CHAPTER 20 – The First Step Beyond Awakening
Darkness receded.
Not suddenly.
Not completely.
Slowly—
like something unwilling to release what it had swallowed.
Inside the vast Soul Sea, golden light drifted in broken streams. Silver traces moved between them, faint and cold, like sword scars left across the sky after a battle no one else had witnessed.
For a long time—
there was no sound.
Then—
a finger trembled.
Xue Lian's eyelids fluttered.
Her breath returned in fragments.
Weak.
Unsteady.
But real.
"…Chen…"
The whisper should have vanished in the silence.
It did not.
Yao Chen froze.
Not because he had failed to hear her—
but because he had.
For one heartbeat, he did not turn.
Hope was sometimes crueler than despair.
Then her voice came again.
Softer than snow.
Clearer than fate.
"…Chen…"
Yao Chen turned.
And saw her eyes open.
Alive.
For a moment, the whole Soul Sea disappeared.
The golden light.
The silver scars.
The awakened spirits.
The hidden memories pressing against his mind.
All of it vanished.
Only Xue Lian remained.
His calm shattered silently.
No sound.
No collapse.
Only the faint moisture gathering in his eyes, carrying everything he had refused to show.
Relief came first.
Then fear.
The fear of how close he had been to losing her.
He knelt beside her carefully, as if even his shadow might hurt her.
"You're awake…"
His voice betrayed him.
Low.
Unsteady.
Human.
Xue Lian looked at him.
Her face was pale, her soul-light fragile, her aura flickering like a candle trapped in winter wind.
Still, she smiled.
"I'm… fine…"
Yao Chen did not answer.
Because both of them knew it was a lie.
But some lies were not meant to deceive.
Some were only spoken to protect the one listening.
So he let her say it.
And for a few breaths, he let himself believe it.
Nearby, Siangshi stood in silence.
Her glow was calm, ancient, protective. She did not interrupt. She only watched, like a guardian who understood that some awakenings were not made of power, but pain.
Beside her, two silver-haired figures stepped forward.
They were alike in form—
yet not in presence.
The first carried warmth in her gaze, restrained but deep, like a sword that had once chosen mercy.
She bowed slightly.
"…I am Sai Ka."
The second stood straighter.
Sharper.
Her eyes were quiet, but within that quietness lived an edge capable of cutting through illusion itself.
"…Si Ka."
Then they spoke together.
"We are your sword spirits."
The words were simple.
But the Soul Sea trembled.
Yao Chen stared at them.
For a moment, something inside him moved.
Not memory.
Not fully.
A pressure.
A pull.
Silver light flashed behind his eyes.
A broken heaven.
A battlefield without end.
Two blades in his hands.
Blood on the edge of reality.
And a voice—
his own, yet not his own—
saying:
"If Above heaven blocks the path, then Above heaven will be treated as a wall."
The vision vanished.
Yao Chen's fingers tightened.
Then slowly relaxed.
He said nothing.
Not because he had no questions.
Because he had too many.
Behind them, Yan Shen's soul flickered weakly.
His form was unstable, almost transparent, as if one harsh ripple could erase him.
Not far away, Xuner sat quietly.
Her aura was fragile but steady.
She looked at Yao Chen.
No words passed between them.
None were needed.
Yao Chen saw her exhaustion.
Her hidden pain.
Her effort to remain composed.
And she saw his guilt.
For a moment, the two simply looked at each other.
Then Xuner lowered her gaze.
Not in defeat.
In trust.
That hurt more.
Yao Chen turned away slightly.
His heart grew heavier.
He had awakened something.
He had saved them.
But not completely.
Not enough.
And that truth sat inside him like a blade.
The Soul Sea became quiet again.
Not peaceful.
Only waiting.
Yao Chen looked once more at Xue Lian.
"Can you hold on?"
Xue Lian's smile faded slightly.
Not because she was afraid.
Because she understood the question beneath the question.
Could she survive?
Could her soul endure?
Could she walk forward when every step might tear open the wounds hidden inside her existence?
