Dreams and Memories

A lone figure sat on the top of the cliff, expressionlessly observing the carnage he wrought underneath.

Long, white hair flowed down his back, almost reaching his waist. Beside him, a black greatsword was impaled into the ground, dying the deep snow red.

The icy winds were howling, but he seemed unaffected by the bitter cold. His white robes had also become mostly crimson with the amount of blood stained on them.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered as he sensed the presence of others approaching. Using his greatsword to pick himself up, his blood-red pupils stared emotionlessly as the two cultivators appeared.

It was a man and a woman.

"Are you the White Tiger of the West, Yu Tian?" The man asked, his voice trembling with anger.

Both of them were dressed neatly in clean robes. Blue and white for the male, green and black for the female. It was the sect master of the Human Sect, Dong Chen, and his wife Mei Xia.

Their names were all renowned in the Jianghu. Yu Tian was a lone cultivator who became a Saint and was feared for his combat prowess, while they were a couple who made their names by achieving the same rank and establishing the Human Sect, whose purpose was to support humanity over all the other races.

The White Tiger of the West hasn't appeared in a long time. Dong Chen and Mei Xia didn't know why he would suddenly appear, attacking fellow cultivators and their sects while supporting the demi-humans. His mindless slaughter had made him the most wanted person dead.

Yu Tian didn't reply to their question. He simply pulled his greatsword out of the snow to face them casually, splattering more gore onto the clean snow around him.

"Husband, it must be him. His physical appearance and personality fit perfectly with the descriptions." Mei Xia sneered.

Having snow-white hair and red eyes; it made Yu Tian stand out like a sore thumb.

"Why, as a fellow Saint, did you do this?" Dong Chen snarled at him while pointing to the piles of dead cultivators that Yu Tian had slaughtered.

Among them were many members of his own sect, causing his heart to bleed.

He drew his sword, sending a wave of Qi hurling towards the unaffected Yu Tian who blocked it casually with a wave of his arm. "We are all humans, so why did you destroy the sects supporting humanity? Why!"

"They hurt the people I owe a debt to, so I killed them all." Yu Tian finally gave a casual reply.

Mei Xia also drew her sword as well, enraged. "You're protecting the demi-humans? Over our race?"

"I just want to fight." Yu Tian's lips curled upwards into a small smile, devoid of any emotion. "Nothing else matters aside from cultivation. This is my dao path."

Roaring, Dong Chen and Mei Xia flew into the air with their weapons pointed towards him. Their swords began to glow with red and blue Qi respectively. "Die!"

Yu Tian also flew into the air with his black greatsword, preparing to meet their strike. White Qi converged around his body into solid armour resembling a full body knight's plate. "Entertain me."

Clashing, the force from their exchange caused a huge shockwave that caused snow to crash down from the nearby mountains. The cliff that Yu Tian had been sitting on was also completely shattered from the impact.

Each following strike was a wave of unfathomable force and speed. Yu Tian matched them blow for blow with his large weapon.

Dong Chen and Mei Xia grimaced.

Their opponent was extremely fast. This was their first encounter with the White Tiger of the West, and his speed was the highest out of any opponent they've faced.

[Alpha Force]

Blinking out of sight, Yu Tian launched 4 simultaneous strikes that repelled and knocked back the duo. The resonating pressure caused a huge explosion of snow behind them that blurred all visibility of the battlefield.

The snow dust eventually cleared. Both Dong Chen and Mei Xia also had Qi armour surrounding their bodies which protected them from the impact. What they had was of the standard design while Yu Tian's armour was foreign to them.

Placing their swords together, the husband and wife began to converge their Qi into a huge sphere.

"[Song of Fire and Ice]!"

Intense pressure began to be built up from the surroundings. Two elemental dragons of red and blue emerged from the sphere, roaring and charging at Yu Tian.

Yu Tian's red pupils glowed, causing him to see the future path of the incoming attack. "[Eyes of Eternity]."

His figure blinked in various directions to try to dodge it. However, the dragons eventually curved above him and struck downwards, forcing him to block.

A large explosion occurred, causing Yu Tian to crash down hard onto the ground below.

"Even my eyes couldn't help me dodge it." Launching out of the snow, Yu Tian spat out a stream of blood. His Qi armor sizzled with a noticeable hole that pierced through, attempting to reapir itself.

