Die große Seelenwanderung durch unzählige Reiche

Kapitel 1

The Moon Shines Over the Fire Author: Tianlai Zhiyuan

1 2 3

1

Chong Xuezhi lived in seclusion in the martial arts world for two years.

Two years ago, everyone in the world knew that Chong Xuezhi had given up her position as the young palace master and broken ties with Chonghuo Palace in pursuit of Xia Qingmei. Xia Qingmei was the ninth disciple of Lingjian Manor, a renowned handsome man, gentle and refined, tall and elegant, with long, bright eyes that seemed to hold water. When he smiled, he often revealed snow-white teeth and a single dimple, making him truly captivating. Countless women admired him, but he rejected them all, including Chong Xuezhi.

Xia Qingmei was known for his upright conduct in the martial arts world, but his romantic relationships often drew sighs of pity. It was said that there were men in this world who wouldn't accept women even when they offered themselves to them; was he a paragon of virtue, or simply a homosexual? Many said that Xia Qingmei had a woman's face and a woman's name, so perhaps he was a woman. Every time Chong Xuezhi heard such remarks, she would beat the person who said them to a pulp.

Chong Xuezhi said that he would one day take the initiative to pursue someone else.

But she never expected that the first woman Xia Qingmei would seriously pursue would be Lin Fengzi.

If Chong Xuezhi were to rank the people she hates most, the result would definitely be as follows: Third, Lin Xuanfeng, the master of Lingjian Manor. Second, Lin Xuanfeng's daughter, Lin Fengzi.

To express my feelings for this father and daughter, all I can say is: How despicable!

Lin Fengzi's mother's background is a mystery; rumors say even she herself doesn't know. But Chong Xuezhi knows her better than anyone—she's the last person who should exist in this world.

In Chong Xuezhi's eyes, Lin Fengzi had a tragic appearance, with a pair of lifeless, gleaming eyes and a bright red mole on her forehead, just like her father's, making her repulsive. Every time she said this, someone would correct her, saying that those were peach blossom eyes, a beauty mark. She ignored them all.

The funniest thing is that Xia Qingmei was deeply in love with Lin Fengzi, but this woman with the mole on her face rejected him. She even pretended to come to Chong Xuezhi and said, "Sister, I won't compete with you for your sweetheart."

Every time Chong Xuezhi heard her call her "sister," an unnamed rage would ignite in her chest, erupt from her mouth, and finally, a thousand words would transform into a sword strike aimed at Lin Fengzi. Lin Fengzi, using gentleness to overcome strength, twirled her whip, ensnaring the sword, and said with a smile, "Sister, he doesn't like you, so you hit me. Isn't that a bit unfair to me?"

Chong Xuezhi had only one last choice: to go on a rampage.

However, her dislike for another person was something that Lin Xuanfeng and Lin Fengzi combined couldn't match.

That person's name is Shangguan Tou.

Two years later, Chong Xuezhi made a comeback, becoming famous again for a reason she preferred—her beauty.

She thought she had turned over a new leaf and returned to the martial arts world, and being single, she was of marriageable age. She wanted to find a suitable husband in this turbulent and heroic world, but her dreams were quickly shattered by rumors about Shangguan Tou.

Shangguan Tou, the master of Moonrise Valley, is incredibly philandering, with an astounding number of women, including: XXX, XXX, XXX, Chong Xuezhi, XXX, XXX...

Yes, she's inside.

She was more unlucky than others because she was the most famous. And what made her even more unlucky was that by then, Shangguan Tou had already completely and utterly taken advantage of her.

Throughout history, beautiful women have faced numerous hardships in their love lives, but to endure hardships like hers is truly exceptional.

Everyone knows that the easiest thing in the world is to anger Chong Xuezhi; while the most difficult thing in the world is to anger Shangguan Tou.

Even a three-year-old child could make Chong Xuezhi so angry that her face turned red and her neck bulged; and no matter how mean or sharp-tongued a person was, they could not remove the ever-present smile from Shangguan Tou's face.

When these two are together, the scenes are quite amusing. People often complain, "Miss Chong, your temper is too bad, can't you change it?" Chong Xuezhi would immediately slam her hand on the table and roar, "What's wrong with my temper?!" If Shangguan Tou were there, he would definitely laugh heartily, "Having a bad temper is a good thing, no one else can tolerate her. Then, she'll have no choice but to be with me."

