《Godly Otaku System: A Gamelit/Xianxia novel》 Chapter 1-If I dont get a system who will? "Ughh..." Zhen Shi groaned as he tried to make sense of the darkness surrounding him. He was completely frozen in place and unable to move, even while his mind was working on figuring out his current situation. The last thing he remembered was pushing that girl out of the way of... THAT TRUCK! Like any other day, he had been calmly walking up that hill when he had suddenly seen a little girl running across the road. But unfortunately, a speeding truck was just hidden behind the hill and was dashing forwards in a collision course with that girl. And even before he could stop himself he had instinctively jumped in and pushed her aside... SHIT! Did I have to go and be the hero? Now, look at me... I''m fucking dead! But besides his memories, there was nothing else. He couldn''t feel his body, and he couldn''t sense anything else either. Just vast, cold, unending darkness... Even after hours of thinking and contemplation, he couldn''t make sense of anything. There was nothing but the dark void to keep him company. As time passed the darkness seemed to weigh mercilessly on to his very sense of self! Under that terrifying pressure despite his struggle not to, he almost gave up completely... And time seemed to be frozen as seconds felt like hours, hours felt like years and days like decades. Zhen Shi was barely holding on with his will while on the verge of flickering out forever. Fortunately for him, after an instant that seemed to have lasted through eternity, he could suddenly sense a vague connection... to something... somewhere out there. Despite being only a single spark, this was like a beacon of light and hope amidst that sense of nothing and darkness! Like a starved beast and grasping for straws, he hurriedly struggled and tried to push himself towards the only thing he had felt in a long while. But even then he was unable to get himself to move, almost as if he had become a part of the darkness itself. Fortunately for him, that spark of light seemed to stretch out through an immense distance and wrapped around him. As light wrapped around him, the darkness began to boil and squirm almost in disagreement. But the light suddenly increased in intensity literally pushing the darkness away. As this light took him away saving him from the clutches of the dark void... for the first time in a long while he could feel again! Whatever it was that had wrapped around him, it felt light and warm, like a mother''s embrace. It was the exact opposite of the cold merciless darkness-- a warm hopeful light. The light seemed to be expressing its remorse and regret for Zhen Shi''s current situation, as he was slowly pulled away from the dreary dark to a growing light... ?????????? Zhen Shi hurriedly opened his eyes with that vast unending darkness still fresh on his mind. He was unable to move or talk but stared up at the full moon and the star-lit sky with relief. FUCK! That was close... I''m glad I was able to escape that dark void! Gradually he began to sense his body as a sense of control slowly returned to his limbs, while still being unable to completely move. So he calmly waited while observing the beauty of the night sky; a stark contrast from the dark empty void. "Eh? Isn''t the moon a bit too large?" he surprised himself by speaking out. Putting that aside with the ability of speech returned, he grinned happily as he slowly pushed himself off of the grass and stood up. Or at least he tried to, as his entire body was suddenly wracked with horrendous pain. Under the mind-numbing pain, he lost control of his barely working motor functions and fell back on to the ground. Face forwards... SPLASH! While his body had fallen back on to the ground with the grass softening the blow, his right arm had somehow found its way into a small pond. Zhen Shi growled as he bit his teeth trying to stop himself from screaming out in pain. He heaved deep breaths for several moments until the pain receded to a certain degree. Now with the pain lessened, he struggled as he slowly sat himself down on the grass. He surveyed the surroundings trying to get his bearings and muttered, "This has to be some sort of afterlife? Well, at least its better than that empty darkness..." He was in a wide clearing which was rather small in comparison to the large seemingly endless forest surrounding him. The trees were wreathed in ivy, ever frozen in its embrace, while others were still bare; young shoots that hadn''t had enough time to claimed companions. The only source of light was the moon and the stars in the night sky; excluding the small dots of light barely visible under the thickness of the trees on one side of the forest. And Zhen Shi could only conclude that to be signs of civilization. Now calming down, Zhen Shi could hear the sound of crickets chirping along with the usual sounds of nocturnal creatures. Granted there were some that he found unfamiliar and even down-right scary. "But this goes against most known concepts of the afterlife. How could it be so similar to a night of ordinary life?" Suddenly his eyes widened as a revelation hit him, "Could it be, but it''s impossible... that I reincarnated?" Now with great interest, Zhen Shi hurriedly stood up ignoring the lingering pain and observed the sky. He noted the overly large full moon along with the unfamiliar pattern of stars up in the sky. No matter how much he tried he was unable to find any constellation he was familiar with. With increasing confidence, Zhen Shi looked at his reflection in the pond which was responsible for soaking his hand. He stared wordlessly with widened eyes at the reflection in the water. This was a refined-looking young man with long coal-black hair and pale green eyes. His body was slightly more muscular than average. But what truly made Zhen Shi speechless was his clothes since he was wearing nothing but a front only covering loin cloth. Zhen Shi laughed pitifully while covering his face with one hand, "The constellations and this new body confirms the possibility that I have reincarnated." Once again observing his reflection, "This body is pretty suitable for me, in fact, I look devilishly handsome and outrageously scholarly... However, why do I not have any memories of this world? Was there no original owner for this body? Either way... why the hell am I wearing this shameless piece of cloth?" He stared at his reflection while wallowing in self-pity and confusion. Whoosh! A light shadow dashed past him slowly revealing itself as a girl. Zhen Shi''s face froze... ??? He stared at this sudden and unexpected arrival. She had long luxurious silver hair tied up into a ponytail shimmering under the moonlight. Dressed up in dark golden robes that were tightly wrapped around her petite body, her cute face was scrunched up in worry as she stared back at the direction she had come from. She wordlessly unsheathed a yellow-earthen sword from her back. Whoosh... Several more shadows formed in front of her revealing a group of ten men dressed in dark black robes. The man who was in the very front of the group took a single step forwards, a lecherous grin present on his face he shouted, "Zou Rou, running away is pointless. It''s obvious that we''ll catch up with you once you run out of energy. So, obediently hand us the pill and come back with us to the sect... that is if you know what''s good for you..." while the other men laughed in agreement. Zhen Shi was mind blown. People who can dash about like the wind? Pills? Sects? Could it be that this world is one of martial arts and cultivation? Zhen Shi didn''t dare completely believe it, for fear of being face slapped back to reality. Still, he gripped on to a small hope that everything was true exactly as he had figured. As such, possibly due to still being delirious under the after-effects of reincarnation, he couldn''t help but start daydreaming about flying about in the sky, fighting evil and monsters, saving people and maidens in distress, face slapping those who dared to underestimate him... But suddenly he paused in realization and fear. He could feel that these people in front of him could kill him easily as breathing. Fuck! How can I handle myself against these mid-level bosses when I just started a new game? Thus Zhen Shi began to contemplate his next move. He could either wait for some cheat power to be granted to him like in most fantasy stories and save this girl or make a ''tactical retreat'' if things ended up differently. Zhen Shi was aware that events would more likely be biased towards the latter and was slowly planning his escape. He wasn''t planning on dying immediately after reincarnating.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Nevertheless, none of these ''martial artists'' paid any attention to this scantily clad mortal who was frowning his brow in deep contemplation... "Bastards of the Xue Yue clan, you''ll have to take it back over my dead body. Let''s fight!" shouted Zou Rou as she took the initiative to attack and dashed forward with her sword. "Well you asked for it..." said that man still grinning lecherously. He flicked his hand in order and the entire group of cultivators unsheathed identical dark black blades. Immediately they moved into a strange formation and held their blades with calm eyes, causing a dark black miasma to appear over their bodies and blades. Zou Rou slashed her sword at the Xue Yue cultivators launching a deadly streak of golden sunlight. But, all the black-robed Xue Yue cultivators swung their blades in retaliation completely in sync with each other. These dark black slashes combined and strengthened each other, ultimately forming a terrifying shadow streak! A vague shadow of a roaring monster appeared within this shadow slash as it streaked forwards, roaring in anger towards the slash of golden sunlight. The energy slashes clashed generating a violent gush of wind and energy. The golden sunlight dissipated almost immediately and unable to handle the combined attack of ten cultivators using a battle formation, Zou Rou was thrown back like a broken kite, blood spewing from her mouth. She collapsed momentarily fainting. The group of black-robed martial artists laughed in satisfaction while moving forwards to grab this Zou Rou. Despite having been planning his escape, Zhen Shi had been rooted to the spot when those terrifying sword slashes had been launched out. But now seeing the girl getting hurt, even with fear and terror in his heart, he was unable to stop himself from instinctively jumping forwards to stop them. SHIT! Am I going to die by being a hero again? I feel like a certain teen hero dressed in green and red unable to control himself from being suicidal! Despite this, he threw away his fear arising out of instinct in the face of the powerful auras seething from these black-robed Xue Yue sect cultivators. Now having jumped in front of the fainted girl it was too late to run away from this situation. And so Zhen Shi decided to face this hopeless situation with bravery and style! He grinned and responded to the surprised black-robed men while shouting, "You shameless bunch of pigskins. Do you think you can gang up on an innocent girl when this handsome and scholarly self is here?" The black-robed members of the Xue Yue clan stared at him with growing anger and rage. Zhen Shi gaped as he watched a terrifying dark black energy manifest around their bodies along with another energy targeted specifically at him. Facing them he felt like prey in front of predators... a grasshopper trying to stop a train. Zhen Shi could only conclude that this was killing intent! He took a deep breath and controlled his fear. Even with prior knowledge of cultivators, being able to control his fear in the face of their unhidden killing intent was rather miraculous. But it could only be attributed to the eternity he had spent within the void and his sudden reincarnation; dulling his sense of logic. "A non-cultivator dares to talk back to us of the Xue Yue clan with such a foul mouth. Dressed like a barbarian no less? If you crawl down and beg for mercy we might trouble ourselves to give you a clean death," shouted out one of the Xue Yue cultivators. But surprisingly they didn''t attack. This was because they were extremely confident in their combined power while in battle formation. They wouldn''t be unnecessarily frantic to kill a mortal and capture a single foundation establishment girl. But at the same time, the majority of them wanted to relish watching the helpless prey squirm under their power... Noticing their reaction, despite his attempt to hide it Zhen Shi''s stomach clenched in fear. But, of course, he wasn''t afraid. Preposterous! Who dares say that? It was just that the lunch that the former owner of this body had had wasn''t agreeing with him... Zhen Shi quickly pushed that matter off of his mind. With the cultivators locked on to him, he instead put all his mind and effort into discovering some sort of cheat or special power he could use to turn things around. In the face of death, people tend to put their hopes on things that they would find even nonsensical at other instances. It was the same for Zhen Shi... Honestly, he was only barely aware that he was seeking death by jumping in front of these men. Having just reincarnated into another world after god knows how long in that dark void, everything seemed unrealistic and unbelievable no matter how familiar he was with the concept. But since he was unable to watch this Zou Rou in trouble he had instinctively stepped in. And now had put all his hopes of survival on the legendary ''cheat'' powers of reincarnations. Zhen Shi''s eyes glowed as he figured that the only cheat that could save him instantly at this moment was one of those ''legendary'' systems. As such, he immediately put his slight hopes of survival on this ''system''... Almost a lifetime of an instance of failure later... Zhen Shi was sweating heavily. In fear? Of course not... he was simply angry that the system was too scared to help him! Honestly only a moment had passed, but the ''angry'' Zhen Shi had felt that it was much longer. Shit, where''s my system? Is it in my loincloth? But he didn''t feel anything in his lower abdomen, so probably no. He felt like flipping a table... (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã£©¨s¦à ©ß©¥©ß. As time passed and the energy on the cultivators reached a crescendo with no signs of a ''system'' to save him, Zhen Shi realized that he just might die again on his second attempt at being a hero. He couldn''t help but shiver at the memory of the desolate void, but, he wasn''t a coward either. Now with his ''only hope of survival'' disappearing, he could only accept his possible death. His mind was much more mature than most with the greater part of his former life spent neck-deep in entertaining fiction and academic pursuit. So despite only having lived until barely becoming an adult, that knowledge and experience combined with the more recent time spent in the darkness of the void calmed his fear of death. As such, he decided he would go out with a ''bang'' if he had to... or at the very least extend his now terrifyingly short lifespan, so that the fainted girl would wake up, hopefully giving him the opportunity to survive. Even then, Zhen Shi knew that his chances of survival were very low. Now that things had come this far he decided to throw everything to fate. He grew even calmer as he accepted this fact. But there was no way he was going to die on his knees begging. He would only die after leaving his memory seared on to the minds of these damned cultivators... Thus with an emotionless and aloof expression as if the entire world was beneath him, he serenely said, "I have witnessed countless legends being born and countless men reaching the heavens with their own effort. The heavens were sealed, flames were conquered, otherworldly invaders were beaten, peace was established between warring nations, and gods were slaughtered..." The black-robed cultivators of the Xue Yue clan were rather stunned with the mention of these unbelievable actions spoken by a mere mortal. Still, they''re aura and killing intent reduced slightly as they grinned in amusement and one even said "Shameless braggart, your words are truly amazing. Come along then, entertain us more!" Alas, in a way Zhen Shi had truly witnessed these events. As such, he continued to reminisce about all the novels and anime where he had witnessed heaven-defying main characters. Now that he was in a life-threatening situation, reminding himself of things that he was familiar with helped to reduce his fears. He knew that they were fiction, but somewhere deep in his heart, he had a belief. That they were actually true...! Now having completely calmed down, along with his speech and thoughts, his own spirit was being stirred. A strong will and intent to lead an awe-inspiring life! Even while the cultivators of the Xue Yue clan were eyeing him as prey on the chopping block, Zhen Shi calmly changed topics. There was one other thing he had truly loved to throw himself into. He was a bookworm who loved to read books of any sort. Be it fiction, non-fiction, thesis, philosophy, physics, chemistry, history, business, etc. But even then, a topic he truly loved was ancient mythology! In his previous life, despite living an ordinary life he had been all over the world with his parents who had to frequently travel due to work. Even then they were mostly busy with work. So while being forced to travel worldwide, he had spent the majority of his life on his own. But frequent travel had caused a passion for various cultures to arise in him. And that had ultimately led him into philosophy and mythology! The tales of gods in different parts of the world, their struggles for power, their abilities and powers, and the possibility that they truly existed in the past excited him beyond measure! Seeing that his life may end here, he figured he might as well die with the things he had been passionate about. Thus with unwavering determination and a confident voice he spoke out, "Let me mention some truly almighty personas, Zeus or Jupiter, the God of Lightning and Thunder, the leader of the pantheon originating from none-other than CHAOS! The World Tree, Yggdrasil of Norse Mythology, rooted within the waters of the Norn, which bears the nine worlds of existence! Odin, the all-father, who mastered the runes and Seither magic despite the opinions of others, becoming the strongest of them all! Ra, the Creator God, who was born of the empty waters of Nun and gave life to the world! The lesser-known but undoubtedly powerful Heka, who viewed the creation of the universe itself, the personification of magic! The Three Pure Ones, who created existence and as a whole completed the ephemeral and formless Dao! The Jade Emperor of Eastern mythology, who rules the universe with all immortals including the Taoist and Buddhist factions beneath him! Sakyamuni, the most recent Buddha who overcame worldly attachment, bringing peace to the masses!" And he finished his words with heavy breath... But the cultivators of the Xue Yue clan were staring in surprise and horror as this random mortal shouted out those all too familiar names. They were extremely surprised at the way he had talked and the words he had suddenly spouted at the moment of his death. In fact, they had actually been frozen in place until he had finished speaking. But just as Zhen Shi finished, the apparent leader of the group returned to his senses and shouted out hurriedly, "Attack! He might be a potential divine prophet! We can''t let him prepare the chant!" And as if death was looming over them, the group of cultivators dashed towards Zhen Shi while brandishing their swords. That moment was a mere instant, but to Zhen Shi, it was comparable to a lifetime... His mind was already brimming with a terrifying non-human calmness and unrelenting determination since he was unwilling to die so soon after his sudden reincarnation. His passion for knowledge, all that which he had enjoyed in his past life combined with the desire to grow stronger in this new world resonated with his heart and soul. Although he could see death arriving as the attack of the Xue Yue cultivators grew closer he continued to shout out in his mind, "The path to the heavens is difficult and riddled with countless obstacles. Now that things have come this far, the only thing which makes that path easier and grants me the chance to survive is a SYSTEM! Now that I have reincarnated, I refuse to die a useless death! IF I DON''T GET A SYSTEM WHO WILL??" DING..... Chapter 2-The Otaku System has a fetish? DING! Zhen Shi was elated as he heard this sound, never heard before but strangely familiar. He couldn''t believe that his previous gamble had paid off! SYSTEM ACTIVATED. Congratulations to the user for witnessing the descent of the Godly Otaku System. The Godly Otaku System overshadows the gods themselves! YESS! Now that he had a hope to turn things around, Zhen Shi was dancing wildly in his mind and probably physically as well, if it wasn''t for the imminent attack by the cultivators of the Xue Yue clan. Ding! The user''s current body is unstable and crippled. Physical and Spiritual assimilation of the host body yet to be completed. Destroyed primordial chaos base detected. Repair commencing..... Aether detected. Addition of optimal soul roots initiated. Primordial chaos base repair completed. Soul Roots of four base elements-Fiery, Earthen, Aqua, and Aerial successfully formed. Ding! Detected presence of cultivators and abundance of natural qi in the surroundings. Building up of cultivation initiated... Process completed! Physical Assimilation to the new body, processed... Completed! Zhen Shi felt a sudden feeling of relief as he sensed a strange familiarity with his current body and the energy of the world. Initially, he had felt an uncomfortable feeling like an unscratchable itch, as if he was being rejected by the body and the world. But this disappeared along with this notification. As the primordial chaos base and elemental energies of the soul roots were established within his dantian, energy began to fill his body and his mind became much sharper. His entire dantian was filled with a mass of primordial chaos with the soul roots embedded. The primordial chaos base resonated with nature as it stabilized. All of this happened in a mere instant... But this resonance sent out a minor wave of energy causing the attacking Xue Yue cultivators to halt in surprise and wariness. Having been surprised at the utterance of the names of great creation gods, it made sense for them to be suspicious of this ''attacking'' energy. Ding! Otaku System commenced. Zhen Shi who was already over the moon with this sudden turn of events confidently shouted out the word, "Status", mentally. User: Zhen Shi Cultivation Level: Mere mortal [Next Level-Qi Refining Stage 1] Cultivation energy: None Race: Probably Human Cultivation Path: Base-Pending Selection Exp points: 0/1000 OP(Otaku Points): 0 Titles: Otherworld Reincarnator {Effect: Instant Spell Casting of most spells. Intelligence +20 and Charisma +40) Scholarly Bookworm { Effect: All user known data and information can be instantaneously reviewed at the user''s leisure. Never forget anything ever again!} Status: Naked Monkey pretending to be Tarzan with a dirty loincloth {Effect: INACTIVE} Zhen Shi''s happiness froze..... ?_? and his eye twitched. " Making me question my humanity and even calling me a Naked Monkey, do you hate me or something?" System:"..." As for the scholarly bookworm title, he took no offense. In fact, he was proud of it! Zhen Shi had complained so blatantly without thinking the matter through, after all, he had been given a sudden chance at life in the face of certain death. He grew silent as he realized that he had bitten the hand that had fed him... As such, Aiya! Nevermind, you''re MY system so I''ll let you play around a little bit. Meanwhile, the black-robed men were staring at this crazy mortal who had first mentioned the great creation gods like a divine prophet, later causing them to hold off their attack with that sudden wave of energy. But almost immediately he had started spewing nonsense at ''them''. They were stunned at this nonsensical turn of events from a target they had actually been wary and cautious of. ? o??o ? o??o ? o??o ? o??o ? o??o ? What the hell? Weren''t you preparing some spell to attack? Did it fail resulting in the collapse of your brain? And are you so unsure of your humanity even beginning to consider yourself a monkey? Zhen Shi noticed their strange reaction, as he suddenly realized he had spoken his thoughts out loud! But he proceeded to ignore his mistake and refocused on the system. It was only several moments later that the cultivators freed themselves from these thoughts. It was almost as if an unexplainable force was forcing them to be influenced by Zhen Shi''s words. One of the Xue Yue cultivators who looked like a scholar, was the first to clear his mind of those thoughts. He finally spoke out laughing confidently, "This guy must have only been a divine prophet initiate. He must have failed to successfully summon the blessing due to his weak cultivation base and lost his sanity. It''s a pity that a potential divine blesser fell to ruin just like that... Come on let''s just put him out of his misery." The others expressed their agreement for his idea, which made a fair amount of sense. As such, they leaped forward for the second time, with their black blades glinting maliciously under the moonlight. Zhen Shi continued focusing his attention on the system notifications, ignoring their actions, knowing very well that his only hope was the system. Ding! The user is incomparably weak. Considering his recent ascent into the new world, the user has earned a beginner power up bag! Do you wish to open it? Seeing imminent death at the hands of these Xue Yue cultivators unless he powered up, Zhen Shi hurriedly agreed. Ding! Congratulations to user Zhen Shi for obtaining a LEGENDARY cultivation path chest! Congratulations to user Zhen Shi for obtaining a minor experience pill! Congratulations to user Zhen Shi for earning Special Skill-Hell''s Flare! Congratulations to user Zhen Shi for gaining 20 free Otaku Points! Ding! The user does not have a cultivation path yet. Opening of LEGENDARY chest recommended. Zhen Shi commanded mentally, "System, open chest." He was completely focused on this decision as he figured that his entire life and his achievements will depend on this. And despite the impending death he couldn''t help but go all out on the cultivation path selection... Ding! 3 Cultivation paths available, please choose. - [Platinum tier. Cultivation technique used by the thunder god Zeus before he ascended to true Godhood in the Heavenly Realm. Personally created by him while he was still divine thunder born out of chaos. Guaranteed to reach God Zeus''s level] "Guaranteed to reach the level of Zeus! But Zeus is a God who reached the apex of power by killing off all threats to his power including his own blood and family. Despite the power he wields, I want nothing to do with his cultivation technique, unless I have absolutely no other choice. Also if the cultivation path is guaranteed, how boring would that be? So... Next!"Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. - [Scheming tier. Cultivation technique used by a certain someone to EXPLODE the heavens. Added due to the user''s failed attempts at acting tough. Requires 5 elemental spiritual roots to reach completion] "Holy Shiet. Really? But it belongs to another bastard who already uses it and besides, I don''t have 5 elemental spiritual roots. And who failed to act tough? Was it Zeus? System:"...." - [¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ tier. Complete information not available. A path tread by no mortal, immortal or god since the dawn of creation! Requires a Primordial Chaos base and supplementary four elemental soul roots for progression.] "Interesting... A path tread by no other! It''s even hiding its tier. Obviously, it''s giving out some flags! Since the results of this path aren''t even clear to the system, it should be pretty interesting and powerful! Choose Primordial Chaos Arts." Ding! Primordial Chaos Arts skill path learned. Once again his primordial chaos base and four elemental spiritual roots resonated and this time they actually joined with each other through streams of qi. As a result, the spiritual roots also connected with the primordial chaos base, creating a strange sort of stability. This immediately leveled up Zhen Shi from a mere mortal to Qi Refining Stage 1. This caused him to feel attuned to nature with a deep sense of familiarity as if nothing could be hidden from his senses. The resonance had leveled up his spiritual perception by several levels. Zhen Shi even felt like he had all of creation under his control. Of course, this was a mere feeling and nothing much else. Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhen Shi looked at the Xue Yue cultivators who had stopped their attack for the second time due to fear and suspicion. Zhen Shi felt a tinge of fear as he realized that these cultivators could''ve easily slaughtered him if they weren''t so idiotically cautious and suspicious. After all, he was still in the first stage of the first cultivation level. No matter how pathetic these cultivators were, they had to be stronger than him. Thus, Zhen Shi looked over the system inventory and mentally said, "Consume minor experience pill." Ding! 8000 exp points earned. Ding! Congratulations to user Zhen Shi for reaching Qi refining Stage 2. Congratulation to the user... ..... Congratulation to user Zhen Shi for reaching Qi Refining stage 6 "Haha, now this is what you call leveling up and cultivating!" Having observed his strangely growing strength and bursts of elemental energy, the black-robed continued to stare warily at him. The cultivator who looked like a scholar was fidgeting in shame for having been incorrect in his assumptions, while the others were celebrating for not having immediately attacked this strange cultivator. Now with his newly gained power, Zhen Shi was just about to shout out with confidence before he retaliated against these cultivators who had been attempting to kill him the entire time. Ding! System Unique Skill: Level Vision(Minor) activated [Grants user the ability to discern the level of other cultivators up to Soul Transformation. Granted after gaining cultivation path] Zhen Shi looked at the black-robed men, ? _ ? NANI? The level floating above all their heads read "Foundation Establishment" and the lowest was at Stage 2 with the highest at Stage 6. Holy Shiet! System I thank you for saving my dignity. How could I have continued to wear clothes, if I had bragged my cultivation at these cultivators stronger than me? System "...." Now that Zhen Shi was stupidly staring at these foundation establishment cultivators with his qi refining stage power, the cultivators began to consider the possibility that he was maybe only a qi refiner. But before the group of cultivators gave word to their suspicions, the scholarly looking cultivator beat them to it. He pointed at Zhen Shi in anger and shame shouting, "You... You...Pathetic Qi refiner, how could you dare to trick us? How could such a shameless person be a Divine prophet?" he paused for a moment turning to his fellow sect members, "Brothers, It''s now obvious that he was only spouting those words to buy time to unseal his cultivation!" and under the agreement of the others, he turned back to Zhen Shi, "Why did you even hide your cultivation when you were so weak? Honestly, did you want to die so much?" The 6th stage expert who was the leader of the group nodded in agreement to his words and spoke out, "Brothers, Lin Wei is correct. We have overestimated this brat. No need to be so conservative anymore. This time lets just attack to the very end. I refuse to believe this shameless Qi refiner has any more hidden strength." Under the silent agreement of the other cultivators, he positioned his blade in a position that was mimicked by the rest. While gathering the power of the formation they dashed forwards once more. Even with the great gap in cultivation, these cultivators used the battle formation to attack Zhen Shi. Once again the black-robed cultivators slashed their blades forward in attack. Fortunately for Zhen Shi, this attack wasn''t as strong as the one used against Zou Rou. Even still, it was impossible for him to handle the combined attack of ten cultivators much stronger than him. The only reason he had survived this long was due to the cautious nature of these cultivators! But now, he was out of tricks and Zhen Shi was unable to react in the face of their speed nor could he think of any concrete solutions during this short instance. However, his enhanced connection with nature and spiritual perception let him see everything. But as luck would have it the young silver-haired girl stirred up. Zhen Shi who was watching via his spiritual perception was elated, as she too was of the foundation establishment stage. Even if she was unable to handle these cultivators, at the very least, due to her he might be able to live longer. "Haha, this is what they mean when they say ''good deeds beget good deeds''. This girl will naturally save me just as I saved her. When it comes to living, even if you''re being saved by a beautiful damsel it''s nothing to be ashamed of!" The girl slowly opened her eyes. Zhen Shi was facing the front so the loincloth covering his dignity was only active in the front, giving the silver-haired beauty an eye-blinding view of his backside. So what lay facing her less than a meter away, just as she woke up, were two shining bare buttocks. "PERVERTTT!!!" she shouted as she brandished her sword and struck forwards. Zhen Shi''s mouth twitched. ?_? WHAT THE LOINCLOTH! With the enemies and the victim he had saved, attacking from front and back, he could only watch as he awaited death. SHIET! Whose mother made me wear this cursed piece of cloth...? And what''s wrong with this girl? But he refused to believe this and so with an unwavering will he thought, ''No! I won''t give up!'' But what can just a strong will do in the face of power? Realizing this fact, Zhen Shi relaxed his mind as he made peace with the possibility of death, especially in a world of cultivation... Thus with his entire being, he decided to take a risk and completely rely on the only thing he could at this moment, THE SYSTEM! When all else fails and everything seems dark and bleak when life seems hopeless ... With great determination and will power, one must... Leave everything to the system, kick back and relax! Maybe even dance to a jolly tune with no worries? (~???)~ System: "..." Ding! Conditions for status effect activation has been met. Congratulations to the user for achieving the status effect of Fake Tarzan via near-death situation. Status effect:- User action and reaction speed will be increased by double permanently. An additional 10x multiplier to action and reaction speed while wearing loincloth [washing it will permanently remove effects] Nearing death and grasping at straws, Zhen Shi successfully evaded to the side like a flash of wind with the blessing of the status effect. This sudden action caused both attacking sides to stop in disbelief. Both the parties found it impossible to believe that a Qi refiner could show off such an unbelievable reaction speed. Having successfully escaped death Zhen Shi was now free to rant, Whew! What type of shameless status effect is that? Never mind, at least I survived. Even though he survived, Zhen Shi only allowed himself to relax partially. This was because he realized that if the status effect had not activated just then, he would have been skewered by weapons from both sides! SHUCKS, almost achieving death by loincloth only to be saved by the loincloth? And what''s up with this much focus on a loincloth? System is that your fetish? System: "..." But now Zhen Shi was confident of staying alive with the blessing of the status effect. As such, Zhen Shi nonchalantly crossed his arms behind his back. "Pretty Girl what''s wrong with you? I jumped in there to save you and you attack me? I admit that the loincloth is hideous and a poor fashion choice, but still, it obviously can''t hide the handsome and scholarly nature of this gentleman. Also, could you explain to me these so-called Origin gods?" said Zhen Shi while grinning coolly. "Wh-Who asked to be saved by you, a mere Qi refiner? And what gentleman walks around revealing himself like that? A-And who''s pretty? I''ll kill these goons as the main course and finish you as dessert!" mumbled the girl while ''cutely'' frowning in anger. HOLY SHIET! I''ve hit the jackpot! Isn''t this the legendary TSUNDERE? Near-death situations truly do change your fortune! Chapter 3-A Special Skill from a certain special Slime The entire group of Xue Yue clan members including the leader and the scholarly cultivator was rather flabbergasted at this moment. Every time they had launched an attack, this loin-clothed kid would throw a wrench into their plans. As such they silently continued to observe his actions wearily. But they would definitely attack if their targets attempted to escape. In fact, they would be worry-free and filled with confidence in such a situation! Zou Rou who had just woken up stared at the black-robed cultivators of the Xue Yue clan in anger and brought out a golden talisman with the word ''SUN'' written in gold. She continued speaking to Zhen Shi, "Hmmpf, you loin clothed idiot, you don''t even know the Great Origin Gods? I don''t have time to lecture you right now. But I do owe you my life. So, I''ll tell you if we survive this." She continued to speak while waving her free hand dismissively at Zhen Shi, "Qi refiners shouldn''t get involved in a fight between Foundation Establishment Experts, you should leave and let this lady take care of this!" Zhen Shi frowned, unwilling to turn tail and flee like a coward. But, indeed... he wasn''t strong enough. As such he mentally spoke, "Status". User: Zhen Shi Cultivation Level: Qi Refining 6th stage Cultivation energy: 100% Race: Probably Human Cultivation Path: Base- Skills: Level Vision(Minor) Exp points: 0/2200 OP(Otaku Points):20 Titles: Otherworld Reincarnator {Effect: Instant Spell Casting of most spells Intelligence +20 Charisma +40} Scholarly Bookworm {All user known data and information can be instantaneously viewed at the user''s leisure. Never forget anything ever again!!} Fake Tarzan (-Permanent 2x action and reaction speed increase) Status: Naked Monkey pretending to be Tarzan with a dirty loincloth {Effect: Wearing the given loincloth grants a 10x action and reaction speed boost. Washing will negate effect} Ignoring some of the details Zhen Shi fell into thought. But he was lacking ideas, so he shamelessly said, "System state suggestions to beat up these maggots." Ding! The user has not yet learned Unique Skill earned from Beginner Power Up Bag. SHIET! *Cough* Nevermind System I only asked to check if you had forgotten. There is no need to be ashamed, after all, even geniuses make mistakes sometimes! System "....." Special Skill: [ Gold Tier. Fire and lightning based skill originating from a certain reincarnated slime. Deals massive fire damage by heating enemies to incomparably high temperatures within the area of the formed domes. A copy based on the eternal flames of Gehenna/ Hell. No damage dealt beyond the activated area limit.] "WOAH..., You have my thanks, you bastard slime. Learn Hell''s Flare!" Ding! Hell''s Flare Skill learned. Skill completion reached 25% due to Fiery Soul Roots. "Hoho, Little girl don''t underestimate this handsome and scholarly self. MY POWERS cause the heavens itself to shake. Let''s attack together," said Zhen Shi grinning with newfound confidence. "Hmmppf... Maybe it''s your loincloth that causes the heavens to shake... In embarrassment! Don''t blame me when you die" she muttered while lifting the talisman up to shoulder level. On it, one could see the word ''Sun'' shimmer, lightly revealing a strange symbol, ?! Zhen Shi frowned as he noticed this symbol. The fact that it was appearing amidst the word ''Sun'' intrigued him even more. But as it shimmered weakly, ultimately leaving only the word ''Sun'', lead him to even doubt whether he had actually seen it. Thus he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind. Zhen Shi shook his head while lightly grinning and shot back at her, "Geez, girl your beauty is blinding me, so ease up on this damn loin cloth. Do you think I love it?" while lifting his hand and condensing a small ball of black lightning flame. "Wh-Whose beauty is blinding? Your loincloth is what''s blinding!" muttered Zou Rou with a light frown but her eyes were still focused on the cultivators of the Xue Yue clan. Zhen Shi sighed and ignored her, thinking "Tsunderes..." So tsundere''s have a loincloth fetish as well? Maybe the system is a tsundere as well then? System "..." Now turning to the black-robed cultivators he grinned happily while imagining all the exp points he could obtain and said, "Brothers, how could you have the heart to hurt this poor girl? Where is humanity''s love for pretty girls? Are you not ashamed?" Although the cultivators of the Xue Yue clan were unsure about his origins and were rather cautious, they hadn''t been truly afraid of Zhen Shi. As such, they were almost angered into attacking by the righteous words of this loin-cloth wearing man. But the Stage 6 foundation expert signaled them to calm down. The group of cultivators initially showed disagreement, but with the support of the scholarly looking cultivator who seemed to be well respected by all, the leader of the group finally succeeded in his attempt. The reason for them to do so was because they were apprehensive of the black flame in Zhen Shi''s hand. After all, only Core formation stage experts can materialize elemental energies externally. Anyone capable of doing it at with a weaker cultivation level is a true genius with a deep understanding of elemental laws. As such the leader of the group and the scholarly cultivator was sure that this seemingly crazy cultivator was more than what he appeared to be... Furthermore, Zhen Shi didn''t seem to be utilizing any divine blessing as most geniuses would. Hence the leader of the group respectfully placed one palm and one fist together and said, "Little brother, my name is Xue Yuehai and my father is an elder of our sect." He gestured at the scholarly looking cultivator who was frowning, "And this is the genius proclamator of our clan, Lin Hai! He might be just an apprentice proclamator but he can still use edicts in this battle!" The reason Xue Yuehai had pointed this fact out, was to show Zhen Shi that they held the upper hand. Zou Rou spoke out hurriedly, "Loin clothed bastard, you have to be careful of that Lin Hai person. If he really is an apprentice proclamator and if he still can use edicts he should be able to launch at least two level transcending attacks!" Zhen Shi hearing this realized that he really did not know enough about this world. He grew excited at the thought of learning more! But he wasn''t particularly worried. After all, whatever-proclamators were nothing but garbage in front of a true level transcending tool, like a system! Hearing their conversation, Xue Yuehai continued to speak out confidently, "I suggest you forget about this matter! In fact, we are in the right in this matter. That girl stole that pill from us." This caused Zhen Shi to frown. Fuck! Could you have told me that before I declared you had to be ashamed of attacking a girl2?The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Still, he turned to Zou Rou and looked questioningly at her... While still holding the talisman she lowered her head and said, "I needed the pill to help my father... I was willing to purchase it". Then she looked up with flames of fury in her eyes, "It was supposed to be sold at a fixed price. But this Yuehai bastard kept asking me to ''satisfy them'' or pay a sky-high price. In the end, they were begging for me to steal their stuff!" Ignoring Zou Rou who was shooting daggers at him, Xue Yuehai continued, "Little brother, I assure you that we will not harm you...provided that you join our sect. We worship Ammit, the devourer of souls. I noticed that Brother Shi does not have a divine blessing even though you possess the talent to transcend levels. If you join us, I''m sure we will be able to get you a high-tier blessing!" However, hearing his words Lin Hai and all the other cultivators frowned and looked disapprovingly at Xue Yuehai. Lin Hai was unwilling to be in the same clan as Zhen Shi. This was because he was still angry at what Zhen Shi had said before, but, also because he was unwilling to have another genius stealing his limelight. Still, neither he nor the other cultivators said any of their opinions out loud. Xue Yuehai turned his head at Lin Hai and gave a meaningful glance. This caused Lin Hai to instantly lose his displeasure. He now understood his fellow brother''s meaning. By ''taking'' in Zhen Shi they would be able to easily solve any of their displeasure towards him under the protection of the clan. And since the divine prophet spell and cultivation hiding was still unexplained, they might even be able to get their hands on some valuable treasures. Now with the approval of the entire group Xue Yuehai continued to speak, "I admit that your words and choice of dress are....." he struggled to find the proper word, "...unique. But with your talent, you can definitely be a core disciple. Moreover, we never planned on returning this pill to the sect. Let us share it between ourselves and have fun with this feisty girl as well. What do you say, little brother Shi?" Zhen Shi who was oblivious to the silent exchange between them was surprised. Ammit? The devourer of souls? She was only a minor goddess who would devour unjustified souls under the whims of Osiris, who was one of the primal gods of creation. Nevertheless, Zhen Shi was growing more and more curious about the relationship between this new world and the gods of the old mythology. Zhen Shi instantly laughed out loud, "Heh? What little brother Shi? Your brother down below is what''s little. Do you dare to pull this handsome and scholarly self down to your level? DREAM ON! I might consider your request if it was from God Horus. Just shut up and pay for your crimes against the tsundere!" There was no way Zhen Shi was teaming up with these idiots when he could team up with a pretty tsundere! Lin Hai was extremely happy that Zhen Shi was unwilling to take this chance to live a bit longer. On the other hand, Xue Yuehai frowned in anger and confusion. What''s a tsundere? Can you eat it? And how does this loin clothed bastard no anything about my little brother? Did he peep? Clearing his head, Xue Yuehai said with a shout, "Very well. You don''t know what''s good for you! Just because you have some ability in elemental handling do you think that you''re invincible and capable of jumping cultivation levels like a proclamator? And you dare to wish for Lord Horus''s blessings? A mere pipedream!" "Fellow Brothers lets attack!!" shouted out Lin Hai with a grin. He preferred to straightforwardly beat this annoying Zhen Shi rather than use underhanded methods. Thus the cultivators of the Xue Yue clan readied their weapons. However, seeing the ominous black flame and the Zou Rou''s girl''s golden Sun talisman they grew apprehensive. Xue Yuehai and Lin Hai could vaguely interpret that both of these attacks were bound to be unusual. Nevertheless, they readied their best attack as well. They started to move their swords about in a strange mind-numbing pattern. Their bodies were instantly enclosed in thick dark black qi to the point that even their faces were hidden. The qi coalesced above their heads forming a terrifying black shadow of a strange monster! It roared while dashing forwards in attack leaving a burning black miasma everywhere it went. Ignoring this, Zou Rou happily smiled at Zhen Shi for him supporting her. That smile..... Zen Shi felt everything was worth it! She then looked back at the black miasma monster while holding on to the Sun talisman with both hands and grinned devilishly while shouting, "Sky Sun Bone Sword talisman, Three swords descend!" This caused three swords composed of sun and starlight to appear in front of her and streak forwards leaving traces of a star-filled sky. Zhen Shi also grinned in suppressed excitement, because he was going to use his first spell in this new world! He disappeared using his increased 20x reaction speed and reappeared by the side of the Xue Yue cultivators, completely dodging the monster of black miasma. "Hell''s Flare" he shouted as he tossed the ball of "slime"-packed goodness at point-blank. The majority of the group had no time to block. Of course, blocking wouldn''t have made much difference. A black fire dome appeared on top of the group instantly covering six of them. Lin Hai was included in this but he had immediately raised his hands shouting, "Edict: Armor," just before being engulfed by the black fire dome. Meanwhile, the terrifying monster of dark black qi was struggling to hold itself together while going against the three swords, as half of the people supporting the formation had been attacked by Zhen Shi. Thus the three sun and starlight swords easily pierced through the dark black miasma monster and dashed towards the Xue Yue cultivators. Two of the swords, struck two men cleanly on the chest instantly turning them into ash which blew away under the light night breeze. One unfortunate sword, however, entered the dome and burned up, emerging as a weakened streak of light which only managed to burn off an arm from Xue Yuehai who had previously barely dodged the flame dome. Now with all the cultivators in disarray, the black miasma monster disappeared. Ding! Congratulations to the user Zhen Shi for successfully subduing and defeating a Foundation Stage expert! 1000 exp earned. For defeating your first foundation establishment practitioner, the user has earned a minor gift box. Ding! Congratulation to the user Zhen Shi for successfully subduing and defeating a Foundation Establishment practitioner(x4) Ding! Congratulations to the user Zhen Shi for obtaining some essence of a Sky Sun bone talisman. Rare Material Sky Sun Bone with assimilated runic energy earned! Ding! The user has earned 5 OP. Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching the Qi Refining stage-Completion. Zhen Shi ignored the notification as he raised an eyebrow in surprise. He could not believe that the swords from Zou Rou could pass through the formation and his while still being capable of taking off an arm! Along with the notification he received, Zhen Shi was extremely intrigued regarding the talisman she had used. Nevertheless, Zhen Shi said mentally, "Open minor gift box". Ding! Minor gift box opened. Congratulations to the user Zhen Shi for obtaining a lesser Spatial tear sword! EHH? What''s that? A weapon? Lesser spatial tear sword[ A consumable item capable of dealing 2 attacks equivalent to a full-power attack at the peak Nascent Soul stage. Effective on cultivators below Spirit Formation. It can be used to tear spatial rifts which will randomly teleport the user alone within an area of radius 100km. Suggested use: Fleeing] Nani? You give me a cultivation level transcending weapon and expect me to use it to flee? Since you tell me to do so, I definitely won''t use it to flee. System: "..." Zhen Shi sighed with a light smile. Nevertheless, I have profited. Meanwhile, the black fiery dome lasted for a couple more moments, eerily giving off no signs of its danger to the outside. At the same time, the Sun talisman in the hands of the girl cracked and turned to dust. Turning to Zou Rou, Zhen Shi said, "That was a pretty good talisman. How was it so strong?" hoping to find out more about it. But the girl ignored his question and pointed at him, "Loin clothed bastard, what sort of attack was that? Aren''t you at Qi condensation? Was that a divine blessing? Or maybe a manifested title skill?..... Humph, I guess you''re not too bad for your loincloth wearing self. More importantly, why''d you hit my attack? We could have taken down that main bastard," frowning grumpily. Zhen Shi grew suspicious regarding her attempted dismissal of the question but decided to entertain her intentions for the moment and said, "I told you I shake the heavens. So don''t make excuses pretty girl. I killed five of them, but you got only two and an arm!" saying so Zhen Shi laughed in satisfaction, besides he had gained rare material from it. "You cheated you bastard... I hate you, both you and your loincloth!!" said Zou Rou grumpily crossing her arms over her ample chest. Zhen Shi''s smile grew wider seeing her actions. Grumpy Tsun Rou is cute as well! At the same time, the Hell''s flare dome disappeared revealing no traces of the other cultivators save for Lin Hai! His head and chest were covered in a majestic but cracking golden armor with dragon patterns on it. His body was covered in horrible burn marks except for his torso and head which were guarded by the armor. He stared in disbelief as his armor started to slowly fall apart. Meanwhile, Xue Yuehai was scared out of his wits. As he held on with his remaining arm at the gap where his former arm had been, he shouted out while shivering, "You bastards you''ll pay for this!!" Zen Shi who was awakened from admiring the beauty, unhappily frowned at Xue Yuehai and prepared another hell''s flare on his hand. Seeing this, Lin Hai and the other lucky survivor immediately started to escape. But, at the same time, "My father is at the peak of Soul Transformation. So he''ll definitely capture you lot and flay you alive!" shouted the now one-armed Xue Yuehai with a satisfied laugh. Immediately he took out a black talisman and crushed it. Chapter 4-A sudden name change! Zhen Shi was distracted by the sudden possible arrival of a cultivator many times stronger than what he could handle, and as such did not prevent Lin Hai and the other cultivator from escaping. Neither did Zou Rou take any action to do so. "Shiet," muttered Zhen Shi. Now helpless to stop this calamity from happening he decided to play it cool, after all, he still had the spatial tear sword. As such he quickly shouted out, "Brother Yuehai, I understand that your little brother is short, but why is your temper so short as well? You didn''t have to go crawling to your father, did you? Now, now, calm down and reform those broken talisman shards so that he won''t arrive. Then let us have a fair duel and I''ll even give myself a handicap by only using the fire attack once. I PROMISE on my handsome and scholarly self!" What fair duel? One of those black balls will be enough to finish me off! And why are you so attentive to my little brother? Bringing himself back from his thoughts, "Obediently await your death, you imbecile. My father will be here in a breath''s time! Hahaha!" shouted Xue Yuehai in glee. Despite his confidence, of the initial group of ten cultivators, only Xue Yuehai was left. "Idiot, did you really think this little shit''s elder won''t come if you put back the crushed pieces of the talisman together? Is your brain in your loincloth? I suggest we leave now, we might be able to gain some time to make a plan!" shouted Zou Rou urgently. Ding! System Notice! .... Zhen Shi''s eyes brightened! "My dear Tsun Rou you keep underestimating me. Let me show you the extent of this handsome and scholarly self''s abilities. That expert will never arrive while I''m here!" saying so he waved his hand and used his rather powerful spiritual senses to latch on to the broken black talisman and instantly reformed it. This was a mere repair and in no way was the talisman brought to its initial state. The one-armed Xue Yuehai with a little brother problem and Tsun Rou looked on in confusion. However, just as stated by Zhen Shi, time passed on, but the supposed powerhouse never came. Zhen Shi calmly looked on with his hands crossed over his chest, while Zou Rou too waited impatiently, unable to leave Zhen Shi by himself. However, Xue Yuehai''s expression was getting uglier by the second. In fact, previously the system had informed him that the sun-star sword had changed under the effect of Hell''s flare and thus had broken the message talisman when attacking Xue Yuehai. So, clever as he was, Zhen Shi couldn''t pass up this chance to impress the girl. Seeing this surprising turn of events Tsun Rou gaped while pointing at him, "Loin Shi looks like underestimated you. Nice work! But what was that ability? Are you a Divine Prophet? And was that the blessings of some god of time?" Ding! Congratulations to user Zhen Shi for gaining 5 OP! Zhen Shi was grinning ear to ear, having gained a reward and the girl''s praise. Still, he was wearing nothing but a dirty loincloth that was flapping in the wind. He had gotten rather thick-skinned regarding it and forgotten all about it. However, Xue Yuehai having seen this immediately started to escape "Little brothe--I mean bastard, just you wait. You can be on top now but when I get back with my father, both of us will definitely let you feel what it''s like to be at the receiving end!" Zhen Shi''s mouth twitched, Is this guy threatening me? Or is he saying that they''ll have to switch positions ''in bed'' when he and his father get into it together? What type of shameful father-son duo is this? I definitely can''t let him escape. My CHASTITY IS AT STAKE! "Shut up idiot. Die now!" said Zhen Shi as he vanished and reappeared next to Xue Yuehai ready to give the killing blow. Although Xue Yuehai had been trying to escape he was still quite close to Zhen Shi. Since he had a 20x action and reaction speed, it was quite easy to catch up to Xue Yuehai. "Hell''s fire!" Zhen Shi shouted and threw the manifested black fireball ?? Seeing this Zhou Rou shouted, "No! Wai-" But it was too late. The fiery black flame dome descended. But at the same time, a strange golden yellow dome appeared surrounding Xue Yuehai, holding off the attack. Seeing this Xue Yuehai astarted laughing maniacally."Little bastard, now you have made the biggest mistake of your life. My father that you held off will now finally arrive. No amount of petty tricks can change that and any treasures you hold will be ours!" But his laughter immediately disappeared as the flame dome burned off the yellow dome and continued to burn him as well. His laughter turned to painful screams while he shouted, "No, not like this...!" With these last words, he disappeared into dust within the dome, as Zhen Shi looked on with his loincloth fluttering in the night wind. Just like that, Xue Yuehai died! He didn''t even get to explore his newly arising desires. Ding! Congratulations to user Zhen Shi for subduing and utterly incinerating a foundation establishment stage practitioner protected by a life-saving artifact. The user has gained 3000 exp. The user has gained 10 OP. Ding! User Zhen Shi dealt damage through a life-saving artifact personally molded by a peak Soul Transformation expert. Hence the expert has already been notified of the user''s actions and will arrive shortly. Zhen Shi laughed bitterly. Even he wasn''t sure what had led him to suddenly lash out killing off Xue Yuehai. Maybe he had pissed him off too much? Maybe he got tired of his shouting? Or maybe this was a part of an undeniable fate spearheaded by the system? Ding! For destroying the life-saving artifact the user has gained Soul Silver Metal. Hmmm..... Well, I suppose fate and the system aren''t completely heartless! System "..." "Zhen Shi, you imbecile, what have you done? Since he was important enough to have a message talisman he probably would have had a life protection talisman as well. And although you finally did kill him, the Spirit transformation stage expert will still arrive!" shouted Tsun Rou in anger. "Don''t worry Tsun Rou, let this big brother handle this!" said Zhou Rou while patting his chest and grinning, as he understood her worry. But how could be fearful of anyone weaker than the nascent soul stage, when he possessed a system. More importantly, he had that overpowered sword! The notifications continued, making him feel better despite his bad decision. Ding! A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.Congratulations to the user for reaching the foundation establishment stage 1! Congratulations to the user for gaining a major choice chest! Immediately his dantian resonated with nature. The four elemental spiritual roots which were connected with each other grew closer forming a brown ball of matter which floated within the primordial chaos. Zhen Shi''s physical attack and defense increased as a result. His connection to nature improved allowing him to strengthen his spiritual sense. While he was entranced in his power-up, a terrifying roar exploded from far away, "WHO DARES TO KILL THE OFFSPRING OF THE XUE YUE SECT!" and a terrifying pressure descended on all those remaining. Zhen Shi felt stifled and found it unable to move under this spiritual pressure. This...was power! Ding! Spiritual pressure of a higher tier cultivator detected! Resolving of pressure completed! Finally, Zhen Shi felt like he could move. He was growing more and more apprehensive noticing the seriousness of the situation. Because even if he escaped with the spatial sword, Zhou Rou would be in danger. A terrifying figure descended from the star-lit skies like the descent of a god. He was exploding with natural lightning energy which crackled around him. He lowered his eyes and stared straight at Zhen Shi with great malice. The notification above his head read {Soul Transformation-Peak}! Xue Yuegui was mad. He was truly mad. Not out of loss for his son, but rather for being disturbed from his cultivation seclusion! He was also unhappy about the fact that his talisman had been broken by this foundation Establishment cultivator. He held nothing but contempt for that useless son of his, that had been bested by a mere first stage foundation establishment expert parading around as a qi cultivator. Nevertheless, since his reputation would be tarnished if he took no action, and to prevent any blemishes in his cultivation heart he would kill these two! Xue Yuegui brought out a scepter emanating crashing lightning and immediately struck out at the duo, first targeting Zou Rou! It was simply too fast! He arrived like a bolt of lightning but struck even faster! But before the attack landed, Zou Rou''s body glowed with a brownish glow and a giant earthen face formed out of the earth and held off this attack. This earthen face could be simply considered as a mask with no distinctive features. "Hoh? Another Soul transformation.....No, nascent soul stage expert? But it appears you''re wounded," said Xue Yuegui. However, he immediately frowned and spoke in a more respectful manner, "Ah, it''s you, the renowned City Lord! Your illustrious name echoes throughout the world despite how far away you are. But do you think that just your incarnation can stop me from taking revenge? You could probably beat me with your true body, but isn''t that too far away?" said Xue Yuegui. "Fa-Father? No! Why''d you come here? That talisman held a part of your soul? No... Your state will worsen even further!" shouted out Zou Rou in worry. Zhen Shi could guess the power of Zou Rou''s father, the Earth Face merely via the notification above him. It simply said HIDDEN! The large face turned to her, "Stupid girl! I''ll die before I let you get hurt. You almost died. I truly shouldn''t have let you go on this journey" and sighed. He looked back at Xue Yugui, "Fellow Daoist, you''re taking revenge for your son. I can respect that. But this is my daughter, and I''ll rather both us perish than her. If you lay a finger on her I will hunt you and your sect down to the ends of the world! The divine church will not be able to stop me, I assure you. Make a choice," and said in a solemn tone. Xue Yuegui grimaced, "Very well. I, Xue Yuegui will give you face. The girl didn''t deal the killing blow anyway. But if you think I''ll let this little undignified scoundrel parading about in his undergarments escape, you''ve got another thing coming!" "No father! This scoundre-- I mean man helped me out. I can''t let him die!" said Zou Rou. She said this even though her father was in such bad straits. Zhen Shi felt warm in his heart, even though she almost called him a scoundrel. City Lord Earth Face turned to him saying, "Little boy, What on earth are you wearing?" he smiled and continued, "Either way you saved and helped my daughter. I am truly thankful. But, I am truly regretful about being unable to help you at the moment," and spoke with an ''embarrassed'' face. But suddenly his eyes glowed and stated seriously, "Still, this is a tribulation of your own doing! If you can''t take responsibility for your actions, why even cultivate?" "Come meet us at Solsun City if you survive. For your help to my daughter, I''ll naturally reward you!" he continued. He then grabbed Zhou Rou with the intention to leave. But Xue Yuegui obstructed him, "Saint Sun Soul of Solingrad city, give back my clan''s property before leaving. Not only do I intend to kill and torture this little kid, but I also want you to give me back the pill!" Xue Yuegui was truly curious how a random healing pill in their sect could grab the attention of this city lord''s daughter. He was worried that they had failed to identify the value of the fish which had been caught in their own net! Saint Sun Soul''s face contorted in anger and the terrifying pressure of a nascent soul expert radiated out. Even wounded, his supremacy could not be hidden. "Yuegui, don''t go too far! Do you think I''ll give you a mile when I agreed to an inch? Do you think I''m truly that powerless?" he shouted out. Yuegui grimaced, but ultimately conceded, not willing to court disaster for his clan but mostly for himself. Still, Zhen Shi who was watching this verbal war between the two frowned. Honestly, he was unhappy that this ''earth face'' wouldn''t even try to help him. After all, if he was an ordinary foundation establishment cultivator he would definitely die. As a result, he spoke without a hint of respect, "Oi, Oi, Old men who do you think you are? Arguing with each other and ignoring me like I ain''t here?" The mass of matter and primordial chaos in his dantian generated a unique pressure as he talked completely ignoring all pressure given out by the two. "Tsun Rou you''re a city lords daughter? No matter how I look, I can''t see it... And shameless old ''Earth Face'' Sun don''t worry, I''ll be there to see you soon" he said grinning nonchalantly. City Lord Sun Soul raised an eyebrow, he was surprised. But said nothing. Xue Yuegui was getting impatient and was maddened over Zhen Shi''s attitude, albeit slightly surprised by the boy''s capabilities. Wait till you''re alone with me little kiddo! As the space around Zou Rou and the earthen face started to vibrate she said, "Loin clothed bastard, why so confident? I''ll be surprised if you even survive," she said worriedly. "But, I''ll never forgive you if you die! Also, I know you''re an idiot so you probably still think I''m Zou Rou right?" ''Zou Rou'' continued to speak, "My name is Sun Rou. If you make it out alive I''ll get you some proper clothes! Oh, I also promised to inform your idiot self about something, didn''t I? Here this should be sufficient for you!" and threw over a talisman. He caught it and pocketed it. "Sun Rou? Thank god it wasn''t anything else. I was really starting to get attached to calling you Tsun Rou! Besides both are basically the same. Sun Rou, you were born to be Tsun Rou!" shouted out Zhen Shi laughing out loud. "Loin clothed idiot, Is this what you should be thinking of before facing off a Soul formation expert, especially when you''re so weak?" retorted Sun Rou a smile broke out on her face, despite her attempts not to. Zhen Shi just grinned. Xue Yuegui had been silent the entire time. He was not overbearing like initially in the presence of Saint Sun Soul. The moment he realized that this city lord could bend space for teleportation, he thanked the gods for not having provoked him too far! Still, he felt rather stifled... But now that they were on the verge of leaving, Xue Yuegui decided to unleash all his anger and worry on this little foundation establishment genius. Hence he immediately struck down with his scepter with lightning crackling around his body. Zhen Shi immediately disappeared and reappeared to the side completely bypassing this attack. However, a thunder serpent emerged out from the scepter which started to crackle with lightning as well. It hissed maliciously while dashing towards Zhen Shi. Seeing this, he hurriedly utilized some earth elemental aether and covered his chest. In that sudden instance, he had gained insight into utilizing pure elemental essence and aether. After all, he had utilized the Hell''s flare attack, which incorporated both fire and lightning, several times. Pu! But still, he spat out a mouthful of blood as he was struck backward and thrown to the ground. The gap in cultivation was too immense. AH! Motherfucker! That hurts! But still, he turned to look at where Tsun Rou had been. But they had already left, and space gave no evidence to their presence. "Haha, little bastard where''s your cocky attitude now? I know you''re supposed to be a genius, but with this little bit of ability, if you fight me, you won''t even know how you died!" Zhen Shi slowly crawled to a standing position. Ignoring the ridicule in Xue Yuegui''s words he sharply stared at him, with an indomitable will surging in his eyes! Chapter 5-The most terrifying support skill is double edged!! In that instance, Zhen Shi truly looked heroic with the strange pressure emanating from his body, his hair blowing in the breeze, the slight trickle of blood at the corner of his chin and the sheer look of unbendable will in his eyes. Well, at least he would have if it wasn''t for the front-only covering dirty loincloth lightly fluttering in the wind..... it truly ruined the image! Still, Zhen Shi neither knew nor paid any attention to this, as he was completely focused on the strong opponent in front of him. He instantly flicked his hand activating a skill and threw a Hell''s Flare at Xue Yuegui. But with lightning crackling over his body Xue Yuegui easily sidestepped the fireball, with a grin of confidence. Xue Yuegui was aware of Zhen Shi''s crazy fast reaction speed, and so to make things easier for himself he was planning on exhausting Zhen Shi of his energy before attacking. But Zhen Shi immediately realized this fact as well. As such, unwilling to let the situation turn into a war of attrition Zhen Shi prepared to open the choice chest he had received for reaching the foundation establishment stage. But a well-placed gust of wind, or for Zhen Shi and Xue Yuegui a truly horribly placed gust of wind, blew through the grasslands easily flipping over the front flap of the loincloth. This was a source of great shame to Zhen Shi and an eye-blinding view to Xue Yuegui! ?????? ?_? WHAT THE MOTHERFUCKING LOINCLOTH! I''ve been jumping here and there like a kangaroo this entire time, but this frapping loincloth never moved nor gave a peep. But now when I was barely getting into this fight and standing totally still, you decide to reveal me for all to see! SYSTEM I KNOW THIS IS YOUR DOING! This time you have teamed up with the wind itself to shame me! System "...." Ding! Congratulations to the user for learning UNGRADEABLE SKILL . Created Skill: [Iron Tier Support Skill. A simple action of revealing oneself will cause shameful feelings to arise in all affected men, even the heavens itself! The sheer difference in size will cause all to be stupefied in shame! All those affected will act as if they''ve been blinded and with next to no mental faculties. Its effect will simply be momentary on higher tier cultivators. The skill is upgradeable. Unknown effects might occur....] Ding! User has gained +100 Skill exp for Ding! The skill has reached Copper-tier! One look at the dazed Peak Soul formation expert Xue Yuegui who was standing still as if nothing else mattered, caused Zhen Shi to tremble in excitement while forgetting his shame. The heavens are truly fair! Good fortune indeed lies within misfortune. If this skill can daze a cultivator this much powerful than me, while still in the Iron tier. I can''t imagine how much OVERPOWERED it could get in the future. I do admit it''s a shameless skill, but power is power! There is nothing to question and I just have to be careful to use this skill when I am alone. However, Zhen Shi couldn''t help but feel a shiver run up his spine as he read the last sentence of the skill description, "Unknown effects....". Almost immediately a heavy and repeating panting sound could be heard. Zhen Shi slowly raised his head in fear, only to see the Xue Yuegui panting heavily with reddened eyes. A bestial aura had risen around him as he looked at Zhen Shi like he was eyeing a slab of meat! "Little boy, what have you done to me? It seems you have bewitched me? Hmm, looks like I''ll have to use you to relieve myself. I''ll play with you and kill you. A much more happy ending than you deserve. Now COME TO DADDY!" he roared while dashing forwards while using all of his lightning power simply to dash forwards. Zhen Shi in fear suddenly gained insights into applying fire and wind elemental energies. With his 20x reaction speed boost and earth elemental energy as well, his movement speed was now very fast. Hence he easily dodged Xue Yuegui who had fallen to the mental level of a beast in heat and no longer used the lightning qi properly in battle. Xue Yuegui who completely underestimated his maximum strength and speed missed Zhen Shi and shot off like lightning to a distance of several kilometers. Now with room to breath, Zhen Shi lightly relaxed, "Fuck, looks like this overpowered skill is A DOUBLE EDGED BLADE! But why did this happen? No.... WAIT! Didn''t that Xue Yuehai fellow mention something about both him and his father making me feel what it is to be on the receiving end? That has to be it... This shameless father of his must-have affected my skill with his tendencies. Looks like I''ll have to be careful about who I use this skill on," and concluded. Still, to make sure, he asked mentally, "Hey System, explain the side effects of this skill in detail." Ding! is still a copper tier skill. As UNGRADEABLE it has the potential to rise in tier. Certain special individuals will exhibit strange symptoms as here when used. But the deciding factor is the cultivation level difference. Since the power between user and target is great, the blinding effect was easily neglected. Still, the skill will affect the mental faculties of even such powerhouses.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Zhen Shi considered this information silently. This could be considered as a true cheat skill that has in cases like this, it will reduce their intelligence and thought processes. This much of an effect while being in the lowest tiers... But suddenly, these conclusions were thrown to the sea as his face contorted lecherously, I wonder what effects this skill will have on women! Ding! More information has arisen upon further analysis. Oh? The system is being seriously helpful. Ding! To employ maximum power of user must personally act and reveal himself to the target. ?_? NANI? SYSTEM, DO YOU THINK I''M A MALE STRIPPER? Here I was praising you, I TAKE IT ALL BACK... Wait... could it be that the system got mad when I thought of using this on women? So is the system a feminist? System "....." Ignoring this unhappy turn of events, Zhen Shi now turned to look at the still panting Xue Yuegui in heat. With his mental faculties affected, he was now an easy target. "Hell''s Flare!!" Zhen Shi shouted repeatedly as he threw out balls of hell''s flare like throwing stones. His energy dropped to a mere quarter of the total as he attacked until the entire area surrounding Xue Yuegui was covered in domes of hell''s flare. Under the effects of the hell''s flare, Xue Yuegui''s terrifying roars could be heard... and stopped. Ding! The user has gained 5 OP. Even though Xue Yuegui was no longer roaring in pain, Zhen Shi frowned as he did not notice any notifications granting experience. This meant that Xue Yuegui was still alive! The hellfire domes gradually disappeared, revealing a half-burnt Xue Yuegui. His face had melted off, leaving only a face of charred muscles. All that remained of his robes were charred black filth which clung on to his burnt skin. Even to a peak soul transformation cultivator, the dark black hell''s fire cannot be so easily shaken off! His face, or what was left of it, contorted in pain and Xue Yuegui roared out loud as any semblance of sanity he had was lost under the pain. Although, he had been severely injured and disfigured he was nowhere near dying. Thus his desire to take down the one who had dealt him this pain burned brightly. Suddenly a terrifying pressure emanated out from his half-burned body. And a dark black bloody miasma wafted out from his body. This miasma formed into a terrifying monster with the head of a crocodile, torso of a leopard and hindquarters of a hippo. It was hideous to look at, but a terrifying almost god-like presence could be felt. Zhen Shi noticed that this was the same monster formed from the battle formation of those earlier cultivators... Ding! Target Soul Transformation cultivator has successfully sacrificed his remaining life force to gain god aether and summoned an Ammit persona! Target cultivator has broken free of Shaming the Heavens! Target cultivator has reached a pseudo-Nascent Soul stage! As Zhen Shi looked on, the miasma monster was absorbed into Xue Yuegui''s burnt body. Instantly his body shuffled about like worms in mud, his bones cracked and his flesh shifted as he turned into a monster rather similar to the one of miasma. The now beastly Ammit-Xue Yuegui vanished as he/she dashed towards Zhen Shi with claws outstretched for the kill. With a roar, Ammit-Xue Yuegui slashed his/her claws at Zhen Shi''s head sending forth a terrifying claw strike of qi. Zhen Shi immediately realized that he would have a hard time blocking this attack. Thus he stared at the Ammit personified Xue Yuegui and shamelessly lifted the front flap of his loincloth while shouting, "Shaming the heavens!" The 100% strike of the now silver-tier ! Ding! Temporarily, the target has lost mental faculties and thus lost control of the god aether. Regardless of this success, the full-powered claw strike empowered with god aether was still arriving towards his poor head. Zhen Shi deciding to take no more risks took out the lesser Spatial tear sword from the item inventory. And with his full power, he swung out the sword in the direction of the claw attack and the dazed Ammit-Xue Yuegui. A terrifying chaotic sword slash swept through the grassland originating from the tip of the spatial tear sword. As the sword slash streaked forwards it left spatial waves destabilizing the surroundings. Trees, Rocks, and Plants basically anything and everything that these spatial waves came in to contact with were simply disintegrated. Finally, this spatial sword strike reached Xue Yuegui. He continued to be dazed and mindless even as the full power of a Nascent Soul stage expert ripped his monstrous body apart and all the space around him. He was ripped apart into nothing by the spatial chaos! The area all around the strike grew blurry due to unstable space. Zhen Shi was quite amazed at the power of the sword as he stared at the destruction of the spatial sword strike. Ding! Congratulations to the user for slashing apart a peak soul transformation expert! Zhen Shi heaved a sigh of relief at the system''s confirmation. Now that he was free of fear, he felt that he was mostly satisfied at having bested the system. After all, he used the sword to attack instead of fleeing! SYSTEM I TOLD YOU I''LL USE IT AS A WEAPON!! System "..." Still, Zhen Shi felt like his luck today wasn''t so good after all. Although he got reincarnated into a world perfect for him chock full of familiar gods, and although he got a system, he had been facing enemy after enemy since the moment he arrived! He had also been falling into ridiculous situations! Well, his luck just got worse... The area which had been blurred under unstable space grew clear and as the unstable spatial tear stabilized, it revealed a dangerous sight! Apparently, the spatial attack had phased right through the claw strike. Although the spatial attack had struck Ammit-XueYuegui and eviscerated him, his claw strike had remained safe. And it now struck full force on Zhen Shi''s body, who didn''t even have time to defend. A terrifying claw mark appeared on his chest and slashed his flesh apart even reaching his bones. Blood splattered everywhere and the pain was unspeakable... He felt himself losing consciousness and so with the last of his consciousness pushed himself towards the now stable spatial tear. He was unwilling to be captured by experts who might come due to the spatial disturbance and just bleed to death in this place. As he entered spatial tear, the chaos in it attempted to rip his already damaged body apart. But the primordial chaos base in his dantian sent out a thread of energy. This caused the chaos to calm down and instead to wrap around his body protectively. However, this action caused him further strain and to finally lose his consciousness. And just before he did, his final thought, FUCK! I bragged like a king, but in the end, I used the sword to flee! System this was your plan all along wasn''t it? System "..." Chapter 6-The healing beauty?? After Zhen Shi left off into the unknown primordial space, the spatial tear disappeared. The still stabilizing space and the 100-meter area completely devoid of existence were the only remaining evidence of the battle that had taken place. Sometime later a familiar earthen face suddenly formed itself out of the dirt on the earthen ground. He slowly surveyed the scene of the battle. A surprised look appeared on his face but was immediately replaced with a satisfied smile. Moments later he disappeared, in the same way, he arrived... ???????? Zhen Shi was surprised to find that he was still conscious. He could vaguely feel how he was moving through the vast and unpredictable spatial chaos. And then he felt nothing and saw only darkness. "Shiet, has this handsome and scholarly self passed away? Just because of the mere claw attack of an Ammit-powered-XueYuegui? NO. I refuse to believe it!" Ding! The user has not yet passed away. His life is hanging on by a mere thread! Shiet! System, can''t you ever come bearing good news? System "..." Ding! The user has received a higher random loot chest for killing the Deified Soul Transformation cultivator. Zhen Shi almost laughed out loud at the silver lining to this life-threatening situation. But, suddenly, his vision veered off of the darkness to focus on a mass of matter within primordial chaos. "Wait, isn''t this my dantian? Is this the legendary innate-body-view?" shouted out Zhen Shi. This dantian resided within a body covered in darkness. Throughout this body, there were white dots placed at the general meridian points of the human body along with lines connecting them to each other. Zhen Shi immediately concluded that this was a view of his meridians and qi paths. On further notice, he was even able to visualize his bones, blood, and tendons. But he realized that they were badly hurt and damaged. While he was enjoying this miraculous view... Ding! Condition of body and innate status comprehended. A new feature is active! The user has gained access to . Zhen Shi barely noticed this as his attention had switched to something else. The brown ball of matter within the primordial chaos was undergoing a strange and miraculous change. Simultaneously, Ding! The user has gained 100,000 exp for defeating the Pseudo-deified Soul Transformation cultivator. Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching Foundation Establishment Stage 2! Congratulations to the user for reaching Foundation Establishment Stage 3! Congratulations to the user for reaching Foundation Establishment Stage 4! ... ... Congratulations to the user for reaching Foundation Establishment Full completion! Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching the Core Formation Stage 1! As such, the brown matter within the primordial chaos started to rearrange itself. At the same time, it glowed with four colors; a fiery red, an aqua blue, a lively green, and an earthen brown. Those colors formed into maelstroms of aether as they wreaked havoc all over the brown ball of matter. There was strange beauty hidden within them as they kept on destroying! Earthen speck, after Earthen speck was destroyed. But for each destroyed speck, a minute but almost invisible energy emerged. With the emergence of this energy, miraculous changes occurred. Within the earthen globe terrifying fiery energy rose. It formed into a magma core present within, creating a force of gravity on its surface. At the same time, a strong wind blew throughout the surface of the globe, removing any remnant specks of dust. But the destruction caused by the aether maelstroms had left it uneven. With the blowing of this wind, a sudden downpour of rain occurred..... As time passed on, this rain stopped. But the water remained on it forming lakes upon lakes, except for the higher levels of the earth which remained above it as land and mountains. His dantian had become the skeleton of a planet within primordial chaos! Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching Core Formation Stage 2! Ding! ..... Zhen Shi was so dumbfounded by the series of events that took place within his dantian, that he just kept on staring completely oblivious to the systems notifications. He was absorbed in this miraculous event, trying to make sense of this miraculous occurrence. This entire time he had been thrown from dangerous situation to situation, he had tried to be careful the entire time although he had been throwing insult upon insult at the enemy as well. This was the first time he could actually calm down and analyze what he had seen this entire time. As such he had a fairly deep understanding of cultivation which he believed was simply utilizing physically or spiritually developed energy externally to show greater prowess. But what he witnessed just now was a skeletal planet created within a body! Creating something from nothing! Not a bit of his science and physics knowledge could help him make sense of this. So he gave up on it and started to comprehend creation simply from what he saw. As time passed on, he got a vague feeling... A vague feeling that he could comprehend the basic laws of what had occurred. But he felt he lacked that final step. Whatever it was that was needed to comprehend this law, he was sure it couldn''t be found within his dantian! Still, the formation of this skeletal planet had drastically strengthened his elemental control, and strengthened his spiritual power and perception! Now, temporarily putting that matter off, he started to focus attention on his body. Since the time he had begun to comprehending creation, he had felt a warm light washing over him. This warm light had slowly repaired his damaged body. Even going so far as to bring his damaged tendons and meridians out of the critical state. Although he had neglected it in his comprehensive state, he now realized that someone had probably healed him! He grinned mentally, Holy Shiet! I must have fallen into the hands of a beautiful maiden, who had fallen in love with me at first sight. The moment she saw my handsome and scholarly self hurt she must have healed me. YES, THAT''S THE ONLY POSSIBLE EXPLANATION!If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ???????? At the same time, his vision blacked out. Instantaneously he had regained control of his body and was now back in the world. He could feel that he was in the hands of someone. He could feel a soft and tender touch applying bandages to his chest wounds, which now only gave a dull ache now and then. He grinned in his mind as he imagined the beauty who was applying bandages to his body. He groggily opened his eyes unable to wait for any longer. His eye twitched... ?_? What awaited his vision was a "stunning, utterly bewitching"... ....face of an old man. He was dressed in an old-fashioned western butler uniform. His face was filled with wrinkles showcasing the wisdom he had obtained over the years, and his hair and beard was white as snow. FUCK! SYSTEM, WHERE''S MY PROMISED BEAUTY. I DIDN''T WANT A WRINKLED OLD BUTLER! And how are there butlers anyway? Isn''t this supposed to be a cultivation world, where everyone wears traditional eastern robes? System "....." But no matter how much he ranted mentally he dared not complain to the old man holding him. After all no matter what, this old man had played a role in healing him. But mostly because above his head his cultivation state was Soul Formation Stage One. And, Zhen Shi had a golden rule, Don''t mess with old men, especially white-haired ones! Noticing his movement, the old man raised his head and smiled. Yet he looked down and continued to wrap the fresh bandages. Zhen Shi looked on... Moments later the old man stopped and calmly stood straight. "Young man, care to tell me what you were doing in the young lady''s room? Suddenly appearing bleeding from head to toe and on the verge of death? It''s impossible to believe that you were actually able to bypass the protective formation of Lyon city and directly teleport her," he spoke in a wizened voice. But the workings of a smile was playing on his lips, "So tell me how did you enter the mansion alerting no one in such a horrible state?" But seeing that he''d rather not reply, the old man finally brought out that smile. "Well, you sure did give the young lady a startling surprise. Oh, and you have to thank her for healing you. The young lady was personally blessed at her birth by one of our region''s goddesses. Eir, the goddess of healing! You are quite fortunate, I doubt anyone in the entire kingdom of Lyonesse would dare proclaim themselves better at the art of healing than our young lady." he finished with pride in his eyes. OH WELL! This scholarly self was correct in the end. It was a beauty who healed me!!! Noticing that Zhen Shi was still looking tired, "Well I suppose this old Butler should leave you to your recovery" As if to reassure him, "Don''t worry, our Lord Count Brishman is well-known for being a kind man. In terms of being kind-hearted, I''d reckon he''s out shadowed only by the young lady! He is already aware of this matter and you will be safe here." Saying so he turned around to leave, opened the door and took a step. But looking down at himself Zhen Shi noticed that besides the bandages he was wearing only a pair of black pants. With a slight tinge of worry and also shame he asked out, "Old man, what did you-- I mean...Was there a piece of cloth on my person?" The old man paused and frowned in thought, A piece of cloth? The only thing on his body besides blood was that....As such the old man laughed out loud! "Young man, do you mean that Filthy loincloth? I suppose it must have some sort of", he paused as he struggled to find the right word, "sentimental value to you? Don''t worry this poor butler will make sure the maids return it to you. It''s probably been already washed... Well if that''s all, I''ll be taking my leave." Zhen Shi mentally grimaced. NOOO! My 10x reaction speed! ?_? He stared on almost as if his soul had reached the heavens, as his dreams of utterly shattering people with his godly reaction speed collapsed around him. Even if shameless, Power is Power. But now... Alas..... But suddenly the old butler who had yet to leave, turned around and asked, "Oh yes, young man, I didn''t quite catch your name?" "Zhen Shi" he managed to speak out. Although not in a critical condition it was still pretty difficult for him to talk. Moreover, he was still wallowing in the sudden loss. "Zhen?" a look of worry arose on the old man''s face. But he quickly dismissed it with a shake of his head and left quietly, the door closed behind him. Now left alone in the noble and refined room, finally forgetting his loss, Zhen Shi mentally thought "Status" User: Zhen Shi Cultivation Level: Core Formation Stage 4(Body-Damaged) Cultivation energy: UNREACHABLE Race: Probably Human Cultivation Path: Base- Skills: II II Exp points: 10,000/100,000 OP(Otaku Points): 45 Titles: Otherworld Reincarnator{Effect: Instant Spell Casting of most spells Intelligence +20 Charisma +40) Scholarly Bookworm{All user known data and information can be instantaneously viewed at the user''s leisure. Never forget anything ever again!!} Fake Tarzan(-Permanent 2x action and reaction speed) Status: Crippled and Useless( 10% faster pity healing) SYSTEM! But since he was tired out from the wounds and loss of his naked monkey status, he didn''t retort back to the system for his ridiculous title. But this was because he was confused. When did reach almost completion of silver tier? Based on his understanding after using it against Xue Yuegui it should have reached early silver tier at best! Wait... Could it be that when my clothes were being changed, someone accidentally activated that skill? SHIET, WAS IT THAT GRANDPA? WAS THAT WHY HE WAS SO HAPPY?? He almost shivered. NO, NO. It was the young lady who healed me! It has to be her. And he consoled himself as such. However, he was lucky enough to put this matter off his mind quickly, because he remembered the unopened chests he had and also the new feature he had received. But most of all his inner bookworm had awakened, he remembered the data talisman given to him by Tsun Rou! Deciding to start with the chests, he excitedly said, "System show me the available chests" Ding! A small box with 5 squares opened up in front of him. One had a Major Choice Chest and another said Random Material Chest. He quickly thought to open them. Ding! Higher Random Material Chest. Gold-tier Arachnid Corpse gained!! EH? A dead spider? But this corpse was emanating a terrifying aura. As an item of the gold tier its a good bargain. After all, it was of the same level as Hell''s flare which melted a soul transformation expert''s face. Ding! Major choice chest[Type-Skill] opened. The system poses the user a question, Will the user take what he wants or what he needs? Zhen Shi pondered momentarily and answered, "What I need!" There was no doubt in his mind. Even he wasn''t sure of what he ''wanted'' and desired, and whether it would be useful to him right now. However, what he ''needed'', should help increase his chances of survival just a bit more. And the system should be able to easily decide what he needed. Although he had done fairly well since he reincarnated, no matter how irritated he was, he knew his success was due to the system. Thus he decided to take what he needed! Ding! Congratulations to the user for earning . Unique skill: [Silver Tier. Transformation Skill. Using the souls of a Vermillion Bird and an Azure Dragon, the user will be able to achieve a nearly unkillable and strong physical body. The Azure dragon will grant ferocious attacks and strong scaled defense. The Vermillion Bird will grant great speed and high regeneration of all wounds. Skill can be further strengthened with the souls of the white tiger and the black tortoise] Seeing this next to overpowered skill and due to his knowledge of how overpowered it could get at completion, Zhen Shi was extremely elated and excited! But he couldn''t help but feel a nagging in his mind. Suddenly his eyes glowed in understanding. System... Not considering the first power-up bag, so far you have granted me item and skill loot boxes for each first kill of a particular cultivation level and also for reaching a new cultivation stage. So, why have I not received two choice chests for reaching the foundation establishment and core formation stages? System "...." Chapter 7-A soul struggling against Vermilion fire.... Ding! System Rule:- Chests: Only a single type of chest can be possessed by the user at any given time. Since the user already possessed the initial choice chest from reaching the foundation establishment stage, the second chest for reaching the core formation stage was skipped. FUCK! Your sister''s "CHEST" is limited! SYSTEM... SYSTEM... Don''t you think you should tell me this sort of thing?? Aiya! What to do, what to do? This handsome and scholarly self is too much of a genius that he couldn''t stop himself from leveling up too fast. System I supposed it wasn''t your fault. It was mine, for being too much of a genius. And he consoled himself as such. System: "..." Zhen Shi focused on his wounds. Immediately realizing a way to heal up faster he mentally said, "System learn skill " Ding! Are you sure? "YES!" Sheesh, didn''t I already tell you? Why are you so slow..... Zhen Shi''s thoughts stopped as a horrifying pain arose all over his body. He almost let out a scream. But realizing what would happen if he did so within the count''s mansion, he turned around and tightly bit onto the pillow. Just as he did he lost consciousness... Just as well, because immediately his bones and flesh started moving around like worms in muddy soil. Blood seeped out of his pores as his skeletal structure rearranged into a more powerful form. Azure Blue scales started to slowly seep out of his skin, as two horns emerged out of his head and a draconic spiked tail emerged out of his back. Next, dark red feathers started to appear in between the gaps of the draconic scales and a pair of dark red wings also slowly dug themselves out of his back. This physical transformation took a huge toll on his body and as it was already in a damaged state, he was instantly thrown back into a life-threatening situation, despite the divine healing. Fortunately, a dark red but lively flame arose from his entire body. It emanated no heat outside and strangely burned nothing. Not even the bed he was lying down on. However, it gradually started to heal his wounds and the blood on his body was evaporated away. The flames reached his soul and started to burn away his soul, it was a quantitative decrease for a qualitative increase. Thus his soul was now becoming extremely pure and several times stronger. The dantian and body were strengthened as well. Widening his meridians, improving his tendons and stabilizing his cultivation. It could be said that this flame made his body physically stronger and much more suitable for cultivation. This was the legendary Undying Flame of the Vermillion Bird! As the fire burned on, his physical strength slowly rose as well. Within an hour his body had reached the maximum level possible for his current cultivation level. He was a core formation expert by the physical body alone, meaning he could punch foundation establishment experts to death while using no cultivation energy at all and could easily take the full-powered attack of an ordinary core formation stage cultivator head-on. .... As the flames died down, Zhen Shi regained consciousness and he slowly stood up to check his body. He was completely healed and was better off than before. Meaning that his regenerative capabilities were on par with the count''s daughter''s divine healing. Moreover, his physical body had become extremely strong, His powerful muscles could be visibly seen from outside. He looked and felt like a leopard on the poise of shooting off to hunt! He happily walked over to the mirror in the room and started to admire himself. MY GOD, I LOOK LIKE A PROFESSIONAL MODEL! He even started to pose showcasing his muscles. ?(????)? But, suddenly, the door opened and a maid dressed in the western style black and white dress holding some black clothes walked in! Zhen Shi was frozen in his pose as he looked at her, (???) Actually, she was pretty cute, but her face gawked in surprise and she bowed saying, "I-I''m sorry, young master. I thought you were still recovering and asleep." She slightly raised her head and continued with a bright red face, "Lord Butler sent me here to leave a fresh pair of clothes and return something of sentimental value??" THAT OLD MAN??!! Well isn''t he quite the crafty one. I suppose he must be having the time of his life, with that kind smile plastered on his face, while imagining what is happening! And something of sentimental value? Don''t you think that some jokes just get old after a while, old man? Still, I got a chance to impress a cute girl! *Cough* He calmly returned to a normal posture, as if posing in front of the mirror and checking himself out was the most normal thing in the world. He lightly smiled in the way he felt was most charming, "It''s fine. You can leave it there." The girl was stunned seeing his smile but quickly came back to herself, blushing even more. She did so, albeit quite slowly while looking at Zhen Shi, who continued to calmly look at her with that smile on his face. In the end, the maid bowed and hurriedly left with a red face. HAHA. That was exhilarating. Did you see that cute blush? But Zhen Shi quickly forgot about it as his mind turned to the information talisman given to him by Tsun Rou. He was even more excited as he would be getting his hands on a bunch of new information. He could finally get to know what this world was about! He sat down cross-legged on the bed. He had already gotten rid of the bandages and was only wearing the black pants. He held the talisman in his hands and sent a wisp of Qi into it. Immediately a torrent of information was transferred to his mind. He grinned. As time slowly passed his grin grew deeper. The talisman gave him a basic overview of the world... Did that Tsun Rou think that I was actually an idiot? She must''ve truly thought so, as she kept calling me an idiot over and over! Why does this talisman only tell so little?? ???????? Somewhere out in the world, a cute and silver-haired tsundere was peacefully cultivating, after having deeply berated her father for not helping a certain person who had helped her... When all of a sudden, she sneezed! ???????? In actuality, this talisman was already top grade being able to hold so much information. Still, what he did learn, he was greatly happy with... This planet was extremely vast. So vast that even the strongest mortal cultivators would take thousands of years to go around it! Beyond the visible land, one would see the boundless space containing god knows how many other planets. And at various locations in this realm, there were realm bridges leading to completely different realms. Since these realm bridges change locations frequently ordinary cultivators do not know how many other realms there were or the locations of the realm bridges.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. In fact, only very strong cultivators are capable of passing the realm bridge trials although there were tales of weaker cultivators accidentally entering. Within this realm, however, there were humans, Elves, Dwarves, Giants and Beast-kin. The other races were greatly discriminated in the human regions and thus their population visible to the outside world was fairly low. However, none believed that those races were dwindling. This is because of THE GODS! Almost every clan, tribe, kingdom, and organization had a patron divinity. Let alone an entire race! They would worship statues and totems of these gods and goddesses, with requests which would sometimes be answered. But most importantly, the powerful cultivators can use these totems to summon and harness god aether and drastically strengthen themselves. Generally one needs to be of the Nascent Soul Stage to safely harness god aether. But some cultivators can forcefully harness god aether at risk of destabilizing their cultivation. This explained how Xue Yuegui had suddenly summoned down god aether and used the power of Ammit, the patron divinity of his clan. If Zhen Shi had faced an actual Nascent Soul cultivator using god aether, he wouldn''t have been so lucky. Also, some truly talented individuals have been known to result in the appearance of apparitions in the form of gods who provided them divine blessings. At birth, like for the young lady who had healed him or even at other instances of one''s life. Geniuses later acknowledged by a god or goddess at their statue or totem may receive a divine blessing. Nevertheless, due to these divine totems and divine blessings no one doubted the power of the gods. Hence most people believed that those other races including elves, dwarves, and beast-kin had completely isolated themselves in other worlds. Because patron gods and their organizations generally do not allow those who worship them to be massacred in large numbers. And the gods widely accepted as the greatest gods were referred to as the Great Origin Gods. There was Zeus also referred to as Jupiter-The patron god of the Divine Church, Odin-Patron god of the Heaven Palace, The Jade Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, Nuwa-Cyclic Trinity Temple. There were multiple other gods under these religious organizations, but also equally powerful gods who had no special patron organization but were still well known. But the people had very little information about these gods besides their names and affiliated organizations. These organizations took action in place of the gods and at their highest levels were the Sovereigns of the Gods. However, these gods never appear themselves and rarely have. At least according to the talisman. This lead Zhen Shi to suspect that maybe something secret was afoot? Leaving this conundrum for the moment, he focused on the details regarding the presence of eastern cultivators and also the western staff of the mansion he was currently in. ..... Apparently, this world contained people who followed multiple traditions and customs. But no matter what traditions or customs they had, every culture included cultivation. So if you meet a strong knight donning armor on horseback, chances are he will also be a strong cultivator. And in this world, there were nearly uncountable numbers of kingdoms, clans, and tribes with cultivators and their unique patron divinity. Realizing that he couldn''t get much more out of the talisman he placed it aside and asked something from the system he had been quite curious about. "System, what use do Otaku Points have? And also explain how I gain those points." Ding! System Information[Otaku Points]: Otaku Points(OP) are generally gained when the user uses skills earned from the system granted chests or gift boxes. However, after earning a certain number of points, designated by the system, that particular skill will stop yielding points. Also earning the trust, admiration or pride of some individuals may also grant OP. Finally, the user can use these points to summon a divine boon. Oh? System that actually sounds pretty reasonable. Zhen Shi asked, "System, what exactly do you mean by a divine boon?" Ding! Divine boon: The user can utilize a certain amount of otaku points to get a promise from any god. The god whose favor you gain and what he will owe you will depend on luck. But of course, the user can pay an additional amount of Otaku Points to specify the god and also to specify what you need to be done. Promise? You might as well call this an IOU! SHIET, IOU[I OWE YOU]''s from the gods? My God! Isn''t that too OP? SYSTEM THIS IS TOO AWESOME. But, wait, DEPEND ON LUCK? Isn''t this gambling? System don''t you know that gambling isn''t good for the family? System "...." Still, Zhen Shi was greatly pleased. "System how much do I need to get a divine boon from Zeus, Odin, Vishnu or let''s say Nuwa??" Ding! The higher tier gods are currently locked out for obtaining direct or random IOU''s. SHIET! I guess I should have expected that with this System. Anyways it would have been too OP(Overpowered) for my lack of OP(Otaku Points) anyways. Now, what should I get as my first divine boon? Gamble and hope for the best? Or ask for something specific? A personal godly beast pet? Or even a harem? Or a super-strong old man as a guard? Suddenly, remembering that he had quite a bit of material collected and feeling that he was missing a powerful weapon he asked mentally, "System, how much to get Hephaestus [Hepheastus: Son of Zeus, the Greek god of Blacksmithing, manufactured weapons for almost the entire Greek/Roman pantheon] to make a weapon for me?" Ding! Hephaestus is a high tiered god in the art of Blacksmithing. The price is 1000 OP. But... considering this is the user''s first divine boon, the price will be 100 OP!! SYSTEM, I LOVE YOU! That is a massive discount. Although I only have 45 OP, I have an idea to earn the extra OP. Wait, system what would have happened if I had gambled on my first try? Then I would have never gotten this discount, RIGHT? System "..." Still, praising his luck, Zhen Shi activated , albeit very lightly. About 1% of the skill. A small pair of horns emerged from the sides of his head but they were very well hidden by his hair. Some azure scales appeared on his chest inlaid with vermillion feathers. His eyes grew slightly red. But that was it. He maintained this state for around an hour. Ding! User has earned 1 OP for using YES, It worked! This means I can get the weapon in less than 3 days. He would have used Hell''s Flare as well but a count''s mansion seemed rather inappropriate for it. He put on the clothes provided to him by the old Butler, fully covering the scales and feathers. His hands touched a clean but still dirty looking piece of cloth. Sigh... His heart still filled with pain, he pocketed the loincloth for old times sake! Suddenly remembering that he also got a new feature, when he was trying to comprehend the event in his dantian, he mentally said, This time rather than the usual status window with direct information, he got the familiar vision of the body of darkness with the meridians and qi paths visible. He sensed that his meridians, tendons, bones, and flesh had strengthened many times under the effect of the planet formation and the Vermillion flame. He could sense that his body had completely healed and that his meridians and qi paths were much better than before. As for his dantian, it consisted of primordial chaos surrounding a tetra colored planet. Zhen Shi could feel that all skills related to the four core elements would be easier to comprehend now. As for his soul, which had not yet manifested due to his low cultivation, he could still feel that it was still rather strong after being purified by the undying flame. But within his soul, there seemed to be something impure? Shouldn''t the Undying Flame have purified my soul? How could this impurity survive? Wait, has someone cursed this handsome and scholarly self? Surprised but suspiciously, Zhen Shi carefully inspected the impurity. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a soul. It was only the speck of a soul. Barely holding on, as the undying flame was still trying to burn it off. But the reason it was noticed by Zhen Shi was also because of the undying flame which had burnt off quite a bit of the soul''s impurities. Zhen Shi wondered, and could only find one possible explanation. He asked the system, "System, could that be the soul of the original soul of this body?" Ding! Correct. After the former ''Zhen Shi'' passed away his soul appears to have struggled to survive. Would the user like to assimilate with this soul? Zhen Shi held nothing but respect for this other ''Zhen Shi''. The part where they had the same name had nothing to do with it! Still, his sheer will to hold on as a speck of soul moved him. Besides he''d have to live in this body for the rest of his life. Wouldn''t it leave a bad taste in his mouth if he gave up on his namesake? So he wanted to find out this Zhen Shi''s grievance and solve it for him. "Yes," he thought. Ding! Soul assimilation started. Since the soul is damaged some memory fragments may be lost. No drastic changes in personality should take place, but with memory addition, it would be similar to having lived another life. The user will pass out for a day. WAIT, WHAT? No drastic change in personality? Living another life? AND PASSING OUT FOR A DAY? SYSTEM, YOU SHOULD HAVE WARNED ME FIRS---- And he passed out. System "..." Chapter 8-The goddess beneath the moon One day later, Zhen Shi gradually opened his eyes. He let out a deep breath. After all, he had just lived another life. His memories of this other life weren''t exactly complete and there were some gaps. But what he did see and what he did learn was immense. He truly felt like he had been reborn after dying for a second time. This other Zhen Shi had been something of a genius in the Zheng Clan. His father was Zhen Long, an illustrious and powerful elder. His mother had been a mortal maid that his father had fallen in love with. She was a kind soul but had no talent in cultivation. Thus after his father suddenly died in a secret mission, she had had a hard time maintaining her and her family''s place in the clan. He also had an elder sister, Zheng Xixi, who had been blessed by the clan''s guardian deity, Theia the titan of precious jewels. As such, she had the ability to turn items with sufficient spiritual energy to precious metals. Thus she had been coveted by the sect her entire life and she and his mother had had a very difficult time. Zheng Xixi had received multiple proposals in marriage, but she had refused them all. After all, they were ''marriage proposals'' on the surface but basically slave contracts in reality. Thus she and her mother along with the still very young, Zhen Shi, had retreated out of the clan grounds and lived in a small hut on the Zhen Mountains nearby. They dared not venture too far from the clan grounds for fear of demonic beasts. Still, it was only a matter of time before the clan resorted to underhanded methods to get what they wanted. But this situation completely turned around when little Zhen Shi showed great aptitude for cultivation. He was trash in mastering elemental energies. But he had been born with the primordial chaos base! He was also talented in archery. As a result, he could cultivate very fast and reached the foundation establishment stage at the tender age of 10. This instantly put his family in a better position. Although better, the pressure only lessened. The desire for the clan to use Zhen Xixi always existed. After all, it wasn''t only the Zhen Clan keeping tabs on her ability. Nevertheless, with the support of the clan patriarch and his talent, he reached the core formation stage at 12 along with his great aptitude for archery. This was a great achievement! Still, this Zhen Shi had made an error in cultivation and gotten forever stuck at that stage. After all, the cultivation technique he used was not suited to the primordial chaos base. He spent 5 years making no progress as all those other ''geniuses'' he had surpassed, caught up to him. Now that he had lost his status as a genius, the troubles regarding his sister came back. His mother passed away soon after, as she was only a mere mortal and had finally broken under the pressure. The memories after that were blurry. Basically, he had spent a year trying to heal his cultivation but apparently, he had somehow died, as his body was now occupied by the new ''Zhen Shi''. These memories brought out a strange feeling of wanting to protect his only remaining family, his sister! Zhen Shi knew for a fact that nothing had happened to her during his final year. Since then a month had passed and on her own, her current situation couldn''t be too good. But Zhen Shi knew that he wasn''t strong enough to jump in and completely save her from the clutches of the Zhen Clan. Besides which was effective against peak Spirit Transformation when used in large quantities along with , he only had , whose power wasn''t exactly known yet. And that came with its own problems. If he were to fully transform and be considered as some mutated beast-kin, the Zhen clan wouldn''t be all he had to worry about. Moreover what he actually used to kill Xue Yuegui, the minor spatial tear sword, could only be used once more. The cultivators who were interested in Zhen Xixi''s skill could possibly exceed the Soul Deification stage and might have the backing of powerful organizations. As such he decided to spend some time at the Brishman mansion until the weapon could be crafted and also train to improve his power. Zhen Shi was planning to go back in around two months. He was confident that his sister would be fine until then. After all, he had only been missing for a month. Honestly, he should have been more worried about the wellbeing of his sister. But even though he had the memories he wasn''t completely the ''old Zhen Shi''. Thus while he planned to help Zhen Xixi, he wasn''t particularly thinking about her being worried after having lost her entire family. He was still his usual self and the first thought that came to him was, Hmm, this former Zhen Shi was considered a genius? Did it take him 12 years to reach core formation? But I did it in a couple of days, MWAHAHA! System: "....." More importantly, since I have lived around 18 years in both lives does that make me a middle-aged old man? How can I be that old when I don''t even have a girlfriend yet? SHIET! Is this what it means to be more mentally mature than your peers? And he consoled himself as such. Zhen Shi now began to ponder on what to do to become stronger, while he waiting to earn enough points to get the weapon. But, suddenly a loud voice was heard from outside his room. "Lady Isolde, the daughter of Count Vir Brishman has arrived," Zhen Shi immediately perked up and stood making himself look presentable. Simultaneously, a light sonorous voice was heard, "Jacque, you know you don''t have to be so formal within our house. You can be more relaxed here than your former employment." But this Jacque spoke out, "My lady, it is only proper. How could my lowly self not show you proper respect." A light sigh, "Fine. Just remember to be more relaxed" and the door opened. A vision of pure beauty arrived in Zhen Shi''s room. She was followed by the guard, Jacques. Her blonde hair was cascading like waves of water onto her shoulders. Her face the picture of innocence was curved up in a slight smile of regality. Her wide eyes glowed almost as evidence for her kind nature. Zhen Shi remembered his mother of this life when he saw her eyes. She was wearing a light pink dress suitable for a noble lady in her class. He stared at her for a moment but instantly gained back his bearings. After all, he was now a fairly powerful cultivator. If he couldn''t control himself in the face of beauty, what was the purpose? He calmly bowed deeply in the way he knew ancient western nobles would and said, "Lady Isolde, it is finally a pleasure to meet you! I am thankful to you for saving my life!" This girl was obviously well brought up and believed in class. He wasn''t going to be crass and rude like he normally was. "It''s nothing, don''t worry about it. Oh, young master Zhen Shi, I''m surprised you are familiar with the customs of the kingdoms. I was led to believe you were from a sect or tribe based heritage," she spoke while slowly walking and sitting down gracefully on a chair in the room. She nodded at Jacques to leave and he did, but only after he gave Zhen Shi a long hard glare.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Well, Lady Isolde, let''s just say I am well learned," he spoke out while sitting down himself, now with only the two of them in the room. Her eyes glimmered with excitement, "So young master Zhen Shi care to explain how and why you suddenly appeared in my room?" Zhen Shi laughed, he had already prepared an excuse. "I must apologize. It was not my intention to intrude upon you. I was exploring a nearby forest when I was attacked by a very strong beast who created spatial tears as it attacked. So I jumped into one of those tears to at least gain a chance of living. And I suppose I must have ended up in your room later on. But as to how I could pass the protective formation of the Lyonesse kingdom, your guess is good as mine," Isolde nodded. He had been wounded by a claw attack after all and only spatial travel could explain his sudden appearance, but his bypassing of the formation was indeed a cause for worry. Still, she smiled and said, "That sounds pretty suicidal, I''m glad you were somehow able to survive the effects of spatial tears on your body. Well, I guess you are truly fortunate to have survived the spatial chaos". Zhen Shi just laughed. Isolde then focused on his body. "I''m surprised that you healed so fast! As far as I can see you''re completely fine. Since I haven''t improved my healing abilities to the next level, it must be that young master used some special skill since you also passed out for a day?" "Haha, yes I did. Let''s just say its something I picked up in my travels," he said clearly hinting his preference not to discuss it. After all, experts tend to not reveal certain secrets. Isolde remained silent while nodding as if in agreement. Then she silently stood up and walked towards the balcony. The sun was still out and shone on her, making her blonde hair shine amplifying her beauty. She started speaking out sorrowfully, "In reality, my guards were going to have you killed. No matter how kind we are, we wouldn''t just save some random man who appeared in my room. I begged them and father to not harm you, because..... you reminded me of my younger brother." The wind blew her hair to a side as if to comfort her. Zhen Shi also stood up and walked towards Isolde in the balcony. But he remained silent as Isolde continued, "He was a very playful boy, always spouting the most ridiculous tales, but the way he said it always made me believe in him. He was only 12 years old at the time. We were on a royal expedition to Cerullia. It was just some random political courtesy! The Brishman family was supposed to lead this expedition and as such my father had me attend first and handle matters. But, little Isaac was unwilling to leave my side and followed me. I didn''t stop him either, I figured I would enjoy the company. But on that day we were attacked by a demon beast. Probably of the nascent soul stage, just like the one which attacked you. Most of the guards were killed and we survived only since a Cerulean expert intervened, after having noticed the unstable space. But my brother was already gravely wounded. That wound was completely identical to yours. But... I wasn''t able to save him at the time, I who was blessed by Eir, the greatest goddess of healing, wasn''t able to save my own brother," a tear trickled down her face. "He wasn''t as fortunate as you to meet a skilled healer mere moments after being attacked," she laughed in sorrow and continued, "Seeing you wounded just like him.....I realized that I wouldn''t be able to forgive myself if I let you die under the same circumstances!" Saying so, Isolde lightly brushed off the tears at the ends of her eyes. But, suddenly realizing the place where she was in and what she had said, she hurriedly said, "I''m sorry young master Zhen Shi, I must have bored you with my nonsense. I''ll be taking my leave now" and she started to walk away, really fast this time. "She isn''t the greatest you know..." said Zhen Shi. "What?" asked Isolde, stopping. She was surprised at the complete irrelevance of his statement to the current situation. Zhen Shi continued, "Eir, was a Norse god of healing, but she was only a handmaiden of Freya-the Queen of the Vanir gods. In my opinion,Apollo with Greek origins, the Eastern Emperor Yan Di, Danvantari an avatar of Vishnu, and Egyptian Imhotep were leagues above Eir. After all not only were they specialized in medicine, but they also were greater gods!!" Isolde was intrigued by his words but she frowned, "Young master Zhen Shi, are you saying that my healing ability is inferior?" Zhen Shi shook his head and spoke calmly, "Lady Isolde, I merely said that Eir is inferior to those other gods, even compared to demi-gods like Asclepius. Your ability has nothing to do with those gods and their ability. After all, divine blessings only give you a better starting position. In the end, you are the one that decides whether you are useless or not!" These words resonated in her head like a crash of thunder. She realized that she had been relying on the divine blessing too much and not on herself. In that instance of epiphany, she actually overcame the bottleneck she had in her cultivation and immediately reached the Core Formation Stage! She stared at Zhen Shi in amazement. Zhen Shi was elated at her reaction. In reality, he was immensely thankful and had been greatly moved by Isolde''s story. When she was leaving he had wanted to comfort her, but what had come out of his mouth was something else entirely, accidentally insulting her. After that, he had said everything on the spot. Fortunately, it was successful. "Young master Zhen Shi, legends say that the gods disappeared immediately after creating life. In fact, if the Sovereigns and the divine organizations didn''t exist, I doubt we would even know of their existence! Even then what is known of them besides their names and titles, is very little. I find it hard to believe you, when you speak so familiarly of them," Isolde said curiously. Zhen Shi smiled, "Whether you believe it or not is up to you. Hmm, let me tell you a story about Asclepius. Did you know that he was so skilled in healing that he could make humans immortal? In fear of his capabilities, Zeus had him kill..... And, Zhen Shi recounted tale after tale with stopping only to answer Isolde''s occasional questions. As time passed on, her eyes brightened in amazement. She found it hard to not believe him. After all, his stories connected to each other perfectly like the pieces of a missing puzzle, giving a completely realistic and humane description of the gods! ?????????? The crescent moon was illuminating the balcony. The moonlight was falling upon the duo who were entranced in each other. Isolde stared at Zhen Shi as he talked of these mystical and impossible, yet still strangely believable tales. He was speaking on in a suave voice with the moonlight falling on his handsome face. His eyes were glowing with a light fiery red, as a result of . He moved about in a charismatic way, and his face was filled with satisfaction as he spoke of one of his greatest passions! Isolde couldn''t help but think he looked very handsome as he talked like this and found herself wishing life could always stay like this; simple and beautiful. Suddenly, Zhen Shi stopped and looked up at the moonlit sky and said,"Lady Isolde, it''s getting late. You should rest. Don''t you think it''s improper for you to stay in this room with me?" Isolde was surprised and looked up at the moon as well. She hadn''t felt the time pass. She blushed as she realized his meaning. Still, she spoke, "I will, but only if you call me Isolde from now on." Zhen Shi grinned moving closer to her, "Hmm, but what if I don''t want you to leave?" Isolde immediately blushed even more but frowned at him in anger."Geez, fine fine, forgive me Isolde! But, only if you drop the young master!" Zhen Shi said with a laugh. Isolde immediately smiled brightly. When she smiled like that with the slight red tinge still visible on her cheeks, under the moonlight, she looked like a goddess descended from the heavens. Like Chang''e reincarnated! This time Zhen Shi was truly stunned... [Chang''e is the Chinese moon goddess] He didn''t even notice as Isolde came up to him and whispered, "Deal!", kissed him on the cheek, opened the door and ran out of the room. Zhen Shi finally came to his senses. AIYA! I missed a great opportunity! But there was still a slight smile on his face as he looked on at the now-closed door. Ding! Congratulations to the user for gaining 25 OP! WHAT? Could Isolde have fallen for me? Or did I just gain her trust and admiration? Wait...combined with the 20 OP I''ve gained so far by maintaining doesn''t this mean I can get my godly weapon by tomorrow morning? SYSTEM, I''ve said it many times and I''ll say it again. YOU ARE THE BEST! System: "....." Zhen Shi continued. HAHA! Is this what it means when they say ''when it rains, it pours''? Wait that isn''t right. Don''t they use that statement for bad luck? SYSTEM, you made this scholarly and handsome self make a MISTAKE! I always did say you were a bad influence! Chapter 9-TWANG!!!! The sun was out and shining brightly, signifying the time of day. Zhen Shi was leaning on the balcony staring at his status with a disappointed look on his face. As time passed on the rate of Otaku point gain had slowed down. He had been unable to sleep last night, not that one sleepless night meant much to a person of his cultivation level. In the end, he had simply tried to comprehend the elemental aether and the primordial chaos in his dantian but had not made much progress. As for OP, he hadn''t received any in the last 5 hours... Even Isolde had arrived in the early morning, asking for him, and he had spent some more time chatting with her. She had wanted to speak to him and it was a good opportunity to show off his ''scholarly self''. So he entranced her by showing off his mathematical and scientific knowledge, and also presented several anime and movies as stories made by himself! But in the end, he had pardoned himself for the day by saying he was still not fully healed and needed to rest, once he got 99 OP. Otaku Points(OP): 99 *Sigh* System why the HELL, did the rate of OP get so slow??? Is this the LEGENDARY CLIFFHANGER?? Ding! The rate of OP earned for the current level of has slowed down since the user has neared the maximum threshold for the moment. But suddenly, Ding! Congratulations to the user for earning 1 OP. Zhen Shi perked up and mentally called out, "System, quickly get me the divine boon from Hephaestus for my divine weapon." Ding! Divine Boon request acknowledged. Divine boon gained. White magical particles suddenly appeared and coalesced to form a piece of paper. On it were the words, ~IOU Hephaestus owes ''this handsome and scholarly self'' a divine weapon.~ (???) MOTHERFUCKER SYSTEM! How am I supposed to find the god Hephaestus to pay up this debt. He might even refuse. IS THIS ENTIRE THING JUST A JOKE? But I do agree with how you referred to me. Looks like my influence on you is rubbing off. System-nii, OMEGA GOOD JOB! ???? Ding! The user can use up the divine boon at any preferred time. What is promised will be received. HAHA!! System, you should have said that from the start. Don''t you know shouting isn''t good for blood pressure? System: "..." System, then use up the divine boon!! Get me my divine weapon!!! Ding! Request not acknowledged. Materials must be supplied. FUCK! SYSTEM THIS IS HIGHWAY ROBBERY. System: "...." Fine... I couldn''t have done much with them anyways. And he threw the Sky sun bone, Soul Silver and the Gold tier Arachnid corpse at the white paper. His heart ached as he threw away the spoils of his victories so far. The materials were absorbed by the white paper and the white piece of paper disappeared away, just as it was formed. ????????? In the divine realm, within a cave in a volcanic mountain, there was a muscular and bearded man dressed in a light leather overall, pacing back and forth while frowning. His face and body were covered in grime while his feet were horridly misshapen causing him to walk about with a rather obvious limp. That cave had been fashioned into the guise of a room with a furnace and an anvil alongside a terrifying pool of silver-white lava that caused the air to wave here and there. But the most surprising objects within this cave were multiple metal automatons. They had the appearance of metallic spheres walking about on tripod legs. The man limping about would occasionally glance at his anvil. This was Hephaestus! He was frowning over the fact that he hadn''t had any inspiration in his craft in a while. Honestly, he was madder over the fact that his wife[Aphrodite; Goddess of Love and Beauty], was cheating on him and the woman he actually loved [Athena; Goddess of Wisdom] had pushed him off when they were having ''fun'' together, resulting in him accidentally impregnating the earth titaness; Gaia, who had been nearby. Now not only was he heartbroken, now he even had an illegitimate kid to take care of! But suddenly a white piece of paper appeared in front of him, which caused him to stop. He was surprised, but not afraid. After all, he was a GOD! His first thoughts were, What''s an IOU? And who is "this handsome and scholarly self"? Has some unknown fellow Daoist reached the god level shedding his mortality? But since when was he in this daoist''s DEBT? However, his questions went unanswered as he suddenly felt a great surge of inspiration to craft a weapon! He was incomparably excited and thus said, "Now to find some good materials." Immediately the piece of paper glowed giving the supplied materials. "Oh? Ugh, what am I supposed to do with this junk? They barely reach the requirement to make a piece of low-quality divine string!" If Zhen Shi had heard these words he would have coughed up blood. "Perhaps they are of sentimental value to that fellow Daoist? I''ll somehow use them as well to gain his favor" And thinking so Hephaestus lightly waved his hands at the metal automatons which stood silently within the room. This immediately caused them to start walking about with a light clanking sound. Some of the automatons started to prepare the furnace, some cleaned the anvil, some worked on setting the temperature properly while others collected the white lava from the pond. One of the automatons walked over to him revealing materials including divine meteorite, spatial rock, liquid chaos, Mythril, obsidian and much more. If any of those materials had appeared within the mortal plane, countless cultivators would claw each other to death to obtain it. Now with the preparations complete, Hephaestus limped over to the furnace and anvil. Having collected the materials he easily separated the impurities from the materials in one fluid motion and got started on building the basic weapon skeleton while adding in materials. As the process continued, his hands moved here and about like the skillful fingers of a musician. Divine sparks flew about as a repetitive clang sound was heard within that room deep within the volcano. While he was working, there was a slight smile on his face... A year passed, just like that. And soon a hundred. Many fellow gods had come to meet him including his wife. But he refused to meet them all! For a god, a century was, nothing much. Hephaestus finally stopped... and overlooked the weapon that had just been born within his furnace. He was extremely satisfied with his creation which bore all his feelings and ability. Moreover, he was extremely happy as he had forgotten his worries regarding love, by throwing himself to work. Thus he heartily laughed saying, "HAHA!! This must be the best weapon I have ever created... Even the one that I made for Eros is a bit weaker than this. I truly owe that fellow Daoist ''this handsome and scholarly self'' a debt for giving me the inspiration to work on this." He must be of the eastern scholarly faction and even knew I would be in his debt beforehand, so he must be skilled in scrying the future! Now I just have to find him and gift this to him. Still, I hope he is skilled enough to wield this since only someone loved by primordial chaos aether can use it. Even I would not be able to use it at its maximum potential. I believe only Grandma Chaos achieves that condition. Hephaestus was a god and to gods who had already reached the peak of their ability, especially one like him who didn''t care much for power, giving up even this best creation of his to repay a favor was nothing much. But, suddenly, the white paper glowed, absorbed the finished weapon and disappeared. Hephaestus was speechless. Fellow Daoist shouldn''t we at least meet up? How am I supposed to repay my debt now? Still, he was greatly impressed by this ''fellow Daoist'' and his capabilities. Moreover, he decided to repay him for helping him forget his worries if he ever met him in the future. ????????? Back in the mortal realm, only a couple of hours had passed. Zhen Shi was pacing back and forth in worry. Suddenly Zhen Shi realized. Wait a minute, I never mentioned what my weapon would be and the system never asked! SHIET! WHAT WILL I DO IF I GET SOMETHING LIKE A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, AS A WEAPON! WILL I play MY ENEMIES TO DEATH? "System quickly make my weapon a sword, a saber or some bladed weapon." After all, it was a man''s romance to fight with swords and fly in the sky with them! Ding! Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.The request has already been processed and will be arriving shortly. Specifying the weapon would have increased the cost. FUCK! Since I''ve already laid the bed I might as well sleep on it. PLEASE LET IT BE A SWORD!! Ding! Divine Boon completed. Item received. Will you receive it? Of course, I will! Suddenly a bright golden light appeared within the room. It was lucky that he had previously drawn the blinds as it had gotten slightly hot out. Otherwise many would have noticed this light. A terrifying pressure appeared within the room, this was many times greater than anything Zhen Shi had ever felt. It even caused the space within the room to lightly shake and crack in fear. It seemed GODLY!! And within this light lay a bow! It didn''t look like an ordinary bow and looked more like a gracefully curved laurel wreath. It was intricately crafted and shone with a gold finishing. Zhen Shi was stupefied and completely forgot to complain about not receiving a sword. Well, at least it isn''t a musical instrument. I suppose it just barely meets this handsome and scholarly self''s requirement! If Hephaestus had heard him he would have vomited blood. After all, Hephaestus himself had said this was his beat creation, even after having made weapons for so many other gods. Still, Zhen Shi was extremely happy with it. Moreover, the former Zhen Shi had actually been skilled in the art of archery. So in a way, this was perfect. Zhen Shi suddenly realized a glaring problem. How the shiet could he take this bow outside? It would be so attention-grabbing by its aura alone making him the target of many. Ding! The user should be able to change the appearance of the weapon as required once he binds it. OH! Of course, I knew that! System I''m disappointed you didn''t answer me sooner. Tsk-tsk. System "..." So as in his memories, Zhen Shi bit his finger to get some blood out and dropped it on the bow floating in front of him. Several moments passed and nothing happened. FUCK! Is this the legendary instance of weapon not acknowledging its master? Zhen Shi stretched out his hand to touch the bow while saying, "System, what should I---" He asked no further because the moment he touched the bow, the primordial chaos base in his dantian sent out a streak of chaos to the bow completely subduing it. Immediately he could feel the connection between him and this bow as if it was an extension of his body. Zhen Shi was elated as he sensed the impossible power of this bow. Even if he could only use a fraction of its power, it would give him a great power boost! He mentally guided the bow to retract its spiritual pressure and changed its shape to a dark black oak bow with a light gold carving on its body. Now Zhen Shi wanted to try it out... So with the bow in hand, he left the room. He didn''t get too far before running into the old butler. "Oh, young man, I thought you were feeling unwell?" he said with that kind smile. "Huh? No, I feel better now and was feeling like stretching my legs a bit and shooting some arrows," he replied. The old butler glanced at his bow, "Hmm... good bow! But where''d you get it from? It wasn''t on you when you ''dropped in''. Do you have a spatial treasure?" and asked curiously. Old man, this is A GOD BOW, made by HEPHAESTUS himself! How could it be just ''good''? As for the old man''s question, Zhen Shi ignored him and said,"Old man, you haven''t told me your name yet." "Ah, Yes, pardon me. This poor butler''s name is Alec, Alec Strauss," he said while lightly dipping his head. Zhen Shi nodded, "Old man Alec, do you have any place where I can practice archery?" Alec nodded with a light smile," Of course. This is the count''s mansion after all. Follow me, young man," and walked off. Just as Zhen Shi started to follow him Butler Alec spoke, "Young man, how''d you like to face off against this poor butler in a bout of archery? Of course, we won''t use any Qi or internal energy and put up the targets at a distance of, let''s say 1 km? Of course, we can reduce the distance if you wish, and even give this old man a handicap---" Zhen Shi stopped him with a lightly raised hand, "Cut the crap old man, let''s do this. Don''t go blaming your old age when you lose," and said laughingly. The old butler also laughed as they finally arrived at the archery grounds. Isolde had been in her room within the mansion staring at the empty and desolate archery grounds with three lonesome targets when suddenly she heard a familiar voice. She was surprised as she continued to look on at the grounds as Zhen Shi and Old Butler Alec positioned themselves within one kilometer of the targets. These were fairly strong wooden targets used for the training of ordinary foundation establishment soldiers. Alec looked at Zhen Shi and said "Let''s begin. Kid, don''t cry when you lose!" Zhen Shi just grinned lightly flicking his hand, as he planned to use action, to silence this old fool. Isolde was surprised. She had come to believe that Zhen Shi was a well-learned but powerful scholar and found it hard to believe he was an archer as well. She knew that Butler Alec was a very skilled archer who had even served his majesty in the army, and was also very surprised to see him so interested in a young person. Thus she was slightly unhappy at Zhen Shi''s dismissive attitude towards Alec. Alec took out his bow from the side, it looked to be of high quality. He slowly stretched the string with the arrow and let loose! It flew through the air completely ignoring the air and struck itself perfectly in the center of the target. Zhen Shi was stupefied. He had not felt that arrow with his powerful spiritual sense, meaning he couldn''t have dodged it if it was unseen. More importantly, the arrow completely ignored the presence of air shooting perfectly straight, like a fish in the water. ''EXPERT ARCHER!'' he thought. Still, he grabbed on to his bow and lifted it. He took an ordinary arrow and tried to stretch the string. FUCK! It won''t budge! Is this a DIVINE BOW? He was unable to do so even with the physical strength of core formation. Alec and Isolde looked at him in confusion, as he didn''t shoot a single arrow. They began to doubt his skill as time passed... Still refusing to give up, he increased the power of to the maximum on his arms alone causing vermillion scales with inlaid scarlet feathers to grow out of his skin. Thankfully it was hidden by the sleeves of his shirt. This time he was able to stretch the string to a fairly good distance. He could have managed more if he used primordial chaos, but he decided to hold off as he wouldn''t be sure of the full power. Zhen Shi took a deep breath, with the memories of the former ''Zhen Shi'' regarding archery in his mind. He let the arrow loose! Just as the arrow left, a formless energy was added from the bow. It shot forward many times faster than Alec''s and struck the target, causing it to explode into countless splinters! If Alec''s arrow passed through the air gently, this one completely eviscerated the air. Alec looked at Zhen Shi disapprovingly. He thought that the kid had maybe added qi to the arows in order to hide his poor archery skills. Since the targets were for foundation establishment cultivators, it wasn''t particularly difficult for a core formation cultivator like Zhen Shi to destroy it. However, he failed to note that Zhen Shi''s arrow caused the target to explode int very fine splinters in an even manner. This was because Alec was only focusing on the path of the arrow and the target, not the power. But, seeing his look Zhen Shi understood what he thought. As such, he didn''t know whether to laugh or cry! Isolde had come to a similar conclusion as she watched on with a slightly disappointed face as well. Was Zhen Shi really just bragging?? Zhen Shi laughed, "Sorry old man, I guess I wasn''t able to control my strength." He drew another arrow and targeted the next target. Alec nodded. But both Alec and Isolde lightly doubted him in their hearts. Zhen Shi one again stretched the bow. This time he reduced the strength he imparted on to the bow and concentrated on trying to imitate Alec. He felt the formless but tangible nature of air with the deep connection he had to nature and his aerial roots. Again, the arrow was let loose! The formless energy was added once again, but this time it shot off with the great speed of last time but while causing much less damage to the air. It swam in the air and struck the dead center of the target, but once again the target exploded into fine splinters! This time Alec was not disappointed. He noted the subtle changes in the arrow''s path and also noticed the even nature of the splinters the target exploded into. Thus he began to believe that Zhen Shi might have actual trouble controlling power. But Isolde who knew little of archery completely lost faith in him and even began to think that the tales of gods and science he had said were false as well. After all, since he had bragged so shamelessly to Alec, it was completely possible he had done so before. She started to walk away completely disappointed, but momentarily stopped as Zhen Shi pulled another arrow. Last time, Zhen Shi had felt the addition of that formless energy. So as he stretched the arrow on the bow he vaguely tried to control and lessen this energy using his will. However, as he did so, that formless energy rapidly followed the stream of his will to enter his consciousness! He was so surprised that he dropped the bow which gently fell on to the ground. Seeing this, Isolde was completely disgusted believing he had given up and started to walk off, but... deep in her mind was a sense of loss. Alec, on the other hand, watched on with a light smile,as he felt that Zhen Shi had gained a sudden epiphany at that moment. His rapid improvement in the second arrow had not gone unnoticed by him. Thus, he believed that this kid was an archery GENIUS! Still, Zhen Shi was completely oblivious to their thoughts as the shadow of a bow, identical to the god bow was forming within his dantian separated from the primordial chaos. He felt a vague connection to the art of archery itself. Within a few seconds, a vague shadow of a bow had finished forming. Zheng Shi now bent down and picked up the fallen bow. He lightly brushed off the dust that had gotten on it, as he loaded another arrow. Since two of the targets had exploded into splinters, this time he could only target the remaining one with the arrow shot by the old man. Once again he pulled back the string, but this time with almost perfect strength and control. He combined his connection to air and nature with his old memories of archery and even considered a bit of practical physics on projectiles. He lightly changed his posture and lifted the bow slightly higher. He took a deep breath and let it out. TWANG!!! The formless energy was added once again. The arrow passed through the air many times faster than before. It was completely silent as it swam through the air. This was unlike the destructive arrow shot at first. It almost neglected the air presence, as it gently followed the guidance of the air rather than opposing it. One instance the arrow was on his bow and the next it had disappeared... TWANG!! TWANG!! TWANG!! ..... And this sound resounded in the silent archery grounds for a total of ten times. Isolde who was leaving in disappointment, hearing this loud and repeating sound felt her heart shake. She stopped for a moment and turned back. When she arrived at the window sill, she gaped. What awaited her sight could only be considered as a miracle! The first arrow shot by Zhen Shi had partially cut Alec''s first arrow in half as it too had struck dead center on the target. And every arrow after that had partly cut the previous one in half. One vertical and the next horizontal, leaving a strange but beautiful pattern of splintered arrows. The sound of the arrows lightly echoed within the grounds and each of this was like an arrow striking her heart. Painful... Tears started to flow down her eyes as her heart was filled with one feeling. GUILT!! She whispered in a cracking voice, "I-I''m s-sorryy!!!" heard by none but herself, and at the same time jumped down from the window. One must note that this window wasn''t that high and that Isolde had also recently reached the core formation stage. Zhen Shi who had been reveling in his success and achievement looked back in surprise, to see Isolde arriving before him with tears in her eyes. Although she was crying she still looked very beautiful. She hurriedly hugged him as she sobbed. As she hugged him that sense of loss gradually disappeared. But for Zhen Shi, one moment he had been gaining insights into archery and the next he was being hugged by a damsel in distress. Zhen Shi didn''t know whether to laugh or cry!! Chapter 10-Training and Comprehending Cough! "Lady Isolde... is your..... behavior appropriate?" asked Alec with a light smile. Isolde suddenly realizing her place let go of Zhen Shi, with her face a bright shade of red, the tears still lightly visible on her eyes. Old man, what are you doing? You ruined this handsome self''s fun! Could it be that you''re jealous?AHHH!!! System this time you''re colluding with this old man Alec right? System "...." "Isolde, what''s wrong? Did someone trouble you?" Zhen Shi asked her in confusion while simultaneously wondering, ''Could it be that this handsome and scholarly self''s archery talent is so godly, that it made her fall in love with me?'' and staring daggers at Alec. Butler Alec could only force a smile as he felt Zhen Shi''s unhappy gaze. "Shut up kid. Forget it, in return, this old butler will help you to perfect your skills." Zhen Shi grimaced, "Old man, I didn''t even say anything to you. More importantly, do you think you''re worthy of being my teacher?" Alec grinned and said, "meh... young man, if you don''t want my help just say so." Zhen Shi smiled, no matter what this old butler''s archery skill and experience was the real deal, "No, No, Butler Alec is truly skilled, the God of Archery! Now come and give this young and unexperienced self some guidance." Alec grimaced, this kid...! Isolde who had been watching their conversation had a smile playing on her lips. She had been feeling guilty and unhappy before but this warm atmosphere had completely thawed away her sorrow. Butler Alec had taken care of her since she was a little child. To her whose father was always busy with official duty, old man Alec had been the real father figure, but he was rarely truly happy even though that kind smile was always on his face. Seeing him enjoy himself in this manner filled her heart with happiness. She felt even more satisfied with Zhen Shi. Alec shook his head and said, "Come, young man, follow me," while starting to walk back towards the mansion. Zhen Shi and Isolde followed him. Zhen Shi was currently happily following the role of a good and obedient student. After all, he wasn''t going to slap a gift horse in the face! On the way, they ran into several servants, who bowed respectfully. Lightly acknowledging them they continued onwards. Along the way, just when they passed an isolated hall, Zhen Shi''s advanced hearing and attunement with the air aether let him hear a light and muffled sound of screaming originating from deep within that hall. These screams were simply animalistic as if the person in question had fallen into complete despair, under never-ending pain. Zhen Shi frowned and stopped staring at that hall, FUCK! Does this place have a torture chamber or something? He didn''t doubt Isolde and Alec but he couldn''t help but frown in worry. Seeing him stop, Isolde and Alec paused as well. "Kid, what''s the matter?" asked the old man with a questioning look. Zhen Shi shook his head, "Nothing. I thought I heard someone screaming from within this hall. I suppose it must''ve been a torture chamber?" Alec lightly frowned while looking at the hall in question but still nodded and said, "Of course. Our mansion has captured countless spies and criminals. Torturing them isn''t all that unusual..." Zhen Shi nodded in understanding albeit slightly skeptically. But now with the question solved, Alec walked forwards with Zhen Shi following him. However, Isolde paused for a moment and turned to look at the hall with a face of disgust and anger. But moments later she too followed the duo with a light sigh of helplessness. Pretty soon, Butler Alec walked into a dark corner of the mansion, which looked dreary and slightly uncared for. Zhen Shi was slightly surprised to find such an area in the pristine and perfect noble mansion he had seen so far. Butler Alec lightly waved his hand causing a nearby wall to disappear revealing a passage hidden behind it. NANI? Is this the legendary secret passage that leads to the treasures, skills, and pills of the mansion? Zhen Shi found it unbelievable as he had previously swept the corner with his powerful spiritual sense. He grew weary in his mind as he realized that if the count''s mansion held such powerful illusions, the Lyonesse kingdom was definitely not simple either! Isolde calmly spoke out, "This place leads to a secret chamber discovered by Grandpa Alec and me when I was a little girl. My father gifted it to him and Grandpa Alec used it to set up a training ground." Zhen Shi nodded as they continued into the passage. Soon they arrived at a dark and open space. From initial probing, Zhen Shi could feel that this place was fairly large. Actually, it was larger than what could be held within the mansion walls leading him to believe that some spatial magic was at play. Alec clapped, suddenly causing the roof to rumble and spread apart giving way to the sky and sunlight lightening the room. The now sunlit room revealed itself to be filled with shelves of weapons and randomly assorted targets for practice. There were some uniques setups that Zhen Shi felt had come straight out of those martial art stories for the main character to train and grow stronger. He grinned happily as he imagined himself growing stronger here... Alec noticing his gaze frowned, "Kid what are you staring at and grinning for? Those are some stuff I made for children. What you''ll be using are those," pointing at two distinct devices. Zhen Shi looked at what he was showing and gaped, YOUR MOTHER! Are those TORTURE DEVICES? Is this why people were screaming? Could it be that you want me to train to become a torturer or a male DOMINATRIX? Could it be that... this kind and simple Alec was a DOMINATRIX as well?? though Zhen Shi as he stared at Alec with judging eyes. Butler Alec frowned under his gaze, "Shut up kid. This is some of this poor Butler''s best training equipment, many would fight over a chance to use them. Here I''ll show you how there used." Butler Alec shook his head lightly smiling as he walked over to the equipment. Isolde giggled seeing this comedic show between the two. Alec put his hand into a small cuff, that Zhen Shi had previously thought was used to restrain people, and tightened it. It spread out to form a glove. "Young man, this is a glove that can be used to strengthen your finger strength. Fingers are important tools for an archer. I noticed that although your power was overwhelmingly great, it was still not sufficient the bow you wield." He then pointed at the pool which was sealed except for a small entrance, which Zhen Shi had figured was for drowning people or some strange type of water play, and said, "This is filled with a special type of liquid diamond. Although diamond is valuable, there are very few uses for this liquid diamond. It is at least 10 times denser than water and can be used to train movement techniques." Alec continued speaking, "Furthermore, by strengthening your ability to move around in it, once you come out it will help you to grow closer to air aether. Control over the air is another important factor for archers. But the liquid diamond can also be deadly if absorbed through your pores. So sealing off your pores will have to be done simultaneously while training. This drawback is one of the reasons that many do not use liquid diamond for training." Alec also brought out a bunch of black bands and a vest. "These are specially made heavy equipment, wear them while you train. Also once I am satisfied with your performance I''ll impart onto you a fairly good close combat skill for archers." Isolde''s eyes widened at Alec''s words. But Alec looked at Zhen Shi curiously to see how he would react. Zhen Shit took in all of this. He had been wrong regarding his initial guess, but they could all go to hell if he''d ever acknowledged his mistake! Thus he nonchalantly asked, "Old man, I''m thankful for all of this. In fact the entire time, I was thinking your training equipment is TOPNOTCH, but why are you even going this far to help me?" Alec was surprised by his shameless statement and the sudden question. In the end he laughed out loud shaking his head in exasperation and saying, "Shameless kid, get to work!" Zhen Shi grinned in a satisfied manner as he put on the finger training gloves. They greatly tightened his fingers and made their movement next to impossible. He also put on the weighted clothing. Although rather heavy it wasn''t unmanageable for his core formation physique. He then immediately jumped into the diamond pool. "Wai---" shouted out Alec. He ran over to the pool to help Zhen Shi out. It was extremely difficult to manage all three types of training simultaneously even for him and this kid had jumped in without a warning... Indeed, Zhen Shi had been initially stifled. He had underestimated the pool, so he had immediately cranked up the level of up to 50% strengthening his body hidden under the liquid diamond, with scales and feathers. With these scales and feathers, he did not need to seal off his pores as they completely eradicated the one disadvantage of this training. As the old man arrived at the entrance to the pool with a worried face, Zhen Shi nonchalantly lifted his head, "Old man, what are you looking so worried for? Worrying isn''t good for the elderly you know?" Alec looked at him in surprise and admiration, however, he noted the light bestial nature in his eyes and thus assumed a special technique.Stolen story; please report. Visibly relaxing, "Idiot kid, get out now before you drown yourself," he said. Zhen Shi shook his head, "Old man, relax, I can handle this much." Alec shook his head as well, "Fine young man, let''s see how long you last with that technique" and walked back. Isolde who did not have a clear understanding regarding this watched on in an amused fashion. Since that moment in the archery grounds, she had decided to trust Zhen Shi''s ability and not to doubt him so easily. As Alec walked back she asked him, "Grandpa Alec, why DID you go so far to teach him? Even planning to teach that skill of yours?" Butler Alec shook his head, "Nevermind that, my lady, but are you aware that his name is Zhen Shi?" Isolde frowned questioningly, "So?" Alec continued with a light smile, "It''s highly possible he is of that Zhen Clan. With his level of talent, he could even be someone of important stature in his clan. Do you think we should report this to Lord Count?" Isolde frowned even further, "Just because his surname is Zhen doesn''t mean he is of that clan. More importantly, I don''t want to see him get hurt." Alec smiled deeply and nodded, "Neither do I." "So?" asked Isolde once again. Alec looked at her questioningly, Isolde smiled and continued, "You ignored my first question. Why are you teaching him?" Alec smiled, "I''ll tell you... if you tell me why you suddenly jumped off your balcony and hugged him." Isolde was speechless at this, but their conversation halted as they looked on in stupefaction at Zhen Shi in the diamond pool. In fact, Zhen Shi could''ve handled this task fairly easily with full but that would''ve beaten the point of the training. Thus he had decided to maintain it at 50% and had attempted to walk about while moving his fingers. However, this too proved fairly easy as he soon started to practice more complex moves. Punches, strikes, flying kicks, jumping jacks and all sorts of complex motions. As his resistance to the high-density liquid diamond improved, he slowly weakened and continued his training by repeating his previous movements. Alec and Isolde were greatly impressed and continued to watch his training as he continued to practice in this manner for several hours. By the time the sun visible through the gap in the cavern had started to set, Zhen Shi had gained insights into aqua and earthen aether. Since liquid diamond was several times denser than water, rapidly gaining insights into water aether was not surprising. As for earthen aether, diamond is a type of mineral originating from the earth, no matter how special it was or what state it was in. Now feeling rather tired, Zhen Shi started to get out of the pool while canceling . Isolde started to hurry over to welcome him but Alec held her back, as he continued to watch Zhen Shi in expectation. Meanwhile, Zhen Shi was very satisfied with the training because when he had used the at a higher level he was able to speed up the rate of Otaku Point gain and had gotten 5 OP so far. In addition, he was now able to maintain his previous level of movement within the liquid diamond at just 40% of the skill. But for now, he seemed to have hit his limit in improving his movement in the diamond pool. But he soon forgot that, as a strange feeling came over him just as he came out. As he exited the pool, the pressure he had been under disappeared replaced with the cool touch of air. The air lightly danced over his body as if in pity for the rigorous training his muscles had undergone. Indeed, the level of improvement Zhen Shi had shown in just a single day would have been completely impossible had it not been for the physical strengthening by the dragon and vermillion bird bloodlines. But now, he closed his eyes reveling in this newfound comfort. He felt as if he was one with the air itself and began to move about like a light breeze. He danced about as if he was a part of the wind itself. As a result, Zhen Shi was able to just barely comprehend the true nature of wind aether and something much more complex, which even he felt impossible to explain. Isolde and Alec watched his wind-like movements in surprise. Now coming to a stop, Zhen Shi felt his understanding of air aether interact with the bow shadow in his dantian. Thus he brought his hands into the position of holding a bow and arrow, as if in a trance. Miraculously a bow similar to his own appeared materialized using pure air. Then he stretched the string with an arrow of air while wearing the finger gloves. Alec looked on in stupefaction, but with a hint of pride in his eyes. Materializing the bow! This was something only someone with both a sufficient understanding of air aether and the art of archery could achieve. The former Zhen Shi''s arduous archery training had paid off now. But Zhen Shi''s mind was empty, free of other thoughts, and the arrow shot out! There was no sound, after all, all he used was air to shoot. Thus the arrow was completely unimpeded by air as well. After all, how could the same thing impede itself? The arrow shot off like a fish in water, happily dancing about as if it had returned home. Still, this did not affect the speed in any way, as the aerial arrow which had been in Zhen Shi''s hand suddenly reappeared struck on a target. These targets were several times stronger than the previous ones and did not break under the power of the materialized arrows. Still, most skilled archers, even those able to materialize the bow didn''t use it to attack. This was because they could usually reach a better level of strength with an actual bow, but most importantly because the manifested arrow disappeared almost immediately after striking a target unless the archer had a very powerful spiritual sense. Thus using the materialized bow greatly reduced the dealt damage unless you had a very powerful cultivation or soul. However, Alec was even more stupefied.... as Zhen Shi''s arrow did not disappear. In reality, Zhen Shi''s hands were a blur. It wasn''t that his aerial arrow did not disappear. It was just that he kept on shooting arrow after arrow. So that when one disappeared it would immediately be replaced by another. His speed of shooting was so great that even Alec, a spirit formation expert could see nothing but a lasting aerial arrow. To achieve this speed Zhen Shi was utilizing almost all of his spirit roots. Earthen to strengthen the arrows and his connection to the earth itself, Fiery to give an explosive start, Aqua to let them swim about in air and obviously Aerial. He was even subconsciously using primordial chaos to teleport these arrows, albeit lightly. Only then could he reach this speed at his current level of strength. Moreover, he wasn''t using Vermillion Dragonification at full power and was being impeded by the weighted clothes and finger gloves. However, using primordial chaos again would be difficult as this was a moment of epiphany. Isolde watched on in amazement, his body lightly glistening under the now setting sun, his hands a blur causing these miraculous events to occur... he looked godly. Alec too was greatly impressed and was now confident that Zhen Shi had surpassed him in sheer power, but had still a ways to go in terms of comprehension. Zhen Shi was indeed born to be a divine archer! As Zhen Shi gradually left this state of comprehension, he slowly let the bow dematerialize. He gazed at his palms in surprise as he too was unable to believe his gains in one mere day of training. Now finally free, Isolde ran over to him smiling and grabbed his hand saying, "That was amazing Zhen Shi, I have never seen even Grandpa Alec doing something like that!" Alec smiled walking over, "HMPH, don''t underestimate this old butler, young lady, and especially you, young man. I just never showed off this skill." "Huh? Old man your just jealous that Isolde is holding my hand right?" said Zhen Shi grinning. Immediately Isolde let go of his hand blushing bright red. Zhen Shi grimaced, Me and MY SCHOLARLY MOUTH! Alec grinned happily at this turn of events and continued, "Kid are you done with your training now?" Zhen Shi shook his head, "No, Old man I feel like I could do better." Old man Alec nodded in agreement, "Indeed, you''re pretty close to my current level, but reaching it won''t be easy to reach it. Here," he said while throwing him a leatherback book titled, Descending Bow. "That holds my close combat skill for archers and also some of my understanding and conclusions. You''ve already earned it. I can''t make you understand the art of archery, as such it''ll be up to you..." Zhen Shi was grateful for his help, but still quite unhappy at being underestimated. Old man, what do you know? If I wasn''t wearing a pair of pants right now, a mere flip and you''ll be stupefied and become a sitting duck under my ! Alec lightly paused and looked at Zhen Shi with a frown. Zhen Shi was stupefied, FUCK! CAN THIS OLD MAN READ MINDS? Still, Old man Alec shook his head with a smile and continued, "Kid I have some work to take care of. As for this place," he said while looking around at the secret room now just barely lit under the setting sun. "Isolde will be with you so she''ll be able to take you in and out. But..... you better not do anything ungentlemanly!" he said with playful anger in his eyes. Isolde blushed again but with a slight smile on her face. Zhen Shi played along, Jeez! It''s an old man, so I shouldn''t give him too much to worry about. "Of course, I''m a gentleman. If I dare to call myself the second in being a ''gentle'' man, no one will dare call themselves the first! So no need to worry, and increase your blood pressure for no reason." Still, he grinned as well, "See you old man," said Zhen Shi waving his hand. Alec laughed out loud and waved his hand in return as he left the room. Isolde smiled again in satisfaction as she looked at their interaction. Her heart was filled with a deep desire to protect this satisfying feeling. As for Zhen Shi, he was now oblivious to his surroundings as he sat cross-legged on the grounds reading the old man''s skill book. Ding! Congratulations to the user for discovering skill But Zhen Shi didn''t pay any attention to this, as he was focused on reading the old man''s understanding and conclusions. He couldn''t improve simply from it, but it did show him a clear path to follow for the moment. After some time having finished reading the skill book, he finally paid attention to the skill he had learned. Unlike comprehension, skills could apparently be learned directly using the system. His eyes widened. FUCK! This will definitely catch anyone off guard. The was an unconventional skill using the bow itself as a weapon to attack. Although Zhen Shi could use spells and punches, this would give him a chance to surprise the enemy. Of course, the skill wasn''t merely hitting with a bow. It was a refined and clever skill compiling the old man''s achievements in the art of archery. It could be considered his legacy! Zhen Shi''s eyes glistened maliciously as he imagined himself wreaking havoc all over a battlefield, whacking people left and right with his divine bow! Chapter 11-The Battle in the Cherub Waters Zhen Shi continued to train his finger strength and physical body strength in the liquid diamond pool. He would also occasionally test out his archery and the understanding gained from the skill book. He had quickly mastered the skill, but he could vaguely sense that there was more to it than on the surface. Still, despite many attempts, he wasn''t able to comprehend that, and his pride refused to allow him to directly ask the old man. One week passed with him training the entire time. His training would stop just to have meals and chat with Isolde, occasionally with the presence of old man Alec as well. In such a meal where Isolde was alone with Zhen Shi, one of many they had enjoyed together, Isolde suddenly asked Zhen Shi, "What does the Zhen Clan mean to you?" Zhen Shi grimaced as she reminded him of the only faction he had an unbearable grudge against in this life. His face contorted in great anger and his eyes shone with malice and killing intent. Isolde grew frightened but quickly calmed down... as she had faith in Zhen Shi. Zhen Shi too quickly calmed his anger. His memories of the ''old Zhen Shi'' had arisen causing his anger to bubble out. Still, he laughed saying, "If there is anyone I will not hesitate to destroy given the chance, it is the Zhen Clan without a doubt!" Isolde heaved a sigh as if she had been worried over nothing, but still curiously asked, "But isn''t your surname Zheng? Aren''t you of the Zhen Clan?" Zhen Shi was aware as to why Isolde was asking this as he had the memories of the former Zhen Shi. Thus he continued with gritted teeth, "Yes, I am of the Zhen Clan. That is exactly why I will never forgive those pieces of green shit!" Isolde was surprised at his manner of speaking and his hatred but was still satisfied with his answer. Isolde now smiled lightly, "Well I''m sorry for having ruined the mood. Let''s forget this...!" Zhen Shi smiled as well. Just like that another week passed. The time he had spent here had been truly enjoyable and fruitful. Of course, it was all because of the beautiful Isolde. Nothing to do with that old man Alec, he just ruined everything! Zhen Shi had improved greatly in this period. He could now move around in the liquid diamond pool with next to no support from granting him the physical strength of peak core formation, and his understanding of the art of archery had finally leveled up to what the old man Alec had shown before in their archery competition. Zhen Shi was all smiles as he exited the room via the passage, to which he had been given control as well. He felt a tinge of sorrow as he felt he''d have to leave soon to level up. Zhen Shi walked through the courtly and noble corridors finally reaching a green meadow, full of life and giving off a mystical aura. This was the mansion gardens where he and Isolde usually had meals in unless of course, that DAMN OLD BUTLER disturbed them. In the center of these gardens, was a fountain with a cherub [Cherub: An innocent-looking child with wings, basically a baby angel] standing on it. This cherub was poised in a graceful posture with a stream of water trickling off his mouth. And on the edge of the wall of this pond was an actual angel...Isolde. Her hair was lightly wafting in the air and her face was slowly being adorned with a smile as she saw Zhen Shi. During their time together, she had asked him to join the mansion''s private army and serve in a lofty position several times but he always refused her. Watching Zhen Shi walk over this time she didn''t make her usual request and instead, "Tell me why are you so against joining me and the Lyonesse kingdom? With your hatred against the Zhen Clan, everything would be perfect!" Zhen Shi already knew that there was great enmity between the Lyonesse kingdom and the top clan of the Lyonesse region, the Zhen Clan. Although there had been several attempts to solve their disagreements they had ended up in failure so far. Thus Zhen Shi lightly spoke, "I don''t wish to shackle my wings and lose my right to fly in the sky. After all, what life is meaningful if you live it for others and not yourself??" Isolde gawked in amazement at his statement. This was truly awe-inspiring to her who had lived her entire life for her father and the kingdom... Honestly, what Zhen Shi said was part bullshit but also part of his real feelings. These types of situations were fairly common in stories so he took inspiration from a bunch of them while adding his own feelings. HAHA! System, ain''t I awesome? System: "....." Isolde shook her head and smiled sadly, "Zhen Shi only you can say something like that! I''d truly love to adhere to your ideals as well. But, I can''t leave my father or Grandpa Alec alone. Many other things are holding me back as well..." Zhen Shi grinned and grabbed her shoulder reassuringly, "Don''t worry Isolde. No need to be so serious. Solve all these problems first. I''ll come to visit you often, so when you''re ready you can join me on an epic adventure all over the world!" She was truly happy with this suggestion. She could already imagine her joining Zhen Shi with Grandpa Alec to journey the world, watch on as he improved with this peaceful and satisfied feeling in her heart. But, "Wait, what? Visit me often? Zhen Shi, are you leaving in such a hurry? Where will you go?" asked Isolde with sorrow and disappointment in her eyes. Zhen Shi laughed, "Although I hate the Zhen Clan, my sister is still there! I''ll also train in the Berthelien forest. I''ll be back to visit you before leaving for the Zhen Clan of course!" "Sister...?" Isolde frowned momentarily but pushed it out of her mind and said, "Fine, but you better keep your promise. I''ll be bored without you... Shouldn''t you bid goodbye to Grandpa Alec as well?" with a light smile. "Eh? Who cares about some old man?" saying so he leaned very close to Isolde''s face, "Come, give big brother a kiss for good luck!" Isolde''s face blushed red and surprised by the sudden situation she backed away... causing her to fall into the Cherub fountain! SPLLAAASSHHH!! Zhen Shi''s eyes widened. He had only been teasing her and she had fallen into the fountain... He hurried over to help her out and grabbed her hand to pull her out. And out came an Isolde with an unhappy frown on her face... and her wet dress sticking to her body. She had realized that Zhen Shi had only been playing around and so wasn''t that mad, but wasn''t willing to completely forgive him either. As such she hurriedly splashed and hurled water on to him as well. It wasn''t that Zhen Shi couldn''t dodge it. Even if he was unable to, with his aqua roots, this much of water could definitely be controlled, but for Isolde''s sake, he smiled and let it hit him. But of course, he controlled some water aether to splash her once again. This continued for some time until they were both laughing and soaked to their bones. Now completely satisfied, Isolde had a simple smile on her face. Zhen Shi stood up and dried his clothes with light fire and wind aether. Isolde who watched this frowned, "Hey, shouldn''t the world''s undefeated gentleman help a lady out first?" and shouted out in mock anger. Zhen Shi grinned at her and leaned close to her once again, but of course, this time Isolde who was used to it didn''t react by falling into the fountain. "BECAUSE I am a gentleman I can''t help you. How can I take away things that make a lady more beautiful? That dress looks so much better on you now!" said Zhen Shi with a satisfied smirk while looking at her with unblinking eyes. "But, Alas, I have to get going now. If I stay any longer I might never leave your side. But, I''ll definitely be back and maybe keep looking the same then as well?" said Zhen Shi with a laugh as he lightly waved his hand disappearing into the wind. She smiled at his ridiculous reply, but with a faint hint of sadness and sorrow. Now alone she looked at her reflection in the fountain waters. She gawked at the sight of the woman with the wet dress clinging on to her body. Now she understood what Zhen Shi meant and blushed a deep red while hurriedly running back into the mansion.