Yu tian was grinning, but his eyes were devoid of expression.

Their cultivation levels were all the same, but it was a two against one. Not only that, being husband and wife meant Dong Chen and Mei Xia also had near perfect synergy with one another.

Yu Tian launched himself towards the couple again, swinging his greatsword sideways. A powerful wave of lightning Qi arced towards them from the blade, expanding into a circle emitting numerous sparks.

[Shockwave]

The sect master of the Human Sect remained calm while drawing symbols on the air with his sword, moving in front of his wife.

"[Dao Mirror]." A huge, rotating barrier containing countless symbols appeared and easily absorbed the attack.

Seeing that it had no effect, Yu Tian shot a wave of ice Qi at his opponents this time, shaped into numerous spears. Unfortunately, the barrier swallowed up the attack again.

Yu Tian kept swinging, alternating between waves of lightning and ice that continued to have no effect on the barrier. Dong Chen and Mei Xia began to laugh, mocking him. "This is the so-called War Saint?"

Performing a hand sign, Dong Chen's barrier fired off a scorching beam of light. "Reflect!"

[Eyes of Eternity]!

Yu Tian's red pupils flashed again and he saw it coming, but Mei Xia dashed to a blind spot and forced him to block an otherwise fatal strike to his heart.

"Ugh." The laser pierced through Yu Tian's Qi armour and his leg, causing the wound to burn and make him fall from the air.

Following up, Mei Xia swung a second time, cutting through the Qi and deeply into Yu Tian's back. This caused Yu Tian to crash down a second time into the deep snow.

"Are you not entertained?" Dong Chen taunted as his wife reappeared beside him. "Today will be the date of your death, White Tiger of the West!"

Putting their swords together, the couple once again created a sphere of red and blue Qi. "[Song of Fire and Ice]!"

The dragons emerged again, launching towards the location from where Yu Tian landed. A massive explosion ensued, causing the present crater in the ground to widen greatly.

Suddenly, they heard chuckling, before it turned to laughter as their vision cleared.

Yu Tian crawled out of the snow, bleeding in multiple areas. His black greatsword had transformed into a long spear, and he used it to support himself.

"Try your best to kill me then." Yu Tian wore a bloody smile. Even his white hair was stained with red from his own blood.

He had been at this bottleneck for so long, but a fight with strong opponents had finally loosened the lid. If he couldn't breakthrough right now, the other Saints would kill him for sure.

It was exhilarating.

Enlightenment poured into his mind which he chanted breathlessly. "There is no true good or evil, and there is no righteous or demonic path. Power does not equal strength."

"What's he doing?" Mei Xia stared warily at Yu Tian whose eyes were now closed.

Their opponent seemed so fragile as if the wind could easily topple him over. Blood continued to gush onto the snow from his deep injuries.

"He's at his last breath, let's finish him." Dong Chen was unremorseful as he charged.

Blood splattered everywhere as his sword impaled cleanly through Yu Tian's chest.

The sect master then sent his Qi inside the wound to annihilate Yu Tian from the inside, destroying his meridians and blood vessels. The white-haired man collapsed lifelessly onto the snow.

Out of respect for a fellow saint, Dong Chen would let his body remain intact. "Farewell."

Pulling out his weapon, he returned to his wife's side as they prepared to bury all of the deceased Human Sect members. Dong Chen had finally avenged the people that died by Yu Tian's hand.

"Hey." A familiar voice caused them to freeze in their tracks. "This fight isn't over yet."

With a huge hole gaping from his chest, Yu Tian slowly stood up. A visible dark aura surrounded his body, concentrating into his right arm.

His opponents stared in horror as his chest wound began to close at an astonishingly rapid rate. "H-How is this possible?"

They could feel the dread in the air, thick enough to be cut with a blade. Yu Tian's current form sent chills gripping onto the couple's hearts.

Saint rank was the highest cultivation level known in the entire continent. To see their opponent suddenly breakthrough past this rank was not only shocking, but also terrifying.

They've never encountered or heard about this situation. All humans are terrified of the unknown.

The healing process was painful, but Yu Tian was more surprised to see that his breakthrough was rather quiet. When one broke through to the Saint rank, powerful Qi waves were emitted throughout the continent, acting as a message to all cultivators that a new Saint was born.

This time, breaking past the Saint rank was as quiet as can be, as if nothing had happened. He wonders what rank would he be considered as now.

