Countless thoughts surged within, all yearning to return home.

Jiang Feng left the main house, walking along the bluestone road of Northern Jiang. A cold smirk played on his lips, the hard iron token digging painfully into his palm.

When the men in black took the young lady away, not a single member of the Jiang family appeared from start to finish.

Did they really not know?

Nonsense! From the very beginning, this had been a transaction they arranged with Lord Flowing Veins!

He had heard of Lord Flowing Veins before. The imperial mentor of a nation, a martial sage of the Clear Mind school, just a step away from the rank of Martial Emperor—someone so distant and lofty that both he and the Jiang family were nothing but specks beneath his gaze.

No wonder, even after fusing with the Seven-Ringed Clear Mind Seed, the young lady was still denied her freedom. What did the Seven-Ringed Clear Mind Seed matter to a martial sage or to a nation?

And why did Lord Flowing Veins want to take the young lady as his disciple? Was it her talent?

No, not at all—it was for her bloodline!

There must be some power in the bloodline of the medicine folk’s descendants, something he did not yet know. It was for this reason that Lord Flowing Veins insisted on taking the young lady by force!

Had they treasured her since childhood? No, they had merely been waiting to sell her for the highest price. And Lord Flowing Veins had evidently offered a sum that satisfied them.

Such was the Jiang family, the family to which he belonged.

But he had never been sheltered by the family since his youth, so to be honest, he harbored little expectation for them. His coming here had been solely to confirm his suspicions.

Jiang Feng left Northern Jiang, heading toward Mount Taiwu.

At the foot of the mountain, a colossal tree soared into the clouds. Its branches stretched wide, casting a vast shadow over the earth. Even from afar, one could sense a calm yet formidable power emanating from it.

This was the Clear Mind Tree—the birthplace of the Clear Mind Seeds, the starting point for all martial practitioners.

...

Jiang Feng stood before the Clear Mind Tree, looking up.

The dense foliage blocked the direct sunlight, draping the ground beneath in shadow. Amidst the leaves, flecks of golden light gleamed continuously—these were the Clear Mind Seeds. Countless seeds clustered together, forming a ribbon of starlight across the canopy, dazzlingly beautiful.

Gazing at this starlit band, Jiang Feng recalled something he had read in a book.

The entire Clear Mind World was sustained by a single, immense tree.

This tree was called the Sky-Spanning Wood, rising from the world's depths and disappearing into the clouds above. Standing in the right place, one could vaguely see the tree’s crown, and in that moment, everyone would feel the wonder and grandeur of the world.

The Sky-Spanning Wood resembled a banyan tree; aside from its main trunk, countless aerial roots dangled from the clouds, each root sprouting a small tree that took root throughout the world.

These small trees were the Clear Mind Trees.

Every Clear Mind Tree bore many seeds, known as Clear Mind Seeds.

On the day each youth in this world turned sixteen, they would come to the tree to undertake a trial. The Clear Mind Seed would choose a suitable person and fuse with them. Once fused, they could wield Clearforce—the true foundation of all martial arts.

Those who possessed and could use powerful Clearforce were known as Clear Mind Martialists.

The first realm for a Clear Mind Martialist was called Dawn. From Dawn came Daybreak, then Sunlight, then Body Illumination, and finally Mind Illumination...

Clearforce would suffuse the body, illuminating body, mind, and spirit, with the martialist’s power growing ever stronger.

When body, heart, and soul were fully illuminated, reaching the Divine Mind realm, one would be revered as a Martial Saint.

A Martial Saint's fury could scorch a thousand miles; their soul endured as long as the heavens and earth—so powerful they were almost divine.

At present, there was only one Martial Saint in the entire Clear Mind World: the one residing in the Imperial City. The ancient ones had long since vanished, their names lingering only in scattered texts.

Jiang Feng’s thoughts wandered endlessly over these matters, but in the end, a mocking smile remained, surfacing faintly in his heart and weighing it down.

That was the very same smile worn by the black-clad Stabbing Wood as he left. He had promised the young lady and handed her a county official’s token, but when he did so, he glanced at Jiang Feng with a meaningful, mocking look.

That glance stirred a long-held worry deep in Jiang Feng’s heart.

If every child underwent a bloodline test at birth, and the process was so refined as to rarely err—if his bloodline were truly as strong as his abilities, why had he been abandoned in Southern Jiang?

Now, Stabbing Wood’s look at such a moment—what did it imply?

Could it be...

He drew a deep breath and steadied himself.

He had read in an odd volume that, though the Clear Mind Seed test was officially held when youths turned sixteen, it was merely a ritual. In reality, by age fourteen, the bloodline was already stable enough to react with the Clear Mind Seed.

He was now fifteen years and ninety-eight days old, more than two hundred days from adulthood.

He decided to undertake the trial early.

Jiang Feng pressed his lips tight and strode forward. Soon, he stood before the tree trunk and withdrew a small knife.

The Clear Mind Seed was rooted in the bloodline, and the trial was precisely for this purpose.

Without hesitation, he sliced open his palm, cutting deep. Blood welled forth at once.

