This place was rich in spiritual energy and rarely populated. Deep within the mountain range, there was a valley suspended in mid-air. Below, starry clouds swirled, resembling countless rivers of stars—a sight so breathtaking it was named Xuan He Valley.

It was said that an ancient deity resided here, and the area within a thousand miles was protected by powerful formations, preventing anyone from approaching.

Inside Xuan He Valley, the mist-shrouded mountains and valleys loomed faintly. Occasionally, the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects broke the serene silence, creating a peaceful and tranquil scene—until a sharp sound suddenly pierced through the air, shattering the calm.

A giant eagle soared into the sky, its wingspan reaching four or five meters. As it flapped its wings, gusts of wind swept through, shaking the trees on either side and causing leaves to rustle down. Upon closer inspection, one could see a young boy riding on the eagle’s back.

The boy was dressed in white, his black hair loosely tied behind him. His eyes sparkled like stars, and his lips were as red as cinnabar. A golden mark adorned his forehead, adding a touch of noble mystery to his already handsome features. However, at this moment, his brows were furrowed, and his expression was far from the detached demeanor of an immortal. His lips curled into a disdainful smirk as he placed his thumb and forefinger against his lips.

A sharp whistle echoed through the valley, and hundreds of blue sparrows responded, flying out from the forest. They circled around the boy before diving back into the woods.

The once peaceful forest erupted into chaos.

Moments later, the giant eagle slowly descended. The boy leaped gracefully to the ground, and the eagle immediately folded its wings, standing proudly by the boy’s side like a loyal guardian.

Soon, one by one, the blue sparrows returned, each holding a colorful mushroom in its beak.

The mushrooms were dropped in front of the boy, huddling together in fear, while the sparrows chirped around them. The mushrooms trembled in terror.

The boy crossed his arms, looking down at the mushrooms like a king surveying his subjects. With a cold smile, he said, “Run, go ahead and run! I’d like to see where you can escape to this time!”

With that, he pulled out a booklet from his sleeve. The booklet’s edges were curled, the pages yellowed and stained, showing signs of frequent use. He flipped open the first page, which was densely filled with various mushroom recipes.

The boy focused intently as he flipped through the pages, muttering, “Braised chicken with mushrooms, let’s go with this today.”

As soon as he said that, the already trembling mushrooms began shaking even more violently, like leaves caught in a storm.

Unmoved, the boy continued to mumble to himself, “Should I slice them first, or just toss them in whole? Slicing them would probably make them more flavorful…”

The mushrooms nearly fainted from fright, frantically trying to flee. However, the sparrows guarding them were ready, spreading their wings and raising their claws, kicking each mushroom back into place.

The mushrooms rolled around in disarray, but the sparrows proved to be fierce fighters. Not a single mushroom escaped their grasp. In just a quarter of an hour, the battle was almost over. The lead sparrow plucked a mushroom attempting to burrow into the ground, tossing it back at the boy’s feet and rubbing against his foot in a gesture of seeking praise.

The boy looked down and nodded approvingly, “Well done.”

This single phrase seemed to be the highest honor, making the sparrow jump for joy, as if it were drunk, hopping around in excitement.

The boy closed the booklet with a snap and glanced at the mushrooms on the ground. Each one was now limp, radiating an aura of despair and sorrow. After a long pause, the mushrooms, seemingly resigned to their fate, hesitantly began to shuffle.

The sparrows immediately perked up, glaring at the mushrooms menacingly. But this time, instead of trying to escape, the mushrooms tremblingly arranged themselves into a pattern on the ground.

The boy stared at the faintly discernible character “毒” (poison) that the mushrooms had formed, his expression freezing for a moment.

No way! He remembered the first time he had messed with these mushrooms; they only knew how to run around in panic. How many times had it been since then? They had even learned to spell now! Was this the mushrooms’ sheer will to survive?

For the first time, he was genuinely surprised.