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. In a balcony, on a higher floor of the mansion, an old man was looking down on the cherub fountain. He lightly muttered, "Ughh, that little bastard didn''t even come to say goodbye to his master..." he shook his head with an unhappy frown and walked back to the door planning to meet the young lady. But he stopped as he noticed a light blue envelope poking from under his door. On it were the words, "To that annoying old butler." Alec bent down to pick it with a light smile on his face... ?????????? Zhen Shi was dashing through the Betherlien forest with the wind on his back. The forest was filled with tall evergreen trees, thick foliage, and shrubs. Wherever you looked, one would be met with that lively dark green. The sunlight was mystically shining through the tree leaves and some animalistic sounds could be heard. But these animals sounds weren''t the occasional cry of a bird or an owl. No, they were the low guttural howls of demonic beasts. Zhen Shi was speeding along so that he could grab the attention of as many beasts as possible. These beasts were unafraid of this core formation cultivator as he was completely alone and they greatly outnumbered them. Zhen Shi finally stopped in an open meadow. But the demonic beasts did not. Lions, Tigers, Serpents, mixed hybrids and all sorts of unique beasts launched at him in an attack. But Zhen Shi just calmly grinned and hurled out obscenities finishing with, "O beasts of Berthelien forest, today is your greatest fortune. The good karma accumulated over your lifetimes has brought you this reward. For today you will see this handsome and scholarly one''s true self, so you can repent and die in shame!!" He let out his core formation aura and used his spiritual energy to bring his pants down, "Shaming the heavens!" There was no way he was doing that with his own hands, unless absolutely necessary! This group of tens of beasts paused in shock completely unable to move. Most of them were at the foundation establishment stage and there were a few core formation stage beasts. They would''ve vomited blood the moment that they realized that ''the good karma across their lifetimes brought them this [vision of the heavens]'', but they didn''t as they were being affected by the skill. Zhen Shi grinned, "System did you see that? They are so happy and satisfied, they''re stupefied. These beasts are probably blessing the karma that led them to this point." System: "....." There were some female beasts within the horde but they were so weak that they too were frozen unbale to show any strange effects. Zhen Shi sighed deeply, "Alas, forgive me, my beasty friends. I must now take away this happiness away from you. As a last kindness on my part, I''ll let you die with this vision in your mind. I know that to live once seeing this masterpiece is impossible, as such farewell." Alas! Being so handsome is truly a curse..... He summoned the wind and shuffled back and forth forming two of himself. This was a multi-tasking skill he had comprehended by himself based on his understanding of wind aether. Weaker targets would only be able to see tow of himself. One summoned a black flame and the other brought out a fairly good bow he had picked out from the old man''s stash. He didn''t use the divine bow as he wasn''t strong enough to use it to rapid-fire. These two apparitions simultaneously threw out black fireballs and arrows. By the time they stopped, the ground was littered with corpses. Most were skewered with arrows in their eyes and very few were burned. This wasn''t because was limited in effect but because the other affected beasts had simply turned to dust. He could have done better with his physical strength. But then he wouldn''t have gained any OP. So he had used his skills. Ding! Congratulations to the user for skewering a foundation establishment stage cultivator! The user has gained 1000 exp... x35 Congratulations to the user for burning a core formation stage cultivator! The user has gained 10000 exp x 6 Congratulations to the user for earning 5 OP! SHIET! System, what''s with this pitiful amount of exp? Was the eternal happiness granted to those beasts, not enough? Could it be that... I have to try harder? System: "...." Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching Core Formation Stage 5. Ding! User has gained 500 exp for skill Ding! The skill has reached the Gold tier! Ding! Congratulations to the user for defeating your first Core formation stage cultivator! The user has gained a minor reward bag. Oh? System aren''t you nice. This should be a sufficient reward for my effort. "Open minor reward bag!" Ding! Minor reward bag opened. You have gained 10 OP. SHIET, SYSTEM! I take it back. Are you running out of ideas so much that you have fallen so far as to gift OP? System:"....." "Hmpf... Status!" shouted out the disappointed Zhen Shi. User: Zhen Shi Cultivation Level: Core Formation Stage 5 II Physical Body Level: Core formation Peak Cultivation energy: 95% Race: Probably Human Cultivation Path: Base- Skills: II II II Exp points: 5,000/200,000 OP(Otaku Points): 35 Titles: Otherworld Reincarnator{Effect: Instant Spell Casting of most spells Intelligence +20 Charisma +40) Scholarly Bookworm{All user known data and information can be instantaneously viewed at the user''s leisure. Never forget anything ever again!!} Fake Tarzan(-Permanent 2x action and reaction increase) Status: Normal(No effects) Seeing nothing special, Zhen Shi intended to continue. He needed a stronger beast to get a general idea of his powers and also to level up faster. As luck would have it, "ROOOOAAAARR! How dare you kill so many of the Betherlien forest? How could you be so cruel? They were ONLY going to kill and eat you! This white and pure-hearted one will take your life in return!" A large gorilla-type beast with shiny white fur lumbered in from amongst the trees. The notification above his head read [Soul Transformation-Mid]. What DA FUCK? How did I not hear this loud lumbering giant? WTF, Is it stupid? Only kill and eat me? MWAHAHA! This gorilla is funny! "HAHA, don''t worry, I ONLY killed them as well," Zhen Shi grinned happily and threw out a dozen and the fiery domes descended. After a few seconds, as the fiery domes disappeared, out came a completely pitch black gorilla! He was roaring in pain. However, demonic beasts have much better physical strength than humans and most other races. As such although the gorilla was only hurt and it was not life-threatening, "NOOOO, my beautiful and pure white fur!!! How dare you defile me?? I''ll kill and defecate on you!!" "SHIET, you ugly pitch-black piece of shit, you''re words are too dirty and unrefined for my scholarly ears. You defiled yourself! Go defecate in hell!" shouted Zhen Shi while his grin grew wider as he activated to full power. Azure Blue scales completely covered his body along with Vermillion feathers. Two horns arose from his head and a pair of wings rose from his back, while a draconic tail grew out from his back. His eyes glittered with malice and his grin looked demonic. The gorilla felt a great pressure on it, although the Azure Dragon and Vermillion Bird was not related to its bloodline, they were still top tier divine beasts. As such the now pitch-black gorilla shuddered in fear and began to escape....or at least tried to... FLAP! With a flap of his wings, Zhen Shi reappeared next to the gorilla and, SLASH! with a single claw strike, he ripped its head off. Ding! Congratulations to the user for killing a Soul Transformation-mid Demonic Beast! The user has gained 80,000 exp. FUCK! System before didn''t you give me equal exp when killing those foundation establishment trashes with that Xue Yuehai? Now how can you give me less experience for killing this black piece of shit? System, you''re like a fake POLITICIAN! System: ( ?? ?? ?? ) ''Still, even that gorilla wasn''t enough. I''ll need someone stronger to check out my full strength. The nascent soul level should do I suppose'' wondered Zhen Shi while deactivating . Suddenly remembering that demonic corpses or rather their cores were valuable, Zhen Shi manifested his claws and ripped out the demonic core of the gorilla beast, it was pitch black. HUH, Though that gorilla was white on the outside it was black on the inside! HAHA! There is a lesson to be learned here. But..... I don''t give a shiet... Zhen Shi continued to collect cores from the core formation beasts he had killed before as well. Other beasts were neglected as weaker beasts would not possess cores. He then placed them in a satchel he had ''borrowed'' from the old man, rather unhappily. SHIET! System can''t you let me store this stuff in the inventory? Aren''t you being too proud by only allowing system related items to be stored in it? You should know being too proud and acting like a braggart leads to a quick death! System: (>?) Sighing, Zhen Shi continued on his path. After running forwards he quickly realized that since the previous battle, no other beasts dared to follow him. No matter how proud beasts were they didn''t actively seek death. Rather disappointed, he started to follow a faint trail until he arrived at a large mountain chasm. This chasm led into a misty and almost ghostly valley. It looked to be quite spacious but no one could say what lay within it. Even his connection to wind aether did not allow him to sense what was inside. Rather curious but still cautious, Zhen Shi looked around and noticed a rotten piece of wood stuck onto a pole. On closer inspection, he realized that it was a signpost! After several minutes of trying to read it, he finally realized what was written on it, "THE VALLEY OF NO RETURN." Chapter 12- Re-branding the Valley!! Having read the ominous words on the sign, Zhen Shi simply walked into the chasm. "No return? Your Mother won''t return! If the world makes something scary, then you must run-up to its face and screw it! Screw it so hard, that you learn all of its secrets and gain all of its treasures!" he shouted out in a singing voice while walking through the chasm and entering the valley. This wasn''t Zhen Shi being an idiot, having considered the forest''s name and this valley, he had a guess as to what this place was. But if things went off plan, he figured he could always escape with the minor spatial tear sword. The valley was covered in white unmoving fog and he could hear a light and pleasant sound of trickling water. However, there was a fairly clear path leading out of the valley and Zhen Shi followed it. He soon reached the end and took the final step to leave the valley. BANG! Suddenly, he was thrown back into the valley by an invisible force. Still, he easily shook off this force by his physical body alone, bringing himself to a stop a couple of meters away. Almost immediately the mist of the valley began to disappear, gradually revealing hundreds of figures within the mist and a fountain at the very center; calmly trickling out crystal clear water. Zhen Shi grew weary and manifested a on his hand. But a large group of figures numbering several foundation establishment cultivators and a few core formation cultivators walked towards him with their hands raised. "Brother, you have our deepest sympathies. You are now stuck in this accursed valley," said a fat middle-aged man. Zhen Shi laughed, "Buddy, isn''t it the same with you? Then... I''ll give you my sympathies as well." The middle-aged man frowned, "Bastard, don''t be too cocky. You should know that people can still be killed here." Looking at this fat man''s Foundation Establishment level, Zhen Shi calmly laughed, "Oh? Say that again my fat friend!" and exerted the pressure of mid-core formation combined with some of the divine beast aura. The fat man immediately collapsed on to his knees with great ''remorse'' on his face, "Aiya! Forgive this useless fellow, young master. I failed to see the heavens in front of me. You can kill me to sate your anger if you please!" Zhen Shi''s eye twitched at this shameless fellow. One of the core formation cultivators in the group smiled and said, "Fellow Daois- No, Senior, I''m Carlos and this shameless fatty is Dolz. I beg you to forgive him as well," he said lowering his head while the rest of the group bowed as well. "This valley of no return is truly a death trap. Still, the group of us have been here for more than a millennium and would rather not see our comrade die!" he said. They were being so respectful because they felt the divine beast aura and realized that although he seemed to be of the Core formation stage, he could possibly kill them with ease. And as such, they referred to Zhen Shi as ''senior''. What? Foundation Establishment cultivators living for a thousand years? How is that possible? Despite what Carlos said, Zhen Shi would have preferred if these cultivators had been more overbearing and attacked him, so he could farm more experience points. Still, Zhen Shi nodded, as he needed to know the history of this place, and said, "Fine. I''ll forgive this Dolz for your sake, Carlos. In return tell me everything you know of this place." Carlos hurriedly began to speak out, "Thank you, Senior. Of course, I''ll agree to your request. Although there are hundreds of cultivators in the mist, god knows how long some of them have been here. They don''t speak nor do they move. But none of us dare approach them. The last time one did, he turned into liquid for the fountain on the spot." "One new person will join us every century but none from the same area. Thus we believe that this valley moves about and traps only some individuals. Also, besides our group, there should still be a few more powerful cultivators who act alone. As to how we have lived so long, the reason is that fountain. When you stay in this valley for a time, an unquenchable thirst arises. The only way to sate it is to drink from the fountain. Once you do, you''ll be forced to drink more and more. But you can stop aging and live longer. In return your ability to make further improvements to your cultivation decreases," said Carlos. Hearing this Zhen Shi grew extremely excited. Not because of the ''fountain of youth''. He wasn''t an idiot to drink from it. He was excited because he was now sure what this place was. The valley of no return deep in the Betherlien forest hosting the fountain of everlasting life. Based on his knowledge from Earth, this was rumored to be the place where the greatest mage of the Arthurian Age, Merlin was buried! Legend says that the valley of no return was a place arising from a curse set by a sorceress against unfaithful lovers. Later on, she battled Merlin who was suffering from old age. Merlin in the peak of power had been isolated as none approached him with genuine feelings. Thus this witch played with his heart and ended up ''tricking'' and defeating Merlin. In the end, she sealed him in this place for all eternity. The reasons for this sorceress to battle and seal Merlin were mentioned in history, but their were many versions... Now although he was excited, Zhen Shi had hated this place from the core of his heart since the time he had come to learn about it. "You guys, tell me have you ever been unfaithful to your lovers?" he asked the group of men, he particularly stared at the fat man Dolz unable to believe he had multiple women let alone even one. The group of men looked at each other and most of them guiltily nodded including Carlos. As for Dolz and a few more, they shook their heads. Dolz continued "I have only one woman in my life....or had," and said sorrowfully. Zhen Shi was confused, "Then have you ever just fancied another woman?" Dolz stiffened and said, "It''s impossible to not fancy other women. But I always remained faithful." Zhen Shi nodded sagely," Aiya, that is the problem, my fellow friends. If your heart is ever tainted with unfaithfulness you will be forever stuck in here. And as for the fountain, it is the root of your problems. Still, I have to say I am disappointed in your characters. Tsk-tsk." Brother, how can you look down on us like this? Aren''t you stuck here as well? Noticing their gazes, Zhen Shi sighed, "Aiya. How can you doubt this scholarly and handsome self? If you can escape from this place that means that even if you have a harem you aren''t unfaithful, right? I''ll show you why I look down on you and how to escape from this place. Since I hate this place, I''ll show the way to escape for you as well," and said. He continued and mentioned the reason for his deep hatred, "This place is the epitome of the anti-harem movement! Forcing one to love only one other. How cruel! This isn''t the ''valley of no return''. Some idiot must have made up that horrible brand name. I think it should be rebranded as the ''anti-harem valley''!!" Most of the people nodded their heads in agreement, to the first part that is. They didn''t understand most of what he said near the end. "Let''s fuck up the anti-harem valley!" shouted Zhen Shi. The group of men followed his lead and repeated his words in excitement. But, even they didn''t know why they were following his lead... Zhen Shi continued elated, "A fucking anti-harem valley is deciding our lives for us? Can you live with this?" and it was immediately followed by a loud, "NOO!" from the group. Zen Shi was happily reveling in the feeling of leading a group, when suddenly, "Oi! What''s up with the noise? Can''t you let a man cultivate in peace?" a loud shout riddled with laughter reverberated throughout the valley. Carlos and the others shuddered and said with fear, "That is the strongest person in the entire valley, a nascent soul stage expert! No one knows how long he has been here but supposedly he hasn''t drunk from the fountain this entire time. Also, he killed every spirit stage cultivator who decided to drink from the fountain!" A mystical blue fire emerged next to their group. Despite the proximity, it only gave off a cool refreshing feeling. From within this flame, a young man slowly emerged. At least he looked young externally. But to Zhen Shi, his eyes gave him away. They looked as if they had witnessed the dawn of time and had seen all of existence. Besides, the notification above him read, HIDDEN!Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. He was dressed in an ordinary pair of pants and was showing off his fairly muscular torso while radiating a powerful presence. That young man smiled, "Kid, your words are funny and you even say you''ll escape from this place? You appear to know that the sealing magic originates from the fountain and only affects those who are unfaithful as well? I suppose you are familiar with the art of formations and realized that the fountain was the center of the valley trapping formation? But do you know that even a full-strength attack from me couldn''t even leave a scratch on that fountain? Moreover, the space within the valley is extremely stable will barely vibrate under my best attack at the moment." FUCK! This is a formation? And a nascent soul cultivator couldn''t even scratch it? And how will I escape if space can''t be torn? Zhen Shi frowned. He had been planning on using the minor spatial tear sword, now that idea was useless. Since a Nascent Soul cultivator was unable to tear s He quickly thought out in his mind, "System, any suggestions?" Ding! The user is indeed incapable of surpassing a nascent soul level attack by conventional means. Neither does the user does not have sufficient OP to perform a random divine boon. Only suggestion: user and nascent soul cultivator must ''gattai'' [combine] Zhen Shi''s frown worsened. FUCK! SYSTEM, what shit is this, you want me and this Myne to combine? Why? Isn''t this too shameless. To have fallen this far--- OHHH! You mean work together! SHIET, system your dirty mind is rubbing off on me. System: ?_? The young man''s smile froze seeing Zhen Shi frowning and said, "Kid, don''t tell me you were planning on attacking it as well? Fuck! To think I got excited for no reason. Kid, I guess you''ll have to die to sate my displeasure." But he smiled again, "Oh, wait. Although you disappointed me, I agree with what you and this group of idiots were spouting earlier, so I''ll just be taking a limb or two," and said while looking at Zhen Shi as if he was expecting his heartfelt gratitude. Zhen Shi immediately grimaced saying, "Hold on Senior, I might still be able to achieve some effects with a special technique!" Zhen Shi dared not be arrogant in the face of this powerhouse. Despite being at the nascent soul level, he gave off a much more dangerous feeling to Zhen Shi. That young man smiled again, "Haha! Why didn''t you say so?" and clapped him on the back. "I''ll believe you since I agree with your ideals. Come walk with me," he said and walked away with Zhen Shi, leaving the bewildered but strangely pumped up group staring at this strange duo. After they walked some distance, "If you truly can destroy that cursed fountain we should be freed and I, Myne, will be in your debt. So kid tell me how do you plan on destroying it and how can I help you?" he asked. Zen Shi pondered for a while, "Senior can you tell me your most powerful attack?" and asked shamelessly. Despite this being a rude question in the cultivation world Myne didn''t seem to mind. "Hmm, right now I should be able to instantly kill everyone in this valley with cultivation lower than Soul Deification?" Zhen Shi thanked the gods for not going against this man, "Uhhh, no senior, more of a physical attack?" "How about flame manipulation? Explosions sufficient to burn everyone within the valley to ashes?" Zhen Shi''s eyes brightened, "HAHA! That''s perfect!" and then he leaned near ear Myne''s ear and whispered his plan. Myne frowned and said., "Kid, that''s fucking crazy and depends a whole lot on you, and I find it hard to believe you could pull it off. Moreover, even if you succeed since the fountain base remains, it might lead to an even worse calamity!" He continued to speak with a confusing mix of emotions in his eyes, "We''ll probably have to face a witch who''ll be very difficult to deal with." "Senior, can you take her down if I could keep her in place for a moment?" asked Zhen Shi. Hearing his words Myne''s eyes glistened in sorrow. But in the end, they glowed with decisiveness, "If you could really do so, I should be able to turn the situation around. In fact, I might be bale to find the answers to the questions that have been haunting me. So, kid, I''ll truly owe you if you can do as you say. Fine, I''ll bet on you. What do I have to lose!" and shouted out. Myne continued, "But before that show me your technique so I can determine your chances of success" Zhen Shi was stupefied, "Uhhhh... I''m sorry senior... since it''s a "secret family technique", I won''t be able to use it for a while if I show it to you," and lied through his teeth. Myne frowned unhappily and muttered, "Fine, I''ll see it when you use it on the fountain anyways. Kid, you better hope you don''t disappoint me!". Zhen Shi immediately grinned and nodded happily as he was fairly confident. He walked back towards the still bewildered and pumped up group shouting, "MEN! You have been trapped here for centuries just because you were following the Dao of harems! For such a sweet and innocent dream, what has befallen you is truly unjustified. This damned anti-harem valley has ruined your lives and will continue to do so for much longer! Worse still this anti-harem valley force-feeds its piss to you so that you get hooked on it and forget your true purpose!" Brother! Can you make it not sound like we''re piss drinking perverts?? "I can feel your pain even though I would never fall to your shameful level. You get addicted to this fountain of piss, just because it is a miraculous life-extending piss. But piss will still be piss!!" Each time that ''word'' was shouted out by Zhen Shi, it was similar to an arrow striking and incinerating the barely remaining dignity of this group of cultivators. Brother, can you leave us, old-timers, at least a shred of dignity? We have lived for so long. Don''t you know, you should respect the elderly? Zhen Shi continued, "Now that time has come. I and brother Myne will destroy this fountain of piss and free us all.... you guys particularly, from your habit of drinking piss! What do you say???" and shouted. Despite their thoughts, the group of people including Carlos and Dolz found themselves shouting out in cheers of agreement. Zen Shi looked at Myne who was trying desperately not to laugh."Kid, you sure are interesting!" said Myne while holding his mouth. "Senior, let''s do this!" said Zhen Shi with no hint of a smile on his face as if he was completely serious. Myne shook his head and along with Zhen Shi walked closer to the fountain which was still calmly trickling out its eternal ''water'' without a care in the world, while the group of empowered cultivators happily made way for their saviors and started to cheer, blurting out obscenities against the ''anti-harem'' valley and its piss fountain. Ignoring this, Myne grabbed Zhen Shi and flew up into the air. Only cultivators who have reached the soul stage in cultivation can fly in the air unless your understanding of air aether reaches a very high level. Myne was already a nascent soul cultivator with more than sufficient understanding of the air aether. Hence he could obviously fly. They quickly reached the upper limit allowed by the valley trapping formation, Myne started to generate large amounts of nascent soul energy as bluish fire aether descended on to his outstretched hands while he used air aether to keep Zhen Shi afloat. Small amounts of air aether combined with the descended flames causing a terrifying brown flame to be born. At that moment Zhen Shi was suddenly inspired and understood a deeper principle of air aether. As such, he broke off the air used by Myne and flew in the air by air aether under his own control. Myne was greatly impressed but still said, "Clever kid, I hope you''re ready!" and slapped the bluish brown flame covered hands on to Zhen Shi''s back. BOOM! A loud explosion resounded as the sky above the ''anti-harem'' valley showed a terrifying mushroom-shaped cloud where Myne was. Zhen Shi was propelled down like a bullet with the gravity speeding him up further. Whilst falling, he quickly brought out the minor spatial tear sword and loaded it as an arrow into his divine bow. He had figured since Nascent Soul was not sufficient, he would gamble with methods to improve the power. Zhen Shi''s eyes glistened with madness! He fully activated at 100%, transforming into a blue-red demon with horns, wings and a tail, as if he was descending back into hell. He had decided to throw caution to the wind as he realized that he needed to go all out and gamble in order to escape from this place. RAAARRGGH! He let out a bestial roar, as he put his life on the line for this attack. He retracted his wings to form a more aerodynamic shape to speed himself up further. At the same time, his tail was rapidly used to whap on to air which Zhen Shi solidified to gain even more momentum. He further utilized the wind aether to completely remove the obstruction by air, fire aether to manifest as explosions behind him and earth aether to enhance gravity and speed up his descent. As a result, all that the cheering onlookers saw was a streak descending from the skies. Even Myne could only barely see Zhen Shi''s bestial form even though he could sense the use of three elemental aether. Simultaneously, Zhen Shi pulled back the spatial tear sword on the divine bow, with his enhanced physical strength causing the space to generate terrifying spatial waves at every moment of his descent. But even then, the space was very stable and remained untorn. Zhen Shi activated the maximum power of the divine bow he could manage. Just when his roar ended, he had arrived next to the fountain, which had continued to trickle on calmly. At the same time, the group of cheering cultivators and Myne were able to witness a truly terrifying but beautiful attack. Zhen Shi''s bestial roar accompanied by the groups'' cheers was the music, and the vertical streak adorned with the residual elemental energy and spatial waves was the painting. At point-blank, the minor spatial tear sword shot out from the divine bow radiating great danger, along with the momentum gained from Zhen Shi and Myne''s collective effort. In this instance the primordial chaos he had opted to not use the last time was finally used as well. The divine bow also added that formless energy to the shooting sword, allowing it to streak forwards at full force! And finally, the sword struck the tip of the fountain, BOOOM DOOM!! Chapter 13-An Interesting Duo BOOOOM DOOOM!! The sound of the explosion resounded all over the valley, which had become blurry and unstable under the effect of the primordial chaos and spatial tears. Under this attack with power bordering on the level of Soul Deification, the fountain had been heavily damaged. Cracks appeared on the surface of the fountain and a powerful but strange energy wafted out. As the spatial tear sword cracked apart and turned into dust, Zhen Shi found it very difficult to stop his momentum and prevent himself from falling into the waters of the fountain of everlasting life. Myne who had been watching from the side had been ready for such a situation, and so rushed to prevent Zhen Shi from falling in. Just as he grabbed on to Zhen Shi, that strange energy beat him to it, by latching on to Zhen Shi. Thus the energy indirectly caught Myne as well..... As space stabilized and the vision of the cheering cultivators'' was cleared what they could ''see'' was a lack of the two who had attacked, but a completely fine fountain still trickling out water as if nothing had happened. Ehhhh?? This..... Senior is this how you show us your ability? Is this how you said you''ll escape?? Why does it look like you were eviscerated by the fountain? "They seem to have left, but since that powerful senior promised, I''m sure they will come back to help us!" shouted out Carlos."Yes. The shame of having succumbed to drinking from the piss fountain. This hatred of ours against the anti-harem valley, as dubbed so by that... Uh... What was that senior''s name again??" asked Dolz. Another of the group, "OH! Didn''t he call himself ''this scholarly and handsome self''? It must be his Taoist name!" shouted out. Dolz immediately grew excited and exclaimed, "Yes! Our hatred against the Anti-Harem Valley as dubbed so by that Senior ''this scholarly and handsome self'' will never be sated. Everyone let''s work hard to cheer them on and curse this piss fountain. Let''s reach immortality under the Dao of harems!" Everyone agreed wholeheartedly and so continued to cheer and curse the fountain, still unsure why they were doing this. It was almost as if a strange was force was compelling them to do so. But still, the fountain continued to trickle its water without a care in the world. ?????? Ding! Congratulations to the user for greatly weakening the trapping formation center. The user has gained 70 OP. Zhen Shi didn''t pay much attention to this as he was observing their current location. It appeared that Zhen Shi and Myne were now trapped within a miniature space below the fountain of everlasting life. Although a miniature space, it seemed like a cavern with multiple tunnels twisting and turning everywhere. As for that strange energy, it had disappeared the moment they arrived in this place. Zhen Shi had already canceled so he was back to his usual self, but his shirt had been ripped apart due to the wings and thus was only wearing a pair of pants. Suddenly, Myne started to cackle wildly as his aura grew stronger by an entire major level, reaching Soul Deification!! Zhen Shi looked in amazement and asked, "Senior, you weren''t hiding your power this entire time, right?" Myne shook his head saying, "Haha, of course not. My real body is trapped here in this wretched place and only my soul was in the valley. That''s why none of my abilities are of a physical nature, and you had to step in. But now that my spiritual body is closer, my powers have naturally increased. I really must thank you! If it wasn''t for you, I would have forever been stuck as a spirit ." Zhen Shi gaped, "HAHA! Of course, I''m awesome. Wait, you''re the one being sealed under the fountain of everlasting piss? FUCK! I was just joking before... The water from the fountain isn''t your piss right?" and asked excitedly. Myne grimaced, "Boy, what nonsense are you speaking?" "Ah, forget it then. More importantly, since you are the one sealed, are you...that Merlin?" asked Zhen Shi excitedly. Myne was surprised for a moment, *sigh* "Merlin? Who is that? What part of my name don''t you get, kid? My name is MYNE!" and said sternly. EHHH? This guy is definitely Merlin! I''ll make him accept that role yet!! Zhen Shi shook his head, "Fine. Senior, any idea on how to escape, since you''re so ''familiar'' with this place." Myne nodded and said with a pained look on his face, "Follow me. I can sense my body and I believe the instigator of this entire event is still trapped here as well. But she seems to be unaware of our arrival for the moment." Zhen Shi stayed silent for a moment, but still asked, "Senior, this person... was she who sealed you?" He also had a vague idea regarding her identity. "It was a stupid mistake...." Myne murmured but silently continued forward. "Kid lets go," he said walking forward. "What? Is that a yes? ... C''mon, dude... I mean Senior, tell me!" and as such, they continued moving through the tunnels for several days, with Zhen Shi continuously asking Myne questions... Nearly a week after, Zhen Shi who had been bored to death was cursing this cavern mentally and sometimes aloud. But suddenly, AARGH! A Nascent Soul level giant earthworm appeared out of the walls roaring. Myne vaguely waved his hand causing it to drop dead. Zhen Shi looked at this with dead eyes... "Senior! NOO! What are you doing?..... Aiya, such a waste." shouted out Zhen Shi. Myne looked at him in surprise and asked, "What? Are you one of those crazy people shouting for demon beast rights?" Zhen Shi gawked, "Demon beast rights? There is really such a thing? Ahh, No----I mean you wasted all those valuable exp points!" "Exp points? What''s that? Can you eat it?" asked Myne. Zhen Shi shook his head and sorrowfully said, "No. It is more valuable than food! Aiya... Nevermind, my earthworm friend I hope you can become a butterfly in your next life..." Myne frowned, "Earthworms can become butterflies? Has the world changed so much?" and asked. "AH, HAHA!! Yes yes. The world truly changes with time. Senior we''ve wasted enough time shouldn''t we be on our way?" said Zhen Shi quickly and led the way forward. But he did momentarily stop to shamelessly pocket the demonic core of the earthworm... FUCK!! System, what''s with you? Messing up such simple Biology? Is this what I have taught you? System: ?(?Òæ??) Myne nodded obliviously and said, "We''re pretty close now, we''ll be there soon." They moved forwards and soon reached a wide and open cavern. It was completely silent besides the sound of water. This light trickling of water was unlike that of the valley and granted this place a peaceful atmosphere. A strange blue light emanating from nowhere lit up the cavern in a strange magical manner. At the center of the room, an old man was lying on the floor with his eyes closed and the rocks surrounding him were emanating a powerful force creating a formation. There was also a fountain floating immediately above him releasing an energy that was perpetually sealing him. The occasional drop of water from the fountain would fall onto that old man. Myne looked at this with sorrow and despair.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Fuck! Myne is that your physical body? I was really joking before. But now... Your piss is really the source of the fountain!! And it''s even falling back on you? I don''t know if I should feel sorrier for those piss drinking fellows outside or... You!!!" shouted out Zhen Shi laughing. Myne completely forgot his earlier feelings and was about to shoot back in retaliation and anger. But... he suddenly thought, ''I was in sorrow and despair a moment ago, but this little boy''s insults made me forget about it. He must''ve done so, just to make me feel better. *sigh* What a kind and good-hearted fellow he is.'' So with a grateful feeling in his heart, he smiled brightly at Zhen Shi. But Zhen Shi felt none of those kind feelings. He shivered mentally, as all he saw was a powerful senior smile at him after being insulted. FUCK! What is happening? Is this Senior Merlin, masochistic or something? I better not insult him ever again as it might cause his perverted tendencies to develop. Aiya....! I really must help this poor senior as much as possible in the future! So Zhen Shi lightly nodded at Myne with pity in his eyes. But Myne was happier and more satisfied now. He could see the pity in Zhen Shi''s eyes and took it as further evidence for his former conclusion and thought, ''I was right. This boy is truly empathetic about my feelings. We must be brothers from different mothers!'' But this confusion of feelings was left aside for the moment, as the peaceful trickle of water suddenly began to overflow here and there like a stormy sea. The water of the fountain flowed out congealing into a figure of a beautiful yet sadistic looking woman. Honestly, Zhen Shi couldn''t figure much about her appearance, after all, there is only so much you can say about a body of water! Still, she was giving out a terrifying aura. This was even strong than that of Myne''s. The notification above her read ''HIDDEN''. FUCK! Who is this powerful dominatrix? But Myne shouted out, "Vivienne, so you''re still here? All this time, you could''ve left if you just canceled the formation spell... Do you still hate me so much?" Zhen Shi looked at them in surprise and wondered, ''Fuck, it''s a legend that Merlin loved Vivienne and that she finally sealed him under the earth. But who would have thought their relationship would be like this... A masochist and a sadist, A truly interesting duo!!'' The angry and unhappy voice of Vivienne droned out along with the terrifying pressure, "Huh... It is you, old man. I was only trying to bring in the one who could damage the fountain! I threw your spirit outside but you still came back? Are you that desperate?" Her crazy eyes landed on Zhen Shi for a moment, "And this is the one who attacked my fountain?" AHH! So it was a woman''s ''fountain''. I guess those piss drinkers outside and this old man can die with some semblance of pride now. The two continued their argument oblivious to his thoughts. "Vivienne, leave my brother out of this. But, tell me... All those years we spent together, did it mean nothing to you? I didn''t see through you at first, all my spells showed you truly cared for me. But later, I foresaw that you would betray me. Still, I kept hoping that... just maybe..... I could change how you felt. But alas, you led me here on that moonlit night. And I taught you that spell out of pity but in the end, you sealed me in the earth using it, forcing me to look on as my friends and comrades died. It even trapped so many other innocent people here as well." "So what if I did, Old man? You broke my heart by having another affair and I changed your spell so that it will only affect those unfaithful men. I could get my revenge and your powerful spell, two birds from one stone. But that day, you actually retaliated back, leaving me in this... miserable state!" she shouted out in anger. She gathered a terrifying intent of water law around her. She continued speaking, "And knowing that my power would return, you killed all the powerful cultivators who drank from the fountain, greatly reducing my chances of escaping!" Merlin sighed, "Vivienne, that affair with her..... was not what you thought! As for killing those idiots, after your betrayal, did you truly expect me to just accept it! But now that we''ve lived for so long.... fine, if this is meant to be a tragedy, let it be so. I''ll leave my life in your hands." and lowered his head in despair. Zhen Shi, who had been watching them talk finally shouted out in anger, "Water Lady, are you fucking crazy? Your actions have destroyed the hope of harems in all those innocent men! And now you''re actually blaming the final self-defense of a man who trusted you? If he is an old man to you, aren''t you an old hag to me? And more importantly, this handsome and scholarly self has never been unfaithful but was still trapped in your piss valley!" Vivienne paused for a moment with a hint of sorrow and confusion in her eyes but it disappeared instantly replaced with anger. Seeing her eyes, Merlin grew even more sorrowful."I do not agree with your views boy. But it is indeed true that you have not been unfaithful. Wait..... it seems like you haven''t even had the chance to be faithful yet? Still... you have chaos within you which must have messed up the formation spell. Blame your bad luck for ending up here without even getting the chance to be unfaithful," she said in her maddened and sadistic voice. FUCK! I forgot that this Zhen Shi is still a virgin. So embarrassing... ?????¡á? System, this is all your fault! System: "....." "Hmpf, Water lady, That must be why you have stopped cultivating after reaching your level. Sacrifices must be made to reach the heavens! Don''t you even get that?" asked Zhen Shi making it up, through gritted teeth. He was mad but realizing that in the end, he wouldn''t be able to even lay a scratch on Vivienne by himself, he spoke, "Hey Merlin, are you truly gonna lower your head like a coward? C''mon get your revenge and beat her up!" But Myne sorrowfully shook his head, seemingly at the depths of despair. FUCK! Is this guy hoping to get her pity by doing this? If this continues we''ll both be killed. But suddenly Zhen Shi''s eyes flashed as he came up with an idea! "Senior Merlin, don''t you think that the fact that your spells initially didn''t show her betrayal is strange? Also, I believe you saw the shift in her emotions just a moment ago. I''m confident that some strange spell must''ve been cast on her!" said Zhen Shi mentally to Myne. Generally, cultivators must reach the soul stage for mental conversation but Zhen Shi had a more powerful soul due to the strengthening by primordial chaos and purification by the vermillion flame. And with every one of his words, the despair in Myne''s face slowly disappeared. "But, since this spell lasted so long and because even you couldn''t figure it out, it must be very powerful. I think we''ll only be able to cancel it if we defeat her!" said Zhen Shi. Myne who was completely out of the depths of sorrow now grinned with hope. In addition, he was extremely confident of this junior brother''s kindness and empathetic nature now. "Kid, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart. From now on you are my brother, till death do us part!!" shouted out Myne. "Also who is this Merlin? I''m Myne!" Zhen Shi shook his head but grinned as well. Ding! Congratulations to the user for earning 50 OP. His smile widened with the gaining of the reward. However.....This entire time he had been..... bullshitting. He had had his suspicions regarding the event but nothing was concrete facts. Still, he had always felt unhappy with the way Merlin had met his end in legend. So he decided to go all out on this bet rather than waiting for Vivienne to kill them off. And as a bonus.... the Great Mage Merlin had become his sworn brother!! Focusing at reality Myne frowned and said, "Brother, my power is barely at the Soul Deification level right now. But Vivienne is directly using aquatic law; she is Holding the Law and at the Law Holder stage! Thus I''ll need you to stop her with that method of yours, so I can get to my physical body." "Huh? Old man, are you underestimating me? That eyesore of a body, If I had been able to destroy it, I would have done so long ago! But, I''d love to see your pathetic abilities now that my power exceeds yours!" shouted out Vivienne as she crossed her hands on her chest and watched confidently. Ignoring her, Zhen Shi grimaced at what he''ll have to do and said, "Fine. I hope you won''t be too mad, Brother Myne," and walked forwards. "Hmm...? Why would I be mad? Just do it!" said Myne confidently. He looked on confidently as Zhen Shi switched to the familiar form bestial form of as scales covered his body along with the formation of draconic tail and vermillion wings, giving him the familiar bluish-red bestial form. He continued to watch as the bestial Zhen Shi flapped his wings and rose to Vivienne''s level. But his confidence completely disappeared and his eye twitched, ?_? as Zhen Shi lowered his pants and revealed himself to Vivienne. "Shaming the Heavens!!" shouted Zhen Shi shamelessly. Vivienne looked on in surprise as she was completely frozen in place under the full effect of Gold Tier . But Myne could only see Zhen Shi''s winged back. FUCK!! Brother what are you showing my innocent lover?? And why is she so entranced? What? Is he a ''DRAGON'' amongst men, now that it is covered in DRAGON SCALES?? MOTHERFUCKER, we''re not friends any longer!! Chapter 14-Descent of the Dragon God Still, despite how unhappy he was Myne wasn''t going to throw away this opportunity. He dashed forwards disregarding the distracted Vivienne and reached his body. Just as he touched the body, he glowed with a bright blue light and disappeared. Ding! Target Cultivator has broken free of Vivienne was flabbergasted as she looked at Zhen Shi and said, "Boy, wha-what was that shameless skill? " She turned to look at Myne''s body, "Fuck. The old man will awaken soon and I can do nothing to stop him." ''Still, he seemed to be interested in this boy, so I could use him as a bargaining chip. I''ll capture him and we could even have some ''fun'' together!!'' Vivienne smiled at Zhen Shi while thinking so. Zhen Shi felt a chill run up his spine as he saw this sadistic woman smile at him. SHIET. Why do both of them smile after being acted against?? Those two really are birds of the same feather!! But realizing that Myne will need some time, he immediately brought out the divine bow. He loaded an arrow and pulled it back with the full strength of the body. He utilized the maximum power of the primordial chaos, along with his newly improved wind aether to create three manifestations of himself, this was the best he could manage at the moment. His original self used the divine bow while the other two attacked with the ordinary bow and A terrifying rain of arrows and black fire hailed on to Vivienne''s body. But she simply smiled as she took no action to block. The attacks hit her body and passed right through leaving only ripples on her body. Only the arrow from the divine bow caused that part of her body to explode. But even that grew back. It was like attacking a body of water. She laughed now saying, "Boy... That tickles. " FUCK! Is this the legendary indestructible body type? Zhen Shi was about to use again when suddenly the air around him became denser like water, attempting to restrict his movement. At the same time, Vivienne suddenly appeared in front of him. This was a form of teleportation! "Boy, you were pathetic. Now, see how it is to be on the receiving end!" she said. Now that she had taken the initiative, she was simply too fast. With a terrifying law of water coalescing around her, she struck out with her fist. Zhen Shi felt that this fist was unstoppable and impossible to dodge. But, with his physique trained in liquidized diamond, he could neglect the water like air restricting his movement to a certain extent. So he utilized all the elemental spiritual roots and combined their aether to grant him an instantaneous burst of energy. With his bestial body, he was fully capable of handling this sudden torrent of energy. As such just as the punch landed on his face, he pulled back his head just so that the force of the attack would be greatly reduced. Simultaneously he struck out with the bow, blindly applying the principles of . There was no way in hell, that he''d let himself be hit without retaliating! But just as he felt the divine bow come into contact with the target, Pu! Zhen Shi spat out a mouthful of blood as he was sent hurtling backward. He crashed into the stone wall causing his outstretched wings to take the brunt of the force. Crack! His bones had been heavily damaged under the attack and the qi in his dantian was growing unstable. His entire body was covered in blood. Still, he rapidly exerted the Vermillion Soul and bloodline to full effect, which greatly reduced the pain and began to heal his wounds visibly. With the vermillion fire burning over his body, he slowly opened his eyes to be greeted with a vision which made him smile. On the other side of the cavern, Vivienne had similarly been thrown back and had hit the stone walls. But, she quickly got back up with a growing scowl on her face. Although she had not received much damage she had still been thrown backward. After all the divine bow had been made from some of the best divine materials accumulated by Hephaestus. "FUCK! Little boy, that hurt a lot more than expected. What on earth is your bow made out of?" she shouted in anger. Zhen Shi just smiled as he slowly brought himself up. He had to exert both the dragon and bird bloodlines at maximum to be able to move again. With blood slowly seeping from his body, the ever-burning Vermillion flame and his devilish bluish-red draconic body his smile looked like that of a demon. Seeing this, Vivienne''s eyes momentarily gaped in a mixture of slight fear and confusion. She hadn''t felt it too clearly before but now she definitely did. "You... How do you have bloodlines of both the Azure Dragon and Vermillion Bird? They are polar opposites and would never coexist... " said Vivienne with confusion on her sadistic face. But noting that Myne would wake up momentarily she decided to throw her thoughts to the back of her mind and attack immediately. She refused to believe that this core formation kid could survive her law holding attack for a second time, even with that strange bestial body. And in fact, it would be extremely difficult for Zhen Shi to survive a second hit. He had already understood Vivienne''s decision to attack fast to make it difficult for him to use . So he decided to do the only thing he could to gain time. Pretend to be tough! "FUCK! Water Lady, you''ve pushed me this far. I''ll sacrifice my life for this attack. So let us die together!" shouted out Zhen Shi with an ''unbending'' resoluteness in his eyes. He had previously shrunk the bow to fit in his palms, and so with his palms held together in front of him, he shouted out, "O GREAT GOD OF ALL DRAGONS, SHENRON! I SUMMON YOU!" Simultaneously, he used the full force of the dragon blood in his body to create the vague figure of a mighty green dragon with dark red eyes and a golden yellow aura. To do this Zhen Shi had to use up a large amount of Qi while complementing the dragon spirit with the opposing energy of the Vermillion Bird. SHENRON? Why have I never heard of such a Dragon God? Legends do speak of a dragon god named Shen Long. Maybe they are related? Thinking so, Vivienne paused momentarily in suspicion at Zhen Shi''s strange words, but still slowly moved forward, ready to attack the moment she saw Zhen Shi trying to use that shameless skill of his. Seeing her actions Zhen Shi decided to bet everything on his final hope. He moved into a horse-stance like position and brought his two arms back with them holding each other. "KAA--," he shouted slowly releasing the divine aura in the bow as if charging an attack. This time Vivienne felt a hint of fear in her heart as she sensed a godly aura that could even cause her trouble. "--MEE HAA MEEE--," shouted out Zhen Shi while continuously increasing the divine aura. This aura combined with the dragon figure and miraculously created the illusion of a true divine dragon! Zhen Shi was elated at this coincidence while Vivienne had completely paused in fear at this moment. She dared not disturb him as she feared the repercussions of such a ''powerful'' spell at a close range, and thus waited patiently from a distance. "--HAA," Zhen Shi finished his shouting as he pushed his hands forward in ''attack'' and completely let out the divine aura as a concentrated light beam targeted at Vivienne. As luck would have it, the manifestation of the divine dragon coiled around this light beam and moved forwards while letting out a terrifying roar! Feeling the terrifying aura of the attack and the manifestation of the roaring divine dragon charging at her, this time Vivienne decided to take no chances. She immediately switched into a defensive posture and merged terrifying amounts of water law to form a figure of a beautiful lady wielding a sword and a shield in front of her. This was her current strongest defense; the Lady of the Lake. It could even handle the attack of an early stage Law Wielder! At the same time, the terrifying divine dragon crashed into the shield. But the terrifying explosion she expected did not arrive. A silent hissing sound as if a balloon was losing air could be heard. Vivienne''s eyes gawked, Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ?_? as the ''terrifying divine dragon'' lost all of its majesty in front of her defense and popped like a balloon. After all, it was merely aura and was just a paper tiger. Vivienne started to shout out in anger, "FUCK! Honourless boy, what was that attack? Is that powerless poof, what your life is worth--?" but immediately stopped as she realized that she had been tricked. She attempted to move forward to stop Zhen Shi, but... it was too late!! Zhen Shi had already risen into the air when Vivienne was defending. And with the last of his will, he dropped his pants for the second time. "Shaming the Heavens!!" and... Vivienne was frozen in surprise, again. Zhen Shi was quite happy with himself and was fairly sure that Myne would wake up soon. He was relishing in his victory but... he was suddenly attacked from behind!! FUCK! When did that piss lady get behind me? Zhen Shi was sent hurtling to the ground and he crashed painfully once again. Although he was attacked, this time surprisingly he had not received much damage. He had also healed himself quite well with the Vermillion Flame. Thinking that Vivienne''s attack failed, he laughed out loud with great confidence! "HAHA---," but he stopped midway as he turned around to see his attacker... It was the now old aged Myne with a confused look on his face. Myne had finally awoken with his full power in his old body but what awaited him was the same scene he had to witness when he left. His lover being entranced by his brother... So in a bad mood, he had attacked Zhen Shi to get him to stop. But instead of shouting at him in anger... his sworn brother had... laughed!! Myne was initially confused, but later had a look of pity in his eyes. Could it be.....? That my sworn brother enjoys being hit? Is that why he is covered in blood as well? Ahh... I shouldn''t have hit him and made things worse. He was only helping me after all... As such, "Ahh, I''m sorry Brother. I truly am..." said Myne with a look of guilt on his old face. This young brother of mine, he is so kind-hearted and yet has such a side to him... I must make sure to not edge him on any further! Seeing his guilty and old face Zhen Shi nodded, feeling that Myne had just woken up and had lost control. He too was thinking, This Great Mage of mine is so powerful and yet has a masochistic side to him. I truly can''t be too mad at him! And with great feelings of comradery and confused feelings of pity, they looked at each other and smiled. "Brother Merlin you''re finally awake! I almost died at the hands of this wife of yours!" said Zhen Shi. Myne frantically shook his head and said, "Oi, don''t forget that the name''s Myne! Still, I knew that a brother of mine could survive." Then they turned to look at Vivienne who was grimacing and frowning at this pair of brothers. "Old man, you and that boy are truly peas of a pod. You''re both as shameless as the other," she muttered while again manifesting the figure of that lady wielding the sword and the shield. "Well, our battle was inevitable. While our strength has deteriorated over the years, unlike you I have a complete body. Thus it is only natural that I have improved my abilities. So let us fight until your eventual defeat," she shouted out while sending the lady of the lake forward in attack. Myne sighed helplessly, "Very well, Vivienne, let me defeat you and free you from the spell you are under!" and sent forth a terrifying law that formed into an hourglass, easily fending off the attack from the Lady of the Lake. Zhen Shi looked on with great interest and moved forward to help out Myne with his ''godly'' skill. Although formerly embarrassed with using it, he had gotten quite thick-skinned with continuous use. Myne hurriedly turned towards him and said, "Brother what are you doing? Stay back....." But realizing that Zhen Shi had planned to use that skill of his Myne shouted out with great fervor, "Hey, hey! Don''t use that skill anymore. I can take care of this myself. Please..." Zhen Shi was initially confused but soon realized the matter. Ahh! So even this masochistic grand mage doesn''t like to become a cuckold! Yes, I should leave my brother his pride. And thinking so he moved back. Myne nodded in relief and continued his battle. "Vivienne, I was the one who taught you magic. Do you really think that now with my natural body while holding law, I can''t take care of you?" shouted out Myne with great confidence. He manifested thousands of hourglasses and clocks and sent them forward in attack. "Old man, you--- I''ll kill you, I''ll slaughter you!!" shouted out Vivienne while manifesting countless aquatic soldiers herself. But the hourglasses surrounded all the manifestations of water along with Vivienne and began to rotate periodically, leaving strange mesmerizing shadows and patterns. Amazingly, Vivienne was completely frozen in place unable to move. This was an abstruse law...the law of time! Next, Myne waved his hand causing the clocks to strike with great power onto Vivienne''s defenseless body. Bang! Bang! Bang! With each attack, her indestructible body wavered and shook. Suddenly a strange knot of energy appeared connecting Vivienne and the fountain of youth which was now churning furiously. But under Myne''s continuous attacks, this knot finally shattered into countless specks of light. Finally freed from the fountain, Vivienne''s aquatic form disappeared into specks of water, revealing a beautiful lady dressed in a shimmering silvery-white gown. Her eyes were as deep as the sea and her hair was falling on to her shoulder in curls of ocean blue. But her face was a confusing kaleidoscope of feelings as it switched between anger, confusion, sorrow, and grief. Realizing that whatever spell was effecting Vivienne had now weakened, Myne looked at her with pained eyes, wanting to say a million words but unable to... "I...I''m sorry" he finally said. Hearing this Vivienne''s face which had been previously full of confusion paused with a calm look. Vivienne looked at him with a slight smile, "Hush. It was never your fault... I realize that now....." She sighed, "That day... I should have only been suspicious. My actions back then were obviously an over-reaction. Only now do I realize, that my stepmother had been gradually corrupting me with a divine curse. Even you the great mage Merl--Myne, couldn''t have sensed the minute changes under the gradual exposure to a divine curse." SHIET! My bullshit was actually correct!! HAHA, this is what it means to be a true SCHOLAR. System you should learn from yours truly!! System: "...." Still, Zhen Shi listened to this tragedy in silence. He knew that divine curses were the polar opposite of divine blessings. They were a one strike attack that could be used by clans and kingdoms with divine totems of a patron god. The more powerful the divine curse the longer it would take to obtain it. But when used they bring out the terrifying intent of gods which simply cannot be blocked by non-divinities. Even the famed Sovereigns would be in trouble when facing a powerful divine curse. Vivienne coughed and collapsed on to the floor but Myne immediately went and caught her. Vivienne smiled again, "Myne---That name, it suits you," and continued with her tale, "It seems that my mother Diana had positioned me in your kingdom''s court for the express purpose of weakening your king. When she learned of our relationship, she had begun to use the divine curse to slowly plant seeds of doubt in my heart regarding us. And finally led me to seal you here with your own spell... I''m sorry. If only I had believed in you... maybe I could have fought off the divine curse.." Myne''s old eyes glistened with tears, "No, no... it was never your fault. I too am to blame. Always believing you had simply betrayed me..." But he didn''t get to say much further, as Vivienne now hurriedly freed herself from Myne and shouted out, "Fuck you, old man! You betrayed me. I''ll kill you!" She gathered some law and punched out.....but her fist lost that energy almost immediately, as she collapsed on to Merlin''s lap. Myne looked at her with sorrow and whispered, "Brother, Vivienne is still being influenced by the divine curse. I believe I have a chance of healing her. But I will have to give up my Law of time. My cultivation will be damaged--- But for her, I''m willing to do so. I hope you can look over us while I heal her. And if we fail I hope you can be there to witness our final moments." Zhen Shi frowned. He didn''t want his ''grand mage'' to die. No matter what, he had enjoyed his time with Myne and had no wish to say goodbye so soon. As such, "Brother Myne can you spare me a moment? I might be able to help you out," said Zhen Shi. Myne was surprised but nodded with great satisfaction regards this brother of his. Zhen Shi checked his status and noted, Otaku Points: 155. This was his highest collection of OP yet. "System how much for the random divine boon? " he asked. Ding! A random divine boon is set at the general price of 100 OP. "Alright, System how much more if I want to specify something. As in something or anything that could heal Vivienne or increase their chances of survival?" Ding! The user can add that as a single requirement to the random divine boon for 50 OP. "YES! System do that. Grant me a divine boon with that requirement," Zhen Shi shouted out mentally. Ding! Divine boon gained. Once again that familiar piece of white paper appeared. But this only said, ~IOU~ Zhen Shi paid no heed to it as he immediately said, "System use it up." The piece of paper disappeared. Zhen Shi was worried that this divine boon too would take a long time but he was worrying for no reason. This was because the divine boon arrived almost immediately. As such, he immediately accepted the system''s notification confirming the arrival of his divine boon. But, a multi-colored and square-shaped object appeared within Zhen Shi''s vision causing his face to gawk. He had been hoping to surprise Myne with a godly healing pill or unbelievable skill. But now.... he felt like flipping a table....scratch that, he wanted to flip two tables!!! ©ß©¥©ß ¦à©c(`§¥¡ä)?¦à ©ß©¥©ß FUCK! Zhen Shi once again looked at the item he had received, just to make sure his eyes weren''t being deceived. This item was.... one of those old fashioned and bulky Boom Boxes! To make things worse it was one of those multi-colored eye-blinding old ones. SHIET!! System, what am I supposed to do with this? Am I supposed to heal Vivienne with a mix-tape of godly music? Or am I supposed to let them dance at the last moments of their life? Ding! Congratulations to the user for obtaining a DIVINE BOOMBOX! Chapter 15-Our Revolution Leader... ?????????? In the divine realm, there was a bearded old man blind in one eye. He was wearing a broad hat and a dark brown cloak. His attention was completely focused on a table full of various oddities and trinkets. Accompanying him were a pair of dormant wolves each with a crow resting on their heads. Despite his shabby appearance, this old man emanated an unbeatable presence. One of the crows lazily stood up from its position of rest. The old man turned around and asked, "Huginn, has anything interesting happened in the divine realm since last I checked?" The crow nodded and spoke as well, "Yes, there are rumors of a new god that has ascended. Apparently he had Hephaestus make him a divine weapon which he has dubbed, ''the best creation in the countless millennia of blacksmithing''." "Oh! So a new junior has ascended? For even that kid Hephaestus to be so proud of his weapon, I wonder how it matches up with my Gungnir? I suppose I should pay him a visit and grant him some congratulatory gifts. Huginn where is this junior now?" said the old man with a spark in his one eye. The crow Huginn spoke out unhappily, "This..... Lord, I have checked the entire divine realm and even with brother Munnin''s help, we were unable to find him. But we have learned that his Daoist name is ''this handsome and scholarly self'' and that he had contacted Hephaestus via a piece of divine paper. On this paper, it was written...." but stopped immediately as a familiar mystical paper appeared within the room. On it, one could see the words ~IOU~. ''Oh? That junior has decided to contact this old lord himself? The younger generation is truly praiseworthy'', thought the one-eyed old man. But to his surprise, the paper shone a brilliant white light on to his table full of strange items and disappeared immediately with one of them in tow. The old man''s one working eye twitched, ?_?. He roared out in anger, "What handsome and scholarly? He is nothing but a mere thief! He dared to steal from my collection of divine treasures! If I let this go the other gods will think that I, ODIN is a pushover!" But he immediately calmed down and spoke, "Huginn go out with Munnin and personally use every method possible and search for him." Next, he turned to the now awoken wolves, "Geri, Freki have the Valkyrie corps put out a bounty for him and inform this matter to my useless sons as well." As the crows and wolves moved out to carry out his orders, Odin turned to the skies, ''Junior thief let''s see how you handle this, but that white paper and its aura... Interesting...'' and smiled calmly with one excited eye. ?????????? Zhen Shi oblivious to this, was hard at work trying to comprehend a way to help Myne with this ''divine boombox'' of his. Completely stupefied he turned to his only hope, the System! Ding! Divine Boombox: The latest technology in music. An item personally crafted and worked on by the All-seeing God Odin. It can be used to play various types of music tapes putting divine musicians such as Orpheus to shame. It also comes with additional features. [The user is truly fortunate to have received a divine boon from such a high tier god.] Shiet! What latest technology? If so where is the Bluetooth functionality? And why is to so huge and bulky like a large rock? Still, Zhen Shi was rather satisfied with this random divine boon. After all, it was an item from Odin and he also had an idea of how to use it to help Myne. As such he turned to him, "Brother Myne while you conduct the ritual I will put on some music for you. It will be of great use." Myne was momentarily flabbergasted but was greatly impressed. Help him with music? Was this brother of his, a cultivator of the dao of music as well? But his impression was immediately broken as Zhen Shi brought out a multi-colored eye-blinding huge block. Fuck! Brother, will you blind me with this monstrosity so much, that I''ll become deaf and unable to listen to your music? Myne was full of disbelief. Indeed, although a divine item the boom box gave off no special aura. Still, Myne decided to go on with the ritual as he thought that his brother had felt powerless and had wanted to do something to help out. But he couldn''t help but feel a hint of displeasure in his heart, as he thought that this item might hinder his chances of success. Still, he nodded at Zhen Shi and summoned a terrifying law of time which manifested as a shadow of a clock face, a faint blue flame was burning on it. The space around Myne started to twist and churn occasionally showing the past and future. Even with the Vermillion Dragon body, Zhen Shi had to retreat quite a bit under the effect of this law. After retreating, he placed the divine boombox on the floor and let the music play. He had decided on some Chinese instrumental music with the effect of calming the mind and improving concentration. As the divine nature inherent to the boom box was mixed in with the amazing sound of the flute, lute, and zither, a gentle sound akin to the sounds of nature slowly spread. This music appeared to be able to penetrate into one''s mind bit by bit and settle in the deepest part of one''s soul. Myne who had been beginning his law sacrifice was immediately spellbound by this amazing music. His worried eyes could not help but slowly shut when this melodious music was heard. His originally tensed body had also completely relaxed. His mind was free of unscrupulous thought as he brought out all the time law he could manage. But just as he was about to begin the sacrifice... Vivienne who had lost consciousness stirred and slowly woke under the effect of this melodious music. She was initially worried and wanted to prevent Myne from his actions. But under the effect of divine music, her mind was extremely clear. Immediately realizing Myne''s feelings she decided against stopping him and instead to support him. Thus, she too summoned every bit of water law she could. But, amazingly this water and time law entwined with each other forming a mesmerizing dual law! The colorless time law and bright blue water law formed a beautiful combination... Myne was initially reluctant to have Vivienne support him, but soon his face broke out in a light smile. Vivienne smiled as well... At this moment under the effect of heavenly music, their minds were free of sorrow and regret regarding the past. Then they began the law sacrifice. A terrifying dark black eery energy appeared which began to greedily absorb their law. Under its effect, the entwined dual law disappeared along with the eery energy. The law was sacrificed! Just as the law sacrifice was finished a golden law shone upon Vivienne''s body causing a dark miasmic aura; the remnant divine curse, to arise from Vivienne''s body and vaporize into the air. Surprisingly, by the time the divine curse was completely removed, Myne and Vivienne both had grown younger and stopped at an age of around mid-30. Although the law sacrifice was successful, both Myne and Vivienne felt a great feeling of sorrow as if something inherent to them was lost. But once they looked at each other, their hearts were once again filled with hope and satisfaction. As for Zhen Shi, after starting the music, he had returned to his normal human self wearing only a pair of pants. But now, he who had been looking on in great satisfaction was dumbfounded. As the owner of the divine item, he could sense the changes the music brought about in the duo. However, all he heard was normal music. It was almost as if the divine aura had no effect on him... HAHA! Of course, the unrefined sounds of a mere boom box cannot cause such changes to the mind of this handsome and scholarly self. I suppose it only affects the minds of those who have not listened to the greatest music. System I''m sure you fall into that category... System: ?_? Zhen Shi looked at this lovey-dovey pair of Myne and Vivienne. He was quite satisfied with the happy ending this couple had gotten despite the legends he knew. The notifications above their heads still read ''HIDDEN''. Ding! Congratulations! The user has had sufficient exposure to strong individuals. As such Level Vision(Minor) has evolved into Level Vision(Major). Zhen Shi was elated. HAHA! This must be a congratulatory gift from the heavens for preventing their tragedy from ever happening.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Now the notifications above their heads read (Soul Deified) Nascent Soul Stage Level 5 and 6. This strange title confused Zhen Shi but he forgot it for the moment. He coughed loudly, instantly breaking the reverie of the couple and said, "Seniors, you should get yourselves a room," while smiling happily. Immediately the now younger looking Myne and Vivienne separated in embarrassment. But Myne smiled at Zhen Shi and said, "Brother of mine, that music of yours is truly divine. If it wasn''t for that, I wouldn''t know whether we could have survived! I am truly thankful!" At the same time Myne noted deep in his heart to never forget the generosity this brother had shown him. Zhen Shi grinned proudly, "It''s nothing much. We''re brothers after all aren''t we Merlin?" Myne scowled, "Who the hell is this Merlin? I AM MYNE," but he stopped as a sudden realization hit him. Thus he said, "This... we have already become brothers, but I''m afraid I don''t even know your name?" Zhen Shi grimaced. FUCK! That is indeed true! I didn''t say and he never asked! "Haha, yes... Well, this handsome and scholarly self is Zhen Shi! Don''t you ever forget it!" said Zhen Shi while laughing uncomfortably. With the intention of changing the topic, he turned to Vivienne and said, "But you have to admit Brother Myne, this Sister-in-law of yours is really pretty!" Vivienne smiled with a light red face, "Oh? Brother Zhen Shi but weren''t you shouting out water lady this and piss lady that before, at this big sister of yours?" and said with a playful scowl. Zhen Shi rubbed his head speechless and embarrassed. For the first time, he was truly without words... Because what she said was indeed the truth! Being speechless is such an uncomfortable feeling... Myne who was watching this conversation was slightly displeased. He was fairly okay with this brother of his using that shameless skill, although he was greatly depressed at Vivienne''s reaction to it. But seeing these two act like they were flirting... he couldn''t help but think... This brother Zhen Shi is a kind-hearted soul, troubled with that problem of enjoying being hit. Perhaps he also suffers from a desire to be cuckolded? Still, since he was unhappy he interceded in their conversation, "Brother Zhen Shi, Vivienne we''ve spent a lot of time here. Let''s leave this damned cavern!" and said. Zhen Shi looked at him with thankful eyes and thought, This Grand Mage brother, although suffering from masochistic desires is truly understanding of my feelings. He saved me from that uncomfortable situation of being speechless... But again Myne noted this look and took it as confirmation. Aiya! Then this brother of mine really does seem to suffer from such an ailment as well. He seems so thankful for my help! Vivienne for the first time noted something strange in their looks at each other. But she ignored it and laughed happily. She too was thankful for this brother Zhen Shi''s help and thus said, "Let''s leave. This place is indeed stuffy." But Zhen Shi stopped them, "Wait wait! How is your cultivation now? It feels rather confusing to me.." and said. Myne and Vivienne looked at each other, "Well... We''ve lost our chances of ever completely comprehending the laws of time and water again unless a miracle happens. While our cultivation has fallen to the nascent soul level, our souls remain deified. Thus we are quite capable of handling ordinary soul deification cultivators." They held hands and smiled, "And the sacrifice of the time law had a surprising side effect of giving us the bodies of our middle-aged selves. You could say that our chances of reaching the Law stage with the same Law and reaching our peak once again will be next to impossible. In other words, we''ll have to start from scratch... " Myne turned his head to Vivienne and sent mentally, "Vivienne, this time we can make sure that we don''t make the same mistakes we did last time! This is a second chance!" Vivienne smiled as she nodded in reply. Zhen Shi nodded, ignorant of their conversation, and said, "Hey, you should be happy. After all, I am still at the core formation stage!" and said laughing. Myne and Vivienne paused for a moment but joined in the laughter soon after. Now completely free from worries they set back on their journey to the surface. However, it was a pitifully short journey. This was because Vivienne utilized her connection to the valley to destroy the fountain completely, sending them immediately to the surface. ???????????? Back on the surface, the group of cultivators who had decided to pursue the dao of harems was still energetically cursing the valley and the piss fountain while cheering for Zhen Shi and Myne. Over time the senior who had promised to help them had transformed into something more... the creator of a revolution In fact, Carlos who was apparently skilled in the art of scrying had later used the fountain and the water sprayed from it to look at what that senior and Myne were doing. What had awaited them was the vision of a terrifying battle taking place between a water lady and Zhen Shi. Out of good or bad fortune, these cultivators never saw Myne''s sorrowful conversation with Vivienne. All they saw was the fountain lady fighting an awe-inspiring battle with a draconic and demonic Zhen Shi. It wasn''t that Carlos was a genius in the art of scrying. Simply put the medium he used was the fountain itself which was linked with the events in the cavern below. Thus while they could scry, every time Vivienne received damage or made powerful moves they lost signal. Thus the last thing they saw was Zhen Shi utilize a terrifying light beam with a divine green dragon coiling around it. This led to great displeasure among the group and multiple curses at Carlos. Nevertheless, the fact that their revolution leader was fighting the manifestation of the piss fountain filled them with great ardor and satisfaction. They were greatly worried regarding the outcome of the fight but had ultimately decided to give up worrying and continue cheering. As such, some were dancing, and some were singing, as they all showed their support to their revolution leader, that handsome and scholarly self! But... suddenly that accursed fountain exploded in a mist of fog and smoke. Finally, that fountain that had trickled water ever so peacefully was eternally silenced. Moments later, the group of cultivators looked on in awe as the mist cleared revealing the familiar figures of their revolution leader and Myne accompanied by a beautiful black haired lady, who was also strangely familiar. Immediately they started to cheer in happiness. Carlos was laughing out loud as he said, "The leader of the harem revolution has finally arrived to free us from this piss valley just as he promised. Those of us who lost faith should be ashamed. Our revolution leader must have beaten that piss lady! Now, our days of drinking piss are over!" All the others reciprocated his feelings. Hearing their shouts, Vivienne glanced at Zhen Shi meaningfully. Her look said it all. ''Little Brother, we''ll handle this later.....'' Still, she and Myne smiled in amusement at this strange scene that had awaited them. But, Zhen Shi was flabbergasted (???) FUCK! I was just playing around then. When did this turn in to a revolution? Could I be so unbelievably charismatic, to start revolutions with a single speech? SHIET. Either way, my reputation will be destroyed if my name is associated with these fools. I must make sure they never find out... As such," Big sister Vivienne you should release the control over the valley. These pitiful fellows have been here for such a long time now," said Zhen Shi. Vivienne looked at him with a playful smirk, "Pitiful? But aren''t they full of energy now?" still she nodded, "I suppose you are right... But those bastards who have become frozen and unable to move will probably lose some of their cultivation," and waved her hand. The mist slowly cleared finally revealing the valley within the chasm. Seeing this mist that had trapped them for so long disappear, the group of cultivators who were cheering started to shout out in ecstasy. They had lost all hope for so long, but this senior had given it back. They started to kowtow at the floating trio while crying tears of joy. Some thanked the gods but most were thanking the harem revolution leader, ''this handsome and scholarly self''. Having finally gained freedom and with their revolution leader so close, all of them wanted to express their thanks and provide him with gifts. After all, there were quite a large number of cultivators here and they would definitely have many valuables. Ding! Congratulations to the user for earning 50 OP! But Zhen Shi cared nothing for the points or riches from the cultivator group, as he wanted nothing to do with this fiasco. So he immediately dashed off into the Berthelien forest and disappeared among the tall coniferous trees. Vivienne and Myne looked at each other and laughed, momentarily before dashing after him. The group of cultivators was stupefied and discouraged. NOOOO. Our revolution leader! How can you leave just like that? How can we repay our debt? Our revolution was just starting... Seeing their faces, Dolz shouted out proudly, "You bunch of idiots. Don''t you even understand our revolution leader''s feelings? Isn''t it obvious that it was his great character and humility that led him to hurry away?" Now having grabbed their attention, Dolz the fat middle-aged man strutted out like a proud peacock and continued, "Our revolution leader is such an amazing individual. He completely kept his promise of helping us escape. But, it is impossible to destroy this valley which was against our ideals and have such a blood boiling battle with that piss lady, with cultivation at the core formation stage. Even then we could feel his amazing majesty and awe-inspiring character. As such, I wouldn''t be surprised if he was even an Immortal posing as a weakling." Immediately one shouted out in defiance, "Isn''t that pretty shameless though?" Dolz stared at him in anger, "You fool! Our revolution leader''s every action is full of life lessons. Posing as a weakling is his lesson to us to never be proud and show off one''s power unnecessarily. After all, power can be lost at any time," and said. That cultivator lowered his head in shame as the others nodded in agreement. Dolz continued proudly, "It should be obvious now that he left quickly due to his decision to not accept our gifts and words as thanks. What he wanted in thanks is for us to never forget his teachings. That immortal leader of ours has passed on the dao of harems to us. It would be fine to even consider him to be our master. A MASTER FOR A DAY IS A FATHER FOR LIFE!! As such we should spread his wise words and teachings so that none will ever stand against harems again!!" and finished just as proudly. Having completely sated their worries this group of cultivators decided to follow the guidance of their ''revolution leader''. With the support of the other cultivators, Dolz and Carlos spearheaded a mission to help out those frozen and more powerful cultivators in the valley. They too later came to know of this powerful senior to whom they owed their lives. With the great tales recounted by Dolz, the majority of these survivors came to accept ''this handsome and scholarly self'' as their master and leader. Zhen Shi would have vomited up blood if he realized that he had suddenly gained hundreds of disciples under such a shameless dao, some with cultivation even stronger than him. But he didn''t.... for now... Chapter 16-Are we Mammals or Birds? Zhen Shi was floating amidst the green trees of Berthelien forest, awaiting the arrival of Myne and Vivienne. It was now night and the moon was shining brightly. And the duo arrived soon after. "Bro Zhen Shi you ran away pretty fast!!" shouted out Myne in laughter. Vivienne was also playfully smiling. Unable to handle this Zhen Shi spoke out in a last-ditch effort, " Of course I did. I''m a handsome and scholarly person who cares not for words of thanks. Yours truly will find happiness simply in helping others!" while proudly patting his chest. Myne and Vivienne laughed even louder, "Haha! That''s our brother...!" Zhen Shi, who was now quite pleased with himself asked, "You guys, what will you do now that you are free ?" Myne spoke out as if in prior agreement with Vivienne, " It has been countless millennia since we were last out and about in the world. That old hag that tricked us should still be out there, but... the world has changed since our time." "This is the Berthelien forest and we don''t really have any place to go to nearby nor do we have any particular goals. So, if Brother Zhen Shi doesn''t mind, both of us would like to follow you!" while smiling. Myne was also thinking, ''To show my gratitude I''ll also do my best to keep brother free from those tendencies of his!'' while looking at Zhen Shi with pity. "HAHA! How could I mind? Two experts with power at the soul deification stage are willing to follow me!" shouted out Zhen Shi. He was also thinking, ''I''ll have to keep Brother Merlin free from his masochistic tendencies in gratitude for their help...'' while looking at Myne in pity. Vivienne noticed something strange about their looks at each other, but couldn''t quite put a finger on why exactly... Still, Zhen Shi continued, "Okay! Let us head to the Lyonesse kingdom. I have a promise to keep after all..." while smiling in anticipation. But... ............ Wait..! SHIET, I came here to train. Despite having spent more than a week I''m still at Core Formation Stage 5. My skills haven''t improved exponentially either... I have nothing much to show off! If any other cultivator heard his thoughts they would cough up blood. As such, "Uhh... Forget what I said. Let''s spend about another week in here. I need to get some training done," said Zhen Shi turning to Myne and Vivienne. Myne and Vivienne shrugged in agreement. They didn''t really mind. So they spent several hours dashing about in the Berthelien forest under the bright moonlight. Zhen Shi intended to find some powerful beasts and kill them to level up. However, Zhen Shi did not encounter a single demonic beast or bug. It was almost as if they were avoiding him. While pondering this question, his eyes fell on Myne and Vivienne for a moment, who too was looking at him. FUCK! No wonder we met no beasts! These two are emanating a subtle aura that would scare off most beasts!! "Ughh... are you guys living demonic beast repellant?" asked Zhen Shi in exasperation. At this rate, he''ll have to go off on his own for a while to level up. Myne and Vivienne were confused, "We thought you were training some special movement skill by rushing about in the forest. As such, our presence would keep beasts from interfering and help you... Or...." and said. ROOOOAAARR! A powerful bestial roar rang out within the forest. The ape beast Zhen Shi met before would be nothing but cannon fodder in the face of this beast. Vivienne continued speaking, "Or maybe you wanted to attract a very powerful beast, like that one, to practice fighting while being under our guard." Zhen Shi was stunned. FUCK! How could I have missed this... System, I was just testing you this entire time but.. you failed to reach up to my expectations. I am disappointed... System: (?©n?) Still, he had to come up with a reason. " Ahh... Of course, I was just trying out a movement technique I learned recently," he said. "And I obviously anticipated the arrival of a powerful beast when we just ran about in the forest. That was my plan for... dinner! Yes, dinner. I had heard that demon beast meat is quite delicious!" Zhen Shi was quite pleased with himself and his foolproof excuse. Vivienne and Myne assented to his ''foolproof'' reasoning. But, the roaring continued as a soul deification stage giant butterfly revealed itself from amidst the trees. FUCK! Where are beasts like this even hiding? More importantly, how do butterflies even roar?? The Butterfly spoke out while roaring, "I can sense the deaths of countless beasts on one of you and the death of one of my kin on the other. As such, I''ll kill you two. But this lady appears to be innocent. So she may leave if she pleases." Its mandibles stretched out whilst it roared, answering Zhen Shi''s question. "FUCK! So that''s how it roared. How ugly..." shouted out Zhen Shi. But inwardly he was happy, for this heaven-sent chance to gain EXP... However, Vivienne spoke out, "Little bro, killing beasts for food must be done carefully." Zhen Shi felt a sliver of suspicion as she said these words. And his suspicions were proved correct, as Vivienne continued to speak, "As such... Let me handle the preparation of this beast for our meal" and launched a terrifying slash of formless light aether. This light shined brightly in the night was almost water-like and lightly passed over the butterfly''s head, neatly decapitating it. Zhen Shi''s eye twitched, ?_? FUCK, Me and my clever mouth... "NOOO! Big Sis what''ve you done?? My EXP points!!" shouted out Zhen Shi in despair. Vivienne was extremely confused at this brother of hers now. Still, Zhen Shi walked over to the corpse of the butterfly with an aching heart, "Aiya! Little beast, at least you were able to become a butterfly in this life. I suppose you can die happily." He then turned to Vivienne and Myne with a forced smile on his face, "I''ll go out to kill some more beasts. You guys prepare the food. I''ll be back in less than a day," and said. Immediately he used the air aether to fly away. In his sorrow of losing the points, he had forgotten to even take the demonic core. Myne and Vivienne looked on as he disappeared. Vivienne sighed, "Myne, did I do something wrong? He ran off so quickly..." and said in confusion. Myne laughed, "He refused it before, but he might be one of those who speak for demon beast rights... That ''exp point'' thing might even be common slang among demon beast right activists!!" Vivienne''s eyes lit up in understanding but immediately frowned, "But wasn''t he the one who proposed to eat it in the first place?" and asked. Myne nodded in agreement, "Even I don''t understand that kid sometimes. Just forget it... He''ll be back after ''killing more beasts'' as he ''supposedly'' said." Vivienne nodded with a smile and started to work on preparing the food... But Myne continued, "More importantly Vivienne I just confirmed something interesting. That butterfly beast accused me of killing one of its kind. But the only beast I killed in the last millennia was that earthworm. I misunderstood what Bro Zhen Shi said before as lies... But, just like he said, in this era, earthworms can apparently become butterflies..."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Hmm... I wonder if I misunderstood anything else about this brother of mine. Nah... Not possible... ???????????? Zhen Shi was still slightly unhappy about losing the EXP points but he immediately got over it as he met three beasts who had followed the butterfly. Two of them were huge muscled elephant beasts at the spirit transformation stage. The other was a winged bat beast at the nascent soul stage. Having witnessed the death of the Spirit Deification stage butterfly, these beasts started to flee noticing Zhen Shi pursuing them. But noticing that the pursuer was only at the core formation stage they halted in shame. Zhen Shi was greatly pleased. It would have been difficult to kill them if they focused on escaping. The bat beast started to snicker wildly, "Little core formation boy where''d you find the balls to start chasing us?" and spoke shamelessly forgetting that they had been running away before. The elephant beasts laughed as well. Zhen Shi frowned, "EEHH? Has your inner bat made your brain batty as well? I got the balls from those two next to you of course. Can''t you see that only the penis is left on their faces?" and said calmly holding back the urge to laugh at his own joke. The bat and the elephants frowned angrily with a heavy aura. But Zhen Shi continued, "Back in my home there are tales of a great bat hero. He is exceptionally intelligent and truly powerful. He also had a clown for a nemesis, who is almost always captured in the end...." The bat halted him saying," Oh? Kid, are you trying to beg for forgiveness by speaking about the greatness of bats like me? Well, continue, I might forgive you. But these two definitely won''t..." and pointed at the elephants. Zhen Shi paused, "Huh? Are you crazy? That bat hero was a human dressing up as one. I simply wanted to point out you are the polar opposite of him..." and spoke out snickering. The bat beast was truly angry now and as such attacked whilst roaring, "Go repent in hell you shameless brat!!" He was followed by the roaring elephants as well... FUCK! Even bats and elephants roar now? Zhen Shi who had survived against a law holder wouldn''t be afraid of mere Soul Stage beasts. Zhen Shi transformed into his bestial form with his body covered in azure scales and vermillion feathers, two horns on his head, a draconic tail and a pair of wings. Now in a bluish-red demonic body, he exerted the full force of the divine beast bloodline on these three causing them to halt in fear. The elephants could only sense the divine bestial nature, but the bat was truly frozen in fear. As a flying beast, he could sense the vermillion bird bloodline. It kneeled in fear, "Young master, I hope that you forgive us for our foolishness just now. We were unable to sense your greatness while you were in human form. In your true form, your greatness is unhidden," and spoke out respectfully. "FUCK! Are you saying that I, Zhen Shi, is worse looking than this demonic beast form? Even after trying to kill me, you dare say shit?" Zhen Shi roared a beastly draconic roar and charged towards the bat beast. Realizing he had messed up his words, the bat pushed the elephant beasts forwards using wind aether and started to escape. Those elephant beasts were truly unfortunate, as Zhen Shi whacked his divine bow on to their faces with the full force of his physical body. He had even coated the bow with for good measure. Ever since the battle against Vivienne, Zhen Shi had learned that even his own skills could be used in such a manner. As the attack hit, the ''swords'' on their faces turned in to mush as their heads exploded. Their remaining body burned and turned to ash under the effect of the black fire. Ding! Congratulations to the user for killing a peak soul transformation demonic beast. The user has gained 150,000 exp. x2 Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching the Core Formation Stage 6. But Zhen Shi ignored this as he was completely focused on the escaping bat beast. "Batsy, Batsy! Don''t run away! Mr. J is here to have fun with you!" and shouting so he used the full efforts of his demonic beast body and air aether to chase the bat beast, while occasionally throwing out . The bat was truly panicking now. SHIT! Why''d I have to go and offend Mt. Tai. This young master of the Vermillion Bird clan is a lunatic! Those black fireballs will definitely slow me down if they hit. And as such it meticulously proceeded forward while carefully avoiding these attacks. After a while, the bat had put a distance of several kilometers between it and Zhen shi. Realizing that this Batsy would soon escape, Zhen Shi brought out the divine bow. He utilized all of his spiritual energy in this arrow as he had to shoot a moving Bat, who was particularly sensitive to air aether itself, while dashing forwards himself. His mind was completely focused on this single arrow free of any stray thought. The arrow was released and it silently streaked forwards completely invisible within the night forest. But at the last moment, the Bat dodged it letting the arrow lightly scrape by its wing. However, the missed arrow miraculously swerved back striking straight through the membrane of one of the bat''s wings. At that moment when he had run out of spiritual energy, Zhen Shi had vaguely sensed a unique energy between his intent and the arrow. Noticing the arrow missing the target he exerted his intent with powerfull will power on to it, causing it to return and strike again. However, this was a stroke of luck. And difficult to do again without more comprehension and training. It was an extremely easy task to simply control projectiles with spiritual energy while close to the practitioner. But to exert control at a distance of several kilometers required very powerful cultivation or deep understanding of the related art. Out of luck, Zhen Shi had accidentally trodden on to a path leading him to a deeper understanding of archery. But this didn''t matter for the moment as he was celebrating his success in finally reaching the bat. "HAHA, Batsy. You can''t escape this Mr. J now. Just stop and fight like a man!!" shouted out Zhen Shi as he easily overtook the Bat who was struggling to move with only one working wing. The bat roared in exasperation, "Very well, even we Bats have pride and bravery. Young master pushed me to do this... Face the ultimate attack of the bat clan!!!" "FUCK! What bravery? Don''t bat''s always come out only at night?" shouted out Zhen Shi readying to attack. The bat shook its head, "Didn''t the Vermillion Bird clan inform you about our history? Well, let me inform you in their place then. But, you''ll die as well..." Saying so, the bat opened its mouth and started screeching loudly, while gathering terrifying amounts of God Aether, "WE OF THE BAT CLAN..... ARE WE MAMMALS OR ARE WE BIRDS?? IN THAT GREAT WAR BETWEEN MAMMALS AND BIRDS, WE JOINED NEITHER SIDE AND FOOLISHLY KEPT SHIFTING TO THE MORE FAVOURABLE ONE!!" While shouting out this, it swung its wings and tapped it''s feet in a random pattern mesmerizing all those who heard it, and continued to sing as if it was singing a Heavy-Metal song. The screamed words and beat mixed together under the control of god aether, later being released as deadly sound waves targeted at Zhen Shi. Ding! Target Nascent Soul Demonic beast is utilizing God Aether from the patron minor god, Cama-Zotz [Cama-Zotz is the God of Bats in Aztec Mythology] FUCK! Is this bat actually singing heavy metal? Huh... not bad... for a bat. The bat continued screaming screechingly in tune to the beat, "IN THE END WE WERE THROWN OUT BY BOTH SIDES... THE WAR ENDED WITH PEACE BUT ONLY WE WERE HUNTED BY ALL... FORCING US TO COME OUT AT NIGHT!!" And it continued repeating the lyrics, "WE OF THE BAT CLAN... ARE WE MAMMALS OR BIRDS??"... The god aether empowered sound waves were beginning to cause great damage to Zhen Shi who was entranced in this tale of the Bat clan. Blood was seeping out of his ears and his soul was shaken... The bat was intently looking at Zhen Shi who was receiving great damage with a smile of confidence on its face. "Batsy, how powerful your song is..." muttered Zhen Shi. Now, Zhen Shi was pondering what he should do. He could have an epic battle of music between the divine boom box and Batsy... or... finish it instantly... As such, "SHAMING THE HEAVENS!!" he shouted out while pulling down his pants. The nascent soul stage Batsy was frozen in place. Even with the support of the god aether, under the effect of Gold Tier , he was frozen in place and was unable to release the powerful sound waves. But the Bat could still speak out as Zhen Shi attacked him with a full-powered strengthened with primordial chaos, tetra-elemental spiritual roots and . "Aiya! Who cares about the Bat race. Witnessing this young master''s ''prowess'' in the next life, I wish to be born of this young master''s ''Divine Sword'' race!" the Bat murmured weakly. Hearing this Zhen Shi grimaced as he attacked with even greater ardor, "Go repent in hell you shameless bat!" NOONE ELSE CAN POSSESS A DIVINE SWORD LIKE I!! The bow descended on to the Bat''s body causing it to explode with its last words... Still, after killing this bat Zhen Shi stayed silent for a moment, and spoke out, "Batsy no matter how shameless you were, your skill in being a heavy metal singer was truly top-notch. Batsy, I hope you can meet your Mr.J in hell. *Sigh* Such a shame to see a Bat genius of Heavy Metal die at a young age. System, Is this what they mean by ''geniuses die young''... System: "...." Zhen Shi sighed once more and started to walk away leaving his last words to reverberate in this place, under the moonlight, "Batsy, skilled in the art of Heavy Metal, I hope you *RUST* in peace." Chapter 17-Two becomes One While Zhen Shi was cooly walking away after defeating the heavy metal singing Batsy, a series of notifications rang out in his mind. Ding! Congratulations to the user for killing a nascent soul stage demon beast. The user has gained 1M exp points. Ding! The user has gained 10 OP. Ding! Congratulations to the user for earning a useful skill chest. Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching the Core formation Stage 6. Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching the Core formation Stage 7. ... Ding! Congratulations to the user for reaching the Soul Formation Stage. At the same time, sudden changes started to occur within Zhen Shi''s dantian. A white formless energy materialized within it, slowly forming a small figure identical to Zhen Shi meditating in a cross-legged position. This was the formation of the soul! In most ordinary practitioners the dantian would contain their formed soul. In that instance, the formless soul is materialized into a tangible form similar to a second body for a cultivator, greatly assisting in cultivation. However, Zhen Shi''s dantian already contained a planetal skeleton formed from the combination of the tetra elemental spiritual roots within a mass of primordial chaos. As such this formed soul merged with the planetal skeleton and disappeared within it. Along with this, the vague shadow of the bow could be seen in the background. This time however Zhen Shi was unable to observe anything related to Creation. The absorption of the soul caused a strange sheen to appear on the surface of the planetal skeleton, as if the impurities within it were removed and it received a spirit. Finally, it was no longer a skeleton and an actual planet! A very small figure of a man similar to Zhen Shi appeared within the planet. This was his soul spirit! Ordinary cultivator souls are placed within the dantian and are capable of doing nothing besides cultivating and observing the body. However, Zhen Shi''s soul was formed into the planet, allowing him to live a second life within there. Holy Shiet! I feel as if there are two of me. Hmm... compared to ordinary souls mine is capable of moving around within this planet. To maximize profit I''ll have this ''soul me'' explore the planet while cultivating within the mountains. Maybe I could even build houses and buildings within when I''m bored! Now with the cultivation advancement complete, the system continued its notifications. Ding! Congratulations to the user for earning an Easy life chest for cultivation advancement. FUCK! I now already have two chests.! Better open them fast before I get pushed into a situation where I am supposed to get more chests, but don''t because a ''certain system'' is too stingy to keep more than one in the inventory... System: "..." "System open up the useful skill chest," he thought mentally. Ding! Congratulations to the user for gaining the . "Oh? It will indeed be a ''useful skill''. What is a system without an appraisal skill? System, I''m surprised it took this long to actually get it...." Ding! Odin''s Missing eye: Titanium Tier Appraisal skill. Will not make the user omniscient. The eye allows the user to notice aberrations or unique points of various items enabling the user to make calculative decisions based on the user''s knowledge. Crap! It''s a tier better than but I have to ''know'' to ''appraise''? Fuck looks like I''ll have to hit the books for a while. Momentarily ignoring it, "System, open the Easy Life chest." Ding! Congratulations to the user for obtaining "An Introduction to Materials and Item Manufacture for Dummies" skill book. NANI DA FUCK! Haha, system you thought I''ll get mad at this didn''t you? But did you realize you are the one who gave me this? Since you had it in the first place.... who was the dummy first? But... this might make the appraisal skill easier to use. System maybe you aren''t a total dummy after all... System: ?~? Zhen Shi continued to walk away from Batsy''s corpse like a boss, with a satisfied expression but suddenly stopped... He quickly scuttled back towards Batsy''s body, took the demonic core, pocketed it and scuttled back towards his original position. Heaving a sigh he continued to walk away, System... You saw nothing... System: "..." After a while noting that quite some time was left for the day to finish, Zhen Shi continued and stopped near a mountain face. He utilized earthen aether to carve out a cave within it and went inside. Sitting crosslegged he manifested the skill book obtaining a very thick dark red leatherbound book. He had decided to definitely read it since it had come out of an ''easy life'' chest. Soon Zhen Shi''s inner book worm was completely entranced with the vast amount of details in the book. Although titled for ''dummies'' it could be considered a truly complete guide for material identification. The book gave information regarding almost every mineral, herb, and beast material in existence, along with how to identify them, possible locations, their general value, etc. Zhen Shi was surprised to find information regarding many materials even with extra-terrestrial origins. It also provided information regarding pill refining and blacksmithing. Many types of refining techniques and special notes for novice cultivators were available in it. This book contained an utterly incomprehensible amount of information. Even cultivators have a limit on the extent of their memory. But Zhen Shi could completely neglect that with the effect of the title "Scholarly Bookworm." As such, by the time the sun was setting, he had completely memorized all of its contents just by reading it once. In fact, he was itching to try out some pill refining and blacksmithing. But he was lacking the items necessary to do so. Still his rewards this time were bountiful. He began to walk back to Myne and Vivienne now that the day was nearing its end. He didn''t fly because he kept using the appraisal skill on the plants and herbs along the way. Thus by the time he reached the campsite he had gathered a pretty good collection of herbs. He walked into the clearing with a brightly lit fire, above which was a large pot covered with a lid. Myne and Vivienne smiled at his arrival and called out, "Your finally back! Come quick or the food--" but stopped with widened eyes. Zhen Shi was confused at their looks. FUCK! Is there a dong''er on my face? Have I become an elephant? Noticing his confusion Myne said, "Your--your cultivation? How did it improve so fast? Could it be--?" Ahhh! *cough* Aiya! It is indeed difficult for me to hide my brilliance. Now that I won''t be able to fool them anymore, I suppose it''s fine if I tell this brother and sister of mine. Zhen Shi spoke out while proudly slapping his chest, "I suppose I''ll tell you two. I possess a special physique allowing me to improve cultivation by killing enemies." Myne gaped and said, "Shit! Really? How is that possible. I thought you were just hiding your cultivation before..." NANI? ?_? I could''ve gotten away with such a lame excuse? Vivienne, however, wasn''t surprised and said, "When I was connected with your ''piss'' fountain," a deadly light shone in her eyes focused on Zhen Shi, as she continued, "I sensed the primordial chaos within your body. Countless generations of mage cultivators have tried to control chaos, all ending in failure. Thus I found it impossible to believe that your body contains it. So for an impossible situation, impossible reasoning must be applied. In addition to that you possess the opposing bloodlines of the Azure Dragon and the Vermillion Bird!" Myne now nodded in understanding and continued, "Yes. So due to the primordial chaos perhaps you have gained the ability to cultivate by killing. And it is also probably the reason the opposing bloodlines exist as well!" Although Zhen Shi obediently listened to them he was confident that the primordial chaos within his dantian and the system were completely unrelated. Vivienne and Myne continued in a serious tone, "Still... Brother, you should remember to keep the nature of your physique a secret. In fact, it would have been better if you didn''t tell us at all." Zhen Shi nodded smiling, "No worries. It''s just you guys. I won''t go telling every person I meet." Myne laughed out loud while saying, "HAHA. Our brother is a once in a lifetime prodigy. Your physique and comprehension skills are all top-notch. By following brother Zhen Shi maybe we could even regain our cultivation by unconventional means." Vivienne smiled, "Alright. But for now, let''s forget it," while opening up the lid of the pot, "Little bro, I did my best on the demon butterfly" and said. An amazing hunger-inducing aroma wafted out from the pot. Zhen Shi was dumbfounded as he said, "Butterfly can smell this good? Vivienne, you added Clinthorpe, Clutter grass and even... is that... Mara root?" Vivienne was surprised, "Brother Zhen Shi is also familiar with Herbology? This stupid husband of mine despises herbology. It''s good to know you aren''t" and said with a smile. Zhen Shi was puzzled... When did these two become husband and wife? But didn''t dare ask out loud... Myne frowned unhappily, "Herbology is indeed a waste of time... unless you refine pills," but suddenly paused with a regretful look and turned to look at Vivienne. Noticing her unhappiness he hurriedly said, "Let''s just eat now..." while taking a bowl of the butterfly meat and eating. Vivienne frowned with a hint of regret in her eyes. But she suddenly smiled with hopeful eyes and continued speaking to Zhen Shi while ignoring Myne, "Little brother. You should eat as well. Or he''ll finish all of it." Ignorant of what had happened, Zhen Shi laughed while taking a bowl for himself. He bit into the butterfly meat as an indescribably delicious taste assaulted his mouth. He continued stuffing himself with it... This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.?(¡ä?`?) "Vivienne! This tastes amazing! This part is spicy, this part is sweeter. I''ll never get tired of it!" he shouted out while stuffing himself in between words. Vivienne laughed and Myne hurriedly spoke out in praise, "HAHA! Of course. My wife is a top tier divine chef. As long as we follow you, you''ll be never unhappy with the food." But Vivienne pouted angrily while saying, "But still you are unhappy with herbology..." Myne shook his head and laughed. Vivienne turned to Zhen Shi who was continuing to stuff his mouth, "Little bro, now that you have reached Soul formation, have you decided on your titular cultivation?" This got Zhen Shi to stop as a part of his memory was jogged awake. He was momentarily puzzled as he had neglected the concept of titles before, and as there were several he was interested in. Seeing his face Myne said, "Brother, me and Vivienne are both primarily Mage cultivators. But we also have side professions. For instance, Vivienne is a divine chef. And I''m a formation expert. That formation in your ''anti-harem valley'' was originally my spell! So its fine to follow many side professions, but you should figure a primary title first" Zhen Shi nodded in understanding, and swallowed the last of the food, "Don''t worry. I''ll have myself titled by tomorrow!" Myne and Vivienne and broke out laughing, "HAHA! Who would dare do it so hurriedly? That is indeed like you..." Zhen Shi was however dumfounded as he sensed his cultivation improve slightly after he finished eating. He looked at the duo with a surprised look on his face, "This... can the food actually improve your cultivation?" Vivienne nodded and said, "Of course. Divine chefs don''t just cook for taste. It can improve your cultivation and stabilize your cultivation base. After all, since we can go hungry for so long, there should be a good reason for you to eat, right?" Zhen Shi smiled, "In that case thank you for the food. I''ll go now and let you two get ''reacquainted''," and walked off with a wink. Myne grinned while Vivienne blushed in response. As he left, Vivienne suddenly frowned, "Hey hubby of mine, how come Zhen Shi ate the demon beast meat, if he is one of those people crazy about demon beast rights like you said?" Myne shrugged, "I told you. You can''t understand him easily..." and said with a smile. "More importantly, just like bro said, Vivienne, how about we get ''reacquainted''..." he said while slowly walking towards her. ???????? Zhen Shi was wondering about all that Myne and Vivienne had said. He had been aware of the presence of titles. But had needed Vivienne''s reminder to jog his only partially reobtained memory. This was good luck. Because if he had continued improving his cultivation without a title he might have forever been untitled. A title is a type of resonance you obtain with nature as confirmation of the path you would follow in the future. For instance that Xue Yuegui was probably an elemental warrior based on thunder, while Myne and Vivienne were mages. However, ''proclamators'' like Lin Hai did not use titular cultivation. What they followed was a path slightly different from ordinary cultivation and used words to battle. Demonic beasts on the other hand generally had the preset title of warrior. Zhen Shi realized that since he hadn''t known before and since he was too weak none of his enemies had particularly mentioned titles. FUCK! System shouldn''t you have told me before? If it wasn''t for sis Vivienne I would have made a complete fool of myself... System: "..." A title does not provide any special abilities. Simply it makes it easier for a cultivator to improve in that particular art. It was important to decide on a title suitable for you but also something you enjoyed. Many cultivators had reached bottlenecks in their titular cultivation due to them not being talented or being unsatisfied with their titles. Zhen Shi was skilled in Archery, but due to the system, he could easily gain more skills and spells. He had come to enjoy archery but he also enjoyed throwing out spells. But this meant being either a Mage or an Archer. He could attempt to get both titles, but dual titlists were extremely rare, as it was difficult to get two different titles to resonate simultaneously. So Zhen Shi turned to his only option, "System, how are my chances of getting multiple titles?" Ding! The user can utilize the elemental roots and primordial chaos to stimulate Title: Mage and the Bow shadow to stimulate Title: Archer. Haha! Yes! I was thinking the same thing. System-nii, Omega good job! System: "..." As such Zhen Shi focused on gathering the soul strength in his dantian. After several hours he simultaneously exerted the soul strength on to his spiritual roots and on to the shadow of the bow. Immediately the wind started to blow around him and the moonlight brightened onto his location. At the same time, the soul Zhen Shi''s body became draconic with bird wings and received a bow along with the manifestation of black fire on one hand. After a while, when Zhen Shi was basking in this resonance with nature, two plaques appeared behind him namely Mage and Archer radiating golden energy that communicated with nature... However, a thread of primordial chaos and a wisp of the divine beast bloodlines interfered with these three titles. Miraculously these two titles began to merge and formed a singular title reading "BATTLEMAGE". This too radiated golden energy but that energy was absorbed by the primordial chaos and thus prohibited from communicating with nature. Now having successfully begun his path onto titular cultivation, he decided to check his status, User: Zhen Shi Cultivation Level: Soul Formation Stage 5 II Physical Body Level: Soul formation Stage 1 Cultivation energy: 100% Race: Probably Human Cultivation Path: Base- II Titular- Skills: II II II II Exp points: 0/1,000,000 OP(Otaku Points): 65 Titles: Otherworld Reincarnator{Effect: Instant Spell Casting of most spells Intelligence +10 Charisma +10) Scholarly Bookworm{All user known data and information can be instantaneously viewed at the user''s leisure. Never forget anything ever again!!} Fake Tarzan(-Permanent 2x reaction increase) Status: BattleMage During this process, Zhen Shi had used the Vermilion flame to once again improve his physical cultivation. Hmm... I can''t say much about the status. It is the truth after all. And, SHIET. I''m broke in OP points... Still, Zhen Shi laughed out loud as he opened his eyes. He was extremely happy with the sudden combination of his two titles. But he knew that this was something extremely unprecedented. Dual titles were one thing, but if the higher-ups came to know that he had combined dual titles he would be immediately targeted. He realized that he could emanate the aurae of the titles separately or as one. Thus he decided to act as a singular title Archer. He happily went out to the campsite getting to see Myne and Vivienne chatting. By their body language, he could sense that they had solved most of their ''regrets'' over these years. Thus he laughed, " Oi. You two seem to have become pretty close now..." Myne and Vivienne turned to look at him and smiled. But Myne stood up and shouted, "Shit! Bro I thought you were joking! You actually went and got the title by morning! But an archer? Don''t you just whack your bow everywhere?" Zhen Shi laughed, "Of course not. A mere mage couldn''t understand the depths of archery, even if you were the Great Merlin!" and said. Myne scowled playfully pushing his shirt sleeves up, "What did you say, bro? And who the fuck is Merlin?" But, Vivienne coughed lightly staring death at both of them, causing both of them to become silent. "HAHA! Let''s be on our way back to the Lyonesse kingdom. Otherwise, we''ll be late, " said Zhen Shi while awkwardly laughing and quickly walking away. Myne hurriedly followed him. Vivienne lightly shook her head as she too followed the duo. But, Zhen Shi was smiling as he walked away. It''s been a month now. Is that old man dead yet? And I wonder how she is doing... ???????????? Back in the Lyonnesse kingdom, within the main hall of the Brishman Mansion, an overweight man was fondling his beard with an angry frown on his face while seated on the main seat, surrounded by three middle-aged women. In front of him was a familiar young girl with an unhappy look on her face, this was Isolde! She did not have her usual splendor and light, as if she had been under stress and worry for quite some time. Slightly behind her was Butler Alec. The usual smile that was consistently on his face, was completely absent. The overweight man in the seat spoke out with an authoritative voice, "Isolde! You cannot refuse! By associating with the Zhen Clan you have already brought great trouble for me in the king''s court. I did my best to hide this matter, but the court mages were able to determine the spatial transportation to Lyon City from within our mansion. Even if that boy wasn''t of the Zhen Clan, the possibility of spatial transportation to the heart of the Lyonesse kingdom is a great threat to national security! The kingdom''s army has already begun investigating this matter and since we are associated our family''s reputation will be sullied. I was barely able to settle the problem for the moment by saying that the boy was gravely wounded and had spatial traveled by sheer luck. Even still it is only a matter of time before I am summoned to court to explain properly. I can''t believe that I actually allowed you to heal and save that walking disaster. But now it is too late, the only way to solve this is with the Prince''s help!" Isolde frowned and said, "Lord Father, I will indeed take responsibility for that. But how could you decide to sell me out to Prince Tristram just like that? Am I not your daughter? What has happened to you recently?" Count Vir Brishman''s anger lightened slightly. But almost immediately the middle-aged woman standing closest to him spoke out, "Lord Husband, I understand that she is our daughter, but this problem was already caused by giving way to her. The household servants say that she even acted improperly with that Zhen Clan brat. I hope Lord Husband will not make the same mistake twice," with a cunning smile on her face. Instantly, Count Brishman''s face hardened. Noticing this Isolde angrily spoke out at her Step-Mother, "Lady Isabella how can you do this? Zhen Shi told me himself that he is an enemy of the Zhen Clan. Associating with him is not a trouble to the crown at all. I''m sure he did not mean to threaten the security of the Lyonesse kingdom. But you just want me to sell my dignity off to the prince, so you can achieve whatever hidden agendas you have! And must it be the Crown Prince? Everyone knows the type of person he is now..." Immediately, Isabella gasped in horror, but deep within her eyes frothing anger could be seen. She spoke out with a hidden tinge of malice, "My dear daughter, how could you address me so distantly? And accuse me of having agendas? All of my actions are for the good of the Brishman family. Despite the tales regarding the Prince, I''m sure you''ll be able to handle him. I just wanted you to marry him so that you could live a better life as the Queen!" while rubbing tears from her eyes. Noticing Isabella''s tears, Count Brishman grew even angrier, "Isolde! How could you be so uncaring towards your mother''s feelings!" Isolde was boiling in anger and was about to shout out... But noticing this Butler Alec spoke out, "Lord Count. It was I who treated and taught that boy. I solemnly ask of you that you punish me and let the young lady be." Count Brishman smiled lightly, "Alec, you''ve always taken care of Isolde in my place. You have also served the Lyonesse kingdom well. I have always considered your words, but this time, I must refuse!" Alec hurriedly spoke out, "Lord Count--" but he was stopped by an angrily frowning Isabella who shouted out, "A mere Butler is speaking out unnecessarily. The Lord Count has already stated his decision. How dare you be so discourteous. In fact, I believe Isolde must''ve gained her disobedience and problematic nature from your soon to die self!" Isolde now unable to hold out her anger shouted out, "Isabella that''s too much! You''ve never been a mother to me. Grandpa Alec is infinitely more humane and deserving to speak than you. God knows what you do in that room with all those people scream--" but she was stopped by a worried Alec who hurriedly shut her mouth. Immediately pouncing on this chance, Isabella started to weep, "My dear daughter... How could you say such horrendous things? You know that room is only for my medical condition!" Count Brishman had planned on punishing both of them, but seeing his main wife crying he could only bring himself to berate Isolde. As such, "Isolde, shut up. Your mother might have gone too far, but you went even far!" Isabella looked at this situation that Isolde and Alec had fallen into in glee, while the other two ladies had looks of pity on their faces. Count Brishamn continued, "The only reason that boy of the Zhen Clan is still living happily wherever he is, is due to my words on Alec''s part... But that can be changed in an instant." Hearing his words, Isolde who had been planning to shout froze in place... Count Brishman continued to speak angrily, "No matter how much of a genius he is, do you think that that boy can fight against the entire Lyonesse kingdom? If it is truly as you say then, not even the Zhen Clan will not help him. I didn''t want to do this before, but you yourself led me to... If you do not accompany the Prince out today, I''ll make sure to have that boys head on a pike within the week!" The fiery anger in Isolde''s eyes died out as her frail figure shivered and almost collapsed. Alec immediately caught her with a sorrowful look on his face. Seeing this, Count Brishman''s face again contorted in sorrow and almost stood up... but, Isabella held onto the Count''s hand and shook her head at him meaningfully. As a result, the worry on his face was once again hidden under a hardened face, but this time his voice was much lighter, "I am confident that the Prince will control himself with you, you have been childhood friends after all... Just try it out for tomorrow. Isolde, you must do this for the Brishman family..." And in a more severe tone, "This is the last time I ask nicely..." Under the eyes of the brightly smiling Isabella, and completely alone beside the old man who was supporting her from the back, Isolde lowered her head with tears in her eyes and whispered, "Yes... Lord Father." Chapter 18-Respected Customer... The sun was just beginning to rise, bringing an end to the darkness of the night. Isolde was in her room staring out of the window at the rising sun. The surroundings were peaceful and silent besides the occasional chirping of birds. Her gaze would occasionally fall on to an empty training ground, where three new targets had replaced the ones previously destroyed. A light knock broke the silence, and Isolde spoke without turning around, "Grandpa Alec, come in..." The door opened and Alec walked in a hurry. Isolde spoke out without turning around, "Grandpa why are you so early today? Did you miss me?" Alec spoke out in a serious tone, "Lady Isolde let us leave the Brishman family... I can''t do much but I promise that I will not let you suffer under my protection. But... I know that you care for your father and is worried what that hag--," he coughed and continued, "--mistress Isabella will do with him completely under her influence, but you can''t let your life be ruined just--" But Isolde interrupted him, "Grandpa Alec, did you know, this was way before you came to take care of me and when I was only 4 years old, that there was a little boy who would occasionally visit the Brishman Mansion. I can remember that he was a kind and cheerful kid. Every morning my father and mother would watch us as he and I happily played around the entire day. On some days, we even sneaked into the Berthelien forest, and when we returned there would always be someone waiting to scold us." She laughed lightly as she continued speaking still facing the window, "I remember that they were peaceful and simple days. But one day in the forest we were attacked by a demon beast, I don''t remember much of it... but he apparently saved my life. However, that boy got gravely wounded as a result and fell into a coma." Isolde let out a sigh, "I was too little. I didn''t even understand the situation enough to feel guilty. All I knew was my friend didn''t come back to play with me again. That boy woke up from his coma five years later. But by the time he woke up and recovered, he wasn''t the same person. That kind and cheerful boy had turned into a self-centered and ruthless kid. This only became worse as he grew up. He trampled on commoners and treated women like trash. Maybe something happened to his mind and soul that day in the forest, or maybe the fact that he missed his childhood affected his psyche. Either way, he didn''t come to meet me and neither did I go to find him. I was afraid that he would hurt me like he often did or even worse, in hatred... That boy was the Crown Prince, Prince Tristram..." and spoke out almost in a whisper. She lightly tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, "When I was old enough to understand this I felt horrible, and as such threw myself into using Goddess Eir''s divine blessings to help the sick and poor. Maybe I wanted to repent? Maybe I felt guilty? Nevertheless, soon after my mother died giving birth to Little Isaac. And he too died in my arms in Cerullia. I isolated myself from father in sorrow and he, in turn, remarried many times maybe to fill his own sorrowful heart. In the end with Isabella''s arrival, life finally became truly unbearable and empty for me. And I couldn''t help but wonder, were the gods punishing me for having given up on Tristram? Was I being punished for not helping my father in his--our time of need? The people of Lyoness called me the ''Healing Goddess'', but I am just a pitiful girl trying to do something good... Grandpa, you were the only person who was truly with me since my childhood. But... on that day, just a few weeks ago, that person crashed into my room bleeding all over the place," this time she laughed genuinely, even Butler Alec couldn''t stop himself from grinning. Isolde continued to speak but in a satisfied tone, "He was like a shining beacon in this pathetic cardboard life of mine. I saved him just because he reminded me of my brother, but he, in turn, gave me life. His grace and character reminded me of my perfect father in my childhood. His talent and capabilities reminded me of Isaac. His kind and cheerful nature reminded me of Tristram. You asked me back then why I cried and hugged him? That was because I had stupidly concluded that he was merely showing off by trying archery. But when he truly showed his talent and ability, I felt that I had given up on him... the same way I did Tristram and Father." The sun was now shining with bright splendor, "Those two weeks I spent with him was the happiest I had been since Isaac passed away. Even Grandpa Alec was happy during that time, right? To an ungrateful woman like me, that bit of happiness is enough. Now to protect my father, and that man who gave light to my dark life and to repent, I''ll handle Prince Tristram myself..." Isolde turned around suddenly, causing her hair to wave and shine brilliantly under the rising sunlight streaking through the window sill. She smiled brightly as she spoke out cheerfully, "Maybe... I might even be able to jog his memory and return the prince to his usual self. Maybe he''ll treat me differently... So Grandpa doesn''t need to worry. Grandpa, you should leave by yourself..." Alec immediately bowed, "How could I live with myself if I left. Since young lady Isolde has decided, I''ll help you to the best of my ability." Isolde smiled lightly now with her hair in the usual position, "I knew this would be your decision. But I hope Grandpa won''t act so as to lose your life in the Prince''s presence, leaving me completely alone..." Alec grimaced but bowed in agreement nonetheless. Isolde turned back to look at the training grounds where three targets lay still, ''Zhen Shi, I''ll never forget your face under the moonlight! But, I hope that you''ll forget me and will never come back to the Lyonesse kingdom..." ?????????? Zhen Shi and the group finally left the Berthelien forest as the sun was glowing brightly in the sky. Vivienne was wearing a beautiful white gown while Myne and Zhen Shi were dressed in a similar set of black clothes. Except for the fact where Myne''s was extremely loose revealing his upper chest for all to see. Immediately below them lay a majestic city expanding to a distance of several hundred kilometers. Countless regal buildings and houses were surrounding the awe-inspiring king''s palace. It was visible even from their distance as the palace was several times larger than every other construction and was also placed at an elevation. However, there was one other building with a spherical dome at the top and gleaming like silver under the sunlight, which reached a height similar to the palace despite not being placed on elevated land. Myne and Vivienne were smiling brightly, "I can''t believe we''re finally out! We''ve been trapped in that valley for countless millenniums and now we''re free and looking at civilization..." Myne said, "Good god! There weren''t this many constructions the last time I was at Lyonesse kingdom. Time indeed has changed the world..." Zhen Shi laughed out loud, "Well, Peeps, I can''t believe it took us all night just to leave the Berthelien forest!!" Myne grimaced, "Well I blame it on you two and your blasted herbology! Stopping every few minutes just to be entranced by a random weed or insect and waste time collecting them," and spouted. Vivienne frowned, "Hmph if that''s the case hubby, I suppose it will be fine if only me and little bro eat my herb-based meals from now on!" Myne immediately gasped, "No, no my beautiful lady, please forgive this stupid husband of yours!! How could I live without eating you... *cough* your food" Vivienne frowned even more with a red face, while Myne was contemplating how to hang himself and his stupid mouth. Zhen Shi gaped, SHIET! Did I hear that right? Are brother Merlin''s masochistic tendencies going to come out? As such to ''help'' Zhen Shi spoke out, "Aiya! It''s getting late. C''mon, you slowpokes lets get going!" and dashed forwards. Myne followed immediately while thanking the gods for giving him this kind-hearted brother. Vivienne who was getting used to this happening, lightly sighed before following them. Moments later, Zhen Shi and the duo arrived within the streets of Lyon City the capital of Lyonesse. There were various buildings on either side of the winding cobblestone paths. There were also several positioned guards at the core formation stage. Zhen Shi began to regret the fact that previously, he had only stayed within the Brishman Mansion and later had immediately jumped into the Berthelien forest, without going out to see the city at all. Nevertheless, he spoke to Myne and Vivienne about his intention to buy materials for pill refining and blacksmithing. Vivienne nodded with a strange look in her eyes, "Indeed, with little bro''s skills in herbology, pill refining is indeed suitable. But blacksmithing..." Myne laughed out loud, "Bro don''t worry. Blacksmithing is definitely better than pill refining. The reason for that is super simple... it''s because Blacksmithing involves the amazing and wondrous formations, unlike pill refining which needs shitty herbology! I actually had a Mythril Class Furnace back in Camelot, but I have no memory of where it is now..."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Vivienne frowned at Myne with a strange look. Zhen Shi jumped at the chance, "Bro what were you doing in this ''Camelot''? I thought you kept saying you weren''t Merlin?" Vivienne who was acting strangely immediately laughed at this situation. Myne frowned, "Shitty Kid! Do you have to be Merlin to be in Camelot? Huh? Huh?" and spoke while poking his finger onto Zhen Shi''s chest. Zhen Shi frowned, FUCK! That is indeed true. How do I answer that? System this is all your fault... System: "..." Zhen Shi laughed, "Ahh.. forget it... Let''s just go into the market. Otherwise, the people around will think you''re some sort of weirdo!" and said nonchalantly. Noting that there were indeed many people looking at them Myne stopped. Then the trio got directions from a passerby and wordlessly entered the market area. The market area was a fairly wide winding path leading towards the more lucrative shops. But there still were hundreds of shops selling daily wares for mortals and commoners as well as shops for cultivators on the sides of the cobblestoned path. Some people had even laid down a cloth with various odds and ends, and sat down intending to make a quick coin or two. But the guards took no action to stop these people selling wares without a stall. Myne and Zhen Shi were excitedly going to check out the shops, "C''mon let''s go out on a shopping spree!!" when suddenly Vivienne stopped them by grabbing them from their shirt collars. She spoke out lightly, "You and whose money?" FUCK! We''re broke and inside a market! Oh, wait... "Haha! Sis Vivienne of course, who''d be stupid enough to buy without money. I collected quite a bit of demon beast cores. I was planning on going to sell them first," said Zhen Shi while proudly slapping his hand on his chest. "Oh, then you have my apologies, little bro," said Vivienne letting go of their collars. Zhen Shi grinned satisfactorily and walked into a nearby shop labeled ''Sales Hut''. Inside, there were several small cubicles with dozens of people in line to exchange items. These cubicles were categorized based on the item to be sold. Fortunately for Zhen Shi, it seemed that there wasn''t any who had come to sell beast cores early in the morning. Vivienne mentioned that she''d go sell off some excess herbs and walked away. Myne stayed with Zhen Shi as he walked over to the relevant cubicle. Within it, there was a young man in his teens who was lazily seated in a chair. Noting the arrival of customers he lazily glanced at them, but upon sensing Myne''s cultivation he spoke with a modicum of respect and a polite but lazy smile, "Greetings Respected Customers, I am Seth, what would you like to exchange today?" Zhen Shi was surprised and wondered how this place operated with only a bunch of Core Formation expert salespeople. But he immediately lost his surprise when the air aether showed him several stronger cultivators with one at the Nascent Soul stage inside the building. Still, he wasn''t worried. Zhen Shi nodded at the salesman, "I want to exchange these core formation beast cores, as well as this soul transformation beast core." Seth counted them carefully and nodded, "Respected Customer, there are 6 basic beast cores and one soul transformation core of a dark spiritual nature. We can give either 5 silver coins or one lesser spirit stone for one basic beast core and the dark natured soul transformation core either for 6 gold coins or one ordinary spirit stone with one gold coin. What is the respected customer''s preference?" Zhen Shi had already prepared an answer for this, "Spirit stones for the basic cores and gold coins for the other." Seth nodded immediately handing out the due amount with a polite smile. "Oh yes. I also have two nascent soul stage demonic cores here to sell," said Zhen Shi handing them out. This caused the lazy Seth to immediately perk up and stand up respectfully. Seth was a Sales Hut employee who prided himself on making the best deals and turning out huge amounts of profit. And he was excited at the chance to make a big deal once again. As such, he respectfully took the two beast cores and checked them. Zhen Shi was flabbergasted as he looked at this lazy salesperson switch into a serious employee in a flash. NANI? Isn''t this guy too shameless? Seth''s eyes lightly shone as he checked the first core. He looked at Zhen Shi with calm eyes and a polite smile, "The respected customer can get the general price of 100 gold coins or a middle-grade spiritual stone for each core. What is the respected customer''s preference?" Zhen Shi was about to reply in agreement when suddenly Myne spoke to him mentally, "Bro, that salesman''s eyes lightly lit up when looking at the demonic core from the Bat type beast. I felt that it is from a rare bloodline as well, but I don''t know the exact price it would go for..." Zhen Shi glanced at him and nodded. FUCK! I almost got cheated there because I forgot to use the appraisal skill. System you almost ruined me... System: ¡¥\_(¥Ä)_/¡¥ And he did so, the beast core from the earthworm was a fairly ordinary one besides the long life that earthworm had lived. But the beast core of the bat... Zhen Shi gaped at this and went over his knowledge regarding this species. He gaped, even more, when he realized the price... Now with great confidence, he spoke out to Seth, "Kid, you''re too wet behind the ears to trick yours truly..." This causes Seth to be taken aback as he had previously been confident that he was dealing with a rookie. But he still respectfully asked politely smiling, "Then what is the respected customer''s asking price?" Zhen Shi smiled maliciously, Dare to make a fool out of me? I''ll let you choke on your own foolishness then... "For the earthworm beast core, I am fine with the general price in spirit stones. But for the Bat core, I require... 1500 gold coins!!" This caused Seth to immediately be dismayed, as he realized that he had underestimated this person. His pride in judging the characters of customers was thrown into the sea along with his hope of making a huge profit. But since this price would only allow them to make a smaller profit than usual his inner-salesman took control and said, "Respected Customer, this is too close to our selling price. How about 700 gold coins?" This got Zhen Shi to wag his index winger side-to-side, "Kid, kid, if you''re unhappy how about I sell this super rare demonic core at some other place. Do you think I''m stupid to think you can''t gain more by auctioning this?" Seth grimaced mentally, if the higher-ups got to know he had let this auction-worthy item out of their grasp he would be in extremely hot water. As such with a polite smile, "Respected Customer how about we settle down at 1000 gold coins? This is indeed the general price." Zhen Shi wagged his index finger again, "Kid, Kid..." Seth was getting really annoyed with this respected customer. Respected customer can you keep that annoying finger out of my face, and whose MOTHER is a kid? Isn''t this respected customer even younger than me? But Seth still faced Zhen Shi with a polite smile as he listened to him. However, Zhen Shi leaned closer to him, "Kid, what do you think will happen if these people here got to know that you tried to cheat me of the item''s actual worth at first? Do you think they''ll leave immediately or leave bad reviews about your organization?" Seth''s polite smile almost died on the spot. But he still held steadfast and spoke neutrally with a polite smile, "Customer that is blackmail. But in the end, it would be my word against yours. Which side does the respected customer believe the Sales Hut will take?" Zhen Shi was pissed. FUCK? Respected Customer my ass! If you respect yours truly so much, just bend over respectfully and let me blackmail your ass respectfully while you smile politely!!! However, Myne who had been silent the entire time spoke out, "Kid, are you sure you want to do that?" and brought out a small piece of crystal. He lightly tapped on it bringing out a blurry mist. An image of Zhen Shi and Seth slowly appeared upon the mist. The entire conversation they had had was played back with audio included. Seth''s eyes widened at the sight of the recording on the scrying crystal. He couldn''t believe that these respected customers of his were actually respected con-artists. More importantly, he was very dissatisfied with the fact that he had dug himself a grave to jump into. Zhen Shi laughed out loud while clapping this awesome brother of his on the back. He proudly wagged his index finger in front of Seth''s face while saying, "Kid, what do you say now?" Seth lowered his head in defeat but still managed his polite smile, "Very Well, Respected Customer the exchange can be done at the aforementioned price of 1500 gold coins." But Zhen Shi wagged his index finger again, "Tsk-tsk. Respected Kid, don''t you know about inflation? Particularly in this respected stall of yours, there is respected inflation... The respected price has risen to a more respected one of 2000!" Myne too responded to this by grinning and menacingly waving the scrying crystal. Seth''s polite smile finally collapsed at this point. But he hurriedly lowered his head in defeat before these respected con-artists raised the price so much that there would be no profit at all. He was unable to comprehend how his usually successful strategy and tactics had led him to this sorry state. With tears of defeat in his eyes he spoke, "Yes, respected customers here is the due amount," and handed out a bag full of coins. Zhen Shi momentarily paused and rather obviously passed his spiritual energy over the bag to confirm the amount. Seeing this Seth almost immediately broke down in tears, Respected customer, do you disbelieve me so and think I''m that much of a liar and robber? Just because of my sales tactics? Zhen Shi laughed happily and wagged his finger in front of Seth''s forlorn face, "Well then respected kid, pleasure doing business with you. I''ll be sure to come back and recommend you to all my friends! But I do hope you''ll treat us and them just the same as today..." and finished with a grin. Myne grinned happily as well as they walked away from Seth''s Cubicle. Seth finally broke down in tears of despair, Respected Customer please never come back! I''ll have to quit if your respected friends are just like you... Zhen Shi, on the other hand, was extremely happy. He even gave a silent prayer and wish of good luck to the passed away Batsy for letting him become rich within a day. They walked over to Vivienne who had watched the entire scenario. She smiled and shook her head, "That kid is actually crying because of you..." Zhen Shi laughed at this and turned around to wave at Seth in the cubicle who immediately ran into the shop crying even harder. "Nah... Sis you''ve got it wrong. He is just so happy about me fixing his calculative ways. He probably ran into the shop to pray to god in thanks for having met us..." Myne laughed at this and patted Zhen Shi on the back as the trio walked out of the Sales hut. But suddenly Zhen Shi asked frowning, "Bro Myne, do you record every single second fo your life with scrying crystals like that? No right?" Myne grinned proudly, "Of course. I always do!" Zhen Shi grimaced, FUCK! Isn''t that pretty perverted? Do you look at those recordings at night as well? Chapter 19-The Power of Scrying Crystals Now back in the market street, noticing Zhen Shi''s frown Myne answered, "Idiot Brother of mine, it isn''t like you think. I record everything so if someone ever does something against the law to me or if they blame me unfairly, I will always be ahead of lawsuits whenever I sue someone or someone else sues me!" Zhen Shi spoke out in surprise, "NANI? Lawsuits and Suing? There really is such a thing? But how does that work? Doesn''t power always reign supreme?" Although familiar with this concept, Zhen Shi wasn''t familiar with it being applied in this world. This was because his memories did not contain anything regarding the law, possibly because the old Zhen Shi had always been within the Zhen Clan Mountains. Myne grinned, "Of course there is such a thing. Do you think people are savages?" Vivienne answered with a smile, "Just like little bro said power does reign supreme. Law and Order have been established by the unquestionable power of kingdoms, sects, and other such organizations. Thus most of the time commoners, as well as ordinary cultivators, can get fair results for any incident, as long as the law was broken within the area governed by the particular organization. But of course, even then, the law can be bent." Zhen Shi nodded in understanding, "How interesting... But doesn''t that mean Bro Myne has spent a lot of time in courts?" and said with a smile. Myne frowned and poked him saying, "Shut up... The law system was introduced in our time, and back then it was very fashionable for people to sue left and right. Thus I began to carry scrying crystals with me everywhere and in the end, it became a habit for me..." Zhen Shi laughed at this and patted his brother in the back, while Vivienne giggled as well. Myne who felt uncomfortable said, "C''mon let''s just go buy your stuff without wasting more time." As such, Zhen Shi and the duo began walking about the market by themselves. Zhen Shi handed out some money to Myne when he came over and said he was ''dirt poor''. Now alone, Zhen Shi was using his appraisal skill to full effect while walking about and checking the wares among the poor commoners selling on pieces of cloth. Most of what he saw were everyday items and some were even fake items made to look extraordinary. Any time he questioned the price of some average herbs, those people would ask sky-high prices mentioning crazy tales of how good that item was. These people weren''t fearful of cultivators at all, possibly due to the protection of the kingdom guard. Thus, Zhen Shi had straight out refused these highway robbers. But as Zhen Shi continued to survey the market, his eye fell upon a small flat piece of clay. It wasn''t that the appraisal skill had shown anything special, it was more the fact that it didn''t. This piece of clay did not register as anything on the appraisal skill. This was impossible as he had already seen countless useless items labeled as [Brick], [Stone], [Ordinary Tulip], etc. being marketed for crazy prices. Thus Zhen Shi was rather intrigued. He took the piece of clay onto his hand under the suspicious look of the mortal old man who was selling the clay piece. There were no carvings on it and looked just like an ordinary clay piece. But, Zhen Shi was dumbfounded as this clay piece suddenly resonated with his dantian. As a result, the primordial chaos base surrounding the planet in his dantian shook and expanded, simultaneously, the planet solidified further and formed a stable connection with the primordial chaos. Zhen Shi who realized that this was some divine treasure hiding like a wolf in sheep-skin among the other useless junk immediately asked, "Hey... how much for this piece of clay?" The old man smiled showing off his rotten teeth and raised his hands to show ten fingers, "Young man, you''ve got a good eye. I like you, so I''ll sell it for the cheap price of 10 gold coins." Zhen Shi almost vomited blood at this statement and said, "Are you crazy? For a random clay piece?" The old man shook his head wisely, "I may not be a cultivator and may not know what that is... but my teeth never lies! That thing didn''t break even after being bitten by me!" FUCK! Zhen Shi would''ve dropped the clay piece on the spot if it wasn''t a divine treasure. Still, he took out a piece of cloth from his satchel and used it to hold the clay piece while saying, "How could it be expensive just because your teeth couldn''t break it?" The old man grinned while pointing at his yellowed teeth with brown patches, "These teeth of mine aren''t ordinary. I have even bitten through gold. So I''m sure that clay piece is even more valuable than gold!" and said excitedly. Indeed, Old man, I agree that your teeth are extraordinary! They might fall off on the spot! Still, Zhen Shi sighed, either this man was a genius because he was actually saying the truth or he was a crazy old coot. Zhen Shi shook his head, "How about 5 gold pieces?" and said. The old man contemplated for a moment and nodded his head saying, "Ok, I like you boy, you remind me of my grandson. So sold!" Zhen Shi smiled and handed over the money while happily pocketing the clay piece. He would examine it later on. He got up to leave. But, the old man waved his hand while grinning and showing his decaying teeth, "See you later kiddo. If you have any more need for clay pieces come to me!" and shouted out. Zhen Shi shook his head while smiling and walking away. Now that he had finished surveying the ordinary sellers, he walked over to the actual stalls. He surveyed the items with his appraisal skills. The items on these stalls were all mostly real unlike the fake ones sold by the majority of those peddlers. He noticed some fairly interesting stalls with pills and noticed that Vivienne was conversing with the salesperson of one of them. As such, he walked over to her. Vivienne turned to him as he arrived and smiled saying, "Little Bro, it looks like we''ll have to look for pill furnaces in the Main Market Island. But this place has pills for fair prices. Even if you can make pills, you''re still learning and we probably won''t be able to get the necessary ingredients easily. So it might be a good idea to buy some pills." Zhen Shi nodded and noting that Vivienne probably won''t be able to afford enough pills for all three of them just by the money she had earned from selling herbs, he turned to observe the wares of this pill stall. He spoke out to the salesperson, "I need 30 Qi expanding pills, 20 body strengthening pills, 30 soul pills, and 30 healing pills." The salesperson nodded and mentioned a price of 10 gold coins. Zhen Shi agreed and performed the exchange. They walked away from the pill stall and to a side. Zhen Shi pushed the pill bag to Vivienne''s hand saying, "Sis Vivienne, take it." Vivienne frowned while holding out the pill bag back at him and said, "Brother Zhen Shi you bought it with your own money. How could I keep all of it? It''s fine just to get my portion." Zhen Shi laughed, "You''re my sis right? So it''s fine for you to keep it... More importantly, I don''t want to carry it everywhere. That''s the actual reason I gave that bag to you!" and said. Vivienne couldn''t help but smile at this. She smirked as she waved her other hand over the pill bag causing it to suddenly disappear. Zhen Shi gaped and muttered, "What? Do-Do you have a spatial treasure?" Vivienne''s smirk grew wider as she spoke, "Of course. I and Myne have lived for so long, wouldn''t it be pretty pathetic if we didn''t even have spatial treasures? The problem is they have become pretty empty over those lonesome years in the valley. Thus we''re pretty broke right now, More importantly, where did you think we got the clothes we gave you in the morning?" Zhen Shi frowned in embarrassment. FUCK! System I thought I let you think of that part! You really disappoint me! System: ¡¥\_(¥Ä)_/¡¥ Still, as a result, Zhen Shi looked all over Vivienne''s body greedily, trying to figure out the location of the spatial treasure. But no matter where he looked he was unable to find it, even when he used the appraisal skill. Thus he looked at Vivienne in confusion expecting an answer.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. But instead of an answer what awaited him was the face of a she-devil. Vivienne was staring at him with great rage in her eyes. Zhen Shi who was completely clueless couldn''t even react when Vivienne suddenly punched him in the stomach. This got him to gasp in surprise. It didn''t particularly hurt, but he hadn''t been expecting such a thing to happen so suddenly. SHIET! I thought Sis Vivienne cured her sadistic side once she got rid of the divine curse, but I suppose not! I pity Myne for the nights they spend together... While thinking so, Zhen Shi was looking at Vivienne as if he had been wronged. But Vivienne hurriedly spoke out, "Little Bro, I''m sorry! But it is improper to look at your big sister''s body like that. I know that you''re a growing kid, but still!" Zhen Shi was even more confused, but immediately his eyes shone in understanding. Thus he pitifully spoke out while ''painfully'' holding his stomach, "No, No, Sis you''ve got it wrong! You''ve truly wronged this poor me this time. I was only trying to find your spatial treasure because I also wanted to get one for myself." Vivienne gaped and said, "Oh no! I am truly sorry Bro." But Zhen Shi continued to act like a hurt puppy while holding onto his stomach in ''pain''. Vivienne who was feeling very guilty hurriedly moved to hold her hurt brother, "I am really really sorry. I misunderstood your intentions." Zhen Shi lightly pushed her off and said, "No, No, it''s fine. Sis, it was my fault as well," while gasping for breath in ''pain''. Vivienne squinted her eyes in suspicion since her punch couldn''t have been that painful and asked, "Okay Little bro, tell me, what can I ''give'' to make you ''feel better''?" while emphasizing the word ''give''. Zhen Shi smiled standing straight without any of the ''pain'', "I might feel better... If I could get my own spatial treasure... Those things are really expensive but I''ve heard they''re really good at healing punches to the gut." Seeing this shameless brother of hers Vivienne laughed out loud unable to stop herself, causing several nearby people to look at them. But as if it did not matter at all, Zhen Shi continued to speak once again with painful gasps while holding his stomach, "Sis Vivienne. How could you laugh after hitting me? Are you actually a sadist?" Vivienne shook her head and smiled while dragging Zhen Shi away from that place. Now away from prying eyes she smiled and said, "Alright, alright. I don''t have any spares but Myne does. So I''ll be sure to get you one from him later today!" Zhen Shi grinned happily while now back in ''healthy'' mode. HAHA! System see that? That''s Oscar-worthy acting. Learn from the master! System: "..." Zhen Shi nodded at Vivienne in agreement. And Vivienne heaved a sigh of relief for ''curing'' her brother. But suddenly they heard loud shouting and thus turned around. What awaited their eyes was Myne facing off against a group of three people in front of an item and material stall. Zhen Shi was about to walk over to help him out when Vivienne grabbed him and shook her head with a grin. Zhen Shi frowned but deciding to trust her stayed back and watched the scene. One of the three who were opposing Myne shouted out, "Oi! Do you know who you''re dealing with? I''m the son of Adam Turnbull, Josef Turnbull. Do you dare steal the item I had already paid for?" and at the same time, the other two behind him laughed confidently. Josef Turnbull, although only a core formation cultivator with the two-spirit transformation bodyguards behind him was confident, that he could turn this entire situation around with his reputation. Even in the face of a Nascent Soul cultivator, while within the Lyon City he was completely fearless. Thus while this matter started to gather the attention of a large crowd he continued to shout out confidently, "How daring of you to try to bully me with your cultivation! Do you have no respect for the laws of the Lyonesse kingdom?" At the same time, even the salesperson started to shout, "Yes. What Master Turnbull is saying is indeed the truth. This person is a thief!" These words moved the entire crowd as countless cultivators have tried to bully others with their cultivation even within the kingdom walls. Thus they thought that this middle-aged man had tried to force this young master and in the end, due to his bad luck had kicked an iron plate. By this time the kingdom soldiers had arrived and they hurriedly surrounded Myne. These soldiers were wearing metal armor and they were mostly soul transformation soldiers but there was one Nascent Soul soldier. Josef looked on in confidence at this turn of events while the bodyguards behind him grinning happily. The nascent soul soldier spoke out, "Nascent Soul Cultivator, you are under arrest for attempted stealing. You have the right to remain silent. What you say can and will be used in a court of law," confidently while drawing out his sword. The other soldiers followed his lead and almost as if in practiced synchronicity they unsheathed their swords as well. Zhen Shi gaped at this turn of events. FUCK! Can you say that here? Won''t the US sue you for copyright infringement? But Myne wasn''t worried at all as he nonchalantly raised his finger. This caused all the soldiers to tense up as they were wary of him. He was a nascent soul cultivator after all. But Myne put his finger in his nose and started picking it, and slowly spoke out, "What court of law? You didn''t even properly investigate this matter, but like obedient dogs, you followed that idiot''s words and immediately arrested me? Is this the Lyonesse kingdoms justice? Do you even have proof?" The crowd looked in stupefaction. Uhhh, Brother, your words would probably be more striking if you weren''t PICKING YOUR NOSE! Josef was laughing in his inner mind at this ''poser'' as he continued to watch in confidence for his ploy to become successful as usual. But the Nascent Soul soldier spoke out, "Indeed we did so. But that is because Master Turnbull has a record of being an upstanding and law-abiding citizen. Besides, the shop keeper has provided his testimony too. Thus as the outsider, you will be investigated and later released if proved innocent." Myne grinned finally taking his finger out of his nose, "Oh really? Hmm... then what do you think of this?" and brought out a scryer crystal with his other hand. Immediately a mist poured out and showed the vision of Myne initially buying the items only to be barred by Josef and his two lackeys. The scene continued to show how Josef had started to shout out along with the shopkeeper. Immediately, Josef Turnbull''s face turned pale and the crowd gasped at this turn of events. But under the swift orders of the General, the soldiers hurriedly left Myne to surround Josef Turnbull and his lackeys. Myne looked at Josef with a smile and flicked the finger that had been in his nose at him. As the soldiers began to put him in chains and carried him away along with the two unfortunate lackeys, he shouted and struggled, "No. Let me go. That bastard framed me... If you don''t let me go my father will hear of this! *Pu* Did you see that? He threw something into my mouth to poison me..." But his shouts fell on to deaf ears as the soldiers carried him away. The crowd was unable to believe that this young master had tried to twist the law as such. And began to wonder if he had done it this time, then on how many occasions had he gotten away with it? As such, they were rather unsettled. The nascent soul general walked over to Myne and bowed deeply. He spoke out, "I, Liam Burns, am deeply sorry for that mistake. I hope you can forgive me. Josef Turnbull will be punished under the law for this, and our guard will do an immediate review of all punishments handed out with relation to him," this instantly caused the crowd to calm down, and Liam continued, "As an apology, the Lyon City guard will provide your purchase free of charge." Myne laughed and waved his hand saying, "It''s fine. Apology accepted." Liam smiled in gratitude and turned to the shopkeeper who had been fearfully standing at the corner of his stall. Liam grabbed him saying, "And you... You''re under arrest as well." With one last bow at Myne, he left with the shopkeeper in tow. Myne happily turned to the assistant of the stall who had now suddenly been promoted to the post of the shopkeeper and looked at him expectantly. The assistant-turned-shopkeeper understanding his intention smiled and handed out what Myne had paid before with a slight bow. Now with a beaming smile, Myne walked towards Zhen Shi and Isolde. Myne confidently looked at Zhen Shi, "See that Bro? That is the power of scryer crystals! In law upholding organizations, they are more powerful than the strongest attack. So remember to not underestimate them! Here..." and said while throwing the scryer crystal to Zhen Shi. Zhen Shi caught the scryer crystal and nodded in agreement saying, "Now I know why Sis Vivienne didn''t want me to help you out." Myne waved his hand showing what he had obtained from the stall. It was a rather large but rusted and dejected-looking furnace. Zhen Shi frowned at it for a moment just before the appraisal skill revealed what it was. Myne spoke out in a satisfied manner, "I can''t believe they were actually selling this. This is a Grade 5 cauldron for furnacing weapons or armor. But it has been damaged and thus can only be used as a Grade 2 cauldron for the moment. It''s perfect for Bro Zhen Shi to learn item crafting and I''ll be able to fix it pretty easily as well. But don''t forget that due to the kindness of Josef Turnbull, I got it for free! And I made sure to ''thank'' him." Zhen Shi and Vivienne couldn''t help but laugh at this. Vivienne smiled at Myne saying, "I guess all those years didn''t change this part of you huh?" Myne grinned while saying, "Of course not, now come and give your hubby a hug!" and stretched his arms. But Vivienne frowned, "No. I don''t hug idiots who shamelessly pick their noses in front of large crowds." Saying so she walked away towards the Main Market Area at the end of this path. Zhen Shi patted Myne on the back with a slight grin and followed her. Myne too followed them after a moment''s pause to put back the item furnace, but rather dejectedly. Chapter 20-Crossing the Golden Bridge Zhen Shi walked into the main market area with Myne and Vivienne in tow. This location was completely unlike the market road and was as if they had walked into another place entirely. Zhen Shi stared wide-eyed at the scene that awaited them, as a strange calm washed over him. The main market area was an island placed within a large expanse of blue water, and despite being in the middle of the Lyon city, the island and the peaceful lake perfectly blended into the background. The wind was calmly blowing over the lake causing the forest on the island to rustle peacefully. The lake was completely free of ripples despite the wind and gave off a strange dangerous feeling. However, within this peaceful island, there was a single construction that seemed rather out of place. This was a towering and awe-inspiring golden pagoda with a large signboard floating above it with words written in qi, the Lyon and Turnbull Market Island! Myne suddenly poked Zhen Shi on the chest and laughed saying, "Kid did you just lose yourself in that simple bewildering formation? Tsk-tsk. Disappointing..." Zhen Shi frowned and mumbled, "Of course not, I was simply analyzing the formation..." then with a mischievous grin he pointed out at some stones which were placed unassumingly along the shore, "those are the bewildering formation''s external centers right?" Now it was Myne''s turn to frown, "Fuck. My brother is indeed correct, but I was sure you were bewildered just then... " Zhen Shi continued grinning as he indeed had been effected for a moment, but had later used the knowledge from the skill book and the appraisal skill to turn things around. Myne continued speaking while smiling again, "However... that is not just a simple bewildering formation, it is, in fact, a compound formation and contains a sealing formation along with another formation for attacking and defending. But those formation centers are hidden within some other illusory formations making it more difficult to detect." It was again Zhen Shi''s turn to frown. FUCK! How could I find formation centers with the appraisal skill, if I can''t see them? But now knowing that there was something more to look for, he activated to full effect turning one of his eyes into a deep golden hue. As a result, he was able to notice slight aberrations on some trees on the island as well as from deep within the still lake. Now with a rough idea, he spoke out confidently while pointing out the relevant locations, "Oh no... I sensed them before, but I just didn''t say it because I thought that it was pretty obvious. I can sense formation centers from those trees on the island and something else from the lake..." but he turned to Myne with a devilish grin, "But of course, how can I be more knowledgable regarding formations than the Great Merlin?" And it was once again Myne''s turn to frown, "FUCK! Bro, are you some reincarnated formation master? How on earth could you sense them by just being at the soul formation stage? Even an ordinary Law Holder couldn''t have done it, and the only reason I can do so is because of my knowledge in the dao of formations gained over countless millennia." This caused Zhen Shi to grin proudly and puff up his chest. But almost immediately, Myne frowned at him angrily, "And... Who the fuck is Merlin?" and bunched up a shirt sleeve playfully getting ready to punch Zhen Shi. Vivienne who had been silent the entire time, having noticed some people observing them, grabbed their collars with a light sigh. She whispered, "I think you''ve made enough of a scene in front of the Item Pavillion right?" with a deadly light in her eyes. Immediately, Zhen Shi and Myne went silent. But thankfully for them, one of the observers, an old man with long white hair walked over, causing Vivienne to let them go with a polite smile at the old man. This old man who was at the peak of the Soul Deification Stage and dressed in a white daoist robe, politely bowed while speaking out, "Greetings fellow daoists, this humble fellow is Hao Lei. I couldn''t help but overhear your conversation and I am pleased to have discovered two talented cultivators of the Dao of Formations," while glancing at Myne and Zhen Shi in particular. Zhen Shi, Myne, and Vivienne bowed in greetings while introducing themselves as well. Now with the formalities completed, Zhen Shi hurriedly shook his hands in dismissal at Hao Lei and said, "Oh no, Senior, I am only a novice in the dao of formations. The real expert is this fellow brother of mine!" while hurriedly pushing Myne forwards. Zhen Shi was sure that he knew nothing regarding the dao of formations besides finding formation centers. So unwilling to embarrass himself he had thrown Myne into the fire. This caused the Hao Lei to raise an eyebrow in surprise. What a humble young fellow! He isn''t acting proud of having reached the soul transformation stage at his age and he even gave up the chance to impress me to his senior brother! With a smile, the Hao Lei spoke out, "Of course not, I''m sure that the junior generation has much to teach us old folks. Still, I wonder what exalted master could bring up such wonderful disciples like you three?" The three of them laughed and in almost practiced motion Myne spoke out, "Our master is a very reclusive character. So I''m not sure if this fellow daoist has heard of him. He goes by the name of Myrden." This caused Zhen Shi to raise an eyebrow and with a smirk, he sent mentally to Myne, "Myrden? Hmm... I wonder what great mage had that name at birth? Could it be... Merlin? Fuck! I can''t believe that my brother was shameless enough to make himself his own master.... along with Sis Vivienne and me!" Myne''s eye twitched ?