XIAO WAS FOR YOU, BROTHER

Xu Ling had once questioned.

- What if you couldn't come?

A pair of purple lips had parted without hesitation:

"Like there would ever come such a day, brother."

- It will. Eventually, the countless worlds, and among them yours, will depend on it; on you.

"Naturally, I'd still come. They've lasted this long without us, how clingy can the myriad worlds get?"

- You speak heavy words for the Head of Xiao. How unreliable.

"Xiao was for you, brother. I moved solely for it to become so."

- How selfishly selfless.

"I'll come."

- ...I'll hold you up on that vow, then.

"I walk a Path of Remembrance. If anything, my every word is a promise."

- Still, there might come the day when you'll realize you have no choice...

"I understand you won't budge, brother. Well then, I assure you, a trustworthy 'spare' is growing up well."

- You shouldn't refer to your firstborn like that, Little Lan.

"The suckers are rapidly growing in numbers. Among them too, possibly, shall also be someone worthy of the baton. Only if I'm satisfied, I might leave it to them."

- You really shouldn't refer to your descendants like that, either.

"Child of Prophecy Xu Ling."

- Xiao Lan of Xiao.

"Heed my words, brother."

- I'm listening well, little Lan.

"Xiao will always be there for you."

- You selfishly selfless fool.

"The Selfishly Selfless Fool, eh? Still better than this 'Xiao Clan Head' fade of late. So lame."

- Childe of the Qi took a while to stick when I ascended as the youngest Ageless. Perhaps, people will come to call you Childe of the Dao soon, as the youngest Immortal.

"Still bland. The good ones were all taken by the geezers. Even Blindlight has a good few…"

- Bastard Snake?

"Hehe, that one I especially favor."

- It's been six years now. The geezer still hasn't realized.

"Eheh."

- Ahahah.

"...one day."

- ...Mm?

"The day will come, I'll have one too. A Grand Monicker."

- ...I'll look forward to that day, Scion of the Bright Dragons.

"Oh, that has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? As expected of the Great Sage, we're getting somewhere..."

- now then…

"Now then."

- follow me closely, Brightfolk.

"Needn't tell me, brother."

And with that one exchange, at the border between the True Earth and the Nine Heavens, two centuries of warfare ensued.

…

A friendship that spanned decades, that would last for many centuries to come and, up to the final day, the day they finally faced Tian head on, Xiao Lan had always stayed by Xu Ling's side, always there when needed…

Somehow, always aware of his position at any given time.

Somehow, always unwavering in the face of overwhelming odds.

To the very end.

A Law as sure as the waning of the Moon.

…

A thousand years had since passed.

Xu Ling had reincarnated in the body of a young eight year old child, keeping a low profile in an even more insignificant plane of existence.

He had spent the past six months exploring its four continents and making plans during the day, while getting used to and developing the Spark at night.

On the other hand, six months ago, a great Lord in the highest of planes had actually ordered a prized Young Master of the Clan, his very own flesh and blood, to travel to a low-key plane of existence.

Coincidence?

Luck?

Cheng Hao smiled and his gaze grew unbearably melancholic under the curious prodding of the young Xiao Li.

He almost seemed to hear the energetic voice in his head... That voice that had been so peculiar, so mysterious, at first, and that with time had become the most pleasant of melodies… a melody from a thousand years ago that soothed one's very soul:

"See boss? Naturally, I knew you'd be here, in this strange-looking Sect, in this strange-looking Plane of Existence! Sorry if I was late, it took a while to reach this place as it was simply too far, you see! I hope you'll forgive me. I will always find you and save you, wherever you might be, boss! Just leave it to me... my brother!"

Cheng Hao looked up at the sky with a complicated gaze. Then, he smiled. It was a smile that looked painful yet glad at the same time. One that communicated extreme longing.

Cheng Hao wiped away the corner of his eyes with the long sleeves of his robes and then glared, a menacing expression on his face.

'There is no title worthy of you, Little Lan. I can try my hand, but only if we have the chance to meet again.'

You better not die until then.

'Now then…'

Cheng Hao smiled and patted Xiao Li's shoulder so suddenly that the other winced and almost let out a small yelp.

Shall we take a look at what's up with this little 'nephew' of yours that you so kindly sent me?

"My bad, I was in a daze! Xiao Clan... Eh, it sounded familiar. Rather, wasn't some of that supposed to be kept a secret? It felt... important."

Xiao Li visibly paused. Then, he let out a nervous chuckle, "Ah, I guess so. Somehow, it just came out."

Cheng Hao smiled.