Although he hadn’t really planned on eating them, he couldn’t afford to lose the upper hand.

The boy narrowed his eyes and smirked coolly, “It’s fine, I’m immune to all poisons. A little mushroom poison is nothing to me.”

Hearing this, the mushrooms immediately deflated, as if they had finally reached the end of their rope.

At that moment, the boy stood up and—turned and walked away.

The mushrooms were stunned, the sparrows confused, and the giant eagle hesitated in place.

The boy walked quite a distance before suddenly stopping, glancing down with a self-mocking smile, “You’re really damn bored.”

Indeed, it was boredom.

Bored enough to amuse himself by toying with a bunch of mushrooms. Even Zhuge Liang only captured Meng Huo seven times and gained a fierce general, right? And what about him?

He had captured these stupid mushrooms more than ten times but had never once tasted braised chicken with mushrooms. Instead, he had driven these foolish fungi to a desperate survival, mastering even the profoundness of Chinese characters…

Boring.

Qiao Xuan walked slowly through the forest, returning to the small hut where he lived.

The hut was nestled in a hollow at the bottom of the valley. A clear stream flowed in front of it, so transparent that the bottom could be seen. Qiao Xuan crouched by the stream.

It’s been exactly a year since he successfully underwent his tribulation and became human.

He raised his hand, pinching his cheeks and pulling them upwards, reflecting a forced smile in the water.

After a while, Qiao Xuan exhaled, fell back, and rested his hands behind his head, lost in thought.

To understand why he was here, he had to start from over a thousand years ago.

A thousand years ago, he was just an ordinary human on Earth. It was a pleasant Sunday, and he was in the midst of a passionate relationship with his new boyfriend. Everything was perfect until, unfortunately, they ran into his other boyfriend.

Yes, he had more than one boyfriend at the same time, which wasn’t a problem for him. As a self-aware, flirtatious, and carefree second-generation rich kid, his proudest trait was handling relationships with ease… And when he grew tired of one, he could amicably part ways with each ex.

However, walking by the river, how could one not get their shoes wet?

What he didn’t expect was that just one mishap would change his fate entirely.

When he fell from a great height, thinking his short life was about to end without warning… he opened his eyes again, only to find himself emerging from a shell.

That’s right, he had turned into a bird.

Time travel wasn’t unusual these days, and people turned into all sorts of things. Qiao Xuan quickly adapted to the situation, accepting this new reality.

Heaven was still kind to him, even though he had become a bird; he still had a chance to return to human form!

Because this was a cultivation world!

As long as he worked hard, transforming into a human wasn’t a dream!

He had deeply reflected on his past mistakes and now desired nothing more than to live as a proper human being.

Qiao Xuan spent over a hundred years tirelessly cultivating, without rest or sleep, finally nearing the point of transforming into a human. The thought of no longer having to peck at food with his beak, of having hands and feet, of eating, playing, talking, and running… made him so excited that he couldn’t sleep for days. And then—he faced the Heavenly Tribulation.

Eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning, and he couldn’t even withstand the first nine. His cultivation dispersed, his bones shattered, and even his feathers were singed. His soul, barely hanging on, was utterly insignificant before the might of the heavens…

All he wanted was to be human, so why was it so difficult? He was merely a bit more amorous, but that wasn’t a grave sin, was it?

He thought his second life was a chance given by the heavens, but perhaps it was just a cruel joke.

Had he known it would come to this, he would have preferred to enter the cycle of reincarnation earlier, rather than end up with his soul scattered.

Just when he was completely despairing, his master intervened.

With ease, his master shielded him from the Heavenly Tribulation, preserving the last wisp of his fading soul. His master said that Qiao Xuan’s six senses were impure, his karmic roots unresolved, and that he couldn’t pass the tribulation. He needed to undergo seven lifetimes of emotional tribulations to have a slim chance of survival.

A slim chance of survival?

If asked whether he wanted to live, of course, he did.