If someone asked Chong Xuezhi to recall the most disgusting scene, this would definitely be the one that comes to her mind:

Shangguan Tou's face clearly said, "I'm a bad guy," and he lightly lifted her chin with his folding fan: "Zhi'er, the angrier you are, the more you care about me. Don't be angry, come back to my arms."

Sometimes, Chong Xuezhi wasn't even sure what she was thinking. She disliked Shangguan Tou, but often felt that life was exceptionally easy as long as he was around. Because in Shangguan Tou's eyes, even the biggest problems seemed insignificant.

However, these are all things to be discussed later.

At first, Chong Xuezhi wasn't the kind of person who was good at self-regulation, and she often got upset for a long time over very small things.

2

Nearly three years ago, in autumn. Fengtian.

There are two major martial arts tournaments in the Central Plains: the Fengtian Heroes' Tournament, held every three years, and the Shaolin Weapon Ranking, held annually. And in Fengtian this year, the eve of the Heroes' Tournament was as lively as ever.

Although Fengtian Inn was the largest inn in the entire city, it was frequented by important figures from major sects. Therefore, the group of people sitting by the window, trying their best to keep a low profile, attracted particular attention.

There were two middle-aged men and two women, two maids, and a young boy and girl.

Everyone knows that these are people from Chonghuo Palace.

If you had asked someone ten years ago what kind of sect Chonghuo Palace was, they would have given a vivid description: "Chonghuo Palace is the number one evil cult in the martial arts world, composed of hundreds of disciples, four elders, four protectors, and two palace masters. Both palace masters are unparalleled in martial arts, but most people only recognize Palace Master Chong Lian. Don't tell me you don't know who Chong Lian is." If you said you didn't know, the other person would have said, "Good heavens, there are still people in this world who don't know Chong Lian. You... must be a reclusive master, right?"

No one can describe Chong Lian in a single sentence. But even a three-year-old child could sum him up in two words: legendary.

Chong Lian rose to fame at the Heroes' Gathering twenty-four years ago. At only fifteen years old, he participated as the young master of Chonghuo Palace, defeating Lou Qizhi, the master of Lingjian Manor, in two moves to claim first place. He became renowned throughout the martial arts world as "Martial Arts Overlord" and "Peerless Beauty." Some jokingly said that Chong Lian truly possessed unparalleled beauty, as he had everything men and women desired. Unfortunately, these people failed to see the immense price Chong Lian paid for his unparalleled martial arts prowess. Those in the know rarely offered him a positive assessment.

Among the universally acknowledged evil martial arts techniques, two manuals stand out as the most controversial. One is the *Hibiscus Heart Sutra*, and the other is the *Nine Forms of the Lotus God*, collectively known as the "Lotus Wings." Both were written by the same person, Chong Jiuzhi, the founder of Chonghuo Palace. Whether it was Chong Jiuzhi's penchant for self-harm or the manuals' requirement for extraordinary skill to master, those who practiced either manual met a terrible end, without exception; those who succeeded were left riddled with wounds. The *Hibiscus Heart Sutra* was stolen by a notorious thief before Chong Jiuzhi's death and was only discovered over fifty years ago to have been kept as an antique in a prince's mansion in the capital. After the prince's death, it reappeared in the martial arts world, causing widespread bloodshed. Countless people died because of this evil technique, and the manual's whereabouts remain unknown to this day. The *Nine Forms of the Lotus God* was passed down as a secret treasure by Chonghuo Palace, yet only two people successfully mastered it: Chong Jiuzhi and Chong Lian.

Chong Lian lived up to expectations, becoming the martial arts overlord of the entire Central Plains and the strongest person in the history of Chonghuo Palace. Some even said that his handsome appearance was thanks to this martial art. It was precisely because of this inexplicable martial art that Chong Lian did many things differently from ordinary people. Many secretly said that Chong Lian had gone mad from practicing the "Nine Forms of the Lotus God," becoming androgynous and having an abnormal sexual orientation, preferring men. Some even said that Chonghuo Palace claimed Chong Xuezhi was Chong Lian's adopted daughter, but in reality, she was his daughter with his male lover, Lin Yuhuang. In short, the martial arts world is full of wonders. Because of this harmful martial art, Chong Lian's ordinary human body finally couldn't withstand the immense burden, and he passed away at the age of thirty-two.