She slowly nodded.
"I can."
Yao Chen watched her for a long moment.
Then he nodded once.
He did not say thank you.
He did not say sorry.
Those words were too small.
Instead, he stood.
His gaze moved across the Soul Sea.
Siangshi.
Sai Ka.
Si Ka.
Yan Shen.
Xuner.
Xue Lian.
All of them were now tied to him in ways he did not yet understand.
And responsibility—
true responsibility—
settled onto his shoulders.
Not the kind given by destiny.
The kind chosen by the heart.
His eyes closed.
The golden flame within the Soul Sea flickered once.
Then his consciousness withdrew.
The forest was silent.
Too silent.
The kind of silence that did not belong to nature.
The kind that came after power had passed through and left even the wind afraid to move.
Huo Yuan stood near a broken tree, arms folded.
At first glance, he seemed calm.
But his fingers were pressed too tightly against his sleeve.
Lin Xiao paced back and forth, unable to stop himself.
Every few steps, he looked toward the two motionless bodies lying on the ground.
Yao Chen.
Xue Lian.
Feng stood beside Qing Lin, his face dark with worry.
Qing Lin's hands were clasped tightly before her chest.
No one spoke for a while.
Then Feng muttered, "What's taking so long…"
Lin Xiao stopped pacing.
His voice was rough.
"If something happens to them—"
He did not finish.
Because the air changed.
A ripple spread outward.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But every cultivator present felt it.
The spiritual energy trembled as if something deep beneath the forest had opened one eye.
Huo Yuan's expression sharpened.
"…They're waking."
At that exact moment—
Yao Chen's fingers moved.
Xue Lian's breath deepened.
Then both opened their eyes.
"Yao Chen!"
"Xue Lian!"
Lin Xiao rushed forward first.
Feng and Qing Lin followed immediately.
Huo Yuan stepped closer, slower than the others, but his gaze never left Yao Chen's face.
Behind them, Radha and Krishna stood beneath the shade of an ancient tree.
For the briefest moment, they looked at each other.
No words.
Only recognition.
Then—
concern appeared on their faces.
Natural.
Flawless.
Human.
As if they had seen nothing.
As if they knew nothing.
Radha moved forward gently.
"What happened?"
Her voice carried worry.
Perfect worry.
Krishna followed, his brows drawn slightly.
"You both suddenly collapsed. We couldn't wake you."
Lin Xiao knelt beside Yao Chen.
"Are you hurt? Say something!"
Yao Chen slowly sat up.
His body felt heavy, but his mind was clearer than before.
Too clear.
The forest seemed sharper.
The flow of spiritual energy.
The rhythm of breath around him.
The hidden fear beneath everyone's voices.
Even the faint distortion in the distance—
he could feel it.
He looked at Lin Xiao.
"I'm fine."
Lin Xiao stared at him.
"You don't look fine."
Yao Chen did not smile.
"I'm awake."
That answer silenced him.
Beside him, Xue Lian slowly rose with Qing Lin's help.
Her face was pale.
Too pale.
Yao Chen's gaze shifted to her instantly.
Xue Lian noticed.
For a moment, their eyes met.
She did not speak.
But her gaze said enough.
I am still here.
Yao Chen looked away first.
Because if he looked too long, the calm he had rebuilt might crack again.
Huo Yuan noticed that.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
Feng glanced between them.
"What exactly happened inside?"
Yao Chen lowered his eyes.
"A soul disturbance."
That was not a lie.
It was simply not the whole truth.
Lin Xiao frowned.
"That's all?"
Yao Chen looked toward the deeper forest.
"No."
The single word made everyone quiet.
He stood slowly.
His movements were steady.
But the moment he rose, the forest seemed to respond.
Leaves shivered.
The earth gave a faint pulse.
Far away, something answered.
Yao Chen felt it.
A mark.
A calling.
A weapon mark buried deep within the forest.
But beneath that calling—
something else.
A medicinal aura.
Ancient.
Pure.