_? How on earth does this kid even know that? Besides me, only Vivienne knows my true name, and she would never have told him! But the Hao Lei noticed nothing of this as he continued to speak, "Indeed I have not heard of your exalted master. Well as my apology for being unaware, let me personally guide you into our Lyon and Turnbull hall!" Myne and Vivienne spoke out in thanks but Zhen Shi hurriedly said, "Senior, what is that golden bridge?" while pointing at one. There were two bridges leading to the island and while the large wooden bridge was being used by almost everyone, there was one smaller golden bridge leading to the other side. A large number of cultivators at the soul formation stage were seated in front of it. Hao Lei smiled as he spoke, "That is the golden soul bridge set up by our Lyon and Turnbull hall to test young cultivators. Any cultivator below Soul Transformation can attempt to cross it. Anyone who can complete half of it will receive a spiritual blessing from our hall''s patron god Caishen to strengthen their soul, and anyone who reaches the end will receive a 50% permanent discount from all their purchases from our hall. Would this junior Daoist like to give a try?" [Note: Caishen is the Chinese god of wealth] But even before Zhen Shi could speak out the Hao Lei continued, "Many geniuses have attempted it but they have all stopped after a few steps beyond the halfway point, and in the last millennia only Prince Tristram reached the end. He is indeed a genius, but his character is..." Hao Lei paused for a moment in thought, but smiled again as he said, "So what is this junior''s decision? I must warn you though, the first half brings out the spiritual pressure of soul transformation, while the latter half leads up to nascent soul and even the soul deification stage in spiritual pressure." Zhen Shi grinned nonchalantly as he pridefully spoke out, "Of course I can complete a task of that level!" After all, he had fought with Vivienne at the Law Holder stage and had held on. But this caused Hao Lei to frown unhappily. Maybe I was mistaken? Braggarts like this fellow won''t make it too far in their cultivation. How could he expect to dismiss such powerful pressure while just being at the first stage of soul formation? Still, he nodded and led the way to the golden bridge. The official in charge of the golden bridge hurriedly bowed seeing the arrival of Hao Lei. There were hundreds of soul formation cultivators in front of the golden bridge. After all, this wasn''t just a chance to save money on purchases. If you could complete this test your reputation would immediately increase and you would receive invitations from all sorts of lucrative organizations! These cultivators turned to look at the new arrivals but stayed silent noticing Hao Lei''s status. But there was another old man wearing a black daoist robe who was looking over the trial. He stared hatefully at Hao Lei for a moment and proceeded to ignore him with an inaudible curse. However, Hao Lei too ignored him and lightly flicked his hand asking the official to continue. The official bowed in agreement and started the test for the examination.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Hao Lei could have easily had Zhen Shi take the test first. But had not done so just to test Zhen Shi and his fellow disciple''s patience. Noting Zhen Shi who patiently stood by the side with Myne and Vivienne without a word of complaint, he was impressed once more. I suppose even braggarts can be patient... let''s see how he measures up on the golden bridge! The official led up the soul cultivators but almost every one collapsed just before the tenth step, which was ten more steps away from the halfway point. They all walked away dejectedly but formed into a group of spectators as they continued to watch the other cultivators. Afterward, there were occasional cultivators who walked further than most, but none was able to obtain the divine blessing, much to the displeasure of the spectator group who had now grown substantially. Hao Let shook his head and muttered, "Looks like we won''t have too many successes in this trial either..." After around an hour of failures, a young noble with brown hair and an axe on his back attempted the trial. He had cultivation just on the verge of ascending to the Soul Transformation stage. He walked up the steps slowly but surely and stopped only at the precipice of the half-way mark. After several minutes more of struggling, he was finally able to take a step on to the halfway point immediately falling onto his knees. Even still he had achieved the first objective and under the cheers of the spectators a terrifying black tiger materialized out of pure god aether over the golden bridge, and it roared with its eyes on the noble. The tiger shot a silver aura from its mouth which covered the young noble''s body. Moments later, he slowly stood up as his soul strength improved. After the tiger manifestation dissipated, with renewed confidence, he took one more step forwards but immediately collapsed onto his knees. And as such, he walked back the same way he had climbed. Although he had failed the second objective he was still successful and as such, he returned with a smile of confidence. Hao Lei was considering whether he should go and invite this talented young noble himself, but considering that it would be rude to the guests who he was already accompanying, he decided against it. But almost immediately that black-robed old man who had cursed at Hao Lei walked over to this noble and spoke out, "Young Master Samuel your talent is truly astounding," he smiled satisfactorily while looking at Hao Lei," since the Lyons seem to be considering that your talents are below their ''standards'', will the young master take up my invitation on behalf of the Turnbull family?" Samuel frowned unhappily as he glanced at Hao Lei who in turn smiled at him and spoke out, "My apologies, young master. It was simply that I had to entertain this fellow daoists of mine. Master Samuel has no need to join up with the Turnbulls as I, too, will present an invitation to you on behalf of the Lyon Family." Samuel''s frowned deepened as he felt unsatisfied despite his success. He eyed the trio who were the ''fellow daoists'' in displeasure. He turned around and walked over to the black-robed man and spoke out, "I''ll accept the Turnbull family''s invitation, but I hope that this senior will allow me to witness the remainder of this event?" The black-robed man immediately agreed happily, and he turned to look at Hao Lei with a malicious smirk of self-satisfaction. Hao Lei frowned, ''Damn that Shu Yi! How dare he sully our Lyon Family''s name? Still, that Samuel wasn''t worth much either way... So his support will only give the Turnbulls a momentary gain.'' He glanced at Zhen Shi, ''Now let''s see whether this braggart lives at least up to half of his words...'' The remaining candidates finished up within half an hour but no one was able to go as far as Samuel. Finally, it was Zhen Shi''s turn. Under the watching eyes of the crowd, he walked over to the bridge. Samuel was watching calmly, confident of the fact that this random cultivator would not amount to much. But to his surprise, Zhen Shi calmly walked up the steps as if he was going on a stroll completely neglecting the pressure. He reached the step just before the half-way point. With a mischievous grin, he turned to look at Myne and Vivienne and waved his hand, causing them to struggle to stifle their laughter. Even the old Hao Lei couldn''t help but grin... And under the displeased gazed of Shu Yi and Samuel, Zhen Shi turned back to the bridge and easily took the last step on to the half-way point. Immediately the terrifying figure of the black tiger formed from God Aether appeared. And under the cheers of the spectators, just like before it started to roar sending silver energy on to Zhen Shi. Zhen Shi closed his eyes in expectance of the improvement of his soul, but surprisingly the primordial chaos base in his dantian hurriedly absorbed all of the silver soul energy from the divine blessing, while rapidly growing in size. Zhen Shi was surprised but since the primordial chaos was growing he didn''t complain and sat down in a lotus position. But surprisingly the torrent of soul energy didn''t end as the primordial chaos base continued to forcefully pull the energy from the tiger. As the primordial chaos reached a limit in its expansion it proceeded to contract and continued absorbing more of the energy. Gradually the tiger''s appearance and roar started changing... After a while, the terrifying dark black tiger''s roar had turned into nothing but a high-pitched screech... The manifestation of the tiger seemed to have become a pitiful cat as it stared at Zhen Shi pleading to let it go... but Zhen Shi could only smile awkwardly, as he was unable to control the primordial chaos by himself. He pitifully spoke out with great sorrow, "I am sorry kitty, but I can''t help you." This caused all the cultivators including the two elders to almost cough up blood, but they changed their mind and paused to listen as Zhen Shi kept talking sagely, "Cultivation is an arduous path... It is the duty of those with ability, to teach those who make mistakes. Unlike a certain someone, I have a sense of pride. As such, I am duty-bound to teach you and rid you of this bad habit of spewing your silver-white spit all over everyone." But all the spectators vomited out the blood once he finished the sentence. Fellow Cultivator, can you let Lord Caishen''s manifestation off with some degree of pride? Not only the cultivators even the Black tiger seemed to have become furious as it let out a final powerful roar. Suddenly, a thin yellow figure with a wide golden rod emanating a strong and godly aura manifested by the side of the Black Tiger. He pointed the rod and started to send forth torrents of golden energy towards Zhen Shi while shouting out garbled words. The primordial chaos base continued to greedily guzzle up this energy as Zhen Shi watched on helplessly. The group of cultivators including the two elders watched on in amazement. Such an unprecedented event had not taken place even for Prince Tristram''s trial! Myne and Vivienne were smiling helplessly at this situation. After a while, besides the screeching black cat, there was a yellow figure screaming garbled words while desperately trying to hold on to the golden rod which was being pulled away by the primordial chaos base. The onlooking cultivators watched in stupefaction. Did God Caishen take a break today and leave the god of comedy to take care of his work? Now, the yellow figure too seemed to be pleading by screaming garbled words, alongside the screeching black tiger. Zhen Shi was still helpless to do anything and as such he spoke out, "I believe I have finished teaching my lesson to the black kitty..." All the cultivators and the two manifestations seemed to heave a sigh of relief. But, Zhen Shi continued to speak, "But a certain someone is unable to keep his ''golden rod'' where it should be..." the cultivators were confused for a moment as Zhen Shi continued to speak, "And he kept shamelessly spraying this ''yellow liquid'' on me. As such, I''ll have to cure that bad habit as well!" Now, finally, understanding his meaning the spectating cultivators fainted sideways on the spot. Fellow Daoist, do you have some immeasurable grudge with God Caishen? A while later, just when the black tiger and golden rod wielding figure were on the verge of dissipating, and the primordial chaos had gone throught mutiple cycles of expansion and contraction, a blurry figure appeared generating a terrifying aura. The entire market island seemed to vibrate as even Zhen Shi was frozen on the spot. The hundreds of cultivators were stupefied, with the majority fainting on the spot. Samuel was wallowing in self-pity, so wasn''t much affected... Hao Lei and Shu Yi stared with their mouths open struggling to stay standing themselves. Even Myne and Vivienne stared with wide eyes. Because this had to be the figure of A GOD! This figure lightly grabbed the tiger and the golden rod and freed them allowing them to pitifully take their leave. Then lightly gazing at Zhen Shi he pulled the air in his direction and immediately disappeared. Suddenly, the manifestation of the bow which Zhen Shi had formed within his dantian was pulled out and materialized as a large figure of a bow externally. This bow seemed to be growing and improving, but Zhen Shi ignored it as he had to struggle to keep the title of within his body as it too was being pulled out by the force. After a while, the manifestation of the bow returned back to his body, and the force disappeared along with it. Zhen Shi calmly stood up and looked around at the fainted cultivators and the still-standing few. Seeing this situation and how he''d have to eventually deal with it, Zhen Shi did the only thing he could do... "System, this is all your fault..." System: "..." Chapter 21: Eyes and ears everywhere Zhen Shi smiled uncomfortably at this scene and thus just wanted to leave now. So under the eyes of the cultivators who were still managing to stand and the two elders of the Lyon and Turnbull market hall, he easily ran through the remaining half of the bridge. Besides pausing for a moment to activate and push off the pressure of the soul deification stage in the last few steps, the remaining half of the trial was completed easily. But to Zhen Shi''s surprise, almost everyone grimaced as the remaining cultivator''s mental confidence collapsed on the spot. Brother, could you at least pretend that this trial is difficult? It''s okay to destroy god Caishen''s pride but we have our own pride as well, you know? Now realizing his mistake Zhen Shi could only grin as he walked back through the bridge to his group. As he walked over, Hao Lei was thinking, ''So this young fellow wasn''t bragging at all! He was indeed speaking the truth, in fact, he was understating his own capabilities. What a good seedling for our Lyon family.'' Hao Lei was the first to walk over to him with a smile of satisfaction, "Congratulations brother Zhen Shi. Who would''ve thought that besides being a talented formation master you were also a skilled archer gaining the acceptance of the gods? This old daoist feels powerless in the face of your talent. Who would have thought that you were a dragon amongst men?" Myne visibly grimaced at Hao Lei''s choice of words as he was reminded of an unpleasant incident due to a ''dragon'', but thankfully no one else noticed. Hao Lei continued to speak with a laugh, "I am truly lucky to have been able to witness the personal divine blessing of a god! Even God Ciashen''s divine manifestations were," and coughed awkwardly," helpless in front of you!" Zhen Shi didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. Divine blessing my ass! He hadn''t received anything, as almost all of it had been gobbled up by the primordial chaos base. And the last gesture from that blurry shadow had only improved his manifestation of the art of archery. Still, he was aware that people who were capable of obtaining personal divine blessings were treated differently than most. This was because such cultivators show rapid growth in their cultivation and in their respective skills. For instance, Isolde who had a personal divine blessing from Eir would be considered an important resource of the kingdom. So no matter what, the kingdom would not allow her life to be endangered. Similarly, he too would be sought after by various organizations now. Hao Lei continued to grin happily while turning his head occasionally to look at Shu Yi with smugness and confidence in his victory. Shu Yi''s face was now the epitome of failure as he kept turning his head between Samuel and Zhen Shi. Samuel who had been wallowing in self-pity shook his head with a smile. After all, when the gap between competitors is insurmountable, that rivalry turns into blind faith and adoration. As such, Samuel and the majority of cultivators got up from the ground and came over to congratulate Zhen Shi. Ding! Congratulations to the user for earning 20 OP! Ding! Congratulations to the user for earning 5 OP! -------------------- A series of notifications rang out as Zhen Shi easily wracked up exactly 100 OP in a few moments. As a result, Zhen Shi''s face was adorned with a true smile of happiness and satisfaction. He was dancing in joy within the depths of his heart. So by the time, the cultivators came over to talk to him he was smiling genuinely. They talked about how Zhen Shi had to take care of them in the future, how his future success was set now, how happy his master would be and so on. Their adoration and respect only increased as they noted Zhen Shi''s genuine smile. This Zhen Shi is truly amazing. Even while talking with us useless people, his smile is as genuine as the sun and moon. A real hero among cowards! A man to befriend! Next, Samuel walked over and he too was impressed with Zhen Shi''s ''genuineness''. So with a smile he too spoke out, "Brother Zhen Shi now that you have even exceeded the previous record holder, Prince Tristram, he might turn up to challenge you, honorably or dishonorably. After all, the entire kingdom knows about the prince''s temperament." Zhen Shi nodded his head in thanks and spoke out, "I''ll remember to keep brother Samuel''s words in mind." As Samuel walked away, Hao Lei kept grinning proudly for having discovered this talent. Finally, Shu Yi walked over. He had been planning on inviting Zhen Shi over to the Turnbull family but under the vigilant look of Hao Lei, he could only leave after a few words of congratulations with Samuel in tow. Hao Lei turned over to Zhen Shi and said, "Fellow Daoists, come let me take you to the actual market hall," while guiding them over the wooden bridge to the island. But while they were going along Myne and Vivienne established a common mental link with Zhen Shi. Myne spoke out worriedly, "Bro you... did you actually get the divine blessing? We didn''t tell you anything before as it was only supposed to be a spiritual blessing, but who would''ve thought that you would actually summon over a god for a divine blessing!" Zhen Shi calmly sent back, "Oh, why what''s the problem? No worries though, the primordial chaos gobbled all of the divine blessing up leaving me nothing... That divine blessing was only a farce!" Myne and Vivienne visibly relaxed and Vivienne sent back cryptically, "That''s good... This is because divine blessings are simply traps laid out for cultivators..." Zhen Shi couldn''t help but frown as Isolde and his sister Zhen Xixi who both had divine blessings came into his mind. "Explain..." he sent back. Myne grimaced and sent back, "Knowing too much isn''t good for anyone. But... since it seems to be important to you, we''ll tell you later tonight, in private." Zhen Shi nodded in acceptance but still was worried in his mind. By now they had crossed the bridge and was a single step away from the island in the lake. They took the last step forward. Zhen Shi felt as if he had passed through a light protective membrane and even calmly sensed the formation with his spiritual energy. But he couldn''t learn much from it alone. As such he shifted his concentration on to the island itself. The island lay before them in all it''s glory. The wind passed lightly through the land causing the trees in the forest to rustle about. There were strange unusual trees and plants of various colors, all of which Zhen Shi recognized. The wind broke off the leaves of these trees causing them to colorfully dance about in the wind. Zhen Shi inhaled the smell of the various flowers and walked forwards delighting in this explosion of natural beauty. Behind this forest of wonderment was the awe-inspiring golden pagoda showing off its power to all. But suddenly, *cough*. Myne had coughed with a victorious grin while staring at Zhen Shi. Myne grinned and spoke out, "So, did Bro get enticed by the bewitching formation again? Hmm?" Zhen Shi was speechless but with a light golden hue in his eyes, he immediately began to point out at several locations saying, "The formation centers are--" But Myne hurriedly stopped him, "Geez. Fine. Fine. You don''t have to show off all the time," with an unhappy frown. Zhen Shi grinned in victory and Vivienne unable to hold back finally laughed at this situation, causing Hao Lei who too had been entranced in the beauty of nature to finally wake up. Having just shaken off the formation effects, he embarrassedly looked at the trio who seemed to be completely fine and spoke out, "The junior generation indeed surpasses us of the old. I apologize for inadvertently getting enraptured in our own formation. We put it up to provide a calm and beautiful backdrop for the customers, but it seems it might have been too well done," with a calm laugh. Zhen Shi and the rest hurriedly spoke out saying there was no need for an apology. Hao Lei smiled once again as he led the trio away from the forest and along a clear path towards the entrance to the Item Hall. But suddenly Hao Lei frowned and hurriedly turned to the trio speaking out apologetically, "My apologies. A problem seems to have come up and the elders of the Lyon family are being summoned. Thus I''ll have to leave momentarily." Noticing the inquisitive looks on their faces and considering it a chance to earn their favor he continued speaking in explanation, "The Lyon and Turnbull market hall is jointly managed by the Lyon and Turnbull royal families. The first masters were very good friends and thus started this venture together. But under continuous generations of power struggles, the relationship between the families in each market hall has deteriorated. As such the first masters put forth a competition. Accordingly, the younger generations of the direct descendants of each branch hall will compete in their knowledge of item appraisal and the winning family of each branch hall will hold the monopoly of overall decisions. In fact, our Lyon family could have easily won this time..." He grimaced while tightening his fist, "That Shu Yi and his Turnbull family! Seeing their obvious loss under Josef Turnbull they had him arrested, so they would have a chance at victory! Now they are suggesting bringing in external experts to solve the problem. How ruthless... " Myne''s face went pale when he heard this, while Zhen Shi and Vivienne had to hold back from laughing. Hao Lei, however, continued speaking with ignorance, "Once again I must apologize. But I already notified my niece. She''ll arrive shortly. Now, I''ll be taking my leave, fellow Daoists," and bowed immediately before walking away. Now alone Zhen Shi couldn''t help but rub it in Myne by saying, "So.. bro of mine, I must admit that the scrying crystal is indeed powerful!" and laughing. Myne could only scowl unhappily as Vivienne too spoke out, "Hubby, your old habits seem to have brought troubles in the present time," with a victorious smile.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. But Myne was saved from this by a hurrying figure of yellow and white. This figure hurriedly grabbed Myne''s hand and spoke out pitifully, "Big brother our Lyon family is troubled because you got Josef Turnbull arrested. So won''t you help us solve this problem to our advantage?" Zhen Shi observed this new arrival. She was a very beautiful young girl with shoulder-length purplish-black hair. She was dressed in an embroidered dress of yellow and white lace which showed off her young figure. However, Vivienne seemed to be about to go into full-on devil mode while Myne was completely frozen in the face of this sudden arrival holding on to his hand. As such, Zhen Shi hurriedly jumped in to save his brother. He grabbed the girl''s hand freeing Myne and spoke out, "Pretty Lady, don''t bother that heartless brother of mine. He isn''t moved by any woman besides his wife beside him. So, I''ll make sure to help you out in his stead!" with a nonchalant grin. The girl''s face instantly reddened in embarrassment. When she first arrived, she had immediately recognized Myne who was responsible for sending Josef into the kingdom jail. As such seeing an opportunity to help out the Lyon family, considering these fellow student''s abilities and their mysterious master about whom she had been informed by Hao Lei, she had jumped without thinking. Now realizing that she had grabbed onto a married man in front of his wife, she was deeply embarrassed. Still, she hurriedly freed herself from Zhen Shi''s hand and bowed elegantly while speaking out, "My deepest apologies, elder brother Myne and big sister Vivienne. I, Laura Lyon, acted without thought. So forgive me... But, this Zhen Shi also grabbed onto my hand!" Now turning onto Zhen Shi with a devilish smile she spoke out, "Will you take responsibility? Or will you pay for mental damages?" Zhen Shi was flabbergasted. FUCK! Is this a gold digger in the guise of a pretty flower? He hurriedly sent out to Myne, "Bro, hand me one of your scryer crystals. I''ll use it to get this girl off my back." But Myne sent out, "Hell no! Vivienne is on MY back! I''m staying out of this matter..." Zhen Shi grimaced as the expected backup failed to deliver, but almost immediately he himself grinned devilishly. He wagged his index finger in the face of Laura confidently and spoke out, "Laura, Laura... You are a bit too young to make us pay. Let''s say that my actions cancel off yours. After all, you grabbed a married man and I have pretty good proof..." while bringing out the scryer crystal he had received from Myne before in the market street. He hadn''t used it to record anything, he was hoping that this girl knew about how Myne had handled Josef and would assume he had done the same. Laura couldn''t help but grimace. She had been brought up as a student of business and as such tried to always make a profit. But she couldn''t help but accept defeat in the face of these fellow students and their scryer crystals. This must be the wise teachings of their master, Myrden! If Zhen Shi had heard that thought he would''ve vomited blood for three days and three nights. Still, he didn''t and so was still celebrating his victory. Laura bowed in defeat and spoke out, "It will be as big brother Zhen Shi says," but she immediately looked up with a smile and shining eyes, "I didn''t expect that the genius archer and formation master who even exceeded Prince Tristram''s record on the golden spirit bridge, to also be talented in item appraisal!" Even though he won his gamble, Zhen Shi could only smile helplessly as he wondered, "Shit. I was almost sued by this lady but I still have to help her?" Myne and Vivienne couldn''t help but grin at his helpless face... Laura ignored all of them as she smiled and spoke out, "Well, fellow brothers and sister before the appraisal event tomorrow, you must''ve come here to purchase some items? Just tell me and I''ll ensure you get the best of the best. No need to peruse the items yourself. Since you''re helping our family I''ll even add an additional 10% discount to your purchases." Immediately, Myne and Vivienne walked forwards and handed out two pieces of paper. Laura quickly went over the lists and spoke to Myne, "We do have all of these materials, but the sap glass is very rare and we have a high demand for it. I suppose we''ll let you have it as thanks for your help," she turned over to Vivienne, "All these ingredients are available even the insects, but why do you need them?" since Vivienne only mysteriously smiled she continued, "As for the pill furnace, it would be best if sister Vivienne came along with me later to chose one." Vivienne spoke out with a smile, "Very well. I''ll expect you to treat me to a meal afterward for trying to steal my husband." Laura couldn''t help but blush in shame at her reply, but she nodded with a grin nevertheless. Now with all their matters handled Laura called out to Zhen Shi, "Big brother, aren''t you going to buy anything?" Zhen Shi shook his head helplessly, "I want to buy something, but I don''t know if I could afford it." Laura frowned, "Well if you tell me, I might be able to help you get it for cheap or even on loan. After all, what organization would refuse to have a genius owe them a favor?" and said. Zhen Shi nodded thankfully causing Laura to smile confidently. But her smile disappeared as Zhen Shi spoke out, "Okay, if little sister is so sure, then I am free of worries. I want to buy... you," pointing at her and continued, "to take home to cook and take care of myself!" Laura was flabbergasted as she realized he was just joking around, and with her face red in anger, she spoke out, "You--you, shameless wolf! Now, you MUST pay me for mental damages!" Zhen Shi continued to grin nonchalantly as he brought out the scryer crystal and played around with it mischievously. Myne and Vivienne couldn''t help but laugh at this ridiculous situation. Laura sighed once again in defeat thinking, ''This master Myrdern is truly peerless'' while eyeing the scryer crystal that Zen Shi had with him. As such she spoke out in an annoyed manner, "Fine... Brother Zhen Shi, you win." But she almost immediately returned to normal and smiled saying, "I suppose you must be tired from your travels. Since the appraisal competition will be held next week, we have arranged rooms for you. If you need anything, just tell us." She led them away from the main item hall and towards the forest which they had previously walked away from. Within a short time, they came across a worn forest path which they followed. Zhen Shi tried to sense the path or the surroundings with his spiritual energy but was unable to do so. Still, he walked closer to Laura and spoke out, "Laura, you''re a Lyon right? So are you the one from the main family who was supposed to go against Josef Turnbull?" Laura was surprised at his sudden question and answered grumpily, "Humph. What? will you regret your actions if I am of the main family?" Still, she shook her head and answered, "No. I''m only a Lyon from the second family. Uncle Hao Lei is my mother''s brother and my father is only from a side family. The one who was supposed to fight against him was sister, Dorothy. She was born of divine birth time and was immediately blessed by the patron god Caishen, like you. In fact, she has never made loss of even a single coin to the Item Hall!" with adoration in her eyes. Zhen Shi nodded in acknowledgment but brought out the scryer crystal and played around it, much to the annoyance of Laura. Thankfully for her, the rest of the journey was short as they soon arrived at a clearing in the forest with a complex of several luxurious pavilions. The blazing midday sun shone relentlessly on the pavilions causing the golden walls and silver roofs to glisten like gems. There were many guards of the soul transformation stage adorned in golden-red armor surrounding the pavilions. But noticing Laura and the rest they immediately moved to the side with a slight bow. Laura showed them to one of the pavillions at the very center of the complex which was much larger than most. Now, with her task complete she left with a promise to deliver the required items and to come back later to take Vivienne for the purchase of the pill furnace. But before she left, she angrily glared at Zhen Shi who was still playing with the scryer crystal... ??????????????? The pavilion was rather open and at the very center, there was an open-roof garden. Besides the intricately planted plants and trees, there was a pond to which the water was flowing in and out through a small stream. Moments later, Zhen Shi, Myne, and Vivienne sat down in the main central hall from where they could easily observe the central garden. Zhen Shi was the first to speak, "So will you explain the situation regarding divine blessings?" Myne signaled for him to be quiet and brought out a talisman. He threw it upwards as it formed a spherical dome of qi surrounding the three of them. Immediately, Vivienne moved into a seated position and formed various hand signs while mumbling an incantation which sent out surges of energy that combined with the dome of qi strengthening it. Myne now began to talk hurriedly, "I can''t explain everything to you just yet. None of our cultivations are sufficient right now to completely block out their observation if we mention them directly. In fact," he turned to Vivienne who nodded in support, "we believe that even Vivienne''s mother Diana might have been under their orders when she used the divine curse to trap us. Most probably, they are those that are truly in power in the various organizations of gods. They have eyes and ears everywhere and if it wasn''t for this," he pointed to the dome of qi, "I wouldn''t dare speak. Their weakest members would exceed the law stage in power. All I can say right now is that a divine blessing is most probably just as bad as being attacked by a divine curse, if not worse. So make sure your loved ones stay away from them." He grinned slightly and said, "But you don''t have to worry about it yourself. You might have figured it out already, but it seems that primordial chaos absorbs divine blessings." Zhen Shi frowned and asked in worry, "What about the people who I care about who already have divine blessings! My sister and even Isolde both have divine blessings! How can I save them?" Myne and Vivienne frowned helplessly. Finally, Vivienne smiled lightly, "Little bro, it''s not possible to get rid of divine blessings with mortal power. So, all we can say is, become stronger..." Myne grinned supportively and said, "Yes, just become stronger. You already have never before seen abilities and a primordial chaos base! If someone or any divine blessing gets in your way and your loved ones, just beat them with sheer power!" Zhen Shi nodded in agreement as he fell into silent thought while staring at the central garden. Myne and Vivienne canceled the dome of qi wordlessly as they noticed his desire to be alone. They got up and started to walk away, leaving Zhen Shi alone in the central hall. But Vivienne paused for a moment saying, "Little Bro I know that it''s easier for you to improve your cultivation the way you do, but it might be a good idea to cultivate normally and become more familiar with your own body. After all, you can''t be too sure when treading on paths walked by none before..." Myne also spoke out, "Oh yeah, since you want to learn blacksmithing and..." but strangely paused as he turned to look at Vivienne. She smiled and nodded. Thus Myne continued to speak, "pill refining as well, we''ll be back once we get the materials." Zhen Shi simply nodded once more. As Myne and Vivienne walked away, he stared at the stream of water being bathed by the afternoon sunlight while jumping along the rocks. His eyes glowed and his fists tightened involuntarily... Chapter 22: Taming Spirits: A Master Class with Myne Zhen Shi contemplated what Vivienne had told him a moment ago. And so he mentally asked, "System, it''s fine to just cultivate by leveling up, right?" Ding! Cultivation is defined as an improvement of the existence of a person by gathering qi or understanding. Leveling up in the system is simply providing the user the energy needed to improve their cultivation. Thus, it is advised to meditate and cultivate in general. FUCK! What type of system needs the user to cultivate as well? It''s the system''s job to level me up! At the very least, shouldn''t you have told me sooner? What, do you think that by spouting some fancy definition everything will be fine? System: "..." Nevertheless, Zhen Shi heaved a sigh as he shifted into a meditative lotus position. Being bathed by the warm midday sunlight, with the peaceful sound of the trickling stream he slowly closed his eyes and attempted to circle the qi in his body. To his great annoyance, he wasn''t able to make much progress. But immediately a stream of memories washed over his mind and was imprinted onto his soul. Zhen Shi immediately realized that this was the practicing method of the . As he went over this practice method he was immediately dumbstruck. Previously, he hadn''t thought much about the fact that the system is capable of improving his cultivation, as he had believed that it was an ''expected'' function of a ''system''. But now with the in his mind, he could understand that this wasn''t the work of the system alone. Just like the system''s definition, every time he ''leveled up'', he would be forcefully provided with a torrent of qi or energy. This would then be utilized by the system to revolve the energy of his body through his meridians and dantian. So his level ups were basically a type of forced cultivation. Zhen Shi could only imagine what would''ve happened if he hadn''t figured this out due to Vivienne and Myne''s timely advice. But now that he was aware of the matter, he began to familiarize himself with the cultivation art. But his progress was rather slow and was only able to move the qi about at a snail''s pace. In fact, it was extremely difficult and he felt as if he was a mortal trying to walk on a tight rope with a blindfold. Thus he activated the skill he had received ages ago. Immediately, his vision veered off, finally focusing on his own body. He was met by the familiar view of his meridians and qi paths. Now being able to see what he was doing, it was much easier to move the qi along his meridians and qi paths. Even still, Zhen Shi felt like ordinary cultivators might be able to do much better than he was. He could only assume that since he had leveled up so far automatically, it was difficult for his body and mind to get used to doing things manually. FUCK! Why won''t the qi move? It''s like my qi path is the loading bar, while the qi is the amount of progress. But my internet is so slow that the progress just... stopped! After what felt like ages, Zhen Shi was finally able to complete one rotation of qi around his body. It wasn''t that his qi was weak or his meridians were thin, on the contrary, his qi was very rich and his meridians were extremely strong and wide due to the beast bloodlines. But this was simply a foreign act unfamiliar to him, and as such would require some time to master. Zhen Shi heaved an exasperated sigh as he reopened his eyes. Even though he was suffering from a disability to rotate qi, he was feeling rather relaxed after that session of meditation and cultivation. He felt at ease and more familiar with the concept of qi. While he was immersing himself in that wondrous feeling, Myne walked from outside into the pavilion and sat down next to Zhen Shi. Now feeling much better, Zhen Shi turned to a rather exasperated Myne with a grin and spoke out, "What? The wife giving you troubles, grand mage?" Myne scowled and muttered, "Fuck off... I didn''t even do anything! It was all that Laura girl!" Zhen Shi''s grin grew wider as he playfully comforted Myne by patting his back. Myne''s scowl grew worse as he shook off Zhen Shi''s hand and said, ''Kid, do you want me to teach you or not?" Zhen Shi hurriedly stopped the joke and with a salute, he spoke out seriously, " Gomenasai, Sensei!" Myne frowned, "What bullshit are you spouting now?" but with a light sigh, he shook his head in exasperation. He turned his head to look at the peaceful garden and the ever-flowing stream and continued to speak, "You better listen to this old man''s ramblings well... I won''t repeat what I say!" Zhen Shi bent his head sideways with a quizzical look, "No matter how I look, I can''t see the old man in your young face..." Myne ignored him as he continued to speak, "You can ask from the millions of blacksmiths out there... what is the most important for a blacksmith? And they''ll all answer differently, knowledge of materials, the fire used, the blacksmith tools, the artificing techniques, superb control of energy and qi, or even powerful physical strength... And I say they''re all idiots!" He lightly scratched his chin and continues to speak with a grin, "In millennia of experience, I came to realize that the most important thing for a blacksmith, is spirit and will! All of those other things are merely necessities to engage in smithing, but they do not hold the true essence of a blacksmith. Most of the blacksmiths of my time, it''s probably much worse now, got hung up on improving those factors, finally ending with subpar results..." Noticing Zhen Shi''s skeptical face he continued to speak with an even wider grin, " I didn''t use to think so either, but... I once met a boorish blacksmith out in the Ice Lands up north. His feet had been hamstrung and had been made into a cripple by a local Warband chief, simply for not providing his services under their conditions. He had been thrown out of his tribe to die alone in the bone-chilling cold. That was around when I first met him... But when I did, he was simply hammering down on a piece of obsidian, in the terrifying cold with no fire but his weak qi to melt the metal and nothing to maintain and nourish him beside the falling snow. I was impressed by his determination and so offered to help out with... divine fire, more materials, better tools, but he with a toothy almost mad laugh he refused them all. So I stayed to witness his obvious failure and even made a bet with him. After all, he was trying to artifice one of the strongest metals, in the coldest regions known to mankind, without a proper fire and only a simple hammer for a tool. So my victory was assured." Myne''s eyes glowed, "But that was when I witnessed the miracle..." But he didn''t get much further because Zhen Shi suddenly stood up while shouting excitedly, "Let me guess. He made a divine weapon, at the peak of the art of blacksmithing, the likes no-one has seen before! And with his powerful weapon he went and killed off that stupid Warband Chief, despite being crippled and he was hailed as a hero!" Myne slapped his own face and muttered, "Kid are you crazy? What''ve you been learning this entire time? Who''d be hailed as a hero for killing their Warband chief in cold blood?" He continued to speak out, "Also, how on earth could he make a weapon at the peak of blacksmithing with only a small hammer? Are you drunk?" Zhen Shi could only shamelessly laugh, while seriously considering whether he should pretend to be drunk... Myne shook his head helplessly and spoke out, "Well it might not have been a divine weapon but it was indeed miraculous. After years of hammering, he was finally able to carve out a small sharp edge on that stone. And after he did so, he collapsed on the spot." Zhen Shi grimaced completely forgetting his mistake. FUCK! What''s the moral of such a story? Noticing his face Myne laughed and said, "I took him away and helped him to heal. But immediately after waking up he took that piece of carved obsidian and went back to his Warband. I was intrigued and so I followed him as well. He waited until the Warband Chief left on official business and then with his crippled cultivation and only that sharpened piece of obsidian he attacked!" Myne''s eyes glowed with adoration as he continued in speaking, "He killed off the Chief''s sons who were skilled warriors and even kidnapped his daughter. For many years to come, the people spoke how he escaped, laughing, on wings of his own making, boasting that he would father the chief''s grandson! And that crippled boorish fellow won the bet in the end... Wait, FUCK! That''s where my Mythril class furnace went! I lost it to him..." and finished with a sense of great loss. Zhen Shi couldn''t care less about Myne''s Mythril class furnace, because he was still trying to piece the moral of this story, "So... Just hammer stuff and finally use winged flying tools that you made before to run away? Is that the essence of being a blacksmith?" he wondered out loud jokingly. Myne slapped his face again in exasperation and spoke, " Uhh... That''s what you got from that? His wings aren''t the point. Indeed he probably made them before, otherwise, how could he have escaped with his legs hamstrung? But again that''s not the point. The point is that while being a cripple he was able to beat the Warband chief''s sons with that piece of obsidian! Even now I find it hard to believe. By holding on to his will and with great determination he was able to make such a crazy weapon; crude but highly effective. In fact, this tale teaches you many important facts." Zhen Shi frowned with his head bent sideways, "It does??" Myne ignored him and said, "In all my years I have never seen such a unique weapon. I can only assume he ventured into some trance and a higher level of blacksmithing when he crafted it. No matter how much I tried, I was unable to copy his attempts... So the first lesson is that a weapon need only be powerful. Appearance matters less!" Myne continued as Zhen Shi nodded in agreement, "The next lesson is, no matter how suited a weapon is to a person, the one who knows best about it is the blacksmith who created it." He turned to look at Zhen Shi, "In fact, your bow is an amazing piece of weaponry, and the blacksmith who made it is probably even leagues above that fellow in the Ice Lands. I have no idea where you got it from, you lucky bastard. But, obviously, the blacksmith knew nothing about you. I can sense how there are small misfits between you and that bow. Right now you can barely bring out the power of a Grade 2 weapon and the only reason you could handle Vivienne back in that valley was because of the high-quality materials! It''s true that that problem will lessen with time and practice, but if you made the bow by yourself such a problem would''ve never occurred."This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Myne now proudly patted his chest as he reached the end of his lessons, "And the final lesson... it is impossible for anyone to reach such a level overnight. So forget everything I said and follow the advice given by the ordinary blacksmiths," with a confident and self-satisfied grin. Zhen Shi fainted and collapsed sideways. SHIET! Then why''d you make me listen to all that crap? Myne laughed joyfully seeing this and said, "Don''t misunderstand, just know that the spirit and soul you impart into your weapon or armor is of paramount importance," grinning further at Zhen Shi''s face he continued, "Your bow is a true masterpiece. I doubt you''d be able to reach that type of a level soon, or ever. So try to make slight modifications to make it suit you better." Zhen Shi finally got himself up and stared at Myne with dead disappointed eyes. Myne frowned and slapped him out of it, "Fuck off. Do you want to learn from me or not?" causing Zhen Shi to hurriedly sit straight and listened obediently. Myne continued to speak rather seriously, "I noticed you are skilled with materials and appraisal, so I''ll teach you nothing of that..." He manifested a rather thick manuscript and a small book in his hand, "Next, formations are an important part of any weapon or tool. Your skills as a formation master are related to your artificing skill and formation skills. Formation Masters are powerful in their own right. For instance, the formation of this island is very powerful! It could hold off the attack of even a sovereign and even supports distant spiritual communication. But, you''ll have to start from the bottom, so you can use these notes and collection of formations I collected casually," throwing the manuscript at him. Zhen Shi hurriedly caught it. Don''t throw these valuable notes like garbage! Myne was ignorant of his thoughts and threw the other book at him saying, "And this is my personal artificing technique called . It supposedly can manifest a divine cauldron out of pure aether from nature once you reach the highest level. Doubt you''ll reach it because I haven''t either." Zhen Shi hurriedly caught it thinking, FUCK! How did these poor books piss you off? But how could he say that out loud when Myne was actually helping him. Myne ignorantly continued speaking, "As for fire, the Vermillion bird flame of yours should be very suitable." Next, he took out a rolled bundle of parchment and spoke out with great pride on his face, "Alright. For any type of armor or weapon, I have a rather ''clever'' way, of improving the power. I made it when I was inspired by a strange art of divination in the Ice Lands, performed by weaving cloth. I call it , as it involves entering into a trance-like state that the warbands referred to as ''Ohtur'' and then engraving what you saw or felt on the metal," and threw him that parchment as well. Zhen Shi caught it as well. *sigh* I won''t say anything anymore... Myne ignorantly continued, "Alright. Now I''ll show you how to make a simple weapon." Saying so he lightly flicked his hand causing a dark-black furnace to appear. There was no engraving on its outer surface giving it a rather glossy black finishing. He spoke with a satisfied grin, "This was the broken furnace I got for free from the market. I took the liberty of improving it up to Grade 3. I figured I''ll leave the rest of the fixing to you." Myne flicked his other hand causing that familiar dark blue flame to appear over his hand. He threw it into the furnace causing the entire furnace to be engulfed in the dark blue flame and hiss out with the release of dark black smog. Moments later, the smog formed into a small spherical blob of smog. It cracked like an egg finally revealing a small demonic imp with two horns and a tail. It jumped and danced around the furnace and the blue flames, seeming to giggle and chitter evilly while staring at Zhen Shi and Myne. Zhen Shi stared at it rather curiously as it''s cultivation level was apparently of the Soul Formation Stage 1. But, Myne''s face contorted strangely but he still pointed at it and said, "This is the furnace spirit. They only appear in furnaces at grade 3 or above and only if the blacksmith is skilled enough and has a good enough flame. Furnace spirits are basically helpers for a skilled blacksmith. But they might be more trouble than help if you try to force them." With his free hand, he threw over another book which Zhen Shi caught as well. Sheesh! Throwing books again? Not that I''m complaining though... Myne''s face contorted again as he spoke, "That''s a ''clever'' trick I learned on my travels. Furnace spirits are rather strange creatures and sometimes won''t even give in under greater power and the threat of death, not that it''s easy to kill them. But that skill should help tame any furnace spirit weaker than your cultivation level." Saying so he hurriedly went back to focusing on his task, and materialized a dark block of silver metal, "This is black silver, a special alloy used to make sharp weapons," and threw it into the flaming furnace. Immediately the dark blue flames rose to burn it off, but the demonic imp jumped in front of it and skilfully held off the flames with a giggle. "Most furnace spirits know out of instinct what to do, but controlling it properly is the blacksmith''s job. There have been many incidents of the furnace spirit going out of control, and even killing the owner. So be careful..." Zhen Shi eyed the black horned imp, who in turn eyed him and creepily giggled. Myne grinned now as he continued to speak, "First I''ll remove the impurities. Remember there is no such thing as a naturally occurring pure ore, so always purify the material," and under Myne''s guidance, the chittering demon Imp proceeded to carefully spread the heat of the dark blue flames across the piece of metal while removing the impure slag. Once Myne was satisfied with the quality of the ore he took out an ordinary-looking hammer with a worn head "This is a mallet that I use to prepare the basic structure of the artifact. There are blacksmiths who use their own fists, even large sledgehammers and anvils or sometimes nothing at all. Just find what suits you, but in my opinion, a small hammer is the best," and started to slam the piece of metal while it was held by the black imp. Clang! Clang! The sound of the hammer clanging metal reverberated across the pavilion. Myne was utilizing his full strength and even then the black demon imp within the dark blue flames seemed to be fine as it went about maintaining the heat of the metal and shaping it with a calm but mischievous look. Myne continued to speak, "Every weapon is going to require a unique refining formula and it is very difficult to figure one on your own. So here you go," and threw out another book which also was caught by Zhen Shi. Yah, Keep it coming. Just keep throwing more skill books!! Myne put away the mallet and broke out the refined and shaped metal into three odd-shaped portions. He intensified the blue flames causing more black smog to form. Under his control, the smog formed into two more black blob eggs which cracked open revealing two more identical black imps chittering mischievously. "You can have as many as 81 furnace spirits but the number will be based on two main factors. The grade of the blacksmith and the grade of the furnace. The number of maximum furnace spirits one can use is the multiple of those two factors." He momentarily let the three imps work by themselves as he patted his own chest saying, "Back then, I could of course use as many as 64 furnace spirits on my grade 8 Mythril furnace. But my cultivation has fallen and this furnace is only at grade 3, while I lost my furnace to that fellow. So right now I can bring out about 12 furnace spirits but you don''t need that many to make a basic knife. Three is more than enough." He turned back to the furnace and simultaneously controlled the three furnace spirits to work on making the three main parts of the knife; the hilt, the bolster in the middle and the blade. He whisked his hands and gathered some blue fire qi causing small blue colored talismans to appear and blend in with the blue flame, "And now I will add a basic strengthening formation on to the blade. I will be using the fire qi of the same fire to make sure they stabilize each other," he said while the three imps got to work on capturing talismans and adding them onto the three components of the knife. Moments later, the three parts were glowing with the finished marks of the formation. Myne clapped his hands loudly, "Alright, basically now the process is over, but since I only used a piece of black silver and that basic formation what we''ll be getting is an ordinary grade 1 weapon. I t should have been a lesser grade 1 weapon but the furnace quality helps. He laughed out loud, "Now I''ll use and show you the power of my self created skill. Soon I''ll enter into an Ohtur." Just as he finished talking, Myne simply stopped moving and his eyes gave off a vacant look. Zhen Shi found this astounding because he had completely lost track of Myne''s presence. He would have been completely undetectable if his body had been hidden. Zhen Shi''s brow furrowed in deep sorrow (;¡ä??§¥??`), ''FUCK! No! Bro, how can you just die--'' But he didn''t get any further as Myne''s vacant eyes were suddenly filled with life. In fact, he seemed to be overflowing with energy. He clicked both hands and materialized two simple sharp engravers. As if he was possessed he started scratching the surface of the flaming metal while it was held by the three demonic imp spirits, who had suddenly stopped their chittering almost in fear of disturbing Myne. With the ever-burning blue flame, under the eyes of the silent imps, Myne''s hands moved as naturally as the flowing stream next to him, slowly forming a clear and mesmerizing picture. Moments later, just as his hands stopped, the three furnace spirits brought the three components together. They clicked together like the perfect pieces of a puzzle. Myne who had now awakened from his ''Ohtur'', poured chilling water aether all over the finished knife. But just before the water reached the glowing white knife, the three demonic imps suddenly jumped forward and with mischievous giggles they struck the blade of the knife, easily puncturing the blade and forming three clear holes. HISS! As the water hit the heated metal cooling it, a cloud of steam filled up the main hall. It mystically lingered within the central garden among the rocky stream, before it was blown away by the wind into the afternoon sky. But now Myne was grinning awkwardly and scratching his head as he put away the furnace spirits and held the freshly formed knife forwards for Zhen Shi to see. The blade of the knife had an engraving, of an old hand gripping on to a bow from which a powerful arrow had been shot. Then the engraving extended up to the end of the hilt and showed this arrow cleanly passing through the loops of a dozen axe heads. The carving was present completely identically on both sides, and Zhen Shi couldn''t help but admire the craftsmanship. Seeing the engraving he felt nostalgic about a legend he had read about. But there were three holes on the blade which were rather unfitting and slightly ruined the beauty of the knife. Myne hurriedly wiped the awkward grin off his face, as he said, "See? That skill was able to improve it up to a lesser grade 2 weapon." Zhen Shi nodded in appreciation but still asked, "So why did you put in these three holes? They kind of ruin the engraving..." Myne playfully slapped his head and hurriedly spoke, "Idiot. Did you think I lost control or something? Do you think the furnace spirit taming skill has a side effect?" He paused at his own mistake but kept speaking to cover it up, "You''re stupid! I only did that to give the knife a more aerodynamic body and make it a throwing knife. This is a weapon, not a ceremonial treasure!" Zhen Shi nodded in agreement but with a hint of suspicion. Myne noted his face and as such quickly spoke out, "Well that''s about the gist of it. You have everything you need, so you can experiment in your leisure," and continued now in a rather relaxed fashion, "You can ask me about any problems you face or don''t. Your choice," and once again in a rather hurried manner, "Now let me show you the power of this knif--throwing knife." Myne gripped the knife from its blade and suddenly pulled back his arm accumulating a terrifying amount of qi. The strengthening formation glowed brightly and one could almost see the arrow passing through the axe handles as the engraving came to life. Immediately he threw his hand forward and the knife left his fingertips. The wind was shredded apart as the knife swept past the rocky stream quickly reaching the other end of the pavilion. Under the eyes of Zhen Shi and Myne, it struck the wall and immediately ripped apart the bronze wall as it shredded forward in great speed. Now, Myne happily turned back to Zhen Shi and spoke out while visibly relaxing, "See there was nothing to worry about. That was the true power of that special technique and that throwing knife! It''s on par with the attacking power of your bow without the incredible materials of course." Zhen Shi too was about to present his agreement-- But suddenly a huge commotion was heard from outside the pavilion. "Argghhh! My butt--" "Oh god, Lance has been attacked!" "Are you sure? It''s still daylight..." "Shut up! Just sound the alarms!" "There are daylight assassins! "Fuck, We''re under attack!" Myne''s eye twitched ?_? as he turned to Zhen Shi shouting, "FUCK!" Chapter 23: Becoming an Alchemist: With Vivienne While the commotion outside was growing worse, SLAM! The door to their pavilion opened with a bang as a familiar figure dressed in yellow and white came rushing in with a worried look on her face. Laura ran towards Zhen Shi and Myne with a much calmer Vivienne following her. Noticing that Zhen Shi was fine, and of course, Myne as well, Laura heaved a sigh of relief. Laura and Vivienne had just returned from their trip to the Market Hall, only to find a great commotion outside the pavilion. Fearing the worst Laura had rushed in, despite Vivienne''s attempts to calm her down. Laura had only relaxed when she noticed that they were safe. But noticing Zhen Shi who was in front of a freshly steaming dark black furnace which had obviously been used to artifice some item, her eyes glowed with understanding, as she noted the lack of this artifact. Immediately her face contorted mischievously as she pointed at Zhen Shi, "Big brother, your actions have caused irreparable mental damages to poor Lance and the rest of the guards of our Lyon and Turnbull Market hall, will you take responsibility or shall we settle this amicably...?" Hearing this, Myne calmly rested his hands behind his back and started to whistle calmly while looking at the central garden, after all this matter was ''completely unrelated'' to him. Vivienne frowned her brows in suspicion and stared at Myne but didn''t say anything. Zhen Shi had been rather touched by Laura''s worry, but hearing her mischievous words he immediately forgot about it as he calmly brought out that Scryer Crystal. Moreover, he was rather unhappy about this blame-shifting brother of his. Under Laura''s ever-growing frown, he played around with the scrying crystal as he looked at the ''innocent'' Myne. He began to whistle himself copying Myne''s actions. With a devilish grin Zhen Shi began wagging his index finger in front of Laura''s face and spoke out, "Laura, Laura... my dear girl, you jumped to accuse me without any investigation of the matter. I find this unbelievably unfair! What if I ''accidentally'' showed the contents of this scryer crystal to someone, in my sorrow, regarding the unfairness of the world?" Laura was immediately caught by surprise and could only stutter, "You--you, shameles--" Zhen Shi grinned in victory as he continued, "Brother Myne was only showing me his artifact refining to teach me. And he simply threw it out just to show its power. So this matter is completely his fault, and I am the unjustly accused," and finished with a wronged face. Vivienne began to laugh as her suspicions were proved correct, and said, "Sister Laura, I apologize for my husband''s actions. Since Brother Zhen Shi says so, I am now sure of his crime!" She turned to Myne and eyed him dangerously. Myne shivered as he turned to Zhen Shi with a frown and sent mentally, "Bro, how could you do this to me? Aren''t we brothers?" Zhen Shi frowned as well, "Oi, grand mage bro, you let the blame fall on me first! Besides you''re the grand mage, Merlin! ''Master of yourself''! If you can''t take care of a little girl, aren''t you useless?" and finished with a grin. Myne grimaced helplessly but calmly turned to the expectant face of Vivienne and the uncomfortable face of Laura. Laura was willing to accuse that shameless Zhen Shi but was unwilling to do the same to this senior disciple Myne, who she had wronged first. As such, she was planning on putting this entire matter behind her, immediately after Myne explained himself. Myne spoke out with an apologetic face, "I am indeed sorry, sister Laura. But you have to understand that was only a Grade 2 throwing knife." This caused Laura to be astonished. Who the hell throws out grade 2 artifacts? Grade 1 artifacts were mainly used by cultivators below the soul category. While grade 2 artifacts were completely sufficient until one reaches the soul deification stage! As such, Laura''s reaction was rather sensible. Laura gasped in surprise as she had a sudden realization and thought, ''Their master, Lord Myrden, must be truly amazing to have made his disciples think of grade 2 artifacts so poorly!'' Her amazement only improved as she considered the fact that the weapon had been thrown across the pavilion and the refined bronze walls, while still being enough to greatly damage the soul formation stage guard, Lance, outside. And this weapon had been just refined mere moments ago! Myne ignored her amazed face, after all, to him, a grade 2 artifact meant very little. He continued to speak proudly, "As such, I was rather disappointed in the fact that the pavilion walls were unable to handle my artificing lessons. And your soldiers as well, screaming over a mere flash wound. Tsk-tsk. How is this my fault? I simply thought too highly of your market hall..." Laura who had been celebrating her luck for having come across these powerful fellow disciples, who would undoubtedly be helpful to her, couldn''t help but frown at Myne''s words. She couldn''t help but think, ''This is our best guest pavilion! And it wasn''t made to handle people throwing grade 2 artifacts at it. This elder disciple is just as shameless as that Zhen Shi.'' And almost as if on cue, Zhen Shi spoke out, "And don''t forget that the employees here like to accuse people unjustly. Aiya! My innocence, my purity... you have stolen it!" while playing the victim with an innocent and wronged face, but his hand holding the scryer crystal would rather strangely dance about... Laura could only grin helplessly. I have dug my own grave! But to her luck, Vivienne spoke out with a frown, "Do you two enjoy making poor girls feel helpless? It was obviously your fault!" and death raging in her eyes. Immediately Zhen Shi and Myne grew silent. They looked at each other and with an agreeing nod turned to Laura while shamelessly saying, "We just realized, it''s not good to bully the juniors. So let''s just forget this matter..." with a smile. Laura stared at Vivienne with adoration in her eyes. My Angelic Sister! That master Myrden must be disappointed in these disciples while being proud of only you! But suddenly a rather innocent-looking middle-aged guard walked into the doorway of the now open pavilion. Zhen Shi eyed this soul formation fellow who was holding onto the tattered metallic remains of a shield and a familiar-looking knife. His lower body was covered in bloodied bandages. He grimaced in pain as he bowed to Laura and the rest. He spoke out with pain in his voice, "Lady Laura, we have searched everywhere. There were no signs of any intruders..." He gasped suddenly and bit his lips as if he was being impaled by a sword. With sweat falling down his face, he continued speaking, "I apolog--apologize for this failure." Laura silently turned to Myne and Vivienne, letting them know that they could take care of this matter as they wished. Myne smiled and walked forwards while eyeing this guard''s bloodied legs and spoke out, "Brother Lance right? Those daylight assassins are truly heartless. They attacked us within this pavilion and in our retaliation, my knife missed and struck this fellow brother. Aiya! Those daylight assassins are my worst enemies, and thus I am grateful for this brother''s help. Still, I ask for your forgiveness in having dragged you into this matter..." Zhen Shi and Laura gasped at his shamelessness. But Vivienne shooke her head helplessly... The ignorant Lance nodded while holding out the dark silver knife and spoke out, "If I was able to help out this elder brother and fulfill my duty, then I suppose my wounds are not so useless," with a look of genuine conviction and satisfaction. Seeing his innocent and gullible face, even Myne felt guilty at this point. As such while pushing back the knife towards Lance he spoke out, "As a reward, I''ll let this brother keep the dark silver knife. I hope it''ll be sufficien--" But Lance''s eyes teared up making Myne worry that maybe Lance was in horrible pain. But in actuality, this Lance was a rather pitiful fellow with a horrible childhood and had only known deep betrayal and sorrow. He was unable to cultivate beyond the soul formation stage and would spend the rest of his life as a mere guard. As such this simple and ''unconditional'' gift from Myne meant the world to him! Thus to Myne''s relief, Lance started to cry tears of joy saying, "My Elder brother! Thank you! You are the first person to give this useless guard such a valuable gift!" and jumped forwards to hug Myne. However, his wound acted out in an explosion of blood and bandages, causing him to trip over in pain. And in the end, he hugged the surprised Myne''s legs, while rubbing his blood, tears, and snot all over Myne''s trousers and legs while crying loudly. Myne was flabbergasted. No! Just let go-- you''re dirtying my handsome aura! But how could he say this out loud or even use force on a wounded man? Zhen Shi and Vivienne couldn''t help but start to laugh at this. But under Laura''s strange and condescending look they coughed and calmed down. After all who would laugh in the face of the wounded? Laura mentally sent out some commands and several awkward moments later, during which Myne had been struggling with the bloody and tightly hugging Lance, while Zhen Shi and Vivienne had been struggling to hold their laughter under the disapproving but still lightly smiling face of Laura, several guards walked in with a stretcher. They pulled apart Lance''s tight hands holding onto the struggling Myne and put him on to the stretcher. Myne heaved a sigh of relief as he hurried to brush off the blood. While still spewing blood all over the stretcher, Lance looked at Myne in adoration and spoke out with painful gasps, "Big brother, thank you for today. I''ll cherish this gift forever. If in the future you need to use my backside again, just say the word. Next time, I won''t even need a reward. Today was that blissful for me..." while gripping tightly onto the gift; the black silver knife. Myne''s eye twitched ?_? as he worriedly eyed the rest of the guards. FUCK! Lance, could you have worded that differently? Even if I explain now, it''ll only make things worse! Zhen Shi and Vivienne finally broke out in a cacophony of laughter. Even Laura couldn''t help but grin with a smirk seeing Myne''s flabbergasted face. On the other hand, the guards with the stretcher were from a completely different area. As such, they were unaware of the knife attack. All they knew were that there was a fellow guard with a heavily ''wounded'' backside which was literally bleeding, another man who the soldier was thanking for a ''blissful'' time, a valuable grade 2 knife as ''payment'' and spectators who were laughing at this matter. They immediately ''figured'' out the matter and stared at Myne with judging looks, bringing Myne''s worries to reality. However, some of the soldiers seemed to be looking at him with enticing, impressed glances and shining eyes. After all the ''reward'' was pretty good... Seeing this Zhen Shi and Vivienne laughed even louder while wiping off tears from their eyes. Even Laura joined in as Myne palmed his face in exasperation. The stretcher with the grateful Lance who was still speaking out words of thanks, was taken away as the soldiers continued to stare at Myne either with judging or enticing looks. One even winked at him as they left... Zhen Shi was the one who was laughing the loudest and he even sent mentally to Myne, "Looks like the guards will be extra friendly to you from now on...!" Myne grimaced angrily and flicked his fingers as he muttered, "Just fuck off, kid! Take the furnace and these materials," and materialized several bags. He continued to speak out with gritted teeth, "It''s Vivienne''s turn now. So I''m taking a break," and immediately vanished leaving a lightly sparkling blue flame, which too flickered away momentarily.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Even after he disappeared, the laughing trio struggled to stop. But in the end, they did, albeit rather difficultly. Laura turned to look at Zhen Shi with a victorious grin, "Shameless Elder brother, did you see that? That is what happens to people who mess with this missy here! Even your elder brother was unable to escape! Scared yet? Will you apologize and destroy that evidence now?" and shouted with a pleased look. In fact, Laura was obviously completely unrelated to this matter. It was exactly what it seemed to be; A wacky series of random events led by fate. She was simply acting tough to hopefully scare Zhen Shi... But Zhen Shi laughed out loud, "Laura... Laura... Little Sister Laura. How can you keep underestimating us fellow students like this?" He grinned confidently as he wagged his index finger in her face, as he brought out the same Scrying Crystal. He spoke out, "In addition to the previous evidence, I now have another one confirming in your own words that you were responsible for embarrassing my senior brother!" Laura was frozen in place. Uhh... The teachings of this Master Myrden are indeed profound! Laura lowered her head in defeat, "I was just joking Elder Brother. It was just a joke..." Zhen Shi nodded in understanding and confidence, "As long as you understand..." while playing about with that same scryer crystal. Even Zhen Shi was impressed with the power of scryer crystals. He made a mental note to get some actually working ones from Myne! Laura hurriedly shook her head in a helpless grin and spoke out, "Well, I''ll be on my way. Feel free to contact us at any time. I''ll be here later to give you more information regarding the appraisal competition." She waved her hand with a playful grin and walked away from the pavilion. ???????? Moments later... Vivienne shook her head with a helpless grin and spoke, "You should let that poor girl get a win sometime. She was worried about you a lot, you know?" Zhen Shi spread his hands helplessly with a slight grin. Vivienne laughed and while eyeing Myne''s furnace and materials said, "So this incident... Let me guess, Myne was nervous about his ''furnace spirit taming skill'' and threw the knife to show it''s power and make you less suspicious?" Zhen Shi nodded with a smile and asked, "So... what is wrong with that skill?" Vivienne smiled mischievously, " I''m not sure myself. You should ask Myne or just figure it out yourself with experience..." Zhen Shi was rather nervous at this cryptic answer but was unable to ask further as Vivienne continued to speak, "Anyways I''m here to teach you pill refining," while sitting down at the previous spot and gesturing Zhen Shi to do the same. Zhen Shi followed suit and pushed aside the Blacksmithing tools and materials to the side to make space. Vivienne noted his actions and said, "You should put away those items first..." and suddenly asked with a frown, "I know I owe you a spatial treasure, but don''t you already have one? I mean where do you put that bow and strange musical box?" Zhen Shi scratched his head helplessly, "Uhh... It''s complicated..." while thinking, ''System this is your fault!'' System: "..." Vivienne nodded with an almost knowing grin, and said, "Well, alright. Let''s just begin the lesson! First off, Little Bro, I suppose that idiot hubby of mine started you off on a simple knife while using furnace spirits and all his refining skills?" Zhen Shi nodded with a confused look. Vivienne shook her head and said, "Well it is almost impossible to get furnace spirits to manifest before you become a Grade 3 blacksmith and some blacksmiths don''t even use them in the refining process. I admit that furnace spirits are important for mastering the furnace, but there are masters who don''t use them at all," and her face grimaced playfully, "but this ''master of ours'' is actually engrossed with taming furnace spirits. Furnace spirits are, in the end, almost the same as using pure spiritual energy. It is just a different way of handling ingredients and the process." Zhen Shi frowned at these words and thought, ''SHIT! Wouldn''t I have been forced to ask Myne for help if I thought that I was unable to manifest furnace spirits? That bastard...'' Vivienne continued to speak, "But furnace spirits come with the advantage of improving your spiritual power,r by increasing the number involved in the process and thus enables you to do more. But it has a disadvantage; The involvement of many manifestations with different spiritual natures and different levels of cultivation will influence the quality of the product causing slight discrepancies. Thus the usage of furnace spirits is looked down upon in the higher tier refining world. But, even while looked down, Myne was a renowned master blacksmith, who stuck to his beliefs. On the other hand, I''m only a washed-up herbalist and a ''fake'' alchemist. So follow his advice, but take his wacky ideas at arm''s length," finishing with a smile, with a hint of regret in her eyes. Zhen Shi eyed her with a concerned look. But stayed silent. Vivienne smiled and continued, "Well my lesson will be slightly different from Myne''s. And don''t expect my lesson to have a wacky ending like his! I was at first a herbalist, who practiced to become an alchemist. And I mean both types. I trained to become the common pill refining alchemist as well as the much less popular type of alchemist, focused on changing the nature of metals and other materials..." Zhen Shi''s eyes gaped at this, he had not been expecting the western version of Alchemists to pop up suddenly. Vivienne heaved a sigh as she looked at the ever-flowing rocky stream under the afternoon sunlight, with water dancing like shining pearls. Vivienne spoke silently with a nostalgic look, "I was born with a body suitable for understanding the law of water. Thus I made quick strides in cultivation and in understanding the law of water. Thus the law I obtained after the soul sacrifice was obviously the Law of Water, as well." "My entire life I had grown up under the care of Mistress Nimue as my Mother, Queen Diane, curse her for trapping me and Myne, was too busy being the Queen. Mistress Nimue was a renowned alchemist, who was able to master dual opposing laws. She mastered both water and fire! When she apprenticed me who had a natural body of water, she had great hope for me and my future, as I would be able to master one of her laws very easily. But the law of water is extremely unsuitable for pill refining. Thus during my entire apprenticeship, I was unable to actually practice or even attempt to refine a pill. Even though she said it did not matter, even though she said that I could master multiple laws that oppose each other, just like her, I was unable to get over the roadblock of Water. And in the end, when I sacrificed the soul and my law descended, it was completely water. There wasn''t a hint of room for another. Even though she said it was fine, I knew that she was disappointed. But now... I have a second chance," finishing in almost a whisper. She hurriedly stopped as she noticed Zhen Shi''s quizzical face and said with a grin, "Forget it. It''s just a lady''s nonsensical ramblings." Zhen Shi stifled his curiosity but nodded in acceptance. Vivienne nodded thankfully and continued with a hint of nervousness, "Initially, I was not planning to refine pills myself, and was only going to instruct you. But now... I feel like maybe I should. Since I lost the water law, I should be able to utilize fire and make pills now. But if I begin, just like that bastard husband of mine, I''ll use all of my refining skills. As such, the lesson would be more difficult for you..." She suddenly paused and spoke out hurriedly, "Or maybe I''ll just postpone my attempt and instruct you?" Zhen Shi hurriedly shook his head. Although he had been unaware of this matter, he could sense that this was an important moment for Vivienne and thus wished to be supportive. So he spoke out, "I usually learn best when its the most complex," with an encouraging look. Vivienne nodded at him thankfully, but nervously... She flicked her hand and manifested a light green cauldron with the engraving of countless trees and vines, "This is a grade 3 alchemist cauldron, with a rather unique build. It enshrouds the law of life and has the added effect of nourishing ingredients. It was extremely expensive and wasn''t even supposed to be sold, but Laura was able to get us an insane discount on top of what you already earned at the Golden Bridge, and I even felt like I was taking advantage of Laura. Granted we''re broke now," and finished with a stifled laugh. She continued, "Since it is based on the element of life, it should be very suitable for your Undying Flame; the symbol of rebirth." She flicked her right hand causing a strange red and white flame to manifest instantly heating up the entire room. Her eyes flickering she spoke out, "This is the Conflicting Dragon Flame," and true to its name the red and white seemed to be in a perpetual war, with red and white flames eating each other but always to be replenished. Zhen Shi''s eyes glowed as he noticed this, and Vivienne continued, "This was a gift from my mistress Nimue. She had mastered the dual laws of fire and water and gifted me this in the hope that I would too. But even in her death, I was unable to use it, due to my Law of water," finishing with a light sigh. "But now... I can," she smiled lightly and continued, "This flame on par with your undying flame in power, but will be more powerful right now due to the difference in our cultivation." She threw the flame on to the green pill cauldron instantly causing a strange mixture of red, white and green to manifest. As the flame rippled the engraving of trees and plants seemed to shake about in the wind. Zhen Shi was sure that this was a very important event for Vivienne, and was worried that maybe Myne should be here to support her. He had tried to mentally contact him but had been unable to sense his aura, leaving him with no choice but to give up. Vivienne heaved a nervous sigh as she flicked her hand causing four herbs to appear. Zhen Shi immediately identified them with his appraisal skill, and so spoke out, "That is Athelas, Bowtruckle, Kelpie and... Crimson Ninroot?" Vivienne looked at him with praise and said, "Indeed. These are the basic ingredient used here in the central plains for the grade 1 healing pill. Knowledge of the herbs and their substitutes are very important as different herbs are present in varying rarities in different areas. After all, pill recipes are important methods discovered through countless attempts of alchemists before us, to minimize the use of ingredients and maximize the efficacy of the pill." Vivienne was gradually calming down, as she spoke about alchemy. She waved her hand covering all the ingredients in the red-white flame, "First we will heat the ingredients and extract their essence. This is a tricky part as you need to use different temperatures for different ingredients to maximize the extracted essence." Zhen Shi nodded in understanding as Vivienne continued, "Pill refining also may involve furnace spirits, but, my mistress didn''t use them. So it''s up to you..." Moments later she extracted the pure essence of the ingredients and gathered them within the cauldron. She flicked both of her hands in a trance-like motion, immediately burning up the remains of the ingredients into fine particles and combining the ingredient essences simultaneously. With another wave of her hand, the fine particles were added into the mixture of essences. She smiled nostalgically, "That was something, my Mistress always instructed me to do. To never waste a single part of any ingredient and to use even the essenceless ingredient husks; which people consider useless." Now, completely free of nervousness and with a light smile she spoke out confidently, "This was her first personal technique, Ashes to Ashes!" and combined her hands in a strange sign. Immediately, the particles of the ingredient husks glowed with a bright aura and the ingredient essences with a darker aura. They beautifully complemented each other as they mixed in a whirlpool of darkness and light, within the purple cauldron. The Conflicting Dragon Flame intensified causing the darkness and light to combine in a mystical way, and the pill cauldron to reverberate. Deep within the flickering conflicting flame one could see the light shadow of an ever-growing endless forest. Vivienne''s face was the picture of happiness and satisfaction as her one regret was washed apart with her success. With a blissful smile and teary eyes, she spoke, "The pill embryo has formed successfully, it is only a matter of time before the pill is formed. During this time, alchemists would generally add their personal touch to signify their creation or a signature if you will. What I will do is rather unorthodox... but extremely effective." Vivienne flicked her free hand causing a strange white caterpillar to appear, "Mistress Nimue was at heart a herbologist and was well-versed in all that had medicinal effects. The use of creatures in pill refining is only practiced distant lands with a lack of basic ingredients. Thus it is looked down upon by most of the benevolent masters as barbaric and demonic. Demonic cultivators use similar practices to improve the grade of their pill by the sacrifice of lives and souls. Thus using this technique is an act of treading the fine line between benevolence and malevolence." With a calm look, she manifested the red-white flame on the body of the white caterpillar. The caterpillar glowed with strange divine light and immediately burned apart into small white particles. A terrifying yet gentle presence was exerted within the pavilion. Zhen Shi''s eyes widened as he felt this powerful aura and aether. Vivienne continued speaking with a far-away look in her eyes, "That was a divine silkworm, which was my Mistress''s first gift to this useless disciple. She had hoped that I could use it on my first pill. But I was never able to live up to her expectations... until today!" and with a look of sheer conviction, she moved her hands into another strange sign. This caused the powerful divine particles to swirl about in the daylight, as if they were happy at this turn of events, and surround the almost completed pill. As these particles grew closer to the pill, a strange resonance reverberated throughout the pavilion and the central garden. The stream stopped flowing, the plants in the garden stopped moving, even the sun stopped shining on to the pavilion. Immediately, thousands of these particles appeared within the pavilion, creating a picturesque scene. Zhen Shi was spellbound. The divine particles swirled and dance about happily, as if in celebration of liberation and formed a torrent centering on Vivienne. These particles were slowly pulled into the pill, which formed the strange shadow of a white silkworm behind it. Vivienne calmly spoke out with her eyes full of tears and satisfaction, "This was her second and final personal technique, Dust to Dust!" Chapter 24: Can no one handle their runes? ?????????? A light breeze swept past a celestial and mystical garden causing the plants to shiver in ecstasy. This garden was laden with a colorful explosion of flowers and fruits. Within the very middle of this garden, surrounded by the taller trees, there was a small fountain; bubbling and glistening under the sunlight. The tall coniferous trees were shuttling back and forth whispering tales of a forgotten era. Next to this fountain, there was a small wooden platform with a small table, on which two women were seated facing each other. But one of them seemed to melt away into the surroundings as if she was as eternal as the nature that surrounded her. This was the raven-haired beauty dressed in a set of white shirts and pants, who was fiddling with a mystical earthen brown cauldron with great interest and excitement. On the opposite side of this table was a rather familiar young girl in a white dress, with long blue hair and teary eyes. In front of her on that table, was another cauldron; rather ordinary but aquatic blue in appearance. The blue-haired girl was desperately focusing on the cauldron with tears in her eyes while sending streams of qi on to it. For a moment this qi showed the slightest sign of a fiery nature... but disappeared within an overpowering aquatic nature. As such, all the qi sent forth on to the cauldron manifested as drops of water ultimately wetting the cauldron. In the end with tears of defeat, the young girl looked helplessly to the raven-haired lady and spoke out, "Mistress Nimue, this is impossible! It''s the water''s fault! With this cursed aquatic body, how could I ever become an alchemist?" Noticing that the girl''s attempts had stopped, she looked up, momentarily distracted from the earthen cauldron which had grabbed her attention for so long. Putting the cauldron aside, she laughed lightly while grabbing on to the crying girl''s hands, and spoke out in an amused tone, "Silly girl, I believe you are the first person to curse being born with a pure elemental body! Countless people would give up so much to be in your position." But noticing the sorrow in the girl''s eyes, her eyes softened and spoke in a reassuring tone, "Either way, practicing alchemy will be difficult and different for you. You can''t expect to master it in a couple of days, it''ll be a long journey. So until the day that you truly understand... controlling fire, let alone alchemy will be beyond you. But if you''re that unhappy there is a different type of alchemy--" But seeing that the girl was still sniffling and brushing off tears, Nimue stopped her initial strain of words and spoke out with a light smile, "Let me show you something. Let this will be my first formal lesson to you!" She clicked her fingers gathering a monstrous amount of qi and law in front of her. She twirled her hands in a mesmerizing motion, instantly manifesting torrents of fire and water aether. These opposing laws mystically twirled around each other; coming close but never truly in contact. The azure blue cauldron floated up into the center of the torrent of fire and water aether. Nimue smiled lightly and under the awe-struck eyes of the young girl she threw in hundreds upon hundreds of ingredients into the cauldron. Next, she took out a familiar white silkworm and threw it into the air causing it to magically shatter into silvery-white particles. The aura released from these particles was however shadowed by the terrifying aura of the opposing aether of fire and water. As Nimue continued to move her fingers about in a mystical motion the divine particles rushed into the cauldron, while causing torrents of more divine particles to follow suit. Nimue flicked her hands once again causing the opposing fire and water aether to disappear jut as soon as it had appeared. And within mere moments this task was finished and the azure cauldron slowly fell back on to the table. At the same time, a pure white pill flew out from the cauldron and danced about the garden with happiness. Nimue smiled and opened up her palm, instantly the pill flew on to her outstretched hand and, under the eyes of the amazed blue-haired girl, she calmly inspected it and muttered, "Hmm... not my best effort but it''s good enough." The young girl was deaf to her words as she was awe-struck. What she had just witnessed was the legendary art of instantaneous pill refinement, Pills through thought! Simply throwing in the ingredients and obtaining the pill! The lady spoke out with twinkling eyes, "We alchemists are vain creatures, I suppose just like everyone else. Once we create something amazing, we put a sign on it and say ''This was done by me!'' That is why we sign our pills." She paused for a moment and laughed out loud while eyeing the blue-haired girl. By now her tears had dried as she was now simply contemplating the miracles she had witnessed. To her further surprise, the raven-haired lady held out the smooth pearl-like pill to her. She was frozen in place as she was well aware of the monstrous cost that this simple pill would go out for. However the raven-haired lady smiled saying, "Don''t worry, I''m not giving this to you, for now. I simply need you to do something for me..." The young girl paused for a moment in thought, and slowly took the pill into her own hands. The raven-haired lady clapped her hands in excitement and spoke out, "Alright! Vivienne, you are familiar with my insignia, right? When you become an alchemist of your own someday, I hope that your insignia will be this..." She twirled her hand about in the air causing a strange ''?'' sign to appear out of pure water aether. Still bubbling with excitement she pointed at the pearl white pill and spoke out, "Now you try!" But Vivienne frowned and spoke out, "But, Mistress Nimue, this is your best pill! If I sign it, the value will go down..." Nimue frowned and pouted in playful anger, "Idiot girl! Am I the mistress or are you? Since you say you can''t practice refining pills... you might as well practice signing them!" Once again bubbling with excitement Nimue waved her hands while shouting, "Now do it, c''mon do it!" Vivienne shook her head in exasperation but with a light smile waved her hand... ??????????????? The afternoon sunlight shone brightly onto the pavilion and the everflowing stream of water. While the white particles were swirling about the room and the shadow of the caterpillar was strengthening, signifying the ending of the pill refinement, Vivienne heaved a sigh with a distant look in her eyes. She gracefully waved her fingers causing the divine white particles to rush into the pill cauldron. At the same time, she lightly pulled out the almost completed pill and let it lay half-in and half-out of the cauldron while bathing in the mystical fire of red, white and green. She muttered almost to herself, "Mistress I know that you bestowed an insignia upon me. But in your memory, let me disobey you just this once. I''ll mark my first pill with both our insignia." As she continued to control the silvery-white particles, they suddenly glowed with a strong force as they rushed towards the yellow pill in the cauldron. The moment these particles touched the pill they disappeared leaving only a light mark on the pill surface. But as more and more particles disappeared into the pill, it slowly formed a faint ''?'' sign. Zhen Shi''s eyes glowed as he once again noticed this type of rune. But he stayed silent with a slight nod of acceptance. Vivienne gave a light smile, as the familiar insignia almost reached out to her in pride of her achievement. She weaved her hands about causing the silvery-white particles to change their motion and rush into the pill in a different path. And thus she highlighted the top part of the initial sign and marked her own insignia ''?''