Journey of True Cultivation

Azure Ghost

Gazing at the silhouette of the azure ghost who had saved him from truly losing himself, Yuan felt a mix of emotions. After all, who wouldn't? Standing before him wasn't a human but a ghost-like being, an existence he had never encountered before.

For a moment, he simply stared, his mind processing what had just happened. Then, taking a short breath, he spoke with sincerity, lowering his head slightly in gratitude.

"Senior, this child must sincerely thank you for your help. But... how could Senior be in this lonely place?"

Hearing Yuan's probing question, the azure ghost let out a light chuckle.

"Hehe... Child, there's no need to test me with your words. If you wish to know, I can simply tell you who I am. But how ironic... to be so distrustful toward the very person who just saved your life! Do I need to prove that I mean no harm? Hehe... well, that isn't much of a problem."

The ghost's tone was calm, yet there was a hint of amusement as it continued.

"I am just a ghost, a spirit of a cultivator who failed a trial and is now trapped here, waiting for more fellow Daoists to challenge this cursed inheritance. Maybe... just maybe, one of my clansmen will come and set me free. Yes, that is who I am."

Cursed inheritance? Spirit of a cultivator who failed a trial? One of my clans? Now trapped?

So many new pieces of information struck Yuan at once. He lowered his gaze, touching his chin in thought.

What is a cultivator? Is this place the cursed inheritance? How could someone who has already died still be trapped here?

Again and again, he turned these thoughts over in his mind, yet no matter how much he tried to make sense of them, he found no answers. These were all words, all concepts, that he had never heard before.

"Thought enough?"

The ghost's voice pulled Yuan back to reality. Embarrassed, he quickly looked back at the azure ghost and tried to explain himself.

"Apologies, Senior! It's just that... I don't understand anything you are saying. I have never heard of cultivators, nor do I know where this inheritance is! I just" Yuan hesitated before finishing with admiration, "This child is truly impressed by Senior's knowledge!"

Hearing Yuan's words, the azure ghost froze, staring at him in complete shock.

"You don't... know what a cultivator is? Or where we are?"

The ghost's tone had lost its amusement. It was no longer chuckling, no longer treating this as a lighthearted exchange. Instead, it fell silent for a long moment, as if struggling to process this revelation.

Finally, after gathering itself, the ghost asked in a slow, cautious voice, "Could it be... that you are not someone who challenged this trial for the inheritance of the Crowned Ghost Prince?"

"Crowned Ghost Prince?" Yuan repeated, tilting his head in confusion. "Never heard of him."

Yuan blankly spoke the name,a name that was once feared across the cultivation world,shocking the azure ghost beyond belief. The ghost's flames flickered as he processed Yuan's words before finally asking,

"Then why are you here if you don't seek his inheritance?"

Yuan exhaled sharply, frustration laced in his voice.

"I don't even know where I am! I was trying to escape the Ghost Forest and reach the Mansion of Countless Tombs, but I somehow ended up here instead! I know nothing about this so-called inheritance or the Crowned Ghost… whatever! I just want to find the Mansion of Countless Tombs and uncover the secrets of those who defied fate!"

Hearing Yuan's outburst, the azure ghost gave him a strange look. Then, as if recalling something, he muttered,

"The Mansion of Countless Tombs...? I think… I've heard of that place before. Hmm…"

For a moment, the ghost seemed lost in thought, his flickering form shifting slightly. Then, as if speaking the name aloud unlocked a buried memory, he suddenly gasped.

"Ah! Now I remember! The Mansion of Countless Tombs... It did exist once. But that was long ago. This place,was once its foundation, its core. However, it was later discovered and overtaken by the Crowned Ghost Prince!"

The ghost let out a cold chuckle.

"So, boy… congratulations. You've already reached your so-called 'destined goal.' Only, this place is no longer what you were

Laughter.

Loud. Deep. Amused.

It echoed from behind him.

Yuan spun around.

There, standing where he had been moments ago, was the azure ghost.

But something had changed.

It was smaller now,its once looming form now no larger than Yuan's arm.

Yet, despite its reduced size, its smile had only grown wider.

Seeing Yuan's shock fade into wary confusion, the azure ghost let out another chuckle before speaking.

"So… now that you've glimpsed the mysteries of this world, tell me

Do you wish to walk the path of cultivation?"

Its voice deepened, filled with undeniable weight.

