Log Entry: Year 1, Cycle 1 - Post Tribulation Slumber


    The lightning...it still crackles behind my eyelids. To think, that terrifying power was meant to empower me. It felt more like it wanted to shatter me into dust. I barely clung on, guided by the remnants of my core. It aches now, a dull throb beneath the newly formed nascent soul. The world feels different. Sharp. Brighter. The Qi flows through me like a river, no longer a trickle. I need rest, long deep rest. And then, the true work begins.


    Log Entry: Year 1, Cycle 3 - Reforging


    The core is stable, and I have spent the last few cycles refining my nascent soul. It pulses with an energy I only dreamed of. Today, the real changes begin. My old arrays feel clumsy, like children''s toys in my hands. I must retool them, infuse them with the power befitting a nascent soul. The ''Five Elements Binding Array'' will be my first focus. It needs an overhaul. And my treasures… my poor old treasures. The jade compass is now merely decorative, the talisman paper feels like dry leaves. I must reforge them, using resources befitting this new stage. I have begun refining some spirit stones using the nascent soul power, transforming them into high grade materials for array crafting.


    Log Entry: Year 2, Cycle 1 - The Northern Lord


    Word spreads. The sects of the cold north have finally accepted their new reality. They send envoys, bearing gifts, seeking protection. They see me, a new nascent soul cultivator, and assume a certain weakness. Fools. They offer resources – rare ice crystals, cold iron, spirit beasts they’ve managed to tame. I accept it all. I''ll use it to build my power and secure my position here. I declare myself "Lord Jiang of the Frozen Peak," a title that resonates with the harsh landscape and hopefully with some fear. They will pay yearly tribute, and in return, I will ensure their continued existence (and usefulness). The pill and treasure vault is steadily growing. I need to find some good refiners for some treasures.


    Log Entry: Year 5, Cycle 4 - Formation RefinementThe genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The ''Five Elements Binding Array'' is complete, evolved into the ''Celestial Binding Cage''. It hums with nascent soul energy, capable of restraining even late-stage nascent formation cultivators. I have also created the "Winter''s Embrace" array to help against the cold and also to train new disciples at the very edge of their limits. My talisman paper is now cut from the skins of frost dragons. My spirit compass is forged from a piece of heavenly iron, capable of sensing ley lines kilometers away. My pill making skills have risen to another level. The core forming pills are now easy for me to make. I have been experimenting with new formulas that benefit the nascent soul stage and should start preparing some for myself.


    Log Entry: Year 10, Cycle 2 - Routine Growth


    The yearly tributes flow smoothly. The cold north is now under my control. The sects grumble, I’m sure, but they dare not go against me. They fear the nascent soul power I exude. I have been focusing on personal cultivation, refining my nascent soul further. I can now move faster, more fluidly, than I ever imagined. I must develop techniques that will take advantage of it. There are also new mysteries to investigate. I have been feeling a connection with the lands I control that was not there before. Will this help me in some way? I must continue to study.


    Log Entry: Year 20, Cycle 1 - The Silence


    This year, the tribute is late. The messengers sent to inquire return with trembling reports of new arrogance. One sect, White Frost, dares to claim they have found a new backer. Another nascent soul cultivator, they boast. They speak of an established power, a “Master Yulan." They think I am a fledgling, a newly ascended cultivator with no foundation. A single nascent soul has been in the world for hundreds of years. I am to be pitied. They do not know I have been working every day. Foolish sects with no foresight. They will learn their error.


    Log Entry: Year 20, Cycle 2 - The Reckoning


    Today, the arrogance of the White Frost sect is extinguished. They thought Master Yulan, a mid-stage nascent soul, could save them. He was a brute, focusing on brute strength and none of the intricacies of the world. He was easily defeated. As I destroyed his soul, I felt a cold rage fill me. As I destroyed his physical body, another nascent soul appeared, attempting a sneak attack! It was easily defeated. It appears the other nascent soul is of the dark method. The world is not so kind. When he was subdued, I found the others that were manipulating the sects. All of them were destroyed today. There is only ashes left now. The sect of White Frost and the others that followed are all destroyed to the very core.