The night passed in uneasy quiet. From their modest inn, Su Mei and her escorts could hear the hum of Astralis even after dusk—spirit lamps glowing without flame, patrols moving like shadows across the streets, the faint resonance of arrays woven into the very stone.
Liangfeng had slept with the pendant clutched tightly in his hand, his breathing steady and untroubled. Su Mei, however, lay awake. Every sound outside reminded her they had stepped into a realm not their own.
At dawn, bells tolled from the walls, their deep tones reverberating like ripples of qi, signaling the caravans to gather once more. They prepared to move deeper into Skyveil, and so, the journey continued.
The convoys pressed deeper into Astralis. Day by day, the landscapes shifted. The bustling Outer City gave way to the Inner City, a realm of terraces paved with spirit stone and bridges arched over rivers of liquid qi. Markets brimmed with treasures that could have bought entire kingdoms in the lower regions: weapons forged from star-iron, fruits that radiated qi, and pills sealed in jade cases glowing faintly with inscriptions. Towers crowned with runes stretched high enough to pierce the drifting clouds. Every breath in these inner streets was heavy with essence, sharpening the mind and steadying the body.
For Su Mei's weary escorts, it was overwhelming. For Liangfeng, it was a lesson. His eyes shifted constantly, noting the smallest patterns: the hum beneath the streets, the rhythm of patrols gliding across the skies, the faint alignment of arrays carved into stone.
At last, they arrived at the inner city gate, a colossal archway carved into a sheer cliff face. Unlike the simple outer gates, this entrance was made of polished obsidian, gleaming under the sun. At its center, a single unblinking eye carved in jade and black stone—the crest of the Ye—stared down at all who approached.
Two guards stood sentinel, their armor a seamless sheet of azure spirit-metal. One, a stern-faced woman with a saber at her hip, held out a hand. "State your purpose for entering the Inner City," she commanded, her voice firm and resonant.
Su Mei stepped forward, her quiet dignity a stark contrast to the grandeur around her. "We are here to present a candidate to the Ye Clan's ancestral line."
The guard's gaze swept over the group, lingering on Liangfeng before returning to Su Mei. "A candidate? The Eye Stone calls only those of the bloodline. Is your claim verified?"
Liangfeng remained calm, though his escorts shifted nervously. Su Mei presented the pendant. The carved eye on the gate pulsed with a faint light, a whisper of recognition. The stern guard's expression softened slightly. "The blood answers," she murmured. She turned and gestured for them to pass. "Welcome," she said, her voice now respectful. "May your journey be blessed by the Eye of Truth."
The journey continued, but the landscapes no longer shifted so drastically. Instead, the focus narrowed, with every road and terrace leading to a single point. Finally, Skyveil City appeared. It rose like a mountain of jade, terraces stacked upon one another, rimmed with gold. Veins of light ran across its walls, constellations etched into the stone and glowing faintly even beneath the sun. The colossal gates at its base bore a single unblinking eye, carved in obsidian and jade—the crest of the Ye. Even seasoned cultivators fell silent at the sight. This was no city; it was the Ye Clan's dominion, the seat of their unbroken legacy.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the inner city, two more caravans were heading toward Skyveil City's gates. One approached from the south, guarded by armored retainers, with a boy named Ye Chenrui at its head. He had a restless energy and an excitement that barely masked his nerves. From the east came a smaller procession led by Ye Qingxian, a girl calm and composed beyond her age, her every step measured. As these groups converged, Su Mei walked with quiet dignity, Liangfeng steady at her side, their small escort struggling not to gape at the splendor all around them.
At the gates, a ritual awaited. Azure-armored guards stood in formation, their breastplates marked by the Ye crest. Even without unleashing their aura, the pressure of Spirit Lords weighed on the caravans. Each group halted. Tokens, pendants, and jade tablets were presented. The colossal eye carved into the gate stirred faintly as streams of light descended, scanning each proof. When Su Mei placed Ye Tian's pendant forward, the carved eye glowed faintly in recognition. Guards exchanged glances before stepping aside. Chenrui's scrolls were accepted with solemnity. Qingxian's jade tablet shimmered with silver light. One by one, all three groups passed beneath the gaze of the stone eye.
For the elders, each step was like crossing into another world. For the children, it was the first threshold of destiny.
Guided through winding streets, they reached the Outer Reception Hall of the Ye estate. Colossal pillars shaped like eyes supported its roof, their embedded jade pupils glowing faintly. Floors of polished blackstone reflected every step. Silk tapestries lined the walls, stitched with ancestral victories in glowing thread.
Stewards in pale robes waited behind low desks. Calm, expressionless, yet their silent presence pressed like a steady weight. One by one, families were summoned.
