Time flew by, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.
The long-awaited day had finally arrived. The hospital was filled with hurried footsteps, the faint scent of medicine, and the tense murmurs of doctors moving between rooms. Outside the delivery ward, Yu paced nervously, his hands fidgeting as muffled cries echoed from within.
Each scream made his heart skip a beat.
"Is… is it supposed to sound that scary?" he muttered, glancing toward Chi.
Chi's expression was calm, but even he felt a knot of anticipation tightening in his chest.
"It's normal," he said softly, more to reassure himself than Yu. "Aunt Lianhua is strong. She'll be fine."
As the muffled cries echoed from the delivery room, Chi's thoughts drifted away.
It's strange… he mused quietly. The last time I was in a hospital, I died in one. But now—it's the complete opposite. This time, I'm waiting for a new life to begin.
A faint, bittersweet smile touched his lips. Life truly had a twisted sense of irony.
as another painful scream rang through the corridor, Yu's face went pale. "I—I can't listen to this…"
Suddenly, a familiar ding echoed in his mind, and a translucent blue window popped up before his eyes.
[System Notification]
Host, are you… scared?
Chi blinked, startled. "Huh? You picked now to show up?" he whispered under his breath.
Of course, the system replied smugly. Your heart rate spiked by forty percent. I thought you might need emotional support.
Chi sighed. "Emotional support? You were gone for weeks, and this is how you return?"
Correction: I was on a well-deserved maintenance break.
He rolled his eyes, the tension in his chest easing just a little. "You really have the worst timing, you know that?"
You're welcome, the system chimed cheerfully.
A gentle hand rested on both of their heads.
"It's going to be fine," yuanhai said softly, her voice calm despite the strain in her eyes.
Chi and Yu looked up at him — even with the faint lines of exhaustion,he still radiated that same reassuring warmth that made them feel safe.
Moments later, the cries from inside shifted—softer at first, then replaced by a new, delicate sound.
A baby's cry.
Everyone froze. The tension in the air vanished, replaced by relief and joy.
Haoran stepped out of the room, his clothes slightly disheveled but his face glowing with pride he said, voice trembling with emotion. "She's finally here."
Chi's eyes widened, tears welling up without him realizing. "She's… here."
Chi stepped forward cautiously, his heart pounding in his chest. He had seen life and death in ways most children couldn't imagine, yet nothing had prepared him for this.
A soft, delicate cry filled the room as Lianhua gently handed him the tiny bundle wrapped in a pastel blanket. Chi's hands trembled slightly as he held his baby sister for the first time. Her small fingers curled around his thumb instinctively, and her face scrunched up as if testing the world she had just entered.
Yu peeked over Chi's shoulder, eyes wide with wonder. "She's… she's so tiny!" he whispered, a mix of awe and excitement in his voice.
Chi felt a warmth he had never known — a calm yet powerful energy radiating from her. Despite the tiny form.
"She's… perfect," Chi murmured, gently rocking her in his arms. For the first time in years, his thoughts weren't about cultivation, competitions, or training. They were simply about this tiny life, fragile yet full of promise.
Lianhua smiled through tears. "She's lucky to have you as her brother, Chi," she said softly her name is Jin lian.
Chi looked down at his sister, determination hardening in his eyes. " Beautiful lotus...it is the perfect name for her" his eyes weld up I'll protect you," he said quietly, almost a vow to the tiny life in his hands. "No matter what."
In that small hospital room, amidst the soft cries and quiet joy, Chi felt the full weight of family, life, and hope — a feeling far stronger than any spiritual energy he had ever controlled.
After a few days, Lianhua and baby Lian were finally allowed to return home.
At first, everything seemed peaceful—but that peace didn't last long.
Days went by in a blur, and for Chi and his family, it was nothing short of chaos. Baby Lian wouldn't stop crying, no matter what they tried. Whether it was day or night, her tiny wails echoed through every corner of the house.
Chi sat on the couch, dark circles under his eyes, muttering, "I'd rather fight a spirit beast than deal with this."
Haoran chuckled wearily from across the room, bouncing the baby gently. "Welcome to real training, Chi. This is endurance cultivation."
Even Yu, who often came to visit, would sneak glances at the door, wondering if it was too late to escape.
Still, despite the sleepless nights and endless crying, the warmth in the home was undeniable. For all of them—especially Chi—it was a new kind of challenge… one that came with tiny smiles, soft giggles, and the first glimpse of what family truly meant.
That night, as the household echoed with the baby's cries and laughter, something stirred within the special incubator.
It was as if the beast egg itself had grown curious about all the commotion — the cries, the warmth, the life that filled the home.
A faint glow shimmered across its surface, soft and golden like the light of dawn.
Then, with a gentle crack, the shell began to split.
Crack.
Crack.
A pulse of spiritual energy spread through the room as the beast egg finally hatched — as if drawn by the very essence of life and love surrounding it.
Chi, who had been dozing lightly beside the incubator, stirred at the faint crack... crack... echoing through the quiet night.
His eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, he blinked in confusion — until he realized where the sound was coming from.
"The egg…" he whispered, his drowsiness vanishing instantly.
Light shimmered through the fine cracks spreading across the shell.
Without hesitation, Jin Chi leaned forward, his heart pounding, and carefully lifted the egg from the incubator.
It was warm — almost alive in his palms — and each pulse of light seemed to sync with the beat of his own heart.
Suddenly Chi woke to a faint crackling from the incubator. Light shimmered along the edges of the egg, splitting its surface with delicate fractures. Slowly, the shell gave way—and from within emerged a being that seemed older than time itself.
It floated with effortless grace, its form difficult to define. Shifting ribbons of dark, glassy substance flowed like liquid smoke, folding over themselves, yet somehow holding shape. Streaks of silver and violet shimmered along its body, catching the dim light like fragments of stars scattered across a shadowed sky.
Chi's gaze fell on the orbs of golden amber that appeared along its form—not eyes, exactly, but points of awareness that seemed to watch him from every angle. And yet, despite their gaze, he felt no threat, only a quiet, profound curiosity.
The creature's presence was strange and disorienting. The air seemed to stretch around it, as if time itself bent in its silent orbit. Every movement was a slow, fluid dance, gliding through the room without touching the ground. Occasionally, portions of its body would fade into shadows, only to reappear elsewhere, as though it had always been there yet had never truly been seen.
Chi could feel its mind brushing against his own—not in words, but in impressions: a calm, observing intelligence, curious yet patient. It exuded a sense of ancient knowledge, a being that had existed through countless moments, yet remained untouched by the world around it.
It was majestic. It was chaotic. And somehow, Chi knew, it would change everything.
Suddenly, a soft, radiant light enveloped Jin Chi. It wasn't blinding, but warm—like the embrace of sunlight after a long winter. The warmth seeped into his skin, filling him with a sense of calm and belonging that he had never experienced before.
Everveil stirred slightly, its form pulsing in harmony with the light. Jin Chi instinctively reached out, and for a brief moment, he felt the creature's presence merge with his own—a silent acknowledgment, a bond forming without words.
He closed his eyes, letting the warmth wash over him. It was as if the chaos that had surrounded the world for so long had paused, just for this instant, and he understood one thing clearly: Everveil had chosen him, and he had accepted it in return.
When he opened his eyes, the creature hovered before him, its form shimmering, majestic, and alive in a way that made every doubt vanish. Jin Chi's heart swelled, and a quiet promise formed in his mind: he would protect this being, and together, they would face whatever the world had in store.
Next chapter: the newly awakened spiritual beasts