"The Laws of the Four Seasons... it truly is the Laws of the Four Seasons!" another practitioner murmured, his voice catching in his throat so sharply he had to clutch the armrest of his jade chair. "Countless geniuses spend hundreds of years just to understand a single cycle, but he... he rotates all four in his palm like a child's toy!"

  In the ranks of the lower practitioners, panic began to crawl like a plague. The young cultivators who had insulted Zhi Xuan moments ago now felt their legs grow weak, as if the literal weight of the Divine Cauldron were pressing directly upon their shoulders.

  "Xuan-Huang energy..." whispered an alchemist who had come specifically to witness the ceremony. His usually calm eyes now glinted with a mixture of obsession and terror. "That is the primordial energy that exists only in the legends of the formation of heaven and earth. How can a youth who just emerged from a dungeon possess an object capable of swallowing the laws of nature themselves?"

  Yang Shuo staggered back a step. The solar fire enveloping his body flickered wildly, dimming under the gravitational pressure radiated by the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. His face, previously flushed with rage, turned as pale as ritual prayer paper.

  "You... where did you get that cursed thing?!" Yang Shuo roared, but his voice had lost its majesty, sounding more like a scream of terror forced into the shape of anger. "It must be an illicit treasure you stole! You are using black magic to deceive all our eyes!"

  Zhi Xuan did not answer directly. He simply allowed the Divine Cauldron to spin faster, creating a vortex of wind that carried the alternating scents of damp spring earth and the chill of eternal winter into the center of the arena.

  "Deceive?" Zhi Xuan lifted his gaze, meeting Yang Shuo with a deathly stillness. "How amusing. This artifact has accompanied me for hundreds of years, from the time I was still crawling through the wilderness until now. Yang Shuo, a cultivator might discard the soul artifact they created at the First Ember realm once they obtain a higher one. I did not discard it. I forged it into this."

  The practitioners, from clan elders to genius disciples, gaped at a sight that defied the logic of cultivation. In a world where practitioners typically traded old weapons for grander, high-level artifacts, Zhi Xuan displayed a terrifying loyalty to his origins.

  "Forged it since the First Ember realm?!" a cultivator stood up with hands trembling so violently that the tea cup in his fingers cracked into a thousand lines. "That means... that object is an Origin Artifact that grew alongside his soul! How can a soul artifact evolve into a vessel for the Laws of the Four Seasons and contain Xuan-Huang energy?!"

  "Madness... this is absolute madness!" the practitioner beside him added, his voice hoarse with horror. "Building an artifact from the very beginning is the most difficult path. If the artifact shatters, the soul shatters with it. He hasn't just forged it; he has made that cauldron an extension of his own Dao!"

  In the high pavilion, Elder Qing He leaned forward slowly, her aged eyes glinting with a light that was difficult to decipher. "A terrifying patience," she whispered low enough for only the elders around her to hear. "He used the Heavenly Sword as a shield, while his true weapon... he hid within the darkness of his soul for centuries."

  Zhi Xuan remained unmoved, letting the Divine Cauldron spin in his palm. "Elder Qing He, since I am already here, should this competition not cease to be a bloodbath and instead be changed into something that does not end in death?"

  Elder Qing He remained silent for a moment, letting the suffocating stillness hang over the Heavenly Cloud Peak. Her gaze shifted from the majestic Divine Cauldron to Zhi Xuan’s calm face, searching for a hint of a lie. However, she found only the clarity of a bottomless lake.

  "The Nine Solitudes seemingly did more than just cleanse your meridians, Zhi Xuan; it sharpened your conscience," Qing He spoke, her voice traveling through the air like the vibration of an ancient zither. "An unexpected request from one dubbed a Devil. However, this arena has its own rules. If Yang Shuo agrees to set aside his killing intent, then I, in the name of the Sacred Pavilion, will bless this battle as a test of Dao comprehension."

  "No! I do not agree!" Yang Shuo bellowed, his face twisted by overwhelming humiliation. "He slaughtered my brother! He stained the honor of my clan! Now, after he feels he has the upper hand with that old pot, he tries to speak of peace?! That is not mercy; it is the ultimate insult!"