Even mushrooms cling to life, let alone him?

At that time, he didn’t understand what seven lifetimes of emotional tribulations meant, but he soon learned. It turned out that his karma lay in this very matter.

In each of those seven lifetimes, he fell deeply in love with someone, only to meet a tragic end each time.

To love and be parted from someone, to yearn and never attain, these were the recurring themes of his lives. Each time, he gave his all to love, but not once did it end well. After dying seven times, he finally understood: he was simply not suited for romance.

In the past, he treated love as a game, enjoying the feelings of liking and being liked. He was always sincere with each partner, but once he lost interest, he was truly done. He thought emotions were something easily cast aside, assuming others could do the same. To him, love was just a pleasurable sensation created by the brain. He reveled in this joy, never comprehending the concept of undying, unwavering love.

It wasn’t until he experienced everything firsthand that he realized love wasn’t something that could be easily discarded. The agony of unfulfilled desires and dying with a broken heart was not something one could simply shrug off.

At least, for the current Qiao Xuan, he had no desire to fall in love ever again.

Qiao Xuan mused that perhaps this was the true lesson of his seven lifetimes of emotional tribulations.

You see, if you tried to explain it to him rationally, he might not have grasped it even after ten days and nights. But after being struck by heavenly lightning and dying miserably seven or eight times, he was left with only one thought: screw love.

Falling in love leads to a bad end!

Staying single keeps you safe!

There are so many delicious, fun, and exciting things in the world; why get stuck in the quagmire of emotions?

Love is the most troublesome thing in the world, and Qiao Xuan hated trouble the most.

He saw through it all.

He returned and cultivated in peace for two years.

Finally, he successfully passed his tribulation and took human form.

Logically, he should have finally achieved his goal and could now live a happy life, right?

But things weren’t that simple…

Although by age, he was now technically a thousand-year-old elder, his master said he had just taken human form, his cultivation was still insufficient, and he was still a fledgling. He wasn’t allowed to leave and was told to stay in the valley and focus on cultivation.

When he was still a bird, he hadn’t minded. He was single-mindedly focused on becoming human, so time passed quickly. But now that he had finally taken human form, how could Qiao Xuan endure the loneliness? While the valley was indeed a beautiful, tranquil place with abundant spiritual energy—a perfect spot for seclusion—cultivation was not Qiao Xuan’s true pursuit.

He longed for the vibrant world outside. Even without love, there were still so many fascinating things awaiting him. And in this valley, where everything was so full of spiritual energy that even the chickens could talk, and the mushrooms could run away—how could he possibly enjoy a meal?

He wasn’t that heartless.

A year passed, and Qiao Xuan, out of sheer boredom, had already messed with every creature in the valley that he could defeat. But what did that accomplish? Other than his master, who barely spoke ten words a year, there were only two stone-turned spirit servants who did nothing but sleep all day.

Qiao Xuan could only spend his days reigning over the forest, scaring the foolish mushrooms, and commanding a flock of birds to put on a show. When he got hungry, he could only gnaw on grass or bite into a fruit…

It was so boring… like being in prison, and he couldn’t endure this dull, monastic life for another day!

Even in prison, you could chat with fellow inmates or surf the internet and have online romances…

Sorry, but he really preferred the colorful world outside.

Qiao Xuan snapped out of his thoughts and sighed, returning to his small hut.

The interior of the hut was clean and tidy, with nothing but a stone bed. Cultivating, meditating, and living on air—this was truly the abode of an immortal untouched by the mortal world. The only problem was, Qiao Xuan had no desire to be an immortal untouched by the mortal world.

He was attached to the mundane charms of the mortal world.

Qiao Xuan focused his mind, sitting cross-legged, and pulled out a golden feather, holding it between his fingers.

To escape from here, he had painstakingly cultivated the Dayan Creation Technique for a long time. This technique, taught by his master, was profound and versatile. A year ago, Qiao Xuan had just reached the third level and discovered that the technique had an impressive feature: the ability to create an external avatar.

