Ascension was described in the ancient texts as a return to the womb of the universe. It was
said to be a sensation of pure bliss, a shedding of the heavy, mortal shell and a rebirth into light.
For Su Mei, it felt like walking through a waterfall of mercury.
The golden light stripped away the remnants of the Spirit Realm's gravity. Her body, already
refined by the Golden Blood and the Nascent Soul, was reconstructed. Her bones turned to
indestructible jade. Her marrow became starlight. The very concept of "aging" was erased from
her cellular structure.
She emerged on the other side.
The Immortal Realm.
It was not a place of clouds and harps. It was a realm of colossal, terrifying majesty.
She stood on a platform made of a single, seamless diamond the size of a city. Above her, three
suns of different colors—blue, gold, and violet—rotated in a complex dance. The air was so rich
with Immortal Qi that a single breath would make a mortal explode from energy overload.
"Welcome, Ascendant."
The voice was like a bell tolling in deep water.
Su Mei looked up. Floating before her was a being of light. He had no distinct features, just a
silhouette of blinding radiance.
"I am the Guardian of the North Gate," the being said. "State your Name and your Dao."
Su Mei straightened her back. She felt the power coursing through her—power that made her
previous strength in the Spirit Realm look like a child playing with matches.
"I am Su Mei," she declared. "My Dao is the Heartless Sword. I have severed all ties."
The Guardian observed her. The light intensified, scanning her soul.
"Heartless," the Guardian mused. "A difficult path. Fast, but brittle."
He gestured to the vast expanse behind him.
"You have passed the trial. You are free of the Mortal Dust. Enter, Immortal Su Mei. Join the
ranks of the Eternal."
Su Mei nodded. She stepped forward, ready to claim her place in this new, perfect world.
Then, she looked down.
Her robes were woven from the essence of the ascension light—pristine, shimmering, divine.
Except for one spot.
On her chest, right over her heart, there was a stain.
It was a patch of gold. The blood of Li Wei.
Su Mei frowned. The Ascension Light was supposed to cleanse all impurities. Dirt, sweat, old
wounds—everything was erased. Why was the blood still there?
She raised her hand and channeled a wisp of Immortal Cleansing Fire. It was a flame that could
burn away karma itself. She passed her hand over the stain.
The fire hissed. The stain remained.
It didn't burn. It didn't fade. If anything, under the light of the three suns, it shimmered brighter.
"Guardian," Su Mei asked, her voice sharp. "Why is this impurity not cleansed?"
The Guardian looked at the stain. The being of light seemed to recoil slightly.
"That is not an impurity," the Guardian said gravely. "That is a Sacrifice."
"Explain."
"Blood given willingly, out of pure love, by a soul connected to you by marriage... it is not dirt," Heavens cannot wash away what was given freely. It is now part of your Immortal Body."
Su Mei stared at the gold patch.
Li Wei's blood. It wasn't just on her clothes. It had soaked into her skin, into her jade bones. She
was literally made of his sacrifice.
"He marks me even in death," she whispered. "Stubborn man."
She felt a flicker of annoyance. It was inefficient. It ruined the symmetry of her white robes.
"Can I remove it?" she asked.
"Only if you remove the part of yourself that accepted it," the Guardian said. "But since it is
fused with your heart... you would have to cut out your heart."
Su Mei touched her chest. The skin underneath the gold stain felt warm. It was the only part of
her body that felt warm. The rest of her was absolute zero.
"Fine," she decided coldly. "I will cover it."
She transmuted her robe, adding a layer of silver armor over her chest. The gold stain was
hidden.
"I am ready," she said to the Guardian.
"Go," the Guardian stepped aside. "But be warned, Heartless One. The Immortal Realm is vast,
and time here is endless. Eternity is a long time to spend with oneself."
Su Mei flew past him. She soared into the alien sky. She felt the rush of wind, the thrill of
limitless power. She could crush stars. She could freeze oceans. She was a god.
But as she flew, she noticed something strange.
The silence.
In the Spirit Realm, even when she was alone, there was a hum. A background noise. The faint,
almost imperceptible buzz of the Soul Resonance. The feeling of someone, somewhere,
watching her. Worrying about her.
Now, there was nothing.
The silence of the Immortal Realm was absolute. It wasn't peaceful. It was vacuum.
"It is just the altitude," Su Mei told herself. "I will get used to it."
She flew toward the nearest Immortal City, a floating metropolis of crystal spires. She needed to
establish a foothold. She needed to conquer.
She landed in the city square. Immortals walked by—beings of immense beauty and power.
They glanced at her, sensing her newness, her strength.
Su Mei stood in the crowd. She was surrounded by equals. She was surrounded by gods.
And for the first time in her life, she felt cold. Not the empowering cold of her ice magic. But the
shivering, human cold of being a stranger in a room where no one knows your name.
She reached for her pocket, looking for her communication jade, purely out of habit. She wanted
to send a message: 'I made it. It's beautiful.'
Her hand grasped empty air.
There was no jade. There was no receiver.
"Right," she whispered, lowering her hand. "He is dead."
She stood in the middle of paradise, forcing herself to smile.
"I won," she said.
The words floated away, unheard by anyone.