Chapter 313: Happy Birthday

Miao Fa Xuan Zhou lives up to its name.

Xia Wan walked across this strange land, each step as if treading on the pulse of history. The energy flowing through the air was no longer mere power—it resembled an ancient, living language, whispering of lost civilizations and laws. The leaves of towering ancient trees resembled jade carvings, their veins glowing with a soft radiance; the spring water in the streams was crisp and sweet, imbued with faint healing power; occasionally, she spotted gentle energy creatures, resembling fawns or spirit foxes, curiously observing her as an outsider before alertly fleeing.

Beauty was the dominant melody here. But Xia Wan dared not relax for a moment. Qin Feng's words still echoed in her ears—the Trial had already begun the moment she set foot here. Beneath this beauty lay danger.

She followed the faint guidance of the Origin Contract, advancing toward the island's central region. Along the way, she encountered numerous challenges.

A seemingly tranquil Grassland turned deadly the moment she stepped on it—the soft grass blades instantly transformed into resilient vines, coiling upward, carrying a toxin that numbed the spirit. Xia Wan released a faint burst of energy; a pale golden aura rippled around her, and the vines withered and retreated as if encountering their natural antithesis.

A rainbow bridge stretched across her path, but as she crossed, she discovered each color corresponded to an emotional illusion—joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, aversion, desire—each in turn assaulting her mind. A single misstep would plunge her into oblivion. Xia Wan held fast to her Spirit, stabilizing her mind with the Origin Contract, stepping forward like an immovable rock. The seven emotions purified her, making her will even stronger.

Once, she wandered into a region of warped spacetime—surrounding scenes twisted bizarrely, time flowed erratically fast or slow, space folded endlessly. Only her post-breakthrough surge of Spirit and acute perception of energy flows allowed her to barely find the correct path; when she finally escaped, she was drenched in cold sweat.

These trials were not mere physical confrontations—they were comprehensive trials of character, wisdom, and understanding of one's own power. Xia Wan could feel that each time she overcame a challenge, her control over power grew sharper, and her comprehension of the Origin Contract and her own Bloodline deepened further.

She pressed forward tirelessly, losing track of time. Miao Fa Xuan Zhou showed no day or night, forever shrouded in that soft, seven-colored aura.

After an indeterminate time, she passed through a forest of pure crystal, and before her, the view opened wide.

Before her lay a vast, mirror-still lake. Its waters shimmered in a dreamlike azure, bottomless, reflecting the swirling auroras of energy overhead. At the lake's center stood a towering palace, entirely luminous white, radiating a gentle, sacred glow. Its architecture was ancient and grand, echoing the style of Kunlun Mountain's phantom form, yet more complete, more majestic. Countless mysterious runes flowed across its surface like living things.

Origin Sacred Hall!

The guidance was overwhelming—it was there!

Yet the lake's surroundings were not empty. Eight paths, each made of different materials and colored differently, extended from various shores like bridges toward the sacred palace at the center. Each path emitted a distinct aura—one blazing like fire, one icy cold, one heavy as mountains, one light as wind…

Clearly, the final leg to the Temple still required choice, still required trial.

Xia Wan carefully observed the eight paths, trying to find the safest or most suitable one. She attempted to sense them with her Spirit, but found each path shrouded in a powerful field that blocked any detailed perception.

As she concentrated, weighing pros and cons, an extremely subtle thought—nearly overlooked—floated up from the depths of her mind like a bubble rising from water.

Today… was her birthday?

Amid the tense training and preparations at the Base, during the journey across Star Sea, on this perilous Trial ground, she had forgotten the passage of time. Yet this thought surfaced with startling clarity.

Yes, according to Earth's calendar, today was indeed her nineteenth birthday.

No cake, no candles, no family's presence or blessings. Only she stood alone on a foreign planet, facing unknown trials, the path ahead uncertain, her return date unknown.

A profound, indescribable loneliness and vulnerability crept over her heart. Nineteen—she should have been in school, beside her parents, enjoying the beauty of youth. Instead, she bore a heavy mission, walking the edge of life and death.

She shook her head, trying to cast off this untimely sorrow. Now was not the time for such thoughts.

She took a deep breath, her gaze hardening once more, ready to choose any path and step onto the final journey.

Yet, the instant she lifted her foot—

Miao Fa Xuan Zhou trembled, ever so slightly.

In the sky, the eternal, swirling seven-colored energy curtain blazed with intensified, heightened brilliance! As if stirred by an invisible hand, it began converging toward the lake's center, toward the summit of the Origin Sacred Hall!

The seven-colored energy streams spun, intertwined, collided, unleashing an indescribably magnificent radiance, painting the entire sky like a dreamlike kaleidoscope!

Then, to Xia Wan's stunned gaze, the gathered energy did not unleash a destructive blast—it… began to coalesce, to take shape!

It transformed into countless shimmering, firefly-like light points, gently falling from the sky, covering the entire lake region and enveloping Xia Wan, standing at the shore.

The light points touched her skin, bringing a warm, comforting comfort, as if soothing all fatigue and unease.

This was not yet over.

At the lake's center, the Origin Sacred Hall's sealed door—apparently forged from starlight—slowly, silently… opened!

A pure column of white light, brimming with boundless vitality and ancient blessings, erupted from the open door, intertwining with the dazzling energy auroras above!

At the same moment.

A calm, familiar voice—yet as if traversing infinite space, resonating directly within her soul—spoke clearly. The tone remained utterly neutral, devoid of emotion, yet the words made Xia Wan freeze in place, her mind going utterly blank.

The voice spoke only four simple words:

"Birthday happy."

Was it… Master Qin Feng?!

Xia Wan snapped her head up, staring at the open door of the Temple, at the towering light column, then at the dreamlike, festive splendor surrounding her…

All of this… was because of her birthday?

Was it Master… he…

A massive shock, disbelief, and an indescribable mix of warmth, bitterness, and overwhelming impact surged through her like a tidal wave!

On her nineteenth birthday, on this Trial ground far from Earth, in this moment of deepest loneliness and greatest need for strength…

No cake—but a rain of blessing-light fell from the heavens.

No candles—but a pillar of sacred light pierced heaven and earth.

No loved ones surrounding her—but that single voice, crossing Star Sea, from that unfathomable being…

Birthday happy.

Tears welled unbidden into Xia Wan's eyes, blurring the dazzling, dreamlike scene before her.

She bit her lower lip hard, refusing to cry.

So… Master remembered.

So… this seemingly cold, merciless Trial path held such… tender moments.

She raised her hand, catching a few falling light points, feeling the warm energy seep into her body, as if infusing a thread of blessing.

She gazed at the open door of the Temple, and all her confusion, loneliness, and vulnerability were replaced in that moment by a stronger, more vast force.

She wiped the moisture from her eyes, and for the first time since setting foot on this land, she smiled—a true smile, filled with release and resolve.

Then, without hesitation, she stepped forward, onto the path nearest to her, radiating a heavy, mountain-like aura, walking resolutely toward the open Origin Sacred Hall.

This time, her steps were both light and powerful.

Birthday happy, Xia Wan.

Your coming-of-age ceremony is the blessing of this starry sky, and a Trial path leading to the summit of strength.