Ling

A graceful and free finch and the oriental fighter who inherited the power of the vermilion bird. Ling once belonged to the Finch Sect, a mysterious and feared order of assassins from the Riverlands of Cadia. During a mission, he almost lost his life but was saved by the Vermilion Bird; it was an encounter that would fuel his desire for freedom. In an effort to leave the Finch Sect, he undertook one final mission to infiltrate the Dragon Altar.

It was only when he joined forces with Yu Zhong, the reincarnation of the Black Dragon, to break the seal of the Dragon Altar, that the spirit of the Vermilion Bird saved his life again. Only then did he see the truth and understand the meaning of freedom. In this world, the Vermilion Bird had disappeared, leaving only Ling, a young man with wings to soar freely among the clouds like the Cyan Finch.

=== I am the Cyan Finch === "From now on, you are the Vermilion Bird. When the bird's cry echoes through the dragon altar, you will fly away."

Ling was not like the other members of the Finch sect: different in talent and circumstances. And he was treated differently by the elder.

The Finch Sect, an order of assassins from the Riverlands of Cadia, takes in orphans, training and honing them to become renowned assassins. The disciples of Finch Sect are numerous, each with their own reasons to fight. Some are blindly loyal to the Finch Sect, some never had a choice, and others are driven by the quest for power... Whatever the reason, once you become a Finch of the sect, your life is your own. Not a single finch has ever left the nest.

Ling became the prodigy of the Finch sect at a young age. His skills had quickly surpassed those of his peers and he was known for never failing a mission. The other members often whispered, “This man is not like us. Maybe one day he will leave the Finch Sect and spread his wings.

“But… so what?” A young Finch interjected hesitantly.

He was met with silence. That was a good question. If they left the Sect, where could they go?

At that moment, Ling sheathed his sword and leapt away. As the wind brushed against his face, he suddenly remembered something from the past.

When Ling was on a mission in his youth, he met a bird dealer. The merchant raised beautiful birds for others to enjoy. But these birds were caged from birth and never experienced the freedom that was their natural right. Even if the cage door was open, they wouldn't know where to go. At this time, a young man nearby suddenly said: “Something that is born with wings belongs to heaven. What a pity.

Later, Ling befriended this young man, who turned out to be a disciple of the Tianyin Swordmaster Sect named Zilong.

The next time he met Zilong, Ling had changed his identity.

That day, Sect Elder Finch summoned Ling and, behind heavy curtains, spoke only four words: “The time has come. The next day, Ling was sent on an impossible mission: to assassinate the guardian of the Dragon Altar, Baxia. Ling's sword was resolute, but Baxia was too formidable. Ling was no match for the veteran who had survived the Battle of the Twin Dragons, but he couldn't go back. On the verge of death, Ling suddenly heard birds chirping and saw a flicker of flames; a firebird appeared in front of him. His appearance even caused Baxia to take on his true form, the Mystic Turtle.

"...The vermilion bird?!"

It worked. As long as Baxia believed he was the Vermilion Bird, he would not kill Ling.

Ling soon lost consciousness.

He saw the firebird again. In the darkness, they looked at each other in silence. According to the elder, from Baxia and from the scriptures of the Finch sect, he knew that it was the vermilion bird. Since his childhood, whenever Ling was about to die, the bird would appear before him and protect him from disaster. Ling didn't know where it came from, because he never spoke. He only knew this dark, familiar space and this flickering flame.

When he woke up, Baxia took him to see Zilong, the successor of the Cloud Dragon. Together they returned to the Dragon Altar and became brothers.

Life at the Dragon Altar with Baxia and Zilong was peaceful, with most of the time spent practicing martial arts. Baxia was rarely seen, so Ling spent most of her time with Zilong. Zilong practiced his spear daily tirelessly, but whenever they practiced, Zilong rarely won. After a match, Ling couldn't help but ask Zilong why he was practicing his spear. Zilong had no answer. And in that moment, tumultuous waves surged through Ling's heart – did Zilong really have no reason...or did he never need one, because he simply followed his heart.

This feeling... was it envy? Resentment? Self-pity? Ling's expression remained calm as he changed the subject effortlessly.

The answer no longer mattered, as this game was coming to an end. That night, Ling was ordered by Sect Elder Finch to locate a forbidden seal in the back mountains of the Dragon Altar.

After some searching, Ling had found it. The moment Ling touched the seal, he heard a clear and long cry; a bird of fire suddenly illuminated the darkness. When he awoke from the apparent hallucination, he saw that Baxia had caught him in the act. Without exchanging words, they began a fierce battle until Zilong arrived and put an end to their confrontation with his spear.

This was the first time Ling had witnessed the power of the Cloud Dragon; the divine power of the Four Immortals.

The Four Immortals have protected the Riverlands of Cadia since the time of the Endless War. Since then, the four have been silent and their power has been passed down among the disciples of the Great Dragon. Once a mortal becomes an Eastern Fighter, they naturally take on the responsibility of protecting the Riverlands of Cadia. Baxia repeated these principles daily during morning classes, unaware that Ling had already read and memorized them in the Finch Sect archives.

Ling knew what the elder was looking for, just like he knew what Baxia was looking for, but Ling felt they were both wrong.

If a caged bird couldn't even save itself, how could it save others?

Ling returned to the Finch Sect. The elder did not ask if Ling had succeeded in his mission, nor was he surprised by Ling's return. The assassins of the Finch Sect all eventually return to their nest. But Ling returned with something lingering in his heart. A few years later, Yu Zhong and Luo Yi approached the Finch Sect to form an alliance with the Elder and attack the Dragon Altar. Ling volunteered to join us.

Zilong had become stronger. He had learned to fully control the power of the Cloud Dragon and Ling was defeated.

For the first time, Ling felt despair. He drew his sword again and launched attack after attack...

Zilong suddenly asked: "Are you wielding your sword for your mission?"

Ling had no response.

"I brandish my spear for myself. For whom do you draw your blade?"

Zilong stepped aside.

“Come on, he’s waiting for you.”

Ling found himself in this dark place again, facing the firebird from afar.

When the seal of the Dragon Altar was weakened, the successors of the Cloud Dragon and the Agile Tiger had already been found, but the Vermilion Bird was seriously injured in its struggle to escape. Only part of his mind managed to escape and was resting in the forest near Shanshui City. After encountering a young Ling on the verge of death, the Vermilion Bird decided to pass on his incomplete power to him to save his life, thus sealing his own fate.

“I’m not the one in the cage.” The Vermilion Bird spoke for the first time. "With a caged heart, everywhere is a prison. With a free heart, nothing can lock you up."

It wasn’t a mission or some sort of exchange. The last wish of the remaining spirit of the Vermilion Bird was that Ling could soar freely between heaven and earth, as a bird should. The seemingly heavy burden of the mission could also be handed down to the weight of a feather. Saving yourself from death and protecting the Riverlands of Cadia had the same meaning. The power granted to him by the Vermilion Bird was neither a weapon of death nor a symbol of salvation, but...

Ling heard the sound of something cracking. The bird flapped its wings one last time and the darkness began to crack. A light fell on Ling, igniting the blue flames within him which burst forth like a pair of wings.

It was the final dance of the Vermilion Bird...and the first flight of the Cyan Finch.

=== Secret History of the Dragon Altar ===

=== Eastern fighters gather ===