Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 191 The Return of the Heavenly Gate
Li Jing'an led the three to the "Boundary Seal Office" for formal registration as cabinet members.

On the way to the Boundary Seal Division, Li Jing'an gave Chu Ning and the other two a brief introduction to the division of responsibilities among the three main branches of the First-Class Pavilion:

Soul Form Pavilion: Primarily responsible for external conquest and martial arts, specializing in practical combat training, evolution of soul combat skills, and "soul combat ranking" within the realm. With a sharp and aggressive style, its members are mostly battle soul practitioners, making it the core of martial power within the realm.
Soul Mirror Pavilion: Primarily responsible for oversight and law enforcement, it is responsible for verifying the identity of all those who enter the soul realm, registering their soul essence, managing their soul imprints, and enforcing the rules of the realm. It is the "Eye of Order" within the realm.
Soul Pavilion: It controls the main boundary lock and the sealing of other souls, manages the allocation and upgrading of boundary lock authority, and also oversees the soul imprint design and high-level boundary array. It is the most mysterious pavilion with very few members, but extremely heavy responsibilities.

Li Jing'an directly completed the initial entry-level registration for the Soul Mirror Pavilion for Chu Ning and Lei Jingjing, with their Soul Imprint registration rank as follows:
Chu Ning: "Trial Observer" status, note: special case, with records of being guided by the Pavilion Master, possessing basic authority assessment exemption;

Lei Jingjing: "Foreign Envoy Transfer", her original Soul Envoy background has been filed, and the Soul Mirror Pavilion has specially approved the transfer evaluation, pending the final ranking;

Because Chu Yun's soul consciousness was not stable, he was classified as a "non-combatant" and granted "observer escort" privileges, which were personally approved by Li Jing'an. He could accompany Li Jing'an on the periphery of the core soul field without participating in the assessment.

At this moment, the elder in charge of writing at the Soul Mirror Pavilion gave a special reminder:
"The rules of the pavilion clearly state that those who wish to enter a new rank must undergo a preliminary rank-determining test to assess the stability of their cultivation, the completeness of their soul imprint, and their compatibility with the boundary lock. Although this test is not the sole determinant of admission, it determines the allocation of resources, access channels, and subsequent cultivation paths within the pavilion."

Chu Ning nodded, indicating his understanding.

Lei Jingjing frowned slightly and glanced at Li Jing'an.

Li Jing'an explained casually:
“Your soul consciousness is still unstable. Your soul was severely damaged by pressure some time ago. According to the regulations, you can apply for ‘partial stress reduction’. I have registered you on your behalf.”

"The testing venue will manage it itself." After he finished speaking, he added in a low voice, "If it can't be controlled, then retreat. There's no shame in that."

Lei Jingjing didn't say much, only nodded slightly.

After the three completed their entry into the pavilion, the group moved to the Soul Arena, accompanied by the Deputy Envoy of the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion, to prepare for the day's "Rank-Determining Soul Trial".

A figure slowly stepped out from the crowd.

He was a soul cultivator in blue robes, tall and slender, with a soul blade at his waist. His steps were steady and deliberate, as if cutting through iron, and his eyes held a hint of arrogance.

Before he could speak, whispers began to circulate around him:
"Xian Fenghuai...the core disciple of the Soul Form Pavilion who is most likely to advance to the peak of the fifth rank in this generation."

"I heard that the person behind him is Elder Li Yuanyan of the Soul Form Pavilion... who has always advocated 'pure bloodline and merit-based selection'."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an remained expressionless, but his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly before returning to calm.

At this moment, Xian Fenghuai stood on the Soul Platform, expressionless, his gaze fixed on the three people behind Li Jing'an, his tone steady as a blade:

"Is the position of Pavilion Master a place to hide people?"

He bowed respectfully, his words carrying a sharp edge, though devoid of any disrespect:

"Since the Soul Mirror Pavilion is so keen on recommending people for the candidacy, why not invite them to take the stage and observe them first, and see if this arrangement is truly for the benefit of the realm, or for favoritism and favoritism?"

His gaze slowly swept over Lei Jingjing, lingered for a moment, then turned to Chu Yun, only glancing at him briefly before looking away. Finally, it landed on Chu Ning, and he said softly:
"White hair, severed arm, and a chaotic soul."

"Is the Pavilion Master really getting old? Or... is there really no one left in this generation?"

