered.
"We have to purge that fear first," Yufeng said calmly. "If you truly wish to become an assassin like me."
Li Xuan lowered her head.
"But, Mother…"
Yufeng's expression softened, though her resolve remained unwavering.
"Xuan'er," she said gently, "I cannot train you if you're ruled by fear."
She paused before adding quietly,
"I can heal your body if you're injured."
"But I cannot heal your courage."
The words struck deeper than any scolding.
Li Xuan bit her lower lip.
She had been the one who asked for this training.
She had been the one who wanted to become stronger.
She didn't want to remain someone who always needed protecting.
Nor did she want to become a burden to the only family she had.
Slowly, she inhaled.
Then exhaled.
Her trembling legs steadied ever so slightly.
Closing her eyes for only a moment, Li Xuan finally stepped forward.
She jumped.
A small cry escaped her lips as she dropped through the air before landing harmlessly in the thick pile of leaves below. The impact scattered dry leaves everywhere, leaving only a pair of arms sticking out for a brief moment before she awkwardly crawled free.
Yufeng watched the scene with a faint smile.
"It's a start."
Li Xuan looked up hopefully, thinking she had finished the exercise.
Then Yufeng continued.
"Now…"
"Do it ten more times."
Li Xuan's hopeful expression instantly collapsed.
"But…"
Yufeng simply folded her arms.
"No buts, Xuan'er."
Reluctantly, Li Xuan climbed back up the rocky ledge. Her legs still shook, and every step toward the edge made her heart pound against her chest. Yet this time, she didn't freeze for as long. Taking a deep breath, she jumped, landing once more in the waiting pile of leaves below.
Again.
And again.
By the fifth jump, the hesitation that had gripped her began to fade. By the seventh, she no longer shut her eyes before leaping. By the tenth, she was no longer falling in panic, but jumping with intention, her body gradually learning to trust itself.
Yufeng watched in silence from below. Each leap chipped away at Li Xuan's fear. The nervous servant girl who had trembled at the edge of the ledge was slowly giving way to someone willing to face that fear head-on. It wasn't talent that pleased Yufeng—it was the determination to improve.
After another clean jump, Li Xuan scrambled out of the pile of leaves, her face glowing with excitement.
"Mother!" she called happily. "I did it! It didn't hurt like I thought it would!"
Yufeng allowed herself a small smile but shook her head.
"That's because the leaves cushioned your fall. Your landing, however, would still shatter your ankles or damage your spine if you fell from a greater height."
Li Xuan's cheerful expression faltered.
"Oh…"
"Watch carefully."
Without another word, Yufeng effortlessly climbed back onto the ledge. She stood calmly at the edge, taking a slow, measured breath before stepping into the air.
Instead of dropping stiffly, she spread both arms wide, allowing the air to stabilize her body. Midway through the descent, she tucked forward into a controlled rotation before opening her body again. Just before reaching the leaf pile, she extended both her arms and legs, distributing the impact across her entire body instead of concentrating it on her feet.
She disappeared into the pile of leaves with barely a sound.
A moment later, Yufeng emerged as though she had simply laid down for a nap, not a single trace of discomfort on her face.
She looked up at Li Xuan.
"Land like that," she instructed. "By spreading the impact across your body, you can safely land on thick piles of hay or leaves from much greater heights."
Li Xuan nodded earnestly, committing every movement to memory.
Yufeng raised a finger before the girl became too excited.
"But don't try that if you're landing in water."
Li Xuan blinked.
"Water is completely different. If you hit it incorrectly from high enough, it'll feel like striking solid stone."
A faint smile crossed Yufeng's lips.
"I'll teach you how to survive a high dive into water…"
"…after you learn how to swim first."
"Now, work on your leap," Yufeng instructed, dusting a few stray leaves from her sleeves. "Tomorrow, we'll begin your swimming lessons."
"Yes, Mother…" Li Xuan replied obediently.
Without another complaint, she climbed back up the rocky ledge. Her earlier reluctance had disappeared, replaced by quiet determination. Her first attempt at imitating Yufeng's landing was clumsy. She rotated too late and landed awkwardly, sending leaves flying in every direction.
She climbed back up.
Tried again.
Failed again.
And once more.
Each attempt corrected a small mistake from the last. Her timing improved. Her posture became more natural. Her body slowly learned what words alone could never teach.
Yufeng watched in silence, saying very little.
She had expected Li Xuan to cry, complain, or ask for a break. Instead, the girl simply stood up after every failure and climbed the ledge again.
Again.
And again.
Until, finally—
Li Xuan leaped, spread her arms to stabilize herself, tucked into a controlled forward roll, then opened her body just before landing. She disappeared into the pile of leaves before emerging moments later with a bright, triumphant smile.
"I... I did it!"
Yufeng couldn't help but smile back.
Li Xuan might have been timid. She feared heights, pain, and the unknown. But unlike true cowards, she never allowed fear to decide her future. Every successful leap was another piece of that fear broken away, chipped apart through persistence rather than talent.
By the end of the afternoon, the girl no longer hesitated at the edge of the cliff.
She simply jumped.
Tomorrow would mark the next step in her training. Yufeng intended to teach her how to swim, how to dive safely into water, and how to hold her breath for extended periods. An assassin needed to move through any environment without hesitation, whether crossing rooftops, climbing cliffs, or disappearing beneath the surface of a lake.
Only after Li Xuan had mastered those fundamentals would Yufeng allow her to begin cultivation.
Cultivation enhanced the body, but technique and discipline gave that power purpose.
Fortunately, resources would not be a problem.
During her infiltration of the Heavenly Sword Villa, Yufeng had quietly secured more than enough cultivation resources from its treasury. Spirit medicines, profound crystals, and precious herbs—all of it would be devoted to Li Xuan's future. With proper guidance, it would be enough to raise her all the way to the Sky Profound Realm without her ever lacking for cultivation materials.
