Night fell swiftly, like a swallow slicing through the sky. In a secluded valley, the wind howled in waves, echoing like a chorus of forsaken souls. The crescent moon hung dimly above, casting its pale light like the eyes of a delirious dreamer.
Within a humble meditation hut, Lang Xiao sat cross-legged, his face pale as ash. Beside him, Diep Van So and Little An watched silently, not daring to disturb the breathless calm.
Lately, the residual will slumbering within Little An had begun to stir—sometimes wild, sometimes gentle—like a soul yearning for remembrance.
"Master... the will inside me... it's calling to you," Little An murmured, half-asleep, half-awake.
Lang Xiao opened his eyes. In their depths flickered a silent violet flame.
"It is not calling me," he replied softly, "it... wants to merge."
1. The Residual Will's Choice
Residual wills—fragments of souls left behind after death—were often branded as malevolent and unclean. But during his time with Little An, Lang Xiao had sensed something else: not hatred, but sorrow—a kind of mourning that comes only from being forgotten.
"Perhaps... not all residual wills are born of evil," he whispered to himself.
Diep Van So's voice trembled: "You plan to absorb it?"
"Yes."
"That's madness! What if it consumes you?"
"Then I will fight. As long as my heart holds true, no demon can seize my soul."
2. The Nascent Soul Stirs
Lang Xiao calmed his breathing, his spirit opening like a lotus at dawn. The residual will did not strike, but gently flowed into his Spirit Sea, tender as a child's touch. It was not a parasite—it was seeking sanctuary.
His core energy surged as his Nascent Soul—the crystallization of his spirit—began to tremble violently. In that moment, Lang Xiao saw fragments of his life flash by: his master's first smile, his betrayal by an old friend, the day he saved a nameless child at the foot of a snowy cliff...
Those memories coalesced—not into raw power, but into understanding. Understanding of self, of suffering, of the sorrow buried deep in others.
"The Dao does not lie in cultivation realms, but in the heart," he whispered.
His Nascent Soul spun—then shattered.
There was no sound, but his body glowed like a star bursting into life in the dead of night. The residual will didn't vanish—it fused into the new spirit forming within.
It was no longer a pure Nascent Soul as cultivation manuals described, but something far stranger:Nascent Soul Mutation —a spiritual body forged from countless lingering wills.
3. Unseen Tremors
Diep Van So watched the transformation with tears in her eyes.
"He... has taken a path no one has ever dared."
Little An looked up. "Will Master be alright?"
"If he survives... he won't just be another cultivator. He'll be the first flame to light a new way."
In the sky above, the violet moon shimmered. Rings of energy spread across the heavens. In nearby regions, cultivators looked up, feeling an unknown energy descend—part demonic, part divine.
4. The Redemption of Souls
Within Lang Xiao's Spirit Sea, countless shadows approached him—not to devour, but to offer gratitude.
A veiled woman bowed low: "Thank you, sir, for hearing the pain of the forgotten."
A youth in worn robes smiled: "If fate allows, may we meet again as friends."
One by one, they dissolved into the violet soul core—no longer tormented remnants, but at peace.