Although previous attempts had failed, Qiao Xuan felt that he had recently gained some insights, and this time, success was within reach!

This golden feather was something he had spent three whole months refining!

He closed his eyes, murmuring softly, and with a wave of his hand, the golden feather flew into the air, radiating a burst of golden light before gently drifting to the ground, transforming into a handsome young boy.

The boy was lively, with skin as fair as jade, and looked exactly like Qiao Xuan, except he couldn’t speak and appeared somewhat like a puppet.

Qiao Xuan concentrated his thoughts, and his consciousness effortlessly entered the avatar. As his mind shifted, the boy smiled, suddenly coming to life.

Qiao Xuan stood up, circling around the boy, finally revealing a satisfied smile.

Whether or not he could successfully deceive his master depended on today!

A year ago, after successfully taking human form, his master instructed him to cultivate in seclusion. Xing Tong and Yue Yao would visit every three months to report his progress to their master.

As long as he could fool Xing Tong and Yue Yao, then quietly slip away…

Qiao Xuan took a deep breath, perked up his ears to listen, and then quickly hid behind the hut, leaving the avatar to wait.

Moments later, two powdery, jade-like boys arrived at the hut’s door.

One wore red, the other white, each with golden bracelets on their wrists and bare feet.

The boy in red was named Xing Tong, yawning lazily as he walked, looking as if he had just woken up; the boy in white was named Yue Yao, who had a serious, no-nonsense expression and carried a wooden tray in his hands.

They walked with short legs and knocked on the door with their chubby little hands.

Qiao Xuan, hiding behind the hut, felt a bit nervous as it was his first time using the avatar. He wiped away a bit of sweat and focused all his attention on controlling the boy to open the door.

The boy politely welcomed the two children inside, smiling as he said, “It’s already been three months, huh?”

Xing Tong, drooping his eyelids, tiredly yawned. “Three months passed so fast… If it weren’t for the master’s orders, I wouldn’t have bothered to wake up. I’d rather stay as a stone and sleep…”

Yue Yao lifted his head, his voice sweet and respectful as he asked, “Has the young master’s assignment been completed?”

Though they were just spirit servants, they were the master’s trusted aides, and Qiao Xuan dared not be careless. He quickly retrieved his work and gently placed it on the tray, saying, “These are my cultivation insights from the past three months.”

Yue Yao nodded, his gaze sweeping over the room as he sternly said, “We’ll be leaving now. The young master must diligently cultivate and not slack off.”

Qiao Xuan nodded vigorously.

The two boys turned to leave.

Yue Yao walked steadily, while Xing Tong swayed and mumbled, “You should come alone next time… I just want to sleep… Being a stone is more comfortable… What’s so good about being a person…”

Only when the two of them were completely out of sight did Qiao Xuan finally relax his nerves.

Perfect! Success!

Qiao Xuan came back inside from behind the hut. Two identical boys stood in the room, exchanging a smile.

This wasn’t ordinary puppet magic; it was an avatar created from his golden feather, capable of housing his soul and sharing the same origin as himself. Even Xing Tong and Yue Yao hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

He hadn’t yet cultivated the ability to multitask and still needed to focus on controlling the avatar. In the future, when his soul became stronger, he could even split a part of his soul to control the avatar.

Qiao Xuan grinned, then turned and pulled out a chest from behind the stone bed. When he opened it, it was filled with stacks of assignments.

He had prepared thoroughly. Although his Dayan Creation Technique had already reached the third level, he deliberately suppressed his cultivation to avoid detection. He had even prepared three years’ worth of assignments in advance, enough to allow him to roam outside for a while and then sneak back. Who would know he’d ever been gone?

Everything was ready. Now was the time to act!

Qiao Xuan narrowed his eyes. Although Xuan He Valley had prohibitions, they only prevented outsiders from entering. Leaving wasn’t difficult; the challenge was doing so without his master noticing. Now that he had the avatar, he dared to sneak away.

