An ancient sect

Nearly five hundred years ago, on the lands now known as the New United Alliance, an incredibly powerful spiritual transcendent established a sect. He was a man of great compassion; having seen countless commoners displaced and families torn asunder by conflict, he resolutely chose to stand up and fight for the people of the world.

The original intent behind founding the Frost Plum Valley was to gather like-minded individuals to preserve a corner of peace within the chaotic world of the Jianghu. From its inception, he laid down strict rules: every member of the Frost Plum Valley had to swear to fight for righteousness, never betray the sect, and remain eternally irreconcilable with the path of evil.

In his prime, through his formidable strength, benevolent conduct, and relentless crusade against demonic and wicked forces, he attracted many ambitious men of insight. In less than fifty years, the Frost Plum Valley grew into a massive power that no one could ignore—one that could tip the scales of the world’s fate. During those five decades, he and his followers collectively built a realm of peace.

However, after fifty years—just as the sect’s power reached its zenith—he discovered a grave issue: The Frost Plum Valley was rotting from within.

Following years of expansion and the subjugation of external foes, the sect now lived in tranquility. Yet, beneath this veneer of peace lay various interest groups vying for power and profit. Many of these groups were led by the very comrades who had fought by his side in the beginning. Those who had once sworn oaths to spend their lives struggling for the common people had, in just fifty years, been utterly corrupted by money and power, degenerating into selfish villains.

Deeply disappointed, the founder initiated a cold-blooded purge. Relying on his peerless strength and prestige, it took him less than a year to uproot every corrupt faction, pulling the Frost Plum Valley out of the power struggle and back onto the righteous path.

But this experience left him with a haunting question: He had saved the sect this time through sheer force of will, but human nature is difficult to change. What would happen the next time?

Should he train a generation of steadfast youth to take over? No, that was futile. This crisis proved that time and temptation eventually corrupt any organization, be it a sect or a political body. He began to ponder how an organization could maintain its “Original Heart” forever.

Finally, he found the answer.

He announced the dissolution of the Frost Plum Valley. He split the members into five-person squads to operate independently in the Jianghu and issued three immutable commands:

1. Members must not struggle for power or profit; all actions must prioritize the mission.

2. If a member is found corrupt, the squad may expel them. If an expelled member is found corrupt again, any squad may execute them.

3. When a squad falls below three members, it may disband, and members may return to a normal life in anonymity.

After the dissolution, the founder vanished. No one knew where he went, but his spirit endured. Fifty years later, the “Frost Plum Valley” reappeared, though no one noticed. It was no longer a single organization or a physical sect; it was a collection of independent individuals sharing the same will. They were the Inheritors of the Frost Plum Valley.

“So, in the end, this ring was born.”

Lin Youning recounted the history of the Frost Plum Valley with sparkling eyes. From the curl of her lips, it was clear she took immense pride in this heritage.

“The First Valley Master gathered many powerful transcendents and invested massive resources to forge this ring. Its function is simple: it is a vessel. A vessel for consciousness, power, and magic.”

“At the cost of the transcendent’s own life, this ring can perfectly contain everything they were before death—except for the physical body. Furthermore, by relying on the magic power within the ring, one can still use their transcendent abilities even in a state of pure consciousness.”

At this point, Yi Ziling understood what the First Valley Master had done. “The founder… injected everything of himself into this ring after it was finished?”

Lin Youning nodded. “Exactly. You’re actually quite sharp for a little fry. Just as you said, the First Valley Master poured his all into the ring, eventually becoming an existence like me.”

Lin Youning’s projection circled Yi Ziling several times before continuing: “Once that was done, the First Valley Master passed the ring to the successor he had long ago selected. He established a rule: from then on, every Valley Master, upon their death, must inject their consciousness and power into the ring and pass it to the next generation.”

“Furthermore, the maximum reign for any Valley Master is fifty years. Once fifty years pass, they must abdicate, inject their consciousness into the ring, and hand it over.”

This was the First Valley Master’s solution. It seemed like a reckless method, but upon closer scrutiny, it contained profound logic.

Because they were only consciousness, the people within the ring could not naturally recover magic power. They relied entirely on external transcendents to inject power into the ring. Even with a large amount of magic, it would be depleted quickly without a constant supply.

In most cases, unless the ring-bearer frequently supplied magic, the consciousness inside could not use their powers at will. And as seen before, if the consciousness wanted to experience physical life, they had to borrow the bearer’s body—a process that consumed even more magic.

For the consciousness in the ring to enjoy the world, they had to:

1. Maintain a good relationship with the bearer.

2. Ensure the bearer was strong enough to provide sufficient magic.

This meant that once a Valley Master became a spirit in the ring, their fate depended entirely on their successor. This effectively restricted how a Valley Master chose their heir. Personal talent was no longer the priority; morality and a sense of responsibility were. Even if a Valley Master was a devious person, if they wanted their “afterlife” to be comfortable, they had to choose someone righteous, kind, and strong.

If a successor wanted to maintain an image of benevolence, keeping the ring fully charged was the best proof. If the magic ran low, and the successor couldn’t give a reasonable explanation, it proved their character was flawed. To prevent a successor and the spirits from falling into corruption together, the fifty-year limit was strictly enforced.

This system maximized the power and virtue of every generation. However, Yi Ziling spotted a potential loophole.

“But how do you ensure that only the next Valley Master provides the magic?” Yi Ziling asked. “If you just find any powerful transcendent to pump in magic, wouldn’t the whole arrangement fall apart?”

“Hmph, good question, little fry. There is indeed that issue.” Lin Youning pointed at the jade bangle on Yi Ziling’s wrist. “The solution is this. The First Valley Master considered that, so he made this jade ring as well.”

“Magic can only be transferred into the ring through this jade bangle. Due to its special material, any magic flowing through it leaves a small trace. By tracing the residual magic in the bangle, one can tell if an outsider has been feeding the ring.”

“It’s also an emergency failsafe. As long as the bangle and the ring appear on the same person, the consciousness in the ring is forcibly awakened. That’s how I woke up.”

Yi Ziling praised sincerely, “What an incredible design. The First Valley Master was truly amazing.”

Hearing the praise, Lin Youning said smugly, “You think that’s all? As the ultimate treasure of the Frost Plum Valley, this ring has many functions you don’t know about yet. For instance, it acts as an extra magic reservoir, or I can even ‘ghost-write’ for you—fighting on your behalf.”

“But all that is too far off for a fry like you. With your current pathetic magic level, being able to maintain my daily enjoyments is already pushing it. Don’t think too much; prioritize increasing your own strength.”

Yi Ziling nodded. “Okay, Sister Lin. But I still want to ask… why did you wake up so suddenly? And why are you so sure that I am the successor of the Frost Plum Valley?”