Faint, but real.
His eyes sharpened.
Hope appeared.
Small.
Dangerous.
Radha watched him quietly.
Then she spoke at the perfect moment.
"The weapon mark is not far from here."
Everyone turned to her.
She looked ahead, expression serious.
"If we delay, the opportunity may disappear."
Lin Xiao frowned.
"You can sense it?"
Krishna answered before Radha could.
"We saw the direction earlier. The energy keeps gathering there."
It sounded reasonable.
No one questioned it.
But Yao Chen did not look at Krishna.
He looked at Radha.
For a brief instant, something passed between them.
Not suspicion.
Not confirmation.
Something stranger.
As if he had heard her voice before—
in a place older than memory.
Radha's expression did not change.
Yao Chen turned away.
"…We go."
Qing Lin looked worried.
"But Xue Lian just woke up."
"I'll come," Xue Lian said softly.
Her voice was weak, but firm.
Yao Chen turned to her.
"You should rest."
She met his gaze.
"If I rest here while you walk into danger, will you truly be able to focus?"
No one spoke.
Because the answer was obvious.
Yao Chen looked at her for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
"Stay close."
Xue Lian smiled faintly.
"I planned to."
Lin Xiao scratched his head, trying to break the tension.
"Good. Everyone alive, everyone moving. That's better than standing here like ghosts."
Feng exhaled.
"Speak for yourself. I still feel like one."
Huo Yuan looked toward the forest.
"The energy ahead is unstable. We should move carefully."
Krishna nodded.
"There may be beasts."
Radha's eyes lowered slightly.
"Not only beasts."
Her voice was quiet.
But Yao Chen heard it.
He did not ask.
The group gathered themselves quickly.
Lin Xiao took the front with Huo Yuan.
Feng and Qing Lin stayed near the center.
Xue Lian walked beside Yao Chen.
Radha and Krishna followed behind.
Step by step, they entered the deeper forest.
The trees grew taller.
Older.
Their bark was dark and cracked, marked with faint symbols that appeared only when moonlight touched them.
The air changed as they advanced.
The spiritual energy became thicker.
Heavier.
Not abundant.
Oppressive.
Like breathing inside an ancient tomb.
Qing Lin hugged her arms.
"Why does this place feel so cold?"
Feng looked around.
"Because every dangerous place in stories must be cold."
Lin Xiao glanced back.
"Not helpful."
"I'm just saying."
Huo Yuan raised a hand.
Everyone stopped.
Ahead, a broken stone pillar stood half-buried in the soil.
Its surface was covered in moss.
But beneath the moss, faint lines pulsed with dark red light.
Yao Chen stepped closer.
Xue Lian reached out instinctively.
"Careful."
He stopped.
Not because he was afraid.
Because her voice pulled him back.
He looked at the pillar without touching it.
A wave of knowledge rose in his mind.
Formation seal.
Ancient.
Damaged.
Still active.
He frowned.
"This is not part of the forest."
Huo Yuan looked at him.
"You recognize it?"
"No."
Yao Chen's eyes narrowed.
"But it recognizes us."
The moment he spoke—
the pillar pulsed.
Red light spread across the ground.
Lines appeared beneath their feet, forming a circular pattern.
Lin Xiao cursed under his breath.
"That sounds bad."
The earth trembled.
From between the trees, shadows moved.
One.
Three.
Seven.
Then more.
Beasts emerged from the darkness.
Their bodies looked like wolves, but their bones were visible beneath translucent skin. Blue flames burned inside their empty eye sockets.
Qing Lin's face paled.
"Soul beasts…"
Huo Yuan stepped forward.
"Stay together."
Lin Xiao drew his weapon.
"Finally. Something I can hit."
Feng's hands glowed faintly with spiritual energy.
Radha and Krishna stayed behind, their expressions serious but restrained.
Yao Chen looked at the beasts.
Then at Xue Lian.
Her aura flickered.
She could fight, perhaps.
But not safely.
His voice became low.
"Do not leave my side."
