The miniature world glowed with tranquil brilliance, its rivers shimmering like silver veins and the sky dyed with spiritual mist. Lin Xueya sat in front of the Divine Cauldron, her hands weaving seals as flames of Dao surged within the vessel.
The herbs she had gathered from the boundless fields of her inner realm melted under the celestial fire. Each leaf and root transformed into liquid essence, merging into a golden pill embryo.
"Pill refinement is not just about fire and herbs," she whispered to herself, sweat glistening against her brow. "It is about harmony of intent. My will must blend with the Dao of life itself."
The Cauldron roared. Light poured out, illuminating the cavern. Three glowing spheres floated above the flames, pulsing with vitality. She had succeeded—three Foundation Nourishing Pills, capable of stabilizing cultivation at the core foundation level.
Xueya exhaled slowly, her chest rising and falling with relief. But then her attention shifted inward. Deep within her womb, her unborn children stirred, resonating faintly with the medicinal aura.
"They absorb everything I refine," she realized with a tremor of awe. "Not only do I cultivate for myself, but every pill strengthens them too. This… this is the greatest blessing."
She pressed a hand to her belly, smiling with tender warmth. Yet her eyes quickly hardened. "I cannot let the outside world take this away."
---
Meanwhile, outside in the mortal market near the Heaven's Veil Sect, her third clone had begun to cause a sensation. Dressed in alchemist robes embroidered with faint silver threads, he stood behind a simple wooden stall. On the counter lay jade bottles, each filled with golden pills that radiated faint spiritual light.
"P-Pill Master, is this truly a Foundation Nourishing Pill?" A young cultivator trembled as he held a bottle.
The clone smiled faintly. "Not only genuine, but refined under heavenly-grade fire."
The crowd buzzed.
"Heavenly fire? Impossible!"
"Yet the fragrance… it surpasses anything our sect alchemists have produced."
"To think such treasures are being sold here, in the open market!"
Soon, the stall was surrounded by disciples and rogue cultivators alike. The name of the "Mysterious Alchemist" spread like wildfire across the town.
Of course, chaos followed. A group of Heaven's Veil Sect outer disciples pushed through the crowd, their expressions dark.
"You there," one barked. "Our sect controls alchemy trade in this region. Who gave you permission to sell pills here?"
The clone tilted his head, his smile calm but sharp. "Permission? I require none. My pills are not branded by your sect, nor crafted with your resources. Why should I bow to your petty rules?"
Murmurs rippled. Some laughed quietly, others gasped. To defy the Heaven's Veil Sect so openly was near suicidal.
The disciples gritted their teeth but hesitated. The crowd watched closely, many already memorizing the clone's face. If they attacked recklessly, their sect's reputation would suffer.
At that moment, an elder's disciple stepped forward. His robes bore the insignia of the inner sect, and his eyes glittered with authority.
"Interesting," he said slowly, examining the clone. "Your pills… they reek of divine flame. No ordinary alchemist could produce this. Tell me, who is your master? Which sect backs you?"
The clone only smiled. "Why should I answer? I stand alone."
Gasps echoed. Alone? An independent alchemist of this caliber was unheard of. The implications were terrifying.
---
Through the telepathic link, Xueya watched everything unfold from her miniature world. Her lips pressed into a line. "They will not let this rest. They will dig deeper. I must prepare a false identity."
But for now, she continued to cultivate. The spiritual rivers of her realm flowed into her body, strengthening her meridians. She guided the energy with precision, pushing against the barrier of her current stage.
Boom—her dantian trembled, expanding, refining. Her entire being resonated with a higher frequency. She was no longer merely polishing her meridians; she was stepping toward the Core Foundation.
Lightning arcs danced faintly across her skin, a sign that her body was adapting to the denser influx of qi. Her hair fluttered, and her beauty intensified to an almost dangerous degree.
"This path is steep, but every step I take now is one my children will inherit. If the Heaven's Veil Sect covets me, let them come. By the time they find me, I will be far beyond their reach."
Her determination burned brighter than the flames of her cauldron.
---
The night in Yuefang was silent, but the silence of a cultivator's city was never truly still. Somewhere beyond the faint glow of spiritual lamps, shadows moved without sound. Within one of them walked Xueya's first clone — the one that carried her cunning mind and cold patience.
