Be Gentle, Immortal Master

As much as I wished it could, that day didn't last forever. When we returned to Mount Hua, the only thought on my mind was how to advance my cultivation progress so that I could live those extra five hundred years.

Spiritual power growth would be hard to accelerate, and there could be consequences if I proceeded too fast before my foundation was ready. Bai Ye had always said that everyone advanced at their own speed and things should never be rushed, but I didn't want to wait and risk my slim chance of ascension slipping by.

That was when I remembered the strange meditation technique in the cave chamber.

I had always wondered what the purpose of that technique was. The eerie sense of chill hadn't returned since my first time practicing it, and I was growing more comfortable with the power flow and feeling more refreshed after every visit. The effect felt similar to other techniques that cleansed meridians and strengthened spiritual power foundations, but why would Bai Ye be so secretive about it if things were that simple?

Nevertheless, he must have his reasons for showing the technique to me, and it must help with my progress in some way. Since he hadn't warned me against spending too much time on it, this technique might be the best choice for boosting my advancements.

I made up my mind. When the first ray of sun shone through my windows in the morning after our return, I paid a visit to the cave chamber before my usual schedule. I sat down into the meditating position and began.

The power coursing through me today was much stronger than usual, especially when I focused on his power inside me during the inflowing step. My face burned slightly at the realization—we had been indulging a bit too much lately … to the point that his power was accumulating so quickly in my body. I concentrated and pushed that thought aside, following the etchings and willing the energy forward, guiding the flow carefully. The surge of force pulsed in me, strong and familiar.

Then I felt something new.

It was only a subtle sensation at first. A faint calling at the edge of my consciousness, like an old friend whispering in my ear and trying to catch my attention. Then it grew, slowly into a hum and eventually into an energy beating in rhythm along with my own, running through my meridians like fresh blood.

I opened my eyes as I finished the last step of the technique. The new feeling didn't subside. I followed the direction where it came from and traced it until my eyes landed on Twin Stars.

A steady power pulsed from where I laid the swords on the ground next to me. I reached for them and unsheathed the blades. A crimson light danced along their edges, the glow blending in with the dark red patterns on the hilt.

Had the technique resonated with the power in Twin Stars? But if my spiritual power's materialization through them was in the form of starlight, why would a different source of resonation result in a crimson glow?

I ran my fingers along the blades. Just as I was wondering if I had reached a new breakthrough, a sudden rush of power pulsated at my fingertip, and a vision flashed in front of my eyes.

It was Bai Ye, meditating on a mountaintop.

My heart skipped a beat at the unexpected sight of his graceful figure. He was facing away from the vantage point of the vision, dressed in his usual white robe, his sleeve and his ink-black hair fluttering ever so slightly in the breeze. I recognized the location as one of the side peaks of Mount Hua, though I couldn't tell how long ago the scene was from. Neither he nor Mount Hua had changed much over hundreds of years.

I gazed at the sight, lost in awe and longing. Was this a vision that glimpsed into one's true desire?

A roar sounded from behind me, snapping me out of my wishful thoughts.

I swirled, then realized belatedly that I could only see what the vision provided in front of me. I turned back, clenching my fists in worry. I knew this was a flashback that had already happened in the past, so Bai Ye must've been alright from whatever was coming, but I tensed all the same. The roar got closer, a savage call of danger, and he still didn't make a move—

A crimson light gleamed. I didn't notice until then that Twin Stars was lying at his side, and the swords unsheathed with a shing. The shadow of a demon leaped at Bai Ye from behind, but before it could reach him, the blades danced in a glaring crimson arc and sliced the demon cleanly into two pieces.

Bai Ye didn't turn around. "Don't waste it," he said simply. His voice was beautiful and familiar as always, though slightly different from what I was used to, with a little less solemness and a hint of carefree levity.

I couldn't help wondering. Was this what he was like when he was younger? And who was he talking to? There was no one else around in the vision.

Twin Stars hummed behind him and dipped itself into the corpse of the demon. The crimson light glowed once more, pulsing lambently along the edges of the blades, and the pool of demon blood on the ground slowly dried.

I felt a slight shiver climbing up my spine. When there was only a shriveled corpse left on the ground, Twin Stars hummed again and sheathed itself. The vision ended, and I was back in the cave chamber again, my hands still holding the swords.

I snapped my fingers back from the blades as if scorched by heat. The crimson glow stopped, and the pulsing power vanished. Twin Stars was lying beside me just like it always did, a pair of cold steel glinting faintly in the dim cave chamber. The strange force running through me was gone.

What just happened? What had I seen?