It was an investment Yufeng made willingly.
Her own sons had long since grown into men, each walking the path they had chosen. They no longer needed her guidance or protection.
Li Xuan was different.
The frightened servant girl had become the daughter she had chosen rather than given by blood.
Yufeng had made herself a promise.
She would nurture Li Xuan, protect her, and guide her every step of the way until the day she was no longer someone who needed shelter, but someone worthy of standing proudly beside her—
Not merely as her daughter.
But as an assassin initiate, ready to take her first true steps into the shadows.
As Li Xuan continued practicing her leaps, Yufeng finally raised a hand, signaling for her to stop.
"That'll do for now," she said. "Take a short break. Catch your breath, drink some water, then continue on your own."
Li Xuan nodded gratefully, wiping the sweat from her forehead before sitting beneath the shade of a nearby tree. Her muscles ached from climbing and jumping countless times, yet there wasn't a trace of complaint on her face. Instead, she watched the rocky ledge with determined eyes, mentally replaying every mistake she had made and every correction Yufeng had shown her.
Yufeng observed quietly from a distance.
When she had first met Li Xuan, the girl had been painfully timid—a servant who apologized for everything, feared heights, lacked confidence, and possessed no cultivation whatsoever. Most people would have dismissed her as someone unfit for the path of an assassin.
Yufeng saw something different.
Courage was not the absence of fear.
It was the resolve to keep moving despite it.
Every leap Li Xuan took proved that. Every failed landing was met not with tears, but with another attempt. She wasn't naturally fearless, nor was she exceptionally talented. What she possessed was something rarer—a quiet perseverance that refused to surrender.
If she continued training like this...
If she continued breaking her fears one by one...
Yufeng had little doubt that one day this timid girl would grow into one of the greatest Master Assassins of her generation.
There was another reason Li Xuan pushed herself so relentlessly.
Ever since she was little, she had searched for news of her twin sister, from whom she had been separated during childhood. It was a wish she had never abandoned, no matter how impossible it seemed. Yet she also understood the harsh reality of the world beyond the Heavenly Sword Villa. Without strength, without skills, and without the ability to survive on her own, leaving the safety of the villa would be nothing more than suicide.
Now, for the first time in her life, that dream no longer felt unattainable.
Once she completed her training as an assassin initiate, Yufeng would personally guide her into cultivation. With the resources she had prepared and the foundation they were painstakingly building now, Li Xuan would finally possess both the skills and the strength to venture into the outside world.
And when that day came, she would no longer search as a helpless servant.
She would search as an assassin—one capable of surviving whatever dangers lay ahead until she found the sister she had promised herself she would never stop looking for.
As Li Xuan resumed her training, the repeated sounds of footsteps against stone and the rustling of leaves echoed throughout the secluded basin. Yufeng left the girl to her own practice, confident that she would continue without supervision. The timid servant who had once hesitated at the edge of the cliff was now climbing it willingly after every failed attempt. That alone was proof that the lesson had taken root.
Not far away, beneath the shade of an ancient tree overlooking the basin, Xuanyuan Yufeng sat cross-legged upon a flat stone. Her breathing was slow and steady as profound energy circulated gently through her meridians. To an outside observer, she appeared to be meditating, but her mind was far from tranquil.
Ever since the previous night, something had changed.
During her meditation, fragments of memories had surfaced—memories she knew with absolute certainty were not from this lifetime. They were vivid beyond imagination, carrying emotions, instincts, and experiences that felt as though she had personally lived through every one of them.
She had never traveled to those lands.
She had never walked those streets.
She had never climbed those towering fortresses.
Yet every stone, every rooftop, every hidden passage felt hauntingly familiar.
She could even recall a single name.
Masyaf.
The word meant nothing within the Profound Sky Continent, yet hearing it in her mind filled her with an indescribable sense of belonging.
At first, she believed it might have been an illusion brought on by exhaustion.
Then she remembered the elixir.
The instant healing elixir she had brewed so naturally that even she couldn't explain how she knew the formula. Her hands had moved on instinct, combining ingredients with perfect precision, creating a medicine far beyond anything she had learned in this world.
She had shocked herself more than anyone else.
The knowledge simply... existed.
As if she had remembered it instead of inventing it.
Those memories had brought with them far more than recipes.
They carried techniques.
Movement.
Stealth.
Combat.
Ways of thinking that no sect in the Profound Sky Continent had ever taught.
Most importantly, they carried a philosophy.
Three simple tenets echoed clearly within her consciousness, as though they had been engraved upon her soul.
Stay your blade from the innocent.
Hide in plain sight.
Never compromise the Brotherhood.
The words felt sacred.
Not commandments imposed upon her...
But principles she had once sworn to uphold.
Then came the final sentence.
The one that resonated deepest within her heart.
Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.
As the familiar phrase echoed through her mind, Yufeng slowly opened her eyes.
There was no confusion.
No fear.
Only certainty.
She wasn't merely dreaming.
Somehow, she had inherited the memories of another life.
Or perhaps...
Recovered them.
Those memories had reshaped her instincts overnight, granting her knowledge, skills, and disciplines that should have been impossible. She moved differently now. She observed differently. Even the way she judged people had subtly changed.
She knew what she had become.
An Assassin.
A member of an ancient Brotherhood that did not exist anywhere upon the Profound Sky Continent.
Or perhaps...
The last surviving member.
Another name drifted into her thoughts, clearer than all the rest.
A name she had never heard in this lifetime, yet could pronounce without hesitation.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
The name carried no face she could clearly remember, only fleeting images—a white hood billowing in the wind, a hidden blade extending beneath a sleeve, and an eagle soaring high above an ancient fortress.
Yufeng lowered her gaze to her own wrist.
Slowly, she extended her hidden blade.
Click.
The familiar metallic sound felt strangely comforting.
It was as if her hands had performed the motion thousands of times before.
"...Altaïr," she whispered softly.