. Vivienne heaved a sigh of satisfaction thinking, "Mistress wherever you are--I hope you can see this... Not the way you hoped but... I finally became an alchemist!" Noticing how Vivienne highlighted the first rune to show another rune Zhen Shi couldn''t keep his mouth shut any longer and so asked, " Sis Vivienne I get why you''d put the first rune, but why''d you highlight it to give the Laguz rune?" Vivienne looked at Zhen Shi in curiosity while still handling the last few touches to the pill and asked, "Wait, these symbols have meaning? Then what does this Laguz rune mean?" Zhen Shi mindlessly nodded and spoke, "Of course they do. In fact, those symbols hold multitudes of meanings. But... if I were to summarize I''d say that the Laguz rune means... running water. Of course, it also refers to the life force that flows to all living beings in the universe--" But Vivienne was oblivious to what he was speaking after that. The only word that was reverberating within her mind was WATER. Tears streaked down her eyes as she started sobbing uncontrollably. Zhen Shi hurriedly stopped speaking as he was wondering what he had said to cause her to cry. But Vivenne''s crying grew on worse, as her struggles to become an alchemist over the years and just now realizing how much her mistress had believed in her ran amok in her mind. While her tears were streaking down her cheeks the pill refinement finished. Just as the white particles completed the absorption process, the pill slowly and unsurely flew out of the cauldron. When Vivienne noticed it through her misty eyes she held her hand forwards reflexively. Vivienne''s mind was still contemplating the meaning of the rune and how it meant ''water'' as the pill flew towards her, but... just as it touched her hand a strange and undetectable energy coalesced around the ''?'' rune. The rune shone with a light sheen of water aether and the pill suddenly glowed with a blue aquatic light as it went through a qualitative change! But simultaneously Vivienne collapsed onto the floor with the pill held tightly in her hand. Zhen Shi finally got out of his disarrayed thoughts as he hurried to help her. But he didn''t get far... WHOOOSSHH! A blue flame appeared and disappeared as Myne ran through the flames into the room while holding a strange cube with the sigils of a formation glowing. This cube was connected to a strange line of powerful qi leading up to the roof of the pavilion. Myne and Zhen Shi shouted out at the same time, "What the hell happened to my wife?" "What the hell is in your hand?" Myne and Zhen Shi paused in contemplation and spoke out simultaneously while pointing at each other, This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report."Alright you first!" "Alright you first!" Myne and Zhen Shi hurriedly spoke out in answer, again... at the same time, "Fine then. You first!" "Fine then. You first!" Zhen Shi immediately realized how long this ridiculous situation might drag on for. So he shut up as he ran towards the fainted Vivienne. But as he knelt next to her Myne spoke out, "She''s fine... She just needs some rest. Her spirit and soul have been subjected to overexertion." Zhen Shi frowned and spoke out, "So you''re just going to leave her here?" Myne grinned and said, "Of course. Do you think I want to be held responsible for her accusations of what I might''ve done while moving her? More importantly, I think she''d want to stay here considering the occasion..." finishing with a light sigh. Zhen Shi nodded in understanding and paused for a moment. But he soon pointed at the formation cube in Myne''s hand and asked again, "So... what is that?" Myne grinned and spoke out while tapping his chest with his free hand, "What? Did you think this grand mage, would be in the dark about his wife''s actions? I set up this formation to seal up this pavilion the moment she started refining the pill... We would''ve been in trouble if anyone else had sensed the convergence of the aether and that heavenly caterpillar," But he suddenly frowned and spoke out in an accusing tone, "Thank you for the heads-up by the way. Would it have killed you to maybe notify me?" Zhen Shi was flabbergasted and spoke out, "But I did and I couldn''t sense you. I''m only at spirit formation, how far did you expect my spiritual sense to extend? And it''s a divine silkworm, not a heavenly caterpillar!" with a wronged look. Myne immediately cringed and spoke out, "FUCK! Are you becoming a herbologist as well?" Still, the feeling of being incorrect gave a bad taste in his mouth and so spoke out in recollection, "Either way aren''t they all the same in this modern world? You did say earthworms can become butterflies... So I figured silkworms could do the same. I mean if fuckin'' earthworms can do so, why not silkworms? Am I right?" Zhen Shi was speechless. SHIT! You were supposed to forget that! So to change the topic he spoke out while grinning forcefully, "Anyways you admitted to being the Grand Mage right?" It was Myne''s turn to be speechless now. But almost in understanding and with a courteous nod at each other, they stopped pursuing the questions that had made each other speechless. As such Myne spoke out with the intention to forget this instance, "So what happened to her? Even with all her pill improvement techniques, she shouldn''t have fainted!" Zhen Shi frowned and spoke out as well, "I''m not sure exactly... she started carving in these old Norse runes into the pill. And she fainted just after she began crying when I began to explain the meaning of the rune." Myne frowned in contemplation, "Norse? Do you mean the people in the Northern Ice Lands? As far as I know, they''re barbarians without a written language. How do you even know it''s Norse?" Zhen Shi hurriedly spoke out with the intention of not answering the last question, "Yes, Yes! It was the Legaz rune which basically means running water, and it looked like this," and started to carve it out of Qi in the air. But just as he started to... he fainted on the spot and collapsed on to the ground in a mindless heap. Myne''s eye twitched... ?_? FUCK! Why can''t you people handle writing a simple rune? But heaved a sigh of helplessness. He wasn''t particularly worried as he could sense that both the fainted would recover within a few hours. But he was rather curios and so pried open Vivienne''s hand to observe the pill. He observed the pill with the ? rune and the highlighted ? rune. He contemplated what Zhen Shi had told him, ''basically means running water.'' And so with curiosity, he started to draw the rune, he was able to draw half of it... but he too fainted on the spot and collapsed on to the ground. Leaving a pavilion of three fainted individuals... ?????????? It was now several hours past noon. The sun was only mere moments away from starting to set. Isolde was calmly staring through her window sill, at the training grounds with the lonesome three targets. The wind lightly blew through the grounds and passed by, caressing Isolde''s face and causing her blonde hair to futter by. Inside the room, Butler Alec was seated in a chair on the side of the room. He remained calmly seated in a corner of the room with closed eyes. The two of them were basically alone in the mansion beside very few mortal servants and the tortured people in Isabella''s room. Count Brishman had left for the day along with his wives in tow, lest they get in the way of the Prince. It had been quite some time since the Prince''s intended arrival, but Isolde had not left yet excusing herself by being ''sick''. But this calm and peaceful setting was broken apart as the sound of loud shouts came from outside the room. "Hey, hey... you can''t just go inside like tha--" "Shut up! A mere guard dare bars the way of Lord O''Riley?" The sound of a heavy struggle came from outside the room... The door opened revealing a middle-aged fat man with well-combed dark black hair dressed in dark golden armor. The armor he was wearing was obviously top grade and he walked in confidently while smiling happily. He would have been considered as a noble and refined person had it not been for the two cultivators behind him who continued to kick and punch the unlucky guard who had blocked them. Isolde shouted in horror, "Stop that! Lord O''Riley have you no class? You barge into a lady''s room uninvited and now assault my guard. Hold your hand!" Lord O''Riley smiled and raised his right hand. Immediately the two cultivators behind him stopped and walked over, coming to a stop just behind him. He continued to speak, "Lady Isolde, you are just as beautiful as they say. I truly envy PrinceTristram," with a strange glow in his eyes. He took one step forward and bowed, as much as he could with his overweight stomach while saying, "I apologize for my intrusion. But the Prince has already arrived and is waiting in the main hall. So how could the lady stay shut in her room feigning sickness?" He stood back again while grinning confidently and said, "How could my lady refuse the prince of this nation with such obvious falsehoods? Now... tell me... who is it that has no ''class''?" while savoring every word in his mouth and flipping his tongue about. This caught Isolde by surprise and caused her to be silent. Lord O''Reilly smiled in a satisfied manner and spoke out, "I might be able to get him to forgive you... if you let me have some fun with you..." with lecherous eyes that ran all over Isolde''s body while licking his lips. He grinned while looking at Isolde''s scowling face and said, "So what says the lady? Will she play along? Or will more people like that servant have to pay the price?" while eyeing the apparently ''helpless'' Butler Alec who had been silently watching the entire event. But Isolde stared at Lord O''Reilly with determined and fiery eyes, "I will not play along to your sick games! I require no help from scum like you. I am indeed feeling unwell, it was not a falsehood. So inform the prince that I must refuse his invitation today," and spat out disgusted with this lecherous fat man. Lord O''Riley laughed out loud while holding his large stomach and snarled, "You stupid bitch, that was never a question. You have no choice in the matter." The kind and regal facade he had put up was completely broken as he shouted out like a madman. He flicked one hand saying, "Bring her to me. And don''t let off that old corpse either..." The two cultivators dashed forwards and reached out to grab Isolde. But even before she could shout out in defiance or put up a struggle, an old wizened figure appeared like a blast of wind, blocking them. But this only caused the two guards to stop for a moment in surprise, as they continued dashing forwards while laughing and shouting, "Go to hell, old man. Where you belong!" After all, just a soul formation old man was trying to stop the two of them who were peak soul transformation cultivators. Isolde looked on helplessly unable to get herself to move. They reached Alec within mere moments and immediately punched out while manifesting two fiery demon faces on their fists. They had malicious grins on their faces as they went in for the kill. But Alec was completely calm as he looked at them with emotionless eyes. A dark blue bow suddenly appeared in his hands as he easily slapped the two attacking fists away with the bow an azure blue blur. The attacking cultivators were thrown back as the demonic qi was shattered. The two cultivators stopped in surprise because the old man had simply slapped away their attack even going so far as to make the qi on their fists collapse. This caused Lord O''Reilly to snort and shout out, "Why the fuck are you stopping? Can''t you even take care of one old man?" This caused the two cultivators to grimace but even so, they obeyed, as they prepared to attack with their full ability this time around. Isolde ignored them as she finally got herself to move and said, "Grandpa Alec it''s fine. Please, please just stand aside. I''ll go with them..." causing Lord O''Reilly to laugh happily and shout, "Wise decision bitch, but... It''s too late for regrets now... You two, kill that old man!" However old man Alec just sighed and spoke out, "You two kids, don''t throw away your lives. Just turn around and leave. I''ll forget this matter," and said while looking at the two cultivators. But his words only got them to pause for a moment, as they shouted out, "Fuck you old man! Do you think we''re afraid of you?" Their bodies were enshrouded with a powerful fiery qi which caused the temperature within the room to rise up, as they brought out two short knives. Immediately they dashed forward with a shout, "Flaming fanged serpent!" A terrifying shadow of a fanged serpent appeared behind them as they struck forwards with the two flaming knives. Alec heaved a sigh as he bent his legs to the side and changed to an attacking position. Just when the two knives reached him, a dark azure blue blur appeared in front of him as he rotated the bow in a circular motion at full speed. The two knife strikes collided with the rotating bow causing a small wave of qi to explode within the room. The entire room was thrown asunder as one of the cultivators was thrown away and the fanged serpent shadow shattered apart. Alec swung the bow leaving a deep blue arc in the air as it smashed on to the remaining cultivator''s chest. Pu! That soul transformation cultivator was thrown away and struck the wall, as his chest caved in dying on the spot. Seeing the situation turning around, Lord O''Reilly ran away while barely preventing himself from tripping over his own pot belly. Still, he managed to shout and point at the remaining cultivator," Oi! You better hold him off and protect this lord or your entire clan will have to pay for it!" After all, this Lord O''Reilly was merely of the Core Formation Stage with no special skills to speak of. That cultivator grimaced at his words but still acknowledged the order. Thus he slowly pushed himself up off of the floor and pointed at Alec while shouting with fearful eyes, "You--you-- who are you?" Alec ignored him as he held the bow horizontally on his hand. He instantly brought out a dark black arrow and loaded it on the bow as if it was a crossbow where his own hand was the crutch. He calmly spoke out, "I already gave you your chance..." and let go of the arrow. That cultivator didn''t even get the chance to react as the arrow whisked forwards, a black blur, and passed cleanly through one eye. That cultivator collapsed dead on the spot. Alec calmly put away the azure bow, turning to Isolde. He asked with a worried face, "Young Lady are you alright?" Isolde nodded her head with amazed eyes and asked, "Nevermind that, but how''d you..." and gesturing at the damaged room and the corpses, asked, "do that? I know that you served the king before but... how could you ignore their higher cultivation like that?" Alec smiled with twinkling eyes and said, "You see, I''m simply one hell of a butler." This caused Isolde to playfully pout and frown her eyes in annoyance. But she suddenly stopped as she worriedly spoke out, "Grandpa Alec? That O''Reilly will probably complain to the prince. What will we do if the prince sends the royal guard or even worse... come by himself?" Alec smiled and patted Isolde''s head, "Young lady, don''t worry. This old butler will take care of everything." Isolde was still worried but nodded in compliance nonetheless. But almost immediately Lord O''Reilly ran and arrived back at the doorway with a face full of confidence. Nevertheless, he didn''t dare step into the room, noting the two dead corpses. Still, he laughed out loud and shouted with spittle spurting from his mouth, "Isolde, you bitch... and you old corpse, you''ve done it now! The prince is coming himself!" while continuing to laugh while holding his fat belly. This caused Isolde to look at Alec with a worried face but Alec simply smiled back at her. A light sound of footsteps just barely audible under the sound of Lord O''Reilly''s laughter gradually grew louder. Suddenly, a strong hand that seemed to have gone through the arduous training of a warrior gripped on to the doorsill. Chapter 25: Sunburst Cherries Lord O''Reilly who was outside the room could see this person holding on the door sill while Isolde and Alec could not. By now Lord O''Reilly had become silent as he looked at the owner of this hand in reverence and lightly bowed his head in respect. Finally, this person entered into the vision of Isolde and Alec. He had bright blue eyes and well-managed fiery red hair. He seemed to be kind, but there was a sort of hidden ferocity in his eyes highlighted by the deep scar over his right eye. He was dressed in a simple but well-woven pair of black shirts and pants, which were unable to hide his majestic aura. On his hip, there was a sword with a golden hilt sheathed within a scabbard of red and gold. This was Prince Tristram! He calmly looked over the ruined room and the two dead bodies. His eyes fell on Alec and Isolde, lingering on her for just a while longer. Immediately, Alec bowed deeply. Noticing Isolde who was dumbstruck he pushed her down to bow as well and spoke out, "Greetings, your majesty, the prince." Prince Tristam nodded in regard and spoke out calmly, "But I believe, that I should be the one providing you greetings first. After all... you are the Legendary Azure Archer." Alec flinched but listened silently to Prince Tristram who continued to speak, "I can only imagine your great military exploits; The infamous blood valley, saving the queen and even your part in the last war! Nearly, two centuries ago, you were on the verge of becoming a law cultivator and the pride of the kingdom. But you had to betray the kingdom and refuse our orders like that. In the end, you were forced to sacrifice your cultivation and fell to this... level." Isolde listened to this in surprise while occasionally staring at Alec with pride in her eyes. She had always been interested in his past but he had always refused to talk. In the end, she had figured that he was an ordinary general. Never could she have imagined that her grandpa was a war hero! But the news that the kingdom caused Alec to lose his cultivation, couldn''t help but cause her to be disgruntled. Still, Alec lightly bowed again saying, "Some people did indeed call me that. And the prince''s words ring true. But I believe those tales were exaggerated somewhat." Prince Tristram laughed while pointing at Alec with a hint of malice surfacing in his eyes, "Well, honestly... I couldn''t care less whether you are the azure archer, let alone an azure sovereign! You''re just a washed-up relic of the past. I''m just here for a girl to enjoy myself and could care less of some random deaths. But considering your service to the kingdom I''ll let you off... if you walk away." But this caused Lord O''Reilly who had been silent and obedient this entire time to speak out in disagreement, "No! My prince, this old bag didn''t pay any respect to my--your order before. Even if he was a war hero from a forgotten era, he is not worthy of your pardon. Please behead that old corpse!" and bowed. Prince Tristram frowned his eyes in displeasure and suddenly roared while turning around. He grabbed Lord O''Reilly from his shirt cuffs singlehandedly lifting him up and slapped his face with his other hand. He shouted out with his anger raging, "O''Reilly, do you dare order me to do something? Even to take back my royal decree?" Lord O''Reilly lowered his head in fear and compliance with blood tricking from the corner of his mouth, "Please forgive this humble subject, my prince. I spoke out of turn." Prince Tristram grunted and dropped him letting him fall like a heap on to the floor. Lightly clapping his fingers together as if to clear them of dust, he turned back to Isolde who was shivering and looking at him with frightened eyes, and Alec who was still extremely calm. Prince Tristram continued to speak out with rage in his eyes, "Now... where were we? Oh, yes. I suggest you walk away, Azure Archer. Even in your current state, I''ll have to break a sweat to take care of you. I''d rather avoid it if possible, after all, I came here for recreation, not a fight..." Isolde spoke out her voice shivering, "Grandpa Alec... It''s fine. You''ve done enough for me... In the end, I was very lucky to have you by my side." But seeing him remain unmoving in front of her, she pleaded with tears in her eyes, "Grandpa, you must leave. You promised me that you would leave without obstructing the prince! You promised me! Please don''t do this..." Prince Tristram crossed his hands over his chest smugly as he grinned happily at the terrified girl who had already given in to his demands. At the same time, the overweight Lord O''Reilly got himself up from the floor with great difficulty, but couldn''t help but smile at the suffering of the two, who had caused him this trouble. Alec turned to Isolde and spoke out with a light smile, "Young lady, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, as I must break my word. Allow this old butler one last chance to be selfish..." And under the helpless pleas of Isolde, he walked in front of the prince and bowed lightly saying, " I must refuse the prince''s generous offer. I hope the prince won''t punish the young lady for this old butler''s offense." But this caused the prince to scowl as a light of a dangerous fury danced in his eyes. His eyes saw red as he shouted out in rage, "Curse all of you fuckers that get in my way! Do you dare disobey this prince''s words? Do you think I''m some pushover?" while suddenly unsheathing his sword. The golden sword with dark red carvings on it glowed with a bloody light as he continued to shout, "In the name of Curtana, I will act out and bring justice to all your unjust actions!" Alec too materialized the azure bow on his hands as he moved back into an attacking position silently. Instantly, the prince dashed forwards, almost a black blur beside the bloody sword on his hand which glowed red leaving a red streak. Having reached Alec he slashed the sword effortlessly targeting Alec''s wrist, but Alec too calmly lifted his bow and pushed forwards. Clang! An explosion of qi and light surpassing the previous one spread throughout the room, wrecking it further. Both of them lightly jumped backward unhurt. Alec calmly looked on while Prince Tristram sneered saying, "You are indeed the Azure Archer. Even with my spirit transformation cultivation, I can only fight with you to a draw. But, I know you can''t continue to fight in such a state for long. Why do you think I sent in O''Reilly and those two goons in first? It was to weaken you..." Hearing his confident words, Isolde hurriedly grabbed onto Alec''s coat and shouted out, "Grandpa please stop. If it hurts you, please just stop...:" with tears streaking down her cheeks. Alec smiled at her and lightly brushed her hand off his coat. He turned back to the prince and smiled calmly saying, "Will the prince keep on bragging without fighting?" This caused the Prince''s eyes to redden in fury as his sword and his body began to emanate a bloody red-golden aura. "Fuck you, old codger. Die if you''re so impatient." He lightly traced the blade of his sword with his free word muttering some incoherent words. Instantly his aura grew much stronger and he slashed forward with a shout, "Divine Sword of Justice, First Commandment!" and the sword left a bloody gold streak as it arrived at Alec. Even so, Alec calmly lifted the bow to block the attack.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Clang! Pu! This time Alec was thrown back on to a wall with a light trickle of blood at his mouth. His bow had even lightly cracked under the force of the attack. Seeing his success, Prince Tristram laughed happily saying, "Old Codger, did you really think, that I would fight you just with my cultivation qi?" Seeing him hurt, Isolde rushed forwards instantly to help up Alec. But in doing so she had to pass by the sneering Prince Tristram. As such, suddenly seeing her, Prince Tristram''s eyes glowed a bloody red as he clawed at her with his free hand, while targeting her clothing. His hand ripped off the top part of her dress, just enough to be indecent, as she was thrown back to a wall by the force of his attack. Her head hit the wall and she coughed out blood as she slid to the floor unconscious. Seeing this, Alec roared angrily as he hurriedly pushed himself to stand up and growled out as he brought out a shimmering pitch-black arrow, "I didn''t use it before, but now, I don''t care if you were made to be heartless by some childhood accident. If I kill you, at the very least she''ll be safe from you!" There was a strange chaotic nature manifested around that arrow as it almost sucked away the remaining light in the room. Alec loaded it into the slightly cracked bow with practiced ease and held it horizontally just like before. He stared at the prince with great rage in his eyes and pulled back the arrow. This time the prince wasn''t as brazen as before as he fearfully muttered, "Is that one of your Bedevilling Chaos Arrows?" Still, he held his sword in a defensive position while shouting out, "Old Codger, it''s just a girl! Do you dare to fight the entire kingdom for her?" Alec smiled with bloody lips and teeth and whispered, "What kingdom? I''ll fight the entire world for her!" as he let go of the arrow. The sun had almost finished setting by the time the arrow was released. And under the pale orange light of the setting sun, the arrow left the bow. The arrow streaked forwards causing all space around it to crack apart as the entire room was destroyed. The walls exploded into smithereens and the entire mansion shook under this explosion, barely holding off from collapsing on the spot. However, strangely enough, none of the damage from the unstable chaos reached where Isolde had collapsed. Meanwhile, Lord O''Reilly had fallen on to his knees in fear of the terrifying aura. The Prince grimaced as he realized he wouldn''t be able to block nor dodge this attack. It was simply too fast. While the walls collapsed and space cracked, he readied himself to defend himself as best he could. But suddenly... CRACK! The azure bow in his hands snapped clearly into two as Alec coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell onto his knees. The arrow which had shattered space disappeared off into streaks of qi as he collapsed... Seeing the sudden turn of events, Prince Tristram started to laugh out loud, "Old Codger. Even the heavens are on my side. In the end, I suppose you hit your limit! Thank god, I sent those goons in first..." He sheathed his sword and calmly walked over to the kneeling Alec and kicked him in the face. Alec was thrown back to the edge of the floor as he coughed up more blood. Prince Tristram continued to punch and kick him while laughing like a kid with a new toy while shouting and cursing occasionally. He only stopped once Alec had completely fainted under the pain. He looked at the now bloodied Alec who was on the verge of death and with a satisfied grin licked off some stray blood that had gotten on to his face. He laughed gleefully as he left Alec and walked over to the still fainted Isolde. He shouted out in satisfaction, "Old Codger, I''ll destroy this girl you were willing to give the world for. But, it''ll be a shame to waste her beauty. As such, I''ll give her lots of tender care, in your place. I''ll let you witness it all before I send your soul off to the underworld," while staring at Isolde in the ripped dress and licking his lips lecherously. He grabbed her with one hand and threw her on to her own bed. He jumped on to the bed himself while loosening his pants. But just as he moved his hand to grab her for the second time... Isolde stirred in her sleep. The fact that she suddenly woke up surprised him and caused him to pause in surprise for a moment. She lightly opened her eyes and saw the calm face of Prince Tristram. However, under the effect of crashing on to the wall, she was still delirious. Seeing a once-familiar face she smiled and whispered, "Tristram? You''re back! Did you bring me any sunburst cherries?" These words were like crashing thunder. Prince Tristram''s eyes shone with tears as he hurriedly pushed himself off the bed and away from Isolde. But by now Isolde had returned to reality noticing the destroyed and wall-less room. As her eyes swept over the ruins of the room she noticed the wounded and bloodied Alec. With the memories and feelings of the previous situation having completely returned she rushed off towards him with a cry. Her hands began to glow with bright golden light as she started to heal him. She stuttered while weeping, "Pl--Please, Grandpa don''t leave me alone! You can''t--You promised me..." Prince Tristram slowly walked back from the bed and passed the kneeling Isolde, with a pale face as if he had seen a ghost. He whispered, "I''m sorry..." just as he entered the doorway out of her room. Lord O''Reilly hurriedly stood up having noticed the arriving prince. He had left the room when the Prince had thrown Isolde on to the bed but had been stealthily spying from the corner of the still-open door with lecherous intent. Now he was shivering with fear as he thought that the prince had noticed him. But to his surprise, Prince Tristram only lightly glanced at him while whispering, "I''m going back to the palace." This immediately freed O''Reilly from his worries as he heaved a sigh of relief. Now brimming with confidence he brazenly spoke out, "Prince Tristram, since that bitch isn''t worthy of you, pardon this lowly one to enjoy himself," while hurriedly walking into the room with a lecherous grin. Prince Tristram''s eyes burned bloody red as he rushed forward at Lord O''Reilly while unsheathing his sword. SWISH! He sheathed his sword as he eyed Lord O''Reilly''s head which fell on to the ground with a light thud, eternally frozen with that lecherous grin. As the headless corpse followed suit, he glanced back at the room and at Isolde. It was almost as if he expected praise for his act... Isolde was still weeping while desperately healing Alec. She might be able to heal him back to a stable state but would definitely run out of qi before that. But how could she give up without even trying? She began to curse her own helplessness as memories of her brother''s death danced around her mind taunting her. She was truly helpless since she couldn''t leave in search of help because she feared that Alec was unable to hold on without her healing. So noticing the Prince''s gaze with all the conflicting emotions in her heart, she shouted out in anger, "I HATE YOU!" The Prince was speechless as these words struck his heart. He grinned bitterly while lightly brushing off his eyes. Then he threw two bags near Isolde''s legs and said, "Those are holy healing pills and qi replenishing pills." Isolde stared at him in confusion while still continuing to heal Alec. However, whatever change of heart the Prince had had before, disappeared under reddened eyes. As such, he furiously shouted out, "Fuck off! You should be able to heal that old codger by tomorrow. I''ll be sending over a new dress and workers to replace what I damaged. But I don''t care if that old codger lives, neither do I care whether you''re sick or tired. I expect you to accompany me tomorrow. Be ready... or else." And he stormed off slamming the door behind him, leaving only three corpses and a wrecked room. Isolde hurriedly fed some healing pills to Alec while using some from the other bag to replenish her own qi. She wiped off her tears as she resolutely got back to healing Alec. And thus she continued to heal desperately within the wrecked and now wall-less room... with the bright golden light shining off her hands onto the bloodied body of Alec. She didn''t spare a single glance at the training grounds she had stared at so intently before, although it was completely exposed now due to the lack of the wall with the window-sill. She continued on healing, with only the dreary orange light of the setting sun shining through where the wall had been before and the three still corpses to keep her company through the long night that awaited her... Chapter 26: Poof! Poof! "Ugh...!" Zhen Shi groaned as he hurriedly stood up in confusion. For a moment he even wondered if everything had been a dream... But then he looked around the empty pavilion with only the green pill cauldron, the pitch-black furnace, the blacksmithing items, and skill books. Throwing aside his idiotic thought and noticing nothing new, he then looked at the sky through the central garden. He noted the waning moon half covered by clouds and bathing the garden in pale silvery light. The dreary lonesome sight of the moonlit garden and the trickling stream created a strange sort of calmness, causing Zhen Shi to feel as if he had missed something important. Thus he couldn''t help but feel stifled... Shaking off these feelings he was just about to call out for Myne and Vivienne when... "BOO!" A loud shout from just behind him. He wasn''t expecting it and was rather surprised. But he had always prided himself in acting calm. So he calmly turned around while saying, "Hello Bro Myne! What did you just say? Is that some sort of ?????????? ?????????????????" with a confident grin. After all, he had instantly used his spiritual energy rather carefully to detect the person behind him. Myne scowled as he spoke up, "Night greeting my ass! Do you have the reflexes of a dead snail? Shouldn''t you have been surprised?" Zhen Shi innocently answered, "How could I be surprised by my own brother?" Myne shook his head his scowl worsening. But... he grinned and suddenly threw two bags at Zhen Shi with great speed; one after the other. It was Zhen Shi''s turn to shake his head as he calmly reached out with his hands covered in draconic scales and vermillion feathers. Boom! Boom! A small explosion sounded out sending waves of air throughout the pavilion causing the plants in the garden to shuffle about. Zhen Shi was awestruck as he had been pushed back and he now had one step in the garden. Still, he calmly put down the two bags while transforming his hands back to normal. He was rather curious with regard to the content and so glanced questioningly at Myne. Myne grinned in satisfaction as he pointed at one while speaking, " Well... That is a bag of books with basically all the techniques Vivienne taught you. She asked me to bring them to you. But surprisingly she also put in a book on herbology. So I was forced to do the same and you''ll find a book on mineralogy as well." He then pointed to another bag, "That contains all the pill refining ingredients she bought from the market hall." Zhen Shi nodded absently as he was now admiring this huge collection of books. Myne grinned as he noticed that familiar glint in Zhen Shi''s eye. Still, he spoke out, "So I suppose you don''t need this other thing she asked me to give you?" Zhen Shi hurriedly changed his focus while turning to look at Myne. He beamed an innocent smile... Myne scowled and brought out a small pouch with familiar symbols on it which Zhen Shi recognized as engraved formation talismans. But before Zhen Shi could appraise it Myne spoke out in answer, "So this is a spatial treasure made by yours truly. Like any other spatial treasure, it is not possible to store living creatures within the treasure. But you can store anything which is not living and kicking. That means corpses are acceptable as long as you don''t exceed the space limit. This is a spare I had but," patting his chest proudly he continued, "It contains as much space as this entire Island and comes with an added bonus of slowing downtime to a millionth of ordinary time! After all, this was something I made before being sealed in that valley." Zhen Shi''s eyes widened as he considered the value of this treasure. Myne nodded in agreement and pride while saying, "Indeed. This is a treasure that would be used by sovereign class individuals!" But he frowned while continuing, "Thus treasures like this are extremely dangerous for even law level cultivators. So I have engraved great amounts of hiding formations and undetectable materials." But Zhen Shi frowned as he could easily appraise this item with his skill and so asked, "But I couldn''t detect any treasure on Vivienne while I can detect this very easily?" Myne laughed proudly while speaking, "That is due to one of my cleverest creations! You know how swords have scabbards, blades have sheaths, bows have quivers and so on? Based on that same principle I made another bag with the strict purpose of sheathing the spatial bag and hiding its nature," while bringing out a rather ordinary-looking slightly large leather pouch. Noticing Zhen Shi''s face of disbelief he spoke out confidently, "I have confirmed through tests that even my bag, which is of an even higher grade, will remain hidden even in front of immortals!" Zhen Shi was impressed at this claim but couldn''t help but be intrigued and ask, "So... testing on immortals? Sounds like a pretty interesting tale...? Especially with you thrown into the mix?" Myne grimaced and muttered, "Bah! Do you want this or not?" That got Zhen Shi to shut up as he hurriedly nodded innocently. Myne handed out the two bags which Zhen Shi immediately connected on to his belt with the spatial pouch within the more ordinary leather pouch. Myne nodded in agreement and spoke out with a happy grin, "So I don''t know why Vivienne wanted me to give you that, especially when I figured you already have a spatial treasure." This got Zhen Shi to grimace and almost blame a ''certain someone''. But almost immediately Myne continued speaking, "Either way Vivienne now owes me a favor. I can turn it in for literally anything! Thanks a lot, bro... You''re the best wingman!" while clapping Zhen Shi''s back in happiness. However, Zhen Shi didn''t know whether to laugh or cry! Ignoring Zhen Shi, Myne continued speaking rather seriously, "Vivienne is still contemplating about what just happened, but she''ll probably be fine by tomorrow. As for those runes... it''s better if we know less about them." He turned to Zhen Shi, "Based on the entire event why do you think we fainted?" Zhen Shi paused for a moment and answered, "Well its rather obvious that the fainting was due to complete exhaustion of our minds and spiritual energy. I think the total spiritual exhaustion is linked with the knowledge of its meaning. Vivienne was familiar with the rune but had had no problems before. She only collapsed after I told her it''s meaning. And I already knew the meaning, so my collapse also aligns with that conclusion. While it makes sense, I can''t be sure of it..." Myne nodded and spoke, "Yes. That makes the most sense because many counterfeiters used to copy Nimue''s symbol, back then, quite easily with no problems, which I also believe has some meaning?" while looking at Zhen Shi for an answer. Zhen Shi nodded and said, "Yes. That rune means..." But Myne hurriedly shushed him and spoke out, "Shut up idiot kid. For now, the less we know about these runes the better." Zhen Shi nodded saying, "Fine. But I still feel that the conclusion is half-baked. We''ll need more evidence." Myne shook his head in disagreement and spoke out, "No, I''m sure of it. I''ve tried copying Nimue''s symbol myself and I was completely fine back then. But I fainted as well when I copied Vivienne''s rune after I learned it''s meaning." Zhen Shi gaped. He laughed out loud while saying, "Wait the great mage fainted as well? Why did you join us when you knew what''d happen? Were you feeling lonely? This is too hilarious..." Myne grimaced as he shouted, "Shut up. At least I woke up before you." Still, Zhen Shi struggled to stop laughing. And when he finally did, he suddenly spoke out with his eyes glowing, "Myne. Did you wake up before or after Vivienne?" Myne who was curious answered immediately, "Before her." Zhen Shi nodded wisely and said, "Okay. Then we have two possible reasons for that. I believe you are more powerful than Vivienne. So either the person who was stronger, that is you," pointing at Myne, "woke up sooner or the person with the least understanding of the rune, that is also you," pointing at Myne again, "was affected less by spiritual exhaustion and so woke up sooner. And It''s obvious the actual reason was the latter," finishing with a victorious grin. Myne grimaced and spoke up, "I disagree. Its obviously because I''m more powerful. Don''t get a full head just because you know some symbols." Zhen Shi laughed out loud and answered while wagging his index finger at Myne''s face, "For some reason, I feel that your input regarding that matter is biased." Myne laughed as well while saying, "Well I feel that your input is biased as well!"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Zhen Shi grimaced as it was the truth, and so decided to change the topic, "Wait... I also saw a similar rune on the talisman of a girl, her name was Sun Rou," and quickly explained the basic situation he had experienced. With the change of topic, Myne couldn''t be happier as well, so he muttered while in thought, "Well I obviously don''t know this Sun Rou..." and shook his head saying, "And I don''t know this Saint Sun Soul either. Do you remember anything else?" Zhen Shi paused in thought and answered, "Oh yes, her father is the city lord of Solingrad city!" Myne''s eyes glowed in remembrance as he spoke up, "Solingrad! But it''s in the far reaches of the northern Ice Lands. And in my time it was one of the most powerful warbands in the Ice Lands. I suppose they must''ve established the city later... Still, I''m surprised that you''re so well-traveled." Zhen Shi shook his head, "Nope. I met Tsun Rou and that Saint Earth face close by. But they teleported away..." Myne couldn''t help but laugh at ''Earth face'', but he suddenly gaped and spoke, "Teleported? This ''earth face'' must have only been this City Lord''s incarnation... And still, being able to teleport? He must''ve been injured while being close to the sovereign level, at least... Even I couldn''t teleport us to Solingrad. Still, I wonder why he left that soul transformation idiot of that Xue Yue clan alive. He blatantly insulted this Earth faced city lord... but was still allowed to live?" His eyes glowed in sudden understanding and he spoke with a knowing grin, "Let me guess, were you playing around with his daughter? He must''ve been unhappy and so decided to let you die!" Zhen Shi grimaced and shouted, "FUCK! So I was right to be angry at that fucking earth face! He isn''t any Saint, he is a demon. In fact, I think Earth Face is too kind. He will be known as Mud face from now on." Myne laughed out in agreement and said, "Well, anyway let the matter of the runes rest for the moment," while turning around. "I''m going to try to appease Vivienne and you should practice," he muttered while waving his hand. But Zhen Shi hurriedly shouted, "Wait! I have to give a night greeting to your ass... " He looked at Myne''s bottom and shouted, "BOO!" And while Myne was turning around with a scowl on his face, Zhen Shi spoke amidst laughter, "Alright then, I night greeted you. So you can leave now." Myne shook his head and shouted, "Fuck you kid! I was going to help you but you can forget it now! Good luck on mastering anything when both of us used our best techniques in one go and you fainted immediately after!" Myne grinned in satisfaction and walked away like a boss. It was now Zhen Shi''s turn to shake his head. Idiot great mage! That''s where you''re wrong because I have a perfect memory skill, courtesy of the BEST system in the world! System: "..." ?????????? With the moonlight to keep him company Zhen Shi sat down in the lotus position and got to work. Zhen Shi had already bound the spatial pouch and so lightly passed his hand over the bags of ingredients. They disappeared immediately and Zhen Shi excitedly focused his spiritual energy on the spatial pouch. He could sense a vast and empty land with only two bags in it. He could easily sense all the ingredients and items within them and could just as easily bring them back. He suddenly remembered the piece of clay he had received from that old man with the strong but unhygienic teeth. He took it out from his ordinary bag and carefully observed it. He tried to send in qi, spiritual energy, all of the elemental energy he could control, but nothing. In the end, he gave up. He figured that since this was a treasure related to the primordial chaos in his dantian, it should be examined later when he could control the spatial chaos. So he sent it into a separate corner in the spatial pouch island. He quickly forgot of that failure as he opened up the bag of books and neatly classified all of them into two piles; for alchemy and blacksmithing. But just before he started to read he felt that some music might liven up the place. So he quickly brought out the divine boombox and rather lazily just hit play. So the previously played traditional Chinese music gracefully spread out within the pavilion. The moonlit garden and the peaceful music created a magical atmosphere and Zhen Shi felt his mind relax. Now with a soundtrack to keep him company, Zhen Shi decided to start with blacksmithing first. He opened up the books. With the help of the system, he was able to quickly learn the skills and , but of course, he was nowhere close to mastering them. Zhen Shi was rather surprised to learn that the was a skill completely reliant on furnace spirits and their performance. Putting it aside for a moment he just as easily learned the unnamed skill of taming furnace spirits, which was named by the system as . Zhen Shi then got to work on reading the books on mineralogy and formations. He quickly finished up the mineralogy book as he was familiar with all the materials due to the system''s skill book. But it was still rather helpful as he got to learn alternatives for the mentioned ingredients and their uses in-depth. However, the art of formations was a problem. The book contained the basic formula to form ordinary formations up to Grade 3. While he finished that book within half an hour, he was unable to set up even the simplest formation and could only condense one formation talisman. But he did sense a strange sort of familiarity with the concept of formations and realized he could probably master the first formation within a few hours of practice. However, he was torn between that and reading the rest of the books. If others got to here his thoughts they would vomit blood for hours. Suddenly Zhen Shi remembered the spiritual incarnation he had left within the planet in his dantian. So he closed his eyes and entered into a meditative trance connecting with his spirit on the planet within the primordial chaos. Now within the planet, he surveyed his surroundings. It had only been one day since he had left the spirit, so there were no new discoveries. On the other hand, the spirit had attempted to cultivate. Strangely there was no visible progress but Zhen Shi felt he had gained some understanding with regards to the spirit. He now got the spirit to attempt the condensing of formation talismans. Amazingly the spirit Zhen Shi was able to condense two formation talismans on the first attempt. However, this was not sufficient to form the most basic formation which required three talismans. So Zhen Shi left the spiritual incarnation letting master the art of formations and condense more formation talismans. Back in the pavilion he happily opened up the books on alchemy. And just as before he quickly read the skill books. And he was quickly able to learn and . He now turned to the book on herbology which was also finished rather quickly due to his familiarity with the subject. He had now finished reading all of the books and had learned all of the skills in under three hours. Zhen Shi happily looked up at the waning moon and the starlit sky trying to find any familiar constellation in a moment of distraction. Having failed to do so he grinned to himself and got back to work. Since he was unable to complete a formation, he was unable to form a properly graded weapon. So he decided to refine a pill. He put the light green pill cauldron in front of him while admiring the lively engraving of the trees and vines. He flicked his fingers instantly causing the light green furnace to be enshrouded in the crimson lively flames of the Vermillion bird. The Undying nature of the flame and the life aether of the pill cauldron resonated sending out a small wave of life qi. The plants in the garden seemed to come to life as they wriggled about in ecstasy as the life qi passed over them. The crimson red flame dulled a bit giving a brick brown color, but was livelier than ever. With another wave of his hands, he brought out the same ingredients that Vivienne had used. He threw them into the flame and began to heat them with the brown flame. He came quite close to failing and burning the ingredients but didn''t, due to the life cauldron enhanced Undying flame which gave the ingredients another chance at survival. With a sigh of relief, Zhen Shi separated the ingredient husks and the ingredient essences. Still, he was sure that he had been unable to extract the maximum essence from the ingredients. With a dissatisfied wave of his hand, he attempted to combine the ingredient essences. But he messed up the timing and the ingredient ratio was also unbalanced... Poof! In a cloud of black smoke, the ingredient essences were burned up. Even the undying flame was helpless to stop this from happening. Zhen Shi coughed while waving his hand to brush away the smoke. Moments later Zhen Shi gritted his teeth in determination as he started to repeat the refining process. Poof! Moments later... Poof! One step away from success...Poof! He kept messing up the proper combination of the ingredient essences to form the pill embryo. Zhen Shi contemplated for a moment and canceled the Undying Flames. He manifested a simple flame of qi which burned brighter and hotter due to his fiery spiritual root. He started to melt the ingredients into essence. Moments later he burned up one due to improper flame control. Zhen Shi grinned as he had figured out the problem. Pill refining was a connected process... Since he was unable to extract the essences by himself, using the Undying flame to cheat past that stage assured his failure in the next stage. He resolutely replaced the burnt up ingredient with a fresh one. Still, this was going to be a long night... Chapter 27: Of Imps and Knives The moon was lighting up the night sky with only the stars to keep it company. The plants rustled about in the light wind and water from the flowing stream glistened like pearls under the moonlight. The peaceful oriental music from the boom box was still playing gracefully throughout the pavilion. The smell of burnt ingredients wafted about with the slightest hint of the remnants of smoke which dance about, almost as if it was riling up Zhen Shi for his multiple failed attempts at pill refining. But Zhen Shi was too engrossed in his current task to notice any of this. He took a deep breath as he made another attempt. He calmly opened his palm and formed a flame of pure qi burning a dark hue of red-orange. With practiced ease, he threw the flame on to the lively green pill cauldron causing a light hue of green to mix into the fire. With calm eyes, he flicked his fingers and brought out the usual set of ingredients for grade 1 healing pills. And he sent the ingredients into the flaming cauldron. His calm eyes suddenly burned with intense concentration as he carefully handled the ingredients and melted the essences out carefully. His eyes relaxed as he finally separated the ingredient essences and the ingredient husks successfully. Next, he brought his two hands slowly towards each other in order to combine the ingredient essences. He grinned as there were no problems this time. He had performed the essence extraction perfectly and had maintained an almost perfect ingredient to ingredient ratio. Thus by the time he stopped his hand motion the pill embryo was successfully formed. In fact, Zhen Shi had succeeded in this part many times before. But he had always attempted the grade improvement skill and had failed to properly apply it. However, he was unwilling to follow a path against the beliefs of Vivienne''s mistress. And out of respect, he had kept repeating the process. So with the same intention, he once again he flicked his fingers and burnt the ingredient husks into fine particles with the Undying Flame. Now that the pill embryo was formed it was completely fine to use the flame of the Vermillion bird. And with an experienced wave of his hand, he sent the husk particles towards the pill embryo. As the pill embryo combined with the husk particles Zhen Shi formed his hands into a familiar hand sign and whispered, "Ashes to Ashes!" For the first time, Zhen Shi smiled deeply as the pill embryo combined with the husk particles properly improving the pill grade! But his smile disappeared as he realized to carry out the next part of the technique he would have to mark down a rune. But he would undoubtedly faint if he tried that. His brow frowned in contemplation as he tried to find a solution for this conundrum... His eyes suddenly glowed in inspiration as he was reminded of Myne''s . And he decided to take a risk and give that skill a try since he had no intention of carving something nonsensical on to his first pill. In reality, Zhen Shi was familiar with the term ''Ohtur''. It was rather similar to the ancient Norse term for divine inspiration or inspired mental activity; basically an epiphany. Zhen Shi who knew well the value of this had been awed at the ability of this skill to lead cultivators into a trance-like state. He calmed down his breathing and mentally followed the steps of the technique. Immediately his eyes glossed over as his eyes were filled with a vacant look. Zhen Shi lost track of time as his mind was filled with images and visions. These visions passed by his eyes too fast to even register what was going on in any of them. In the end, a singular memory paused in front of him... Zhen Shi''s eyes opened hurriedly as he felt his mind and spirit being filled with strength and vigor. He felt a strong intention to inscribe what he had just witnessed. He materialized a small butterfly-like insect in his hand. With another flick of his hand, he burned it apart into small white particles with the undying flame. With graceful movement, he moved his hands into another familiar posture as he muttered, "Dust to Dust!" The white energy particles rushed towards the pill embryo and were absorbed into it one by one. And with each disappearing particle, a faint picture appeared on the pill surface. If one didn''t look closely at this, all they would see was a pill slightly darker than usual. But if they did, they would be met with the astounding image of a small boy fighting off a powerful and terrifying giant with only a small sling-shot for a weapon. The grit and determination of the brave child and the confident face of the giant were like a painting coming to life! This was ! The fire flickered out as the pill flew into Zhen Shi''s hand. He calmly scrutinized it and was surprised to realize it was a middle Grade 2 Healing Pill! But it did make sense, after all, he had used a total of three grade improvement techniques. But he was very happy with this success after countless failures. But a familiar notification rang out... Ding! Congratulations to the user for unlocking a new status category: professions! The user has gained his first profession, Pill Refining Alchemist- Grade 1! Ding! Profession related quest system active. First Quest Available. Do you accept it? Zhen Shi was frowning as he thought, "System, I''m fine with the Grade 1 Alchemist since I did use several grade improvement techniques. But why do you add in a quest system now? Shouldn''t it have been activated sooner? It''s like you''re making this up as you go!" System: (????) Zhen Shi heaved a sigh of defeat and thought, "Yes." Ding! Grade 1 Quest: Refine 10 pills of grade 1 or higher. Reward: -1 random alchemy ingredient -gift of experience Zhen Shi was confused for a moment, as he wondered why the system would give him a ''gift'' of experience. Discovering that the system was unresponsive to any further questions, in the end, he gave up assuming it would be experience points to improve cultivation and neglected it as such. Although he had required several hours to reach the level of a Grade 1 Alchemist, Zhen Shi was fairly confident of completing this quest as he had finished the previous pill within 10 minutes. So he wasn''t in a hurry and calmly checked his spiritual incarnation that was practicing formations. As his will manifested within his spiritual incarnation on the planet, his mind received its memories. To his delight, he discovered that the incarnation was now capable of manifesting four formation talismans and could easily set up the simple strengthening formation. But Zhen Shi was suddenly inspired as he contemplated these memories. The strange familiarity he had had with formations was solved as he made a huge breakthrough in understanding! With the experience of his spiritual incarnation and his knowledge from Myne''s books, Zhen Shi was able to make a direct connection between the art of formations and programming! In this epiphany, he concluded that a formation was a series of commands given to qi or aether to carry out just like a basic code. In fact, the main difference between using a formation and simply exerting one''s will upon qi would be the sheer complexity of the command. By using a formation talisman one could set several commands upon qi and aether. Then by combining those formation talismans in a specific sequence the power of an individual''s attack, speed, defense and etc. could be multiplied by many folds! Zhen Shi grew excited as he contemplated all the infinite possibilities that could be achieved with formations. Butt for the moment he only had four formation talismans. Leaving the spiritual incarnation to its practice he returned back to the pavilion. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Now he manifested the four formation talismans and easily set up the strengthening formation using three of those talismans. He eyed the strengthening formation which was useful for nothing much than a few seconds of defense against another spirit formation cultivator. So Zhen Shi whisked his hand and combined the remaining talisman to it as well in an experiment. Miraculously it glowed with a bright light as the formation defense improved by multiple times. This was miraculous in and of itself since this was an unusual formation not in accordance with the generally accepted ones. It wasn''t that more skilled formation masters of higher grades couldn''t create this formation. It was just that ordinary formation masters of the same grade as Zhen Shi would have difficulty using it. But Zhen Shi shook his head in dissatisfaction. He whisked his hand and rearranged the formation talismans. He kept trying for several minutes while making minute changes to each formation talisman. Luckily he only had to use four talismans and so was able to obtain the desired effect within a short time. The formation glowed with fiery light as a strange globe appeared within the formation. Zhen Shi let out a smile as he held the formation in front of him. In accordance, with his thoughts, it spread out in front of him as a powerful defense and the globe glowed with a bright light as it shot a blast of pure fire qi with power bordering at the peak of spirit formation. In addition, the defense was at least three times better than the basic strengthening formation. Zhen Shi was very satisfied as this would be a useful attack to surprise an enemy even though the power wasn''t as great as his maximum battle capability. In fact, this was a very unique formation since the most basic formation for attacking listed in Myne''s Book required 5 formation talismans. That formation was actually stronger but Zhe Shi''s new formation had dual purposes! But another notification rang out... Ding! Congratulations to the user for unlocking a hidden profession: Unorthodox Formation Master-Grade 1! Ding! You have a new quest, will you accept it? Zhen Shi mentally said, "Yes" while mentally muttering, "Your mother is unorthodox..." System: "..." Ding! Grade 1 Quest: -Create ten original formations (2/10) -Manifest 9 formation talismans(4/9) Reward: -One OP lottery ticket -gift of experience Zhen Shi grimaced as he eyed the rewards and thought, "I don''t believe in the lottery..." However, he was unable to complete this quest by the morning. He could already sense that the spiritual incarnation had slowed down its improvement and realized it would take at least a few days to master 9 formation talismans and complete this quest. Since it was beyond his control Zhen Shi decided to artifice his first weapon as a blacksmith. So he put the pitch-black furnace in front of him and manifested the Undying flame. He was unworried to use it as he had a fair amount of experience from pill refining and the lively nature of the fire had little to no effect on materials for blacksmithing. He threw the flame on to the furnace causing a pitch-black smoke to slowly waft out. Under continuous burning and Zhen Shi''s practice of the the smoke slowly formed into three furnace spirits in the form of demonic imps. They were rather unresponsive and seemed to disregard Zhen Shi as if his very presence was beneath them. Zhen Shi was flabbergasted, Where did these fucking imps get so much attitude? Still, he grinned mischievously as he considered how they''d be obedient under the spirit taming skill and so immediately executed it while muttering, "Taming the Spirits!" Suddenly the imps who had acted with disrespect and disregard turned towards him, causing Zhen Shi to grin from ear to ear in satisfaction. But this grin died down as the demonic imps started chittering and dancing about while eyeing Zhen Shi with great ''evil'' interest. Zhen Shi couldn''t help but shiver as he felt their dead eyes boring into him with their eery smiles... He cleared his head and disregarded this as he materialized and threw a piece of black silver into the burning furnace. With the practice from the extended hours of pill refining, he was able to fairly easily control the imp spirits to melt the metal under the powerful undying flame and he brought out a fairly large hammer. Zhen Shi had opted for a hammer larger than the one that Myne had used because he had always thought that, the bigger the hammer, the cooler one was! Clang! Clang! Sparks flew as Zhen Shi slammed the hammer on to the heated dark silver with the support of the chittering demonic imps. He manifested the power of on his arms and covered them with Azure scales and Vermillion fathers. His divine beast hands roared with every slam as the black silver slowly molded into a flat shape while being gently nudged by Zhen Shi''s spiritual force and the fairly obedient demonic imps. Surprisingly while they seemed evil they were rather obedient when it came to the task at hand. Zhen Shi brushed off some sweat as he returned the hammer into his spatial pouch. Under the control of the furnace spirits he separated the hammered black silver into the three main parts; the blade, bolster and hilt. And the imps continued to laugh with evil intent as Zhen Shi controlled them to fit the three parts together forming the weapon base. Now, Zhen Shi whisked his hand and formed the undying flame qi into four formation talismans which he settled into the malleable dark silver, in the sequence of his dual-purpose formation with both high attack and defense. As the heated metal glowed with the fresh formation symbols, Zhen Shi readied himself to enter into another Ohtur and perform another Dream Engraving. But suddenly his mind filled with unbearable fatigue and exhaustion which sent his soul and spirits reeling. As a result, he lost his concentration and broke off from the Ohtur forcibly. Zhen Shi gasped for breath as he realized he was unable to use the skill and could only conclude that there was a limit to its usage. He paused for a moment allowing his spirit and mind to settle down from the fatigue. In fact, he considered pausing this attempt and taking a rest... But his determination burned brightly as he was reminded of ''the eyes and ears everywhere''. With no other choice, he pushed himself to use the same vision he had seen before. So he slowly closed his eyes and imagined the scene he had witnessed before. To his relief, his mind calmed down and the fatigue was washed away as he was reminded of the vision of the boy fighting the giant. Now brimming with renewed inspiration he brought out an engraver and let his thoughts loose on the heated metal components of the knife. His hand was a blur as it danced upon the heated black silver knife as the image slowly grew clear rewarding him for his grit and effort. It was slightly different from before as this image showed the young boy shooting a stone from his slingshot at the ever-confident giant. The young boy was on the blade and the giant was beyond the hilt as the stone lay loaded on the slingshot. But the image was just as life-like as before. Zhen Shi grinned in satisfaction as he admired the craftsmanship of the weapon. With a flick of his hand, he materialized a stream of water qi cooled heavily by his aqua spiritual roots. He immediately poured this water on to the steaming dark silver knife. HISS! A cloud of steam wafted out within the pavilion as the heated dark silver cooled down. Zhen Shi relaxed slightly as he noticed that the demonic imps were still chittering about and had done nothing strange like they had Myne''s knife. So he calmly brushed off the steam while admiring his first artifact without any worry. But his relief was short relieved. Because suddenly the three demonic imps jumped into the air and supported each other as they kicked the fresh dark silver knife with their full power. A powerful wind blew though out the pavilion as the grade 2 knife shot towards Zhen Shi''s head from point-blank range, with the combined power of three soul formation furnace spirits. Zhen Shi was caught off guard and the attack was extremely fast... But he wasn''t going to be killed at the hands of a bunch of imps! His first decision was to activate the unorthodox formation on the knife. The formation activated and blasted off a qi attack to the side immediately causing the knife to slow down and miss his head. Now with ample time to retaliate, he activated Vermillion Dragonifiaction to the extreme maximum on his two arms. Small horns poked out on his scaled and feathered hands and he instantly moved into a defensive posture while positioning his bestial arms against the oncoming knife. Clang! Sparks flew as the fresh dark silver knife collided on to his scaled arm. But the divine beast protection was indeed powerful as the knife dropped on to the ground harmlessly without causing Zhen Shi to take even a single step back. As the wind calmed down, Zhen Shi let out a deep breath while realizing he had escaped from that sudden attack with only a moment to spare. He stared angrily at the demonic imps who proceeded to giggle eerily and disappear in a poof their job now completed. But, Zhen Shi was still angered and could only blame that idiotic Great Mage and a certain system. And he was about to shout out his thoughts... Ding! Congratulations to the user for unlocking a new profession: Blacksmith-Grade 1! Ding! The user has a new quest. Will you accept it? Zhen Shi: "..." Chapter 28:A Strange Rain Zhen Shi made a mental note to give a certain great mage a piece of his mind while muttering through gritted teeth, "Yes..." Ding! Grade 1 Quest: -Artifice 10 different equipment -Discover a better way to control the Furnace Spirits Reward: -Random Item -gift of experience Zhen Shi gawked as he read the second expected objective, control the furnace spirits? System, as much as I''d love to give those imps a taste of their own medicine, that is too difficult! Even Myne can''t control them properly... With his ''aerodynamic throwing knife'' who does he think he is fooling? Nevertheless, Zhen Shi heaved a sigh as he decided to get back to training. He decided to start with the pill refining quest since it was much easier to achieve. And in the middle of the night with the refreshing sound of oriental music, he began refining the pills... with a deep crimson undying flame in his left hand and the green cauldron of life in his right. But rather surprisingly it started to rain. There had been no signs of rain clouds and even Zhen Shi was surprised momentarily halting his actions. It was a light rain; no thunder and no lightning. The water dropped down lightly from the skies on to the pavilion roof giving off a melodic sound almost in tune with the boombox music. The central garden seemed to gain new life as it was baptized by the rain and the small stream widened with the addition of raindrops. The water that fell on to the plant leaves were unusually sprinkled back and then blown by the light wind towards the pavilion. A few drops even fell on to his face... but Zhen Shi didn''t notice. The divine music, the rhythmic rainwater, and the sprinkling water drops rendered a mystical sight that had mesmerized him. Despite his continued training ever since he had woken up after that rune fiasco he had felt strangely worried; it had been an almost unscratchable itch. But with this rain, his worries grew worse and better at the same time... He had no idea what was wrong and how to fix it. But at the same time viewing the mesmerizing rain with the mystical music had helped him to stay calm. And so with a light sigh, he continued to refine pills with his eyes on the garden. After all, he couldn''t help what he didn''t know... ?????????? At the very center of Lyon City lay the majestic towering abode of the King and the royal family, Tintagel Castle! Within the main hall leading to the throne room, there was a procession of servants and soldiers on both sides. They were either standing or bowing with respect towards a rather familiar duo walking at the very center of the hall. Count Vir Brishman was scratching his neck rather nervously as he spoke out silently, "Isabella are you sure Isolde will be fine with the Prince? I''ve heard many tales of his character and none of them good." Isabella murmured through knit lips, "Tales are just that... tales! I''m sure Isolde will be fine. Prince Tristram might have problems but his actions are quite normal for his stature. Now hush, we''re about to meet the King after all," without betraying the smile plastered on her face. Count Brishman nodded lightly but proceeded to scratch his neck once more as they finally reached the end of the hall. There were two guards adorned in sleek silver armor wielding golden spears, standing regally on each side of the door to the throne room. They bowed slightly in respect as they pushed open the majestic door leading to the throne room. Count Brishman put aside his worries as he walked into the regal throne room in step with Isabella who proceeded to follow him. The throne room was free of guards and soldiers beside a short overweight dwarf-like man who proceeded to shout in a rather experienced voice, "Count Vir Brishman and Lady Isabella have arrived to pay their respects to His Majesty, King Mark of Lyonesse, the Butcher of Cornwall!" Count Brishman and Lady Isolde proceeded to bow in respect and stood up only as a wizened and royal voice spoke out, "Rise! Count Vir there is no need for any of the pleasantries of the court within the privacy of our walls. If all goes well, we will soon be family," as the doors to the room closed. King Mark was a black-haired middle-aged man who radiated power and authority from every inch of his body. He was seated on an enthralling throne of Mythril and Gold engraved in strangely beautiful carvings of war and terror. He was dressed in loose-fitting royal robes and was holding onto a golden harp while smiling welcomingly at his guests. Count Brishman spoke out with a smile, "Forgive me, your majesty. But old habits do die hard." The King nodded in acceptance and proceeded to speak with a slight frown, "I summoned you here to speak of the matter of that Zhen Clan boy." Count Brishman grimaced as he hurriedly spoke out in defense, "Your Majesty at the time I was not aware that he was a member of the Zhen Clan. And I truly believe that he was merely a lucky survivor of a beast attack!" "Enough!" a powerful shout reverberated throughout the throne room causing everyone including the Count, Lady Isabella and the overweight dwarf-like man who had been silently standing in the corner of the room to fall on to their knees. They all started to struggle visibly as they tried to fight off this overwhelming pressure but thankfully it stopped almost immediately. King Mark spoke out silently, "I apologize Count Vir. That was not intended. I''ve been dealing with some unsuccessful matters..." while pausing his eyes on Isabella who seemed to be the one who had dealt best with the King''s sudden outrage. But his words caused Isabella to frown... Despite his words, the King did not seem apologetic in the least. But Count Brishman wasn''t going to bring it up either. He hurriedly wiped off some sweat off his face as he spoke out respectfully, "My apologies, your majesty, for having reminded you of those matters. But I consider myself lucky for being able to witness the power of his majesty''s Edicts!" King Mark nodded in acceptance as he turned his head towards the harp in his hand. He moved his finger over its lustrous metal surface while speaking, "While I did apologize, honestly, there was no need to repeat your claim for innocence... I''ve heard it many times in court..."