It was getting dark.

Qiao Xuan whistled, and the gray giant eagle immediately flew over, carrying him away.

In the late hours of the night, with the cool moon overhead, Xuan He Valley was deserted. Even the plants and insects seemed to be asleep. The giant eagle gently flapped its wings, quietly bringing Qiao Xuan to the edge of the valley.

Qiao Xuan looked at the white mist barrier ahead, pondered for a moment, and then patted the eagle’s head, saying, “I don’t think you want to leave, so you should stay. Oh, and don’t tell anyone I’ve gone out.”

The giant eagle nodded repeatedly, as if saying, “You can count on me!”

Qiao Xuan smiled and nodded. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and stepped into the white mist.

Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath him, and Qiao Xuan found himself plummeting. After what felt like a quarter of an hour, he finally broke through the mist. Quickly, he performed a wind-controlling spell to avoid crashing to the ground and dying on the spot.

Carefully steadying himself, he looked up to see a sky filled with swirling stars. The valley appeared to float above the Milky Way, just as its name suggested.

Glancing around, he found himself in a dense forest.

Qiao Xuan walked for half a day without reaching the forest’s edge. Just as he was growing impatient, he suddenly kicked something. Looking down, he found a dull, lifeless celestial sword! He used a spell to blow away the thick layer of fallen leaves, revealing several skeletal remains.

After a moment’s thought, Qiao Xuan understood.

His master’s secluded Xuan He Valley hadn’t been seen for millennia, and no outsiders had ever entered. These were likely celestial beings who accidentally wandered into the barrier and couldn’t find their way out, eventually perishing here. Judging by their appearance, they had been dead for many years, their celestial artifacts now dull and dusty.

Qiao Xuan shook his head and was about to leave when he suddenly had a thought and looked back at the sword.

Although he had been in this world for a long time, excluding the time spent enduring his tribulations, this was his first time leaving the valley.

This was the Celestial Realm, where deities and powerful beings were everywhere. As a newly transformed bird-man, what if he was unlucky and got captured by some great power as a pet…

Everyone knows animals have no rights.

Qiao Xuan stroked his chin. No, no, it’s better to disguise himself as a human cultivator. It would save him a lot of trouble and danger.

But as a human cultivator, not even having a spiritual weapon was rather pitiful. The celestial sword before him was just right.

Qiao Xuan turned back, dug a hole, and carefully buried the celestial beings, folding his hands in prayer as he sincerely said, “Meeting here must be fate. Today, I’m helping you rest in peace, so I’ll take a sword as compensation. I hope you celestial friends don’t mind.”

The burial mound remained silent, the souls long since scattered.

Qiao Xuan turned and picked up the celestial sword that had tripped him, chuckling, “From today onwards, you’re my sword.”

The sword looked ordinary, so those celestial beings probably weren’t that powerful either. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have died here. It might not be a powerful celestial weapon, but it would do for now.

Qiao Xuan infused his spiritual energy into the sword, and it let out a clear ring. Then he performed a spell to hide the golden mark on his forehead, and with a turn, his white robe transformed into a daoist robe.

Satisfied, Qiao Xuan declared, “From now on, I’m a sword cultivator!”

With the celestial sword, things became much easier.

Qiao Xuan rode the sword, and in just over ten days, he emerged from the Ze Bai Mountain Range. Looking at the vast world outside, Qiao Xuan took a deep breath, feeling exhilarated.

The world awaits, here I come!

But where should I start?

Qiao Xuan pulled out a small notebook. He had made a travel plan for himself. Of course, he planned to explore the Celestial Realm, but what excited him the most was the mortal world. After all, those who lived in the Celestial Realm were either deities who had lived for thousands of years and were indifferent to worldly pleasures or cultivation fanatics who cared for nothing but their training. There probably wasn’t much fun to be had… But the mortal world was different. Although his seven lifetimes of emotional tribulations weren’t exactly pleasant memories, the mortal world still fascinated him!

