Chapter Eight: Forging the Veins

“Heaven and earth were once chaos, yearning to take human form. In the wild and ancient primordial age, their feet stood upon the four corners.” These words have been passed down among the Dragon Clan for a million years. Though the ancient dragons were incomparably powerful, they could not escape the constraints of the Heavenly Dao, and so their might faded into decline.

Yet, in those distant days, the mightiest of all dragons—the Dragon God, unrivaled among the ancients—watched as his kin dwindled. Seeking a path to salvation, he staked his own existence in a final duel against the Heavenly Dao. In the end, he fell, but in his final moment, he grasped a slender hope not only for the dragons but for all the fallen ancient races, encapsulated in those sixteen words.

Through countless generations of research, though many races met their end, none forgot to search for this last hope. Over a million years, countless heroes exhausted their lives only to discover that their hope might lie in a legendary cultivation aptitude said to be called Chaotic Void Physique. According to legend, only the Chaotic Void Physique could transcend the Heavenly Dao’s constraints, the sole constitution capable of shattering the old laws and forging new ones. But rumors remain rumors; no one truly knows what the Chaotic Void Physique is.

After his initial shock, Xiao Cangtian quickly calmed his excitement. To truly contend with the Heavenly Dao was no task for the child before him. Although the child somewhat resembled the legendary Chaotic Void Physique—born innately spiritual, with a body lacking meridians—these alone were not proof enough. Xiao Cangtian swiftly examined the child from head to toe: robust vitality, an extraordinary spiritual aptitude, no cultivation yet still brimming with hope.

The Dragon Clan had declined, and who knew how many of their kin even survived in this world? Yet Xiao Cangtian resolved to follow in the footsteps of the Dragon God, to exhaust himself for the world’s future.

He was deeply familiar with the condition within his own body. Though the ancestral soul of the Azure Dragon had entered him, it seemed to do nothing harmful. Nuotian remained calm, quietly focusing his mind at the center of his brow.

Merging the mind with the brow allowed one to observe their spiritual world; this was a basic cultivation technique, but for Nuotian, it was something else entirely. Even the Supreme Red-Sword and the sisters Nuoxin and Nuoyu could not understand why this child, unable to cultivate, nevertheless possessed so many miracles.

Soon, Nuotian sank into tranquility, his entire consciousness entering his spirit world. There, a dragon ten thousand feet long coiled within, its scales clear and distinct, its claws tearing at the very fabric of the world around it. The massive dragon head stood proud, its eyes fixed upon Nuotian, its nostrils exhaling streams of dragon breath.

“Esteemed Azure Dragon, how could you enter my body without so much as a greeting?” Nuotian asked calmly, his tone bearing a hint of reproach.

Xiao Cangtian was startled at this; never had anyone’s first words upon meeting him been a complaint. “Child, are you not afraid I’ll destroy your spirit world and claim your body for myself?”

“What merit or virtue could I possibly possess to be granted the honor of having you seize my body? If I am fortunate enough for you to walk the world in my flesh, it would be my greatest glory,” Nuotian replied, unfazed by the threat.

When Xiao Cangtian had entered Nuotian’s body, he had indeed considered taking it for himself to gain such a remarkable physique. But he discovered that not only was the body extraordinary, even the spirit world—normally the weakest point—was equally formidable. No matter how he tried to damage it, the spirit world would heal itself as if nothing had happened. Thus, he abandoned the idea. His soul had lingered in this void for ten thousand years, and many had entered before, but all who harbored designs on it had perished—either their bodies destroyed by his powerful soul, or their constitutions rendered useless.

Soul possession could only succeed once, no matter how powerful the soul. He would rather wait another ten thousand years than settle for less. Even if he succeeded, he would never reach the pinnacle of cultivation, and would be doomed by the Heavenly Dao’s limit on lifespan. Humans were the shortest-lived under the Heavenly Dao unless they reached the pinnacle, but a possessed body could never reach that summit. What meaning would there be then?