Two cries interrupted his train of thought. Dong Chen and Mei Xia charged at him again, swords extended. "Die!"

[Eyes of Eternity]

Yu Tian's red pupils glowed and he launched towards them with the black spear.

This time, the husband and wife could no longer match Yu Tian's strikes. Not only has he gotten faster, but the aura of black surrounding his body was disrupting their flow of Qi somehow.

It crawled towards them, with the black energy seemingly to devour their Qi hungrily.

"[Song of Fire and Ice]!" Retreating, they shot two elemental dragons at Yu Tian again.

Instead of dodging, Yu Tian poured his Qi into his black spear, causing it to radiate with the same dark aura.

[???]

He threw it with all his strength at the two intercoiling dragons, piercing through both at once.

[Dao Mirror]

"What is that technique?" Dong Chen attempted to block the supersonic projectile, but he couldn't cast it in time to block the attack that was heading for his wife. "No!"

"Ah!" Mei Xia screamed as the spear continued to travel, impaling her through the stomach.

Spinning, the black spear turned back into a greatsword while inside her body, effectively gutting her when Yu Tian recalled his weapon. Scarlet blood scattered into the air.

"Mei Xia!" Dong Chen screamed as he caught her falling body. He looked on in horror, unable to help his lover close the wound.

Mei Xia smiled weakly at her husband. She raised a bloody hand to lovingly stroke Dong Chen's cheek with her remaining strength.

Still holding Mei Xia, Dong Chen was panicked as he tried every means to save her. Nothing was working, not even after all the medicines he pulled out and used.

Yu Tian smiled serenely as well. He snapped his fingers, willing his Qi to tear the woman apart from the inside. "Detonate."

Mei Xia exploded, covering the sect master's face and body in blood mist. Dong Chen was stunned, spitting out heart blood once he realized what had happened.

"No! No!" He screamed brokenheartedly.

Overcome with grief, Dong Chen charged and swung at Yu Tian madly, losing all common sense. "You monster!"

[Alpha Force]

Casually moving past him, Yu Tian's invisible strikes punctured through his opponent's body. Dong Chen saw the world spinning upside down, his vision turning black.

A soft thump was heard from the head landing in the snow.

Dual cultivators were strong, but once one was removed from the equation, their strength diminished greatly. Having a breakthrough made Yu Tian a rank ahead, making it easy for him to dispatch the other once he killed the first.

Expressionless again, Yu Tian stared at the ruined battlefield. He was unempathetic towards the killing of the husband and wife, nor the piles of cultivators he slaughtered prior.

He tried taking a few steps. Yu Tian's chest wound was closed, but the damage in his body was still too great.

Coughing out blood, he fell to his knees and landed in the soft snow face-first, dropping his weapon.

The world began to darken around him.

...

"This dream..."

Yu Tian's eyes opened in the dark bedroom. He truly remembered very little from his past life, yet he didn't know the reason why.

Only able to think of bits and pieces, dreams like this were the only reminders of who he was back then, making him feel complicated. Yu Tian wasn't able to recall what happened before he arrived on the Ninth Heaven either.

Shifting a bit, he winced in pain as his backside came into contact with the hard bed.

The former god remembered how he broke the awakening stone and pissed the entire clan off. Li You Zi had sentenced him to 40 paddles, leaving his back and bottom bloodied and bruised.

Since his physical body was still a child, Yu Tian couldn't maintain consciousness from the punishment and had passed out for a few days. They most likely had the servants drag him back to his room and lay him on his stomach.

Trying to get up, Yi Tian was startled when Li Mei Ling suddenly burst into the room. His heartstrings tugged as he saw the tearful expression on her face.

Being busy with managing clan affairs, she had rushed back immediately when she heard the news of Yu Tian being punished. Li Mei Ling didn't care about the possibility of Celestial Academy not helping their clan anymore.

Her son meant the world to her. That man did too, but Li Mei Ling didn't know if she'd be able to ever see him again.

"My poor baby." Hugging him, Yu Tian was unable to stop his heartbroken mother as she stripped his shirt and pants off. The former god was embarrassed as his naked butt and little brother came into plain view.

Seeing the wounds, Li Mei Ling began to cry even more. "It was only a stupid stone, and they hurt you like this. Your mother will make them pay!"

