On top of a mountain, a young teenager sat cross legged on a rock, his eyes closed in deep meditation.

  For three days, Yuan remaiill, unmoving, lost in a trance like state. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes, gazing at the endless blue sky. He lingered in thought for a moment, then closed his eyes once more, sighing as his thoughts swirled through his mind. Finally, he exhaled deeply, opening his eyes again, this time with a calm and clear mind.

  "So, I am not truly at the Blood Purification stage," Yuan murmured. "I am only at the peak of the Mortal Assion stage, with all my senses already awakened. But this feeling... it is nothing pared to what Young Master Basilisk experienced. Even though his mind was not fully developed as a Blood Purification demonic beast, I tell,this is not how it should feel."

  With that realization, Yuan's thoughts shifted to what Young Master Basilisk had doo him.

  For tless years, Basilisk had created a vilge of humans, shaping it into a paradise. He then spread myths,the Mansion of tless Tombs, Heaven Defying Humans, and many more,to weave a grand illusion. But as his escape attempts tinuously failed, he abahe vilge he had onurtured.

  Then, one day, Yuan was born.

  With a special soul stitutiorue cause of the headaches he had suffered throughout his life,he unknowingly became the key to Basilisk's pn. As the only person with an stitution soul ,the young master had entered only once, Basilisk saw him as the perfect vessel. He po devour Yuan's soul and take over his body.

  However, the act of body possession is nearly impossible,uhe other person willingly allows it.

  Then, until he arrived at the Ghost Forest,or as he now khe Illusion Forest,the young master had guided him in tless ways. He had fed him just enough spiritual energy to prevent him from breaking apart from the pain, maniputed his entire vilge to accelerate his growth, and even orchestrated the deaths of those closest to him.

  His mother's death when he was three, his grandfather's passing,all of it had been pnned. In fact, among all the people in the vilge, his grandfather had been the most maniputed. Now, with the memories of the young master, Yuan uood the horrifying truth. His grandfather had ruly been his grandfather.

  His entire vilge had been nothing more than puppets, their strings tightly trolled by the young master's whims. Every trial, every illusion, had been crafted for Yuan to overe, ensuring he would urn back. Even the emotions he felt had been carefully orchestrated.

  Despite the young master having long perished, his soul fme ehanks to the Azure Basilisk Fme Art, he had survived without a physical body, using the art to manipute soul essence,a power only achievable upon reag the Soul Maion Stage. At that stage, a cultivator could create drops of soul essence, which allowed them to exert trol over both true spiritual essend, ultimately, plete mastery over spiritual essence.

  But such things were far too distant for Yuan's current cultivation level. For now, his only focus had to be spiritual essehe key to his adva.

  The most terrifying part of it all was not just the young master's influe how seamlessly he had trolled everything. Even from the beginning, there had been signs,hints that the young master had known his name, details Yuan had overlooked in his y.

  Yet, in the end, Yuan had trusted him pletely.

  Now, however, he khe truth. He uood that even learning the Azure Dragon Steps and the wound he had sustained from the Shadow Horned Bear had all been carefully orchestrated. These events had not been ces but carefully pnted influences desigo mold his body into the perfect vessel.

  But none of that mattered anymore.

  What mattered now was reag the stage.

  Reag the Blood Purification Stage was now his most important goal. However, achieving this stage was not a signifit challenge for him. After all, he now possessed the Azure Basilisk Fme, which had already helped him awaken all of his senses.

  With the Azure Basilisk Fme Art, even advang to the Bone F Stage would not be an issue. Given time, he could potentially reach that level within a mere hundred years,an astonishing speed in the cultivation world.

  After so much thinking and sitting still, Yuan's stomach suddenly growled with hunger. Hearing the sound, he instinctively pced a hand over his stomach, momentarily surprised. The out a small chuckle.

  "Heh, how long has it been since I st felt hunger? Based on Basilisk's memories, the st time he ate was ten thousand years ago, before his impriso. But at that time, his cultivation was already so high that he could sustain himself purely on spiritual essence or use his irue qi for nourishment. Well, no point in thinking about that now,it's time to find something to eat!"

  With that deade, Yuan stood up, stretg his stiff body. A dull ache spread through his muscles,his body still wasn't used to extended meditation.

  Looking around, Yuan assessed his surroundings, pting his move. He was currently at the border between the Dragon ti and the Human ti,at least, assuming no major war had broken out betweewo races. If a war was underway, his situation could go two ways: instah if he was caught in the flict, or, if he was fortunate, an opportunity to join a se the Human Domain. But that's something to sider ter…

  After reevaluating his exact location, Yuan came to a realization,he was at the outer yer of the Illusion Forest, on its opposite side.

  To reach the Human Domain, he o head north. Using the sun's movement and shadow positions, he carefully determihe correct dire. After a few hours of observation, he was fident he had found true north.

  With a final g his surroundings, Yua off toward the north, hoping his sense of dire was corred that he would soon arrive in the Human Domain.

  Days passed, and the relentless hunger g Yuan's sanity, pushing him dangerously close to the edge. His stomach growled incessantly, each wave of emptiness like a dagger to his gut. However, with the endless years of life experience from Basilisk, he endured. Even as his body weakened, his will remained unshaken.

  But then,something ged.

  After what felt like ay of walking through mist and t trees, Yuan finally saw something different. A vast, open pin of grass stretched before him,a sight s so breathtaking that it made him momentarily fet his suffering.

  Could it be?

  The realization struck him like lightning,he was he end of the Illusion Forest.

  With renewed vigor, he forced his exhausted body forward. The mere sight of the open nd ahead filled him with a joy he hadn't felt in what seemed like lifetimes.

  After just twenty more minutes of walking, Yuan finally stood before the boundless pins. The golden sun bathed the ndscape in warmth, the gentle breeze rustling the grass like o waves. The se was beautiful, serene,a stark trast to the eerie Illusion Forest behind him.

  A wide smile crept across his face. And then,he burst into ughter, his voice eg across the vast field.

  "Hahaha! I, Yuan, have finally arrived at the Human Domain!"

  His excitement surged, but just as he was about to take his first steps forward, he hesitated.

  Turning around, he gazed bato the depths of the Illusion Forest,the pce of his birth, his trials, and his transformation.

  Slowly, memories resurfaced,his grandfather's stories, the vilge that once sheltered him, the erials that nearly broke him… and the maniputions that had shaped his fate.

  But just as quickly as those memories came, they faded.

  With one final g the past, Yuan turned back toward the open pins of the Human Domain.

  With resolute determination, he spoke his final words to the past, letting them drift into the wind.

  "Although I could not save them from the space cutting rune formation, I gave them the freedom they never had. I owe them nothing anymore."

  With that final thought, Yuan turned away from the past, his expression calm yet unreadable.

  Now, with his hands csped behind his back, he strode forward,toward the other end of the vast, open pins.

  His goal was clear. To find a mortal human vilge. A pce where he could blend in, gather information, and begin anew.

  And so, without looking back, he walked on.

  First Act of Defiand

  ----------------

  AN:

  Hey, LazyRedMoon here,

  I hope you ehe first volume of Journey of True Cultivation ′First Act of Defiance′. Although this volume is retively short, with only 14 chapters, I'm satisfied with it. The volume will be much longer, but that's something to look forward to iure.

  What I want to crify in this author's note is that any small plot holes you may have noticed such as soul esserue spiritual energy, true qi, and other cepts ,they are iional. These aspects will be gradually expihroughout the story in the volume ′Hypocrisy of Sects′.

  So if you're feeling fused about certais, don't worry! Everything will be revealed over time.

  Thank you for reading, and I hope you tihis journey with me!