After regaining his composure, Xiao Cangtian realized that this child might truly possess the legendary Chaotic Void Physique, and his heart was shaken. Even when Nuotian entered the Swordmaster Divine Sect, Xiao Cangtian sensed a powerful constitution nearby, one that never left. He devised a plan to use the Human Ancestral Soul’s inheritance to draw the child in, hoping for a chance to seize him. Three years passed, countless useless candidates came—indeed, most of the so-called geniuses of the Swordmaster Divine Sect were, in Xiao Cangtian’s eyes, worthless.

At last, when the child appeared before him, he found himself utterly incapable of harming the boy’s spirit world, much less possessing him. Yet the surprise was that this very child might be the savior spoken of in legend for a million years.

Xiao Cangtian had made up his mind.

“Child, do you wish to become the mightiest being in this world?” Xiao Cangtian asked gravely after a pause.

Nuotian was momentarily stunned by the dragon’s question, then grew excited and asked, “You have a way for me to cultivate?” He quickly grasped the meaning behind the words. Though Nuotian was usually much smarter and more unique than he let on, the fact that he could not cultivate was an unchangeable truth. On the Wilderness Continent, no one revered a cultivation failure.

But Nuotian’s desire to cultivate was far stronger than that of his two elder sisters. Yet the martial skills taught by his sisters seemed hollow; mere tricks that had no place before true cultivators.

Now, upon hearing he might have a chance to cultivate, his calm façade vanished in excitement.

Seeing Nuotian’s reaction, Xiao Cangtian nodded. This was more fitting for a child of such a background. Even if his constitution was extraordinary, his strength was pitiful—yet if he remained so calm, wouldn’t that be mere pretense? For one so young to feign such depth was truly laughable.

As the great dragon’s head nodded, Nuotian grew even more excited, but quickly regained his clarity and asked, “Is there anything you need me to do in return?”

Watching Nuotian, Xiao Cangtian fell silent for a moment. “I hope you can always live on, no matter what hardships you face. Even if the Heavenly Dao limits your lifespan, you must survive. So long as you live, there is hope.”

These strange words left Nuotian bewildered, despite his self-assessed intelligence. “May I call you ‘Elder’? Could you tell me what you mean by that?”

“There is no need for you to know. When the time comes, you will understand,” Xiao Cangtian replied, his tone somber. “Little one, I still do not know your name.”

“My name is Nuotian.”

“Nuotian.” Xiao Cangtian repeated the name under his breath. “Nuotian, you must know the reason you cannot cultivate, don’t you?”

Nuotian nodded.

“All races under heaven begin their cultivation by tempering their bodies, but the first and most vital step is the forging of the meridians by heaven and earth. You, however, have no meridians, so you cannot even begin the long journey of cultivation. But I will give you your meridians.”

“You will grant me meridians?” Nuotian was stunned, but then calmly asked, “Elder, what price must you pay?” Heavenly treasures might nourish the meridians, but could never create them. Nuotian knew this truth well; for someone to create meridians for him, the price must be extraordinary. Combined with the elder’s strange words earlier, he felt it could not be so simple.

“The price? No price at all! I will merely transform myself into your meridians. If I expend all my strength, I can accomplish it. Though in the end, I will dissipate and vanish from the world,” Xiao Cangtian replied, his tone light.

“To vanish for all eternity…” Nuotian was bewildered. Perhaps this was how one felt when another offered their life without hesitation. But before such feelings could settle, agony wracked his body. He was forced out of his spirit world, but the dragon’s voice rang in his ears.

“Don’t just stand there, child! Pull yourself together! I have already begun.”

Nuotian felt an overwhelming power coursing through him, his body wracked as if being utterly destroyed.

“Forging meridians is no simple ordeal, child. You must endure, or my sacrifice will be in vain.”

“Rest assured, Elder! I, Nuotian, will endure. I will not let you down.” The searing pain was as if Nuotian had walked through endless hell. He could only grit his teeth, trying to calm himself and withstand the agony.

“Elder, I forgot to ask your name. I wish to remember it always,” he said through the pain.

“Xiao Cangtian,” came the simple reply in his mind.

“So your esteemed name is Xiao Cangtian. Then, from this day forth, I shall be known as Xiao Nuotian.”