The name disappeared into the wind, unanswered.
Yet deep within her heart, she could no longer deny it.
Whether it was a past life, a forgotten inheritance, or something beyond mortal understanding, those memories had become part of her.
And from this day onward, Xuanyuan Yufeng would walk the path of the Assassin—not as someone imitating forgotten techniques, but as the sole heir to a Brotherhood whose legacy had somehow found its way into an entirely different world.
Xuanyuan Yufeng allowed her consciousness to sink deeper into the mysterious memories.
Or perhaps they weren't merely memories.
Perhaps they truly belonged to another life.
The moment she closed her eyes, the secluded basin disappeared. In its place rose towering stone walls, bustling markets, and cities unlike anything that existed on the Profound Sky Continent. The air smelled different. The architecture was foreign. The language was unfamiliar, yet she understood every spoken word as though it were her native tongue.
A single identity accompanied those memories.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
She did not experience the memories as a detached observer. Instead, she saw them through Altaïr's own eyes.
She witnessed his arrogance as a young Master Assassin, his belief that no target was beyond his reach and no rule applied to him. She watched him violate the Brotherhood's three tenets through overconfidence—allowing his blade to endanger the innocent, revealing the Brotherhood's presence to their enemies, and ultimately compromising the very order he had sworn to protect.
She felt the shame that followed.
The disappointment of his Mentor.
The humiliation of being stripped of his rank.
Reduced from a Master Assassin back to a novice.
Yet the memories did not end there.
She watched Altaïr rebuild himself from nothing, earning back every privilege he had once taken for granted. More importantly, she learned the lesson behind every assignment.
An assassin did not simply kill.
An assassin investigated.
He observed his target.
Learned their routines.
Mapped escape routes.
Identified allies and hidden guards.
Listened to conversations.
Gathered evidence.
Only after understanding everything would the blade finally strike.
Yufeng slowly realized that assassination was not merely combat—it was information warfare.
A perfectly prepared assassination required almost no fighting at all.
The revelation resonated deeply with her.
As the only Assassin upon the Profound Sky Continent, there would be no Mentor to guide her.
No Brotherhood to correct her mistakes.
No Bureau leaders waiting in hidden cities.
Everything she learned would have to come from these mysterious memories.
The vision shifted once again.
She found herself walking through sprawling cities she had never visited.
Jerusalem.
Acre.
Damascus.
The names surfaced effortlessly.
She wandered through crowded streets filled with merchants, scholars, priests, soldiers, and beggars. Towering cathedrals overlooked marketplaces while narrow alleys twisted endlessly between sandstone buildings. She recognized rooftops she had never climbed and secret pathways she had never walked, yet every turn felt instinctively familiar.
It was impossible.
She had never left the Profound Sky Continent.
So why...
Why did these places feel like home?
How could she remember streets she had never seen?
She reached out instinctively, trying to follow the memories deeper still.
Perhaps the answer lay further within.
Perhaps there were more forgotten lives waiting to be uncovered.
Just as her consciousness began to descend once again—
"Mother?"
A gentle voice suddenly pulled her back.
The bustling city dissolved into fragments of light.
Jerusalem vanished.
The fortress of Masyaf faded.
The familiar forests of the secluded basin returned.
Yufeng slowly opened her eyes.
Standing before her was Li Xuan, looking both concerned and confused.
"Li Xuan?" Yufeng blinked, taking a moment to reorient herself. "Ah... you can take a break for a while."
Li Xuan tilted her head.
"Mother... I've already taken five breaks."
Yufeng stared blankly.
"...Five?"
"I've been trying to call you for lunch," Li Xuan explained. "But you just kept meditating."
She scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"I called your name five different times before you finally responded."
Yufeng's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"I..."
She lowered her gaze.
How long had she been inside those memories?
To her, it had felt like mere minutes. She had only begun exploring Altaïr's recollections before being interrupted.
Yet judging from Li Xuan's words...
Hours had already passed.
The realization sent a chill through her spine.
If simply touching the surface of those memories could consume an entire morning, then just how vast was the inheritance sleeping within her mind?
And perhaps more unsettling than that...
Were they truly memories of a past life?
Or had someone—or something—placed the life of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad inside her soul?
===========
The two sat beneath the shade of the ancient trees, sharing a simple meal of steamed buns, roasted meat, and fresh spring water. For a long while, neither of them spoke. The basin was quiet, save for the occasional chirping of birds and the gentle rustling of leaves overhead.
Yufeng's gaze lingered on the flowing stream nearby. Her chopsticks remained motionless in her hand as countless thoughts swirled within her mind.
Finally, she broke the silence.
"Xuan'er..."
Li Xuan looked up from her meal.
"Yes, Mother?"
Yufeng hesitated before quietly asking, "Am I still... me?"
Li Xuan blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean, Mother?"
Yufeng lowered her eyes.
"Were you... disappointed that I'm no longer the Villa Mistress I used to be?" she asked softly. "Disappointed that we're living as fugitives instead? Do you... miss your life at the Heavenly Sword Villa?"
Li Xuan didn't even need time to think.
She shook her head immediately.
"No."
Her answer came so naturally that it surprised even Yufeng.
"I don't miss any of it."
She smiled faintly.
"I'm actually glad I got to know... this side of you."
Yufeng looked up.
"The gentle side," Li Xuan continued. "The mother who patiently teaches me. The one who cooks with me, laughs with me, and never raises her hand against anyone without reason."
She lowered her gaze, smiling to herself.
"The rumors about you have already begun to fade from my heart."
Yufeng remained silent.
"...Mother?"
"Hm?"
"You've been staring into space again."
Yufeng blinked before giving an apologetic smile.
"Sorry... I was lost in thought."
Li Xuan hesitated for only a moment before speaking.
"Mother... maybe it's not my place to say this..."
She clasped her hands together.
"But... you can trust me."
Her voice was gentle.