Xue Lian did not argue.
The first soul beast lunged.
Fast.
Too fast for ordinary disciples.
Lin Xiao moved to intercept, but Yao Chen was already there.
He stepped forward.
No wasted movement.
No panic.
His palm rose.
A faint golden flame appeared.
Not large.
Not violent.
But the moment it appeared—
the soul beast froze.
For the first time, its empty eyes showed fear.
Yao Chen struck.
The golden flame touched its forehead.
No explosion.
No roar.
The beast simply burned away.
Silent.
Clean.
As if its existence had been corrected.
The others stopped.
Even the beasts hesitated.
Lin Xiao stared.
"…That was new."
Yao Chen did not answer.
Because inside him—
the flame had changed.
Before, it burned.
Now, it judged.
Another beast attacked from the side.
Huo Yuan moved like a shadow, striking its legs and forcing it down.
Lin Xiao followed with a heavy blow, shattering its skull.
Radha protected Qing Lin and feng as two beasts circled them.
Xue Lian raised her hand weakly.
A thin line of frost spread across the ground, slowing one beast's movement.
Yao Chen appeared beside it.
One palm.
Golden light.
Gone.
The battle lasted only moments.
But when the final beast vanished, no one relaxed.
Because the pillar was still glowing.
And now—
the ground ahead had opened.
A staircase descended into darkness.
Ancient air rose from below.
Cold.
Dry.
Filled with the scent of rust, herbs, and something metallic.
Weapon aura.
Yao Chen looked down.
His heart tightened.
The medicinal energy was stronger now.
Somewhere below—
there was something that could help Xuner.
Maybe Yan Shen too.
He took one step forward.
Then stopped.
A voice echoed from beneath the earth.
Old.
Hollow.
Awake.
"Only the one who carries the mark may enter."
The group froze.
Radha looked at Yao Chen.
"Of course it means you."
krishna swallowed.
"I don't like voices from underground."
Huo Yuan's gaze darkened.
"If only one can enter, this may be a trap."
Radha looked at the staircase.
"It is a trial."
Krishna nodded slowly.
"And trials do not open without reason."
Yao Chen looked at Xue Lian.
She understood before he spoke.
"No."
His eyes softened slightly.
"I haven't said anything."
"You were going to tell us to stay behind."
Yao Chen was silent.
Xue Lian stepped closer.
Her voice became softer.
"You just woke me from darkness. Do not walk into another one alone."
That sentence struck him harder than any attack.
For a moment, he had no answer.
Then the voice below spoke again.
"Companions may stand at the gate."
"But only the bearer walks the first step."
Yao Chen turned toward the staircase.
"The first step…"
The weapon mark pulsed.
Not outside.
Inside him.
Deep within his soul.
Sai Ka and Si Ka stirred faintly.
Siangshi's voice echoed in his consciousness.
Be careful.
This place does not test strength first.
It tests what you are willing to become.
Yao Chen's eyes lowered.
What he was willing to become?
For Xuner.
For Yan Shen.
For Xue Lian.
For those who trusted him.
The answer frightened him.
Because it came too easily.
Anything.
He stepped forward.
Golden flame flickered beneath his feet.
The darkness below trembled.
Xue Lian reached toward him.
He paused.
Then turned his head slightly.
"I'll return."
She looked at him.
"You better."
A faint smile touched his lips.
Small.
Almost invisible.
Then he descended.
One step.
The world changed.
The forest vanished.
The voices disappeared.
The staircase became endless.
Darkness surrounded him.
And in that darkness—
countless weapons appeared.
Blades.
Spears.
Axes.
Chains.
Bows.
Every weapon was broken.
Every weapon was stained with blood.
At the end of the path stood a single mark carved into the void.
A sword.
Split into two.
One half silver.
One half black.
Yao Chen looked at it.
His soul trembled.
Then the ancient voice spoke again.
"Tell me, bearer…"
The broken weapons rose around him.
Their edges pointed toward his heart.
"What is a weapon?"
Yao Chen stood silently.