However, no matter how many miracles Chonglian creates, it cannot conceal the fact that he was once a serial killer. He probably doesn't even remember how many he killed.

So when Chong Xuezhi entered the martial arts world and attracted the attention of the whole world, no one protected her, but many people wanted to kill her.

Because she is Chonglian's daughter.

Chonghuo Palace has always stipulated that the Palace Master must bear the surname Chong and be either the child or adopted son of the previous Palace Masters. If she is a woman, then even if she marries, her children must take her surname and inherit Chonghuo Palace. Chong Xuezhi, as the young Palace Master of Chonghuo Palace, formally took over Chonghuo Palace at the age of eleven. At the age of fourteen, she officially began to represent Chonghuo Palace in recruiting disciples, dealing with various sects, and participating in various martial arts events. From then on, everyone remembered her vividly—Chong Lian was gentle and steady when she was around ten years old, but her daughter was so domineering, especially when others spoke ill of Chong Lian, Chong Xuezhi almost killed people several times.

At that moment, she quickly glanced around, took a sip of tea, and whispered, "We must win tomorrow."

The Dharma Protector, Liuli, said, "I'm tired of hearing you recite this to me."

"What do you know?" Xuezhi glanced at Liuli and said softly, "I know that everyone around here wants to kill us. If I lose, all our enemies will come looking for us. If I get killed, you won't be able to explain it to my great-father."

The guardian Zhu Sha remained silent for a moment, then looked at Xue Zhi with a serious expression: "Will someone really kill you?"

Xuezhi nodded vigorously: "Yes."

"Young Palace Master, please don't be too nervous. Whether you get a ranking this time is not important. The main thing is to give you more experience so that you can smoothly succeed to the throne in the future."

The woman speaking was Haitang, the leader of the Four Protectors and one of the three beauties of the martial arts world many years ago. Due to her tireless efforts in managing the Chonghuo Palace, Haitang is no longer as young as before, but she is still beautiful.

Xuezhi remained silent. There were some questions she dared not ask.

For example, where did Second Uncle go?

For example, if she loses, will she be punished by the elders when she goes back?

For example, everyone says Mu Yuan is the Grand Protector, but there are clearly four Apprentice Protectors. Chonghuo Palace's long-standing rule is only four Protectors, so what is Mu Yuan?

She knew that while Chonghuo Palace publicly declared Mu Yuan as the Grand Protector, he was actually Chong Lian's adopted son. Chong Lian had adopted Mu Yuan when she was twenty-eight and personally taught him martial arts, supposedly because of his exceptional talent and suitability for Chonghuo Palace. Mu Yuan… was he going to replace her as the Palace Master?

She glanced at Mu Yuan, who sat silently to the side. He was clearly only a year older than her, but the composure he displayed was something no one his age could match.

Chong Xuezhi was very discouraged.

Her great-uncle clearly liked her the most. Why wouldn't he teach her martial arts himself?

3

"Young Palace Master, this is the ranking of the last Heroes Tournament." Mu Yuan handed Xue Zhi a small notebook. "Last night I compiled the current rankings, and I listed their weapons and winning and losing techniques in it."

"Thank you." Xuezhi took the notebook and glanced at the names.

First place: Abbot Shi Yan of Shaolin Temple. Winning technique: Flower-Picking Capturing Hand.

Second place: Lin Xuanfeng, Master of Lingjian Manor. Victory: Seven Swords of the Void. Defeat: Shattered Zither Sword Technique.

Third place: Abbess Ciren of the Emei Sect. Victory: Thirty-Six Forms of the Heavenly Gang Finger Acupoint Technique. Defeat: Thirty-Six Forms of the Heavenly Gang Finger Acupoint Technique.

Fourth place: Hua Yijian. Victory: Water Heart Sword Technique. Defeat: Thousand Gold Sword.

Following them, in order, are Feng Cheng, the current leader of the martial arts alliance and head of the Huashan Sect; Xingyi Daoist of Wudang; Yuan Shuangshuang, the leader of the Xueyan Sect; and Man Feiyue, the abbot of the Xuantian Hongling Temple...

Liuli leaned closer to take a look, then clicked her tongue: "The newcomers these days are getting worse every year. Apart from Master Xingyi, who is relatively young, the others who are holding up the stage are all senior masters... Ah, and this one, Xia Qingmei, who is ranked thirteenth, is a twenty-year-old young man, Lin Xuanfeng's favorite student."

