Prism

As they crossed the threshold, an imposing curtain of water blocked their path. The Primordial Disintegration Fluid was a crystal-clear green; it looked like ordinary water that anyone would drink from a fountain, but a faint hissing sound revealed its danger.

Su Tiayu pressed the palm of his hand against the stone wall. Immediately, the relief of a whirlpool dimly lit up beneath his fingers as it recognized his imprint. With a dull creak, the dense cascade of acid slid to one side until it disappeared completely into a recess, clearing the way.

They walked to the center of the water prison and finally set down the wheelbarrow. The disciples stepped back two paces, following Su Tiayu's instructions.

Su Tiayu kept looking at Zi Yuexi for a little while longer before turning around.

"That's all…" He gestured to his disciples with his hand. "It's time to leave."

"Yes!"

They lowered their heads and followed him.

As they left, the shutters of Primordial Disintegration Fluid closed once again, forming a circular prison that left Zi Yuexi confined within a small space, preventing her from leaving.

The place smelled of dampness and scorched earth. Zi Yuexi moved a finger stiffly; her entire body ached, and she could barely move. She raised her hand with difficulty toward her abdomen, dragging it upward until she finally removed the cloth covering her face.

She slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was slightly blurry, and she struggled to focus. She had regained consciousness when they crossed the training courtyard.

Her hands inevitably went to her forehead, where her Jing was, to check it. It had shrunk considerably.

"Completely empty," she spoke through clenched teeth. "I could almost pass for a mortal if it weren't for the fact that I can cultivate again."

With all her willpower, she forced herself to sit up. The wheelbarrow let out a squeak. She brought both hands to her face and rubbed it.

She let out a long sigh of frustration. She crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand, reflecting on what she should do.

"As long as the case remains open, they're obligated to keep me alive, but I don't think they'll sit idly by for much longer," she murmured to herself.

She straightened her hunched posture and assumed the lotus position, taking a deep breath. The smell of confinement made her wrinkle her nose.

She had already been imprisoned for a very long time. It was supposed to be something normal; she simply couldn't endure it anymore.

With the little spiritual energy she had left, she took the Jing out from her forehead. It was easy to do as long as it was her own spiritual energy; if it were someone else's, she would easily die.

Zi Yuexi closed her eyes, making a great effort to relax her entire body. Her fingers tightened around the Jing gem. She felt a tingling sensation as the energy traveled through her meridians until it gathered between the center of her eyebrows.

Some time passed, but nothing happened. Her internal energy was taking far too long to respond.

"This is…" She opened her eyes. She blinked once, then twice, discouraged, and collapsed onto the wheelbarrow.

"I…" She looked at the rocky ceiling of her prison, letting out a sigh with a heavy heart. "Definitely have no talent…"

Her thoughts moved quickly as she examined her options. She had no materials to create a breakthrough pill; the situation was complicated.

She climbed down from the wheelbarrow lazily, sitting as comfortably as possible. She used her fingernails to draw on the dusty floor of the prison while analyzing her options.

"The materials to make an elixir are expensive. Not to mention that, even though I was in a sect, unfortunately I'm imprisoned. If I gave them important information, there would be no guarantee that they would fulfill my request."

She crossed out the first option with an X and continued writing.

"I have no talent, I have no materials, and I can't kill to steal other people's Jing by myself…"

She was in a complicated and very uncomfortable situation. She clicked her tongue. Being in this situation didn't mean she had no other option. No matter how unorthodox it was, she simply didn't care in the slightest.

She placed her Jing gem back on her forehead. She ran a finger across her lips thoughtfully. Without hesitating any longer, she bit her finger, feeling a slight sting before blood began to flow.

…

Inside the main hall of the Heavenly Cloud Sect.

Lin Xianhe stood before the Grand Master, giving him the report on how, when, and why they had brought Zi Yuexi back for the fourth time.

He answered every question the Grand Master asked him, such as: What was the dungeon like? Were they able to see anything more? What really happened?

Lin Xianhe gave the same answer every time: that the dungeon was very dark, that almost nothing could be seen. Other than that, they had simply seen her, confirmed her identity, and taken her away.

The Grand Master frowned slightly as he listened to her. No matter how many times he heard the same report, it seemed more suspicious each time.

"Very well… you may leave."

He dismissed Lin Xianhe lazily.

She looked at him for a moment before taking a step forward. It wasn't like her to voice her opinion, but she felt obligated to do so.

"I'm sorry, sir, if you'll allow me…" Her eyebrows drew together slightly as she spoke. "I think there's something hidden behind all of this."

The Grand Master raised his gaze toward her. He had the same feeling; he simply couldn't prove it.

He returned to his documents, organizing them.

"What is the reason?" he asked casually, with a slight frown.

"She was imprisoned with several… seals to prevent her from leaving. Perhaps she's hiding something."

The Grand Master shook his head.

"I understand your concern, but even if she had been a threat, she would have already done something to avoid being sealed. But it was the opposite."

He massaged his temples with poorly concealed frustration.

