Inside the Void Domain
The moment Liu Xin stepped inside, the world changed.
The sky was a swirling mix of silver and black, like twilight frozen in eternal motion. Mountains floated. Rivers flowed upward into the sky. Strange trees glowed with faint, dreamlike light.
Time here felt thick, almost tangible.
The air tasted heavier but purer.
Liu Xin staggered, gripping his chest as an overwhelming wave of spiritual energy pressed down on him.
"Th-this place…! The qi density is more than ten times the outside world!"
Yet, it wasn't just the qi.
It was the nature of the domain itself.
Every breath felt like hours.
Every moment felt stretched.
Every heartbeat echoed like thunder.
He looked around in awe.
"If I train here for years… what will I become?" Liu Xin thought
Then his expression hardened.
No—he could not ask that.
Instead, he clenched his fists.
What must I become…?
Meanwhile, outside the Void Domain, only a few seconds had passed.
Yue closed her palms, stabilizing the dimensional vortex until it became almost invisible, like a ripple in the air.
"It's done, Master."
Lin Xuan yawned leisurely and plopped himself down on a boulder.
"Good. Now we wait."
Yue sat beside him quietly for a moment…
Then spoke.
"Master… you used to hate taking disciples."
Lin Xuan lazily opened one eye. "True."
"And yet you have taken Liu Xin under your wing so easily. Why?"
Lin Xuan smiled faintly.
"Because his story entertains me."
Yue exhaled. "Only Master would consider a mortal boy's trauma entertainment…"
Lin Xuan grinned.
"You'll understand soon enough. A protagonist's rise is always the best part."
...
Inside the Void Domain, Liu Xin sat on a floating stone platform overlooking the glowing forests and shifting sky.
He looked at the Cultivation Manual and took a deep breath, his hands trembling slightly.
Then, he opened the cultivation manual and read. While reading, he thought that the cultivation given to him by Yue was shocking because it was an extraordinary Cultivation Manual.
Even though his aptitude was worse, he probably could reach the Golden Core Realm. No... more than Golden Core. With the help of the endless sea of qi within the Void Realm, he could probably reach the Nascent Soul Realm in just a thousand years!
A thousand years, others would call that slow, but for someone like him, it was a miracle.
His heart pounded.
The pages of the manual shimmered with ancient diagrams and profound runes, each stroke containing boundless meaning. Just a single glance made his consciousness expand, as if his soul was being pulled into a grand universe.
Power. Opportunity. Hope.
Liu Xin felt he could truly rise.
...
After decades of relentless cultivation, he finally made a breakthrough from the 4th Qi Refinement Realm to the 9th Qi Refinement Realm.
Twenty years of tireless effort had transformed him. A thought crossed his mind, he could finally confront Young Master Yuwei with his cultivation.
Yet, disappointment crept in, his aptitude was still below average.
After all, an average cultivator could reach the 9th Qi Refinement Realm from the 1st in less than fifteen years. Still, he resolved to continue, determined to become strong enough to challenge Young Master Yuwei and the entire Han Family.
After careful thought, Liu Xin plunged back into cultivation, aiming for the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Twenty more years passed before he finally broke through to the Early Foundation Establishment Realm. Excitement surged, he could now attempt flight techniques with his sword. But a voice of reason stopped him. No… focus on the goal. Become stronger first.
Decades slipped by like flowing water. He persevered, reaching the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Realm, and after sixty long years, he finally made a breakthrough. Clenching his fists, Liu Xin whispered to himself, "I'm not going to disappoint you, master."
At the same time, outside the Void Realm, Lin Xuan observed quietly. Beside her, Yue awaited her master orders. Lin Xuan instructed Yue to investigate the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, inquiring about their exact arrival.
Yue, ever cautious, asked about their overall strength. "They're called the number two strongest sect in this mortal world," she said. Lin Xuan waved dismissively. "Not worthy. They're weak."