  Yang Shuo stomped his foot onto the jade floor, and instantly, the fire of the Eternal Sun around his body exploded, forming nine fire dragons that danced ferociously. "Zhi Xuan! If you have the guts, face me in a gamble of lives! Do not hide behind sweet words!"

  Zhi Xuan let out a long sigh, a breath that carried the icy vapor of winter, freezing the jade floor around him. "A pity. Especially since this red ribbon reminds me that there are eyes waiting for my news down there."

  He slowly lifted his left hand, where the red ribbon from Yi'er fluttered gently amidst Yang Shuo’s firestorm. "If death is the only language you understand, then let this Cauldron translate it for you."

  WHUSH! DING!

  The Divine Cauldron soared upward, expanding in an instant until it seemed to block the light of the stars. The energy it emitted created a spiritual pressure that was subtle yet heavy; some saw that the pressure was actually weighing down on Zhi Xuan, yet he remained unyielding.

  The Heavenly Cloud Peak instantly transformed into a giant crucible where two extreme poles met. Yang Shuo’s nine Eternal Sun fire dragons shot into the sky, attempting to tear apart the massive shadow of the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron that now hung like a bronze moon over the arena.

  "Burn the heavens, lick the earth! Die in my purifying flames!" Yang Shuo screamed as he thrust both palms forward. The nine dragons merged into a single, massive pillar of fire capable of melting meteoric steel in an instant.

  Zhi Xuan stood with a straight back. He did not perform any complex defensive maneuvers. His left hand, bound by the red ribbon, rose slowly, his fingers forming an ancient sign known as the Cycle of Seasons Seal.

  "Four Seasons: Emergence of the Sacred Four Quarters."

  From within the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, a primordial energy exploded—not in a destructive blast, but in a majestic birth. From the East, a gentle yet unstoppable spring breeze flowed out, forming the silhouette of a massive Azure Dragon made of pure wood and water essence. The dragon coiled gracefully, yet every scale radiated a life force capable of toppling mountains.

  From the South, the sweltering heat of summer radiated, giving birth to the Vermillion Bird from dancing flames of fire essence. The sacred bird flapped its wings, sending a heatwave that evaporated the dew on the arena marble; however, its fire was not a destructive one, but a purifying fire that danced with celestial majesty.

  From the West, the sharp chill of autumn spilled its essence, forming a massive White Tiger from the glow of gold and metal. The tiger's claws were made of razor-sharp wind blades, and every roar carried the power of pure destruction, yet it was filled with the silence of nature shedding its leaves.

  And from the North, the freezing cold of winter brought forth the Black Tortoise-Snake—a fusion of a sturdy, massive tortoise and an ancient snake coiled around it, made of unshakeable water and earth essence. The form stood like a moving iceberg; its defensive aura felt indestructible, yet within its ancient eyes lay boundless wisdom.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The four sacred creatures emerged, surrounding Zhi Xuan. Each of their essences rotated in harmony with the Laws of the Four Seasons contained within the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. Zhi Xuan floated upward slowly, accompanied by the four sacred beasts circling him with a beautiful roar, forming a Four Seasons disc with a Yin-Yang diagram beneath Zhi Xuan’s feet.

  "One artifact, giving birth to four sacred forms," a wide-eyed practitioner murmured, his eyes shining at the majesty. "This... it's like I'm watching a Reincarnation!"

  "What suffering did he endure to be able to forge Heavenly Laws to such an extent?" said another practitioner, who looked as if he were about to prostrate himself at the sight of the four sacred forms. "The Yao Gu worship the Heavenly, yet look—even a Devil possesses a Law that understands the four pillars of heaven. What is happening?"

  "He is the one who shook the Courtyard of Sacred Light with the Four Seasons," said an old practitioner who had witnessed the Three Plains Competition. "Now, these old eyes can see the Laws of the Four Seasons within a single vessel once more. This... even if these old eyes die now, I have no regrets."