"No mom, stop." Yu Tian knew his mother had no cultivation.

She was beautiful and intelligent, capable of accounting and running diagnostics in the clan businesses, but had no talent in condensing Qi due to a rare body condition.

"I'm alright, and I did do something wrong." Hugging onto her arm, he prevented Li Mei Ling from doing anything rash.

Seeing her child's pleading, Li Mei Ling's anger slowly deflated into sadness. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Yu Tian didn't want to see her sad. It was mostly flesh wounds, only stinging because his body hasn't been tempered yet. "No, I'm a lot fine now mother. Really."

Observing her son's expression, Li Mei Ling sighed. She felt that he was lying, but Yu Tian was doing so for her sake. "Lie back on your stomach. Mother will go fetch some medicine."

Seeing her leave, Yu Tian frowned. He felt complicated again from how much Li Mei Ling cared for him.

"At the very least, I will focus on cultivation enough so that I can protect her." Yu Tian promised himself.

...

"Yan Yu, what is the matter?" Long Qing Yuan asked. The lass had requested to speak to him immediately once she returned from the trip.

His best student was sent on the journey this time to Stardust City in his place, due to him being busy setting up the next inter-academy competition.

As a senior instructor in Celestial Academy, he was also on great terms with Li You Zi, the Li family's patriarch. Being unable to help them do their annual aptitude test, Long Qing Yuan sent Yan Yu instead.

They had established a lifelong friendship at a young age. A malevolent boar had rampaged through the villages they lived in, and both of them had only been Qi Warriors at the time.

The malevolent boar was a rank 3 demonic beast, meaning its strength was at the rank of Dou General. A rank 4 demonic beast would be equal to the combat prowess of War Master, rank 5 War Grandmaster, and so on.

Since the demonic beast was 1 rank higher than both of their cultivations, Long Qing Yuan and Li You Zi worked together to fight it for over a day and a half, eventually knocking it off a cliff.

Finally, the beast had succumbed to its injuries, and they shared the spoils equally.

Reminiscing about the old days, Long Qing Yuan wore a satisfied smile. The old instructor finally noticed Yan Yu's depressed expression. "Did something happen?"

"I'm sorry, mentor." The beautiful girl brought out the broken awakening stone.

Long Qing Yuan was stunned as he carefully observed the shattered pieces. Awakening stones weren't like glass. They were refined and moulded from spirit stones.

Although the tool was transparent like a glass ball, the strength and durability of the awakening stone would be equal to the hardest crystal. Unless one intentionally used sharp or heavy blunt objects to hit it continuously, the awakening stone wouldn't be damaged.

To destroy it in this manner though, even a War Grandmaster would have a hard time replicating the same feat.

"Yan Yu, how did it break?" Long Qing Yuan asked, stroking his beard.

Explaining the story, the old instructor's eyes lit up as Yan Yu explained the sequence of events. The last child had put his hand onto the awakening stone, causing flashes of bright light before the sphere suddenly shattered.

"That's why the awakening stone is broken now." Yan Yu sadly murmured.

Celestial Academy had only three awakening stones. One was kept by the headmaster himself, while the other two were allowed to be borrowed by the instructors for various purposes.

It costs nearly a fortune to have an alchemist produce another. Once the news spread that Yan Yu had borrowed it under Long Qing Yuan's name and had gotten it destroyed, things would become bad for her.

She expected Long Qing Yuan to be enraged by the precious tool breaking, immediately taking her to the punishment hall. However, her mentor merely stayed in deep thought.

"You're certain it was because he put his hand on it and then it broke?" The old instructor asked, in which Yan Yu nodded in response.

"Li Yu Tian. That boy..." Long Qing Yuan contemplated. "You say his martial spirit was... A cat?"

Yan Yu described the cute little kitten in detail. "There was no aura emitting from it, so I feel it's the lowest grade of martial spirit."

Remembering an archived book in the academy library, a flash of inspiration sparked from Long Qing Yuan's eyes. He had completed a thesis on this very subject years ago, on why sometimes awakening stones couldn't measure one's martial aptitude accurately.

Cultivators are typically born with only one martial spirit, but historically...

"I need some time to research something. In the meantime, keep the news quiet on the awakening stone being broken." He commanded Yan Yu.

Long Qing Yuan then smiled, surprising the girl. "In a few days, let's head back to Stardust City. I would like to meet this boy."