In the southern region of the Spirit Realm, at the foot of Qinglan Mountain, stood Chen Family Village.
The cataclysm that had struck five years ago left an indelible mark on this once tranquil mountain village.
The giant crater in the eastern village, created by a meteorite impact, was now overgrown with weeds but still resembled a scar, reminding people of that disaster. Beside it stood a stone tablet engraved with the three bold characters "Disaster Chronicle," recording the night five years ago that had changed countless fates.
In the woodshed of Lao San Chen's home, a woman wept softly.
"It's been five years... I wonder how Xingcai is doing..." Chen Lao San's wife, Wang, wiped her tears as her rough cloth clothes became soaked with tears.
"Why bring up that disaster star!" Lao San Chen grumbled, puffing on his pipe, his brow furrowed. "If not for her, would our family have been pointed at and whispered about for five years? If that immortal hadn't taken her away back then, she would have..."
Before he could finish, commotion erupted outside, mixed with children's excited shouts: "An immortal! An immortal has arrived!"
The couple froze, then quickly rose and went outside.
Above the village, a cyan streak of light cut across the sky, slowly descending beside the meteorite crater in the eastern part. As the light dispersed, two figures appeared - one large, one small.
The larger was a green-robed Daoist with handsome features and star-like eyes, a vermilion gourd hanging at his waist, his aura ethereal and otherworldly - it was Zhao Xin, the cultivator who had taken away Chen Xingcai five years ago.
The smaller was a young girl, about five or six years old, dressed in moon-white Daoist robes, her hair styled into two small buns. Her eyes were as bright as stars, her skin as white as snow, already bearing an air of transcendence. She stood quietly beside the Daoist, calmly observing her surroundings, her gaze finally landing on the "Disaster Chronicle" stone tablet, where she frowned slightly.
"Is... is it Xingcai?!" Wang covered her mouth in disbelief, tears streaming down her face.
Lao San Chen also froze, staring blankly at the completely transformed girl, barely recognizing this as the daughter who had been considered a disaster star by the entire village and nearly abandoned five years ago.
Villagers gathered at a distance, afraid to approach, both in awe of the immortal's presence and still harboring resentment toward Chen Xingcai.
Zhao Xin scanned the crowd, his gaze falling on Lao San Chen and his wife, as he nodded slightly: "The five-year period has ended. As agreed, I have brought Xingcai back for a visit."
The scene from five years ago instantly flashed through all the villagers' minds.
That night, meteors had fallen from the sky, and heaven and earth had changed colors.
In Lao San Chen's home, the expectant mother's piercing screams had suddenly stopped. The midwife tremblingly held up a baby girl, her face filled with terror: "It's... it's a girl... but..." The baby girl didn't cry or fuss, instead opening eyes that were unusually bright, observing everything around her.
At the same time, shouts came from outside: "A meteor! A meteor has fallen on the back mountain!"
In the chaos, someone connected the disaster with the baby girl: "She brought this calamity! She's a disaster star!"
Fueled by collective anger, they nearly drowned the baby girl in her swaddling clothes.
At that critical moment, a cyan light descended from the heavens.
The green-robed Daoist Zhao Xin landed gracefully. He had been traveling thousands of miles away when he suddenly felt a strange impulse, following an unseen guidance to this place.
"This girl and I share a destiny." Zhao Xin glanced at the baby girl once, then said to Lao San Chen, "If she stays here, disaster will surely befall her.
Let me take her away. In five years, I'll bring her back to see you."
In their despair, Lao San Chen and his wife had no choice but to agree, immediately kneeling to thank the immortal for saving their daughter.
The receded like the tide.
Zhao Xin looked at the villagers before him, who were both fearful and expectant, and said with a faint smile to the young girl beside him: "Xingcai, go on."
Chen Xingcai nodded and walked lightly toward her parents.
With each step she took, faint clouds of vapor formed beneath her feet, as if untainted by the mortal world.
Wang could no longer hold back and rushed forward to hug her daughter, weeping loudly: "My child... you've suffered so..."
Lao San Chen's eyes also reddened, his lips trembling as he couldn't speak.
Chen Xingcai nodded, watching all of this as if she were an outsider.
Zhao Xin watched this scene quietly, his heart filled with emotion.
That sudden impulse five years ago had actually brought him such an outstanding disciple.
At that moment, he had been flying on his sword high in the sky when he suddenly felt his heart stir, as if an invisible force was guiding him to this mountain village. The moment he saw Chen Xingcai, he recognized her extraordinary talent. Even more peculiar was the indescribable aura of the Dao surrounding her, having an astonishing affinity with the laws of heaven and earth.