  "This is crazy... truly crazy!" a wandering practitioner added in a hoarse voice. "Yang Shuo calls upon the solar fire, but Zhi Xuan... he just stands there and lets the universe fight for him. How can you fight someone accompanied by the manifestations of time?!"

  Meanwhile, in the corner of the great clans, the elders of the Eastern Sun Clan trembled violently. The fire they had been proud of for thousands of years now felt like a small candle in the middle of a winter storm and summer heat that alternated at will.

  "Great Lord, this is dangerous!" an aide whispered to the leader of the Eastern Sun Clan. "Yang Shuo’s nine fire dragons are being absorbed by that seasonal vortex! Instead of burning Zhi Xuan, our fire is becoming nutrients for that Devil's Vermillion Bird! This is not a battle of essence; it is an eating of laws!"

  On the high balcony, Ye Xishui covered her mouth with her hand, her beautiful eyes trembling as she watched Zhi Xuan floating calmly amidst the four massive creatures. "So much suffering you endured... just to reach a level where you can stand that calmly before a world that hates you."

  "The Southern Devil..." an elder of a minor clan murmured, his body limp. "If this is the power of a Devil, then let the Heavens punish me, for I just felt the urge to bow before him."

  "Don't just stand there! Destroy him! Burn everything!" Yang Shuo screamed until his throat bled, but the fire pillar he sent simply shattered upon touching the Yin-Yang diagram beneath Zhi Xuan’s feet.

  Zhi Xuan looked down at Yang Shuo from above, his sapphire eyes as deep as a primordial ocean. "Yang Shuo, you rely on the fire you inherited from your ancestors, but you forget that fire is only a small part of an endless cycle. The sun rises to warm the spring, and it sets to make way for the winter. You are trying to fight the very law that feeds your own fire."

  Zhi Xuan’s left hand, still bound by the dull red ribbon, moved in a gentle sweep that dictated fate. "Spring Births, Summer Purifies."

  The Azure Dragon in the East roared, sending a wave of wood essence that instantly turned the air green. Suddenly, from the cracks in the jade floor shattered by heat, incredibly strong spiritual vines sprouted. These vines were not consumed by Yang Shuo’s fire; instead, they absorbed the solar heat to grow wilder, coiling around the legs of the fire dragons.

  The next second, the Vermillion Bird flapped its wings. The red-orange fire of the sacred bird surged down, but instead of hitting Yang Shuo, the fire merged with his own dragons. Suddenly, Yang Shuo felt his control over his own essence severed. His fire dragons now bowed to the command of the Vermillion Bird, turning around to imprison their master in a circle of blazing flames.

  "What?! Impossible! Come back!" Yang Shuo roared in panic, trying to pull back his essence, but his internal form felt as if it were being pulled by thousands of invisible threads from the direction of the Divine Cauldron.

  "Autumn Sheds, Winter Ends." Zhi Xuan pushed his palm downward.

  The White Tiger lunged with the speed of light, its sharp claws cleaving the air and creating a deafening metallic ring. Each swing of its claws severed the flow of spiritual energy in the air, extinguishing Yang Shuo’s fire. Finally, the Black Tortoise-Snake in the North emitted a wave of freezing water essence—Frozen Nether Water. The wave swept across the arena, not to extinguish fire with normal water, but to freeze time and space around Yang Shuo.

  "ARGHHH!"

  Yang Shuo fell to his knees. The fire of the Eternal Sun that was his pride was now completely extinguished, leaving his body trembling violently amidst the creeping ice. He looked up, staring at Zhi Xuan who still floated calmly. In Yang Shuo’s eyes, Zhi Xuan was no longer a murderous youth, but an entity standing level with the Ancient Gods.

  "Seven months ago, I killed your brother because he tried to take my life through treachery," Zhi Xuan’s voice echoed, low yet lethal. "Today, I could let these four creatures tear your soul apart until you never enter the cycle of reincarnation again."