Yue muttered softly to herself, "For you, they may be weak, but in this mortal world, they are strong." Without another word, she obeyed and disappeared without a trace.
...
Inside the Void Domain, a thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. When Liu Xin appeared in the dense fog of qi, he was unrecognizable.
His long, dark hair flowed like ink against the endless qi, and his refined features were so striking that any woman would be captivated at first sight. The elegance of an Ornate Robe draped loosely around his shoulders complemented his lean, muscular frame, yet he appeared almost half-naked, as if the Void Realm itself had remolded him. Even Lin Xuan, if he could see him now, would question himself. Just how handsome is this guy?
Liu Xin's eyes glimmered with boundless ambition. He whispered in awe, "Soul Transformation Realm… I've reached the Soul Transformation Realm." Then, with a roar that echoed through the Void, he shouted, "Thanks to the cultivation method… and the endless qi of this Void Realm!"
He did not expect that he would actually reach the Soul Transformation Realm.
A flicker of disbelief crossed his mind as he contemplated the path he had taken. Could it be… the cultivation method combined with the endless qi?
He suspected that this unique method was the true key that allowed him to rise to the level of the powerhouses of the Soul Transformation Realm.
Then, his body had transformed, perfected to an astonishing degree. He could feel the power to crush cities, to manipulate the laws of nature itself.
Eager to test his newfound abilities, he attempted to manipulate nature, but to his surprise, nothing happened. The Void Realm has no laws of nature to bend because its not a world itself but a domain.
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he thought, "I'll try once I leave this place."
A sudden realization struck him inside the Void Realm, there was no Lightning Tribulation.
"If it existed here, I'm probably dead…" he whispered to himself.
He had no defensive techniques to defend himself from Lightning Tribulation yet, let alone offensive ones.
After that, fascination filled his eyes as he looked at the endless qi swirling around him.
Here, he had survived, he had grown, he had forgotten how many years he had been in the Void Realm, and now, he was ready to step into the world anew.
...
Meanwhile, in the grand hall of the Liu Family manor, panic reigned. The usually composed elders paced furiously, their brows furrowed in anxiety.
Word had spread that their young master, Liu Xin, had been kidnapped by the Han Family following the commotion at the market and then vanished without a trace.
No one knew that Liu Xin was in safe hands with Lin Xuan. The City Lord, Feng Haoran, had suppressed all rumors of the incident that day to prevent a panic over the so-called demon, leaving the Liu Family completely in the dark, and the Liu Family assumed that their Young Master had been kidnapped.
"Patriarch! The Han Family is tormenting us!" one elder exclaimed, his voice shaking with anger. "They are eager to annihilate the Liu Family!"
"That's right!" another elder barked. "They even dared to kidnap our young master Liu Xin! What kind of arrogance is this?"
The hall erupted into a heated commotion as the elders debated how to respond. Some shouted for war, others cautioned restraint, but the anger was palpable.
Patriarch Liu Xing's eyes burned with fury. He had never expected the Han Family to go so far as to kidnap his son. His first instinct was to raise arms and march on them, but he knew they would stand no chance in open conflict.
An elder spoke cautiously, yet with resolve. "Patriarch… if we cannot act now, then we must prepare for the future. Liu Hao… if he participates in the upcoming trial for the Azure Spirit Sword Sect and succeeds, he will gain the strength needed to avenge Liu Xin."
Murmurs spread among the eight elders. After a brief deliberation, they all nodded in agreement. The strategy was sound to wait, strengthen, and strike when the time was right.
Patriarch Liu Xing's gaze softened, though his eyes still held fire. "Very well," he said firmly. "Liu Hao shall enter the trial. If he becomes a disciple, the Liu Family will have its chance. Do not worry, my son Liu Xin… the Liu Family will avenge you."
For a moment, the tension in the hall eased. The elders straightened their posture, united in purpose. Though their young master was gone, hope had found a way to shine through the chaos.