The Floating Cloud Pavilion stood atop the ethereal Sea-Crystal Peak, suspended in mist and clouds that never cleared, even under the scorching noon sun. It was said that this mountain was not born of the earth but descended from the skies during an ancient tribulation, blessed by the heavens and nourished by stardust. Its peaks were veined with spiritual jade and flowed with heavenly dew, making it an ideal place for cultivation.
As Li Yi followed Yue Chan into the outer boundary of the sect, the very air changed.
Thin spiritual mist wound through the trees like living serpents, and ancient stones embedded in the earth hummed softly with natural energy. Cranes of silver and white flew across the skies, their feathers glowing faintly. Waterfalls hung in midair, their droplets reversing direction with every passing minute.
It was a realm of its own.
Unlike the chaotic mortal regions of the Xuan Realm, the Floating Cloud Pavilion exuded silence, clarity, and untouchable majesty.
Yue Chan walked ahead, silent but graceful, her long white robes fluttering with every step. Though she looked no older than twenty, her cultivation had already reached the Nascent Soul – Late Stage. She was considered one of the youngest peak disciples in the sect, a future candidate for Sect Master.
"Where are we going?" Li Yi asked.
"To the Inner Pavilion." Yue Chan didn't look back. "Since you bear the Altar's mark and hold the Matriarch's token, you won't need to go through the usual disciple trials. But that doesn't mean your path will be easy."
"I don't expect it to be," Li Yi replied calmly.
"Good," she said.
They arrived at a jade staircase spiraling upward into clouds. Floating talismans formed a glowing path as Yue Chan activated them with a flick of her sleeve. The staircase allowed only those acknowledged by the Pavilion's will to ascend.
Halfway up, Yue Chan turned to him. "After today, I won't guide you again. In the Pavilion, strength is everything. Do not rely on favors. Survive by your own means."
She didn't wait for an answer. By the time Li Yi reached the top, she had vanished.
A figure stood at the gate to the Inner Pavilion. He was tall, dressed in golden robes with a silver badge on his chest. His hair was braided with a thin string of beast tendons, and his arms bore bracers carved with totemic runes.
Inner Disciple – Core Formation – Mid Stage.
He looked at Li Yi with a smirk. "You're the altar brat, huh?"
Li Yi said nothing.
"I'm Duan Lin, Outer Pavilion's best before I moved up. Looks like you skipped your turns. Let's see how long you last."
The man stepped aside but whispered as Li Yi passed, "Watch your back. This place eats the weak."
Li Yi's gaze sharpened slightly but he didn't reply.
The Floating Cloud Pavilion's inner sect was vast—more like a city built on a suspended mountain. Bridges carved of crystal linked floating islands, and large pavilions hovered in formation, each guarded by spirit beasts and ancient formations. Disciples flew across on swords or stepped through teleportation plates.
As Li Yi walked through the main plaza, gazes turned to him.
"That's the altar boy?"
"I heard the staircase turned gold…"
"They say he's not from any known lineage."
Li Yi ignored them. Their chatter was noise—meaningless to him. He knew that envy, curiosity, and malice were three blades that followed the chosen.
A senior disciple arrived soon after, a woman in violet robes with twin crescent earrings. Her aura was refined, precise.
Inner Disciple – Core Formation – Late Stage.
"I am Elder Disciple Bai Qing. You've been assigned to the Seventh Sky Hall. Follow me."
They flew on talismans toward a secluded peak ringed by protective arrays and surrounded by floating training fields. A grand pagoda of nine levels stood at the center, each level glowing with formations.
"This will be your residence," Bai Qing said, landing before the pagoda. "You will receive one technique scroll, a spirit-gathering pill, and access to the Azure Training Hall for three days each month."
Li Yi bowed slightly. "Understood."
Bai Qing observed him a moment longer. "The Pavilion doesn't believe in rules for the gifted. You'll either rise fast—or die quietly. We won't interfere."
With that, she vanished.