Before the words were finished, the soul energy around the soul field trembled slightly, and the expressions of the soul beings were either surprised or cold, with a faint pressure of boundary flowing between them.

Several mid-level envoys of the Soul Mirror Pavilion showed signs of anger. Some of them were about to speak up and rebuke, but Li Jing'an stopped them with a gentle wave of his hand.

He chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes:
"If you can really beat him, then come and ask me this question."

Chu Ning stood below the steps, his expression unmoving. He lightly flicked a wisp of lightning between his left palms, causing the hidden patterns of the boundary lock to tremble slightly, as if responding or suppressing.

Xian Fenghuai's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he sensed something, but he did not reveal it.

He simply nodded slightly, his voice calm:
"Tomorrow is the first Soul Arena test. I will be waiting for you in the first round of the 'Soul Consciousness Pressure Test'."

As he turned to leave, his gaze swept over the high platform of the Soul Form Pavilion, and his eyes met almost imperceptibly with one of the middle-aged soul practitioners dressed in a gray-blue Taoist robe.

The man didn't speak, but simply nodded very slightly, as if some kind of agreement had already been confirmed.

Li Jing'an took in all of this, a smile playing on his lips, but his gaze grew increasingly deep.

“…Yang Yuanyan.” He muttered to himself, his tone indifferent, “Sending this piece to scout ahead, he really knows how to do it.”

"So be it—"

"Perfect for my disciples to practice on."

High above the Tianjing Tower, a wisp of soul thread quietly floated, conveying the news of Chu Ning and the others' "extraordinary entry" beyond the tower.

The interior of the building is not like a pavilion, but more like a universe, a space and time of its own.

The sea of ​​clouds flows from above, and the soul patterns radiate light from the ground. As one walks among them, one's soul will gradually become calm and stable in accordance with the will of the host.

The three then arrived at Jingyunzhai, where each had a soul array to assist in regulating their breathing. Although there were no luxurious items, the defenses were extremely strong, clearly intended for use by elders and disciples.

As soon as Chu Ning entered the room, he felt his soul wheel slowly return to its place, and his mind relaxed slightly.

Lei Jingjing stood in the hall, looked around, and suddenly smiled:

"I feel really uncomfortable living in a place like this."

Chu Yun didn't respond. She simply gazed out the window at the seemingly ethereal sea of ​​clouds and quietly asked:
Are we really safe?

Chu Ning remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Sister, don't worry."

The night was deep, and the wind was still.

Li Jing'an summoned Chu Ning alone and led her to the "Listening Wind Terrace" behind Tianjing Tower.

It was a solitary platform suspended above the flow of the realm, with no walls on any side. Soul winds passed through the platform, like the whispers of countless souls. One wrong step, and one would fall into the abyss of the soul realm.

Li Jing'an stood with his hands behind his back, his shadow stretched extremely long under the soul lamp.

"Master Hunyuan has been gone for a long time, and the position of Pavilion Master... remains vacant to this day."

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but every word was carried to Chu Ning's ears by the wind.

“Over the years, many people have become accustomed to the order of ‘no pavilion master’ – without a leader, there is no interference.”

"But you know, the reason why Yipin Pavilion can still be maintained is not because of those elders who sit in the hall."

He turned to look at Chu Ning, his eyes unusually sharp.

"Once the Primordial Power is completely dissipated and no one inherits the Boundary Lock, this Boundary Within a Boundary will collapse on its own."

Chu Ning lowered his eyes and remained silent. After a long while, he whispered, "Master Hunyuan... did he really perish because of sealing the 'Blazing Bone Ape Marquis'?"

Li Jing'an nodded, his expression unusually solemn:
"Indeed, although I did not personally witness that battle, those who knew about it recorded it in great detail. After that evil spirit devoured the Crimson Rain Child, it rose to become a demigod and even shattered the Heavenly Gate. In order to sever its karma, the Master did not hesitate to ignite his soul lock and seal it in the Abyss of Death outside the boundary."

"But... he ultimately didn't have time to pass the Boundary Lock Seal to the next person."

"That's why there's an 'empty seat for the Pavilion Master,' and that's why we're in this open and covert struggle now."

Chu Ning remained silent, gazing only at the floating Soul Mirror at the end of the steps—the mirror shimmered with a faint light, reflecting a slender figure with white hair like frost.

That is himself.

Li Jing'an suddenly changed his tone:
"There are three factions within this realm."