"You can tell me anything."
Yufeng stared at the young woman for several long seconds.
Then she sighed.
"...Xuan'er."
"Yes?"
"You are... the only companion I've had ever since I woke up."
Li Xuan frowned.
"Woke up?"
Yufeng slowly nodded.
"Would you believe me if I told you... the last thing I remember was cultivating?"
Li Xuan tilted her head.
"I was eighteen years old," Yufeng continued quietly. "I remember sitting in meditation... striving to break through."
She looked at her own hands.
"And then..."
"I woke up."
Her expression became distant.
"A few weeks ago."
"In the body of a woman over thirty."
"A woman with two children I knew nothing about."
"A husband..."
She closed her eyes briefly.
"...A man I rejected when I was young."
Li Xuan's eyes widened.
"I... don't understand."
"I didn't either."
Yufeng gave a bitter smile.
"You know I bear the surname Xuanyuan."
Li Xuan nodded.
"Everyone knows."
"It is the bloodline of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region."
Yufeng's voice remained calm as she recounted the memories she knew belonged to her own life.
"When I was young, there were many who sought my hand in marriage. My father never intended to force me into a political marriage. He always wished for me to marry the one I truly loved."
She looked toward the distant sky.
"Ling Yuefeng was one of those suitors."
Her expression hardened ever so slightly.
"But my heart never accepted him."
"He came to me one day with an elixir."
"He claimed it would strengthen my cultivation."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"I was young."
"I believed him."
"I drank it."
She fell silent.
"When I opened my eyes again..."
"...it was only a few weeks ago."
Li Xuan unconsciously tightened her grip around her bowl.
"Mother..."
"I know how absurd it sounds."
Yufeng's voice grew quieter.
"But that is who I am."
She met Li Xuan's eyes directly.
"I am not the Villa Mistress people feared."
"I am not the woman who murdered servants out of jealousy."
Her fingers slowly curled into a fist.
"From everything I've pieced together... that elixir did improve cultivation."
"But it carried a terrible price."
"It magnified obsession."
"It twisted emotions."
"Love became possessiveness."
"Jealousy became madness."
"Suspicion became hatred."
She drew a slow breath.
"By the time I awoke, decades had already passed."
"I had married the very man I once rejected."
"I had borne two children..."
Her voice trembled for the first time.
"...children I have no memory of carrying."
"No memory of giving birth to."
"No memory of raising."
Tears threatened to form, but she forced them back.
"To them..."
"I must seem like their mother."
"But to me..."
She looked down at her trembling hands.
"...they are strangers wearing the faces of my children."
Silence settled between them.
Li Xuan quietly set her bowl aside before moving closer.
Without saying a word, she gently took Yufeng's hand in both of hers.
"I don't know whether I can understand everything you've told me," she admitted honestly. "It's difficult... almost impossible."
She smiled warmly nonetheless.
"But I do know one thing."
"The woman sitting before me isn't a monster."
"She saved my life."
"She taught me."
"She calls me her daughter."
Li Xuan's grip tightened slightly.
"So... whether you're the Xuanyuan Yufeng from years ago..."
"...or the Xuanyuan Yufeng who woke up a few weeks ago..."
She smiled through eyes beginning to glisten.
"You're still my mother."
"And that's enough for me."
Yufeng looked at Li Xuan for a long moment before setting her bowl aside. The weight that had pressed against her heart for weeks finally became too much to bear.
Without a word, she leaned forward and gently embraced the young woman.
Li Xuan stiffened for only a heartbeat before instinctively returning the hug, wrapping her arms around Yufeng's back.
Yufeng rested her forehead lightly against Li Xuan's shoulder and closed her eyes.
"I promise..." she whispered, her voice carrying a vulnerability Li Xuan had never heard before. "I promise I'll never leave your side."
Li Xuan's eyes immediately became misty.
For so many years she had lived without anyone she could truly call family. Even after Yufeng rescued her, a small part of her had always feared that one day this kindness would disappear, that she would once again become alone.
She tightened her embrace.
"Please don't ever leave me either, Mother," she replied, her voice trembling. "I'll always follow you."
There was no hesitation.
No uncertainty.
Only sincerity.
Yufeng smiled faintly as tears silently welled in the corners of her eyes.
"So stubborn..."
Li Xuan let out a soft laugh through her tears.
"I learned from you."
The two remained beneath the shade of the ancient tree, neither of them speaking for quite some time. The quiet basin around them seemed to respect the moment, disturbed only by the gentle breeze that carried the scent of fresh grass and the distant chirping of birds.
For the first time since awakening in a life she barely recognized, Yufeng no longer felt completely alone.
She had carried too many burdens by herself.
The confusion of waking decades into the future.
A husband she had never chosen.
Children she had no memory of raising.
The guilt of inheriting the sins committed by the woman everyone believed she still was.
And now...
The impossible memories of another life.
The Brotherhood.
Masyaf.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
They had all become burdens she had hidden behind a calm expression.
Today, she had finally shared a piece of that weight with someone.
Li Xuan might not have understood everything.
She couldn't explain the missing decades, the mysterious elixir, or the foreign memories that now filled Yufeng's mind.
But she had listened.
She had believed her.
And somehow, that was enough.
Yufeng slowly opened her eyes and looked at the young woman she had chosen to call her daughter.
Blood had not made them family.
Choice had.
From this day onward, they were no longer simply a master and her rescued servant, nor merely a teacher and her disciple.
They were mother and daughter in every way that truly mattered.
Whatever trials awaited them—whether it was Li Xuan's journey to become a Master Assassin or Yufeng's search for the truth behind the memories of Altaïr—they would face them together.
Neither of them would have to walk that path alone again.
A faint smile slowly appeared on Yufeng's face.
The uncertainty that had clouded her heart since awakening had finally begun to clear.
She had been looking at it the wrong way.
Those memories...
They did not define her.