Alone now, Li Yi stepped into his new quarters. The inside was simple but layered with spiritual energy. An array gathered essence into a central pool that filled the chamber with dense qi. As he sat cross-legged beside the spirit pool, he finally allowed his body to relax.
For the first time since awakening the altar mark, he had a moment to reflect.
He looked at his hands. Traces of golden threads pulsed under his skin. His meridians had undergone a subtle transformation. Whatever the altar had awakened, it was continuing to evolve.
> "The Path of the Unbound Origin…"
He hadn't yet understood the full meaning. But instinct told him that his foundation was no longer bound by one method or Dao. He could walk multiple paths—and merge them.
That night, he reviewed the Pavilion's basic cultivation technique scroll—Flowing Cloud Scripture, a movement and internal qi method designed to harmonize with the mountain's natural rhythms.
It was efficient, but shallow. For ordinary cultivators, it was a treasure. For him, it was a toy.
Instead, he closed his eyes and listened inward. The altar flame within him pulsed, and from that light came words—not in voice, but essence.
> "Gather the energies of body, mind, and soul. Strip away division. Refine the Core of Chaos."
As the night deepened, Li Yi entered into a meditative state unlike any other he'd experienced. The stars shifted, and spiritual light gathered over the peak, drawn to his core.
By morning, he had stabilized his breakthrough.
Li Yi – Foundation Establishment – Late Stage.
Only three days had passed since he left Azure Cloud Valley.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the Pavilion's restricted archives…
Two elders sat beneath the Grand Star Lantern, examining an ancient scroll that now glowed in reaction to Li Yi's altar flame.
"He bears the Unbound Origin Mark," one said grimly. "That hasn't appeared since the Celestial War."
"He's not just a reincarnated soul. His bloodline is reacting to divine laws."
"The God Realm…"
The elders fell silent.
---
Back at the Seventh Sky Hall, Li Yi stepped outside his quarters, only to be met by a group of inner disciples blocking the path.
Duan Lin stood at the front, smirking.
"You've stirred too many waters, altar boy," he said. "We don't like outsiders with no origin suddenly taking the spotlight."
Behind him were three other disciples, all Core Formation – Early Stage, wearing mocking smiles.
Li Yi glanced at them.
"I'll give you one chance," Duan Lin said. "Bow. Swear loyalty to my cultivation faction. I might let you live peacefully."
Li Yi didn't reply. Instead, he stepped forward.
Duan Lin's eyes narrowed. "So be it."
In a flash, the four launched attacks—sword lights, pressure blasts, and flame sigils.
Li Yi's figure blurred.
> Flowing Cloud Step – Modified through Unbound Origin.
Instead of dodging, his body curved through the attacks like mist. The flames passed through empty air, and sword strikes missed by inches.
He stepped into Duan Lin's blind spot and struck with a single palm.
> Heaven-Crushing Palm – Variant.
Duan Lin's chest caved slightly as he was thrown back through three trees, crashing into a boulder. The others stared in shock, but before they could react, Li Yi moved again.
Three palm strikes.
Three unconscious bodies.
The courtyard fell silent.
Duan Lin coughed blood, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Y-You… how?!"
Li Yi stood over him. "I warned you once."
Then he walked away.
By the end of that day, news spread across the inner sect: the new disciple had defeated four Core Formation disciples in a single exchange… while still in Foundation Establishment.
A monster had arrived.
---
That night, Li Yi stood at the peak of the Seventh Sky Hall, gazing at the stars.
He could feel it—somewhere above, the God Realm stirred. The pendant at his chest pulsed softly, and an image came to mind.
A battlefield of endless void, where divine cultivators fought shadowy demons wrapped in abyssal flame. A woman stood in the center—her face hidden, but her aura unmistakable.
> His mother.
She still fought. Still lived. Somewhere, beyond the veil of realms.
He clenched his fists.
"I will ascend. No matter the cost."
The wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves. The stars blinked, as if answering.
And far above, in the God Realm's sealed heavens, a single chain trembled—cracked slightly by his awakening.
---