"First, there's the elder faction, who cling to the old system and emphasize bloodline and lineage. They are the least willing to let the Hunyuan lineage fall into the hands of anyone who is not of their own bloodline."

"Secondly, there's the Law Enforcement System, which outwardly adheres to the rules but ultimately speaks according to the laws of the soul. Although I'm nominally affiliated with it, I'm actually just a marginal old hand."

"Thirdly, there is the outer cabinet faction, which mostly went to war zones, and was not bound by any formalities or social status, but now... their numbers have scattered and their influence has waned."

He paused, his gaze towards Chu Ning becoming serious:

"If you want to live, it's not just about being strong."

"More importantly, you must learn to hide."

Chu Ning remained silent, only gently closing his eyes. The Soul Lock Inscription in his palm rippled slightly, its silver light flickering like an old fire that had not yet been extinguished beneath the deep sea, slowly burning through time.

After a long silence, Chu Ning finally spoke, his voice low and deep:

“…Old Li.”

"Do you know—what lies beyond this 'Heavenly Gate'?"

"Did those 'Boundary Patrol Envoys'... actually come to this world?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the night breeze seemed to cool instantly. The currents of the realm above the Soul Realm trembled slightly, like snowflakes silently rolling, yet penetrating to the bone.

Li Jing'an was still lost in thought when he heard this, but he suddenly paused, his gaze tightened, and he stared at Chu Ning.

"You... know about the 'Border Patrol Envoy'?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a rare hint of genuine surprise.

Chu Ning was silent for a moment, just about to mention that he had seen a projection of the Hunyuan Master in the Soul Lock, when Li Jing'an suddenly continued on his own, as if he was trying to cover up some thoughts, or as if he had thought of a deeper secret.

"Decades ago, Master Hunyuan suddenly went into seclusion for three days. After emerging from seclusion, he said he sensed a wisp of 'reverse realm aura'."

“Something… flew into this realm from outside the ‘Heavenly Gate’.”

“He said that thing was neither an evil spirit nor a celestial demon, but it carried an aura that was very similar to the ‘Primordial Divine Decree’—just like when he personally threw that divine decree out of the Heavenly Gate, it circled around again and was thrown back by ‘someone’.”

Chu Ning was slightly taken aback, and a glint of lightning flickered in his eyes.

Li Jing'an continued, his tone softening, but becoming even more subdued:
“Master Hunyuan did not set off at that time, but sent me to search in the direction he specified. In the end, I arrived at Qingyang County.”

"On the surface, the mission is to investigate an evil riot."

"But actually... it's to confirm whether that thing is a divine decree returning, or some kind of remnant left behind by the 'Boundary Patrol Envoy'."

The winds of the soul swirled around the platform, plunging the area around the Listening Wind Platform into a deathly silence.

Chu Ning's throat bobbed slightly, and he asked in a low voice:
"……Then what?"

Li Jing'an sighed softly, as if looking back on the past across the years, his voice slow yet firm:

"Then I met you in Qingyang County."

“Through the resonance of the ‘Primordial Qi Refining Method’, I can sense the traces of the ‘Divine Decree’ remaining on your body. Although it is incomplete, it is enough for the Master to judge that the Divine Decree has indeed returned, and... it has fallen into your sea of ​​consciousness.”

"So he ordered me to protect him in secret."

He looked at Chu Ning, his tone becoming complicated:
"Master Hunyuan said that a true successor will never come to you on their own."

"Instead, it is God's will that will 'bypass the Heavenly Gate and find the destined one'."

Chu Ning slowly clenched his fist, and the long-dormant silver-gray soul imprint trembled gently deep within his sea of ​​consciousness.

At that moment, he finally understood:
From the moment he stepped into the Soul Path, he was not "brought in" to this destiny, but rather, from the very beginning, he was on the path of destiny's "return."

Li Jing'an's gaze shifted slightly, as if he had regained some of his playful demeanor:

"I didn't believe it back then. I thought you were just a mischievous boy with a stubborn temper, and you were always pestering me for drinks."

"But who knew that you would actually come this far?"

He changed the subject, his gaze turning solemn once more:
"Chu Ning, since you've asked about 'outside the Heavenly Gate,' I advise you—not to press the matter further."

"Master Hunyuan once said: It is a door that can only be 'pushed open once'. Those who have actually pushed it open... have never returned alive."

"This realm within a realm, this soul lock, this so-called inheritance are nothing but 'echoes from outside the Heavenly Gate'."