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Count Brishman moved to speak but grew silent thinking better of it. King Mark continued to speak, "But the problem is not the fact that the boy was of the Zhen Clan. In fact, I recently met with a Clan Patron of the Zhen Clan." He chuckled lightly as he continued, "We have made great strides towards peace." Count Brishman hurriedly spoke up words of flattery, "Congratulations on your success your majesty. Our kingdom can do nothing but improve with you at the helm!" The King barely registered his words as he continued to speak while staring at the golden harp. On rare occasions where he did look up, his eyes would fall on Isabella... The King continued to speak "As I was saying... the Zhen Clan will only be an ally in the future. So the questions regarding the potential invasions through spatial form displacement can be disregarded. The problem is that you kept this matter hidden!" his words ending with a hint of malice. Count Brishman hurriedly spoke but as respectfully as possible with the previous happenings fresh on his mind, "Your majesty I was not aware of the importance of the matter! My full focus was on running the operation for that treasured girl of the Zhen Clan as ordered by your majesty himself!" King Mark raised his head slowly and with his eyes focusing solely on Count Brishman he muttered, "Count Vir... do you mean to say your mistake was my fault?" Count Brishman shivered as he stared into the King''s eyes. He felt like a grain of sand staring at a vast ocean. His spirit deification cultivation was thrown asunder as he lost complete control of his own qi. Helpless he could only mutter, "N-no. Of c-course not, your majesty. I-It was my mistake and I see that now." King Mark suddenly smiled and said, "Ah! As long as you realize your mistake everything will be fine. With our arrangements, forgiving this simple matter is very possible. That was the reason I summoned you. You may leave now," while waving his hand in dismissal. Count Brishman hurriedly bowed and grabbed on to Isabella''s hand as he moved to leave as quickly as possible. His only intention now was to go back home, forget about this matter and make sure that his daughter was fine as he had continued to tell himself. But to his dismay, the King spoke out, "Where are you going, Count Vir? I wish for you to spend the night at Tintagel Castle... You won''t reject my hospitality would you?" Count Brishman''s face hardened but he could only bow once more as the King''s words held no room for discussion. King Mark nodded in satisfaction and spoke turning to the dwarf-like man, "Midge lead the Count to the guest room." This Midge bowed, walked towards Count Brishman and spoke out, "Lord Count if you would follow me please?" "I thank your majesty for his hospitality. Then I will be taking my leave," said Count Brishman as he bowed once last time and walked away with Isabella''s hand gripped tightly in his. But surprisingly the king frowned and spoke out, "Count Brishman leave Lady Isabella. There are some-- things for us to discuss." Count Brishman gathered some courage and spoke out rather sternly this time, "Your majesty with all due respect... she is my wife. I know she is distantly related to the royal family, but this is downright improper!" The King frowned with a sudden heavy aura manifesting around him which caused the Count to flinch. But his frown disappeared along with the heavy aura as he heaved a sigh. He lightly flicked his hand on a string of the harp causing a melodious tone to waft out. Isabella surprisingly smiled as the King continued to speak to the Count, "Count Vir I hope you have a pleasant night along with your wife," and grinned while eyeing Isabella, "who most certainly left with you to your chambers." Count Brishman''s eyes glossed over as they became vacant. The King waved a hand at Midge who proceeded to lead Count Brishman to the guest chambers without blinking an eye at the situation. As the due left and door slammed behind them the King smiled at Isabella and spoke while gesturing her to come forward, "Dear Isabella, it is good to see you in the flesh. Scrying every day grows tedious does it not?" Isabella smiled and slowly walked forward while saying, "Indeed it does, my liege. So why have I not heard of your dealings with the Zhen Clan?" King Mark patted his lap gesturing at her while answering, "It was all thanks to a sudden and unexpected meeting that happened just a few days ago. Some influential nobles that had been missing for several millennia suddenly turned up. They spoke tales of a mythical valley that had trapped them and how a powerful immortal had arrived in the guise of a mortal to set them free!" He laughed out loud as Isabella sat on his lap and spoke, "An immortal? Just to save those idiots? Ridiculous!" But his laughter turned to a strange frown as he spoke, "While it may not have been an immortal... those people were wholeheartedly in awe of their savior. Strangely enough, I almost found myself believing them," with a hint of confusion in his eyes. Isabella frowned and spoke out with a sigh, "Forget that nonsense. When will you tell me about the Zhen Clan?" King Mark grimaced in displeasure but he still spoke out, "Some of those survivors happened to be of the Zhen Clan. And you know that despite our long-standing enmity, our Heaven Palace and the Cyclic Trinity Temple leaves no room for actual conflict. So I had to return those members... and surprisingly Zhen Wudi and I became friends. This conflict had lasted for millennia amongst our ancestors, but with the support of the Divine Organizations, Wudi and I plan to bring peace leading all of us and the Lyonesse Kingdom into a new era!" Isabella looked at him in disbelief, "Will you tell me the real reason or will you keep saying your horrible lies of self-righteousness?" King Mark laughed as he spoke out, "Isabella you truly understand me... In fact, Wudi promised me a share of the Zhen Clan''s treasured girl, as long as I used ''juniors cultivators'' to get it. There would be no need to mount an attack! All he wanted in return was one year with the survivors of that valley who originated from our kingdom. Apparently, they believe in some old legends regarding Berthelien forest. Either way, his terms were simply irresistable! Basically, he promised us a share of celestial stones as long as I used ''juniors cultivators'' and promised no obstruction from anyone of the Zhen Clan!" Isabella grinned as she spoke, "Indeed. It seems like a done deal, who''d dare bar the Lyonesse Kingdom. Congratulations my Liege." King Mark continued to grin in satisfaction but Isabella suddenly frowned as she asked, "But why did you use your Edict on me back then? I understand growing annoyed with that buffoon Brishman but why me as well?" Unknowingly it had begun to rain outside as King Mark''s smile disappeared and he spoke with a frown, "Why do you think I lost control? That matter was actually unsuccessful! I can''t believe I lost control for a moment!" Isabella immediately got off of his lap with her eyes glittering with worry and anger. Her face contorted into a scowl as she raged, "I needed this to work! Those corpses in my room are only treatment to the symptoms! Every day I keep yearning for more death and more blood... Do you know how much I have to suffer? I don''t have much longer... and you''re screwing up!" King Mark scowled as he shouted back, "Do you think I wanted to mess up? I need this to work just as much as you do. But you know that we can''t directly harm any of the chosen!" Isabella grew silent as she considered his words. Nevertheless, she walked away while muttering through gritted teeth, "I understand... But until you get this to work I''ll be with my ''husband''." She opened the door leading to the guest chambers revealing the raining outside. She paused for a moment saying, "I wish you nightmares, Brother of mine," and walked away into the raining porch. But seeing her walking away while leaving those words behind caused King Mark to snap. He stood up, turned around and roared in anger while punching at the throne. His powerful punch raged forwards causing waves of terrifying aura to run amok and utterly eviscerate the throne into dust... And the light rain continued to fall... Chapter 29: Is this what privacy feels like? Zhen Shi grinned as he finished refining his last pill. Just to finish the quest sooner he had made sure to refine only that grade 1 divine healing pill. But of course, he had used all the grade improvement skills along with resulting in ten healing pills with the same but slightly changing picture of the little boy fighting off a terrifying giant with only a simple slingshot. Despite his unreasonable worrying previously, how could Zhen Shi not be happy when he is literally only a couple of steps away from receiving the quest rewards! But he was beginning to be rather impatient. Fortunately, the notification rang. Ding! Congratulations to the user for completing the Grade 1 Pill refining quest! Ding! The user has gained one random refining ingredient: ephemeral ghost ashes. Ding! The user has gained a gift of experience. Will you accept it? Zhen Shi was rather intrigued regarding this ephemeral ghost ashes... but since the system was asking so politely just to give him experience points, how could he say no? System: "..." Zhen Shi grinned excitedly with his previous worries thrown into the sea. Even though he knew that forcefully cultivating was not good for him, especially since he had the strange inability to cultivate manually, he was basically an addict to fast cultivation. So he laughed gleefully and mentally thought, "Yes, System. A thousand times yes!" Ding! Granting experience... Zhen Shi''s grin dissipated as he felt no improvement on his cultivation base. Instead, he felt queasy and began to lose his bearings as the entire room began to revolve around him. His vision began to blur as he began to see strange colors and visions... a tree on a hill... a strange man... SHIT! I know I''m an addict for this, but who knew you actually overdose on cultivation like a normal drug? His next action was to blame the system for not warning him of a possible overdose leading to his untimely death. But he collapsed on to the floor and the life left his eyes before he could do so... ?????????? Zhen Shi''s vision which was now veering off in a confusing dark space of colors and noises and non-sensical visions began to settle down albeit rather slowly. The colors kept shifting back and forth, the sounds were mind-boggling and the smells even worse. But his sight slowly began to grow clear along with the rest of his senses. But Zhen Shi''s mind was reeling and was being bombarded with heavy nausea. Even as things were returning to normal he felt like barfing blood. But fortunately for him, his senses began to clear slowly. At the same time, the nausea gradually lessened and his mind calmed down. Now that he was not suffering horrendous pain he focused on his eye vision. He was met with the vision of a book on an oak table placed within a strange room. For just a moment he felt as if the letters on it were beyond his level of comprehension... But the letters jumped about with his still stabilizing vision, ultimately revealing a completely readable book. Apparently he was currently being shown the First Chapter: The Essence of Alchemy. Ahh! So the gift of experience was related to the profession. It appears that the system is giving me alchemy experience through a drug-induced haze... System are you a drug dealer as well? System: "..." Nevertheless, Zhen Shi was greatly intrigued and so began to read. As he read he felt his alchemy knowledge gradually deepening and could even vaguely glimpse a mystical but long and arduous path laden with forests and beasts. But he couldn''t quite put his newfound knowledge into words... It was almost as if he was learning but not learning at the same time. Having finished reading the first page, with great anticipations for his rapid improvement as a pill alchemist, Zhen Shi proceeded to move the next page. But he realized that he couldn''t move the page. In fact, he couldn''t even move his body... Basically he couldn''t move and his vision was stuck on one spot. There was no sound, just an uncomfortable pause. System am I lagging? With the lack of a response or a change to his situation, he calmed down and decided to look around the room. But he couldn''t even move his head! So basically he had to look around the room while having his eyes focused on the first page of the Book. He could vaguely see a small room with rough wooden walls just barely lit by glowing orbs of light. There were various herbs and other ingredients hung up on the wall and in jars. But Zhen Shi was unable to identify any of them as he found that he was unable to access the appraisal skill . In the end, using his own memory he was able to identify just one from the plethora of ingredients available. Even that was due to the distinctive yellow cloudy leaves of the herb which was considered to be priceless and hadn''t been seen for hundreds of millennia, Syphilim! Besides the herbs, some small tools could be seen on another much larger table to the side but Zhen Shi couldn''t see much as it was out of his eyesight. But suddenly he could smell again and his nose was hit with the confusing smell of all those different herbs. His sense of touch and hearing came next. He could hear a lightly crackling fire and the sound of early morning birds from outside the hut. But nothing much else. He was also hit with a rather terrifying cold despite being wrapped in bundles of warm fur. He was seated on a chair but surprisingly his legs were not touching the floor. But even with things returning to normal he found that he was unable to move around. But he was moving ''normally'' while shivering within the bundles of fur. Completely at a loss on what to do Zhen Shi was about to blame a certain someone... But suddenly a fairly high-pitched voice rang out. "Uhh... This is boring." Zhen Shi was flabbergasted. Who is speaking? System have you finally gained sentience? But I agree, This IS boring! The reply came almost immediately, "I''m just going to play with Hecabe." Zhen Shi was now completely confused. What? Who is Hecabe? But his confusion was immediately solved, as his head automatically lowered focusing on a slightly warmer part of the furs wrapped around his lap. Apparently... it was a puppy which had basically blended amidst the wide varieties of fur like a wild animal in its natural habitat. His small hairless hands proceeded to furiously rub the head of Hecabe the puppy who in turn looked at him with its puppy dog eyes while furiously wagging its tail. Zhen Shi would have facepalmed if he could''ve. It appeared that the system was completely fine and he was just dreaming of the life of some other person. As concluded by the short legs, high pitched voice and small arms either he was in the body of a child or a female dwarf... with the latter highly unlikely due to the normal size of the furniture. Zhen Shi watched on with faint interest as this kid played around with Hecabe for an entire HOUR. SHIT! I take it back. THIS is boring! Please kid just read the damn book... or at least turn the page.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. In fact, he had tried to skip or fast forward this ''gift of experience'' but the system was completely unresponsive. So, in the end, he had decided to silently wait while continuing to read the first unopened page over and over again, until the entire thing was over. Since Zhen Shi had a vague feeling that what he had learned might not be easy to remember, even with the status effect, maybe it wasn''t a bad idea to be stuck watching a kid petting a dog... repeatedly.... with nothing else happening. But to his surprise, after another hour of just rubbing the puppy''s head, his lap became unusually warm and strangely wet. And his hands proceeded to lift up the puppy causing the heaps of fur to slide on to the floor, revealing a rather large wet spot on his trousers. The puppy actually peed on me? Shit, this is the worst drug-induced dream ever. System I want a refund! The child proceeded to lift up the dog and shout out in a rather cute voice, "Mummy! Hekabe peed again!" Zhen Shi mentally grimaced as that voice and those words came out of his vocal cords... A hurried shout came from afar, "Little Hex, Mummy''s coming soon!" Zhen Shi was horrified, Is this kid''s name Hex or is he an actual Hex? But he didn''t get to find out as the room started rotating around him again. But before Zhen Shi could complain he was thrown away from this dream... and into a mass of confusing senses. ?????????? Zhen Shi hurriedly stood up from the floor with a start while muttering, "I can''t believe that the so-called ''gift of experience'' is a drug-induced dream," and shaking his head to somehow reduce the continuous banging inside his head. Luckily for him, the headache receded rather fast. And with the sound of birds backing up the boom box still playing instrumental Chinese music, he looked around the pavilion to realize that it was already morning! It appeared he had basically dreamed through the rest of the night and now it was only a few moments away from sunrise. But despite the horrendous memories, he had been able to memorize the first page of that divine alchemy book. He stretched his muscles while walking over to the Boombox which he quickly switched off and put away into the system inventory. He heaved a sigh as he relished the early morning environment. Despite the mind-boggling dream he had had, his mind was surprisingly calm and free from the worries of the night before. Feeling that the pavilion itself was a bit stuffy even with the open central garden Zhen Shi walked over to the main entrance door and opened it to get a view of the surroundings... But what awaited him was a huge mob! What the actual mob? There were maids, servants, guards, sales-clerks, and even managers of the Market Hall with most dressed in usual uniform and some even in their night robes. Most of them had their eyes closed as if they were enjoying the beauty of nature together... But they all hurriedly turned towards him with annoyed looks on their faces as he had opened the door rather noisily. Zhen Shi hurriedly closed the door while panicking and thinking, What the hell was that! It obviously can''t be possible that there is some sort of strange hobby where you enjoy the beauty of nature from the front yard of other people''s houses, right? So then did I do some strange things while I was in that drug-induced dream? Zhen Shi decided to just find out. Since the people weren''t shouting and chanting his name with pitchforks and fire he couldn''t have done anything too bad... And so he opened the door. The mob outside was ready this time as they all asked in different ways, "Master are you responsible for the music that was playing?" As these words reached his ears Zhen Shi heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed. Aiya! So it was only a case of sound pollution... In that case, I can just turn down the volume from now on. So he smiled happily while answering, "I apologize for the disturbance everyone. Yes, it was indeed my fault." But a maid close by frowned followed by the entire mob. This maid asked, "Master why must you apologize? We all loved your music!" Her words were followed by a cacophony of follow-ups from the entire mob, "Yes! Master musician, I love your music!" "Are you the god of music descended from the heavens?" "Now that I look closely this young master looks truly different from us untalented people!" "Young master I had a horrible backache. But after listening to your music I feel like I''ve gained wings!" "Forget about your back. That divine music helped me to reach the next level of cultivation!" "I agree. I was suffering from a heart demon, but now, the demon has become a baby angel!" "Divine musician you''re also very handsome. Will you marry me?" "You don''t even need to marry me. Just give me a baby to play me music at least as half as good as you!" "I don''t even need the baby. Just play once more!" "I agree. Encore!" "Encore!!!" Zhen Shi grinned uncomfortably... Shit, I didn''t even do anything and was fainted for almost all of last night. Is this what piracy feels like? ?????????? The rain that had surprisingly begun to fall within the night had stopped only hours later. But now the night before was a part of the past, as the sun was beginning to rise painting the sky with shades of orange and yellow. The rising sun seemed to grant hope to the world that seemed to have become revitalized by the rain before. But that was not how Isolde would see the world just about now. As the sunlight lit up her wall-less room and granted her light, she paid no attention to the beauty of it. Her entire focus was on completing the healing process while heaving light gasps of breath. Her body was emitting that golden healing light, on to the barely breathing body of Butler Alec who continued to fail to see her suffering through his closed eyes. His body was mostly clear of blood as it had been washed away by the rain of the night before. After all, the room had no walls... However, while the rain had arrived like a blessing and washed away the blood it had in no way helped the smell. It had been around half a day since their death and the corpses of the three dead had already begun to rot giving off an awful smell. Even flies had begun to be attracted... Isolde''s ripped dress was stuck to her body wet with rainwater and the skirt was light red with streaks of washed away blood. The healing light emanating from her palms was only a moment away from disappearing as it flickered weakly; the complete opposite of the rising sun. To Isolde, the smell was the least of her problems. As the night had stretched on with only the moon and the stars to give her light she had been extremely nervous. Despite her intention to save Alec, it was rather normal for a girl especially a noble to be worried about leading an entire night with only three corpses by her side. But to make the entire matter worse it had begun to rain! Under the sudden appearance of rain clouds, she had lost her only source of light. As her body was fraught with the onslaught of raindrops, in that deep dark night, with only herself to look for help and even nature aiming to stop her, in the end, she had had to bite her pleas for help and just DO, with no space for worrying. Her eyes were laden with drowsiness and exhaustion but within lay, a sliver of grit and determination forged through that night of loneliness and suffering, simply refusing to be quelled. It wouldn''t be wrong to say that in the same way that the night rain had baptized the world, she too had been baptized. But for better or worse... only time would tell. Suddenly a light scream came from the doorway just outside her room. Although a scream, it was the blessing that Isolde had been hoping for! Isolde''s room was facing the training grounds and the edges of the Berthelien forest outback. So despite the lack of walls, it was normal for onlookers to have not realized that anything was out of the ordinary from far away. And even if Isolde had shouted out for help, the mansion grounds stretched for many acres there were no people nearby to help. And as the night grew worse if her luck had been truly bad she might''ve even called over demon beasts... or making matters worse, possible bandits. Thus Isolde''s only real hope would have to be those who would return on the next day. Although all of the mansion staff and the guards had been asked to leave the day before, which had led to no one realizing the battle had that had taken place, it was normal for them to return the next day. A light figure rushed into her room. This was the maid that had run into Zhen Shi... Isolde had no energy to speak, after all, she had been utilizing a divine blessing all night. Even if she was dubbed the ''healing goddess'' she was only a mere mortal. She sensed the maid''s arrival but was unable to turn her head. Her only thought was to hold on until Grandpa Alec''s safety was assured... This maid eyed the two corpses and the headless corpse along with the decapitated head nearby. She even got as far as looking at the fainted Alec laying still like a corpse. But maybe this sight along with the smell of rotting flesh was too much, as she collapsed fainting moments after... But to Isolde''s fortune, the maids scream had been heard loud and clear, as many more servants rushed in, proceeding to notify their arrival with screams of their own. Servants were at best qi refining stage cultivators or at best mortals with little to no experience in seeing corpses, fortunate enough to be born within the protective walls of a kingdom. But one maid rather young almost the same age as Isolde, with a bun of brown hair and lively eyes rushed in not sparing a glance to the corpses. She immediately made some calculative conclusions and rushed to Isolde''s side. Noticing the glint in her eyes the maid proceeded to check Alec''s status. Immediately, she smiled at Isolde and whispered, "He''s fine. My lady, you''ve done well. He will live!" These words were the blessing she had been hoping for. With a light smile on her lips, she collapsed on to the floor as exhaustion took away her consciousness. But that maid immediately caught her and prevented her from falling on to the floor. She raised her head at the servants who continued to remain dumbstruck and shouted with a frown, "Don''t just stand there then. Go and get help! Call a physician or a healer!" Chapter 30: Will ODale Zhen Shi laughed uncomfortably at this undue praise. But with the intention to clear up this matter he spoke out loudly with a forced grin, "Alright everyone. Thank you for your praise. But," and looking at the rising sun, "it''s early morning. Don''t you have work to do?" The entire mob was caught speechless. All of them were employees of the Lyon and Turnbull Market Hall and not being at their posts early in the morning would indeed be problematic. But still, they were slightly reluctant to leave with the prospect of never being able to listen to this master musician''s divine music again! But leaving them aside for a moment, Zhen Shi was greeted with a familiar sound. Ding! The user has gained a total of 50 OP! Zhen Shi''s face broke out into a genuine smile. He wasn''t too happy with being praised for Odin''s skill in making divine music playing devices, but he was happy with earning points! So with a genuine smile, he spoke out, "Fine. My fellow fans, I promise I''ll put on the music tonight as well." Why was he ready to play more music now? That is because the more music he played, the more points he could get! The entire mob cheered with words of happiness and joy as they slowly dispersed back to their morning jobs. But of course, they noted Zhen Shi''s ''genuine'' smile which raised their opinions of this ''divine musician'' who greeted them with familiarity despite his obvious talent. Zhen Shi grinned happily and turned around beginning to walk into the pavilion. He was thinking that he should get to work on figuring out a way to better control the furnace spirits. Maybe Myne might have some ideas? But just as he was about to close the door behind him, something tapped him on his shoulder. Zhen Shi hurriedly turned around like a breeze in the wind. His quick reaction was rather unnecessary, but that was because he was surprised and had been unable to sense a presence behind him. As a result, he was slightly on guard but... wasn''t too worried. After all, someone who wished him harm wouldn''t warn him by tapping on his shoulder beforehand, now would they? Once he turned around what awaited him was a rather young looking nobleman. He had well-combed brown hair and ordinary brown eyes. But the most eye-catching part of him was his clothes. He was dressed elegantly in expensive silk clothes; a crimson red shirt, crimson red pants, crimson red shoes, and a crimson red hat. Everything on him was crimson red! He was smiling rather elegantly while holding on to two swords on his hip sheathed in their scabbards. And yes... they were also crimson red. Zhen Shi grimaced at this noble fellow whose fashion sense was simply eye-blinding! Especially with the morning sunlight falling on to his body and worsening the brightness of his clothes. This noble grinned calmly and extended his right hand while saying, "Good morning fellow daoist. I came early this morning to carry out a rather annoying errand. But that gave me the chance to listen to your amazing music. It was simply divine. My annoyance was truly rewarded!" Uhh... Another fan? I played music once. Just once! Why has it becomes so annoying now? Still, Zhen Shi grinned forcefully as he put his right hand forwards and shook hands with this red-clothed noble. The noble proceeded to grin further as he spoke, "My brother, Alan, is well-known for being a skilled musician. But even he is nothing in the face of your divine music!" Zhen Shi continued to grin forcefully at his words. He was beginning to grow sick of this... But this red-clothed noble seemed to notice his forced grin and lack of speech. Immediately he frowned and said, "What? Fellow Daoist do you dislike my company? Do you have to force yourself so obviously? Or are you trying to mock my praise?" with rising anger. Zhen Shi frowned as well but spoke out with the intention of preventing a fight early in the morning, "Fellow daoist, I apologize if I offended you. But that music is not something that I pride myself on. So I found it rather difficult to listen to your praise!" But his words had the opposite effect as they caused Will Scarlet to frown even more. He shouted while gripping on to his dual swords, "Difficult? Then what was with your happy smile in the face of the praise of others? And you say that you are not proud of your music skills! Are you trying to insult me by hinting that my talents are sub-par? Don''t think that I, William O''Dale, will let you off just because you play good music!" FUCK! I was saying the truth. Is this what I am rewarded with for my honesty? Even Zhen Shi was being annoyed now. But he wasn''t particularly worried since this noble was only of the Soul Formation stage just like him and was only an ordinary warrior. So to hopefully defuse this situation he spoke out jokingly, "Fellow Daoist William, please calm down. I don''t think your rash actions are neither suited to your noble stature nor wise. I''ll have you know that I was in a 1 vs 50 fight once!" William paused since Zhen Shi''s words rang true but also because he was curious about the sudden story being told by this divine musician. Zhen Shi continued to speak in a serious tone, "It was a hard-fought battle and I even had to go all out and use all my martial art skills. I was very close to losing my life. It was a battle with your life on the edge..." He continued to narrate an epic battle that completely caught William''s attention filling him with awe. Zhen Shi grinned lightly as he finished his tale with a simple sentence, "And, in the end, the 50 of us that were still living were able to barely beat that one guy up!" while struggling to hold his laughter. William was confused for a moment but soon realized Zhen Shi''s joke. And he burst out into laughter saying, "Fellow daoist I find that you''re very funny! Your humility speaks of your true nature and your innocence. Thus I apologize for my earlier outburst." Zhen Shi heaved a sigh of relief while laughing himself. However, to his surprise, William unsheathed one sword and said with a smile, "But since you are not satisfied with your music, let me generously test out your combat skills!" almost expecting Zhen Shi to thank him. Zhen Shi grimaced and shouted, "What? No! I joked so that we won''t--" but his words fell on deaf ears as William dashed towards him with his crimson sword glinting under the early dawn sunlight. He lunged the sword at Zhen Shi''s face at a very fast speed. An ordinary soul formation cultivator perhaps might have been in trouble. But Zhen Shi had a rudimentary understanding of wind aether and had the 2x increase to action and reaction speed! But since he was still in the doorway he wouldn''t be able to dodge to the sides. So he bent his torso backward while manifesting just enough to cover the inside of his palms with dragon scales and feathers. With a devilish grin, he clapped his hands on to the incoming blade... CLAP! The sound of his clap resonated and a powerful wind blew around as the lunging sword was stopped mere millimeters away from his chest. Zhen Shi''s eyes showed the faintest hint of a bestial nature as he realized that despite his successful block, the sword had still hurt his palms through the scales and was now bleeding. He calmed himself as he threw his palms forwards along with William back to the outside of the pavilion. Zhen Shi proceeded to have the Vermillion flames secretively heal his wounds. William was rather surprised that his surprise lunge had been blocked successfully by Zhen Shi. Still, he grinned as he spoke, "You are skilled! But I fail to see how your combat abilities are better than your music. I guess we''ll have to continue to find out." Zhen Shi said nothing as he wasn''t going to back down now either. He was pissed and wanted to teach this guy a lesson for starting a fight for no reason. He flicked his hand bringing out the eery . William''s eyes narrowed but he grinned, as he was getting into the battle as well, and said, "Aren''t you an archer? Shoot some arrows will you?"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Zhen Shi sneered and spouted out in the heat of his anger, "Maybe later, Little Red Riding Hood..." William frowned, he didn''t understand the true meaning but he could sense Zhen Shi''s insulting tone. He roared in blazing anger while unsheathing his second sword, "Don''t insult the majestic color of Red!" almost as if Zhen Shi had murdered his wife. He dashed forwards once more but this time his dashing figure was suddenly enshrouded in a cloud of qi. Zhen Shi had been planning on hurling the but William had completely disappeared by the time the smoke cleared. And just like when he had been tapped on the shoulder, Zhen Shi was once again unable to sense his presence. Realizing this, he decided to take this a bit more seriously, since he wasn''t planning on being stabbed early in the morning just for playing some music. Zhen Shi frowned while instantly materializing his bow on to his free hand. Despite his senses being useless, he could feel a vague sense of danger from the aether surrounding him. But even with the bow in his hand strengthened by , the aether continued to give him a sense of growing dread. SHIT! Who is this guy? To make things worse, he couldn''t use out in the open and there was the chance that he might even go berserk, which was the least ideal choice. So he decided to use his newfound skills to the test. He manifested the flames into formation talismans and formed the strengthened unorthodox defense formation. At the same time, he prepped his bow to shoot. With the sense of danger and dread growing worse, he hurriedly activated the defense formation, with the full force of his empowered qi, spreading it out to cover the front of the doorway. CRACK! The sound of splintering rang out as a large crack formed on the black defense formation at a spot very close to Zhen Shi''s neck, causing him to take back several steps into the pavilion in surprise. Fortunately, the formation had held out... Zhen Shi gulped at how close that had been. He was totally incapable of sensing William''s presence and had it not been for the divine formation sealing the front he would be in a very precarious situation. He threw aside all thoughts of holding back as he readied himself to do whatever necessary to win this battle. Instantly he shot his bow at his general estimate of William''s location, and the arrow dashed with powerful force through his formation but hit nothing... SHIT! How can this guy be this crazy! I had an easier time with the Law Holding Vivienne! He activated as much as he could over his chest and torso for extra protection, while leaving the scales and feathers hidden under his clothing. He used up earthen aether to further strengthen his defense. Surprisingly William''s voice rang out, "Since you don''t take kindly to praise maybe you''ll be happier with insults. Your fighting ability is sub-par. You''re completely clueless about what to do without seeing the target... But don''t worry I won''t kill you... I''ll just beat your inflated ego!" Zhen Shi growled, "Great words from Little Red Riding Hood. You just hide and keep striking from your hidey-hole." But he didn''t say elaborate much either, as he was completely focused on the battle. Besides, the means were secondary, in the end, the spoils went to the victor. Crack! Another crack streaked across the defensive formation causing it to shatter apart. Zhen Shi readied himself to defend from the front while taking a few more steps back. But surprisingly no attack came... Zhen Shi remained fully alert and unknowingly he had reached the part of the pavilion with the central garden. He only barely registered his foot lightly touching the pitch-black cauldron. Suddenly his spiritual senses went haywire. He was being attacked from the back! The second attack on the defensive formation had been a distraction. William had somehow made his way into the pavilion possibly from the open roof on top of the central garden. Either way, like a moth to the flame, Zhen Shi had walked right into that trap. To make things worse the wind was completely still and unaffected by William''s attack, making it that much difficult to locate. It was now too late... Even with his doubled reaction speed, he would be unable to dodge this close-range attack. But it was not utterly hopeless either... Zhen Shi grinned maliciously as he activated his spiritual connection with the pitch-black cauldron while applying . Instantly the pitch-black smog formed into the oh-so-familiar furnace spirit imps. But strangely enough, they were completely free of their usual mischievous chittering selves-- instead, they seemed more devilish and more serious... But Zhen Shi paid no attention to that as he put the fate of the entire battle on this gamble. He mentally ordered the imps to go all out in attack in three different directions, focused on his back; One towards the extreme right, another through the very center and the final towards the extreme left. He was hoping that one of them might hit the hiding William and reveal his location. Fortunately for him, William had not been expecting a sudden attack from furnace spirits, especially so suddenly. One of the imps hit onto something solid, causing it to strike out with its full soul formation power. BANG! Zhen Shi''s gamble had paid off! With the sense of dread now gone, he turned around victoriously. Zhen Shi was completely relaxed now. In this entire fight, there hadn''t been a shred of killing intent from either of them and the battle had been only a spar, despite the close shaves and insults to each other. In the end, this had caused a sense of slight respect to form in each other''s hearts. So Zhen Shi wasn''t worried about William not accepting his defeat or of the fight lasting for any longer. William had fallen on to the floor of the pavilion several meters away from Zhen Shi, possibly due to the sudden collision with the imp, and was now sprawled on the floor with his two swords on the floor even further away from him. Despite being slightly winded he seemed altogether fine and was even smiling at his surprising defeat. After all, William was strangely powerful enough to almost cause even Zhen Shi to lose, and the attack had been landed only by a single soul formation imp. Zhen Shi was about to walk over to William and help him up. He was free of his previous anger and was looking forward to a conversation with William explaining his prowess... But suddenly the imps lost their ''strange'' obedience as they seemed to grow crazy and howl in a frenzy. They started snarling and growling monstrously and all of them began converging on the fallen William. Zhen Shi felt a sense of dread and ran forwards while trying to spiritually call off those imps. But they turned a deaf ear to his orders and they seemed to become true devils... as they ripped apart William''s red clothes along with his surface skin and flesh dying his body in scarlet red blood. Not a single scream, word or frown came from William despite the obviously painful attacks. The grin on his face remained... growing eerier by the second... Even though Zhen Shi was running over to stop the imps while cursing them for fucking up everything... AGAIN! It was now too late. William roared with his eyes boiling in rage! Powerful scarlet red energy sprang out of his blood instantly causing the spirit formation imps to melt away... The scraped flesh and blood all over his body seemed to melt into this strange energy, which seemed similar to ordinary qi or aether but... strangely not at the same time, forming a cloak of powerful energy. His eyes and hair gained a tincture of red as his entire body became a simple existence of blood-red... Zhen Shi stopped throwing away any ideas of fixing this mistake. SHIT! It was a simple sparring match. How did it turn to this in mere moments! Fuck Myne and his furnace spirits! William was causing the qi and aether of nature to give heavy warnings of danger. He threw aside his confused feelings regarding the sudden turn to this situation as he activated to the maximum while still hiding it as much as possible. Any part of his body covered in clothing was covered by a layer of draconic scales and vermillion feathers. Even his exposed skin gave off a light sheen of draconic scales just barely hidden under his external skin. His eyes gave off a threatening glow rivaling even that of William''s own aura! But he had to struggle to remain calm under the bloodlust... But William paid no attention to the growing threat around Zhen Shi. William grinned with bloodied teeth and said, "Red is the world at dawn. You disappointed my expectations, and unlike the music, your actions reek of spite," causing the aura around him to grow even stronger. Zhen Shi let out a clam breath as lifted the Divine Bow. He put in an arrow and pulled it back with the full strength of his bestial physique. Despite the arising bloodlust, he kept his calm as he applied the wind aether to the arrow to grant speed, along with the water aether to grant ease of travel. William continued to chant his words while grinning in a bloodlust gradually strengthened by the red energy surrounding him, "Red is the world at dusk. You have angered me and I will have you pay." Zhen Shi forcefully shrugged off the bloodlust trying to force him to simply give in to the carnal urge of killing as he added earth aether to strengthen the arrow and fire aether to provide an explosive charge. William spoke out the final words with a murderous grin, "Red is the blood that seeps from the corpse dying under my blade. And pay you shall, twice as what you granted me," and his bloodlust and killing intent was exerted at full force! He silently shifted into an attacking position... like a jaguar poised on its hunt... Zhen Shi''s rationale was lost under the growing bloodlust as well. With a bestial growl and overflowing killing intent, he released his arrow. William dashed forward leaving a simple streak of crimson that proceeded to wreak havoc on the air which shivered in almost fear. He seemed to hold no fear of the oncoming arrow... As the arrow dashed forward like a silent assassin while eviscerating the air in its way, Zhen Shi finally lost his control to the bloodlust and growled in an animalistic frenzy. He dashed forwards only a step behind the dashing arrow. A crimson bloodied jaguar facing a bestial dragon followed by the silent arrow... head towards a collision. Chapter 31: Running Interference Within the market area of Lyon City lay the island holding the renowned "Lyon and Turnbull Auction House." The slow sunrise fell upon the island and the ever-still lake blessed by the rain of the night before, barely revealing the mystical fruits and flowers of the trees abound in the various groves. The branches of each tree were spread out as if in pride of the bounty they brought. It was a party of colors, of chaos and order, of a beauty that sprung from simple seeds blessed with mud and rain. But if you glanced at the island at a certain moment, with the perfect lighting you would be able to see the slightest glimpse of a powerful, awe-inspiring formation dome, that lay threateningly, almost as a warning to all would-be criminals and those unfortunate enough to get on the bad side of the Auction House. But just as you see it, it would be hidden again... like a crouching tiger or a hidden dragon... Within the protection of this formation, inside the highest floor of a majestic pagoda of weaving balustrades and silver luster, second only to the main golden pagoda of the auction house, was a bull-like man. He was dressed in a majestic but dark black robe emanating a powerful aura while laughing joyfully. His eyes were on a small but mystical silver platter of water placed on a table. The water was still as it revealed the familiar figures of Zhen Shi and William O''Dale in battle; revealing Zhen Shi struggling to deal with the invisible presence of Wiliam. The man chuckled while clapping his hands joyfully as he spoke out in celebration, "This was a true stroke of luck, a series of coincidences in our favor! To think that the freak of the O''Dales would be attracted to those disciples due to their own music and even pick a fight due to a small misunderstanding. Especially when I was just about to tamper forcefully! Will O''Dale truly is as hotblooded and wilful as they say!" while twidling a small crystal adorned with the barely visible carving of a serpent. He grinned further as he spoke, "Shu Yi continue the report please." The familiar elder Shu Yi in his black robe nodded curtly as he continued his paused task, "Yes, Lord Turnbull. The salesmen reported back to us that the two senior disciples are very skilled in their respective fields of herbology and mineralogy, based simply on their familiarity with ingredients and curt dealings of the staff. In fact, we concluded that they were planning on teaching alchemy and blacksmithing to the other disciple." This caused a slight frown to appear on Lord Turnbull''s face as he muttered, "Since they are even talented enough to teach their fellow disciple, it will be impossible to ensure a clean victory of the competition, despite the skilled friend that I invited for our side. But the Turnbulls only deal with certainties!" But the frown was replaced by a very satisfied grin as he continued, "And the only way to be certain of the victory of the appraisal competition is by getting rid of those annoying fellow disciples while allowing the blame to be graciously accepted by that poor O''Dale kid." His grin grew wider as he continued, "Even the gods are on the side of our Turnbull family. This is an opportunity from the heavens. If I tamper further by using this divine curse totem we can ensure that the competition will be completely out of the game. I don''t believe that a few nascent soul disciples will be able to hold down an enraged Will O''Dale!" while happily eyeing the serpent crystal in his hands. Lord Turnbull continued to speak in a celebrating tone while watching the battle, "But, of course, once the battle is over and the O''Dale freak loses control and beats those disciples to near-death, make sure to send over some healers. After all, we can''t be too harsh on these fellow disciples, especially since they helped us gain the competing chance by putting that imbecile son of mine into the hold of the kingdom guard!" and ended with joyful laughter. Elder Shu Yi lightly nodded his head while laughing himself and spoke out, "As you wish, Lord Turnbull." With his eyes calmly observing the battle on the platter Lord Turnbull spoke out in a disgruntled manner, "Shu Yi, I can''t believe that this new kid is almost fighting toe-to-toe with the O''Dale freak! The O''Dale kid''s swordsmanship and concealing skills are top-grade... And as for this Zhen Shi, he is using self-created formations superbly despite being only a grade 1 formation master. His archery skills have reached a high level as well. Too bad we couldn''t get him to join our side..." with a hint of regret, causing Shu Yi to visibly grimace. Shu Yi laughed lightly and spoke up reassuringly, "Yes, but no matter how talented this Zhen Shi is, the winner will undoubtedly be our William. After all, he is able to wield that ''scarlet'' energy to fight against even divine blessed geniuses. He is even considered to be one of the potential tabooed!" Lord Turnbull turned his head towards Shu Yi and spoke with a disappointed look, "Shu Yi, I admit that your words are correct. But you''re being too short-sighted. I am well aware that the O''Dale freak is in your employ. But how long do you think the divine organizations will let a possible taboo and aberrant exist right under their noses? Especially since the O''Dales are in a downward spiral of losing power, in my opinion, the O''Dales, and this William kid will be very short-lived!" Shu Yi frowned in displeasure at the possible loss of one of his subordinates but could find no words to rebuke Lord Turnbull. Ignoring Shu Yi, Lord Turnbull turned back to the battle and spoke out with a malicious smile, "Forget that and enjoy this fight. As expected of two geniuses, both of them are using strategy even in the midst of the all-out brawl. And despite struggling, this Zhen Shi is holding out. And both of them have yet to bring out their trump cards," while continuing to handle that serpent crystal in his hand. But suddenly the scene in the silver platter showed the battle turning around in a single instant... Shu Yi''s eyes widened into genuine disappointment and displeasure. Lord Turnbull took it the worst as hurriedly stood up from his seat and shouted out, "Shit! I can''t believe that this kid used the furnace spirits to figure out Will''s location. That is too under-handed!" He frowned in visible disappointment as he shouted, "It''s now time to use the divine curse totem. Shu Yi, you do it. I believe your familiarity with him will strengthen the transfer." Shu Yi was surprised as he had not expected this turn of events. Ultimately, he grimaced at this order but could only obey under the unforgiving gaze of Lord Turnbull. He hurriedly walked closer as he took the serpent crystal from Lord Turnbull''s outstretched hand. Noticing that he was stalling, Lord Turnbull growled out, "Shu Yi! I am well aware that the totem lets the holder know what to do... Are you going to disobey my orders?" Shu Yi flinched under the sudden command but could only accede. As such, he lifted the crystal right on to the top of the silver platter showing the image of Will O''Dale being thrown away by the furnace spirits. He gulped in fear expecting a last moment change, but seeing the rising anger of Lord Turnbull he gritted his teeth and shouted out a single word, "Apep!" Immediately, a terrifying amount of qi was dragged out of his body on to the crystal causing his body to almost shrivel visibly. He seemed to age an entire decade as he dropped down on to the floor with damaged meridians and qi paths, while the gathered energy slowly formed into a dark red serpent, identical to the engraving, surrounding the crystal. The serpent stayed in place above the silver platter while giving out a powerful and undeniable aura... Lord Turnbull spared no glance to the collapsed and injured Shu Yi as he lightly stroked the serpent and whispered, "May the serpent lead the way to a deadly battle." He watched on in trepidation as the serpent turned to look at him for a moment. Lord Turnbull couldn''t help but shiver and take back his hand reflexively under the serpent''s gaze. But the dark red serpent proceeded to dive into the water on the silver platter. Strangely enough, there were no ripples as the serpent disappeared... But Lord Turnbull felt that he saw several streamless colorless energy streams reaching out to Zhen Shi and William O''Dale, but at the same time, he felt as if he might''ve imagined them...Stolen novel; please report. But as he continued to watch the battle in the silver platter, he suddenly started laughing uproariously saying, "Heavens are in my favor! I can''t believe that Zhen Shi would cause those furnace spirits to mercilessly attack the O''Dale brat... or is that a result of the divine curse?" and was confused for a moment. But he couldn''t help but forget it, as he continued to watch his plan leading to success, as Zhen Shi and Will O''Dale threw aside all semblances of sparring and threw themselves at each other like angered beasts in blood lust. Lord Turnbull''s eyes glowed as he noticed the powerful energy around Zhen Shi as he muttered, "Is that his divine blessing? But didn''t he obtain the blessing from God Caishen? How could his power increase even rival that of the O''Dale freak?" But fortunately, he was unable to sense any bestial nature since Zhen Shi had hidden it well enough. Nevertheless, Lord Turnbull continued to watch excitedly until suddenly... he began shouting out in great rage, "No! How? ...I wasted the divine curse totem for nothing!" He rushed out of the room while shouting to the guard on duty by his door, "Order every free and idle guard to surround the main guest pavilion!" The guard was frozen in place by the sudden order but spoke out slowly and respectfully, "But Lord Turnbull, Lord Lyon would not be happy with any orders performed in his absence. Especially since he specified to protec--" But the poor guard spoke no more as Lord Turnbull immediately punched him in the chest. A light wave of qi blasted out as the guard was thrown on to the wall with blood seeping from his mouth. Lord Turnbull turned to the other soldier and spoke out seething in rage while emphasizing his bloodied fist, "What about you?" That soldier immediately understood his situation as he bowed in acceptance and ran away to carry out the order. Lord Turnbull paused for a moment and spoke out to some servants that had been nearby while flicking away the blood on his fist, "And you... bring healers and take care of the ''unfortunately'' injured..." The servants nodded as they too ran away to carry his bidding. With those matters taken care of, Lord Turnbull dashed out of the pavilion with enraged eyes... ?????????? Zhen Shi and Will O''Dale were dashing towards each other. A dual-sword wielder wielding bloodlust itself and an archer with a trapped beast ready for a hunt... However, William O''Dale had completely lost himself within the crimson murderous intent as he brandished his swords with the desire to dye them in red blood. Zhen Shi, on the other hand, was barely aware of his own actions as he growled like a demonic creature and brandished his bow to descend upon the unsuspecting. And just as they were moments away from colliding... BANG! A sudden explosion went out in the very middle of their collision course. It was followed by a powerful white light causing them to involuntarily close their eyes, especially under the lessened intellect and bloodlust. But a familiar blue flame flickered amidst the blinding white light slowly revealing a familiar figure. But along with his appearance, the blue cool flames formed into an ephemeral formless dome surrounding him and cleanly separating Zhen Shi and William O''Dale. Zhen Shi could vaguely sense that the energy forming the dome was a large number of formation talismans... but was in no state of mind to get an accurate count. CLANG! Two separate waves of qi and air blasted off of the sides of the spherical dome formation. The two scarlet swords, the silent arrow, along with William O''Dale and Zhen Shi seemed to strike a metal plate, as their attacks simply bounced off the impenetrable dome. Both William and Zhen Shi were thrown back by the sudden jarring collision. The dome dimmed lightly revealing the familiar figure of an uncomfortably grinning Myne cloaked in blue flames. Noticing that Zhen Shi and William were still acting with bloodlust and killing intent he gracefully flicked both of his hands. Instantly the dome followed one flick as it wrapped around Will O''Dale and subdued him, while his blue flame passed seamlessly through the demonic Zhen Shi, simultaneously. As the blue flames passed through Zhen Shi the bloodlust gradually receded. When the blue flames came back outside they showed a dark tint of crimson within them, almost as if the bloodlust had been dragged out, before flickering away. Myne left the bloodlust induced Will O''Dale who was still hopelessly struggling against the formation that was binding him and his cultivation and walked to Zhen Shi who was now shaking off the after-effects of going full-on bestial. Under Zhen Shi''s glowering gaze Myne sauntered by and casually spoke out, "So, I see that your training was a resounding success! Didn''t I tell you that you''d have a hard time mastering anything without my help?" Zhen Shi had had a thousand complaints to give out but was instantly caught speechless by this shameless answer. But he wasn''t going to be beaten either and so spoke out, "Actually my training was a resounding success. I refined ten Grade 2 healing pills and a Grade 2 knife with NO HOLES in it, and even combined your Dream Engraving skill with pill refining," finishing with confidence. Myne was caught speechless. SHIT! What is wrong with this kid? Becoming an alchemist and a blacksmith with the application of grade improvement skills, overnight? Despite his desire to enjoy this moment, Zhen Shi hurriedly spouted out the main question that had been burning within his mind this entire time, "Why did you stop our battle? I was winning! Besides this Will O''Dale started it... and your furnace spirits made things worse." Myne grimaced at his reply but spoke out with a mischievous grin, "Oh, sorry. I was just running interference!" but continued more seriously, "Kid I think it would''ve been more likely for the both of you to have been critically injured, especially since you weren''t even using that ability at full." Zhen Shi grimaced but could only silently agree as he himself was not sure of what would''ve happened if Myne hadn''t interfered. Nevertheless, he continued to ask with interest, "So how did you know that you should ''run interference''?" Myne grinned proudly as he spoke out with confidence, "I was watching the entire fight from beginning to end. Loved how it was entirely due to a series of wacky mistakes by the way," struggling to hold his laughter. But, under Zhen Shi''s scowling face, he continued speaking, "I decided to interfere only if things got really bad. Besides, I figured it was the perfect chance for you to battle some actual genius cultivators, especially since you haven''t had a proper battle." Zhen Shi nodded in agreement at this, nevertheless frowned as he asked in honest confusion, "Okay... But Myne why was this more difficult than the battle with Vivienne when she was at the Law Holder stage?" Myne grinned happily as he answered, "Well, let Master Myne explain. I believe Vivienne was actually holding back in that battle! I''m not sure exactly why... maybe, possibly to use you as a hostage, she hadn''t had any intention of going all out and had always attacked with a fair amount of control. But... Now that I think of it... It was pretty weird. For what strange reason could she have exercised control even when under the divine curse?" ending with a playful face of himself being in deep contemplation. Zhen Shi could only grimace as he realized the reason... That shameless skill! Myne continued speaking, quite happy at having put down Zhen Shi by a peg, "But of course the most important thing is that the red guy is fairly innocent. At the last moment, he was influenced by a divine curse causing him to completely lose his rational sense! That is why I can''t calm him down as I did for you..." Zhen Shi frowned in thought but looked at Myne curiously as this brought up a few questions. He immediately asked them, "So you can now sense divine curses?" Myne shook his head regretfully speaking, "I wish... this was only a minor level divine curse from, possibly, a single-use divine totem originating from a far-away source. As a result, I could easily sense the influence of the divine will." But, Myne suddenly grinned as he spoke out, "While the red guy," pointing at the struggling and bound Will O''Dale, "needed a divine curse to go crazy... you," pointing at Zhen Shi, "did it all by yourself!" Zhen Shi grimaced as he spoke out, "Fuck off! You know it''s the fault of the beast skill." Myne shook his head in disagreement, "No, no. It is your weak mind''s fault." Zhen Shi spoke out in defiance, "Fine then. You show me how you can control both a dragon and a vermillion bird at the same time. Go ahead... show me!" Myne was caught speechless. Wha--How? I don''t have any of those bloodlines to do that! Zhen Shi grinned victoriously as he patted his chest proudly and spoke wisely, "Yeah. That''s what I thought. People easily complain but only realize the truth when they try to do it themselves!" Myne scowled in displeasure as he spoke out, "Either way, we should realize that someone used the divine curse for some purpose. Most possibly to take you out of commission. Or maybe even all three of us... if the culprit had enough confidence in this Will O''Dale," while turning to him who was still struggling against the bounds while seething with blood lust. Zhen Shi paused in thought for a moment, but couldn''t decide on any particular person who could be an enemy with access to divine curse totems and even exert their power within the Market Island from the people he had met or insulted. Myne suddenly grinned as he looked at Zhen Shi and spoke, "Oh don''t worry about their identity. It appears the problem will soon be solved." Zhen Shi was about to ask for a more thorough explanation when the entire pavilion was suddenly laid siege by the sounds of marching soldiers, drum beats, clanking weapons. These sounds slowly grew louder as the presence of the soldiers grew stronger and the pavilion area was surrounded by guards moving with formations. Myne''s grin grew wider as he turned to Zhen Shi and said, "What''d I tell you? They''re already here!" Noticing Zhen Shi''s slightly worried look he even sagely spoke out, "Enemies in the open are better than those in the dark!" Chapter 32: More powerful than any Weapon In the market island of Lyon City, under the occasionally seen glimpses of a threatening formation dome lay a golden pavilion, decorated with regal balustrades and artisanal carvings. It was a rather majestic construction. However, its majesty was downplayed by the hundreds of soldiers surrounding it. The soldiers were arranged neatly among the other similar looking pavilions, but rather haphazardly around the edges of the nearby forest. But the sounds of the gathered soldiers were unhidden as their armor and weapons clanked threateningly showing off their power. This was an army filled with people ranging from core formation to soul transformation, and their combined aura was very formidable. Suddenly a powerful shout rang from outside, "In the name of the Lyon and Turnbull Market Hall the guests inside this pavilion have been ordered to come out!" Zhen Shi ignored this shout and the soldiers outside and grinned widely as he replied to Myne, "Bro, Your words speak true. Enemies in the open are definitely better, in fact, their more fun! Besides I''ve been quite curious about your current power. Seeing you go all out might actually be worth being surrounded by hundreds of soldiers." Myne patted his chest and bragged out with a laugh, "I disagree. You are several millennia too early to understand this great mage''s true power!" But suddenly a light cough rang out with an underlying menacing tone... Myne and Zhen Shi hurriedly turned around to realize that it was Vivienne appearing through her conflicting dragon flame of red and white. She was frowning in displeasure at them as she whispered threateningly, "We''re completely surrounded and yet you two remain here joking around?" Myne immediately shook his head and spoke out with a witty grin, "No, No! Dear Wife, we were... planning strategies. Yes! Planning strategies," while eyeing Zhen Shi. Zhen Shi hurriedly spoke out in ''serious'' contemplation, "Oh yes. So as I was saying, why don''t we just leave with your flame teleportation skill?" Myne playfully slapped Zhen Shi''s head and frowned as he spoke, "Are you an idiot?'' He pointed up as he spoke, "As long as the formation above stays intact we are limited to short ranges of movement." Zhen Shi grimaced at his words as he mentally sent out, "Why the hell did you hit me? I was helping you!" Myne grinned and sent back in ''respect'', "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the team... And I will remember yours forever!" causing Zhen Shi to gawk at his shamelessness. Finally, Vivienne was unable to hold back as she started laughing at their idiotic antics. Moments later Zhen Shi and Myne looked at each other and started laughing in amusement as well. Within a few seconds, they were laughing uproariously, almost oblivious of what was going on in the outside. And the joyous laughter rang out... But what did the soldiers that were closest to the pavilion hear? They heard the sound of relaxed calm talking, almost as if they were joking around, quickly followed by loud and joyous laughter heard by almost everyone. Those soldiers couldn''t help but shiver in fear at these people who were apparently ''fearless'' in face of trouble and even death. But who was in the worst position right now? That would be Lieutenant John that had commanded and shouted out for these guests to come out. He was a rather proud person who took pride in his job and the power he wielded. Honestly, he wasn''t that powerful by himself, being only an ordinary Spirit Formation cultivator despite his old age. In fact, there were many fellow guards stronger and younger than him. But he had been luckier than them to be chosen as a lieutenant due to his years of service! So with soldiers under his command and the Market hall to support him, he was able to act as if he was truly powerful! But today he was standing speechless as his usual fear-inducing command was answered with joyous laughter. FUCK! Do these people enjoy being in trouble? But even if they are, must they ignore by awesome commands so bluntly? Rather embarrassed by this turn of events, he attempted to shout out and try once more, "I will not repeat again, come out now!" But his command fell on deaf ears as the joyous laughter continued unbidden and unprovoked. The poor lieutenant was completely caught off guard at this point, his face beginning to show his helplessness. He was used to being obeyed due to his power and had never been refused. But he couldn''t order the guards to enter the pavilion either. The pavilions were set out for very important guests, and common guards including lieutenants would usually be in huge trouble if they dared enter or damage anything. But his helpless face didn''t go unnoticed by the rest of the soldiers. In fact, seeing their superior so helpless caused a sliver of fear to arise in their hearts. And as the laughter that was previously thought to be joyous, rang on... their fear led them to imagine tinges of malice, murderous intent, and even horror hidden within the laughs. In their fearful minds, the joyful laughter became tolling bells signaling their upcoming death. And the fearful soldiers began to speak amongst themselves in hushed whispers, "SHIT! Even the Lieutenant looks helpless. What have we provoked over ourselves now?" "And that laughter... how scary! If I survive this, I don''t think I''ll be able to have a good night''s sleep ever again!" "Indeed! This is the first time that honored guests from the pavilion have been ordered to be put under arrest." "You know, I think that these crazy people were bored and we were sent to just keep them entertained." "FUCK! You might actually be right. In fact, I''m sure I heard someone inside saying that, ''being surrounded by hundreds of soldiers is worth it''!" "Yes! I heard it too!" "No way! How scary is that? These people must be lunatics!" "Yes. Our paychecks aren''t worth provoking demons like these. Especially if we were purposefully sent over to just alleviate boredom!" "Let''s just leave..." "But isn''t it cowardly to run away from battle?" "Pish-posh. It isn''t cowardly if you leave before the battle begins!"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. And as such, the majority of the soldiers reached a unanimous agreement to retreat. So unknown to the speechless lieutenant who was staring forwards, the soldiers behind him, slowly and silently retreated into the nearby forest. Within a few moments, only the few who were aware of the truth of the matter and were truly loyal to the Turnbulls were left. But they too had been fearful of the tales of the ''demons'' inside and in their jumbled thoughts, were late in informing the retreat to their lieutenant. The Poor Lieutenant who had been completely out of ideas had been planning to gather his courage and follow orders, by sending forth soldiers into the pavilion itself. But now turning around while listening to the tale of the ''demons'' inside, and seeing the desolate ground with only a couple of soldiers remaining, he almost fainted in fear. But suddenly the laughter stopped giving way to an eery silence. And then he saw the shadows, on the roof of the pavilion... ?????? Zhen Shi, Myne, and Vivienne stopped laughing momentarily. Myne grinned as he spoke out, "I think I heard some guy shouting out. We shouldn''t leave them waiting after all. Let''s go!" Zhen Shi smiled and said, "You''re right. They just might leave if we don''t go quickly," while walking towards the door. Myne hurriedly grabbed onto his shirt sleeve and pulled him back saying, "What are you doing? The first thing to know about being surrounded... is to always be cool. And the best way to do that," and pointed upwards, "is going out through the roof!" Zhen Shi grimaced and defended himself saying, "I knew that. I was just testing you," and immediately dashed through the central garden on to the roof. Myne laughed in happiness as he followed Zhen Shi. Vivienne smiled lightly and followed the duo with a hopeless shake of her head... ?????? Under the red morning sunlight, three figures appeared suddenly on the roof. To the Lieutenant and the remaining few soldiers, these figures were blurred and even appeared to be bathing in the red sunlight as if in blood, causing them to shiver involuntarily. Similarly, Zhen Shi, Myne, and Vivienne were speechless at the sight that had awaited them."What the hell? Were we being pranked? Was the sound and presence of the hundred-fold army made by these few spineless soldiers?" spurted out Zhen Shi in the end. Myne grinned uncomfortably and spoke out while scratching his head, "I didn''t realize since I was distracted by our conversation. It seems that the bewildering-formation I set up worked too well." Vivienne smiled rather happy at being able to be free from a useless fight, while Myne explained for the sake of Zhen Shi who continued to look rather confused, "A bewildering formation has the basic purpose of tricking the senses. But at higher grades, they can even affect thoughts and feelings, so that any type of emotion can be artificially created within the minds of those who are weak and suggestible enough. Myne scratched his head in embarrassment as he continued, "Of course, this formation wasn''t particularly powerful since I made it just for fun. And I honestly didn''t think it''d chase most of them away, leaving only these pathetic few," while gesturing at the remaining Lieutenant and the few others. He spoke in thought, "Since the formation wasn''t too powerful, perhaps... they were already fearful for some reason and the formation enhanced those emotions?" Zhen Shi curtly nodded his head in understanding while Vivienne smiled. But while they were having this enlightening casual conversation, Lieutenant John and the soldiers were shaking their heads clear of the effects of the bewildering formation. The fear of the unknown is very great, but now seeing their targets as three ordinary-looking individuals their fear began to dissipate. They were now considering how misplaced their fear had been and how easy it would be to capture these young cultivators gaining great merit! But suddenly two figures dashed nearby revealing themselves to be a familiar old man dressed in a perpetually clean-white robe with a sharp look on his face and a similarly familiar beautiful girl dressed in an elegant dress of purple and blue. This was old elder Hao Lei and Laura Lyon! They arrived with worried faces but were replaced with confusion as they looked at the empty surroundings and lack of the expected army. But that confusion turned to relief as they saw the trio safe and sound on the top of the pavilion roof. Laura grinned as she waved her hand happily and shouted, "You guys, what''re you doing on the roof?" But before anyone else could reply Zhen Shi proudly crossed his arms over his chest and muttered teasingly, "Hmph! What does that matter? First, you should explain what your soldiers were doing by surrounding us." Laura gasped in surprise. While she had been surprised at the lack of an army, she had figured that they had arrived before those guards had made their move, leaving plenty of time to explain the situation. But now noticing the confused and fearful remaining soldiers and the tell-tale tracks of hundreds of soldiers she gasped in horror as she shouted, "Good god. Did you turn all the attacking soldiers into dust or something?" The remaining Lieutenant and the few soldiers gasped at these words as they shivered in fear... Their fear increased as their minds filled with doubt. Was she speaking the truth? Were the rest of the soldiers killed without them even knowing? Perhaps some sort of illusion had been cast to hide that? Perhaps they had been left by these demons as dessert? Ignorant of them, Zhen Shi was flabbergasted at Laura''s reply as she continued to speak, "I apologize on behalf of the Lyon family," she bowed along with Hao Lei. Hao Lei remained silent as he allowed Laura to continued speaking, "It was a sudden order from Lord Turnbull and we didn''t even have time to protest. Lord Lyon has been away since yesterday and without him, stopping Lord Turnbull would be very difficult." Suddenly she paused in worry and shouted out, "Wait did you kill him as well?" Zhen Shi had been confused at first, but now seeing a chance to brag, how could he not! And as such he spoke out confidently, "Of course. You''re totally correct!" But that was the straw that broke the camel''s back. The poor Lieutenant and the remaining soldiers screamed as they ran away. Instead of Zhen Shi what they saw was a ''demon'' nonchalantly pleading guilty for ''man-slaughter''. Thus they dashed away while squealing like pigs while occasionally tripping and falling on to the ground. Under the surprised gazes of Zhen Shi and the group, they finally ran into the forest. After all, their fellow colleagues were ''killed'' and their boss had been ''killed'' without them even noticing! With the effects of the bewildering formation, their minds couldn''t help but accept this almost impossible conclusion... Zhen Shi coughed awkwardly at that and spoke out, "I was just joking Laura. It was all this Myne''s fault!" Myne gasped at his betrayal while Vivienne was very amused. On the other hand, Laura and Hao Lei were very confused. But under everyone''s questioning gazes, it was now Myne''s turn to cough as he shamelessly muttered while scratching his head, "Hey, don''t look at me, I''m the one who chased away the evil soldiers! And we all learned a very valuable lesson, bewildering formations are much more powerful than any weapon!" But suddenly... CRACK! A large oak exploded into splinters falling down with a loud thus a few steps away from the pavilion. The earth shook as the wide stem collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud a few steps away from the pavilion causing a large cloud of dust to arise. A splintering sound emerged lightly like the tinkling of a bell. Suddenly ten rather large formation talismans appeared around the pavilion but cracked and dissipated immediately. Just like that the bewildering formation was broken! And amidst the dust, a bull-like silhouette emerged with a terrifying metallic aura and a growl came out, "You join sides with my opponents and threaten the power of my family, chase away my soldiers with trickery, and even made me waste a totem. But now... are you ready for the repercussions?" Zhen Shi grimaced as he whispered, "Myne, I think he''s talking to you!" Chapter 33: Sea Fortress A powerful ripple of qi blasted the dust away revealing the bull-like silhouette to be Lord Turnbull! His face was seething of rage, as the metallic qi manifested around him forming the shadow of a powerful bull. He was wearing a strange but unassuming dark purple crystal around his neck. He raised his head as he roared, "Brave Soldiers... stand at attention!" His words were strange, almost as if his words were truth itself; a description of reality... Immediately a powerful war cry of acknowledgment rang out from the forest, from what could only be assumed to be hundreds of soldiers. Lord Turnbull raised his fist into the air shouting, "Advance!" THUMP! THUMP! A pulsating thunderous sound rang through the trees as the army marched forward; a complete turn-about from its previous lackluster arrival and even more abrupt retreat. It was almost as if Lord Turnbull''s words had slashed off their cowardice and replaced it with power and courage, just like he had spoken. Amidst, the ominous marching sounds the soldiers gradually revealed themselves. All of them were wearing eery dark-metallic helmets made of a strange qi extremely similar to that surrounding Lord Turnbull. With their faces covered by the ominous helmets, they gave off an inhuman and fearful presence, completely different from their initial aura. Even Lieutenant John and the few soldiers that had remained previously had joined up with this monstrous army, easily mixing in with ominous metallic helmets of their own. And just like that Zhen Shi and the rest who had just been freed from a siege situation were pushed back into one once more. Seeing the powerful aura and the ominous nature of this army led by a Soul Deification cultivator, Zhen Shi muttered out with a grimace, "Well there goes your attempt at chasing them away. Now they''re back, angrier and creepier..." Myne had been in a rather strange mood since the arrival of Lord Turnbull, with his eyes focused on his neck. But he couldn''t help but grimace at Zhen Shi''s words as he spoke out, "Well, at least you''ll get to see my powers now." But his face grew serious as he mentally sent out, "The fear-inducing effects of the bewildering formation should''ve lasted much longer. It appears that this bull-like fellow has an understanding of W¨¹rds and used it to raise morale and put the soldiers under his strict control." Zhen Shi sent back in curiosity, "W¨¹rds? Is that what proclamators who shout out and use edicts to fight use? In fact, I''ve met one. He was only of the foundation establishment stage and still blocked this flame," as he manifested in one hand. Myne eyed the hellish-fire in curiosity for a moment but grimaced as he replied, "Proclamators? Is that what people call it now? I guess the name is fine, but cultivators cannot exercise the w¨¹rd before reaching Soul Deification." He frowned in thought as he continued, "Perhaps, they form a pact with true-blue W¨¹rd Wielders or maybe even totemic divinities to harness a flicker of the power of the actual W¨¹rd. Otherwise, it''d be impossible..." But their interesting conversation came to an abrupt stop under Vivienne''s stern voice, "Can you two please discuss this some other time? For example, when we aren''t surrounded by a W¨¹rd empowered army?" Myne and Zhen Shi grinned in embarrassment as they focused on the advancing army... But before they could do anything else, Hao Lei shouted out while putting Laura, who had been shaken at the sight of the ominous army, behind him, "Greetings, Lord Turnbull. Forgive me for being blunt, but what are you doing?" He continued while gesturing at the roof, "These fellow disciples are guests of the Lyon family and were accepted by our Lord himself. They will be your competitors in the appraisal competition. Your actions attempting to eliminate them before the competition are very suspicious." Lord Turnbull grunted causing the shadow of the bull behind him to solidify further, but spoke out rather calmly, with a malicious grin, "Of course, I''m aware that these three are the competition of the Turnbull family. But that does not make them privileged to engage in crime. According to Hall Law, I handle these matters in Leslie''s absence. And you... may leave now," finishing with a stern glare. Hao Lei flinched at his powerful gaze. Nevertheless, he walked forwards while speaking out, "Lord Turnbull, I''m afraid that I must disobey your order. Since you wish to exert your influence unjustly, I have to interfere." Lord Turnbull grimaced in displeasure. He wasn''t afraid of Hao Lei despite them being at the same cultivation level. In fact, he could take care of that old man easily. But unlike the three disciples, Hao Lei was an elder of the Market Hall. Attempting to harm or kill him in public would be very difficult and annoying to explain later on. So with a frown, he waved his hand at the pavilion while saying a single word, "COME!" Immediately the door of the pavilion banged open as a red figure was dragged out by a hand of faint silver aether covered in strange inscriptions. The figure that was being dragged out was Will O''Dale. He was still covered in red energy while furiously struggling to escape Myne''s restrictive formation. Seeing this, Myne sneered as he waved his hand causing the formation talismans to glow brightly. Under the power of the glowing formation, the silver hand was melted away... causing Will O''Dale to fall on to the ground just a few steps away from the pavilion door. He continued to struggle against the binding. Seeing his W¨¹rd manifestation broken so easily, Lord Turnbull narrowed his eyes at Myne. Despite this, he pointed at the bound Will O''Dale and said while looking at Elder Hao Lei, "Hao Lei as you well know, Will O''Dale, is a subordinate of the Turnbull family. And yet he is being held captive. These individuals are criminals. Or at the very least I must confirm the truth. Will you stop me from exercising the law? And will you and your family bear the consequences?" with his eyes ending dangerously on Laura. Hao Lei was speechless. He wanted to help Zhen Shi and the rest, but he couldn''t put Laura and his family at risk. Especially when he wasn''t sure of their innocence... Zhen Shi immediately spoke out in defiance, "What the hell? Will the Red attacked us first! And later he was affected by a divine curse which probably originated from you!" His words caused Hao Lei to frown in confusion and thought. Still, he spoke out, "Lord Turnbull if what they say is true, then the fact that Will O''Dale is your subordinate makes it even more suspicious. Perhaps you sent him over under your orders. So that he would be captured, giving you an excuse to arrest them!" Lord Turnbull ignored Hao Lei and stared at Zhen Shi in anger with a tinge of surprise at his use of the divine curse being found out. But he wasn''t that worried, proving the use of a divine curse was next to impossible. So he confidently spoke out, "Lies! Do you dare slander a manager of the market hall?" while allowing his spiritual pressure to be exerted at full force on this ''annoying'' soul formation cultivator. Zhen Shi pursed his lips in amusement while stealthily activating . With the scales and feathers appearing under his clothes and the additional strengthening of his soul he easily brushed of the spiritual pressure, causing Lord Turnbull to raise an eyebrow in displeasure. Nevertheless, he turned to Hao Lei, "I expect you''ll do the right thing and allow me to arrest these criminals, or else..." This caused Hao Lei to grimace, despite the words from Zhen Shi he couldn''t over-rule a Manager. Nevertheless, he spoke out in his last attempt at defiance, "Very well, Lord Turnbull, but I will be observing the proceedings. I hope you are aware of the problems that would arise if they are harmed without justification," and grew silent unable to stop Lord Turnbull.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Lord Turnbull proceeded to ignore his words while gathering power into the shadow of the bull behind him. He sneered in his mind while thinking, "Observe? Fine, go on. But who can blame me for a small but ''deadly'' series of accidents? After all, I am a Turnbull and it would be too late by then..." But Zhen Shi wasn''t going to be silenced and he was about to speak out for their innocence and the unfairness of this situation... He was influenced by the exertion of proper justice back then in the market road and had subconsciously believed that it would always be so. But he was halted by Myne. Myne spoke out grimly, "Lord Turnbull, it appears that despite what we say you''ll attack us... So allowing ourselves to be arrested will be disastrous..." Zhen Shi grew silent, gradually understanding the truth in Myne''s words. He realized very clearly now, that ''justice'' is only exerted by those with power. So he silently manifested his bow and increased while keeping the bestial aura hidden. On the other hand, Lord Turnbull grinned slightly almost as if in agreement with Myne''s words. He hurriedly raised his hands causing a torrent of aether to rush into the shadow of the metallic bull behind him, causing it to grow more and more real. At the same time, this energy empowered the soldiers and the ominous helmets covering their heads. Laura stared at Hao Lei pleading with her eyes to help them. But Hao Lei shook his head helplessly. Laura grimaced but thought out in prayer, "Elder Brother, don''t die! I didn''t get to trick you into taking responsibility yet!" ?????? Myne flicked his hand sending a ring and a strange package at Zhen Shi. Zhen Shi grabbed the ring with one hand while unwrapping the package with the other. He couldn''t help but grin in excitement at what it contained; it was a quiver of exactly 100 arrows. All of them seemed to be very powerful and Zhen Shi could even sense a strange formation etched on to each of the pitch-black arrowheads. It was very unique and probably would''ve been hidden from his weak senses had it not been for the strange sense of familiarity he felt from it. Even when he used his appraisal skill all he got was . Myne spoke to him mentally with a grin, "A small gift from your big brother. It isn''t much, I just made it for fun... but they are all grade 4 arrows." His grin turned into smug one of deep pride as he continued, "You definitely aren''t strong enough to use them at full power. However, as mages, despite our failure at comprehending primordial chaos we did make some progress in our research. The formation inscribed on them is the result of all the progress we made collected in a single place. If I guessed correctly it... should react very well with you!" finishing rather uncertainly and scratching his head. Zhen Shi had been feeling rather touched at this sudden gift. Despite Myne saying that he made it for fun, he could guess the truth. He was sure that these arrows and the inscription of this formation into each arrowhead would have been extremely hard work, especially when Myne had to complete it within the few weeks since they had met. However, his feelings were ruined by how he finished his words, causing Zhen Shi to hurriedly send back, "What do you mean ''Should''? These won''t end up trying to stab me like your furnace spirits right?" Myne raised an eyebrow as he sent back with great interest, "Wait... so your furnace spirits tried to stab you? Weren''t you acting all high and mighty just because your knife had no holes in it? And now you tell me you were actually attacked by a bunch of imps!" while struggling to hold his laughter. Vivienne who was also listening in couldn''t help but smile. However, the relaxed atmosphere they had going on, caused Laura and Hao Lei to be confused and Lord Turnbull to be extremely angered... Oblivious to this, Zhen Shi grimaced at his slip up while hurriedly asking, "Fine then. What does this ring do?" He could''ve used the appraisal skill to find out but had asked directly just to change the topic. Myne''s smile died down as he calmly answered, "Well, you know how weaker cultivators have a limited range of spiritual sense? That ring will enhance the range of your spiritual sense and even allow mental communication with those who have similar rings over much wider distances," while showing his hand with a similar ring on. Vivienne smiled as she revealed her hand with a similar ring as well. Zhen Shi nodded while eyeing his ring and admiring the powerful formation which would allow the enhancement of the spiritual sense. But of course, he couldn''t make much sense of it, yet! Suddenly, his eyes widened as he felt that he glimpsed something else... indescribable. But despite observing it further he yielded no more results. As such he gave up, calmly putting the ring on his index finger and hung the quiver of arrows on his back. Zhen Shi turned his head at Lord Turnbull but flinched since he suddenly sensed a powerful blast of qi heading towards them. But before he could even react, Myne waved his hand causing a golden dome covered with formation talismans to appear around them. BOOM! A light explosion that sent the pavilion shaking rang out as the formation dome blocked the attack. The formation was littered with cracks as it exploded. Despite this Myne grinned calmly while eyeing Lord Turnbull and spoke out, "Why would you attack so suddenly? Were you afraid of being unable to beat us... or did the COW just lose her patience?" Despite the ominous situation, Zhen Shi and Vivienne couldn''t help but grin. Even Laura smiled lightly. Lord Turnbull grimaced at the insult to the bull apparition behind him. He had only sent that attack as a warning since he was unhappy with the dismissive attitude of these three disciples. But now he was truly angered as he roared out, "FIRE!" Immediately the hundreds of soldiers surrounding the pavilion obeyed his command. They unsheathed and brought out different weapons ranging from swords to axes and lifted them simultaneously in a rather ominous and inhuman manner. Powerful globes of multi-colored energy formed at the tips of each of their weapons, pausing for just a single moment, to gather power. Instantly, each of these globes exploded in fiery light and were propelled sky-wards at rapid speed leaving streaks of different colors up in the sky. Suddenly Lord Turnbull clapped his hands together causing the globes to explode in another burst of light which instantly empowered them. The powerful globes of power reached the maximum height of their projection in a single instant. And in the next instant, they swerved downwards under the effect of gravity leaving a magnificent arch of hundreds of colored streaks up in the sky... like a stunning mystical rainbow. In a few instants, beauty was painted upon the sky. But to Zhen Shi and the rest, it brought a terrifying sense of danger and urgency. The rainbow had a strange mesmerizing effect that had brought Zhen Shi into its thrall, leaving him defenseless for just a moment. Fortunately, during those few instants, Myne had been unaffected and had been throwing out tens of strange bronze globes into the air. Each of the globes exploded, bringing out formation talismans, formed from a strange colorless qi as if they had been stored within each globe. Strangely these talismans were formed from a qi rather similar to Myne''s original time law. Instantly they linked up in a complex manner that even Zhen Shi, who had hurriedly escaped the mesmerizing effect due to the sense of danger, had difficulty comprehending. The majority of the talismans surrounded the three of them up on the pavilion roof. Instantly the formation talismans combined, forming into a series of thick powerful walls, revealing a majestic fort built from silver-grey bricks. It should''ve been out of place with the golden pavilion just below it, but strangely enough, it wasn''t. The remaining formation talismans settled at a level below the top of the fort. Suddenly Vivienne who had been silently standing behind Myne smiled happily. She was unaffected by the mesmerizing rainbow of colors above. Under the amazed eyes of many, she calmly stretched her hands forwards and placed them on Myne''s back. He couldn''t help but grin as he felt her reassuring hands on his back, sending forth her thoughts and understanding. Just as her hands touched his back, the remaining formation talismans linked together in a complex manner and stabilized forming a mysterious sea. The sea surrounded the fort forming the image of a sea-fortress! An old fort standing the effects of time in solitude as a lifeless sea rolled in timeless waves below it. A heart-wrenching image appeared amidst this formation, causing all the onlookers, even the soldiers under the effect of Lord Turnbull''s w¨¹rd, to stare at it in awe and surprise. A powerful wave of qi spread out, as the image settled down and the formation was fully formed. The colorful orbs of death descending from the sky collided with this wave, but only moved slightly as if it moved through a sea-wave. Nevertheless, the small movement caused a huge blemish on the curving arch forming the rainbow; as it now had a small bump which was rather out of place. Zhen Shi stared on in amazement while trying to comprehend this amazing formation from within the fort. Almost immediately, the colorful orbs landed onto the grey-brick walls. Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of explosions rang out as each orb exploded in a blast of color, just below the even more colorful but crooked rainbow, which was still rather odd-looking due to the sudden bump in the arch. On the other hand, despite the ongoing bombardment, besides the occasional shake, the grey fort was completely fine. The sea-fortress bravely stood on against the colorful explosions, just like it had survived the trials of time... Chapter 34: A Red Target By now, the guests in the remaining pavilions and servants had become aware of Lord Turnbull''s attempt to arrest some pavilion guests and the battle it had led to. Along with the sounds of explosions, they had hurriedly come out expecting a battle where three lone disciples desperately fought against Lord Turnbull and his army. They had expected a pitiful and one-sided battle that would end within a few moments. And the few who realized that their ''divine musician'' was one of these three disciples couldn''t help but run over in worry and fear. But on the contrary, they had been awe-struck at the sight of the majestic sea-fortress defending against the attacks of a crooked rainbow. Their jaws had hit the floor when they realized that the sea-fortress was a formation set up by the three disciples. To their further surprise, this formation continued to hold on against their Market Hall Manager renowned for his power in commanding armies. The fans of the ''divine musician'' couldn''t help but rejoice at this surprising turn of events! They had also come to know that Lord Turnbull was exercising his power to apprehend these fellow disciples, who were expected to compete for the sake of the Lyon Family, on the unfair claims of having attacked Will O''Dale. This was undoubtedly a suspicious event. However, they wouldn''t dare complain or protest. Nevertheless, they continued to watch on this battle with great pity for the unlucky disciples, while the fans of ''the divine musician'' held out hope for the survival of their idol. But deep down all the spectators thought that the current stalemate between the two parties would be short-lived. Lord Turnbull had yet to go all out or even use the resources available to him as a Manager. As such, in their minds, the defeat of these three disciples was a definite result. Unless, of course, Lord Leslie was to return earlier than expected... Disregarding the new spectators, the rainbow globes continued to descend upon the fortress walls and explode in clouds of colorful qi. And yet, the grey fortress stood undamaged at the very center of the explosions. However, with each explosion wreaking havoc on the walls, the silver-grey walls of the sea fortress began to glow brighter. Boom! Boom! The colorful explosions continued to rain damage upon the fortress. With each explosion, the sea fortress glowed brighter and brighter. Within a few moments, the fortress was extremely bright; enough to momentarily blind anyone who stared too long. Zhen Shi who was standing within the very center of the fortress formation was barely able to discern that the fortress was gathering energy and had now reached a tipping point... And then, just one more colored globe exploded upon the fortress causing the bright glow to reach a threshold. Seeing this, Myne grinned as he pushed forward with two hands. Instantly the glowing energy of the fortress was dragged out and gathered into a single white sphere radiating a dangerous qi. Myne''s grin grew wider as he flicked his out-stretched hands. Instantly, a shadow of a grey cannon appeared and the white sphere was loaded in like a cannon-ball. Kaboom! A loud explosion rang out as the cannon fired. The white cannon-ball dashed forwards leaving behind a single white streak. Instantly, the cannonball ripped the crooked rainbow apart as it shot towards Lord Turnbull and his army. Seeing this sudden and unexpected attack Lord Turnbull frowned as he shouted out, "Shield!" Instantly every soldier brought out their weapons and lifted them in a defensive position. Their perfect synchronized movements instantly caused small shields of multi-colored qi to appear above them. In an instant, these small shields combined together forming a single giant shield composed of multiple patched shields of different colors. In fact, it looked rather strange with all the different colors patched together. However, it was completely sufficient to defend against the incoming attack. Bang! The white cannon-ball struck against the multi-colored shield with a loud explosion. For a few moments, nothing happened as they pushed against each other trying to gain the upper hand. Suddenly a few cracks appeared on the multi-colored shield, but at the same time, the intensity of the cannonball lessened. This struggle continued for a while longer. Suddenly, with the sound of glass splintering, the shield cracked apart. However, the cannonball dissipated at the same time. With the initial conflict over, silence reigned over the battlefield for a few moments, while the shadows of the rainbow and the white streak dissipated. Lord Turnbull was about to speak out in confidence but the impatient Zhen Shi beat him to it. He shouted out, "Turnbull, when will you stop hiding behind your army and fight like a real man?" Lord Turnbull''s veins throbbed in anger as he scowled at the Sea-Fortress. He could not see through the walls of the sea-fortress and thus could not figure out who it was that had spoken, and so stayed silent for a few moments... On the other hand, the crowd viewing the battle couldn''t help but nod their heads in agreement. Despite Lord Turnbull''s ability and power, they couldn''t help but agree with this logic. After all, it made perfect sense for the formation master of the sea-fortress to say this to Lord Turnbull who was leading an entire army! But, of course, they would''ve vomited blood if they knew that the shout had come from Zhen Shi who was hiding within the formation himself. Myne stared at Zhen Shi in disbelief and sent mentally, "How can you be so shameless? You''re doing the same thing!" Zhen Shi had realized the flaw in his logic moments immediately after having shouted. Nevertheless, he shrugged as he said, "If it''s such a big problem to you, just think I said it in your place!" Vivienne who still had her hands on Myne''s back, couldn''t help but laugh lightly, while Myne stared on in disbelief at this shameless brother of his.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. But this moment was short-lived as Lord Turnbull who had been unable to handle his anger when he had seen the agreeing faces of the spectators and roared out, "Edict: BULL-CHARGE!" He had been directly applying the energy of the army in all of his previous attacks. Since that had been insufficient to destroy the fortress formation, he now channeled the energy through himself and into the apparition of the metallic-bull behind him. Instantly a torrent of qi was pulled out of the soldiers of the army, causing their skin to visibly pale. These qi torrents combined with the shadow of the bull that had been behind Lord Turnbull this entire time, causing that shadow to grow stronger and more life-like. Within a few moments, a terrifying metallic black bull with pearl-white horns and eyes filled with rage was floating above Lord Turnbull and his army. It pawed the air with its hooves in a manner that would have kicked up dust had it been on the ground. It lowered its head allowing it''s white horn to glint dangerously under the morning sunlight and snorted out clouds of smoke from its nostrils menacingly. Without a moment''s notice, it dashed forwards causing a wave of qi and wind to blast out. Meanwhile, Myne hurriedly communicated, "It appears that I overestimated this Lord Turnbull. He can only call upon the true W¨¹rd to a limited extent. Just now he used some sort of external blessing or pact to summon the bull and send forth this attack... Nevertheless, I don''t think my formation can survive more than a few blows from the bull. So unless you have an idea, I''ll have to go all out to end this..." with a hint of hesitation. Vivienne furrowed her brow in worry, but couldn''t come up with any ideas of her own. On the other hand, Zhen Shi frowned in thought and sent out, "This bull... It acted very realistically, despite being formed from qi. Why?" Myne hurriedly answered, "That is due to the influence of the mind. All the practices of magic are closely tied with the thoughts of the caster and his beliefs. Especially the way of the W¨¹rd. A W¨¹rd only holds power as long as the meaning is known. Just then the manifestation of the bull was influenced by the thoughts and beliefs of Turnbull and the entire army that supplied him with energy, causing it to act as it did..." Zhen Shi''s eyes glowed brightly as he hurriedly interrupted Myne and asked, "Last question. Do W¨¹rd Wielders have complete control over their qi manifestations?" Myne frowned for a moment eyeing the bull that was rapidly charging forwards. He resolutely shook his head, "Usually, yes. However, unlike the previous attacks, this has been strengthened with some form of divine support. Thus Turnbull should have lost control the moment he launched the attack. In fact, I think he should''ve used a more direct attack than using an animate figure to do the attacking..." Zhen Shi grinned confidently as he interrupted Myne once more and spoke out, "Now... give me a device that grants control of your formations!" He knew that this was a rather sudden request which might be difficult to be satisfied under normal circumstances. However, he had noticed how Myne had used those bronze globes to bring out formation talismans previously as if they had been stored away for later use, rather than creating them on the spot... He could only conclude that it was a special device to bring out more formation talismans than one could under normal circumstances. Thus he had held out hope that Myne might have a similar device for controlling formations. Myne was confused by this request for a moment but nodded his head deciding to believe in Zhen Shi. With only a few moments before the Bull reached them, he manifested a golden disc. This was a tool that was commonly used by formation masters to allow control of formations in their absence. He threw it at Zhen Shi while mentally saying, "Just send your thoughts into the control disc." Zhen Shi nodded absently and hurriedly followed suit commanding the formations as he deemed fit. Myne and Vivienne stared rather blankly expecting some change to take place in the sea-fortress. But nothing happened... Instead, a sudden and powerful roar came out from below the sea-fortress. Instead of controlling the Sea-Fortress with the amulet, Zhen Shi had used the Amulet to free Will O''Dale who was now just in front of their pavilion. Instantly, the formation restraining him retreated and formed a single amulet talisman attached just behind his neck. Under the influence of that Divine Curse, Will O''Dale was still seething in rage and a deep desire for battle. The moment he had been freed he had roared out in rage and murderous-intent while searching for battle On one side all he could see was a golden pavilion and a calm sea-fortress within a floating sea of qi. On the other, he could see an army and a charging angry bull. So as on who to attack and start a battle, he made the obvious choice. Immediately he let out a roar causing that strange red energy to manifest around him and dashed towards the raging bull while brandishing his unarmed fists. Previously, the restrained Will O''Dale had been ignored by everyone, but now, his sudden roar had made him the central focus. All the spectators including Laura and Hao Lei gawked at this sudden attacker who was dressed from head to toe in blood-red clothes and was even bathed in terrifying scarlet energy. Lord Turnbull''s face frowned in disbelief, while even the thoughtless army behind him paused in surprise for a moment. Myne and Vivienne were confused as to why Zhen Shi had released Will O''Dale sending him to an obvious and purposeless death. On the other hand, the manifestation of the Black Bull had been innocently and happily charging to destroy the fortress just like it had been commanded. But suddenly it''s vision had fallen on to a person who was roaring at it in a challenge. To make matters worse, this attacker was completely covered in RED! The bull could have chosen between attacking a silent fortress that was minding its own business or... this arrogant human covered in red and was obviously attempting to threaten and irritate it. And so, just like Will O''Dale before, the Bull who was enraged at the sight of the color red made the obvious choice... With a snort of a cloud of smoke, the Bull changed course and charged towards the red target, innocently and happily. Zhen Shi grinned confidently as he watched on with eyes filled with pride at his own intellect...But everyone else was confused. Myne and Vivienne stared with widened eyes at this strange event. Lord Turnbull almost coughed blood at his own attack charging towards ''his victim''. This turn of events was a slap in his own face! The silent spectators were even more confused, "Why on earth is the Lord attacking his own subordinate? Didn''t he come to save that kid? Has he lost control of his own bull?" However, the most confused was Will O''Dale. The sight of the raging bull charging towards him had jarred his sub-conscious slightly awake from the effects of the divine curse. He had immediately realized that colliding with this monstrous beast would spell certain death for him. But with only his sub-conscious he was unable to make his body run away or dodge. Helpless to change the situation he could only curse in his thoughts. An innocent and happy bull facing a red target that continues to curse mentally... head towards a collision. Chapter 35: Jumping Horns-First Zhen Shi couldn''t help but grin at the success of his scheme. The entire scheme had been a gamble. In fact, he had been unsure of whether the Bull would be distracted by the color Red and a random challenger, especially since bulls and cattle are generally color blind! But he had hoped that, even if the Bull was unaffected, Will O''Dale would go ahead and attack. Fortunately, his plan had worked perfectly resulting in both the Bull and Will O''Dale dashing towards each other with great rage. Zhen Shi could only guess as to why the qi manifestation of a bull was affected by the color red... Perhaps Bullfighting is practiced in this world as well and they use red clothing when fighting the Bulls? Or maybe seeing the color red had influenced a feeling of anger within Lord Turnbull and his army, which unconsciously applied to the bull made out of their qi? Either way... his gamble had paid off! And he was now reaping the rewards while calmly watching Will O''Dale and the Bull dashing towards each other. As the scarlet and black figures gradually neared, the crowd of spectators couldn''t help but wince in pity. The difference in strength between the pitch-black bull manifestation and the rage empowered WIll O''Dale was extremely wide. As such, the spectators couldn''t help but feel pity for Will O''Dale who was mindlessly dashing towards death. Forget the spectators, even Will O''Dale was pitying himself. As the two attackers grew closer, he sub-consciously imagined how his untimely death would be spoken of, ''Genius accidentally impaled to death by his own employer''s bull!''. He thought to himself, ''An O''Dale cannot die in such a pathetic manner! I have a proud lineage going back centuries to protect... As such, his struggle immediately grew more frantic. But his struggle was useless. Zhen Shi heaved a sigh when they were only a few seconds away from colliding head-first. Even he wasn''t heartless enough to let Will O''Dale die in such a pathetic manner. As such, he flicked the golden disc in his hands. Instantly the formation talisman that had retreated behind Will O''Dales neck activated and spread out forming the colorless formation dome that Myne had used before. Boom! Pu! A loud explosion rang out as the formation cracked into smithereens under the powerful bull horns. Will O''Dale was thrown back into a pavilion wall while coughing blood. Several of his ribs had cracked under the attack, but fortunately, due to Myne''s formation and his strange blood energy he had survived. He continued to remain in a daze for a few moments. The Bull came to a surprised stop and curiously observed this attacker that had somehow survived it''s powerful but ''innocent'' horn thrust. At the same time, Zhen Shi couldn''t help but shout out from within the sea-fortress, "Aiya! Turnbull, what on earth are you doing? In what world does the savior attack the victim?" Lord Turnbull couldn''t help but wince in shame and displeasure, especially due to the silent agreement of the spectators. Zhen Shi continued to speak with a sudden ''gasp of realization'', "If the employer is attacking the employee... is this what they call a toxic workplace?" The crowd gasped as well, Could this be true? Lord Turnbull already has a horrible track record with his subordinates... Because that would make sense of him attacking his own subordinate for no reason... Seein the crowd, Lord Turnbull grimaced in embarrassment as he spoke out, "Shut up! I just lost control--" But he didn''t get to speak out much more as Zhen Shi interrupted him, "Wait a moment... if this is how Lord Turnbull treats his ordinary employees, what do you think he''ll do to the poor soldiers in his army?" The crowd gasped in fear once more. Even the soldiers paused in confusion for a moment. These words caused the crowd to stare at the army in pity, while the soldiers froze in thought. And as such, with a few words, Zhen Shi had planted a seed of doubt within the army behind Lord Turnbull! Lord Turnbull seethed in rage towards ''this annoying fellow'' within the sea-fortress. He was already seething over the fact that his full-powered edict attack had been rendered useless, due to a simply ''bull''-shit reason. And now he was being insulted... with falsehoods spun into truth. On the other hand, the sudden deadly attack had greatly reduced the effects of the divine curse, granting Will O''Dale control of his body. Nevertheless, he continued to cough in pain while holding on to his wounded chest as he slowly gained control of his body. He had faced an attack that would''ve killed cultivators much stronger than him. But the strange red energy had grown stronger in intensity amidst the blood seeping from his wounds and kept him barely alive. But even with this scarlet energy, he wouldn''t be able to survive another attack. Fortunately for him, the Bull continued to watch with curiosity giving him a few precious moments to rest and gather energy. Ignoring all of this, Myne clapped Zhen Shi''s back in acknowledgment and asked with curiosity, "How... did you do this? Even if the Bull was outside Turnbull''s control, how could you change the primary objective of a qi manifestation so easily?" Zhen Shi grinned in pride and spoke with a knowing wink, "You are several millennia too early to understand my true skills!" Myne was caught speechless at how Zhen Shi had turned around his previous words. While Vivienne struggled to hold her laughter. However, their conversation was cut off as the scarlet energy enshrouding William suddenly intensified almost reaching the sky. Under the effects of this energy, the blood that had seeped outside of his body was pulled back in an unnatural manner. Within a few moments, his wounds closed up leaving no external signs of his injured state. However, his face grew visibly pale as if he had been greatly weakened.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Immediately, the crowd broke into gasps in fear. They had heard and seen many fearsome practitioners with unnatural abilities. But they had never seen such a bloody and inhuman method of healing from a near-death state. Despite their reaction, Will O''Dale broke out into a smile of relief as the pain greatly receded. But his happiness was short-lived. This was because the Bull suddenly decided to attack and jumped forwards horns first. Why? Perhaps it had been angered over the fact that its hard-work of beating Will O''Dale up was ruined when the blood-red energy healed him. Or maybe it had simply grown bored with staying in one place? Either way, the bull had attacked, and William wasn''t going to stick around in the same place to figure it out. The moment he saw the Bull jumping with its horns pointing at him, he immediately prayed to the heavens and ran away. But would the Bull admit defeat so easily? Especially when it''s ''enemy'' was running away? No way! As such, the Bull snorted a cloud of smoke and began chasing after Will O''Dale as well. "SHIT! Brother Bull, hasn''t your mother ever told you that it isn''t wise to jump horns-first?" Saying so, Will desperately ran away from the crazy bull while repeatedly shouting, "Help!" Nevertheless, no one volunteered to help him. Realizing that the Bull was slowly catching up he screamed in fear and began to run about in circles. Fortunately, for him, the Bull was unable to maintain a high speed while constantly turning in a circle. Due to this clever idea, he was able to survive longer. Nevertheless, the final result was was bull happily chasing a screaming ''red'' person around a serious battlefield in a comical manner. Will O''Dale continued to scream loudly while running around desperately. On the contrary, the Bull seemed to be grinning as it happily and innocently chased this loud red fellow. The crowd, "Is this still a serious battle? Or did the god of comedy pay a sudden visit?" while struggling to hold their laughter, in fear that it might seem insensitive... Lord Turnbull would''ve vomited blood for seven days and seven nights seeing his actions leading to this ridiculous situation, had it not been for his seething anger. In the end, Lord Turnbull finally lost his patience and shouted out in rage, "Edict: Attack!" Instantly, a terrifying amount of different types of qi was dragged out of each soldier forcing about half of them to fall onto their knees in fatigue. But unlike before the multitudes of energy merged into one forming a simple black spear. It was pitch-black as if it would absorb all light and the aura raging out from it was even greater than that of the bull! Witha flick of Lord Turnbull''s hands, it was suddenly launched directly at the sea-fortress formation. Unlike the Bull which was focused on strength and pure power, this was an attack focusing on speed and piercing power. Thus there was only a very short window of time to react... Myne''s eyes glowed in a silver light as he hurriedly flicked his hands. Instantly, silver-grey bricks were dragged out from around the fortress and gathered around a single spot forming a focused defense. Whoosh! The wind whistled loudly as the spear struck the walls of the sea-fortress at the very spot that Myne had improved defense. A silent wave of qi spread out as the spear passed half-way through the fortress walls and got stuck within. Instantly, faint cracks spread out from around the point that the spear had struck. Merlin grimaced as he flicked his hand once more causing the bricks to re-arrange normally and the cracks to fade away. But the damage had already been done. And Lord Turnbull who knew this couldn''t help but crack a satisfied grin. However, Will O''Dale continued to scream while the bull chased him around in circles, rather ruining his satisfactory mood. Myne hurriedly turned to Zhen Shi and spoke up seriously, "We won''t be able to hold out against a couple more of those attacks. Do you think you can get out and take down some of those soldiers?" Despite saying so, there was a flicker of genuine concern in his eyes. But it dissipated immediately as his eyes fell upon the ring on Zhen Shi''s hand, as such, he continued to speak, "I''ll keep Turnbull busy and since I need Vivienne to maintain the ocean water... only you can do this." Zhen Shi paused for a moment. He had nothing against going outside the fortress as long as Turnbull was taken care of. And of course, he trusted this brother of his. So with a confident grin and a slight nod he immediately jumped out of the fortress. Myne grinned with a serious glint in his eyes. Even he could see that Zhen Shi was acting with blind faith... The moment Zhen Shi jumped out, Lord Turnbull stared at him and shouted, "So it appears that the one who insulted me is you!" with a murderous grin. His shout would''ve seemed much more serious and threatening had it not been for the bull that was constantly chasing a screaming red man in circles around them. Regardless, Zhen Shi hurriedly shook his head and spoke out politely, "Lord Turnbull you are mistaken! The one who insulted you is obviously the one who is maintaining the formation. The formation master and the culprit of this crime is my senior brother who is still inside," while pointing back at the sea-fortress with a straight face. Myne almost coughed up blood. FUCK! Brother, how can you be so shameless? Lord Turnbull frowned but nodded lightly since this made sense. Nevertheless, he shouted out once more, "Edict: Attack!" causing more soldiers to collapse on to their knees. Even if Zhen Shi was innocent he still had to get rid of his opponents for the appraisal competition! However, Zhen Shi wasn''t going to stay still either. The instant he heard Lord Turnbull shouting, he had instantly activated to the maximum and dodged to the side, bypassing the attack. Even still, the spear was well on it''s way to ripping apart one of his arms. As the deadly pitch-black spear continued towards Zhen Shi''s arm the timeless sea-fortress behind him grew faint... As if it would fade into the rivers of time... But simultaneously, the ocean surrounding the sea-fortress began to shimmer in a mystical manner. In a single instant, an arm of ocean water stretched out of that spot and stopped defensively in front of Zhen Shi. SPLASH! The sound of the spear skewering through the water rang out as the spear was forcibly halted just a few millimeters away from Zhen Shi''s hand. Zhen Shi''s eyes alternated between the spear and his arm as he gulped nervously. Moments later, the spear and the arm of ocean water dissipated into sparks of qi and aether. Myne spoke out to Zhen Shi mentally, "We can hold out against 2 or 3 more attacks like that at best! You''ll need to start taking down the soldiers soon..." Zhen Shi nodded wordlessly. As the arm of water dissipated, the sea-fortress instantly returned to normal. But it seemed much fainter than before... On the other hand, Lord Turnbull grinned and shouted, "Rise!" Instantly, the soldiers that had knelt down in fatigue stood back up again, almost as if they were good as new. Zhen Shi disregarded the near-death experience he had just faced and manifested his bow silently. He was getting extremely pissed at Lord Turnbull''s continuous actions to kill them. With rage dancing in his eyes, he took a deep breath and loaded one of Myne''s chaos arrows into his bow. With his mind calm, he pulled back the arrow with the full force of his bestial physique. In a sudden bout of inspiration, he lit the arrow with both the Undying Flame and Hell''s Flare. The two opposite flames combined upon the arrow-head forming a strange fire of life and death. The energy raging out from this flame was rather weak in terms of aura, but simply mystical in terms of nature. Next, instead of using the spiritual roots and elemental aether, he tried to focus on the formation engraved on the arrowhead and the primordial chaos in his dantian. Nevertheless, this attempt resulted in failure. His eyes glowed in bestial rage as he let the arrow loose at an unfortunate soldier. Chapter 36: An Arrow for a Comrade The wind shivered as the arrow dashed towards the army behind Lord Turnbull. The strange red and black flame flickered weakly upon the arrowhead. Zhen Shi had aimed at one of those eery metallic helmets on the head of one soldier. But just when the arrow was a few meters away from reaching its target... Lord Turnbull flicked his hand calmly whispering, "Dodge." Instantly the soldier who was wearing that helmet lightly bent his head to the side. And just like that, the arrow missed its target. The soldier had only made a slight motion, but that had been more than sufficient to dodge Zhen Shi''s arrow. It was almost as if the soldier had witnessed the movement of the arrow from multiple perspectives and then made the simplest motion to achieve his objective. Zhen Shi''s eyes widened as he witnessed this minor soldier dodge his arrow with such ease. The arrowhead flickered with the weak black and red flame as the arrow streaked through the air like a silent assassin. His eyes widened even further as he watched this arrow continue past its actual target... and instead strike a different target. The arrow that had missed its target dashed through the air and struck a new target, the qi manifestation of the Bull! Even during this battle, the Bull had continued to ''innocently'' chase the screaming Will O''Dale around the battlefield. But unfortunately for the Bull and fortunately for Will O''Dale, the Bull had just happened to be behind the soldier that had dodged the arrow. As such, the arrow struck the body of the Bull manifestation with the full force of Zhen Shi''s bestial physique. A mournful roar rang out through the battlefield as the arrow struck the Bull cleanly on its exposed torso. Even with the full power of Zhen Shi''s bestial physique the arrow only penetrated a few centimeters into the bull''s hide, after all, it was powerful enough to threaten Myne''s sea-fortress formation. As such, it should have only been a flesh wound... Nevertheless, the Bull continued to roar painfully as the arrow continued to slowly submerge into its torso; almost like a stone falling into quicksand. It stood in place while roaring and shivering amidst this ''great pain'' as the arrow and the strange flame disappeared into the body of the Bull. Zhen Shi stared in disbelief as the Bull suddenly turned its head and stared at him with wronged eyes. Zhen Shi scratched his head in embarrassment while mumbling, "Why are you staring at me like I''ve murdered a puppy? It''s only a flesh wound so can you please not scream so embarrassingly?" The Bull''s painful roars increased in intensity almost as if it had heard Zhen Shi. With one last glance at Zhen Shi, it suddenly began to run away. It continued to whimper in pain as it dashed into the island forest and finally disappeared among the trees. Silence reigned within the battlefield as the spectators stared wordlessly at this strange turn of events. Myne immediately sent mentally, "Ugh... Why did you do that?" Zhen Shi grimaced and sent back, "Bull Shit! That Bull manifestation was just playing victim just for receiving a minor flesh wound." "Huh? What are you talking about? I meant the Grade 4 arrow that you just lost forever!" Zhen Shi''s grimace grew worse as he realized that he had just lost a valuable weapon for the sake of a ridiculous bull. Nevertheless, Myne continued with a sigh, "Either way, put the arrows aside for a moment. Since Turnbull has manifested his W¨¹rd as helmets upon his army he can see through their eyes and easily dodge any obvious attacks. I suggest you jump in and fight in an unpredictable manner. He won''t have time to focus on you after I attack..." Zhen Shi nodded wordlessly still mourning the loss of his arrow. He could only hope that the Bull would dissipate in a nearby place making it easier to find the arrow. After all, it was only a manifestation of qi and aether and not a real bull... Despite, Zhen Shi''s misfortune, Will O''Dale was celebrating his fortune. He had just been freed from the terrifying chase of a crazy Bull and it was all thanks to that Zhen Shi! As such, William stared at Zhen Shi with grateful eyes while thinking, ''Aiya! I misunderstood this fellow. I regret nothing as much as deciding to attack this divine musician.'' Tears rose in his eyes as he contemplated his unfortunate life, ''In my entire life, besides my little brother and my family, everyone else came to me for their own purposes. This is the first time... that someone truly helped me!'' The tears streaked down his face, ''When everyone else had forgotten about me and left my life to fate, he was the only one who helped! He even decided to leave the protection of his formation and attack that devilish bull at the risk of losing his own life. How heroic! How valiant! This is a dragon amongst men! A true comrade!'' With these thoughts, William dashed forwards and jumped upon the unsuspecting Zhen Shi. He hugged Zhen Shi''s body tightly while sobbing and shouting "Comrade I owe you my life! From now on, we are brothers!" Zhen Shi who was still wallowing in his loss couldn''t help but think, ''Is this compensation for the lost arrow? I suppose it''s fine now,'' and consoled himself as such. Nevertheless, he grimaced and hurriedly pushed William off saying, "Get off! You''re rubbing your snot all over me. It''s one thing for pretty girls to hug me and cry, but grown men definitely can''t!" William smiled while rubbing off his tears and snot and spoke reassuringly, "I agree. I''ll fight off any grown man that dares hug and cry on my brother!" Zhen Shi was about to comment on how shameless he was being, but suddenly, an angry shout rang out. It was Lord Turnbull. Witnessing how his powerful ''attack'' of a bull had played around ridiculously and finally run away into the forest while howling like a dying cat and then how these two fellows played around in a relaxed manner despite his presence, had enraged him beyond measure. But most of all he was getting impatient. Now that Will O''Dale had freed himself from the divine curse, it was only a matter of time before he stated that Zhen Shi and his fellow disciples were innocent. As a result, he needed to finish this quickly. He had performed the previous attacks while keeping the well-being of the soldiers in mind. But now he threw that thought away.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. As such, he roared out, "Edict: Rain of spears!" Torrents of qi were pulled out from the soldiers causing them to visibly pale and weaken. Few even fainted on the spot; instantly causing the eery metallic helmets upon their heads to fade away. Nevertheless, the multi-colored qi combined into hundreds of pitch-black spears that were instantly grabbed by the standing soldiers and hurled with terrifying strength right at the grey fortress. These spears were weaker and slower than the previous spears. However, the quantity made up for the lack of quality. At the same time, Myne and Vivienne retaliated causing the sea-fortress to rearrange its grey bricks defensively into certain points and the ocean water formed into dozens of giant arms. However, Myne realized that this would not be sufficient to survive the attack and manifested a silver globe. He hurriedly threw it into the air causing it to explode in a burst of colorless qi which manifested as hundreds of formation talismans. They merged into the sea-fortress in an intricate pattern causing it to glow brightly and radiate a powerful aura. Seeing the spears dashing towards the sea-fortress, Zhen Shi and William hurriedly dodged to the side to make sure that they wouldn''t be caught in the cross-fire. While Zhen Shi stared wordlessly at the confrontation, William strangely dashed back into the pavilion... Whoosh! Whoosh! The wind whistled as the countless spears struck the walls of the sea-fortress causing it to shake lightly. Nevertheless, the sea-fortress stood strong as the spears got stuck on the walls resulting in only some light cracks. Meanwhile, the giant arms of ocean water formed fists that retaliated with furious punches causing Lord Turnbull to hurriedly shout out, "Shield!" Instantly different types of qi were dragged out from the soldiers and formed into multiples shields. Just before the punching water fists reached the army, the multiple colored shields combined into that single giant shield of patchwork. Boom! Boom! A wave of explosions and qi bursts rang out across the battlefield as Lord Turnbull''s giant patchwork shield easily defended against this flurry of punches. Myne''s voice rang out in Zhen Shi''s mind, "Go now! Even corpses can hold qi, so killing them will be useless! Focus on the W¨¹rd helmets." Zhen Shi nodded wordlessly as he silently dashed into the unsuspecting army. With a slight grin, he bashed the helmet of a nearby soldier with his bow and the skill . Crack! Under the power of the divine bow, the helmet cracked into two pieces. But the complete strength of the attack was used up in destroying the W¨¹rd helmet causing the soldier to collapse unconsciously. Zhen Shi was rather unhappy about not being able to gain experience points but was in too much of a hurry to complain. But at the same time, Will O''Dale dashed out of the pavilion brandishing his dual swords. With a scream, "You dare trouble my brother''s friends? I don''t care if you''re my employer, I''ll fuck you to death!" and launched a flurry of slashes on to the helmet of a nearby soldier. Under the onslaught of sword attacks, the helmet broke into pieces causing another soldier to collapse. Zhen Shi shook his head in disbelief but nevertheless jumped right back into bashing helmets off of soldiers with a grin. But this time with Will O''Dale followed him to do the same. The spectators were completely speechless at this point, "Since when does the victim turn on the savior? Even going so far as to call the ''criminal'' his brother?" Even Hao Lei was beginning to grow skeptical about Lord Turnbull''s claims and was considering interfering. But forcefully held back when he saw the terrifying attacks being dished out by both sides. Laura continued to watch with worried eyes, too engrossed to notice her uncle''s actions. Lord Turnbull could immediately sense the loss of the soldiers in his army but before he could react, Myne flicked his hands. He instantly attacked with much greater power than before since it was important to keep Lord Turnbull distracted. Instantly the spears in the walls of the sea-fortress were dragged out and crushed into pitch-black cannonballs. With another flick, the cannonballs were loaded into dozens of shadows of cannons. Kaboom! Each cannon exploded at the same time in a single terrifying explosion. At the same time, the giant water hands formed into fists and launched out a flurry of punches. Lord Turnbull hurriedly shouted out, "Edict: Defend" causing terrifying torrents of qi to be dragged out of the soldiers causing all of them to weaken and a few more to faint and collapse. Nevertheless, the qi combined together to form a hemispherical dome of pitch-black qi. This was a defense much stronger than the shield used before. Unfortunately for him, however, this defensive dome trapped Zhen Shi and Will O''Dale with the soldiers. The soldiers began to shout helplessly as Zhen Shi and Will O''Dale dashed like the wind amidst them. Each time Zhen Shi''s crazy hard bow smashed down, a helmet cracked. And each time William launched a flurry of sword slashes, another helmet cracked. But Will was much slower than Zhen Shi... Either way, within a few moments, they had taken down a good chunk of the soldiers. Zhen Shi couldn''t help but grin despite his displeasure in being unable to earn Exp points, while thinking, "This is fun... Like playing Whack-a-mole!" Lord Turnbull was itching to attack them, but the incoming attack left him too distracted. The wind whistled as the rain of spears fell upon the metallic shield being maintained by Lord Turnbull. Clang! Clang! The sound of metal striking metal rang out as the spears struck against the metal dome causing very light cracks to appear. However, the intensity of the cracks gradually increased as Zhen Shi and Will O''Dale continued to knock out more and more soldiers. William even activated his stealth ability and dashed about much easier than before. Lord Turnbull stared in disbelief as Zhen Shi continued to dash about the battlefield while bashing helmets with his bow. And since Will O''Dale was invisible all he could see of him were helmets being ''magically'' destroyed and soldiers ''magically'' collapsing down. The soldiers were struggling and shouting while fighting back. But they were only ordinary cultivators with weak abilities. In addition to that, they had been greatly weakened by the continuous usage of their qi. As such, they posed little to no challenge to Zhen Shi and the invisible Will O''Dale. However, as a result, Lord Turnbull continued to struggle to maintain the metallic dome amidst the rain of spears especially with the ever-increasing cracks on its surface. In the end, he resigned himself to extracting more qi from the remaining soldiers and strengthened the metallic dome. But as a result, the remaining soldiers grew even weaker making it much easier for Zhen Shi and Will O''Dale to knock them out. Several minutes passed as this stalemate between the metallic dome and the rain of spears continued. On the other hand, as a result of launching such a powerful attack, the sea-fortress shimmered faintly as if it would fade away. In the end, Myne flicked his hand with a grimace causing half of the talisman formations in the ocean water to return and combine with the sea-fortress. Only then did the fortress stabilize; nevertheless it seemed much fainter than usual. Despite the onslaught of spears and loss of soldiers, Lord Turnbull''s metallic dome had continued to hold on despite being covered in cracks. But just then the last spear struck the surface of the metallic dome causing it to finally shatter apart. As the metallic black qi dissipated it revealed a Lord Turnbull that was gasping in tiredness with only a few dozen soldiers remaining. And even they were gasping in fatigue and over-use of qi. Even though Lord Turnbull had survived the attack, he had already lost. This was because the remaining soldiers were not sufficient to even barely perform on the level that they had before. But making matters worse for him, Zhen Shi and William knocked even them out in a few moments. Now having knocked out the army of hundreds, Zhen Shi and the now visible Will O''Dale proceeded to stare at the gasping Lord Turnbull with confidence and satisfaction. Even Myne and Vivienne jumped onto the wall of the sea-fortress. However, their faces were riddled in worry and suspicion. Lord Turnbull turned his head at Will O''Dale, "It appears that you''ve fallen under their mesmerism. Do not fret for I will deal out justice." Honestly, he wasn''t sure about this but he stating this publicly helped him keep the troublesome fellows like Hao Lei in control. Finally, he stared at Zhen Shi, Myne, and Vivienne and growled out, "I guess I underestimated you. But that''s all the more reason to go all out!" and manifested a shimmering a golden medallion with the symbol of Bull horns on it. And a giant formation covering the entire island shimmered faintly under the mid-day sunlight... Chapter 37: Feeling Stifled Lord Turnbull hesitated for a single moment as his eyes alternated between the golden medallion with the symbol of Bull''s horns and the mystical formation barely visible in the sun-lit sky. Initially, he had not planned to use the island formation just to take care of a few minor disciples. After all, this medallion was a single-use item that granted limited control of the island formation; stated by many formation masters to be second only to the legendary protective formation of the Lyonnesse Kingdom itself! But despite his intention, those disciples had revealed themselves to be a hard metal plate that he couldn''t take care of by himself. This was extremely unusual especially considering that his own cultivation was superior to all three of them. He could only assume that all three of them were abnormal geniuses strengthened by an equally abnormal Master, especially considering that sea-fortress formation. He had previously neglected their Master but now he was definitely wary of him. But it was now too late to back down and his only choice to get rid of them easily was using the Island Formation. However, this means that the Turnbull family would lose the ability to wield the formation for themselves and hence lose a fraction of their authority. On the other hand, Lord Turnbull was confident that if he didn''t take care of these three disciples there was a very high chance that the Turnbull family would lose the appraisal competition. Although the appraisal competition was only a competition between the junior members it would decide the family that owned the monopoly of trade decisions for the next several years. Since the Turnbull family lost the last time, losing once more would be disastrous for the future expansion of their power. Even the founding families will be present and the results of the competition will greatly influence their decisions on who to support for the post of chief manager. Thus with no other way to ensure the prosperity of his family, he threw aside his uncertainties and instantly crushed the golden medallion. Instantly the island formation within the sky became tangible and more visible while exerting and oppressive aura upon the entire island, with the focus being the battlefield where Lord Turnbull was facing off against Zhen Shi and the others. Instantly, the entire crowd who were merely spectating lost control of their body and collapsed on to their knees while struggling for control. Laura would''ve followed in their footsteps had it not been for Hao Lei who prevented her from falling while sweating under the pressure himself. Even Zhen Shi and Will O''Dale had to exert great effort to remain standing. On the other hand, Myne and Vivienne seemed completely fine while standing on the sea-fortress walls. However, both their faces were painted in worry and concern. Lord Turnbull stared at Myne who had revealed himself only a few moments earlier and spoke angrily, "So you must be the one who actually insulted me..." Myne grimaced at this misunderstanding while staring at Zhen Shi in accusation. Zhen Shi, however, proceeded to ignore his accusing stare and calmly whistled a tune, after all this matter was ''completely unrelated to him''. Seein Zhen Shi do the exact same thing that he had done before, Myne almost collapsed on the spot thinking, ''Where did he learn to be so shameless?'' Ignorantly Lord Turnbull continued speaking with a cunning glint in his eyes, "I will deal out the necessary punishment for you unruly fellows. However, even I might have trouble controlling the power of this formation. As such, even though you are criminals, I implore you to be careful." This was a clever statement. He could now get away with injuring or even killing them with only minor punishment. Hearing his words and glancing at the formation above Myne heaved a sigh and spoke mentally to Zhen Shi, "I had hoped that he wouldn''t resort to using the formation. But I guess this Turnbull is determined to win the competition. My sea-fortress formation is the only a lower grade 3 formation based on some personal conceptual magic, but this is a Grade 6 formation that is based on a unique type of Island Magic. Fortunately, this guy is too weak and hopefully will only be able to bring out the strength of a lower Grade 4 formation." Zhen Shi was intrigued by all the sudden mentions of magic and formations. But remained silent allowing Myne to talk first. Myne continued hurriedly, "I''m going to go all out now. I''ll leave you to take care of the matters that''ll arise after..." and finished as such. Just when Myne was about to step forward after his speech, Vivienne grabbed onto his shirt and held him back while chewing her lips in reluctance and worry. ?????? Zhen Shi, on the other hand, was suddenly reminded of the fact that he had accumulated enough points for another divine boon. Excited at the prospect of helping Myne he hurriedly checked the system status and noted, Otaku Points: 215. "System grants me a divine boon with the added requirement of being as helpful to Myne as possible," he shouted mentally. Ding! Divine Boon gained. Once again that familiar piece of white paper with the word ~IOU~ appeared along with the deduction of 150 OP from his total. Zhen Shi paid no heed to this as he immediately used up the divine boon. Zhen Shi might''ve been worried about this taking too long but with his experience from the previous instance of obtaining a divine boon, he definitely was not. However, time passed by with no news from the system. Zhen Shi began to worry as valuable moments passed by with no notification or even a reply to his questions on how long it''d take. He grimaced as he mentally complained and threatened, "System, this is really bad customer service... Answer me or I''ll put in a complaint with your manager!" System: ?_? In the end, despite his words, he had to continue to be patient and wait until the system notified him... ?????? Myne turned to look at Vivienne and spoke with a single raised eyebrow, "Wife, don''t worry. You know of my capabilities the best. I''m sure you know that this tiny formation can''t kill me." Vivienne stared at him with indignant eyes and whispered, "But it''ll come very close..." Myne shook his head with a reassuring smile, "Don''t worry. Just trust me, this time." Vivienne''s eyes widened at his words and let go with a slight nod. Myne nodded back and turned towards Lord Turnbull who was suddenly covered and protected in a surge of black qi from the formation that was gathering energy from nature ravenously. Ignoring the odds stacked against him, with unrelenting eyes, he brought out a golden globe and threw it into the air allowing it to explode in a surge of colorless qi forming an uncountable number of formation talismans. In addition, the sea-fortress formation dissipated into even more formation talismans. With the sea-fortress gone, Vivienne dropped down gracefully and joined Zhen Shi and Will O''Dale on the sidelines. With a flick of his fingers, Myne made the formation talismans dash into his own body one by one. He gritted his teeth as sweat began to fall profusely and veins popped visibly all over his body. But the formation talismans continued to disappear into his body leaving barely glowing marks on his skin. Zhen Shi''s meager understanding of formations could only allow him to conclude that these formation talismans formed an extremely complex strengthening formation; but instead of being used to defend or produce an artifact, it was being used to forcefully improve Myne''s strength and physique. A biological application of something that was not meant to be used for that purpose... Moments later, Myne''s body was completely covered in glowing white tattoos that inexplicably linked together to form an unbelievable body strengthening formation. Fortunately, besides Zhen Shi who barely sensed the profound nature of this formation, no one else in the crowd thought too much of it and assumed it to just be a random body strengthening art. Myne calmly raised his hands and lightly whispered, "Falcon Cloak." Instantly a pitch-black deadly aether manifested into a dark black feather cloak covering his body. With his grim eyes revealing killing intent and the falcon cloak leaking death aura, his body radiated the aura of a predator. Nevertheless, Myne ran his hands through his hair with heavy breaths, almost as if he was over-stressing his body. Almost immediately the formation finished gathering energy forming a clear glass-like dome. All the people within the market area would notice the sudden activation of the Island formation and stare at this rare sight in awe and dread. Lord Turnbull raised a fist with a sneer from within the protection of the defensive energy and shouted, "Island Eradication!" Instantly dark black clouds gathered above the island and the sound of thunder rang about. For the first time, the peaceful lake surrounding the island was in turmoil. The water broiled and raged as if it was waging war with itself. The trees rustled and creaked under strong gusts of wind. Despite the nature surrounding the island signaling the arrival of a storm not a single raindrop fell on to the ground. But lightning flickered ominously in the sky... Lord Turnbull continued to gaze upon the ''final moments'' of these poor fellows who had made the mistake of angering him and calmly flicked his fingers delivering their ''sentence''. Crack! Suddenly spikes made of jagged rocks struck out from the earth just below where all four of them had standing. Myne was the first to react and his black cloak flapped like the wings of a bird as he easily disappeared and reappeared in another location. But his eyes were focused on how the others were faring. The moment the attack had begun Zhen Shi had sensed the distress of the aether and hence easily dodged with plenty of time to spare. Vivienne too easily moved aside with movements as graceful as flowing water. However, Will O''Dale had been completely ignorant of the attack and had stayed rooted to the spot. Had it not been for Zhen Shi who had hurriedly pulled him aside he definitely would''ve been skewered on the spot. Will O''Dale stared at the earth spike that was now occupying his previous location and gulped in fear. He turned to Zhen Shi with eyes filled with gratitude and respect and hugged him for the second time while thinking, "Ai, I truly regret getting angry at this wonderful person. His character is a miracle of humanity. This must be the true trust between humans!" On the other hand, Zhen Shi had just casually pulled Will O''Dale to the side and saved him. But now noticing that Will O''Dale was hugging him while staring with the eyes of a suspicious uncle, he hurriedly broke free of the hug and pushed William away. Vivienne couldn''t help but smile at this ridiculous situation despite her worries. Even so, Will O''Dale continued to stare at him while singing his praises. In the end, Zhen Shi decided to ignore this idiot and sent out mentally to them, "Be careful. Who knows when that shameless cow will decide to sneak attack us again." Only a single moment passed since he said this... Crack! Golden yellow light flashed within the dark sky and struck down lightning at all four of them. But due to Zhen Shi''s warning, Will O''Dale was not caught off guard this time. Hence all of them easily dodged the initial lightning strikes.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Despite this, the lightning continued to rain down mercilessly from among the dark stormy clouds. Myriads of lightning arcs crackling and writhing like serpents dashed down towards them; making it impossible to dodge. Each of them would definitely be struck down now... Immediately, Myne jumped to the very center of the formation of lightning and proceeded to dodge and weave about. He thrust his arm forwards causing the vague black shadow of a falcon to appear and swallow the lightning bolts; like a bird swallowing worms. Since Myne was closer, the majority of the lightning bolts focused on him mercilessly considering him to be easy prey. But every lightning strike disappeared soon after into the beak of the falcon shadow, and so the prey became the predator. Even with his help Zhen Shi and the rest had a difficult time dodging the lightning strikes. After all, Myne was being empowered by both his strange body-strengthening formation and the falconic magic spell. Under Lord Turnbull''s control, the lightning struck down only at the four of them while leaving the crowd and the spectators completely unscathed. The crowd continued to stare in wonderment at the power of the legendary island formation. Even more unbelievable was how four young fellows were continuing to hold on against it! Although they were fine for the most part, there were multiple instances where Will O''Dale came close to being struck down by lightning and only barely survived with lightly singed hair. Even so, he continued to stare deeply at Zhen Shi with eyes filled with gratitude and ardor. Why? This was because he would''ve been caught off guard by this lightning just like that earthen spike, had it not been for Zhen Shi''s timely warning. As such, the respect and gratitude in his heart towards Zhen Shi only grew even further. Zhen Shi sensed eyes staring at him causing him to pause in wonderment and look around, ''Hmm? Have my suave and heroic actions garnered the attention of the ladies in the crowd?''.But fortunately, before he could realize the truth of this matter and vomit blood... he was distracted by the ongoing battle. Myne suddenly thrust both hands towards Lord Turnbull and shouted, "Falconic Death!" Instantly the cloak on his back partially dissipated into streams of terrifying pitch-black qi that rearranged to form a herd of falcon-like birds that flew around him like a tornado. In the next instant, these black falcons screeched in an ominous manner and slashed towards Lord Turnbull like the scythe of the grim reaper. Slash! Slash! The sound of beaks tearing apart the defensive qi rang about as the falcons ran amok destroying the energy protecting Lord Turnbull, causing him to grimace in displeasure. Each time the falcons dived in, a part of his defense was lost. Nevertheless, he flicked his fingers causing the defensive qi to gradually reform. Even if Lord Turnbull was still fighting, Zhen Shi couldn''t help but grin at the sight of Myne gaining the upper hand. But suddenly his grin grew even wider as he heard a familiar sound... Ding! Divine Boon received. Do you accept it? Of course! Instantly the item appeared and dropped down into Zhen Shi''s hands radiating an ancient and mystical aura. Strange enough no one else paid any attention. Zhen Shi eyed the unassuming appearance of this item and at the same time a system notification rang out introducing it. Instantly his eyes widened as he gawked while thinking, "This-- It can''t be... It looks like I truly hit the jackpot this time!" ?????? In the divine realm, there was a towering and majestic pyramid mystically floating thousands of kilometers above the ground. Countless creatures were entering and leaving through a grand opening at the base of the pyramid. This entrance was guarded by two terrifying baboons wielding spears and radiating incredible auras giving rise to respect and order in all those who passed by. And completely disregarding the nature of the surrounding area within a radius that extended thousands of kilometers and the space of a sphere of the same radius, the land was completely covered in perpetual darkness. The only source of natural light was a moon roughly a tenth of the size of the pyramid. Strangely enough, this moon was not in the sky and instead was rotating at the edges of the dark sphere with the pyramid at the center. At the very peak of the pyramid was a brightly lit room with an impossibly wide space compared to the dimensions when observed from the outside. The room was filled with books, strange trinkets, and other items. But the most eye-catching was the area filled with test tubes and beakers filled with mystical energies in various forms, complex machinery with various types of materials, herbs, and creatures in them, and even multiple floating screens showing scenes of various instances ranging from people sleeping to actual wars along with tables and charts filled with ineligible readings. All of this machinery was being carefully utilized by strange chimeric creatures with the bodies of humans and the heads of animals. But among them was an individual who stood out like a sore thumb. He was a middle-aged man dressed in only a pair of pants while revealing his bare chest, and upon his head was a head-dress of an Ibis with beak, feathers and all. Despite his strange appearance, his every motion was mystical, like the strokes of a master painter. However, in such a scenario, only the world would be worthy of being his canvas. Currently, his eyes were resting upon a strange device composed of two distinct glass-like spheres connected to each other by a narrow tube. In one sphere was a type of lively aether manifesting itself in the form of lush trees, mystical creatures, and beautiful sceneries, and in the other was a terrifying aether manifesting as unstable cracks in space. Suddenly the device lit up with purple sparks of lightning causing these two types of aether to meet at the central tube. Instantly the two different aether combined to form a single fiery aether; it manifested with a vision of a world in chaos and burning in fire. Instantly the middle-aged man observed this new aether for a moment and tapped a small but fairly thick book placed on a nearby table. This book seemed rather old with yellowed pages and a faded red leather cover with only the barely visible symbol of a vertical rectangle within a circle. But suddenly the book began to flip its pages by itself and stopped at a page that revealed words which were shifting around in an incomprehensible manner. However, the middle-aged man with the Ibis head-dress easily read through its contents and spoke with a hint of awe, "Amazing! Old Man Heka has outdone himself again! Unlike before the book can now give detailed information about any type of magic. Even this random destruction magic formed by the combination of nature magic and unstable spatial magic is clearly explained here." Just as he finished his words, the fiery aether within the glass equipment and manifesting visions of a world of chaos began to show signs of destabilization. Instantly it expanded and exploded out with a terrifying release of energy that spread throughout the entire room. Space itself cracked apart unable to withstand this power leaving unstable spatial nodes all over the wide room. As the energy gradually cleared, the room was revealed to be in tatters and filled with items eviscerated to dust along with the occasional chunk of chimera corpses here and there. On the other hand, the man with the Ibis head-dress was completely unscathed; without a single piece of dust or even a misplaced hair. Ignoring the explosion he continued to go over the contents of the book. Only moments later did he finish and finally raise his head to notice the destruction of the room. Seeing this he heaved a disappointed sigh whispering, "This is why I hate Destruction Magic." Nevertheless, he placed the book aside and drew a circle of white energy in the air. Instantly the world shook and nature obeyed; the room seemed to pass through a rewind of time causing the destroyed items, books and even the dead corpses to reform. In an instant, everything returned to exactly how it had been, minus the glass device with the destructive magic aether that exploded. Strangely enough, that was not reformed... The moment they were reformed the chimeric creatures got back to what they had been doing. But suddenly the middle-aged man twisted his head towards where the red leather-bound book had been placed with a growl of anger, only to see that it was being covered in mystical white energy. He snorted in annoyance and flicked his finger covered in white energy, causing nature to heed his command once more. But nature ignored his command as the white energy immediately disappeared with the leather-bound book in tow. Despite this event, he paused in contemplation for several more moments while staring at the spot where the book and the strange energy had been. He was reminded of some interesting news that he had come across recently; a certain new god going by ''this handsome and scholarly self'' that had received a weapon from Hephaestus and even stolen from Lord Odin. ''Could it be that I am a victim of that junior thief as well? His ability is praise-worthy... but I will make him regret messing with me.'' Suddenly, he shouted out, "Prepare to visit Lord Heka. I have some important matters to discuss with him!" Instantly a dozen of the chimeric creatures walked forwards and bowed deeply simultaneously speaking out, "Yes, Lord Thoth," and began to follow his order. Thoth raised his right hand revealing a single minuscule spark of the mystical white energy that he had captured by accident when it was stealing the book. This energy spark was still struggling to escape from his grasp but was failing to do so. While observing it, he fell into thought, "I was fortunate enough to capture this... But what is this magic? A sub-category of creation? No, it seems much more complex, but also strangely familiar. Either way that old man Heka will definitely know, and the thief who dares steal from me will be caught red-handed..." ?????? Zhen Shi was still staring in awe at the mystical item that was within his hands, this was the Book of Thoth! A Legendary Item mentioned in mythology rumored tp contained divine knowledge of the gods. Excitedly he grasped the cover and flipped the page. But... he couldn''t. He momentarily gave up his attempt to question the system. But unlike the last divine boon, the system wasn''t even willing to explain the item and remained silent. While holding back himself from complaining about the horrible customer service once more he noticed that the battle was continuing. He hurriedly checked if the book would react to his qi or any of the different types of aether. Having failed in that attempt, next he activated and continued to attempt to pry apart the book with his full power while growling in rage... While Myne and Lord Turnbull continued to battle with death hawks and lightning serpents at the edges of death, Zhen Shi was working just as hard... to flip open a book! After all, he had a chance to help Myne with an actual divine mythological object sitting in his hands. So how could he just give up? He even noticed that several people in the crowd were staring at him strangely, but ignored them since it was possible that they had sensed the divine aura of this item. So he dived right back into his attempts of opening the book. Moments passed yielding no results to his effort. By now he had reached the limits of that he could exert in public but was still unable to open the book. Under the eyes of the crowd, he halted for a moment and instantly shifted to a horse stance like position while holding the book in both hands raised to chest level. With a new posture, he continued to exert his full strength and even strained his body with his full strength while growling out in rage. He even began to sweat profusely and his face grew red under the effort... More and more people turned to stare at him with strange looks even going so far as to whisper amongst themselves. However, Zhen Shi proceeded to ignore them. So what if they realized some of the power of this divine item? How could he give up on Myne just to protect a treasure? But on the contrary, Zhen Shi''s conclusion couldn''t be further from the truth. In fact, no one besides Zhen Shi had even seen the Book of Thoth or even sensed a speck of its aura. In other words, only Zhen Shi could see it. But instead of the book, the crowd had definitely seen something else... They had seen Zhen Shi growling and straining with great effort. After doing so for a while he had then proceeded to move into a half-squatting position and continue his previous efforts. His effort was so serious that he even began to sweat and his face grew red! But without the book in his hands in their eyes, Zhen Shi''s actions were open for interpretation. The crowd continued to stare and whisper, "What is he doing? Is he trying to force himself through hardship to cheer on his senior fellow disciple who his still battling Lord Turnbull?" "No, that doesn''t make much sense. Perhaps he is on the verge of breaking through a bottleneck in his cultivation?" "Are you crazy? Who breaks through bottlenecks like that? I think he is suffering from some sort of sickness..." "Yes, you''re right. I have worked for several years helping a healer. If I''m not mistaken, he seems to be suffering from a severe case of constipation!" "That makes perfect sense considering the half squatting posture, the excessive grunting and growling, the sweating and the reddened face. The only problem is why is he doing it right now while standing in public?" "That''s why I mentioned that it was a severe case. Perhaps the stifling feeling was too much and he decided to throw away his face and decided to do this shameless act even in public just to make himself feel better..." And the more the crowd thought of this conclusion, the more they found themselves agreeing. After all, it made a fair amount of sense... But if Zhen Shi hadn''t been totally focused on opening the book and had heard their whispers he would cough up blood and faint on the spot. By now even Vivienne and Will O''Dale had noticed his strange actions and had even heard the whispers of the crowd. Vivienne frowned and asked mentally in confusion, "Little Bro what are you doing?" Zhen Shi mentally replied on his topic of ''opening a book'' with a sad smile, "I''m just embarrassed at being unable to do even this everyday task. I''d continued to feel stifled if I couldn''t even do this simple task and help out Myne!" Vivienne gasped but nodded in understanding. However, the way that she had heard those words were completely different. Phrases like ''Embarrassed'', ''Everyday task'', and ''Stifled feeling'' completely made her ''sure'' of the situation. Even if she wasn''t sure how this would help Myne she now ''understood'' the matter. She herself was feeling helpless in being unable to help Myne and was sure that Zhen Shi was feeling the same. She could only imagine how horrible it would feel if one had annoying ailments such as constipation at the same time. As such, she answered back kindly, "Little Bro I have a spell that can help you out. Would you like me to try?" Zhen Shi was overjoyed at the prospect of making the job easier and was about to agree when Will O''Dale who had also been listening in spoke out suddenly, "Forget the spell. I have a special medicine that is passed down in my family and I guarantee that the moment you drink it, any type of constipation will run away in fear!" Zhen Shi gawked in disbelief and muttered, "What constipation?" Chapter 38: The Book of Thoth As the battle between Myne and Lord Turnbull''s lightning continued amidst the terrifying stormy weather, Will O''Dale stared at Zhen Shi in confusion and asked quizzically, "Weren''t you suffering from constipation just now?" Zhen Shi almost fainted sideways at his strange answer. He was confused for a moment at his nonsensical statement. But looking around he immediately noted that while many people were looking at him, not a single one was staring at the Book in his hands. Instantly he realized that he was probably the only one who could see the book. And in the next instant, he realized how ridiculous he must''ve looked if everyone had just seen him straining in a great effort for no reason... ''Fuck! It definitely should''ve looked like a severe case of constipation.'' But he couldn''t focus too much on this embarrassment, especially since he needed to help Myne. As such, he spoke out with thick skin, "Oh no... I think you misunderstood. That was a special technique-- to... find a way to help Myne! Yes, that''s it," and finally made up a solution. Immediately, he ignored them and left them to their thoughts. He began to contemplate on how to open the Book of Thoth. However, the majority of the crowd along with Vivienne didn''t believe his words at all. His words were obviously made up on the spot, and Vivienne was confident that he had not used any type of ''special technique''. Nevertheless, she had faith in Zhen Shi and figured that he had his reasons for acting as he had, and so remained silent with a slight smile. But while the majority didn''t believe him, there were a few that did. Will O''Dale who had been ''saved'' by Zhen Shi on multiple occasions had complete faith in his savior. Then the rest would be the audience of his ''divine music''. Initially, they had found it unbelievable that a divine musician of his caliber would do something appalling as trying to relieve himself of constipation in public. And now learning that it was a special technique, they had believed his words. Either way, all of them completely forgot about this battle when the battle in the sky suddenly reached a new peak. More and more pitch-black storm clouds gathered in the sky with the thrum of thunder and ominous flashes of lightning. As the lightning raged amidst the storm clouds, carnage ensued on the Island. The trees were writhing and flailing, their groans of pain carried away by the merciless gusts of wind. The wind screamed like a banshee, uprooting weeds and shrubs in a fit of ever-consuming rage. But Myne was within the very center of this terrifying mass of lightning. His figure would disappear and appear with each flap of his cloak followed by the shadow of the hawk that continued to gobble up the lightning. Every time he moved, the cloak would flutter in the wind and reveal his bare skin riddled with popped veins and burnt marks reminiscent of the absorbed formation talismans... At the same time, he was also directing a tornado of screeching shadow falcons to rip apart the defensive energy protecting Lord Turnbull. Despite the torrents of screeching hawks, Lord Turnbull was completely safe within the defensive energy of the formation. But, the fact that he was unable to defeat these troublesome ''juniors'' even while using the legendary island formation was rather embarrassing. As such he roared with anger and tried to forcibly activate the next level of the formation. Pu! He coughed up some blood due to the back-lash and fell onto his knees. Nevertheless, his bloodied mouth cracked into a grin, as the pitch-black storm clouds gathered together and reared up like a cobra readying itself for an attack. Instantly, it spat out an immense torrent of lightning at Myne who was preoccupied with defending against the mass of lightning strikes. This was a very fast and sudden attack launched from point-blank range. Even so, Myne who was being empowered by the falconic magic should''ve been able to react to it easily. But, the size of the lightning torrent was simply too large, making it impossible for Myne to leave its range fast enough. As such, he would definitely be hit by the attack despite his superior speed. Instantly realizing this Myne completely gave up on trying to dodge, and flicked his hand manifesting a lively green aether... But at the same time, the torrent of lightning seared through the sky like burning venom before crashing onto Myne''s body. Boom! A small explosion rang out as Myne''s aether in the falcon cloak fought desperately against the overwhelming lightning aether. Even though the amount of lightning was simply incomprehensible, the black aether continued to hold on... The black aether seemed to hold an intrinsic eerie nature; that could absorb the lightning aether even without Myne''s control. Nevertheless, the sheer volume of lightning was simply too much for the black aether to handle. As such- Pu! Myne coughed blood himself as he crashed onto the ground in a cloud of dust. The falcon cloak was in tatters and the black aether was on the verge of dissipation. The dust cleared revealing Myne''s heavily wounded and burned body; which should have only been a step away from death. Zhen Shi and Vivienne simply had had no time to react. That attack had been too sudden and too powerful. Nevertheless, they rushed towards the fallen Myne to make sure that he was okay. William followed their lead with only a moment''s hesitation. But even before they could get close and help, a strange lively green qi appeared and streaked to and fro over his wounds. And while they watched, the burns and wounds healed instantly under its miraculous effects. Zhen Shi who had been rather worried, relaxed when he realized that Myne would be fine. However, Vivienne continued to be concerned... Myne wiped off some blood from his mouth and stood up slowly while holding on to Vivienne for support. Zhen Shi was rather intrigued about the nature of this healing magic which seemed to be even better than his own undying flame but remained silent. Then they all turned to Lord Turnbull and stared warily. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Unlike them, Lord Turnbull was in high spirits, despite having been wounded. Without the constant attack of the swarm of shadow hawks, the defensive energy from the Island formation covering him was now completely stable. His defense was still perfect, while the other party was injured. As such, Lord Turnbull couldn''t help but bask in his definite victory while preparing the finishing attack. And so while the storm raged on, another terrifying mass of lightning began to gather in the sky. With his weakened body, Myne struggled to stay standing up. He turned to look at Vivienne and Zhen Shi while muttering, "That bastard forcibly activated the formation bringing out the strength of a pinnacle Grade 4 formation." He heaved a sigh as he continued to speak while looking at Vivienne, "I didn''t think we''d be forced this far so soon... How unfortunate to have to resort to this..." and raised his left hand positioning it to give a knife strike. With a sharp qi slowly manifesting around his raised hand, he decisively stabbed his hand into his right shoulder. Blood seeped into his shirt from his self-inflicted wound. Despite the pain that he should''ve been in, his face cracked up in an eerie grin. At the same time, his aura changed. As if a terrifying sleeping beast was being awoken... His entire body began to radiate with powerful killing intent as he pulled back his hand from his shoulder. Flicking off the blood on his left hand he readied his right hand to do the same. All the while with his eerie grin growing even wider... Zhen Shi, who had been unable to find a solution for the Book of Thoth, was appalled at the sight of Myne grinning after self-infliction of pain, ''What the hell? Was Myne hit so hard that his masochistic tendencies are acting up again?'' But Vivienne grabbed on to him and replied hurriedly, "No. Myne, you don''t need to do this. I think Zhen Shi might have a solution..." She wasn''t too sure of this. But seeing Myne going through this again... she couldn''t help but say so. Myne''s killing intent and eerie grin lessened slightly as he turned to Zhen Shi expectantly and asked, "Bro, is this true?" Zhen Shi was relieved as he realized that his initial conclusion had been incorrect and that Myne was only performing some sort of technique. But at the same time, he couldn''t bring himself to tell Myne that he was helpless as well. As such, he racked his brain trying to figure out a solution for this matter. Fortunately, he was suddenly reminded of a fact that he had overlooked. If he remembered correctly, the Book of Thoth was an item that was not meant for the ''eyes'' of mortals. Since he was a mortal... the fact that he was unable to open it made some sense. But at the same time, there were tales of how misfortune fell upon the mortals who read it. So why was he unable to open it...? Were things different here? Either way, this meant that the only way to open the book would be to be a god. But that was impossible. However, while he couldn''t complete this condition perfectly, he did have a solution to try! And that was using his appraisal skill . Zhen Shi had realized that every time he activated this skill, the nature of his eyes changed. And as mentioned in the name, he hoped that they were divine eyes with some influence from Odin''s missing one. Therefore if he limited the skill to a single eye, there might be a chance of his eye becoming that of a god, ultimately allowing him to open the book. After all, if one of his eyes were that of a god, the phrase ''not meant for mortal eyes'' would be literally inapplicable for him! As such, with new-found hope, he hurriedly activated the skill limiting it to his right eye only while staring at the Book in his hands. Instantly, the pupil in his right eye shifted into a golden color. The appraisal label with the name [Book of Thoth] appeared instantly. But nothing new happened and he was still unable to open the Book. Realizing that this was probably not sufficient, Zhen Shi focused his complete attention on exerting the skill on his eye. His qi began to drain at a rapid rate, and he continued to use the skill despite being faced with heavy tiredness and fatigue... Even then, there were no new changes... So he decided to close his ''mortal'' left eye for good measure as well. With his mortal eye closed, the only eye being used would be non-mortal! And just as he did this, a familiar sound rang out followed by a familiar voice. Ding! Since the user has finally realized a solution, the seal on Divine Item: [Book of Thoth] will be lifted. Zhen Shi felt like flipping a table in rage when he realized that it was the system that had made a fool of himself in public, ''Why the hell couldn''t you just tell me? System, I get that you don''t talk much, because you are shy... but this is just too much!'' System: ?_? Nevertheless, Zhen Shi consoled himself with the thought that the system had probably saved him from those curses that had plagued those other unlucky mortals. Ding! [Book of Thoth]: A Book written by Thoth a God of knowledge and writing, later enhanced with powerful magic used by God Heka. Current use:- Identification of any non-divine Magic with complete and detailed information. Usage only allowed during activation of the divine eye. Zhen Shi''s eyes glowed with excitement as he realized the capability of this item. But realizing that he had wasted enough time and that Myne was waiting for his answer, he hurriedly focused his divine right eye on the formation covering the Island and touched the Book of Thoth. Immediately, the Book began to flip through pages by itself before stopping at a single page. Strangely enough, some of the words seemed to be in constant flux. Zhen Shi hurriedly read through the information, especially since the eye was leeching off a large amount of energy and he was slowly nearing his limit. But his eyes continued to widen in disbelief as he read through the information written here. ?? Lyon and Turnbull Formation: A crude recreation of the original formation used by the original founders of the Market Hall. Limited to Grade 7 even with the infusion of Island Magic, a subcategory of Location Magic. The formation can be used for both external and internal battle purposes. Individuals with control over the formation are----- The formation talismans related to the task of internal offense and defense are hidden within the formation dome itself. Those related to external offense is buried deep within the lake----- The internal offensive capabilities are linked to manipulation of the Terrain and Weather of the Island. This is completely reliant on three continuously moving formation centers. Current Location of formation center 1: Three inches left of the Silver-wood tree with----- ----- Next Predicted Location of formation center 3: 1 meter above----- The internal defensive capabilities are limited to a mass of qi that will cover and protect the user and is constantly regenerated by Island Magic. Linked with the usage of offensive capabilities. If either stops the other will stop as well-- ?? Zhen Shi couldn''t help but grin as he read through the information. While Lord Turnbull continued to prepare the ''killing blow'', he raised his head at Myne who was still waiting expectantly but rather confused as to why Zhen Shi was closing one of his eyes. Disregarding Myne''s confused look Zhen Shi spoke out confidently, "Of course I do! Who the hell do you think I am?" Ding! You have a system NOTICE! Hey, peeps, it''s been a while. In case you''ve been wondering I have not put the novel on hiatus or anything. I have not? Or maybe I have? I don''t think so. In fact, stuck at home, writing is the most worthwhile thing I''m doing these days XD Instead of continuing the novel, I did some soul-searching on what the novel will be... and I''m currently re-writing the novel. I had mentioned this before and agreed on small injections of content addition. In a sense, this is what I did. But the injections of content have become pretty big. As in: chapter-long memories on cultivation, training and former Zhen Shi''s life. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. BUT, the story is the same as it''s the essence but more in-depth? Basically, the same story but old Zhen Shi''s memories popping in occasionally for better world-building and explanation of cultivation. At least for the first arc, there will be those memories. The first arc will finish up in the next chap, and then I''ll continue the ordinary story while following the same basic plot. I think this will allow a better understanding of the world, to provide more context for Zhen Shi''s antics. If you''re interested in re-reading it and finding how the past of the original Zhen Shi is, the re-write goes by the name of "G.O.D.S." short for Godly Otaku Divine System? Most probably that... Or you can wait, and I''ll put up another update once I catch up. Either way thanks for continuing to follow this! Also, I''d love to know what you guys think about the re-write. Does it actually make the novel better? or have I ruined it? XD Going by the rating, I''d think it''s better XD