Xuezhi seemed not to hear him speak, and continued to look down one by one. Finally, she saw a glaring name at number forty-five: Lin Fengzi.

“She only took forty-five.” Xuezhi smiled, “She was so rude to me last time, but that’s all there is to it.”

Of the four guardians, Liuli, Zhusha, and Haitang looked at each other, unsure how to respond, while Tridacna sat motionless like a statue.

Finally, it was Haitang who spoke up: "Young Palace Master, the number of participants in the Heroes' Tournament has almost doubled in recent years. Getting forty-five is already very impressive."

Zhu Sha thought for a moment and said, "Besides, Miss Lin didn't say anything excessive. She just asked how old you were and wanted to recognize you as a sister..."

Liuli said, "Yes, she's still so young. She'll definitely be a rival in the future, so we have to be careful."

Xuezhi felt stifled and simply refused to answer.

She hadn't forgotten that before she came out, the three elders had instructed her that she had to be in the top five. Looking at those top five, she remembered seeing Shi Yan when she was six or seven years old; he had fought a female demon with astonishing strength. The others had all appeared at the Heroes' Gathering six years ago, when Chong Lian was still alive and had taken her to the event. Except for Lin Xuanfeng, whom he hadn't fought, the others were no match for him. She loved snuggling in Chong Lian's arms, proudly proclaiming, "Big Daddy is truly invincible! He beat those people to a pulp!" Then, her second father, Lin Yuhuang, would always pop up, suddenly laughing, "You brat, why don't you try?" She'd reach out her little paw, press it against Lin Yuhuang's face, and raise her voice, "Huang'er, get away!"

At that time, she didn't take these people seriously at all because she never intended to fight them.

Not long after Chonglian died, her second father really "left".

For so many years, there hasn't even been a trace of him.

Chong Xuezhi shook her head, and suddenly heard people whispering behind her:

"Lingjian Manor is quite shrewd. They spent a lot of money to build a large mansion in Fengtian, so they won't have to compete for inns anymore."

"I heard that Xueyan's people only arrived today. They haven't reserved any positions for those women yet. I wonder when they'll be promoted to official positions. Hahahaha."

Lingjian Manor and Xueyan Sect are legendary husband-and-wife sects. The leader of Xueyan Sect, Yuan Shuangshuang, originated from Lingjian Manor and maintained close ties with it. Xueyan Sect's martial arts and internal energy cultivation are derived from Lingjian Manor's swordsmanship, but are much softer and more feminine. Therefore, many female disciples of Lingjian Manor, such as Lin Fengzi, transferred to Xueyan Sect, leaving Lingjian Manor with only male disciples. This strengthened the relationship between the two sects, leading to frequent intermarriages. Furthermore, rumors circulated that the two leaders were secretly a couple. Therefore, when people mentioned Xueyan Sect, they generally referred to it as Lingjian Manor's wife.

When Lin Fengzi was still at Lingjian Manor, Chong Xuezhi disliked Lingjian Manor.

After Lin Fengzi went to the Snow Swallow Sect, she was said to be especially valued by Yuan Shuangshuang. Chong Xuezhi disliked the Spirit Sword Manor and even more so the Snow Swallow Sect.

Just then, a woman's voice sounded from behind: "Yuan Shuangshuang of Xueyan Sect, four disciples, are there any rooms available?"

"There are only four rooms left."

Haitang glanced behind Xuezhi, then whispered a few words to Chequ. Chequ nodded and walked over: "Our young master instructed that a room be given to the former sect leader and Miss Lin."

Upon hearing the name "Miss Lin," Chong Xuezhi felt a sudden rush of energy, threw down her chopsticks, and stood up abruptly: "No way!"

Lin Fengzi was exceptionally tall. At only fifteen years old, she was half a head taller than Yuan Shuangshuang, who was thirty-four. Not only was she tall, but she also had a beautiful face and a particularly slender waist. Wearing the same clothes as the disciples next to her, her white outfit stood out conspicuously.

In truth, Chong Xuezhi had secretly envied Feng Zi's height. But this envy was quickly transformed into resentment.

As soon as Lin Fengzi saw her, she immediately showed the same smile as her father: "Sister."

Author's Note: 3 chapters on July 20th!