Cultivation Dead End

The river flows steadily, its surface rippling gently with the current. The water is a deep earthy blue, clear enough to see pebbles and the occasional darting fish below.

Along its banks, tall grasses sway with the breeze, and a few scattered stones break through the surface, causing soft splashes as the water rushes around them. The sky above is mirrored faintly in the water, distorted by the steady movement.

Yan Ming stood over the river as he looked at his reflection.

His appearance had transformed entirely. He no longer seemed plain or unremarkable; instead, he now possessed a striking, almost mesmerizing handsomeness.

He lightly touched his skin. 

"Why have I..."

-Of course. You aren't a normal person any longer. 

"Hong...Lianhua?"

-It's me.

Hong Lianhua's ethereal figure materialized before him, her presence both haunting and captivating. She moved with a graceful elegance, her every motion as fluid as drifting mist.

-How do you feel? You've reached the peak of this continents powerhouses in a snap of a finger.

Frustration surged within him as his gaze dropped, smoldering with anger. 

With a sudden surge of energy, he unleashed a force that shattered a gaping hole in the mountain. The ground trembled beneath him, and shards of rock scattered like debris from an explosion. Breathing heavily, he stood amidst the chaos, his power radiating in waves that made the air around him feel alive.

"What's there to feel? Everything I've ever loved is gone."

He smiled mockingly.

"How ironic. That only when I lose everything, I become a true cultivator."

-Life and death is in the hands of immortals. You still have far to go.

-Another thing, I still haven't fully accepted you as my master. 

"What are the requirements?"

-There are 3 conditions. First, In order to fully become my master, you need to kill 100 evil nascent cultivators. Secondly, you must experience true love. Third, you must defeat me by the end of the trial. All of these need to be fulfilled in 3 years. 

"...Fine."

"So long as the Tang family–"Yan Ming turned with a murderous tint to his eye, "–is eliminated." 

Hong Lianhua smiled. -Will you be going to the Tang family right now?

"No, not yet. There's still information and training I need to fully use this power."

He stopped to think for a second. 

"After that painful transformation, it's like..."

-Like you've become someone entirely else?

Yan Ming nods. 

-That is natural. In order to first be recognized by me, you must have a pure soul that thirst for blood. I've looked into your memories. Even when you were betrayed and used by Yuan Jinghua, you still looked the other way right?

-I, Hong Lianhua, was made from a treasure called the 7 rainbow lotus seed. A Treasure that was initially full of purity. However as I was exposed to more and more blood and hate, I've turned into what I am now. 

-I've completely wiped out any weakness you had before. 

Yan Ming scowled at Hong Lianhua to which she only laughed. 

-Don't forget. This, was the path you chose.

The soft, melodic giggle echoed through the stillness, lingering in the air like the faintest whisper of a dream.

The only reason why I'm still alive...is for revenge.

A heartbeat later, he reappeared miles away, the landscape around him shifting as if reality itself bent to his will. The wind rushed past him, carrying with it the scent of distant forests and the hum of a far-off city. His feet barely touched the ground as he stood, the movement so seamless that it felt almost unnatural—like he had simply willed himself into another place, leaving no trace of his previous existence.

"Help!"

He stopped mid-step, his senses sharpening. His eyes, now keener than ever, scanned the dense forest around him.

The cry echoed again, more urgent this time, and his gaze cut through the thick canopy of trees, piercing through the shadows. There, in a small clearing, he saw them—a group of bandits, their rough figures encircling a exquisite carriage, their laughter dark and cruel. The driver, a man on the ground, was struggling to defend himself and the person in the carriage. Several corpses were laid on the floor.

He could hear the faint cries of a woman, muffled but unmistakable, coming from inside the carriage. A rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins. Without a second thought, he moved swiftly, his feet barely making a sound on the forest floor as he closed the distance between them. 

Time seemed to slow for everyone in the vicinity as they stared at Yan Ming. 

"C-cultivator-"

All of a sudden, with a swift and fluid wave of his hand, a dark energy surged from his fingertips, slicing through the air with deadly precision. The bandits, caught in the act of their cruelty, didn't even have time to react. Their heads were separated from their bodies in an instant, the gruesome scene unfolding with such speed that not a single scream escaped their lips. The severed heads hit the ground with sickening thuds, their bodies crumpling lifelessly to the earth in a grotesque dance of death.

The air, thick with tension and the stench of violence, seemed to hold its breath. Not a word was spoken, not a sound made, as the cold, relentless efficiency of his actions left nothing but silence in their wake. 

Yan Ming looked carefully at the bodies he had just ended, feeling practically nothing. 

I really have changed...

He didn't find it sad, strange, or even vexing that he had changed. 

Just as he was about to leave.

"Cultivator, please wait!"

Two women came out of the carriage.

A maid and a noblewoman.

The noble woman's attire was exquisite, rich in both fabric and detail. Layers of fine silks clung to her frame, the deep hues of royal purple and midnight blue accentuating the delicate curves of her figure. Around her neck, a glittering necklace of intricate silver and precious gemstones caught the light, the stones shifting in color with each subtle movement she made. Her wrists were adorned with delicate bangles.

In her hair, strands of gold thread were woven through the dark locks, giving her a crown-like appearance, while jeweled hairpins sparkled like stars, holding the curls in place. A delicate, embroidered fan was tucked into her hand, its edges lined with gold, the faint scent of jasmine emanating from it as she shifted slightly.