Su Mei bowed deeply, guiding Liangfeng forward. "This humble one is Su Mei. This is my son, Ye Liangfeng, born of Ye Tian of Astralis' direct line. My husband fell on an expedition, but left this pendant as proof. His last wish was for his son to return."
The steward accepted the pendant. The carved eye glowed faintly. He studied Liangfeng, who met his gaze without flinching. After a long silence, he nodded. "Recorded." Silver ink inscribed Liangfeng's name on a glowing scroll. Chenrui followed, his seals passing inspection with pride. Qingxian's jade tablet shone with refined clarity. Their names, too, were entered into the clan record.
The chief steward rose. His gaze swept across the children. Chenrui fidgeted. Qingxian stood tall. Liangfeng's calm did not waver. "Their proofs are accepted," the steward declared. "They will be presented before the Eye Stone for testing. Until then, they are under the Ye Clan's protection."
Relief washed over Su Mei. Her elders bowed, awe heavy in their faces.
Beyond the hall, attendants led the families into courtyards carved into the mountainside. Spirit flora bloomed in radiant hues, fountains drew water from hidden qi-veins, and pathways aligned with Astralis's channels of essence.
Beneath silver-leafed trees, the three children met. Chenrui's words tumbled out first: "You're Liangfeng, right? My uncle said your dad was Astralis-born too. So we're basically cousins!"
Liangfeng only nodded. "Yes."
Qingxian tilted her head, eyes thoughtful. "Then we're all kin. Do you… like it here?"
"The trees shine differently," Liangfeng said quietly. "They hum."
Chenrui laughed. "I bet I can climb one!"
"You'll fall," Qingxian replied, her lips pursed.
"I won't. I'm strong!"
"You're noisy," Liangfeng murmured, though his face stayed calm.
Their elders smiled faintly, relieved to see the children interacting. But stewards watching from the shadows noted more. These were not ordinary children, their auras already settling in the rich essence of Skyveil. An elder in golden-threaded robes approached. "The Eye does not call often," he said, his voice quiet. "Soon, you will be tested."
The next morning, the children were led higher into Skyveil, toward the Hall of Ancestry. Its obsidian gates were carved into a vast eye wreathed in silver. Within, banners of Ye lineage stretched back millennia. At the center stood a circular platform etched with shifting runes.
A silver-robed elder with a gaze like polished glass presided. His aura pressed faintly on the chamber though he did not move. "Step forward, one at a time," he commanded. "Place your hand upon the Eye Stone."
Upon the altar rested a sphere of stone veined in gold and azure—a relic of the Ye, tied to the Eye of Truth bloodline itself.
Chenrui went first, slapping his hand onto the orb. For a heartbeat, nothing. Then faint red motes stirred inside the stone, like embers hidden under ash. The glow flickered uncertainly before fading.
Whispers rose among the stewards. "A trace… the stirrings of spirit force." "Not yet awakened."
The elder nodded. "The blood answers faintly. In the proper ceremony, its true nature will show."
Chenrui forced a grin, shoulders trembling as he stepped back.
Qingxian followed. When her hand touched the orb, a ripple of pale silver light shimmered across its surface, thin as spider-silk threads. The glow was soft and fleeting—there, and then gone.
The hall grew quiet. "One who carries still waters," a steward murmured. "But not yet unveiled."
The elder's voice was calm. "Her vein is refined, but it slumbers. The awakening rite will call it forth."
Qingxian bowed slightly and returned, her face composed though her fingers trembled.
At last, Liangfeng stepped forward. For a moment, the orb remained inert. Then, slowly, a faint amethyst gleam gathered in its depths, no more than the sheen of dew before dawn. It quivered once, as if resisting, then faded into stillness.
The silence in the chamber deepened. "A sign…" one steward whispered. "But quiet. Hidden too deep to reveal."
The silver-robed elder's eyes lingered on Liangfeng. "Rare is the child whose blood does not rush to answer, but waits. His truth lies veiled until it chooses to wake."
Su Mei's chest tightened at those words, yet relief and dread mingled in her heart. The orb dimmed to stone once more. Liangfeng withdrew, calm, his small hand brushing the pendant at his chest.
The elder's voice carried across the hall. "These three bear the Ye bloodline. Their signs are faint, their gifts still unborn. The Eye Stone confirms their legitimacy—but the bloodline must be awakened in full. They shall be taken into the Holy Mountain, where the Bloodline Vein flows. There, beneath the gaze of our ancestors, their true eyes will open."
Su Mei swayed, relief breaking the steel of her resolve. Her husband's wish was fulfilled. Her son's future now lay in Astralis's heart.