51 A HAZY RECOLLECTION PLANTS THE SEED OF HOPE: sONE YEAR!s (1/2)

In its first decade, Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect experienced unprecedented growth and soon its reputation allowed it to be mentioned on the same level as any superpower of the other four continents. At the end of those ten years, after countless arrangements to make sure the Sect would be able to thrive for the following centuries, Light-Shadow Ancestor willingly entered eternal sleep, buried within the depths of the Sect Head's Tower.

Like so, as the centuries passed, other powers occasionally faced danger or enjoyed the occasional bliss, some falling and some rising, and among them, thanks to Light-Shadow Ancestor's arrangements, Mysterious Light-Shadow prevailed as a soaring dragon that never bowed its head and never suffered a loss!

Greatest Sect of the Western Continent, proudly flaunting its power as greatest among the top powers of the world and its status as the Sect founded by the world's most powerful cultivator to date: it was none other than the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect of the Western Continent!

With a never seen before array of nine Protectors with Reverend Stage fighting power, it currently could be said to be approaching a level never seen before since it was under the guidance of the Ancestor, overlord of a whole continent.

The nine protectors each had their own quarters in the First Ring: there, were a total of nine tall towers of the most extravagant shapes, each occupying a region of the first ring varying in size in accordance to the Protector's spot. The one ranked first among the nine in the last contest was assigned the greatest area and the greater amount of resources, while the opposite could be said for the last ranked one. A part of the resources would be used by the Protector themselves, while the other would be given away to the Alliances that had submitted to that same Protector.

At that time, a gray-robed, hooded figure appeared before one of the tall towers accompanied by the flickering of firefly-like crystal shards; The building was fifth-ranked Protector Shui Jing's, a many-hundred-foot-tall pillar of azure gemstone.

With a creak, a pair of gigantic doors slid open enough to grant the hooded person's passage.

Step, step, step…

SLAM!!!

The gray-robed hooded silhouette walked into the entrance hall of the tall tower completely made out of light blue crystals, their entry accompanied by the deafening sound of the humongous gateway slamming shut and a faint echo of their light steps. Swish: with a delicate motion, the figure removed the voluminous hood revealing the attractive appearance of a young girl. The youthful beauty raised her head up, her droopy gray eyes glancing around with an expressionless gaze as she walked forward. In the middle of the room were the first steps of a spiral stairway that went all the way to the top of the tower from its base, counting hundreds of steps.

As she looked around and her gaze fell on the walls of gemstone reflecting the moonlight, the beautiful maiden couldn't help but come to a halt. Witnessing her silhouette reflected onto the flickering crystal, the girl's dull-gray, droopy eyes couldn't help but narrow imperceptibly. She silently observed the glimmering surface and her hands curled up into fists, clenching slightly. With gritted teeth hidden below a calm exterior, she glanced wrathfully at the glistening azure surface.

Mine…

All this should have been mine!

Despite her wrathful thoughts however, the ashen-haired beauty hurriedly wiped any trace of dissatisfaction and fury from within her expression and began her long climb up the never-ending flight of stairs.

Due to her circumstances, she had forced herself to develop an incredibly sensitive consciousness when it came to foreign Will strands. Be it because of her 3,000-foot pillar starting talent as a Crystalline Featherdrake Sensed Qi, or the fact that she would rather spend time on practicing that sensitivity instead of cultivating so as to delay her cultivation breakthroughs as much as possible, her manipulation and sensitivity over Will had reached a standard of an Ageless Realm cultivator in its early stages. As soon as she had stepped into the crystal tower, her extremely sharp consciousness had easily discovered a frightening Will strand observing her every move.

The beauty ascended the spiral steps with an indifferent gaze, eventually coming to a stop in front of a second set of humongous doors. She lightly knocked.

”Come in, Te Rin. I have been waiting for you.” The reply came swiftly as a middle-aged man's voice, his tone exuding calmness and reliability as well as a trace of mature charm: this was Fifth Protector Shui Jing's voice.

It was the one voice Te Rin, the ashen-haired gray-eyed beauty, hated with all her heart… It was the voice of the person that had stolen her fortune and doomed her bright future to be but a whimsical dream!

Te Rin breathed in and out to calm down. Then, she stepped into the room.

Standing with his back straight and a tome in his hand was a man in his late fifties. He had a head full of azure hair, the hue fading into white at the roots. A pair of sharp eyes and a straight nose adorned his face that still retained a trace of handsomeness and youth despite being relatively late in his years. His lips were semi-transparent and had the texture of glass, while a gem in the shape of a winged snake and emitting a pale blue glow was embedded in between his thin eyebrows. He wore azure robes interwoven with silvery words on the back, namely ”Fifth Protector – 'Crystalline Featherdrake' Shui Jing”. A strand pressure akin to that one would feel at the depth of the ocean brushed by Te Rin, as if a reminder, before being recalled back in his body that, in Advanced Stage Te Rin's eyes, now appeared to be as tall as a mountain.

The titles of each Protector were mostly wordplays on their names, or reflected accomplishments and cultivation methods worthy of notice. In the case of Shui Jing, it was none other than his extremely rare Sensed Qi that granted him part of the abilities of the Crystalline Featherdrake. A few years earlier, in a tournament between many Sects' upper echelons, he had manipulated the very crystal tower Te Rin was currently standing on into a feathered dragon, suppressing his opponent with ease. At that time, Shui Jing's cultivation had been at the High Level Sung Stage and his opponent a powerhouse of the Peak Sung Stage. Following his victory and the impressive 'Crystalline Featherdrake Manipulation', as Shui Jing had announced back then, he was then accepted amongst the ranks of the Sect's at the time Eight Protectors, becoming the one ranked ninth in terms of cultivation alone with the title 'Crystalline Featherdrake'. Before long, thanks to the huge boost to his talent granted to him by Te Rin's advancements to Basic Stage and Advanced Stage, he consecutively broke through to the Reverend Stage and became the Protector ranked Fifth.

Of course, Shui Jing, the cultivator with a cultivation base at the Reverend Stage that ranked fifth among the Sect's nine Protectors, had originally been a mere Gemstone Sparrow Sensed Qi cultivator, nowhere even near to being close to the legendary Crystalline Featherdrake. Unknown to the world, the REAL Crystalline Featherdrake was actually his apprentice, Te Rin!

And yet, doomed to be forever unbeknownst to them, together with her talent and future, he had also snatched away her identity! No wonder the girl's rage would burn so strongly that every moment of her life she would dream of cutting his throat and carve out that Featherdrake insignia on his forehead!