Whether they belonged to a past life, another soul, or some mysterious inheritance beyond her understanding, they were still only memories.
She was not Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
She was Xuanyuan Yufeng.
A woman who had lived her own life, made her own choices, suffered her own regrets, and found a daughter she had chosen with her own heart.
The memories were simply another part of her now.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
She would accept the skills they offered without surrendering her own identity.
Altaïr's experience with stealth, reconnaissance, free-running, infiltration, and assassination was invaluable. His countless years of discipline, his understanding of patience, and the hard lessons he learned through failure were treasures no cultivation manual could ever compare to.
Those lessons were worth learning.
His mistakes were worth remembering.
His wisdom was worth inheriting.
But his life...
Would never replace hers.
Yufeng slowly closed her eyes once more, recalling the glimpse she had experienced within those foreign memories.
She had barely scratched the surface.
There were still countless memories waiting to be explored—cities she had yet to revisit, techniques she had yet to comprehend, inventions she had yet to understand, and experiences stretching across a lifetime she had never lived.
She would not rush into them.
Each meditation would uncover another fragment.
Each fragment would become another lesson.
Not merely for herself...
But for Li Xuan.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Xuan'er had no cultivation foundation yet, making this the perfect opportunity to shape her correctly from the very beginning. Rather than teaching only how to kill, Yufeng would teach her how to observe, investigate, disappear into crowds, gather intelligence, and leave without anyone ever realizing she had been there.
The hidden blade would always be the final answer.
Never the first.
Only after Li Xuan had mastered those fundamentals would cultivation truly begin.
Strength without discipline created butchers.
Discipline with strength created assassins.
Yufeng looked toward the young woman, who was already preparing to resume her afternoon training, blissfully unaware of the thoughts running through her mother's mind.
Perhaps...
She wouldn't stop at training one disciple.
The thought lingered.
If these memories truly belonged to the Brotherhood...
Then perhaps its ideals deserved to live on.
Not as an order of indiscriminate killers, but as guardians who struck only when no other path remained. Men and women who valued information over violence, precision over brute force, and justice over personal gain.
There were countless orphans throughout the Profound Sky Continent.
Children abandoned by war.
Victims of corrupt sects.
Servants with nowhere to belong.
People like Li Xuan.
People who deserved another chance.
A Brotherhood could give them that.
It would not be built overnight.
Nor would it resemble the Brotherhood exactly as Altaïr remembered it.
This continent had its own history, its own customs, and its own conflicts. The order would have to adapt, growing into something uniquely its own while preserving the ideals that had endured through Altaïr's memories.
Yufeng let out a quiet breath.
If fate had entrusted her with this inheritance, then she would ensure it was used for something meaningful.
She might be the first Assassin on the Profound Sky Continent...
But she refused to be the last.
One day, when her own skills had matured and her understanding of those memories had deepened, she would no longer see herself as a lone Assassin wandering the shadows.
She would stand as a Mentor.
Not because she had inherited Altaïr's memories.
But because Xuanyuan Yufeng had chosen to build something new from them—a Brotherhood born not from the past, but from the future she intended to create.
Yufeng's fingers unconsciously traced lines across the ground beside her.
A single stroke.
Then another.
Slowly, a familiar emblem emerged in the soft earth.
An insignia she had never seen in this lifetime.
Yet one her hands drew effortlessly.
The crest of the Assassins.
She stared at it in silence.
It was this symbol that had awakened something deep within her. Along with it had come an inheritance unlike any profound art or cultivation manual—a lifetime of techniques, hard-earned experience, fragments of distant cities, and the wisdom born from countless successes and failures.
Most importantly...
It had saved her life.
When she fled the Heavenly Sword Villa, she hadn't understood how she was moving across rooftops with such confidence. She hadn't questioned why climbing sheer walls felt instinctive or why every shadow seemed to offer concealment.
She simply acted.
Only afterward did she realize those instincts weren't her own.
They belonged to the Assassin whose memories now rested within her.
She remembered one technique above all others.
The Leap of Faith.
It had sounded absurd when the memory first surfaced. To leap from impossible heights, trusting that a carefully prepared pile of hay or dense foliage would break the fall—it defied every instinct of self-preservation.
Yet when Ling Yuefeng and her father-in-law had cornered her during her escape...
She hadn't hesitated.
She had jumped.
The world had vanished beneath her feet as the wind roared past her ears.
For a brief instant, she had believed she was about to die.
Then the memories guided her body.
She aligned herself.
Relaxed.
Trusted her instinct.
The river embraced her.
That single leap had carried her beyond their reach.
Without it...
She would never have escaped.
Yufeng gently brushed her fingers over the Assassin insignia she had drawn.
She understood now that possessing Altaïr's knowledge did not make her Altaïr.
Knowledge alone was meaningless.
It had to be understood.
Experienced.
Lived.
The Creed itself was no different.
The three tenets were not merely rules to memorize but principles to embody.
To stay her blade from the innocent.
To hide in plain sight.
To never compromise the Brotherhood.
Only by understanding why Altaïr had once broken those tenets—and why he had devoted himself to restoring them—could she truly inherit the legacy entrusted to her.
That was why she refused to rush.
She would continue exploring those memories little by little, learning not only the techniques but the philosophy behind them.
At the same time, she would train Li Xuan from the very beginning.
Not simply to become an assassin...
But to become one worthy of carrying the Creed.
Li Xuan would become the second Assassin of the Profound Sky Continent.
Not because Yufeng desired followers.
But because no Brotherhood could ever exist with only a single member.
A faint breeze swept through the basin, scattering a few loose leaves across the symbol etched into the earth.
Yufeng's thoughts drifted elsewhere.
To home.
Not the Heavenly Sword Villa.
The Sacred Ground.
The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region.
She wondered how her father was faring.
The gentle man who had always stood behind her.
Who had refused to force her into marriage.
Who had always trusted her judgment, even when others doubted her.