"Do you wish to pursue the Great Dao? To seek eternal life, power, and freedom,knowing that you may die trying?"

The ghost's fiery eyes bore into Yuan's soul as it took another step forward.

"Or do you reject this path entirely?"

It spread its arms wide.

"Answer me! Tell me, child

What do you truly desire?"

"Walk the path of the Great Dao…?"

His voice trembled.

"What… do I want?"

"What do I truly desire?"

The ghost's flame-like body flickered, its voice pressing further into Yuan's mind.

"Yes, Yuan! Say it! Say what you truly desire!"

The words pulsed like a heartbeat inside his skull.

Yuan's lips parted, and in a voice barely above a whisper, he answered.

"I… I want to survive."

Silence.

Then

"You want only to survive?"

The ghost's voice was neither amused nor mocking. It was simply… questioning.

"Is that truly the extent of your desire?"

Yuan froze.

A thought struck him.

"Is… is that really all I want?"

"Just to survive?"

"Is that my only desire?"

He clenched his fists.

No.

That wasn't the truth.

That was never the truth.

The voice echoed endlessly in his mind.

"Say it, Yuan! What do you truly desire?"

The weight of the words pressed down on him, forcing him to confront himself.

Yuan gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. What did he want?

For so long, he had only thought about survival, about escaping his inevitable death. But now… now he understood.

Surviving wasn't enough.

He didn't just want to live,he wanted to experience.

His mind filled with visions.

A sky, vast and endless, free from mist.

Mountains so high, their peaks pierced the heavens.

A great ocean, stretching beyond the horizon, its waves crashing against the land.

He imagined standing above the clouds, looking down on the world from beyond mortal reach.

His body shuddered.

It wasn't enough to dream.

He wanted to see it all with his own eyes.

A fire ignited in his chest, burning away the hesitation, the doubts, the weakness.

Yuan lifted his head, his gaze unwavering.

"What I truly want…"

His voice started as a whisper, but with each word, it grew stronger.

"I want to walk the world. To see the places my grandfather once spoke of. To witness a crystal-clear sky without mist. To gaze upon mountains so vast that I cannot comprehend their size. To stand before an endless ocean and taste the salt in the wind."

His breathing was steady, his heart pounding with unshakable resolve.

"I want to leave this Ghost Forest. To leave the village. To see the real sky, the real mountains, the real world. I don't want to imagine anymore. I want to live it!"

His fists tightened, his voice ringing with mad determination.

"And beyond that,I want to see what lies above the clouds! I want to witness what only the heavens themselves have seen!"

Yuan's words echoed through the darkness, ringing with absolute certainty.

The voice did not laugh this time.

There were no more echoes,no more illusions.

Only a cold, absolute truth.

"Then you know what you must do."

Yuan took a slow breath, the last of his hesitation crumbling into nothingness.

"Yes… now, everything is clear."

His gaze hardened, filled with a new fire that could never be extinguished.

"I now understand how to defy fate. To defy fate… one must face the heavens. And to face the heavens, I must become powerful,strong enough to break free from their grasp!"

Silence.

The world itself seemed to hold its breath.

Then, with absolute conviction, Yuan declared his path to the heavens.

"I will walk the path of the Great Dao!"

"The path toward power and freedom!"

"I will not regret it. And I will gladly die trying!"

"Yes,I will cultivate!"

"I will rise to great power and break free from the chains of fate!"

His voice thundered through the void.

The world began to shift.

As his words filled the emptiness, the darkness that once blinded him peeled away.

Light rushed in.

The once,shadowed hall now appeared before him in radiant clarity,the details sharper, the colors more vivid, as though he had been blind his entire life and was only now able to see.

"So many lights..."

Yuan's breath hitched as he gazed at the spectacle before him.

Countless glowing orbs floated in the air, flickering like tiny stars, shifting through endless colors and shapes, spinning slowly as if dancing through the space before him.

Without thinking, he reached out.

One of the lights descended into his palm, hovering gently just above his skin.

It twisted, changing shapes, shifting hues, as if alive,a toy of the heavens themselves.

A wide smile broke across his young face.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Yuan looked like a real ten year old child, filled with pure wonder.

His admiration was interrupted by a familiar voice behind him.

"Congratulations."

Yuan froze.

He knew that voice.

The azure ghost chuckled.

"You have taken your first step on the path of the Great Dao. From this moment forward... you are now a cultivator."