  Zhi Xuan slowly landed back on the jade floor, which was now covered in a thin layer of ice and falling autumn leaves from nowhere. The sacred beasts slowly returned to the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, leaving a silence far more terrifying than the sound of the explosion. Zhi Xuan walked toward the panting Yang Shuo. He lifted his left hand, presenting the red ribbon from Yi'er directly before Yang Shuo’s swollen eyes.

  "A little child blew on my hand and gave me this so I wouldn't forget the way home," Zhi Xuan spoke softly, his voice audible only to Yang Shuo. "She asked if the Immortals up here ever smile. And because of her... I choose not to stain my hands with the blood of your clan again today."

  He waved his hand, and the Divine Cauldron rotated around Yang Shuo, providing a glow of spring that clarified and healed. "I do not know you, but you are the hope of the Rising Sun Clan. Yang Jin was full of heat and never thought twice. You, however, might one day stand tall with your own strength."

  Yang Shuo was stunned; his gasping breath began to slow as the Spring aura from the Divine Cauldron seeped into his pores. The burning pain in his meridians slowly faded, replaced by an alien coolness—a life energy that did not oppress, but embraced.

  The clan elders who had stood with murderous intent were now frozen. They witnessed something that transcended the logic of the cultivation world: a Devil who possessed the power to annihilate, yet chose to heal the opponent who insulted him.

  "This... this is not mere power," whispered Grand Elder Qing He, her voice containing a hidden tremor of admiration. "This is mastery over the Dao Heart. He did not just conquer Yang Shuo’s body; he conquered the killing intent within himself. The Nine Solitudes did not destroy him; it gave birth to a true ruler of law."

  Zhi Xuan slowly turned his back on the kneeling Yang Shuo. He flicked his tattered robes, and with a wave of his hand, the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron shrank, returning as a vortex of bronze energy into the center of his soul. The Heavenly Sword, previously stuck in the jade altar, vibrated before flying back to Zhi Xuan’s back, seemingly submitting to the will of a master who was now far more majestic.

  "Spring Enlightenment..." whispered an elder from the Hua Clan, tears slowly flowing down her wrinkled cheeks. "He used healing essence for an opponent who wanted his life. In my hundreds of years of travel, I have never seen a Dao Heart this clean behind robes this dark."

  Yang Shuo looked up, his eyes that were once full of hate now appearing empty, yet clear. The violent trembling of his body began to subside. He felt the remnants of the Spring aura left by Zhi Xuan working within his veins, repairing the cracks in his internal foundation that had nearly shattered due to his own ambition.

  "Why?" Yang Shuo’s voice was hoarse, nearly breaking. "Why did you let me go? After all those insults... after I swore to drink your blood... why did you heal me?"

  Zhi Xuan stopped his pace, but he did not turn around. His head tilted slightly toward the star-studded sky. "Because this world is already too full of endless blood debts, Yang Shuo. Your brother paid for his choices with his life, and you... you just paid for your arrogance with defeat. If I kill you today, then tomorrow there will be another brother, or another clan, coming with a new grudge."

  He paused for a moment, letting the night wind carry his voice to every corner of the arena. "I walked the streets of the Holy City today. I saw children laughing and people hoping for the dawn. If I continue to be the Devil you want, then one day, the fire of this grudge will burn their homes too. I do not want to bring a frightening night to them."

  Those words hit the heart of every practitioner like the tolling of a Heavenly Bell. Elder Qing He slowly rose from her throne. Her aged face now radiated a thin, meaningful smile. She stepped down from the podium of honor, each footfall growing a light lotus that emitted the scent of sandalwood.

  "Zhi Xuan," Elder Qing He called.

  Zhi Xuan turned his body slowly and paid his respects by clasping his hands in front of his chest. "This Zhi listens, Grand Elder."

  "Seven lunar cycles in the Nine Solitudes was the punishment I gave to dampen your killing intent," Qing He said, standing before Zhi Xuan. "However, I never expected you to return with a Dao Heart that transcends the mundane. You have proven that true strength does not lie in how many lives you take, but in how many lives you are able to protect behind your sword."