Moments later, a crimson symbol appeared on the tree trunk.

He had seen this symbol in a book, and to complete it, he had to cut himself nine times. His regenerative ability was strong; after every two strokes, the bleeding would slow, so he had to cut again.

Nine cuts, and he did not so much as twitch an eyebrow, calmly regarding the symbol before stabbing the knife into his chest!

The final step of the Clear Mind Seed trial was to draw a drop of heart’s blood.

In the formal trial, the one wielding the blade would be an experienced martialist, steady and precise. But now, Jiang Feng was alone—he could only do it himself.

This cut was neither too deep nor too shallow. Pain ripped through his chest, but the knife’s tip was already withdrawn. A bright red drop glistened on the blade, catching the light, and he drove it forcefully into the center of the symbol!

A crisp sound rang out, quickly drowned by Jiang Feng’s shout: “Clear!”

All was silence.

The ribbon of starlight above remained, and all was still.

Not a single Clear Mind Seed responded to his call—they merely looked down on him with indifference.

Jiang Feng’s eyes widened in an instant.

Could his premonition have been true? Was his assignment to Southern Jiang no mistake, but because his bloodline was too impure, too weak to resonate with the Clear Mind Seed?

No, impossible!

Once, receiving the Clear Mind Seed and embarking on the martial path had been a distant dream, a vague hope like that of every youth. But now, it had become his only goal.

Fuse with the Clear Mind Seed, step into the Dawn Realm, pass each grand test—go to the imperial capital!

Without pause, he again sliced open his palm.

Fresh blood marked the tree; another drop of heart’s blood joined the symbol.

As before, the Clear Mind Tree stood silent, the seeds unmoved.

A third time, a fourth...

Even with Jiang Feng’s recovery, excessive blood loss left him dizzy.

By the fifth time he thrust the blade into his heart, his strength was failing; blood poured from his chest, soaking his clothes.

He clung to the tree, gasping heavily, his face pale.

Miss, have I failed you?

He slumped down at the foot of the tree, leaning against the trunk, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

Fatigue overwhelmed him, but despair was deeper still. Blood from his chest would not stop, flowing faster and faster. Gradually, a thread of golden light seemed to stir within the blood.

The instant the golden light appeared, the steadfast Clear Mind Tree suddenly trembled, as though a wind had risen—leaves rustled and whispered.

Is it the wind...

Jiang Feng opened his eyes, sensing something amiss. The starlit river atop the tree was flowing, a scene he had never witnessed before!

“Ah!” A startled cry rang out beside him. From the foliage, a spark of gold shot forth like a falling star, plunging straight toward him!

It was not alone; the entire starlit river followed, surging after that spark, overwhelming him in an instant!

All the Clear Mind Seeds on this tree, from the lowest single-ring to the highest nine-ring, now rushed at him in a frenzy, forming a stream of light that enveloped him entirely.

Every seed burst open with a bang, dissolving into countless points of light, which surged through the wound at his chest and into his body!

Jiang Feng felt a torrent of power crash into him, muddling his mind, then transforming into countless currents of heat, coursing wildly through his body and converging on his heart.

His heart thudded violently, then faster and faster, as if about to burst from his chest.

Clutching his chest, Jiang Feng knelt on one knee, sweat beading on his brow, then pouring down in torrents, drenching his clothes.

All the energy gathered in one place, flooding into his heart. He could feel something taking root there.

His body was changing, utterly and completely. Gritting his teeth, he endured in silence, but at last the darkness closed in, and he lost consciousness.

By then, not a single seed remained on the mighty Clear Mind Tree; leaves drifted down, settling over the youth beneath.

A rabbit suddenly hopped into view, crouching beside Jiang Feng, staring intently, its long ears twitching.

This rabbit was no larger than a fist, with a cherry blossom-shaped birthmark behind its ear—the very one Jiang Feng had rescued!

...

At the same time, the young lady sat in a speeding carriage bound for the capital.

A meditation cushion floated alongside the carriage, keeping pace. Stabbing Wood sat cross-legged atop it, hands folded, eyes half-closed, at ease.

As the carriage passed under a great tree, Stabbing Wood suddenly turned and called, “Stop.”

At his command, the entire convoy halted at once. The carriage gave a gentle lurch, but the young lady inside felt nothing.

Stabbing Wood pointed behind the tree and ordered, “Go have a look.”

Hearing the commotion, the young lady lifted the curtain slightly.

Moments later, her eyes widened as a corpse was brought before Stabbing Wood.

It was the body of a woman general clad in silver armor, her body covered in wounds, still clutching a moonlit spear. The spear’s tip was broken, but the shaft still glimmered faintly—clearly a treasure.

At the sight of her face, Stabbing Wood’s expression changed abruptly. The white cloth covering his face fluttered as he cried out in shock, “It’s her?!”

Out of the young lady’s sight, a pink birthmark shaped like a cherry blossom adorned the silver-haired woman’s brow.

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Sincere thanks to fatfox911 and Zhe Sha for their daily support, and to Sentimental Wukong for the generous reward~~

Love you all!!