The easy answers came first.
A tool.
A protector.
A killer.
A path.
But none felt true.
The weapons moved closer.
The pressure grew.
His bones creaked.
His soul shook.
The voice deepened.
"What is a weapon?"
Yao Chen closed his eyes.
He saw Xue Lian's pale smile.
Xuner's tired gaze.
Yan Shen's flickering soul.
Lin Xiao's loyalty.
Huo Yuan's silent concern.
Feng and Qing Lin standing together in fear but refusing to run.
Then he saw something else.
A battlefield under a collapsing sky.
Himself.
Older.
Colder.
Holding two swords.
Standing before Above heaven.
His voice answered before his thoughts did.
"A weapon…"
His eyes opened.
"Is a promise given form."
The darkness became still.
"A promise to protect."
The golden flame rose.
"A promise to cut."
Silver light appeared in his right hand.
"A promise to carry the blood that peace refuses to see."
The broken weapons trembled.
Yao Chen stepped forward.
"I do not seek a weapon because I desire power."
His voice was calm.
"But if power is the price required to protect them…"
His eyes sharpened.
"Then I will pay it."
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Then—
the ancient voice laughed.
Not mockingly.
Sadly.
"You answer like him."
The mark pulsed.
"Then take the first step."
The split sword mark burned.
Silver and black light rushed toward him.
Outside, at the gate of the underground staircase, the forest shook violently.
Xue Lian staggered.
Qing Lin held her arm.
Lin Xiao's expression changed.
"What's happening?"
Huo Yuan looked at the staircase.
"The trial has begun."
Radha's gaze deepened.
Krishna's expression became unreadable.
Far above the forest—
clouds gathered.
And first time the real problem-
Above Heaven looked down.
Not with anger.
Not yet.
With recognition.
Deep underground—
Yao Chen stood before the split sword mark.
The light entered his chest.
Pain erupted.
Not physical.
Deeper.
As if something ancient was carving open the sealed parts of his soul.
Sai Ka's voice trembled within him.
Master…
Si Ka's voice followed.
Do not resist.
Yao Chen clenched his teeth.
Memories surged.
A blade cutting through stars.
A second blade sealing a universe.
A woman crying his name.
A friend dying with a smile.
A heaven that declared him unforgivable.
And himself—
laughing softly beneath a rain of blood.
"If saving them is sin…"
"Then let heaven write my name first."
The memory shattered.
Yao Chen fell to one knee.
The mark hovered before him.
Then, from beneath it, a small plant and many unpredictable and unknown medical stuff grew out of the darkness.
But Yao Chen recognize all.
It had seven leaves.
Each leaf carried a faint silver vein.
At its center bloomed a tiny golden flower.
The moment Yao Chen saw it, knowledge rose in his mind.
Soul Returning Lotus.
A rare medicine capable of stabilizing damaged souls.
His breath stopped.
Xuner.
Yan Shen.
His hand reached forward.
But before he touched it—
the ancient voice spoke one last time.
"To take the medicine, accept the mark."
Yao Chen looked at the split sword symbol.
"What is the cost?"
The voice answered.
"When the mark awakens, so will those who remember it."
The darkness around him deepened.
"Enemies."
"Debts."
"Blood."
"Fate."
Yao Chen was silent.
Then he looked at the Soul Returning Lotus.
He thought of Xuner.
Yan Shen.
Xue Lian.
And his answer came without hesitation.
"I accept."
The split sword mark burned into his soul.
Outside, the forest erupted with silver light.
Everyone shielded their eyes.
Xue Lian stared at the staircase, her heart tightening.
"Yao Chen…"
Far above—
Above heaven trembled.
And deep within the trial space—
Yao Chen opened his eyes.
One silver.
One faintly golden.
In his palm, the Soul Returning Lotus bloomed.
And behind him—
for the briefest instant—
two ancient swords appeared.
One carried salvation.
The other carried slaughter.
The voice whispered in reverence.
"The first step has been taken."
Then the darkness shattered.