'I'll plead guilty to that count. I almost feel bad.'

"Earlier, too. Why were you chasing me?" he faked confusion as he grilled the Xiao youth.

Of course, even without asking, the perpetrator was evident. Even what the old fart hiding his Reverend Stage must have been thinking was clear as day.

If anything, at least the geezer's faction would be eating well tonight.

"Oh... that? Well, the groundskeeper assigned me to live alongside friend Hao… at least for the duration of our stay in the Sixth Ring, that is! Of, of course, I had figured that roommates shouldn't be keeping secrets from each other, so I just went ahead and started myself! That's, truly, why I said all the confidential stuff earlier, promise!"

The green eyes awkwardly darted about at the slightest falsehood, struggling to evade his gaze.

'...We'll have a lot to work on, scion of the Brightfolk.'

"A sign of trust between roomies?" Cheng Hao magnanimously offered him an out.

At that, the emeralds glanced back, the violet eyelashes adorning them fluttering innocently. Immediately, the purple lips struggled not to curve upward at this chance.

"A sign of trust between roomies! Yes!"

Then, a thin palm reached out. "Fellow Disciple Cheng Hao, here's to a great time together."

"Likewise, you cheeky girl."

And it was with those very same words and a kind smile, that Cheng Hao grabbed at the extended palm, turned around, and fiercely slammed the Xiao youngling into the ground.

…

[Cookie's Note: Immortal Ascension Tower is the story of Cheng Hao, not Xu Ling.

On the other hand, given Xu Ling has lived for three hundred-odd years, his past is bound to come up remarkably often.

Regarding Xiao Lan, below is a better look into his character. We'll have some more insight around the thirtieth chapter (depending on how much I decide to add and cut from my backlog), but if you can't wait until then for our precious boi, the following is for you.

First off, Xu Ling and Little Lan have an age difference of roughly 26 years.

In other words, when Xu Ling first Ascended at 24 and legends about him spread across the countless planes, Xiao Lan had yet to be born.

Xiao Lan was an only child. He grew up under the care of his caring mother, who bestowed upon him the full extent of a Brightfolk's maternal love. Unfortunately, she died early, early in his childhood years. The Xiao myth of the Black Dragon King helped him understand and accept her passing.

The Young Master of Xiao, an only child, had grown up reading and rereading the tales of Xiao Long, deifying his Ancestor who had come to accept such unbearable loss and yet emerged as a Bright being, moving only for his love and for others' wellbeing.

All throughout his youth, he had heard people discuss the Child of Prophecy's ordeals as he struggled against all odds to avenge his beloved and free the world of a Tyrant. With the passing of the years, he inexplicably came to adore this person from the bottom of his heart. Something inside was telling the young Brightfolk: "Go, Xiao Lan. Be this person's moonlight."

At 16, after years of following the Child of Prophecy's escapades, he finally made a decision; he discarded his identity as future Clan Head and joined the rebels. As a Clan of loving people, though the Elders were forced to excommunicate him, no Brightfolk would leave him empty-handed; amongst other, they left him three, very precious treasures of Immortal origin, in hope they'd be able to help him brave the dangers that would come by Xu Ling's side.

A few months later, Xiao Lan somehow found his way to the rebels' secret base: this… somehow proved of little problem to him, as Xu Ling's number one stalk- ahem, fan. Needless to say, he caused a commotion in the camp when he arrived so suddenly.

A year later, in the midst of a mission, Xu Ling was cornered by Ageless Realm enemies. The Mortal Realm Xiao Lan put his life on the line to save him, barely living to tell the tale...

When Xu Ling first became an immortal (at 61), Xiao Lan (roughly 35) was still an Ageless Realm cultivator, not even ten years since his Ascension.

Still, even before Xiao Lan could catch up and Ascend to Immortality, for 22 whole years he never left the Evil Saint's side. He never needed to. Even as his opponents outclassed him on an existential level, he was that special.

Again; Immortal Ascension Tower is a tale of meteoric rise.

The main character is a peerless genius being handed over cheat trope after cheat trope: knowledge from a secret heavenly library, restarting from scratch, having connections with higher beings, the soon-to-be-revealed Spark and its secrets, etc.

But trust me when I say this; in terms of sheer talent, that's the least if our mc wishes to keep his face as the older brother.

All throughout his life, Xiao Lan stayed by the Evil Saint's side as an EQUAL.

With the stakes raised to the utmost and the mysterious Spark at play, will dear 'Xiao Li' be able to do the same?

Or even, will 'he' come to surpass them both?

Do look forward to what's to come.

Witness me,

TOJ's Cookie]