Did he believe the rumors?
Did he mourn the daughter who had disappeared?
Or was he still searching for her?
A quiet ache settled in her chest.
"I'll return," she whispered to herself.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
There was still too much to accomplish.
She had to uncover the truth behind the infernal elixir that had stolen decades of her life and twisted another version of herself into a woman consumed by obsession. Whoever had created that potion had not merely destroyed one life—they had stolen countless years, shattered families, and left behind scars that could never truly heal.
She would find its creator.
Not out of vengeance alone...
But to ensure no one else would ever suffer the same fate.
Before that day came, however, she would sharpen her blade, deepen her understanding of Altaïr's inheritance, and forge Li Xuan into an Assassin worthy of standing beside her.
Only then...
Would Xuanyuan Yufeng return to the Sacred Ground.
Not as the broken Villa Mistress the world believed her to be.
But as the Mentor of a new Brotherhood, carrying a hidden blade beneath her sleeve and a purpose no one on the Profound Sky Continent had yet begun to imagine.
============
Li Xuan quietly watched her mother from a distance as Yufeng remained seated beneath the ancient tree. The conversation they had shared over lunch continued to echo within her heart.
At first, it had sounded impossible.
No...
It still sounded impossible.
A young woman awakening decades later inside the body of her older self. A life stolen by a single elixir. Memories that ended at eighteen, only to resume in a future where she had become a wife, a mother, and the feared Villa Mistress of the Heavenly Sword Villa.
No ordinary person would believe such a story.
Yet Li Xuan did.
Not because of the story itself.
But because she had witnessed the change with her own eyes.
The woman the servants whispered about was said to be jealous, cruel, and merciless. A Villa Mistress whose temper alone was enough to make servants tremble. Someone who punished others for the smallest mistakes and allowed obsession to consume every part of her life.
The woman before her now was nothing like that.
She was patient.
Gentle.
She corrected mistakes instead of punishing them.
She cooked simple meals.
She smiled when Li Xuan made progress.
She comforted rather than threatened.
This woman could not be the same person the rumors described.
Or perhaps...
She was the same body, but no longer the same heart.
Li Xuan looked at Yufeng with newfound understanding.
Her mother wasn't merely running from the Heavenly Sword Villa.
She was grieving a life that had been stolen from her.
To everyone else, Xuanyuan Yufeng had lived through those missing years.
To Yufeng herself...
Those years had vanished in the blink of an eye.
She had lost her youth.
Lost time with the father who loved her.
Lost the chance to choose the path she wanted.
Even the children she had given birth to were strangers in her own memories.
It was as though someone had torn decades from her life and replaced them with stories told by someone else.
In many ways...
Her mother was a relic of the past.
A young woman of eighteen carrying the body of someone more than two decades older.
The thought filled Li Xuan with quiet sorrow.
She couldn't return those lost years.
She couldn't erase the pain.
Nor could she explain the mysterious memories that now filled Yufeng's mind.
But there was one thing she could do.
She could stay.
She could become strong enough that her mother would never have to shoulder those burdens alone again.
Li Xuan slowly clenched her fists.
If fear stood in her way...
She would destroy it.
If weakness held her back...
She would overcome it.
Every leap.
Every climb.
Every bruise.
Every lesson.
She would endure them all.
Not because she sought power for its own sake.
But because she wanted to stand beside the woman who had given her a second chance at life.
Yufeng had chosen her.
Now Li Xuan would choose this path.
She took a deep breath before walking back toward the rocky ledge.
Her fear of heights still lingered, but it no longer ruled her.
One day she would learn to move across rooftops without a sound.
One day she would master the hidden blade.
One day she would understand the mysterious Creed her mother spoke of.
But before she could become any of those things...
She had to earn the right to take the first step.
Yufeng had not promised to make her an assassin overnight.
She had promised to make her worthy of becoming one.
Li Xuan smiled to herself as she looked up at the ledge that had terrified her only hours earlier.
Then, without hesitation, she climbed.
Today, she was still only a frightened girl learning to conquer herself.
Tomorrow, she would begin learning to swim.
And after that...
The true path would begin.
Not as a servant.
Not as an orphan.
But as the first disciple of Xuanyuan Yufeng—
An Assassin Initiate, taking her first steps toward the Brotherhood that would one day emerge from the shadows of the Profound Sky Continent.
==================
Yufeng slowly opened her eyes, watching Li Xuan scale the rocky ledge once more. The girl's movements were still clumsy, but there was no hesitation left in her steps. Every climb, every leap, every fall was another step toward becoming someone stronger.
A faint smile crossed Yufeng's face.
Li Xuan was only the second person to believe her without reservation.
The first had been Chu Yuechan.
The second was the young woman tirelessly climbing the cliff before her.
Neither had demanded proof.
Neither had called her insane.
They had simply listened.
That trust was something Yufeng would never betray.
"I will teach you everything I can," she silently vowed. "Not only how to survive... but how to live."
Once Li Xuan reached the top of the ledge again, Yufeng closed her eyes and returned to meditation.
Her consciousness sank once more into the mysterious inheritance resting within her soul.
This time, she didn't resist it.
She welcomed it.
Darkness faded, replaced by the imposing silhouette of a mountain fortress perched high above sheer cliffs.
Masyaf.
The name surfaced naturally.
Unlike her first glimpse, the memories no longer came as scattered fragments. They unfolded with greater clarity, allowing her to walk through the fortress as though she truly belonged there.
White-robed Assassins trained within the courtyard.
Hidden blades flashed beneath sleeves.
Young initiates practiced climbing stone walls while veterans moved across rooftops with impossible grace.
She understood their movements instinctively.
Every exercise had a purpose.
Every lesson built upon another.
At the heart of the fortress stood a man whose presence commanded immediate respect.
Al Mualim.
The Mentor.