For these past five years, he had taken Chen Xingcai traveling across the world, visiting famous mountains and great rivers, teaching her the Dao while they journeyed.
The results had left him astonished.
Chen Xingcai's cultivation speed was simply unheard of.
What ordinary cultivators needed years or even decades to sense, she could absorb spiritual energy in just three days;
The bottlenecks that hindered other cultivators were like flat ground to her; in just three months, she successfully controlled objects, creating the fastest record Zhao Xin had ever known;
And even more terrifyingly, after reaching the object-controlling realm, her cultivation speed not only didn't slow down, but accelerated instead.
Just three months ago, while observing the tides of the East Sea, Chen Xingcai had suddenly gained enlightenment. Spiritual energy surged through her like a sea, and heavenly phenomena occurred frequently. She broke through to the Profound Mysteries Realm in one leap!
Profundity at age five!
Zhao Xin, having lived for twelve hundred years and read countless ancient texts, had never heard of such a terrifying cultivation speed.
"Master," Chen Xingcai said after comforting her parents, returning to Zhao Xin's side and looking up, "Can you help me see if there's any remaining meteor energy in this crater?"
Zhao Xin withdrew his thoughts and nodded: "There's no reason not to."
He waved his sleeve, and a clear light enveloped the entire crater. After a moment, he said softly: "Strange..."
"What's wrong, Master?" Chen Xingcai asked.
"There is indeed a strange residual energy in the crater, but it's completely different from ordinary iron meteors," Zhao Xin pondered. "This energy... is closer to some kind of pure primordial origin of heaven and earth, yet different."
He looked at Chen Xingcai, his gaze profound: "Perhaps, this is the reason for your extraordinary talent."
Chen Xingcai nodded thoughtfully and walked to the edge of the crater, reaching out her small hand to touch the wall.
Suddenly, something strange happened!
Azure light suddenly surged from the bottom of the crater, rushing toward her like a tide and quickly entering her body. Chen Xingcai's spiritual energy surged violently, lifting her off the ground as she was enveloped in an azure halo.
"Xingcai!" Zhao Xin exclaimed, about to intervene, but found his disciple showed no discomfort, instead showing a look of joy.
Chen Xingcai closed her eyes, feeling the continuously flowing azure energy entering her body, thinking to herself thankfully that no cultivator had noticed this place in recent years.
Zhao Xin observed intently, shocked to find this azure energy was terrifyingly boosting Chen Xingcai's cultivation. The early Profound Mysteries realm quickly stabilized and advanced toward the middle stage!
This scene also left the villagers dumbfounded. Someone was the first to kneel and kowtow, and soon the entire village was prostrating on the ground, shouting "Forgive us, immortal child!"
They finally understood that Chen Xingcai was not a disaster star, but a true reincarnation of an immortal child!
After a long time, the blue light gradually dissipated, and Chen Xingcai slowly landed, her aura several times stronger than before.
She opened her eyes, stars seeming to flow within them, and smiled at Zhao Xin: "Master, I think I've broken through again."
Zhao Xin checked and couldn't help but gasp - Profound Mystories perfection! She was just one step away from the Return to Origin realm!
This could no longer be described as merely extraordinary talent; it was clearly the favor of the Heavenly Dao!
"Good, good, good!" Zhao Xin said the word "good" three times, his face beaming with joy. "Xingcai, you truly are a person of great destiny!"
Chen Xingcai turned to face her parents and the villagers, saying softly: "Fellow villagers, the disaster five years ago had nothing to do with me, but now that I have received this opportunity, I am willing to set up a protective formation for Chen Village to ensure peace in this area, in repayment for the grace of giving me life."
With that, she formed a seal with her small hand, mobilizing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, beginning to set up a simple protective formation around the village. Her skillful technique and pure spiritual energy even made Zhao Xin nod in approval secretly.
Watching their daughter like a fairy setting up the formation, Lao San Chen and his wife wept with joy, while the villagers were overwhelmed with gratitude, not showing the slightest bit of disrespect anymore.
At sunset, after reluctantly parting with their parents and deeply thanking the villagers, Zhao Xin took Chen Xingcai and left on their swords.
Above the sea of clouds, Zhao Xin couldn't help but ask: "Xingcai, the techniques you used when setting up the formation don't seem to be what I taught you?"
Chen Xingcai tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said: "Disciple doesn't know either, it just felt like that's what I should do... as if I was born knowing how."
Zhao Xin was even more shaken in his heart, finding this disciple increasingly mysterious and unfathomable.
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