Clad in a plain gray robe, his face unremarkable, his qi presence perfectly muted.
To the eyes of mortals, he was nothing.
To the eyes of cultivators, he was simply not there.
He had been observing for days.
In the outskirts of Yuefang stood an old temple, long abandoned by monks but now used by a small sect called Azure Moth Pavilion. Their disciples were weak, their banners faded — but the information they traded was sharp as blades. It was through these forgotten corners that greater powers whispered.
The clone's eyes glowed faintly in the dark.
"Azure Moth Pavilion… a nest of gossipers," he murmured. "And gossip often hides the truth."
He approached silently, each step leaving no trace of spiritual fluctuation.
As he reached the back courtyard, voices drifted through the thin walls of a decrepit hall.
"…The envoy from the Heavenly Vein Alliance will arrive tomorrow," said one man, his tone sharp. "Make sure the tribute is prepared."
"Tribute?" another scoffed. "We've already offered them ten spirit stones and two crates of beast cores. How much more must they demand?"
"Enough to buy silence," the first answered. "You don't bargain with dragons."
The clone leaned closer, lips curving faintly. So, it was true — the Azure Moth Pavilion was a hidden contact for the Heavenly Vein Alliance.
He stepped back, pressed two fingers together, and whispered a code incantation. A transparent talisman formed between his fingertips — the Eye of Whispering Winds, a formation array meant for spying through spiritual vibration.
As the talisman activated, the scene inside the hall became crystal clear to him.
Three men sat around a low table, their faces tense. One of them, older and calm, held a jade slip glowing with faint light. "Orders from above," he said. "The Alliance has detected residual Lin energy near Yuefang. We're to investigate and report if any survivors remain."
Lin energy.
That term pierced through the clone's mind, and by extension, Xueya's awareness inside the Little World.
So it was confirmed — the Alliance hadn't forgotten her family's bloodline. They were still hunting.
The clone's gaze turned colder.
"Residual Lin energy… from the pills, perhaps," he whispered. "They must've traced the resonance from my alchemist self's work."
He clenched his hand, the talisman dissolving into mist.
Information had been secured — now it was time to cover his trail.
But before he could retreat, a presence stirred.
A faint breeze shifted the dust around him, followed by the cold whisper of a blade.
Shff!
A sword glimmered from the shadows, stopping a hair's breadth from his throat.
"Well, well," came a woman's voice, light and mocking. "It seems rats have taken interest in our Pavilion again."
The clone didn't move. His spiritual aura remained steady — flat, lifeless, unreadable.
"Step aside," he said evenly. "You're mistaken."
The blade pressed harder, but her tone softened. "You're not one of ours… yet your qi feels strangely familiar."
He met her eyes — sharp, amber-colored, with the cold intelligence of a predator.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then the clone smiled faintly. "If you truly recognized my qi, you would've struck already."
Her pupils narrowed.
"…Who are you?"
"A shadow," he replied. "One who collects whispers."
The woman hesitated, lowering her sword just slightly. That was all the clone needed.
In a flash, he tapped her wrist with two fingers. Her spiritual energy froze momentarily, the weapon trembling before falling to the ground.
He vanished into the mist.
By the time the woman recovered her breath, the stranger was gone — leaving only the faint scent of sandalwood and a slip of gray paper pinned to the wall.
It bore a single phrase written in elegant, delicate strokes:
> "Even dragons have ears. Be careful which wind you speak into."
---
Far away, inside the Little World, Xueya opened her eyes slowly as the shared memory faded.
Her expression was calm, but the rhythm of her heart had quickened.
"The Heavenly Vein Alliance moves again," she said softly. "They still hunt the Lin name."
The system remained silent, its mechanical core processing the new data gathered by the clone.
Then it displayed a faint holographic projection: a map — red dots marking sects aligned with the Alliance. There were more than she expected. Dozens. Perhaps hundreds.
Xueya sighed quietly. "So this world runs on webs of control. Information is the true cultivation path."
Her gaze turned toward the growing Spirit Array she had placed around her home.
"If they want to play the game of whispers, then I'll give them silence so deep even their gods can't hear."
....