"It felt as though she was waiting for me to do it. Forget it. Don't think about it anymore. You may leave."

Lin Xianhe wanted to say more. Her lips pressed into a thin line from helplessness, but in the end she remained silent and gave a bow.

"Yes, Master…" she murmured in a very soft voice before turning around and leaving.

The Grand Master leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling of his private study with a sigh.

He would have to review all of Zi Yexue's records once again. Perhaps, even if there was only the slightest possibility, he would find some clue that would lead him to Zi Yuexi.

Everything was far too complicated. He lazily rested a hand on a scroll and, without meaning to, caused them all to fall.

The scrolls scattered across the floor. One in particular rolled a little farther away.

Lin Xianhe, who was about to open the door, stopped. She looked over her shoulder to see the mess and the exhausted expression on her Sect Master's face.

With a long sigh, she walked over to him with slow, respectful steps, placing the scrolls onto her arm.

The Grand Master snapped out of his daze for a moment and straightened up, looking at the mess he had made by accident. He felt somewhat guilty for having to receive help from one of his disciples because of his exhaustion.

"Let me help you," she finally murmured, standing up to pick up the nearby scrolls.

A few minutes later, they placed all the papers back on the desk.

"Thank you very much for your help," the Sect Master said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"It's nothing, Master. I…" Her gaze suddenly fell upon an old scroll in the corner of the table. "Wait, that one is missing."

The Sect Master looked at the scroll his disciple was pointing at, recognizing it immediately.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise."

Lin Xianhe picked up the scroll, which was large and thick, with a puzzled expression. She didn't quite recognize it, but it seemed very important.

The Sect Master walked over and carefully took it from Lin Xianhe's hands with a smile.

"Tell me, Xian-er, do you know the legend of the one who created the world you live in?"

Lin Xianhe thought about it for a moment, recalling it before nodding.

"According to the legend, it was thanks to the founder Bai Xue that we possess the power of Jing, giving life to this world."

The Sect Master's smile became extremely gentle; he even seemed a little happy. He turned toward the desk and, despite having no time to waste, unrolled the scroll.

On the scroll, the story began with a drawing of the starry sky: an infinite galaxy filled with millions of stars.

A small sphere lay among the brightest stars. Up close, it could have seemed like just another planet among millions of planets, but this one was different.

It was a sphere that seemed to illuminate that lonely and dark place. That small sphere remained motionless for a very long time.

As he continued unrolling the scroll, blurry reflections of what appeared to be hands carefully surrounded the sphere. The hands moved around it as though they were shaping it. It was a most strange scene.

"Grand Master?" Lin Xianhe was confused as she looked at the drawing. She didn't understand its meaning.

The Sect Master let out a soft chuckle before patting her on the head, gently stroking it as if she were a little girl.

"At the beginning of time, the world we lived in was a wild land where humanity stood at the bottom of the food chain. We couldn't speak, we could barely eat; everything was very harsh back then." He paused, looking at the scroll for a long moment. "Then the heavens sent us a gift."

…

Zi Yuexi lightly brushed away the dust with her free hand so the blood wouldn't dry too quickly. With quick movements, she first traced a circle. She drew a sphere; beneath it, a hand with crossed fingers and seven stars around it.

It was the same symbol that had been in the training field, only with one difference: a few lines surrounding the circle. With those lines at its sides, it looked strange.

Zi Yuexi was weak and pale from the loss of blood. Her spiritual energy gathered at her fingertips. It was so scarce that she had no choice but to sacrifice a little more, despite her already fragile health.

"Prism…" she murmured softly. "Come to me."

The circle glowed faintly. At first, there were only faint glimmers of light illuminating the circle, until flashes appeared within the sphere above the crossed fingers.

A pheasant the size of a puppy was curled up on the ground. Its wings moved gently by reflex.

"Why are you still asleep?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to one side, confused as to why it was still asleep.

She brought one of her pale, slightly trembling fingers closer to touch the bird. It was a mystical bird made of Jing stones with multicolored reflections; only its beak was black and completely undecorated.

Without any warning, just as she was about to touch it, it bit her without causing her any harm.

The bird slightly opened one eye, looking Zi Yuexi up and down before raising its beautiful wings, which creaked as they flapped.

"Who do you think you're touching, brat?" The bird struggled to stand up, moving its wings instinctively.

"You!" It tilted its head slightly, unconsciously imitating Zi Yuexi. "Who are you? How were you able to summon me?" It pointed one of its claws at her, almost as if it were directly accusing her.

Zi Yuexi pointed at the drawing she had made to summon it, causing Prism to inevitably look down.

For a moment, everything fell silent. Prism's eyes widened completely in astonishment.

Before it could scream, Zi Yuexi hugged it to keep it from making any sound. Drops of blood fell from her arm because the pheasant was made of Jing, whose edges were as sharp as diamond.

She placed a finger over its beak to signal Prism to stay quiet.

"Why were you about to scream?" she asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

The bird was completely petrified, staring at Zi Yuexi as if it had seen a ghost.

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