As soon as the words were spoken, the night deepened, and even the wind seemed to be suppressed by those words.

Chu Ning did not respond immediately.

He lowered his eyes, and beneath his long eyelashes, a sharp light suddenly appeared in his once calm pupils.

He seemed to want to ask something; his Adam's apple bobbed, and his lips parted slightly, but he hesitated to utter the question that had been lingering in his heart for so long.

He wanted to ask:
"What lies behind that door?"

That gaze was intense, like a soul fire igniting the deepest, most primal desires in the depths of one's consciousness; but it only lasted for a moment.

The next moment, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

Li Jing'an looked at him without saying a word, his gaze heavy, as if he were using a silent force to suppress the impulse in his heart.

There was a long silence between the two.

The wind passed between them, carrying with it the barely audible whispers from the depths of the boundary.

Finally, Chu Ning chuckled softly, but there was little relief in his laughter; instead, it seemed as if he had slashed himself in the face.

"it is good."

"I won't ask anymore."

In that instant, he knew that he would ultimately be the one facing the border patrol envoy, and it would be better if others could stay out of it.

Li Jing'an patted his shoulder and whispered:

"What you need to do is not ask them for the truth."

"The priority is... to avoid dying before the truth comes out."

A slight tremor of the soul stirred, and the night wind rose again.

Listening Wind Terrace remained as silent as ever, with only a faint glimmer of light beneath the boundary lock, the soul imprint still lingering.

In the distance, a pair of soul-like eyes hidden behind the clouds quietly watched the flow of the night.

The following morning, on the east side of the main soul peak, clouds rose over the soul field.

This place was originally the "Soul Warriors' Training Ground" of the Realm Within a Realm, floating above the Realm Sea, and was managed and coordinated by the Soul Form Pavilion, for use by the three pavilions in rotation.

Today is the day of the Three Pavilions' "Soul Arena Preliminary Test".

The entire soul field had already been sealed and reinforced by multiple layers of soul laws. Above the sky, soul energy flowed like a rainbow; the floating platform below was spread out like a mirror, with soul patterns swirling around the four corner pillars and flickering flames, clearly indicating that a suppression field of the "full-level trial" level had been activated.

This test will be adjudicated by Mu Yan, the Chief Inspector of the Soul Mirror Pavilion.

This person was known as Li Jing'an's equal, but he was an incorruptible figure in the legal profession and rarely showed his emotions.

Today, he stands expressionless on the main stage of the Soul Arena, seemingly only there to "remember the rules".

Soul Pavilion then sent a guest named Yu Xing Shui.

He wore plain blue clothes, his eyes were clear and calm, there were faint lines between his brows, and his soul light was almost still.

From the moment he stepped into the arena, he had not uttered a single word; only his eyes rose and fell slightly with the fluctuations of the soul field.

From the Soul Form Pavilion, their young disciple, Xian Fenghuai, stepped forward.

A fifth-rank superior, wielding the power of the "Boundary-Severing Soul Flame," he is as sharp as a blade and his aura as fierce as a spear, naturally possessing an edge.

It is said that this person not only cultivates the soul, but also sacrifices his body with soul fire, and can burn a hundred-foot soul river in an instant.

At this moment, his gaze was like a sword, aimed directly at Chu Ning.

“Your Soul Mirror Pavilion actually sent a half-crippled man with a missing arm and white hair to the Soul Arena.”

Xian Fenghuai spoke in a flat tone, yet every word was sharp:
"Are you here to assess me, or to... mock the bottom line of my Soul Form Pavilion?"

Upon hearing this, an undeniable restlessness surged around the Soul Arena.

In an instant, the gazes of many newly promoted Soul Masters fell upon those three figures.

Chu Ning, with white hair, a face as white as snow, and a grayish left eye, trembled slightly in the wind in his tattered robe.
Chu Yun, pale-faced and barely breathing, stood quietly at the outer edge of the steps.
Lei Jingjing's soul imprint flickered slightly, and although the brilliance of her soul eye between her brows was restrained, it could not hide the instability of the soul power around her.

Just as the whispers among the crowd subsided, Li Jing'an merely raised his eyes lazily, his expression indifferent, one hand behind his back, the other lightly patting the corner of his sleeve:

"If you can really beat him, then it's not too late to say that."

He paused, his tone softening slightly, yet tinged with pity:

"What a pity, such a promising talent, yet he willingly became a tool of the slaughterhouse."

(End of this chapter)