Yufeng silently observed as Altaïr stood before him, bearing the weight of his failure. She watched the consequences of arrogance unfold once again—not merely as punishment, but as a lesson. Rank could be stripped away. Pride could be shattered.
Only discipline endured.
The memories continued.
She learned of the Brotherhood's ancient enemy.
The Templar Order.
Unlike the simplistic tales of good and evil told to children, these memories painted a far more complicated picture. The conflict between Assassins and Templars was not simply one of murder and revenge, but of opposing ideals. One sought freedom through individual choice, while the other believed peace could only exist through absolute control.
Neither side saw itself as evil.
Both believed they were saving humanity.
Yufeng quietly absorbed every lesson.
Then came the names.
Not names from the Profound Sky Continent.
Names belonging to another world.
Tamir.
An arms merchant in Damascus who profited by selling weapons to every side of a war.
Garnier de Nablus.
A leader whose hospital concealed horrifying experiments upon those entrusted to his care.
Talal.
A slaver who reduced human lives to merchandise.
Abu'l Nuquod.
A wealthy regent who stole the resources meant to sustain a nation at war.
William of Montferrat.
A cruel ruler who hoarded food while forcing ordinary citizens into military service.
Majd Addin.
A tyrant who maintained power through public executions and fear.
Master Sibrand.
A paranoid commander willing to sacrifice allies for his own survival.
Jubair al Hakim.
A scholar who sought to erase knowledge itself by burning books and silencing ideas.
And finally...
Robert de Sablé.
The Grand Master of the Templar Order.
The man standing at the center of the conspiracy Altaïr had been sent to unravel.
Each assassination was more than the elimination of a target.
Each mission revealed another piece of a larger design.
Altaïr had not simply hunted men.
He had uncovered truths.
He had questioned everything he once believed.
Yufeng quietly committed each lesson to memory.
The names themselves held little meaning within this world.
The methods...
Those were timeless.
Investigate.
Observe.
Understand.
Only then, strike.
As the memories continued to unfold, another sensation stirred within her consciousness.
Her vision changed.
The bustling fortress seemed to dissolve into layers of color.
Some figures glowed warmly.
Others radiated hostility.
Footprints lingered where people had walked.
Objects of importance seemed to stand out naturally against their surroundings.
Yufeng instinctively focused.
The sensation disappeared.
She opened her eyes.
The basin returned.
Li Xuan was still practicing in the distance.
Yet for the briefest moment...
Yufeng could have sworn she had perceived the girl's movements with impossible clarity.
"...That vision..."
She frowned thoughtfully.
The memories supplied a name.
Eagle Vision.
Not merely sharper eyesight.
Something far more profound.
A heightened perception that allowed an Assassin to notice details others overlooked, to read intent, distinguish allies from enemies, and uncover hidden truths concealed in plain sight.
Yufeng slowly raised a hand to her temple.
"I don't possess it yet..." she murmured.
"What I've inherited is only the memory of using it."
There was an important distinction.
Remembering a skill was not the same as mastering it.
Just as she had needed to practice the Leap of Faith despite understanding its principles, Eagle Vision would likely require training before it could truly become her own.
Still...
A small smile appeared on her face.
If she could inherit Altaïr's discipline, his techniques, and the lessons of his life...
Yufeng slowly exhaled, allowing the last fragments of the memories to fade before opening her eyes.
Perhaps...
She had been looking at Eagle Vision the wrong way.
The memories did not necessarily mean she had to awaken the exact same ability Altaïr possessed.
No two cultivators developed identical profound arts.
No two sword masters wielded a blade in precisely the same manner.
If that was true...
Then perhaps she didn't need Altaïr's Eagle Vision.
Perhaps she only needed to create her own.
One inspired by the same principles.
One that suited this world.
A perception technique born from profound energy instead of whatever mysterious gift Altaïr had possessed.
The thought lingered in her mind.
Everything else had come naturally through experience.
As she relived Altaïr's life, her body unconsciously absorbed the countless hours of training hidden within those memories.
She now understood how to properly deploy the Hidden Blade without exposing unnecessary movement.
With proper use and timing, she could even kill late-stage cultivators with ease.
She instinctively knew the precise timing required to perform a counter-kill, using an opponent's momentum against them in a single decisive motion.
Sword and knives counters no longer felt foreign. No bizarre sword arts needed. Her body remembered the angle of every parry and the follow-through that transformed defense into an execution.
Even the throwing knives had become familiar. The subtle wrist movement, the control of balance, the way Altaïr anticipated where a target would move rather than where they stood—those details had imprinted themselves upon her muscles as if she had practiced them for years.
Standing atop the highest towers and cliffs, she learned the Assassin's art of Synchronization. From those lofty vantage points, the world unfolded beneath her like an open map. Streets, rooftops, hidden paths, escape routes, and landmarks were etched into her memory, allowing her to navigate any place with precision. It was more than reconnaissance—it was a discipline that trained both the eyes and the mind to see opportunities others overlooked.
Then came the Leap of Faith. Standing at the edge of a great height, every instinct urged her to step back. Instead, she spread her arms and leapt into the unknown, trusting her training rather than her fear. As she landed safely, she understood its true meaning. The Leap of Faith was not about surviving the fall, but about having the courage to overcome doubt and place absolute trust in herself.
The memories had become experience.
Experience had become instinct.
Only one thing remained beyond her grasp.
Eagle Vision.
She understood how it worked.
She remembered seeing through Altaïr's eyes.
She remembered the clarity.
The heightened awareness.
The way allies, enemies, and important objects naturally distinguished themselves.
Yet no matter how many times she replayed those moments...
She could not reproduce it herself.
It was like remembering how it felt to fly while remaining firmly bound to the earth.
Yufeng rested her chin upon her hand, quietly contemplating the problem.
"...Perhaps..."
A familiar face suddenly appeared in her thoughts.
Yun Che.
The mysterious young man whose methods resembled the memories she had inherited far more than anyone else on the continent.