Without hesitation, Qiao Xuan made the mortal realm his first destination.

The only problem was, he didn’t know how to get there from the Celestial Realm. He hadn’t ascended properly, nor had he made any celestial friends. In Xuan He Valley, there was only a bunch of silly animals, and the only person who seemed powerful—his master—was silent and aloof… And even if Qiao Xuan had the courage, he wouldn’t dare ask his master how to sneak down to the mortal realm for fun!

It looked like he’d have to figure it out himself.

First, he needed to find someone.

Qiao Xuan picked up a sharp stone and tossed it into the air. When it landed, the pointed end faced a distant plain. “Alright, I’ll head in that direction!”

After flying for several days, Qiao Xuan, who was growing drowsy, suddenly perked up.

He finally saw some people!

Ahead, a group of celestial beings was flying on swords. Seeing them about to disappear into the distance, Qiao Xuan hurriedly sped up, riding his sword to intercept them!

The group of celestial beings wore identical white robes with wide silver belts and carried silver swords on their backs, suggesting they belonged to the same sect.

They hadn’t expected to be suddenly stopped, and they immediately became alert, eyeing Qiao Xuan warily as they drew their swords in unison, their killing intent sharp!

Qiao Xuan’s expression froze, and he nearly broke out in a cold sweat. Oh no, in his excitement at seeing people, he had acted without thinking, forgetting that this was the cultivation world. His abrupt behavior had probably alarmed this group.

He quickly descended, adopting a humble expression as he cupped his hands and explained, “I’ve just ascended to the Celestial Realm and found myself here alone, completely lost and unsure of what to do… I was so excited to finally see people that I meant no harm! If I’ve offended you, please forgive me.”

Hearing this, the group’s hostility lessened slightly. They exchanged glances, and the young man leading them stepped forward, eyeing Qiao Xuan cautiously as he asked, “Oh? You say you’ve just ascended? Which sect did you belong to in the mortal realm?”

Qiao Xuan quickly weighed his options.

He remembered that in his third life during the seven lifetimes of emotional tribulations, he had been born into a mortal sect called Gui Yuan Sword Sect, a renowned sect in the mortal realm. It was said that the sect’s founder was the celestial Gui Yuan, and the sect had a long history with a reputation for having celestial lineage! However, during his time in the mortal realm, fewer and fewer people had ascended, and it had been a long time since anyone from Gui Yuan Sword Sect had done so. Who knew if the sect still existed in the Celestial Realm…

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had spent over a decade as a disciple of Gui Yuan Sword Sect, so he was familiar with it and knew some sword techniques. Using this identity, with a mix of truth and lies, he could certainly pull off a convincing act without arousing suspicion!

Having made up his mind, Qiao Xuan replied, “I am a disciple of Gui Yuan Sword Sect from the mortal realm. I’ve just arrived in the Celestial Realm and am unfamiliar with the place. I wish to find my sect. Do any of you know how to reach Gui Yuan Sword Sect?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiao Xuan felt something was off.

The celestial beings’ gazes instantly heated up, making Qiao Xuan’s skin crawl. Crap, could he really be this unlucky? Did he somehow run into Gui Yuan Sword Sect’s mortal enemies in the Celestial Realm?

Was this kind of coincidence even possible?

Just as Qiao Xuan was starting to panic, the young sword cultivator in the lead suddenly stepped forward, staring intently at him as he asked solemnly, “Is what you’re saying true?”

Qiao Xuan’s expression froze, unsure whether to admit it or not.

Before he could answer, the young man continued, “We are disciples of Gui Yuan Sword Sect.”

Qiao Xuan: “…”

Author’s Note:
Qiao Xuan: If I fall in love again, I’m a dog!
Author: Alright, I’ve written it down in my notebook.
Qiao Xuan: ?

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