He possessed strange weapons that resembled those from another world.
He spoke words she could somehow understand despite never having learned the language.
He recognized concepts no one else should have known.
Most importantly...
He had demonstrated abilities that reminded her of a Master Assassin during the tournament.
His awareness during battle.
The way he effortlessly read situations before anyone else.
Her eyes widened slightly.
If anyone on the Profound Sky Continent understood how Eagle Vision functioned...
It would be him.
Whether he had inherited similar memories or had learned it by another means, she did not know.
But he was undoubtedly the closest thing she had to someone who could answer her questions.
The thought brought an unexpected sense of relief.
She wasn't completely alone in carrying knowledge from another world.
The sounds of footsteps drew her attention.
Li Xuan had finally finished her training.
Her clothes were covered in dirt and leaves, and sweat soaked her hair, but she wore a satisfied smile that hadn't been there that morning.
Yufeng returned the smile.
"You've done well today."
Li Xuan beamed.
"I'll work even harder tomorrow."
"I know you will."
As Li Xuan began gathering their belongings, Yufeng cast one final glance toward the fading Assassin insignia still etched into the ground.
There were still countless memories waiting for her.
What happens after Altair executed all his targets and his reasons for doing so.
Altaïr's later years.
His discoveries.
His growth after reclaiming the rank of Master Assassin.
Those memories could wait until nightfall, when the world had grown quiet enough for uninterrupted meditation.
For now...
Her path had become clear.
First...
Train Li Xuan.
Not merely in combat, but in discipline, patience, observation, and the Creed itself.
To become the second Assassin Initiate upon the Profound Sky Continent.
Then...
Seek out Yun Che.
Not as an enemy.
Nor merely as an acquaintance.
But as someone who might hold the final piece she was missing.
If he truly understood Eagle Vision, then perhaps together they could determine whether it was a gift that could be awakened...
Or a skill that could be cultivated.
Either answer would bring her one step closer to completing the legacy that fate had unexpectedly placed into her hands.
For the first time since awakening in this unfamiliar future, Xuanyuan Yufeng felt something she had not experienced in weeks.
Excitement.
Not the thrill of battle.
Not the satisfaction of revenge.
But the anticipation of learning.
As Li Xuan walked beside her, Yufeng's thoughts remained immersed in the fragments of Altaïr's life she had witnessed. Every memory opened another door into a discipline unlike anything the Profound Sky Continent had ever known.
The hidden blade.
The philosophy behind assassination.
The careful study of a target before ever drawing a weapon.
Movement across rooftops.
Silent infiltration.
The art of disappearing into a crowd.
None of it relied upon grand sword techniques that split mountains or profound arts that illuminated the sky. It was subtle. Precise. Efficient.
A single blade.
One opening.
One strike.
Then silence.
The more Yufeng reflected upon it, the more she understood why the Assassins had survived for generations despite facing armies far larger than themselves.
Their greatest weapon had never been the hidden blade.
It had been knowledge.
Knowledge of their enemies.
Knowledge of the terrain.
Knowledge of themselves.
Yufeng smiled faintly.
"...This world has profound energy."
That single difference changed everything.
Altaïr had relied solely upon the limits of the human body.
She did not.
What if parkour techniques were enhanced with profound movement arts?
What if the hidden blade could be reinforced with profound energy?
What if throwing knives were infused with different elemental attributes?
What if concealment techniques were combined with profound concealment arts?
The possibilities seemed endless.
She wasn't interested in copying Altaïr's world exactly.
She intended to adapt it.
To create an Assassin's art unique to the Profound Sky Continent.
One that preserved the Brotherhood's ideals while embracing the strengths of cultivation.
Every answer seemed to produce three more questions.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed...
She found herself looking forward to discovering them.
Her gaze shifted toward Li Xuan, who happily carried their supplies without noticing her mother's thoughtful expression.
The girl had not inherited the mysterious memories.
Perhaps heaven had never chosen her to receive such an impossible gift.
Yet that didn't matter.
Yufeng had inherited enough for both of them.
Every lesson she learned from Altaïr's life...
Every technique she mastered...
Every mistake she understood...
She would pass them all on to Li Xuan.
The girl would never experience Masyaf.
She would never walk the streets of Jerusalem or Damascus.
She would never meet Al Mualim or witness Altaïr's redemption.
But through Yufeng's guidance, she could still inherit the wisdom those memories contained.
One day, Li Xuan would become an Assassin through training rather than inheritance.
And when that day came...
Yufeng would help her fulfill the promise she had carried since childhood.
Together, they would search the continent for Li Xuan's lost twin sister.
This time, the girl would not wander helplessly as a frightened servant.
She would travel as an Assassin.
Capable.
Confident.
Strong enough to survive whatever dangers awaited her.
Li Xuan suddenly tugged gently on Yufeng's sleeve.
"Mother?"
Yufeng blinked, realizing she had once again become lost in thought.
"We're almost home."
She looked ahead and saw their secluded hideout nestled between the trees, hidden from the outside world by dense foliage and natural rock formations.
A warm smile spread across her face.
"I'm coming."
Li Xuan smiled back and instinctively reached for her hand.
Yufeng let herself be led the rest of the way.
Today had changed everything.
She had accepted the mysterious inheritance instead of fearing it.
She had begun to understand the Creed.
She had met Al Mualim through Altaïr's memories.
She had learned more about the Brotherhood, the Templars, and the path that transformed an arrogant prodigy into a legendary Mentor.
And that was only the beginning.
She had explored but a handful of memories from an entire lifetime.
Who knew what awaited her tomorrow?
Perhaps another forgotten technique.
Perhaps another lesson hidden within Altaïr's failures.
Or perhaps another piece of wisdom that could one day shape the Brotherhood she dreamed of founding upon the Profound Sky Continent.
Whatever the answer was...
For the first time in a long while, Xuanyuan Yufeng found herself eagerly awaiting the next sunrise.